Star Wars(maps, apprentices, and other help needed)

[blackshirt5]

OK, I'm getting ready to run a Star Wars D20 campaign(probably not starting for antoher month or so, but still), and I fugred I'd ask for some help. I need a few things for my campaign, and thus I turn to the great minds of ENWorld...as well as Piratecat.

Lightsabers: It's going to be set in the New Republic, and it's going to be an all-Jedi campaign focusing on exploration, action, and enlightenment. The problem I'm having is this: How to make some of the Jedi distinct? Obviously, one way is with personality, but aside from that, I figured that the lightsaber would be an easy way to distinguish; since this isn't the Old Republic, they don't have all the knowledge of the Old Jedi Order, so I want all the lightsabers(at least for the PCs and the major NPCs) to be distinctive. Can you think of anything to help make sabers distinctive? Even if it's just a cool design on the handle or a strange color, as opposed to a special feature(like a blaster built into the handle, a call beacon for the ship, etc.), that'd be a great help for me.

Villains: I'm thinking of doing something with The Sith, possibly involving a new rise in the order, led by Lumiya and a reborn Darth Bane(his spirit is possessing a former Jedi Student); whee they've thrown out the Rule of Two, or taken to using Dark Jedi for their purposes. What suggestions do you have for the Sith? Anything? I don't have any of the books yet, but I've glanced through the Dark Side Sourcebook, so anything related to that could be cool.

Superweapons: Every good villainous plan needs a superweapon. I can't think of one. Could anybody help me on this?

Anything else I can think of I'll throw into here. All help is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Lightsabers: Well, you could use the larger lightsabers or dual phase lightsabers for a bit more of a unique feel for the individual Jedi. Both are in Power of the Jedi.

Villians: With the Sith, you can do mostly anything you want...I'd suggest having them be from the Unknown Regions just to make it easier to explain...but Sith are usually either the very violent malicious killer type, or the plotting type that puts huge plans into motion.

Superweapons: I don't like to use them unless they already exist. My favorite things along those lines are biological weapons...with this, you could maybe create some kind of Sith Poison.

 

[Thresher]

For lightsabres you could go one of two ways.

If your a combat light setting I'd suggest making the weapon a rapier type of weapon for a more refined and genteel environment, lower the damage down to D6's and maybe fiddle the crit level a bit.

For a game where there is heavy combat I'd modify the weapon to being something like a WH40k Grey Knight nemisis force weapon, essentially a halberd sized polearm with an inbuilt blaster, if you where to be true to the Nemisis it would be capable of multi/autofire.
(actually... thats just made it for a backup character... hmmm hehe...)

The darkside source book is full of things for the Sith, its sort of hard to add to it really unless its cosmetic or you want them to operate differently and I dont see why you shouldnt. If it was me I would have them being the driving force behind the remanents of the empire.

As for a superweapon. Avoid reading KJA books and perhaps go for a more contempory superweapon.
Fear.
Have the new republic forces face an enemy that is scattered, determined and resorts to hit and run tactics where the officially sanctioned government forces have to hunt them across the galaxy... sound familiar?
Basically restructure the remenents of the Imperials being that of what the rebel alliance was during the rise of the latter, essentially political terrorists. Maybe slightly more ruthless, but one mans freedom fighter has always been another mans terrorist depending on which side of the fence you happen to be standing on.

Dont have anything to do with the Vong either, possibly the most crap race to hit a rpg anywhere and its so not Star Wars

Its a good little game d20 Star Wars, much better than a lot of the others IMO, though Slaine was kinda fun too.

 

[blackshirt5]

Well, as far as combat-heaviness, it's gonna be somewhere in between; I plan on there being a decent number of fights.

Superweapons: Every good villain worth the name needs something that causes widespread destruction; I'm thinking something to do with a second Eclipse-class Super Star Destroyer might be good.

As for the Sith vs. Yuuzhan Vong(as far as villains go), I agree the Vong don't fit at all into my vision of the Star Wars universe. "All things are part of the force; except for these hideously scarred aliens. They'll house you, Luke."

Hmm; still working on coming up with interesting Jedi weapons(as well as Sith weapons); any help would still be appreciated.

 

[Daiymo]

blackshirt5-Ive been working on a SW game as well, and these topics have popped up as well.

As for lightsabers, it is hard to differentiate between Jedis. The Arms and Equipment Guide has info on basic custominzing of weapons. Swrpgnetwork has interesting ideas. Apart from archaic and double bladed lightsabers, how about different kinds of crystals that do different amounts of damage.. Can be a cool reason for a jedi to go on a trial or test.

For the Sith, how about a minor Sith baddie finds a rare Sith holocon perhpas by Darth Bane himself that gives a loophole in the "only 2 rule". Maybe the original Sith, the Massassi return.

Superweapons.Not really a big fan of these, prefer more biological threats. The console rpg Knights of the Old Republic has a doosie of a superweapon - tho no spoiler from me

 

[Thresher]

Well for your baddies they could have the alchemical Sith swords which do slightly less (base) damge than a lightsabre and they can dump DS points into them to really lay the smack down on jedi's or whoever else they happen to be beating up. Plus they can deflect blaster bolts and parry the same as a lightsabre.
I could see them turning up in a variety of shapes from halberds to claws and other exotic alien melee weapons you could think of. And to be a real rat-bastard you can poison them too...

It often made me think that some lightsabres should have a 'technically non-leathal' setting as well for training newbs and for those times you'd rather take them alive. Basically turn it into a big stun baton and keep the sabre abilities for your own defence.

Ive never really liked the 'force whips' and other such devices people have thought would be "kewl" to have as its not really in with the theme of the game for Starwars.

As for your WoMD Im not sure if you should even bother with something as big as an Eclipse, they are rather freaking huge and in the waning days of a fallen empire I dont see them as being particualy easy to man, repair or assemble.
What you could have is a modified Lorenar Torpedo sphere, basically a poor mans death star. It has a lot of proton torpedo's that search over a planets shields, find a weak point and OP-Fire. That takes it down for a second in a small area and you slip some heavy t-lasers though that pop the shield generators.

Maybe up the toughness of one of them, throw in some concussion missiles full of nerve-bio agents and kill planets that way. Its in Starships of the Galaxy that one. She'd need some escort ships though, its a rather specific beast but I can see a mad Moff out there being able to get their hands on 1 of the 12 or so that where made and deciding everything must die.

 

[Haradim]

It often made me think that some lightsabres should have a 'technically non-leathal' setting as well for training newbs and for those times you'd rather take them alive. Basically turn it into a big stun baton and keep the sabre abilities for your own defence.

As I recall, there are some in Power of the Jedi.

But, canonically speaking, I don't think there are any in the NJO, or at least I've never heard of any. Indeed, one trainee Jedi of the period had her arm cut off in a training duel, if I remember correctly.

Unless you opt to go for swrpgnetwork.com's variant crystal rules (and other additions), I'm not sure there are a lot of stat-based things that can be done to 'sabers (at least, not enough to make everyone unique). However, Jedi in this period are less restricted, and I know some of the new Jedi made less conventional saber handles. You might aim to base the design off of the wielder's personality, racial art/archetecture styles, and so forth. I used to know a site that had a lot of pictures of various different 'saber hilts, but I don't think I have it anymore.

 

[blackshirt5]

As for your WoMD Im not sure if you should even bother with something as big as an Eclipse, they are rather freaking huge and in the waning days of a fallen empire I dont see them as being particualy easy to man, repair or assemble.
What you could have is a modified Lorenar Torpedo sphere, basically a poor mans death star. It has a lot of proton torpedo's that search over a planets shields, find a weak point and OP-Fire. That takes it down for a second in a small area and you slip some heavy t-lasers though that pop the shield generators.

Maybe up the toughness of one of them, throw in some concussion missiles full of nerve-bio agents and kill planets that way. Its in Starships of the Galaxy that one. She'd need some escort ships though, its a rather specific beast but I can see a mad Moff out there being able to get their hands on 1 of the 12 or so that where made and deciding everything must die.

For my plot, I'm thinking of having the Sith take over the Imperial Remnants, turning it into a fanatical army; so taking an Eclipse(which was built during the time of the reborn Emperor) and crewing it shouldn't be too much of a problem; although I would like to come up with something a bit more Sith.

A renewed Empire commanded by a reborn Order of the Sith? Yes, I think so.

 

[Kesh]

How about a Super Star Destroyer whose central hull has been caved out to make room for the Death Star cannon?

(Just be wary of flying dice when the players accuse you of ripping off an old anime...)

 

[blackshirt5]

What anime would that be, Kesh?