| Home |   |
|||||
 | ||||||
| ||||||
Jedi Counseling 73 | ||||||
 In this installment of "Jedi Counseling," Gary M. Sarli answers your rules questions about the Star Wars Miniatures Game and the Star Wars Roleplaying Game. If you have a question for the counselor, send it in through the link at the end of this column, then check back here for the official answer!
Star Wars Roleplaying Game QuestionsQ: Weapon Focus says you choose a specific weapon, "such as blaster pistol or lightsaber." If you select, say, a blaster pistol, does that mean it covers all weapons in the blaster pistols group (in other words, Weapon Group Proficiency [blaster pistols])? A: No. Weapon Focus applies only to a single weapon, not an entire group. (It doesn't even automatically cover all weapons in a single Exotic Weapon Proficiency, such as different types of lightsabers or flame projectors.) In your example, Weapon Focus (blaster pistol) would give you a +1 to attacks with a blaster pistol, but not with a hold-out blaster, sporting blaster, or heavy blaster. Q: How about the different variations in blaster pistols, heavy blasters, and so forth that are in the Arms & Equipment Guide? Would Weapon Focus (blaster pistol) apply to all weapons that are listed as "Weapon Type: Blaster pistol"? A: Technically, no. The "weapon types" are supposed to be descriptive, and each weapon is sufficiently different to require a separate Weapon Focus feat. (This is the way it works in d20 Modern as well.) In the real world, there can be a lot of variation even with pistols of the same caliber. Because they have a slightly different feel in their action, accuracy, recoil, and so forth, you might develop a definite preference for one weapon over another. In game terms, that sort of preference might be represented by Weapon Focus. Thus, if two weapons are different enough to have different starting game stats, they require separate Weapon Focus feats. (This general rule also applies to Improved Critical and other weapon-specific feats and class features such as Weapon Specialization.)
A variant rule (inspired by "Flexible Weapon Focus with Bows" from D&D's Sword and Fist, page 69) would be to allow you to change Weapon Focus to another ranged weapon of the same weapon type (in other words, blaster pistol, heavy blaster, blaster carbine, and so on) any time your base attack bonus increases by +1. This way, the –1 from losing Weapon Focus with that weapon is offset by the +1 from base attack, so you don't suddenly lose any ability with that weapon. However, you can't do this if you've already used that Weapon Focus as a prerequisite for another feat, class feature, or prestige class (for example, Weapon Specialization). Thus, if a soldier took Weapon Focus (heavy blaster) and then, at 5th level, he obtains a BlasTech T-6 "Thunderer," he could trade Weapon Focus (heavy blaster) for Weapon Focus (BlasTech T-6) when he reaches 6th level, representing him spending some time practicing with and getting used to the new blaster.
Q: Do mastercraft bonuses or personalizations/customizations (from Arms & Equipment Guide) change a weapon enough that it would require a new Weapon Focus? A: No. In game terms, these modifications aren't major enough to warrant a new feat.
Q: If I understood the rules for different lightsabers correctly, a double-bladed lightsaber is treated as a normal lightsaber when only one blade is lit, and a dual-phase lightsaber is treated as either a normal lightsaber or a great lightsaber, depending on which length it's set to. That said, how would Weapon Focus work with these weapons? A: Weapon Focus (lightsaber) applies when using a double-bladed lightsaber with one blade ignited or when using a dual-phase lightsaber in its "short" mode. Weapon Focus (great lightsaber) applies when using a dual-phase lightsaber in its "long" mode. Weapon Focus (double-bladed lightsaber) applies when using a double-bladed lightsaber with both blades ignited. Again, this also applies to other weapon-specific feats and class features.
Q: When a Jedi weapon master selects "lightsaber" for his Increase Weapon Damage, does it apply to all lightsabers, or does it only apply to a normal lightsaber? A: It applies to all lightsabers, just as Increase Lightsaber Damage does for other Jedi classes. Note that Increase Lightsaber Damage doesn't specifically mention different types of lightsabers, either, but the intent of the rules is that they are all improved simultaneously. A Jedi weapon master's Increase Weapon Damage is supposed to be a slightly more flexible version of Increase Lightsaber Damage without losing any capability.
Q: I have a problem with the ruling on Force Grip in Jedi Counseling 64. Why single out Force Grip? Drain Energy is used against machines, and not even specifically droids, but it's considered dark. Why is it okay to attack machines and even crush them, but it's somehow evil to just drain it or zap it with Force Lightning? Should any skills still be considered dark? Or should they all be subject to the droid versus human ruling, where anything used against a droid isn't subject to Dark Side Points? If so, what does that mean for droid characters? A: Okay, let me answer the question of why dark side skills exist. To quote Palpatine: "The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural." That's probably the best definition -- a dark side skill is anything that has been deemed "unnatural." Consider the following list of dark side skills: Alchemy, Control Mind, Drain Energy, Drain Knowledge, Fear, Force Grip, Force Lightning, and Transfer Essence. First, Control Mind, Drain Knowledge, Fear, and Transfer Essence are all cases wherein the Force-user overrides the individual's mind or life force, imposing synchronicity, removing (or eliminating) consciousness, or triggering dark emotional responses. In contrast, Affect Mind only allows suggestions or perceptions -- it can't control the target. Second, Alchemy, Drain Energy, and Force Lightning are all in the category of "things that are not meant to be." Alchemy twists the laws of nature to literally "play god," Drain Energy twists them to destroy electromagnetic energy (essentially a malicious manifestation of entropy itself -- see Jedi Counseling 1), and Force Lightning twists them to release electromagnetic bursts (kind of like reversing the same twisted technique used in Drain Energy). In contrast, the Dissipate Energy feat is based on Control, not Alter as are all of these. In other words, instead of twisting the laws of nature to do your bidding, Dissipate Energy represents conditioning and self-control, basically an extreme form of walking over hot coals.  Finally, there's a common thread in all of these dark side skills -- absolute control, overriding freedom of choice and the laws of nature. The only skill that sticks out is Force Grip, which is really just a different application of the same telekinetic ability that we see in Move Object and Force Strike, especially now that we've seen it used against nonliving targets in Clone Wars and Revenge of the Sith. I don't think there's anything inherently unnatural about Force Grip, at least not unless you consider Move Object and Force Strike "unnatural" as well, so that's where the ruling comes from. Thus, it was decided that Force Grip is best treated like Force Strike for this purpose. (See the next question, below.) All of the above is completely separate from the question of motive or intent. If you're using the Force to attack, that might get you a Dark Side Point. If you bring intentional and unnecessary harm to others (including droids; see Jedi Counseling 14), this can earn you a Dark Side Point even if you're not using the Force at all.
Q: Okay, given what you've said, why do Force Strike and Force Grip still incur an automatic Dark Side Point when used against a living target? They're not "unnatural," and even Yoda seems to use Force Strike against Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith. Given that he is probably the best model for proper Jedi behavior, why would he be inclined to gain Dark Side Points so casually? A: You're right: He does appear to use the Force Push application of Force Strike against Palpatine, at least when he knocks him across a desk on the other side of the room. Given this and the fact that Move Object is not subject to this "automatic Dark Side Point" provision, I believe that this is best implemented as official errata (which, of course, you could always ignore for your own game):
This doesn't mean that it's now acceptable to use Force Strike and Force Grip indiscriminately. Using the Force to cause harm is something that a Jedi shouldn't even consider unless that choice would actually cause the least possible harm. For example, Luke apparently used Force Grip on the Gamorrean guards in Jabba's palace, but pulling out his lightsaber and attacking arguably would have been much worse because it would have killed the guards and almost certainly started a huge fight, ultimately leading to considerably more death and destruction. Quietly incapacitating the guards to get by them was probably less harmful than the alternative. Even then, Luke's GM would have been entitled to give him a Dark Side Point for this -- after all, Luke could have used Affect Mind on them, as he did on Bib Fortuna. Exactly how strict you want to be with common transgressions is up to the individual GM.
Star Wars Miniatures QuestionsQ: Let's say San Hill is on the Separatist squad, and the Separatist and the Republic player both roll a 1 for initiative. Obviously, this requires both sides to reroll, but the definition of Separatist Reserves 20 says that this does not trigger that ability. Why is that? A: The reason is that, in the Star Wars Miniatures Game, you always treat a reroll as being the "real" result -- the original result is basically treated as if it didn't happen at all. In this case, a tie on initiative results in a reroll, so the original initiative roll "never happened," so to speak, and thus can't trigger Separatist Reserves. (This same rule applies to Republic Reserves as well, of course -- only the final roll counts.) Another example: Let's say Yoda, Jedi Master makes an attack on Emperor Palpatine, Sith Lord, and Yoda rolls a natural 1 on his attack. Yoda would almost certainly use a Force point to reroll that attack to avoid joining the Emperor's squad. This makes Betrayal very unlikely to work against an enemy who can spend Force points (25% chance of success), but its real value in that case is in forcing the enemy character to waste a Force point.
Similarly, let's say Sly Moore uses Dominate on an enemy and it fails its save. If that enemy spends a Force point to reroll, the new result is treated as the real result. Conversely, let's say you use Dominate on an ally and it makes its save. You might want to spend a Force Point to reroll, hoping for a failure on the "real" result. This has the effect of making Dominate very difficult to use on enemy characters with Force ratings (25% chance of success, if they choose to spend a Force point), but very easy to use on an ally with a Force rating (75% chance of success, if you choose to spend a Force point).
Q: Here's a follow-up about Dominate and Force points: Let's say you use Dominate, the target spends a Force point to try to get the desired result, and then fails the second save. Can the Dominated character still use Force points when it takes its turn, or does that Force point to reroll the save count as being during the same turn? A: The Force point to reroll takes place during Sly Moore's turn. If the target's "real" result (i.e., after any rerolls due to Force points) is a failure, it takes a new turn of its own, so it would indeed be able to spend Force points during that turn.
Q: Can Emperor Palpatine (from Rebel Storm) include Order 66 units in his squad? The glossary entry for Order 66 says that the character can be in a squad with "Emperor Palpatine, Sith Lord," but I'm not sure if that should include any "Emperor Palpatine." For example, both couldn't be in the same squad because of the Unique restriction (their names are similar, obviously, with the exception of the phrase "Sith Lord"), but does this make them similar enough to both get this benefit? A: No. Note that the Order 66 glossary entry mentions a specific miniature by name. "Emperor Palpatine, Sith Lord" refers only to the Palpatine from Revenge of the Sith. If it were meant to apply to the Rebel Storm Palpatine, it would have said "Emperor Palpatine" (which would apply to both) instead of "Emperor Palpatine, Sith Lord."
Q: Characters with Flight ignore attacks of opportunity, low objects, and pits, but are restricted by walls when moving. This got me wondering about rules for indoor flight. For instance, how high should ceilings be assumed to be? In the cantina in A New Hope, it would be improbable, if not impossible, for a character like Durge to fly through the doorway and be able to fly over low obstacles (like the bar, stools, and so on) unless he were moving horizontally the entire time, which would require constant movement indoors. Outdoor hovering doesn't seem to cause the same problem. Are there rules I'm missing, or is the game meant to run this way?  A: This really goes into far more detail than the Star Wars Miniatures Game is meant to handle. We simply assume that, even indoors, there is enough room to hover around without a problem. If you want a more flexible system (with a lot more room for unusual situations like the one you describe), the Star Wars Roleplaying Game would be a better fit. Theoretically, though, there are a lot of things you could do to make flight more "realistic" in this respect.
You might try these out as special house rules for a custom-made map or maybe a single terrain tile, just to see what they're like. These aren't official rules, simply ideas for something new. Still, as long as you aren't playing in a sanctioned tournament and all the players agree, it's fine to try out house rules just for fun. About the AuthorGary M. Sarli is a freelance writer and editor whose credits include Ultimate Adversaries (Star Wars RPG) and Monster Manual III (Dungeons & Dragons). He also moderates on the Wizards.COMmunity message boards as WizO the Hutt, cheerfully feeding Code of Conduct violators to the Sarlacc. Gary still works as a staff member for SWRPGNetwork, three-time ENnie Award winner in the Best Fan Website category and host of the Star Wars RPG Frequently Asked Questions.
| ||||||
