Star Wars - Better Days. [Started up!]

[ValenarJaeldira]

I went ahead and changed my stat block to the non-captain version of Jamin; I will trade a level of gunslinger for a level of Crime Lord should I need to step up and become captain again.

Brother Allard: [sblock]See Wyallt's stat-block in my game...is it kind of what you are looking for as a starting point? What differences would you like to see?[/sblock]

 

[James Heard]

If Firefly-ish Star Wars concepts would be better received than what I've dreamed up so far I'd be game I guess.

 

[Shayuri]

Hmm! Looks pretty cool!

I've a few questions...

1) Does DR apply to blaster damage as well as more ordinary damage?

2) What's a "force pike?" I was thinking she might use something kind of unassuming and ordinary looking, when not just fighting unarmed.

3) Is there a Sense Motive skill? Or a force power that lets you sense emotions/thoughts?

I may also fool around a bit with the abilities. Trade some Strength in for more Dex or Con or Wis... What effects would that have?

 

[James Heard]

According to the book a force pike is a 1m long metal pole topped with razzy gizmos at the end that screw people up. It does both piercing and energy damage. Think of it like a really BIG cattleprod, except cooler looking and more Star War-ish.

 

[ValenarJaeldira]

1) Does DR apply to blaster damage as well as more ordinary damage?

All damage except lightsabers

2) What's a "force pike?" I was thinking she might use something kind of unassuming and ordinary looking, when not just fighting unarmed.

A medium-sized weapon that is basically a 3 ft. staff with a powered tip that can be set to stun or lethal. If you'd rtaher, we can retool-you for unarmed combat or combat with a smaller weapon, such as a vibro-blade. I picked Force Pike becaue it isn't as big and bulky as a vibro-axe, but it'd give you decent damage output since you can use it 2-handed. In SWSE, 2-handed damage uses double-strength score, not 1.5. Martial Arts is a viable option too, especially with the focus on Battle Strikes I set up, but it uses lots of resources to be very viable, and force-using is very feat intensive.

3) Is there a Sense Motive skill? Or a force power that lets you sense emotions/thoughts?

Sense Motive is now part of perception, which you can make Use The Force checks instead of with your Force Perception talent.

I may also fool around a bit with the abilities. Trade some Strength in for more Dex or Con or Wis... What effects would that have?

Basically, you need strength to do decent damage in melee. I had you build start with 14 strnegth and added a point at both level 4 and 8; I also added Wisdom at 4 and Con at 8. In SE, you get 2 points/4 levels, but they must go in different scores. More Dex would increase your dex-based skills, and your reflex defense. More Con would increase your damage threshhold, HPs, adn fortitude defense. More Wisdom would increase your Wisdom skills (but not perception, as that Uses the Force, a Charisma skill), would grant you more morce powers, and increase your Will Defense. All of those are valid increases. In fact, now that I look at it, I think you would do well to up Con by one and drop Int by 1. You lose 2 languages and a trained skill in return for 11 HP, 1 threshhold, and 1 fort defense.

Alternate Builds
Unarmed Build [sblock]For this build, I would maybe reccomend dropping your Str to 14 and upping your Dex to 16. Then trade out the feats Weapon Proficiency (advanced melee weapons), one of your force trainings, and Force boon for Martial Arts 1, Martial Arts 2, and Weapon Finesse.

This would increase your Reflex defense by 3 and make your unarmed attack (with Combat gloves that you have both attuned and empowered) come at +12 (2d8+8). You would lose 4 of your force powers (probably 1 use of surge, both mindtricks, and a battle strike), and 3 force points[/sblock]

Vibroblade build [sblock]For this build, I would also reccomend dropping your Str to 14, and upping your Dex to 16. Then trade out the feat Force boon for Weapon Finesse.

This would increase your Reflex defense by 1 and make your attuned/empowered vibroblade attack come at +12 (3d6+7). You would lose 3 force points.[/sblock]

Mostly I used Force Pike because I felt like it was a good compromise between style (not gonna wanna use a vibro axe) and combat power (same base damage as a lightsaber), not to mention you could do more damage, more effectively, with fewer feats (and therefore could spend feats on things like Force Boon). I may have sacrificed too much style though, and Vibroblade or Unarmed builds can still do respectable damage, especially with battle strikes.

 

[ValenarJaeldira]

If Firefly-ish Star Wars concepts would be better received than what I've dreamed up so far I'd be game I guess.

Um, your first two concepts are very Mal Reynolds, and #3 is like a cross between how I'd picture Wash if he'd never met Zoe and Jayne.

I also think #4 is v. cool.

I think your ideas fit fine.

 

[Shayuri]

Okay! Lemme throw some ideas atcha.

Been juggling a bit. Here's what I have for stats.

Str 12 (4)
Dex 14 (6)
Con 12 (4)
Int 12 (4)
Wis 15 (8)
Cha 15 (8)

34 point buy.

Now at 4rth level we pop Wis to 16 and Dex to 15. At 8th level we pop Dex and Cha to 16 each. Final scores are:

Str 12 (4)
Dex 16 (6)
Con 12 (4)
Int 12 (4)
Wis 16 (8)
Cha 16 (8)

For feats! We ditch the following: Weapon Prof: Advanced Melee, Linguist.
We replace with: Weapon Finesse and Martial Arts 1.
Does Whirlwind Attack work the same way in Saga as it does in normal D&D? It might be expendable...if admittedly cool.

Could I get a class skill list...if there is such a thing... Pilot and Ride feel inappropriate to me. Perhaps more knowledges...that would reflect a well educated background. What are the Knowledge skill choices?

The idea is that this character depends on force-empowering for damage rather than actual physical strength. This is a bit closer, I think to my vision, where sheer power in the force is the first priority, with self defense and arsekickery coming in second. Less combat optimized, but hey, at level 12 she can take Martial Arts 2 for a feat, and boost some stats to boot!

What would be the consequences of these changes...and are there any ability/talent changes that might be recommended along with them?

...I'm also looking at Melee Defense. Her to-hit scores are already kind of lagging. I'm not sure she'd ever use Melee Defense if she actually wanted to hit someone. Is it a prereq for anything else?

 

[ValenarJaeldira]

Okay! Lemme throw some ideas atcha.

Been juggling a bit. Here's what I have for stats.

Str 12 (4)
Dex 14 (6)
Con 12 (4)
Int 12 (4)
Wis 15 (8)
Cha 15 (8)

34 point buy.

Now at 4rth level we pop Wis to 16 and Dex to 15. At 8th level we pop Dex and Cha to 16 each. Final scores are:

Str 12 (4)
Dex 16 (6)
Con 12 (4)
Int 12 (4)
Wis 16 (8)
Cha 16 (8)

For feats! We ditch the following: Weapon Prof: Advanced Melee, Linguist.
We replace with: Weapon Finesse and Martial Arts 1.

A couple of things: Linguist is a starting feat for Nobles, but a starting feat they only get if you have 13+Int. So, if you drop your Int to 12, you do drop Linguist, but it can't be replaced with anything else.

Does Whirlwind Attack work the same way in Saga as it does in normal D&D? It might be expendable...if admittedly cool.

Could I get a class skill list...if there is such a thing... Pilot and Ride feel inappropriate to me. Perhaps more knowledges...that would reflect a well educated background. What are the Knowledge skill choices?

Whirlwind attack is now a true area attack, which means you make your attack roll. Anyone who is hit takes full damage, and anyone who fails still takes half damage (unless they have evasion). Melee Defense is a prereq to whirlwind attack.

Noble Class Skills: Dception, Gather Information, Initiative, Knowledge (Bureacracy, galactic Lore, Life sciences, Physical sciences, Social Sciences, Tactics, and Technology), Perception, Persuasion, Pilot, Ride, Treat Injury, Use Computer. You get 6+Int+1 for being human

The idea is that this character depends on force-empowering for damage rather than actual physical strength. This is a bit closer, I think to my vision, where sheer power in the force is the first priority, with self defense and arsekickery coming in second. Less combat optimized, but hey, at level 12 she can take Martial Arts 2 for a feat, and boost some stats to boot!

What would be the consequences of these changes...and are there any ability/talent changes that might be recommended along with them?

...I'm also looking at Melee Defense. Her to-hit scores are already kind of lagging. I'm not sure she'd ever use Melee Defense if she actually wanted to hit someone. Is it a prereq for anything else?

Consequences: No Linguist feat and it isn't replaceable, so your feat exchange is no good. You would however have more hitpoints, better fortitude and reflex defense, and a higher damage threshhold, not to mention slightly better Use the Force checks. You also no longer meet the Int prereq for Melee Defense and Whirlwind Attack

Suggestions: The reason I gave you melee defense is, quite frankly, I was having a hard time finding feats on the Noble bonus feat list (Armor Prof (light), Cybernetic Surgery, Exotic Weapon Prof, Linguist, Melee Defense, Skill Focus, Skill training, Surgical Expertise, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Proficiency (advanced melee weapons), and weapon proficiency (rifles)). 3 of your feats must come from that list. Skill Focus (Use the Force) is one obvious one. Melee defense, as a prerequisite to Whirlwind Attack seemed like a good choice, but if you won't use it, maybe not. Skill Training can give you an extra trained skill, but the Noble list isn't super-great for this character, especially since you can Use The Force instead of Perception. My reccomendation, if you really want to do unarmed attacks, is to drop whirlwind attack and advanced melee for weapon finesse and Martial Arts I.

That said, I have another option: drop melee defense and whirlwind attack. Replace them with Weapon Finesse and Martial Arts 1. Make sure you always have combat gloves that you are attuned to so you can be insured at least 2d6+6 damage. You can also pick up any (non-lightsaber, non-exotic) melee weapons and take 2 full-round actions to empower and attune yourself to them, and kick butt with them instead, should you so choose.

 

[James Heard]

Ok, I was playing around with character creation and some of those character concepts bouncing them back and forth. I think the clone trooper version is neat, but a little hard to swallow. The stormtrooper deserter, for it to work, would depend a lot on the tone of the rest of the characters. The female version of the Mirilian is (I suppose obviously) created as a sort of homage to Mission Vao, and I ran out juice to pimp out anymore stats for characters but I think the male Mirilian Noble version could work as the "No, let me help you all do your jobs, but I'm fine back here" sort of character.

Some notes: Remember, in Saga as heroic characters your attribute increases every four levels are to two stats. There's no real "stuff" about near humans, but I've been going on the assumption that clones of Mandalorians and Mirilians are "cosmetic change" humans. Mirilians might be sort of green with Maori tats, but there's nothing I've read on them that suggests they're really different (other than being greenish). And hey, it's not easy being green.

If anyone's got any favorites in this crowd I've knocked around, I'd appreciate some input.

Saren Grail
Male Clone Trooper (Near-Human)
[sblock]
"I was there. In the vats, hours of training... a real new order. It was important. We were the best and brightest that humanity had to offer, the fist of the Republic, the Hammer of the Empire. We were the knights thrust full throttle into the heart of darkness. I have tread in the blood of Jedi and basked in the pride of the direct command of Vader himself. Others think they know the depths of the evil that is the Empire, but I have been the blood in the veins of that dark shadow.

"We were created to establish a new era of order and peace, but I was there. In the vats, long hours of training and preparation. I was Five-Oh-One. Vader's Fist. Mygeeto and Coruscant, sat out for Kashyyk while I went through officer training, and came back in time to fight with General Obi-Wan. Order 66?"

"..."

"Don't ask. There are places where even the dark hides. No man can be content with the entirety of his past, but some of us have more to run from...to make up for...than the rest of you."

Saren Grail is rarely seen without as shirt on, for fear that knowledgable people (though their numbers grow shorter every year) would recognize the unit and theater tattoos engraved on his flesh before he was frozen in carbonite. Fewer still would recognize him on sight as one of the once feared clone troopers, though he tries to manage a beard (hates them) sometimes to disguise his distinctive features.

Saren won't say exactly how he came to leave the legion, though it may be presumed that he's some sort of deserter. How such a highly decorated and distinguished soldier was ever permitted to escape is another issue, but Saren's near past as some sort of favored Hutt enforcer might have something to do with it.

Most clone troopers were born with accellerated aging, giving them vastly shortened lifespans. Saren insists that he's no different, but that he "found a way to turn the candle on end," sometimes, but mostly simply retorts that he's survived by "clean living and the willingness to freely kill my fellow sentients for personal gain."

Saren Grail
Male Clone Trooper
Soldier 8/Elite Trooper 3

S 14(06)
D 15(06)(+1)
C 20(10)(+2)
I 13(04)(+1)
W 10(02)
Ch 08(00)

Hit Points 56 + 8d10 (soldier) +3d12 (Elite trooper)
Force Points 11

Feats: Armor Proficiency (light, medium), Weapon Proficiency (pistols, rifles, simple weapons, heavy weapons), Quick Draw, Martial Arts I, Skill Focus (Perception), Point Blank Shot, Improved Damage Threshold, Shake It Off

Talents: Indomitable, Tough As Nails, Devastating Attack (rifles), Penetrating Attack (rifles), Exotic Weapon Mastery, Controlled Burst

Delay Damage, DR1

Skills: Knowledge(tactics), Perception (+5), Endurance, Climb, Swim
[/sblock]
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Saren Grail
Female Mirilian (Near Human)
Scoundrel 11
[sblock]
Saren Grail was born on Mirilian, a shattered world still reeling from the devastation of the Clone Wars decades later. Their support for the Confederacy remained solid until Jedi Knights and Republic troops shattered the heart of the resistance, but after a secondary uprising twelve years after the birth of the Empire the Emperor ordered a total planetary bombardment of the planet's surface.

These days the once green skies of Mirilian are choked with toxic, unbreathable waste and its once proud inhabitants struggle to eek out an existance under the iron rule of an enormous garrison of imperial stormtroopers. It's not a bad life, it's a terrible one that anyone with any sense flees whenever possible.

Saren Grail began her sorry life as the human half-breed progeny you expect to see on planets with such an enormous amount of imperial troops, with nothing in her future but the promise to beget more half-breeds and the sorry wages and brutality of a lantern girl like her mother before her.

Still, Saren had a destiny. Saren's "leaving" Mirilian involved a herd of Threshbeasts, several tons of military grade explosives, an overly amorous Imperial Officer, and a total wipe of the power grid for more than a quarter of the southern hemisphere. Or maybe it was half, Saren doesn't know and couldn't possibly understand why she should care even. Life is too short to not live in the moment, grabbing every root by the stones and hanging on for the ride. It's a good life, or at least a better one than staying on Mirilian.


Saren Grail
Female Mirilian (Near Human)
Scoundrel 11

S 08(00)
D 16(10)
C 10(02)
I 16(06)(+2)
W 14(06)
Ch 18(10)(+2)

Hit Points 18 + 11d6
Force Points 10

Feats: Point Blank Shot, Weapon Proficiency (pistols, simple weapons, heavy weapons), Skill Focus (Deception), Quick Draw, Strong In The Force, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Acrobatic Strike, Skill Focus (Gather Information), Skill Focus (Stealth), Skill Focus (Use Computer)

Talents: Spacehound, Starship Raider, Gambler x4

Skills: Acrobatics, Deception (+5), Gather Information, Persuasion (+5), Use Computer (+5), Stealth (+5), Mechanics
[/sblock]
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Red Dunn
"Join the Imperial Army and see the Galaxy!"
[sblock]
"Yeah, it sounds exciting doesn't it? Don't buy it kid. What they really mean is: Join the Imperial Army, do some short time where some horrible little man screams at you a lot and you run laps, get fitted for a set of ill-fitting body armor, and then zip - you're off in a maze of wiring trying to make sense out of Lord Vader's constant changes to the plans for his great big space ball and constantly shocking yourself."

"I know. Space battles, fighting the rebel scum? Nope. Most of the time you're sweeping narrow corridors, double bunking with a bantha who hasn't bathed in three months, getting chewed out for improperly configuring the temporary lift relays, being fed slop that looks like the cooks chewed it for a few hours to get it the proper consistency...Let me tell you, it's one great big galaxy of excitement."

"That's why I'm here. You see, Vader had gone and blown up Alderaan and knocked out a whole bank of trillium relays on sublevel M. I probably don't have to tell you how that went and ruined my week, because I was supposed to be on leave - always supposed to be on leave, but suddenly (as always) here I was having to run herd on droids heading to the supply ships to grab some more trillium relays!"

"Well let me tell you, it was no longer than an hour I'd left the installation and suddenly...*BANG* There's squadrons of rebels coming out of nowhere attacking the base. There I was, in an unarmed shuttle watching one of the biggest battles in the history of the Empire. Then, the Death Star blew up. It was a sign. A sign that I'd been sweeping the wrong floors."

"Mostly these days I subcontract out. Fix folk's holos and plumbing, find where their lost passwords to accounts they set up in false names, install their hyperdrives...It's a sweet living, because I don't have to put on that itchy armor anymore and when people shoot at me it's usually because of something I did and not just because I made ONE LITTLE MISTAKE when I was 18."

Red Dunn
Male Human
Soldier 1/Scoundrel 10

S 12(04)
D 12(04)
C 12(04)
I 14(06)
W 14(06)
Ch 16(10)

Hit Points
Force Points

Feats:

Talents:

Skills:

[/sblock]

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Saren Offee
[sblock]
Saren Offee was destined for great things from birth. Heir to the powerful Czerka-allied Mirial corporation MXTech, Saren might have gone on to be a powerful force for order on Mirial in the name of the Empire.

The Rebellion changed that, as Mirilial allied itself with the rebels Separatists and Mirial society was torn asunder with vicious infighting the rule at almost every level of society. Civil wars are never pretty, and on Mirial the rebellion has been devastating.His family fortunes seized, his parents killed, and having prominent relatives on both sides of the conflict made one thing certain for Saren Offee though: Things weren't safe at home.

Saren doesn't know a single damned thing about running a starship other than the skills he's learned as the scion of a vast fortune. He's been going for "relaxed" and eventually started coming across more like "used swoop bike salesman." He's quick on his feet though, and he's got a smile that turns on the lights.

Saren Offee
Male Mirilian (Near Human)
Noble 11
[/sblock]

 

[Shayuri]

Odd...it at my last post.

Anyway, thanks very much Valenar! I think, with all the very appreciated help you've given, I'm close to something like a beta draft.

Sadly, it'll have to wait a little bit. I'm going to be away from the internet next week...at least part of the week.

Thanks again!