So I'm guessing most of you are familiar with other games, either video or table, where one feature is to give someone a temporary buff, usually in the form of hitpoints or similar to help them survive some fight.

So I was curious how that would be best implemented using this system.

How would you handle it? And please, if all you have to say is "You shouldn't/can't do that and here's why" just don't. This is a thread to homebrew this concept. I'd like to think I wouldn't have to put that disclaimer up but...well I've posted on this forum for a long time, so I've learned it's necessary.

So what seems better? I series of talents, possibly ranked, or Improved/Superior style of build that allows either self/allies to gain temp wound/strain? Or is it possibly better as a Force power to do the same?

Duty from Age of Rebellion can raise your Wounds Threshold, same as Paragon of Light or Dark Disciple with Morality. I think there’s also a Signature Ability that does it, perhaps Guardian. I believe there’s an item in Nexus of Power that does it too. So it’s not an unknown mechanic from the system.

You can basically do it however you want, just tell the players that the great feast they just attended lifts their spirits and strengthens their resolve, increasing their wounds and strain Threshold by 3 for the next day.

If you want something more structured then you could create two new Conditions (like Disoriented and Staggered) called Inspired and Heartened (or Empowered). Inspired increases your Strain Threshold, the other increases your Wound Threshold. They could last for any amount of time, an encounter, a day, a session, whatever suits.

Then just hand them out when it’s Narratively appropriate.

For a temporary buff? Just off the top of my head, I'd suggest either a +1 soak or +1 Defence depending on the context of what the effect is in the real game world (are they tougher? Or harder to hit?).

8 hours ago, KungFuFerret said:

So I'm guessing most of you are familiar with other games, either video or table, where one feature is to give someone a temporary buff, usually in the form of hitpoints or similar to help them survive some fight.

So I was curious how that would be best implemented using this system.

How would you handle it? And please, if all you have to say is "You shouldn't/can't do that and here's why" just don't. This is a thread to homebrew this concept. I'd like to think I wouldn't have to put that disclaimer up but...well I've posted on this forum for a long time, so I've learned it's necessary.

So what seems better? I series of talents, possibly ranked, or Improved/Superior style of build that allows either self/allies to gain temp wound/strain? Or is it possibly better as a Force power to do the same?

Well Rested: temporarily gain +1 wound threshold and +1 strain threshold after resting for 8 hours or more.

Well rested lasts for 8 hours and cannot stack with itself.

So that's an option. It works well if you're planning on tracking specifics (time spent awake, time spent asleep, etc) but doesn't work if you keep things vague and star wars-y.

Being well rested could affect Strain but not Wounds if we go by how those attributes are described in the fluff but I'm sure you could come up with some other explanation for Wounds.

But honestly if you are going to do this make it something costly like requiring a Destiny Point flip to gain a single PC a +1 Wound Threshold for the appropriate Encounter. Otherwise all thats going to happen is your Players are going to come up with an excuse to be always well rested or whatever and you might as well just give them all +1 Wound.

Seeing as these would be temporary boosts, this can't be a passive ability. Meaning, there is a cost to activate. It can't be strain, since this could boost strain. It could be a maneuver or an action, but what is to keep characters from having it on all the time?

I like this as equipment, with disposable injections. Or as a Force Power, with an option to commit FD. A Force Power may be the most fun. Base power allows for one character in short range to gain 1 wound. Upgrades allow more characters, more range, etc. Commit dice to maintain the boosts.

I wouldn’t be surprised if a Heroic Ability Option from Genesys’ Terrinoth supplement can boost Wound/Strain thresholds

I’d probably reskin the talent ‘Forewarning’ in Mystic Seer to something similarly called Harbinger of Grit. Take the Harbinger of Grit action; all allies within Medium range increase their Strain Theshold by character’s Force Rating (or Willpower) until the end of the encounter (or rounds equal to Willpower?).

On 6.4.2018 at 4:01 AM, KungFuFerret said:

So I'm guessing most of you are familiar with other games, either video or table, where one feature is to give someone a temporary buff, usually in the form of hitpoints or similar to help them survive some fight.

So I was curious how that would be best implemented using this system.

How would you handle it? And please, if all you have to say is "You shouldn't/can't do that and here's why" just don't. This is a thread to homebrew this concept. I'd like to think I wouldn't have to put that disclaimer up but...well I've posted on this forum for a long time, so I've learned it's necessary.

So what seems better? I series of talents, possibly ranked, or Improved/Superior style of build that allows either self/allies to gain temp wound/strain? Or is it possibly better as a Force power to do the same?

For a temporary buff to Wound Threshold, there already exists the Bubse Spice, published in Mask of the Pirate Queen (p.14).

As this is neither a talent nor a force power, I would probably make up a similar drug as a house rule that increases Strain Threshold.

Just to confirm that the Guardian signature ability Fated Duel has 2 stand firm upgrades each providing +4 temp wounds for the duration of the ability.

13 hours ago, syrath said:

Just to confirm that the Guardian signature ability Fated Duel has 2 stand firm upgrades each providing +4 temp wounds for the duration of the ability.

Yes, yes it does.

The question I'd ask is "what exactly are you looking to accomplish?"

If this is ultimately just a once per encounter quick boost to health, not unlike Saga Edition or D&D 4e's "second wind" mechanic, which provides a small amount of HP, I'd hardly call that game breaking The trick would be keeping the wound restoration at a point where it's still beneficial but doesn't too heavily favor certain character types.

For instance, if you say "once per encounter, spend an action to recover wounds equal to 1/5th your Wound Threshold, and a PC (or Nemesis) can do this a number of times per session equal to their Brawn," you've just provided a massive boon to PCs that have a high Brawn (especially those species that start at a 3 and can raise it to a 4 at chargen) and those specs that offer multiple instances of Toughened; a Wookiee Colossus for instance would be get a whole lot more benefit out of this sort of recovery action thanks to both a high Brawn and insanely high wound threshold than would a Human Ataru Striker

One possible approach might be to allow each PC, once per session, to make a Resilience check against a fairly low difficulty (let's say Easy) as an action, with each success restoring 1 wound, and each advantage restoring 1 strain. This is of course assuming you treat wound damage as "minor flesh wounds and physical exertion" while serious/lasting damage is the realm of critical injuries. Granted, using Resilience for this does tend to favor PCs with a high Brawn score, or that have sunk points into Resilience (which in my experience doesn't happen very often), but at the same time the character is forgoing their action that round in the hopes of restoring some measure of lost vitality.

Or, just leave it at "once per session" and the PC regains wounds equal to their Brawn. Still favors those PCs with a high Brawn score, but not too badly since it's a once per day thing and using stimpacks are a whole lot faster. Add the cost of having to flip a Destiny Point if you're worried about PCs spamming this ability.

I know the original intent was "ways to boost up PCs' wound thresholds," but unless the PC has chosen a species that has a very low Brawn and starting wound threshold, there's very few weapons that can insta-gib a PC based solely upon damage, so a quick bit of wound recovery will amount to pretty much the same thing. And if a GM's bad guys are constantly equipped with weapons that can take out most of the PCs with a single attack, I think the more pressing issue is how the GM is kitting out their NPCs and that perhaps a better tact might be not give the NPCs such nasty weapons.

Based on the original post (which I interpreted as temp increases to wound/strain threshold) I would add control upgrades upgrades to the imbue power. That power is already tailor made to reinforcing a living target, has all your relevant actions, durations, etc.

I think that is a natural place to jump off of, and avoids adding too many unnecessary elements to the game.

The more I think on this the more I'm inclined to ask the same question as Donovan Morningfire: "what exactly are you looking to accomplish?"

I mean there is already are in-game mechanics for situations like this: Toughened and Stimpacks. If you are going up against the BBG or a butt-load of enemies bring some Stimpacks, or have another PC throw one to you, or if these things are unavailable flip a DP and ask/beg the GM to have one lying around that you can grab. Plus you already have the Heal Force Power for that matter.

It just doesn't seem like a worthwhile use of EXP to have a temporary wound threshold Talent when you already have one that provides a permanent one or Power that essentially does what Heal does.

But if you really want a temporary boost that won't turn into a Munchkin power-up have it a drug similar to a Stimpack that instead of healing existing wounds it adds to the PC's WT for the Encounter, but has a drawback. Maybe you lose an equal number of Strain immediately (Gain 5 WT for -5 ST), or it only lasts X# of rounds then you loose them (which could end up being bad..), and/or it's addictive and you gain Conflict for not trusting in the Force. Regardless there needs to be a downside to getting that power-up or it's just going to become your new normal and at that point you might as well just give your Players extra WT and be done with it.

12 hours ago, FuriousGreg said:

But if you really want a temporary boost that won't turn into a Munchkin power-up have it a drug similar to a Stimpack that instead of healing existing wounds it adds to the PC's WT for the Encounter, but has a drawback. Maybe you lose an equal number of Strain immediately (Gain 5 WT for -5 ST), or it only lasts X# of rounds then you loose them (which could end up being bad..), and/or it's addictive and you gain Conflict for not trusting in the Force. Regardless there needs to be a downside to getting that power-up or it's just going to become your new normal and at that point you might as well just give your Players extra WT and be done with it.

The Bubse Spice (Mask of the Pirate Queen, p.14) I mentioned in this thread a few months ago perfectly fits to what you are describing here.

A dose increases your Wound Threshold by 4 for the encounter. As a (balancing) downside any critical injury result you suffer in this time is increased by +20.

No need for more or less complicated house rules, if all you need is a small drug, that is already in the books ;)

A way to temporary increase the Strain Threshold, could also be wearing an armor with the biofeedback system attachment.

6 hours ago, Rogues Rule said:

The Bubse Spice (Mask of the Pirate Queen, p.14) I mentioned in this thread a few months ago perfectly fits to what you are describing here.

A dose increases your Wound Threshold by 4 for the encounter. As a (balancing) downside any critical injury result you suffer in this time is increased by +20. 

No need for more or less complicated house rules, if all you need is a small drug, that is already in the books

Thanks, that totally works.