"Jedi" template for DFRPG

[Belial666]

It is very easy to adapt the powers in the system to build a great variety of supernatural entities. The following template applies to Jedi but also to all those Eastern movie swordsmen with the insanely high sword skills that can bat arrows (and bullets) out of the air and make "chi" attacks;


[-2] Lightsaber Combat
A Jedi wielding a lightsaber or a Force-empowered blade [item of power +2], can make melee maneuers and blocks at weapons+2 [-1] and attacks at weapon rating 4 [-2]. (physical equivalent of Incite Emotion with 2 upgrades).  Guided by The Force, they have True Strike for such a weapon [-1]

[-2] Use The Force
A force-sensitive has some ability to manipulate the Force, doing ranged maneuers and blocks with it at conviction+2. Without extensive training to improve the ability, he can manipulate only one aspect of the Force; telekinesis, inciting an emotion or mental suggestion, projecting minor illusions or altering chance are some examples, at a basic -2 refresh. With every additional -1 refresh spent on the ability, he can use one additional aspect. For a -1 refresh, he can learn how to directly attack with it at weapons 2, mentally if it is a mental aspect or physically if it is a physical one. For a further -1 refresh, he can use the Dark Side for exceptionally strong (weapon 4) attacks.
(another incite emotion rip-off mechanically)

[-1] Jedi Defense
A Jedi can use a lightsaber (rolling weapons with it) to block or deflect most attacks, not just weapons and fists as normal for the weapons skill. Alternatively, he can use The Force (rolling conviction with it) to predict and avoid most attacks, not athletics.

[-2] Force Powers
Most force adepts have learned to draw more deeply on the Force than normal to perform amazing supernatural feats like jumping several floors, moving at superhuman speeds, lifting immense weights or controlling the mind and predicting the future. A typical force adept has Spirit Channeling. Those with slower but more widespread mental abilities could have Neuromancy instead while Farseers would have Divination. Force Witches that control the weather could have Air Channeling and darksiders using the Force for destructive purposes could have Fire Channeling. Basic Force Powers are at -2 refresh for only one of these abilities.
Those with extensive training can spend additional refresh to expand these abilities to full Evocation or full Thaumaturgy or even Refinements, though the available force powers are of a different flavor than normal magic spells; unless the force adept is a Sith Sorcerer, transformation and necromancy are not available and aspects like summoning and worldwalking would belong to even rarer traditions (such as the Aing-Ti Flow Walkers)
Force users don't usually have normal focus items and have no enchanted items. To get the focus bonuses they must spend an action to concentrate first instead. Though some traditions like witches or sith alchemists can and do create normal foci and enchanted items, this is not the norm.

[Deadmanwalking]

Personally, I think that overstates Lightsabers a bit, and seems more complex than needed for most Force Powers.

I'd likely do it like this:

Lightsaber [-1]: Includes Item of Power [+1] bonus, and provides Weapon: 4 from Is What It Is. It also provides True Strike [-1] and the ability to use Weapons to defend against ranged attacks, effectively adding the Dodging trapping of Athletics to Weapons [-1].

Use The Force [-2]: Renamed Channeling (The Force). Channeling definitely seems the way to handle the vast majority of Jedi powers pretty damn well.

Jedi Combat Training [-1]: Due to their minor precognitive abilities, most trained Jedi can use their Discipline to dodge attacks using it as a Defense skill, as well as using it instead of Weapons to wield a Lightsaber (and all of a Lightsaber's bonuses and effects can be used by Jedi with their Discipline if the posess this Power).


It just seems like you're trying to jack attacks and defenses way higher than they need to be, and definitely reinventing the wheel when it comes to Use The Force. Modified Lawbreaker Stunts are a perfect way to model the Dark Side, IMO.

[Belial666]

Except that even in the two trilogies a jedi could take on several blaster-wielding troopers or droids without even worrying about getting hit, and even in big battles they charged ahead of everyone else. And now think of the Expanded Universe...

Consider one Jedi vs five attackers with only average guns and athletics skill-which he should be able to overpower. Assuming he takes out 1 attacker per exchange, he is going to get shot 15 times, minimum. If his effective defense after bonuses is only great to superb, there is chance he gets wounded-which should not happen. Now consider some of the better jedi (assume base skill of superb before bonuses) going against a dozen stormtroopers or battle droids with good or even great weapons skill. They'd need Epic defenses to get through that-which they should. Hence Lightsaber combat is at skill+3 after bonuses IMHO.

As for the Force, for the movies channeling is enough. But once you start doing Falanassi Illusions, Force Witch weather spells, Sith Sorcery, Sith Alchemy, Force Healing, Farseeing, Flow-Walking and many other disciplines, just channeling isn't enough especially if a Jedi Master or other adept has learned many disciplines at once.
And at least in the Expanded Universe books, jedi use the Force a lot more than just 3-4 times in a scene for simple maneuers and blocks. Hence the use of an Incite Emotion equivalent.

[luminos]

I think if you want to simulate force abilities that closely, you might want to make an entirely new system for it, but if you are comfortable getting the broad strokes of it, you can just do it the way deadman says to do it.  Besides, trying to fit everything in the expanded universe into a single template will result in the whole thing losing coherency.

[Wordmaker]

Doing a full version of the Force as a replacement for Evocation would only really be worthwhile if you were speficially using the system to run a Star Wars game.

If you just wanted a Jedi-like character to exist in a Dresden Files campaign (which perhaps served as the inspiration for the Jedi seen in the movies), then Channelling (The Force) is more than sufficient, since you can use the guidelines for how some wizards are better at some spells than others, given in the chapter on spellcasting, to create characters who may be more talented at telekinesis or mind tricks.

[SaintAndSinner]

Or, make the different battle tricks different evocation 'element's.  If you could group them in a reasonable 5-8 effects.

[Deadmanwalking]

Well, lesse, Mind Tricks, Telekinesis, Precognition, Force Sensing...that's all I'm coming up with at the moment, but it'd do for a start.

[Belial666]

Telekinesis: pretty much self-explanatory

Empathy: all mental and emotional stuff

Farseeing: any precognition, remote sensing, sendings, force guidance and the like.

Illusion: creating standard illusions, concealing your force presence, deceiving various sensors, invisibility, projecting phantoms

Body Control: force jump, speed, strength, controlling internal functions, healing, poisoning and plagues, paralysis, stasis, alchemy

Energy Manipulation: force lightning, drain energy, shocking droids, redirecting heat/cold, incineration, weather control

Spirit: enhancement of objects and places with the Force, sever Force, force Light, spirit transference, drain life, calling dark-side spirits and other effects of sith sorcery (Force Undead!!!)

[FutureGameDesigner]

Telekinesis: pretty much self-explanatory

Empathy: all mental and emotional stuff

Farseeing: any precognition, remote sensing, sendings, force guidance and the like.

Illusion: creating standard illusions, concealing your force presence, deceiving various sensors, invisibility, projecting phantoms

Body Control: force jump, speed, strength, controlling internal functions, healing, poisoning and plagues, paralysis, stasis, alchemy

Energy Manipulation: force lightning, drain energy, shocking droids, redirecting heat/cold, incineration, weather control

Spirit: enhancement of objects and places with the Force, sever Force, force Light, spirit transference, drain life, calling dark-side spirits and other effects of sith sorcery (Force Undead!!!)

I'll need to give it all more thought before I really jump in.  But I think we should all look on this as an opportunity to make the Jedi more...reasonable...is that the word I'm looking for?  Some things I'm comfortable with keeping to canon explanations, but other times I prefer to discard canon and come up with things that actually make at least minimal sense.  The Jedi are one of those things for me.

I'll post my thoughts on what to do differently at a time when I'm not half asleep though.

[JustinS]

Force sensitive [-2 or -3]
Pick 1 of:
Sponsored magic [light side]
Sponsored magic [dark side]

Optional Item of power [lightsaber]
-Ignore all toughness.

Possible stunts to use alertness as general defense, and as melee with lightsabers.


Or Sponsored magic [force]
With optional Lawbreaker(dark side)

[FutureGameDesigner]

Force sensitive [-2 or -3]
Pick 1 of:
Sponsored magic [light side]
Sponsored magic [dark side]

Optional Item of power [lightsaber]
-Ignore all toughness.

Possible stunts to use alertness as general defense, and as melee with lightsabers.


Or Sponsored magic [force]
With optional Lawbreaker(dark side)

Ah...see, I like that.  Now that...I'm gonna focus on as inspiration for fleshing out.  But that's a lot like what I was thinkin.  I like it.

[fabulator]

Telekinesis: pretty much self-explanatory

Empathy: all mental and emotional stuff

Farseeing: any precognition, remote sensing, sendings, force guidance and the like.

Illusion: creating standard illusions, concealing your force presence, deceiving various sensors, invisibility, projecting phantoms

Body Control: force jump, speed, strength, controlling internal functions, healing, poisoning and plagues, paralysis, stasis, alchemy

Energy Manipulation: force lightning, drain energy, shocking droids, redirecting heat/cold, incineration, weather control

Spirit: enhancement of objects and places with the Force, sever Force, force Light, spirit transference, drain life, calling dark-side spirits and other effects of sith sorcery (Force Undead!!!)

Why not just go the simple route of

Control: force jump, speed, strength, controlling internal functions, stasis, redirecting heat/cold, controlling emotions, concealing force presence,

Sense: farseeing, telepathy, deceiving sensors, invisibility, projecting phantoms, creating illusions, empathy

Alter: force lightning, drain energy, shocking droids, incineration, weather control, healing, poison and plagues, alchemy,enhancement of objects and places with the Force, sever Force, force Light, spirit transference, drain life, calling dark-side spirits and other effects of sith sorcery (Force Undead!!!)


That should cover it although we could quibble about what goes where and things like alchemy and sith sorcery could be pulled out into their own.  Might be worthwhile to have another category like Unite or Blend for abilities that use two or more disciplines together. Deceiving sensors for instance could be seen as a comb of Sense to find the the devices and figure out how to break them and then Alter to short out circuits or fiddle with the power flow.

[JustinS]

Also, while wizards are focused around conviction, discipline and lore, Jedi are awareness and discipline. Only dark Jedi use conviction.

[FutureGameDesigner]

Also, while wizards are focused around conviction, discipline and lore, Jedi are awareness and discipline. Only dark Jedi use conviction.

Only the Sith deal in absolutes.

[Wordmaker]

But as with wizards, Conviction would represent how strong a character is in the Force, while Discipline represents their control over that power.