Feint

By LordEnforcer, in Star Wars: Force and Destiny RPG

Is that for ALL opponents on the next attack or just the specific opponent you missed with your attack?

The full description states that it upgrades the difficulty of THE opponent's next check. So just the one you missed, no more.

When in doubt, go with the full description of any talent in that book's respective talent chapter.

So yeah, Feint is only good against the specific opponent that you missed with your attack.

Which fits as Makashi is very much a one-on-one dueling style, and in lore (Legends at least) a Makashi user gets into trouble very quickly when they're outnumbered, as we saw in RotS when Obi-Wan and Anakin tag-teamed Dooku.

Weakest talent ever, lol. I'd rather just spend the advantage to get a blue on my next action or something.

4 hours ago, DaverWattra said:

Weakest talent ever, lol. I'd rather just spend the advantage to get a blue on my next action or something.

I've house-ruled the talent so that it can be used on a successful attack as well as a miss. Gives the talent a bit more viability as the character gets more proficient in the Lightsaber skill.

It's still pretty much a "one-on-one" combat talent though, which while not great for general combat viability does fit very well with the Makashi Duelist's theme of being all about one-on-one battles.

I've also ruled it can be used on a successful combat check, although if you do use it as such you do not inflict a hit.

Although keep in mind that Feint can be used on Brawl and Melee checks as well as Lightsaber checks, and some I'd expect most Mystics won't have as high a Brawn as the Presence they use for their Makashi Technique, the fact that they can proc a potent defensive ability on any missed Brawl or Melee attack is useful in scraps where bringing out the glowsticks isn't a good idea.

There’s a reason why Feint only works on a failed check though. By their nature, a feint is a “false attack” designed to draw an opponent off guard for the real attack. As such, a successful attack wouldn’t be a feint since it actually hits the target. A feint deliberately misses a target, in game terms, a failed attack that sets up the target for another attack. As such, feint can only be used on a failed attack roll.

Not all Talents are or should be the best ever. Many of them are useful but seem expensive in the Talent Tree for what they provide but it's important to keep in mind that these Talents don't exist in a vacuum but are also part of the overall balance of the system. Essentially they cost what they do because they make other more useful Talents on that same tree more expensive to get. So you are really just paying more for that cool Talent but getting a somewhat but not super useful ability as well. Best just to leave these Talents as they are or you risk screwing with the built in balance mechanisms. One or two House Rules aren't likely going to make much of a difference but they will add up at some point and cause a ripple effect.

22 hours ago, Tramp Graphics said:

There’s a reason why Feint only works on a failed check though. By their nature, a feint is a “false attack” designed to draw an opponent off guard for the real attack. As such, a successful attack wouldn’t be a feint since it actually hits the target. A feint deliberately misses a target, in game terms, a  failed attack that sets up the target for another attack. As such, feint can only be used on a failed attack roll.

True, but with a round being up to several minutes long, I think feint would have been better off as something like take the feint action and gain an automatic advantage to your next successful attack. Or something along those lines.

1 minute ago, Ahrimon said:

True, but with a round being up to several minutes long, I think feint would have been better off as something like take the feint action and gain an automatic advantage to your next successful attack. Or something along those lines.

Maybe, maybe not. That’s not really the issue though, and it’s moot. Besides, a round lasts no more than one minute in structured time, not several. It’s only in narrative time that a “round” lasts longer, where actions can take several minutes to unfold.

17 hours ago, Tramp Graphics said:

Besides, a round lasts no more than one minute in structured time, not several. It’s only in narrative time that a “round” lasts longer, where actions can take several minutes to unfold.

Well a Round is roughly a minute or so, it really depends on the situation, there is no hard and fast rule that cuts it off at a minute. So you can have longer Rounds if it makes sense, the important thing is that it's long enough for everyone to do there move and action, if that takes two minutes then so be it.

I will say that what people are saying about Feint doesn't really line up with our group's experience. Feint does lose utility as you become more powerful if your opposition doesn't become more powerful with you. Remember: Makashi is a dueling style for one on one lightsaber combat. If you are a master and you are fighting chumps, then Feint isn't likely to be useful or come into play. That is true. But, if you are up against a more substantial foe who is pumping negative dice into your pool, Feint remains useful. It can even prove decisive. It all boils down to dice pool composition.

Edited by Vondy