I'm running a star wars campaign set after the fall of the Jedi Order, around the time of the height of the Empire. One of my characters wants to play as a force sensitive and I'm not sure how to go about it. If they want a lightsaber later on, do I give them an opportunity to give them one? Should I let them play as a force sensitive at all? What's the best way to go about this?
>>45962328
give them an opportunity to get one*
>>45962328
I wouldn't have a problem with it. Just make sure your player knows how dangerous it is to be force sensitive and difficult it would be to find even a hint as to how to build a lightsaber, let alone someone to train you to use it.
>>45962328
Make them travel to Utapau and during the session have one of the players find one of Grevious old saber(s) from his fight with Obi-Wan
>>45962407
forgot pic
>>45962328
have the lightsaber be something to build up to. like the first part is the crystal etc. have that signature thum sound when all hope is lost in the epic conclusion
It's up to you as a GM, depends on what system you are using and if the players are okey with it, because a single force sensitive/proto jedi is probably going to hog space and attract attention. If you are fine with that, there's plenty of solution
-Order 66 survivor. Anything goes, from a Master to a Knight to an agri-corps survivor with minimal training.
- A person given a bit of training and sent on their way by an order 66 survivor. Again, could be any kind, but could be best if it's a knight or a padawan.
- This way you could have them start with a saber or have a reasonable knowledge set to build one later.
- Have them find a holocron around the time when he needs a lightsaber.
Pretty sure in the Star Wars system there's an ability called "Force Weapon" where you just shove Force into an object and it acts as a really low damage lightsaber. Bolt deflection, can parry other lightsabers, etc. So potentially your player will have a Hobo lightsaber
The way I'd run this is that they were born with force sensitivity but never had a teacher. So I'd have the player only allowed to take one Jedi level per two in smuggler or whatever your system works on. If he manages to find holocrons or temples or some such then give him the option to retrain.
>>45962328
During this period, the Empire has people using force sensitivity to detect the ripples made by someone using the Force actively. The way I would do it is every time they use the force, roll a d20. On a 1, the Empire detects their location and sends Jedi hunters.
>>45963293
Maybe in the Core worlds, but I doubt they'd find them in the Outer Rim.
>>45963386
They found several in the outer rim. The only surviving jedi were either able to hide in the force, or lived near a natural or imprinted Dark Side nexus, like Yoda or Obi-Wan
>>45963293
>5% chance
>even if they're in the middle of fucking nowhere
How about no
>>45963420
I know Yoda lived near the cave where some Sith died or whatever, but what was Obi-Wan near? i thought the reason he was never found was because he lived in isolation on already pretty isolated planet.
>>45963461
The site of Annakin's first massacre. When his mother died, and he began his fall.
>>45963386
>>45963433
Ok, roll twice in the Outer Rim. Both have to come up 1
>>45963489
Oh, interesting, I never heard about that. Badass.
>>45962328
It really depends, I personally keep force senstives to a minimum. I use this compromise:
>They were a padawan at the time of the fall, they only have limited abilities and need to find more knowledge to help them gain experience in their abilities. They can't steam roll everything.
>Who the force sensitive in the group is completely random, one person may or may not gain force abilities during the campaign. That person may then seek out more knowledge later on.
The second one worked quite well for my group because it was a perfect compromise especially helping stop the domino effect of everyone wanting to be a force sensitive.
It also added some proper mystery to proceedings. I decided during our second campaign to roll a dice and gave someone some "awakened" abilities.
The Force didn't just turn off when the Empire rose to power. Personally, I would let them do it- BUT I would also be sure to let them know in-game and out that such shenanigans are very much frowned upon, and using a lot of Force-related powers in public is a good way to get noticed by all the wrong people...
>>45962328
You should always allow your players to play the characters they want. What difficulties and limitations that brings with it is up to you. But as long as the other players don't start rolling their eyes, enable the player.
But the Force is of course a difficult balance to manage. Classically Force PCs outshine everyone else in relevance and challenges. You should undermine this trope from the start. A Force user without Jedi order is an outcast, and a dangerous one. Even if people understood the Force, how could they tell Jedi from Sith? But people don't, they see magic and run screaming to the next mob. Make sure the player is aware of this.
Then don't use the Force as a narrative device that fixes all plot holes. Give the character a few very specific powers. And don't make it the classic Influence Minds - Sense Future - Telekinesis package either. Develop some more pedestrian plot devices with the player to define his powers. Like the power to crash and erase droids' recent sensor telemetry. Or some mad acrobatics.
The lightsaber should be a real MacGuffin. It should not be explained and show up completely coincidental. It should be broken and fixing it can be a whole story arc by itself. Then using it is really difficult and dangerous. And who can teach the ancient and forbidden art nowadays? This leads to the inevitable question of a master....
Basically you can drag Star Wars parties around by the Jedi and you should take great care with balancing powerlevels, spotlight, and plot relevance among all players. Otherwise they'll get sick of it really fast.
An old Star Wars wisdom is to either play no Jedi or all Jedi. And there is wisdom in that.
>>45967775
Old Star Wars wisdom doesn't really apply to FFG's games. Sure, it might slightly still apply, but FFG does a good job at making everyone else still relevant in relation to a force user.
>>45962328
Make them play Jedi Hunters.
That's really the funniest campaign I ever did in SW.
Maybe even make them meet a Jedi that make them change their mind on the Empire/their lives as mercenaries, and the guy training your force sensitive.
You better not fuck up that one Jedi though because if he's not very charismatic your whole campaign will fail miserably.
>>45968488
>A guy who can use the force
Vs
>A guy who can pilot a ship
Yeah, all Jedi or no Jedi is literally the only way to go.
>>45962328
In the EU it seems more Jedi survived Order 66 than ever even existed, so it's not without precedent.
>>45968776
>waaaah flying a ship isn't important
>the force is superspecial™
Like I fucking said, FFG does a good job at balancing Force users with non-force users, so your point is literally redundant.
>>45967775
I strongly agree w/ this. Drag your group by the Jedi... but make sure that in compensation for that your non-jedi characters get lots of spotlight.
>>45965923
Is that pic from a comic. Looks fun
I must read it if it is.
Also, best scene in the original trilogy coming through.
>>45962328
For something like that, you can let them be force sensitive but explain that if they're found by the empire its going to get much more likely for them to get killed off.
What I always do for SW stuff is give a minor adjustment to how the force works and let anyone learn to use it slightly and give a couple of feats (or their equivalent depending on system) for each class representing specialized force usage as well as a couple general techniques (low level mental communication, physical enhancement to a limited degree, etc.) but otherwise don't let them be force sensitive. I try to avoid using excessive amounts of force in SW stuff in general; try to put it on the level of the OT where its this poorly understood almost dead religion with individual force users having massive influence on the plot.
>>45962328
>One of my characters wants to play as a force sensitive and I'm not sure how to go about it.
>If they want a lightsaber later on, do I give them an opportunity to give them one?
Yes, but put serious effort into getting it.
Think of it as an AD&D paladin's Holy Avenger.
>Should I let them play as a force sensitive at all?
Yes, if the rest of your group is fine with it.
>What's the best way to go about this?
Make them play a distinctly non-wizardy class or archetype.
Their force powers should be self taught; they should have very many and they shouldn't be very strong.
It will probably end up being their most versatile and memorable tool, but it should only be a small part of their toolbox.
>they should have very many
*shouldn't
>>45968776
>>45968488
If anything I've been hearing that force users in FFG are underwhelming, and that force progression is so exp expensive in comparison that you're typically better off without it.
>>45962328
If they wave the saber around too much, send an Inquisitor after them.
>>45974136
FaD is dedicated to force sensitives, but yeah the Force Sensitive career path in EofE is pretty weak.
>>45974578
I was actually referring to FaD + the Force options in AoR and EotE.
From what I've experienced/heard from others, you need multiple force die to do basically anything useful; and the force specializations and power-trees are a massive and inefficient xp sink - you'll have a grab bag of not that useful powers - alongside unimpressive skill pools, in comparison to your non-force-wielding teammates with cool gadgets and cyber and high skill ratings.
>>45974692
Yeah, you're probably going to be the party baby until mid or late game, but it's the force™. You might also want to invest in another specialization at the beginning, so you have something to make yourself useful while you are leveling up, though that is mostly for non-FaD force users.
>>45975755
>until mid or late game
What do you think is making you catch up, late game?
To me it looks like you'll just ever be a grab bag of party tricks, rather than ever catch up to your friends.
You'll start behind and lag ever further as the game progresses, no?
>>45976089
Eh, I haven't really gotten too much into ffg's rpgs myself. Maybe /swg/ will have an answer.
>>45976214
SWG's answer was a combination of:
>Force users shouldn't be as good as the other party members
>Party tricks are as good as being legitimately useful.
>Switch the light side and dark side pips on the force die
>Reduce the xp cost of force powers - but good luck figuring out where they should actually be.
