One Clear Example: Force Influence

By Grungyape, in Star Wars: Force and Destiny RPG

As I'm reading online while at work, and don't have a book handy for reference.

Was looking here: http://swa.stoogoff.com/#elaiza-jedi-in-exile

And reading:

Force Power: Influence: : Inflict 2 strain on engaged target. Make an opposed Discipline vs Discipline check, as well as an Influence Force Power check, if successful can force target to adopt an emotional state or believe something untrue for 3 rounds or 5 minutes.

I am new to the game, I'm just starting to get a grasp on Force Powers, and want to clarify. This power sounds like it requires three rolls, two checks, correct?

1. Roll Force Dice to activate
2. Roll Discipline vs Discipline (is that literally the Discipline skill, or is that figurative "opposed" check such as Discipline or Willpower or whatever skill seems most appropriate?)
3. Influence Force Power check? (is this in addition to the last roll, or is it somehow added to the last roll?)

I am assuming 100% I am missing something because I don't see why you have to roll two contested rolls to use this. Is the last upgrading the first?

It’s 1 roll / check. The opposed Discipline and roll your force rating with it. That is the Influence Power check.

The force ability listed there is actually two abilities that can be done with the same power. The first:

Quote

Inflict 2 strain on engaged target.

... is the base power in the tree, with one strength upgrade. The second:

Quote

Make an opposed Discipline vs Discipline check, as well as an Influence Force Power check, if successful can force target to adopt an emotional state or believe something untrue for 3 rounds or 5 minutes.

... is a Control ability that allows you to use the power differently, and with two 'Duration' upgrades. Personally, I'd get my PCs to roll the Influence check first - so that they commit to using dark or light pips - then let them pass or fail the Discipline check second to decide whether they pull it off or not. (It's not RAW to do it that way but I find it fun and so do my players)

As a result, the player can either do step 1 of your list and inflict strain, or do step 3 then step 2 to force an emotional state on the target.

Edited by SufficientlyAdvancedMoronics

So that's just some summarized language pulled from the Force Influence Power and presented poorly/inaccurately.

Those are actually 2 separate uses of the Influence Power.

The Influence Power, basic activation of the Power (with a Strength upgrade):

10 minutes ago, Grungyape said:

Force Power: Influence: : Inflict 2 strain on engaged target.

And the Influence Power, Control Upgrade:

11 minutes ago, Grungyape said:

Force Power: Influence: : Make an opposed Discipline vs Discipline check, as well as an Influence Force Power check, if successful can force target to adopt an emotional state or believe something untrue for 3 rounds or 5 minutes.

Activating the first/basic use is just one check - a Force Power check. Elaiza would roll her Force Rating in Force dice, and use the pups to cause Strain. So, 3 of the white dice. UNLESS she's using it against a PC, OR a named Rival or Nemesis. In which case, the rules dictate that any Force Power check should be an opposed check, with Discipline v. Discipline being the default.

Activating the second use of the Power, ALWAYS requires both a Force Power check (which, again, is just the Force Dice and spending the requisite pips), AND an opposed Discipline vs. Discipline check, even to effect a Minion/Minion Group.

16 minutes ago, Grungyape said:

As I'm reading online while at work, and don't have a book handy for reference.

Was looking here: http://swa.stoogoff.com/#elaiza-jedi-in-exile

And reading:

Force Power: Influence: : Inflict 2 strain on engaged target. Make an opposed Discipline vs Discipline check, as well as an Influence Force Power check, if successful can force target to adopt an emotional state or believe something untrue for 3 rounds or 5 minutes.

I am new to the game, I'm just starting to get a grasp on Force Powers, and want to clarify. This power sounds like it requires three rolls, two checks, correct?

1. Roll Force Dice to activate
2. Roll Discipline vs Discipline (is that literally the Discipline skill, or is that figurative "opposed" check such as Discipline or Willpower or whatever skill seems most appropriate?)
3. Influence Force Power check? (is this in addition to the last roll, or is it somehow added to the last roll?)

I am assuming 100% I am missing something because I don't see why you have to roll two contested rolls to use this. Is the last upgrading the first?

One roll. The "Force Power Check" is what you do to activate the power (meaning 1 and 3 are the same thing). So you roll Discipline vs. Discipline and add your Force dice to it, spending the pips as you would for an unopposed check. A roll with a Force Rating of 2 and a Discipline of YYGG vs. a Discipline of YYG would look like this: YYGG-RRP-WW.

Holy ninja-pile, Batman!

4 minutes ago, emsquared said:

Holy ninja-pile, Batman!

Anyone else get the impression a bunch of us finished work at the same time and headed straight here? 😂

20 minutes ago, P-47 Thunderbolt said:

One roll. The "Force Power Check" is what you do to activate the power (meaning 1 and 3 are the same thing). So you roll Discipline vs. Discipline and add your Force dice to it, spending the pips as you would for an unopposed check. A roll with a Force Rating of 2 and a Discipline of YYGG vs. a Discipline of YYG would look like this: YYGG-RRP-WW.

Nice, thanks. OK, and for my clarity, Discipline vs. Discipline truly is actually "Discipline"? Like if I'm using the force to lie to you and misdirect you, that's not like Deception vs Discipline?

33 minutes ago, SufficientlyAdvancedMoronics said:

The force ability listed there is actually two abilities that can be done with the same power. The first:

... is the base power in the tree, with one strength upgrade. The second:

... is a Control ability that allows you to use the power differently, and with two 'Duration' upgrades. Personally, I'd get my PCs to roll the Influence check first - so that they commit to using dark or light pips - then let them pass or fail the Discipline check second to decide whether they pull it off or not. (It's not RAW to do it that way but I find it fun and so do my players)

As a result, the player can either do step 1 of your list and inflict strain, or do step 3 then step 2 to force an emotional state on the target.

Can you detail this or explain it a bit more? A quick walk-through on how this works (the way you do it)?

4 minutes ago, Grungyape said:

Nice, thanks. OK, and for my clarity, Discipline vs. Discipline truly is actually "Discipline"? Like if I'm using the force to lie to you and misdirect you, that's not like Deception vs Discipline?

Well it says "Discipline." Basically a battle of wills here, you aren't actually trying to convince them of anything, just trick their mind into believing something.

5 minutes ago, Grungyape said:

Can you detail this or explain it a bit more? A quick walk-through on how this works (the way you do it)?

Just to clarify for any other readers I'll say it again, the way my group like to do this is not RAW. P lease disregard if that offends you.

So, say the party has been in a long and drawn-out fight with a bounty hunter's gang, and the only one left is a bounty hunter they're trying to drop. A player then wants to influence an NPC bounty-hunter during said combat. A reasonable use of the power. I'll ask how they are using their power if I remember they have the control upgrade. (I usually ask them - before they start building the dice pool - which upgrades they have)

PC says they want to use their control upgrade to influence the bounty-hunter to believe that they aren't going to be able to win in a straight up fight with the player's party. A fun use of the control upgrade and potentially entertaining.

I ask them to roll an Influence check to do their power and they generate 1 white and 3 black. Now, because I'm a mean GM and my players are a bunch of masochists, I ask them to decide up front how many of these pips they intend to use to bolster their upcoming discipline check with additional success. The PC has pretty poor discipline, so decides to take two conflict to spend dark side pips, generating a total of 3 success for the upcoming check. At this point I remind the player "No backsies" and they smile at the gamble they're taking.

Two outcomes at this point:

  1. Discipline succeeds (rolls 1 failure on the discipline check, but the three pips spend mean that it gives a net positive of 2 success +- advantage), and the bounty hunter believes he can't win this fight as things stand. However, because most of the pips used were dark side, I give the narrative that he's afraid, and is now desperate to escape this fight. He'll try to run, and may do something dangerous in the process, but the PC gets their wish and the bounty hunter is fleeing the fight. (If they had used mostly light-side pips then it would be a positive emotion, and maybe the bounty-hunter would stop fighting with a peaceful resolution or attempt to negotiate with them)
  2. Discipline fails (rolls 3 failure +- advantage, and ends up with net zero success/failure, and does not pass the check), and the bounty hunter does not believe he is outmatched. However, the player's spent pips become strain (effectively only using the base power) and the bounty hunter's emotional state is a negative one of rage or fear, and they are now more determined to kill the party. This will be an ugly fight, but now the BH is strained somewhat, it's potentially giving other avenues to explore.

6 minutes ago, SufficientlyAdvancedMoronics said:

Just to clarify for any other readers I'll say it again, the way my group like to do this is not RAW. P lease disregard if that offends you.

Nice, this is a great explanation and makes a lot of sense.