Hi all
I've been devising some house rules for running a lightsaber duel. I have a character who is going to take the Jedi Trials (Republic setting), and wanted to include something cinematic for him. We're running it as a solo session, and these rules have been designed with that in mind - they are not intended to operate during a normal session.
I'm posting them here in the Edge of the Empire forums because these get a lot more traffic than the Force and Destiny ones. I'd love to get some feedback on these, if people have some time.
QuoteSet up
Before the duel starts, decide how many sub-encounters it will consist of. A classic, engaging duel – like Luke vs Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back , or Obi-Wan vs Anakin in Revenge of the Sith – is not static, but consists of several stages, each imposing new challenges on the duellists. For SWRPG purposes, 3 sub-encounters is a good rule of thumb.
After this decision has been made, separate out a number of Destiny Points equal to the combined value of the duellists’ Wound Thresholds divided by the number of sub-encounters in the duel , rounding up. So, if one of the duellists has a Wound Threshold of 11, and the other has a Wound Threshold of 14, divide the combined total of 25 by the number of sub-encounters. If there are 3 sub-encounters, that would therefore give 9 Destiny Points.
Turn half of these Destiny Points so that they are Light Side up, and half so that they are Dark Side up. If there are an odd number, flip the final Destiny Point to randomly determine how it falls. So, continuing the previous example, 4 Destiny Points would be Light Side, 4 Destiny Points would be Dark Side, and the final one would be randomly determined – let’s say it came down Dark Side.
These Destiny Points are not used as normal Destiny Points, but rather will be used to determine who is winning the duel, and who is losing it.
Sub-Encounters
After the set up is completed, the duel can begin. At the beginning of each sub-encounter, the duellists should roll for initiative. Initiative is much more important in duels than in normal combat – it dictates not only who goes first, but also who controls the flow of the duel. However, the duellists can choose to use alternative skills, rather than just the standard Vigilance / Cool , depending on the scenario – for example, in certain sections of the Obi-Wan vs. Anakin duel, you could argue that Coordination or Athletics are much more important in determining who has the initiative (“I have the high ground”); in a very dark environment, Perception might be appropriate.
The GM should then declare how many rounds the sub-encounter will contain. 4 rounds per sub-encounter is a good rule of thumb.
At the beginning of each round, the GM describes the scenario. The leading duellist (i.e. the duellist who won initiative for that sub-encounter) may then declare their action. This must be possible in the environment, and relevant to the duel, but otherwise there are very few restrictions – the duellist can choose to use almost any skill, not just a combat skill. Social skills like Charm or Coercion can be used to try to put off the opposing duellist, physical skills like Coordination or Athletics can be used to try to gain the upper hand, Knowledge or Perception can be used to make use of key information, and so on. The duellist should also declare any manoeuvres they are making, and resolve strain accordingly.
Before their check is rolled, however, the following duellist (i.e. the duellist who lost initiative for that sub-encounter) declares their action. This must be an appropriate response to the action of the leading duellist . For example, if the leading duellist used a combat skill to attack, the following duellist should respond with either a counter-attack, or an attempt to get out of the way or block the attack; if the leading duellist used a social skill, the following duellist should respond with a social skill of their own, or perhaps a Cool or Discipline check to resist, and so on. The duellist should also declare any manoeuvres they are making, and resolve strain accordingly.
The duellists then assemble their dice pools and roll the checks at the same time in a Competitive check. The difficulty may differ between each pool, depending on the acts attempted. However, where possible the GM should allow the bonuses and penalties of modifiers, such as talents and gear, to come into play. So, for example, of one duellist is making a Melee check and the other duellist has the “Dodge” talent, that should be allowed to affect the pool; similarly, a character with the “Intimidating” talent should be allowed to downgrade the difficulty of Coercion checks, and upgrade the difficulty of their opponent’s Coercion checks, etc.
( Note: Where possible, duellists should be encouraged to use a variety of skills throughout the encounter. A suitable dynamic environment will encourage this. However, particularly with a combat-focused leading duellist, it is inevitable that combat skills will be the norm. This isn’t inherently a problem, but where possible the narrative surrounding the action should be kept interesting. However, irrespective of what the skills are, it is assumed narratively that the duellists are fighting more or less continuously throughout the encounter, as is generally seen to be the case in the movies. )
In the case of using Force Powers, these should be rolled as Combined Force Power Checks , normally with Discipline as the skill of choice. In this case, the Discipline check is used to determine whether the duellist wins the Competitive check, while the Force Dice are used to determine the effects of the check. Dark Side pips should provide Strain and Conflict as normal, but should not flip Destiny Points. (Note, however, that in this case and in the case of combat attacks, no Wounds or Strain are inflicted on the opponent from a successful check. So the base effects of things like “Harm” or “Unleash” should be more narrative than mechanical. The effects of things like “Bind”, however, can still come into play.)
Once both players have rolled, determine who has won the Competitive check. The winner may flip a Destiny Point in the pool.
At the end of the round, the GM should alter something in the environment. This shouldn’t be a major change, but should be enough that the duellists have something new to consider. If the environment is dynamic enough already, this should be relatively easy to do. Examples might include slowly rising water levels, increased crossfire from external combatants, flames spreading through a forest, additional objects falling from overhead, etc.
Advantage & Threat
Any advantage, threat , triumph and despair generated during the checks can be spent as normal, at the GM’s discretion. This includes activating item qualities, if appropriate, or applying upgrades, boost or setback . Some measure of interpretation is required from the GM – for example, if a duellist unexpectedly deploys a grenade during a duel, then using advantage to activate blast would not make sense with the rules for damage in duels. However, that could easily be translated into setback on the opponent’s check. In addition, Critical Injuries can be inflicted by advantage or triumph on combat checks, as per normal.
Encounter End
When all rounds in the sub-encounter are completed, the duellists take damage. Each duellist suffers damage equal to the number of opposing Destiny Points . Soak is taken into consideration, but the damage is assumed to be done the opposing duellist’s weapon – so if the duel is with lightsabers, for example, their Breach 1 quality means that Soak is mitigated.
The sub-encounter now ends, and a new one begins. Mechanically, this counts as the end of an encounter – any effects that last “for the remainder of the encounter” are removed, and any abilities that can be used “once per encounter” are re-set. In addition, the duellists can each roll Discipline or Cool to recover strain.
The GM should at this point dramatically change the environment. Examples might include artificial gravity being switched off, a platform suddenly falling into lava, a massive explosion blowing the duellists into a different space, or the duel suddenly being plunged into pitch darkness. Again, if the scenario is dynamic enough, there should be plenty of opportunities for this to happen. Forcing the duellists to a different range band is an especially effective way of making them consider different actions than they might ordinarily take.
The Destiny Points should also be re-set at this point , so that there is a 50:50 split (flipping the odd Point if needed). Remember to re-roll for Initiative between each sub-encounter as well, as described above.
End of Duel
The duel ends when one of the following things is true:
· Flight: The duel ends if one of the duellists flees. In this case, the duel is over and another encounter (likely a chase encounter) begins. However, cinematic duels rarely end this way, and the GM should avoid having an NPC that is likely to turn tail and run during a duel.
· Victory: The duel ends if one of the duellists exceeds their Wound or Strain Threshold. At this point they are considered incapacitated, and suffer a Critical Injury, as normal. In addition, their opponent now has them at their mercy, and may act accordingly. Including, but not limited to, killing the loser. It is possible that this will occur before the final sub-encounter, although if the duellists are well-matched this is unlikely. ( Note: if both the duellists exceed their Wound or Strain Threshold during the same encounter, the GM should compare their relative values to determine the victor – however, both should suffer Critical Injuries. )
· Sudden Death: The duel ends if the pre-determined number of sub-encounters is reached. This is unlikely to happen before one of the duellists exceeds their Wound or Strain Threshold, but it is possible, especially in a well-matched, non-lightsaber duel where one or both characters has a high soak. If this happens, the duel goes to Sudden Death: a single Competitive check using any skill, subject to the GM’s approval. The loser of this check instantly exceeds their Wound Threshold; see the rules for Victory , above.
If you want each phase to last longer, you can also temporarily double the WT (something I do anyway because I don't use stimpacks). If you want the crits to be less lethal, subtract 20 until the final phase. Having a separate DP pool for the duelists (very small, 2-3 max) and resetting it at the end of a phase might also be a good idea.