Star Wars Saga Edition [SECR] Preview #4 is Up

The very fast Reflex Defense scaling will produce an odd effect where medium attack bonuses classes can hit just fine at 1st level (only 5% less often), but will generally miss at higher levels, hitting 25% less often than full attack bonus classes. It looks like they're aiming for full attack bonus characters hitting about 50% of the time, so 20th-level medium attack bonus characters will only hit about 25% of the time. A medium attack bonus character won't contribute much in combat with a blaster at high levels. That's a pretty big departure from D&D, where rogues, clerics, and druids are all pretty effective to very effective in combat at high levels.

I think they may have gone to far in lengthening high-level combats. It seems like the ability to take damage increases rapidly with level, with scaling hit points and Reflex Defense, but the ability to deal damage doesn't really keep pace. A 20th level character with a blaster rifle probably deals something like 4d8+14 damage (assuming Rapid Shot, Weapon Specialization, and Greater Weapon Specialization), which is only x2.3 as much damage as that character was dealing at 1st level. On the other hand, I would guess that his hit points will have increased by a factor of 7 or so, and his relative chance to hit has stayed basically the same (as attack bonus and Reflex Defense increase naturally at the same rate).

Also, I don't think the condition track is a very good mechanic for a Star Wars game when compared to normal D&D hit points. Combat in Star Wars seems to have everybody fighting at full strength until the moment they're incapacitated by a hit. The condition track seems to imply that you're actually getting repeatedly shot by blasters and stabbed by lightsabers and still fighting on, which doesn't seem like anything I remember from the films. On the other hand, regular D&D hit points model fighting at full strength until you're incapacitated very well.
 
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nerfherder said:
[*]Iterative attacks due to level are gone, but there are exceptions which allow multiple attacks (e.g. two weapons).

It looks to me like multiple attacks is gone, gone, gone, but there is a feat named 'Rapid Shot' that allows you to trade BAB for damage. -Still just one die roll. Am I wrong? :\
 

I'm trying to figure out the defense score for that merc.

He has +2 from armor and +1 from natural with no dex, where's the rest coming from? The martial arts feats?
 



Frostmarrow said:
It looks to me like multiple attacks is gone, gone, gone, but there is a feat named 'Rapid Shot' that allows you to trade BAB for damage. -Still just one die roll. Am I wrong? :\
Yes. According to the article:
In an effort to speed up the combat round, we made some changes that affect how any given round goes. First, characters no longer gain multiple attacks as they go up in levels, meaning that a character gets only one attack in a combat round, even at 20th level. There are a few exceptions to this restriction, such as fighting with two weapons, but they have their own balancing mechanisms.
Plus, the stats for the Trandoshan Mercenary have this line:
Melee unarmed –3 (1d8+3) and
unarmed –3 (1d8+3)
 

Apart from the big stuff mentioned already, this caught my eye (my emphasis)

Furthermore, she must keep making Constitution checks for each hour she is unconscious, and grievous failure results in death.

I wonder if they are formalising some form of 'fumble' for checks?

Some skills had explicit bad failure levels before (e.g. fail climb check by 5+ and fall), it would be interesting to see if they do something across all skills/checks
 

Frostmarrow said:
It looks to me like multiple attacks is gone, gone, gone, but there is a feat named 'Rapid Shot' that allows you to trade BAB for damage. -Still just one die roll. Am I wrong? :\

Yes - they explicitly state that TWF gives extra attacks

WotC said:
a character gets only one attack in a combat round, even at 20th level. There are a few exceptions to this restriction, such as fighting with two weapons, but they have their own balancing mechanisms.
 

MoogleEmpMog said:
I'm sad to see there's no mention of the iconic Star Wars limb loss.

Although there is the hint in the Trandoshan's entry: "limb regeneration"

Arguably that would only be significant if there was a possibility of limb loss, so we can hope...
 

Plane Sailing said:
Yes - they explicitly state that TWF gives extra attacks

-Right, but Rapid Shot is still just one die roll. Then they have a rule (still yet to be revealed) concerning two weapons, huh?

Weird! I mean in StarWars there is nothing standard about two arms. Some critters have more arms some even have fewer.

I like the idea of one attack (die roll) per turn. But that's just me. :)

My guess is you can attack in two directions or some such when equipped with a brace of pistols. Still just one attack (Die roll, though).
 

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