Star Wars Episode 1: The Gathering Storm
House Rules Version 1.0
Updated: 08/09/07
This document contains the House Rules to the Saga Edition we will be using for our Star Wars campaign. The modifications come from player feedback, my own assessment of the rules and a desire to adapt the rules to better represent the feeling of the campaign.
Since this will be the first campaign using the Saga System rules, I’ve identified the document with a version number, as some of these rules MIGHT see some minor revisions as we play and see them in action. However I will not modify the rules in the middle of a session, and not on whim or without consideration, so I ask you give the rules a chance and after several sessions we may discuss them and revisit them. That way we may tweak them to our liking for future games.
We will all meet for an initial planning and character generation session before the campaign begins. This way, with all players present, character concepts may be discussed and we may attempt to create a balanced group that works together.
Character Creation
Ability Scores: Instead of rolling ability scores, we will be using the Planned Generation method on page 18 of the Saga rulebook with the exception that you will build your characters with 32 points. Use the chart below as a guide to determine how many points a specific ability score costs.
Ability Point Ability Point
Score Cost Score Cost
9 1 14 6
10 2 15 8
11 3 16 10
12 4 17 13
13 5 18 16
Choosing a Species: You may select any of the species from the core rulebook, including those on pages 284 and 285 with the following exceptions, no Ewoks as they have not been discovered yet, no Gungans few travel beyond Naboo and even less people know of their existence. Finally, no Yuuzhan Vong as thy do not exist.
This following website has conversions for the various species in the Ultimate Alien Anthology, a book for the Star Wars D20 Revised System. If you are interested in playing a species from that book I am open to discussion and may consider it, until an official conversion to the Saga System becomes available.
http://sagaconversions.mattylee.com/
Droid Characters: Playing a Droid is an option for the campaign, but Droid characters use Option 1: Playing a Custom Droid presented on page 186 of the core rulebook. You cannot play a standard droid model in the campaign.
Heroic Classes
Of the Heroic Classes presented in Chapter 3 of the core rulebook, the Noble, Scout and Soldier remain unchanged.
The Scoundrel class gains access to the OUTLAW TECH talent tree presented in the Saga Edition Web Enhancement 1, reproduced in the appendix of this document.
The Jedi Class becomes a Prestige Class, following the rules for such classes on page 206.
Hit Points: When rolling for hit points as a result of gaining a level, players may reroll the die if the result is less than half the possible result up to level 5. After the 6th level players must keep the number rolled in the die.
Jedi Prestige Class
Requirements
To qualify to become a Jedi, a character must fulfill the following criteria.
Minimum Heroic Level: 2nd
Trained Skills: Use the Force
Feats: Force Sensitivity
Special: To become a Jedi an apprentice must find a willing Jedi tutor. The Order to which the teacher belongs to determines the Talent Trees available to the character.
The 1st level class features for the Jedi Prestige Class are the regular Defense Bonuses as they appear on page 39, gaining a Talent, a Lightsaber and Weapon Proficiency (lighsabers) as a bonus feat.
All the major and well known Jedi Orders use and train their apprentices in the art of lightsaber combat. If your character belongs to one of the most obscure Orders, or is tutored under a master who does not teach him, or her, use of the lightsaber, your character does not receive a lightsaber and the corresponding Weapon Proficiency feat at first level. Instead the character receives Force Training as a bonus feat.
Talents: Which talent are available to the character is determined by the Jedi Order under which the Jedi studies. Regardless, all Jedi can continue to select talents from the Alter, Control and Sense talent trees in pages 100 to 101.
Jedi following the traditions of the militaristic Leoco Actum Order may select their talents from the Jedi Guardian, Jedi Sentinel, Lightsaber Combat and the Jedi Defender (the renamed Jensaarai Defender tree from page 107) talent trees.
Those that study the contemplative path of the Sar’Akar Jedi Order have the Jedi Consular, Jedi Guardian, Jedi Sentinel and Lightsaber Combat talent trees available.
The outlawed Force Petitioners, sometimes called Zealot of the Force, may select their talents from the following talent trees, Jedi Consular, Jedi Sentinel, Lightsaber Combat and the Force Apocrypha described bellow.
FORCE APOCRYPHA
Through meditation and long, arduous study of the whispering Force you have discovered secrets that allow you to serve its will. You can defend holy sites, protect and heal the faithful and hunt those who oppose the will of the Force.
Extend Protection: You may use the Block and Deflect talents to negate attacks against an adjacent ally without spending a Force Point. You must have the appropriate talent (Block or Deflect) in order to use this ability.
Prerequisites: Harm's Way, Base Attack Bonus +5.
Hold Ground: Opponents treat all squares that you threaten as difficult terrain for all purposes related to movement.
Prerequisites: Lightsaber Defense.
Healer’s Vision: You can reroll Treat Injury checks, but the result of the reroll must be accepted even if it is worse.
Hunter of Heretics: You can use your Use the Force check modifier instead of your Survival modifier when making Survival checks to track an individual. You are considered trained in Survival for the purposes of using this talent. If you are entitled to a Survival check reroll, you may reroll your Use the Force check instead (subject to the same circumstances and limitations).
Improved Hold Ground: The DC for tumbling through a square that you threaten is increased by 10.
Prerequisite: Hold Ground, Base Attack Bonus +9.
Return to Life: You have two turns, instead of one, to make a Treat Injury check to revive a creature that has just died.
Prerequisite: Medical Sense.
Leveling Up: As a Jedi continues to gain levels in this class, he or she, must remain in regular contact with their master to continue learning, studying and mastering the ways of the Force, this may mean some time away from adventuring while being tutored and the need to visit a teacher in person before gaining any new Talent or Force Power until the 7th level in this class.
During their training Jedi apprentices may have more than one teacher and may over time abandon one Order and join another. While some Orders condemn this practice and may ostracize or even oppose former members, once a character reaches 7th level in the Jedi class it may learn talents from any Order he or she was tutored in. If the character seeks to learn talents from unavailable trees, he or she may look for an appropriate master, but must remain aware of the role-playing consequences, story wise, of his actions.
Build a Lightsaber: The 7th level class feature, Build a Lightsaber, no longer applies. Anyone meeting the criteria outlined on page 40 under Building a Lightsaber may attempt to do so.
The Jedi Heroic Class becomes an 18 level Prestige Class that follows all other rules as presented in the core rulebook for level advancement and acquiring Talents and Bonus Feats.
Multiclass Heroes
All rules for multiclassing presented in pages 54-55 remain in effect. Adding a second or third class is desirable, even beneficial in some cases, however there are in game role-playing considerations that must be met before adding any class beyond your first.
The Jedi Prestige Class already has requisites and role-playing criteria that must be met. Adding any of the other heroic classes, or prestige classes, requires you as a player to rationalize how and why the character is developing this new set of skills, from providing a background suitable for this, to finding appropriate teachers that may teach the character what he needs to know.
Discuss any plan with the GM; there may be additional role-playing requisites before adding another class or prestige class. Do so before leveling up so all details can be worked out in advance.
Feats
There are two new feats available to characters, and one important feat that is modified from the version that appears in the Saga Edition rulebook.
FORCE SENSITIVITY: This feat now has the added prerequisite that it must be selected at 1st. Having the Force Sensitivity feat means these character are naturally attuned to the Force, whether they know it or not, even if her or she chooses not to develop their potential. Characters that select this feat will be more susceptible to Dark Side transgressions and their actions examined with greater scrutiny during the game. See The Dark Side on pages 93-94 of the core rulebook and later in this document for more information.
LATENT FORCE SENSITIVITY:
You discover your Force-sensitivity much later in life that it is typical. Trough meditation, feasting, a great distress or sacrifice you can now call upon the Force and draw on its power.
Prerequisites: Cannot be a Droid, the character permanently reduces their Force Point total per level by 2.
Benefits: This feat work exactly like the Force Sensitive feat on page 85, with the exception that since it can be taken at any level, the character must make a permanent sacrifice to awaken his or her powers and must reduce their Force Point total by 2.
The TECH SPECIALIST feat from the Saga Edition Web Enhancement 1, reproduced in the appendix of this document, is also available.
The Force
While the vision of the Star Wars Galaxy we will be playing in may seem darker than the traditional Star Wars game, the Jedi, fractured as they may be, still strive for the greater good and champion the Light Side of the Force. If anything in these darker times there exists the chance for good and kindness to shine even brighter.
While I do not expect all character to be saints, or paragons of virtue, those that select to be Force Sensitive and follow the ways of the Force, through a Jedi Order, or any other tradition, will still be expected righteous and avoid the temptations of the Dark Side. These characters will be carefully observed and any Dark Side Transgressions will result in an increase of the Dark Side Score.
Any characters that falls to the Dark Side, i.e. his or her Dark Side Score equals their Wisdom score, will become a GM character and is no longer under the control of the player.
Destiny
The Destiny mechanic will be available in the game. Characters are free to select a destiny, or not, as the please. Destinies must be discussed with the GM and may e player selected or secret destinies determined by the GM, player’s choice.
While players may select destinies form the beginning of the campaign I would encourage you at least wait until the character planning and generation session so you may get an idea of the characters in the campaign. If no destiny is selected initially the GM will discuss with each player whether to choose a destiny and what destiny that may be after the 4th or 6th session of the campaign.
Equipment, Droids and Vehicles
At character creation equipment, droids or vehicles may be purchased at its base cost regardless of its restriction rating. No need to pay for licensing fees or black market prices. It will be assumed that all documentation was obtained and fees were paid for items rated as licensed or restricted. Items whose availability is rated military or illegal will be assumed to have been procured through the black market. Be aware that carrying items rated military or illegal will call attention to you and may cause trouble with the authorities.
I know some of you may be considering developing character concepts that may involve owning a ship or vehicle way beyond the means of a first level character. Rather than setting some rules for this, if this is your case, let’s discuss it on the planning and character generation session.
Once the campaign begins all rules regarding restricted items in pages 118-119 will be in effect.
Prestige Classes
As the campaign attempts to portray the struggle of the Light Side of the force against the ever encroaching Dark Side, some prestige classes are not appropriate in this time of the dying light. Neither Sith Apprentice nor Sith Lord are available as Prestige Classes for your characters.
All other prestige classes presented in the book are available as long as you keep in mind the considerations mentioned under Multiclass Heroes earlier in this document.
Character Death
Should your character die in the course of the campaign, you may create a new character and it will be integrated into the adventure as soon as logic and ongoing plotlines permit. The new character will be the same level as your previous character, but will have the exact amount of experience needed to attain that level.
