Hi, as the topic says, does a Force user have to use their Action when they commit Force dice?

In the FaD rules, all powers that use Force points are Action based (unless the description say's otherwise). You have to roll to see how many 'pip's you get to spend, but while you commit you just temporarily reduce your characters Force rating.

None of my players have made an issue of this, yet, but I would like to hear from someone with more experience in playing the game how you have solved this?

If it costs an action, then they'll loose one or more turns just to activate their powers, a thing I don't see in the movies. Incidentals is maybe too cheesy, but maybe a maneuver?

Sincerely, Tegman

From my GMs read on this, along with stuff out there, we agreed that committing a force dice is still the use of a force power and so requires the use of an action

However if you are committing multiple force dice in the same power ie agility in enhance - you can commit as many as you want in 1 action

but to commit to both agility and brawn would be two actions

What the bystander said.

Basically, the fact that you aren't rolling the dice doesn't mean you aren't still activating the power, it just happens to be an effect that doesn't require a dice roll. But the effects are still now active in the scene, thus you are activating a power. Think of it like Dragonball Z, and them taking a moment power up...and flex and grunt.

Or, to give a different, more in theme example, in Force Awakens, when Rey and Kylo were saber locked, and Rey takes a second to calm herself, and let the Force flow into her, that was basically how I envision committing a Force die would look. Them centering themselves into the Force, to get something to start working.

Though on that same topic, I know some Force powers have an upgrade that let you trigger their ability as an incidental or maneuver. For example I think Enhance let's you do that very thing? So if you have that upgrade, would it also apply to the action to commit Force die for said power?

I would think it would, as that upgrade generally doesn't specify anything beyond "you can now do this as a maneuver/incidental, instead of a full action". Seems reasonable to me at least.

There is also a talent that lets you use any force power as a manouver rather than an action (The Force is my Ally) for 2 strain once per session.

9 minutes ago, Darzil said:

There is also a talent that lets you use any force power as a manouver rather than an action (The Force is my Ally) for 2 strain once per session.

Yeah I think there are multiple methods to pull this off. Some of them are in a spec tree, some are in the powers themselves. I just can't recall if it was ever discussed that such an upgrade would also apply to committing a Force die as well. I can't think of any reason it wouldn't also apply to that, and it would make sense for those powerful in the Force to be able to do things like activate Sense and attack in the same turn, because they're just that good.

35 minutes ago, KungFuFerret said:

Though on that same topic, I know some Force powers have an upgrade that let you trigger their ability as an incidental or maneuver. For example I think Enhance let's you do that very thing? So if you have that upgrade, would it also apply to the action to commit Force die for said power?

I would think it would, as that upgrade generally doesn't specify anything beyond "you can now do this as a maneuver/incidental, instead of a full action". Seems reasonable to me at least.

It depends on how the power works and what the upgrade is. The only ones I know of that have that sort of upgrade are Enhance, Protect/Unleash, Warde's Foresight, and Suppress, though, and none of them would allow you to commit as a maneuver.

Enhance's Control upgrade specifically only decreases the time for a Force Leap, specifically;

Protect/Unleash don't have any commit effects, so that's not useful, and neither does Warde's Foresight (and Warde's Foresight specifically mentions that it only works on the basic power, anyway);

And Suppress is the only one that might make sense, because it does have a unique commit effect, the "Calming Aura" ability. I'd have to re-review how it specifically works to see if you could commit to that as a maneuver with Suppress alone.

How does stuff like battle meditation work when you commit dice to 'continue the effects'? You need to do it on your next turn?

23 minutes ago, SithArissa said:

How does stuff like battle meditation work when you commit dice to 'continue the effects'? You need to do it on your next turn?

I don't think so; I think the commit is part of the action. You roll your dice, spend your pips, and if you want to McDonald that result, commit the necessary dice. All of that happens as one action, assuming you have the proper upgrades to do it.

5 hours ago, Absol197 said:

It depends on how the power works and what the upgrade is. The only ones I know of that have that sort of upgrade are Enhance, Protect/Unleash, Warde's Foresight, and Suppress, though, and none of them would allow you to commit as a maneuver.

Enhance's Control upgrade specifically only decreases the time for a Force Leap, specifically;

Protect/Unleash don't have any commit effects, so that's not useful, and neither does Warde's Foresight (and Warde's Foresight specifically mentions that it only works on the basic power, anyway);

And Suppress is the only one that might make sense, because it does have a unique commit effect, the "Calming Aura" ability. I'd have to re-review how it specifically works to see if you could commit to that as a maneuver with Suppress alone.

Suppress allows you to commit as part of the force action where you trigger suppress (you may commit after activating the power or words to that effect) , it effectively turns the power onto an on mode as you trigger it. Although the other commit upgrade (that reduces pips) requires an action.

Moving on from that it is possible to trigger abilities as incidentals for a DP spend. Suppress has an example like that as well, as an example both suppress commit effects could be triggered as an incidental once per session for spending a destiny point.

I've read about the specializations and the Force powers a bit more and sure, there it is. Both talents and upgrades that lets a player activate their characters Force powers as either a maneuver or an incidental.

Thanks a lot guys (and gals, if there are any :P).

Sincerely, Tegman

Perhaps worth mentioning (or perhaps not) that you can commit the die outside of Structured Play, in which case it should require nothing more than a statement from the player. And if the player says "If I'm not doing anything else with my Powers, I always have my Enhance (or Sense, or whatever) up.", then they don't have to take/spend any Actions to continue to have the effect if things later enter Structured Play.