Force Topics
On this page I will attempt to answer questions, anticipate questions, adjudicate house rules and otherwise address issues around the Force and how it will operate in my campaign. In general, I intend to ensure that it works as closely as possible to the way it is portrayed in the movies and, to a lesser extent, the books. However, I also intend to maintain game balance, which means I may end up walking a very narrow tightrope at times. We'll see how it goes.
- Bonus Dice from Force Points do not stack with equipment quality bonuses.
Before Luke called on the Force (i.e. spent a Force Point) to take that exceptionally difficult shot to destroy the Death Star, he switched off his targeting computer. It was clear from the sequence that he could use the Force or the computer, but not both. Thus, such bonuses as from Fire Control or high quality equipment do not come into play, as the Force is guiding the timing and movement involved. Equipment penalties may still apply, depending on the reason for the penalty. Obviously other bonuses, such as those for size category, are unaffected.
Currently I am enforcing this only on bonus dice gained from spending Force Points, not on Force skills or feats, such as Battlemind. I see the distinction between the two as a question of depth. Using Force skills and feats one's mind is in the Force, but not as deeply and completely as when one spends a Force Point. (It doesn't hurt that this works well with game balance either, since Force skills and feats have their own costs.)
- Attacking with the Force
It used to be so simple. "A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack," said Yoda in ESB. Clearly attacking with the Force was verboten, a nasty thing only Dark Siders do. Then Obi-Wan went and casually used Force Push to take out some battle droids in TPM. Add to that the indirect uses of the Force for attacking, such as during lightsaber combat and no longer is the issue so clear cut.
As the final nail in the coffin, as it were, WotC labeled some Force skills and feats as "Dark Side" and some not, with a few of the attacks ending up in the "not" category.
So, this is how I'm going to deal with it:
- I'm going to leave the Dark Side/non-Dark Side categories as they are for now. We'll see how they play. Actually, I kind of like the idea of acceptable Force-based attacks, since it may serve to broaden the personality types of the Force-users from the "paladin" template. (For the nit-picky, those Force skills and feats that carry a mandatory Dark Side Point are abilities born of anger and/or aggression and cannot be used for any reason without paying the price.)
- I'm going to broaden the definition of the term "attack." In short, Force-users should not hesitate to use violence defensively, whether defending themselves or others. Defense can even be pre-emptive against a known threat, though the violence level must always fit the situation.
For example, a Jedi is in a starport on a vital, time-sensitive mission. He learns that a persistent bounty hunter, one he knows to be on his trail, has tracked him there. He ambushes the bounty hunter, rendering her unconscious and leaving her tied up on his ship so she cannot interfere with his mission, releasing her before he leaves. I see no problem with this.
But if the Jedi waits for her to attack and uses it as an excuse for killing her and getting her off his back, this is a Dark Side action. (Most bounties being worth more alive than dead, he should assume she wants him alive unless he has reason to think otherwise.)
But if she shows up with a dozen thugs and tries to take him at a moment crucial to his mission, he should escape as quickly as possible. If the bounty hunter or some thugs have to die that he accomplish this, then so be it.
I hope the concept is coming across clearly. I'll be happy to answer questions about it, or at least give warnings to players in the early stages of the campaign, if they seem about to violate it.
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