Hey everyone,

I was re-listening to an old Order 66 podcast on the Navigator, and they said the One with the Universe talent makes you a mini walking vergence. I always read that talent as adding pips to your Force power checks, but does it really add pips to everyone's checks, friend and for alike?

Thanks!

Reading the rules as written in the core rulebook, I had expected the full description of the talent to stipulate a limitation where this only affects the character using the talent. There isn't one listed in that section, so it does read as though you add force pips to all force power checks during the encounter, but it also doesn't stipulate whether this is just for allies. Seems like a double-edged sword - which would explain why it's not expensive.

Reading this talent in context, it does seem very out of kilter with other force abilities mentioned - like Field Commander , Strategic Form and Now You See Me - which all specify limits to the number of beings affected by the talent. It would stand to reason that it's possibly an oversight and that the wording was unintentionally ambiguous based on this fact.

I'd be fine personally to use this as written where it affects all PCs and NPCs, but would also understand if any GM wanted to play it as though it only affects the user, for fear of players instantly ruining balanced encounters. Does anyone know if there is any errata published for this?

Reading through this, I think it's only the character that gets the bonus. They definitely don't make it clear, but it did say, "he adds [x] to all Force power checks." The pronoun there referring to the character implies to me is only to the character's rolls, although they could have said "to his Force power checks" to make it clearer.

In general, the effects of talents only apply to the character using them unless it says otherwise.

Also, if this is the intended fluff of the talent, can I just say: why the HECK does not a single Mystic specialization get this talent? The theme of the Mystic is entirely about the character's relationship to the Force, this seems like the perfect talent to express that!

... grumblegrumblegrumble ...

It really is tough to say what the intent is. I would tend to err on the side of it adds the pips to all checks based on the wording and now comparing it with other talents and Force power upgrades that have been published since Sage. But definitely did not read it that way initially, so wasn't sure what the RAI was.

To be fair @Absol197 , the Mystic does have something like this, and arguably better: Font of Power in the Prophet spec. That talent doesn't require a check, or a few minutes of peace to use it ahead of an encounter, and for your light side allies, there is no risk you will be providing them Dark Side points.

I don't think it adds to other characters, only the user, and here's why: compare it to the full description of Sense Emotions, Steely Nerves, Rapid Reaction, all Natural talents (in the F&D core book). All of these talents, and they're just random examples I found skimming the talents chapter, don't specify the talent affects only the character's checks. However, they make very little sense to affect other character's rolls. I think it was just the design philosophy at the time to assume that players knew it only affected the character unless it was specifically mentioned.

Also, no, Font of Power doesn't count 😛 . I mean, yes, it does, but i want One with the Universe too! Also, Font of Power doesn't affect yourself, i don't think, only other Force-users. I house-rule that it affects yourself, but that's not the wording of the ability!

That's a very good comparison to other talents. Based on that, I agree that you are right, and One with the Universe only applies to yourself.

Haha, fair enough. The more awesome talents the better, especially for a light side user. Dark Side users have the Magus. I don't have the Mystic book with me, so don't have the long description of Font of Power, but the short description in the talent tree says characters within Medium range, so I think it definitely applies to you too based on that wording alone.

In the long description Font of Power specifies "when another Force-user in range rolls [Force dice]..."

Which is very frustrating, because One with the Universe is a talent that SHOULD be a signature talent for my favorite character ever, but since the GM limits characters to only in-career or universal specializations, she'll never have it .

(If you couldn't tell, I really like Mystics 😛 .)

Lol, I have seen your affinity for Mystics in your other posts in the forums throughout the years 😋

And that's a bummer your GM won't let you buy non-career specs! I wonder what the rationale behind that is?

She's just disallowed multi-classing in every RPG she's ever run ever just because she doesn't like it.

Which is entirely fair, and normally I wouldn't mind! The only issue is that there is no other career that fits Kemna at all, but the most Kemna talent in the game is not in the most Kemna career .

That's a bummer:-/ not being able to multi-class would drive me nuts, but that's because I live for finding amazing combos to make something great and fun.

It is kind of strange that the Mystics don't have One with the Universe from a thematic perspective, but then it's also strange that Consulars don't get Knowledge is Power.

True, that's a fair comparison .

On 8/28/2020 at 9:48 AM, AeroEng42 said:

I was re-listening to an old Order 66 podcast on the Navigator,

What episode number, please?

My reading the intent is for it to only effect the owner of the talent. All force checks would just apply to that character. With it being a 15 point talent on the sage tree, it would be too much if it effected the whole Party.

7 hours ago, LStyer said:

What episode number, please?

Episode 92 - Flight of the Navigator

Adding one free success to checks just allows you to more reliably power up high-level use of Force powers. It's only for the next encounter, so not very broken.

I also read it as only applying to the character that used the talent.

This would be something Yoda does right before taking on the Darth Sidious in the Senate fight.

23 minutes ago, SuperWookie said:

This would be something Yoda does right before taking on the Darth Sidious in the Senate fight

I think you mean "right before taking on the Senate" 😁

21 hours ago, Absol197 said:

She's just disallowed multi-classing in every RPG she's ever run ever just because she doesn't like it.

It's a weird choice for this system, which has several careers that have specialisations that clearly do not all belong on the same character.

While I tend to agree, she's an amazing GM who's created multiple amazing worlds. I'm absolutely willing to go along with it in order to play with her.

On 9/1/2020 at 8:23 PM, Absol197 said:

She's just disallowed multi-classing in every RPG she's ever run ever just because she doesn't like it.

I think that specific limitation is pragmatic and makes sense (for several reasons). I wouldn't do it myself, but I impose a "must make sense" ruling, where game mechanical optimisation is not a (sufficient) qualifier. So... that sucks for my players. Not that it has come up as a problem (yet).

23 minutes ago, Jegergryte said:

I impose a "must make sense" ruling

This. Blanket ruling out stuff is not the answer in my opinion. Sometimes diverse multi-classing is needed because of character growth.

Great example, one of my players is currently a Zabrak who took the Warrior-Aggressor tree. After playing for a long time, he gained a padawan and had a sort of epiphany about how he shouldn't let her make the same mistakes he did. Now he's multi-classed into the Consular-Teacher tree and it perfectly fits with the character. It also plays into his morality, because he has to choose between doing what is easy and doing what is right for his padawan to witness.