[SWd20] Saber-Stars?

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Remember...a lightsaber isn't just a weapon. It is an extension of the Jedi and a symbol. I don't particularly like the idea of taking things wild with lightsaber ideas...and while saber-stars might look cool, vibro-stars would be more practical and more likely to appear. Different types of lightsabers that wildly different from the base model just don't seem to mesh with the Jedi. What would be the point? Its not like they'd be any better, and a lightsaber can be thrown just as well with the Force.

Not only that, but looking at the technical side of things...how do you fit enough crystals to power then thing in a tiny star? A normal lightsaber requires THREE crystals that are fairly good sized. They work together to focus the blade, which is why using one wouldn't produce the same effect(note that even small sabers still require the normal three crystals). You're talking about three blades...which would require nine crystals and still be palmsized.

On the technical end of things, it just doesn't mesh well with the technology of the galaxy and the Jedi.

 

[AmorphousBlob]

Yeah, I wasn't even gonna go into the concept of the size the thing would have to be. But, on the subject of taking lightsabers for granted, I have a friend that I play with, and he has an addiction to playing a bothan Jedi that specializes in the use of two lightsabers. He treats his lightsabers like normal weapons, swinging them relentlessly at his enemies. I have actually secretly banned him from my games now because of his reckless use of his lightsabers. Please, people, I implore you, don't abuse your lightsaber, because the Force may decide you don't deserve one.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Yeah, I wasn't even gonna go into the concept of the size the thing would have to be. But, on the subject of taking lightsabers for granted, I have a friend that I play with, and he has an addiction to playing a bothan Jedi that specializes in the use of two lightsabers. He treats his lightsabers like normal weapons, swinging them relentlessly at his enemies. I have actually secretly banned him from my games now because of his reckless use of his lightsabers. Please, people, I implore you, don't abuse your lightsaber, because the Force may decide you don't deserve one.

One of the best sections of the Power of the Jedi book is a short part on "Lightsaber Syndrome", where players just want to have a lightsaber and not actually play a Jedi.

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

One of the best sections of the Power of the Jedi book is a short part on "Lightsaber Syndrome", where players just want to have a lightsaber and not actually play a Jedi.

What??? You need to do something else besides use a lightsaber...? Surely you jest.

In all honesty, if Bothan Jedi is using his two lightsabers as if he's swinging them like normal weapons I'm not sure what the issue is... A Jedi needs the same reason to use a blaster as he does his lightsaber.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Heh heh heh. My SWRPG game my players are all 4th level padawans ... with training sabers.

For the uninitiated, Training Sabers are found in PotJ. They're powered-down sabers for students so they don't accidentally kill themselves. Only do 1d6 damage to objects (doesn't ignore DR) and 1d3 WP to living targets. Does the normal amount of VP damage though. They look and sound really cool and "will give you a really nasty burn ... might even need to put some salve on it." Other than that, not much use for anything.

But it's brought out the Jedi in all of my players. I spent the first game session slapping their padawan tails around the facility. First I dropped them cold in blinding helmets with remotes pinging at them, and waited for somebody to remember they could use "Sense" to extend their senses through the force. (Which could have been annoying, but they got a kick out of trying different things before they "remembered their training" and started burning VP and move actions to "see" so they could Deflect (Attack).) Then I let an unarmed Master slap them down until they learned to use Aid Another and something other than direct attacks to hit his absurdly high AC. Etc etc.

It was some chancey GMing, against my usual norms, but I felt that properly playing Jedi was so outside of the normal D20 run that I needed to send a message and shake some things up. Originally I had 12 people who wanted to play, and all but 3 of them wanted to play Guardians. After I whittled down the pool by time and interests, we ended up with 3 alien Consulars and 3 Human Guardians (all Lightsaber beatsticks).

I'm forcing them all to use regular Craft rules to make their first Lightsaber, all 3,000 credits worth. At 4th level the 20 DC is very hard to hit, so in two sessions the average progress is 1100cr in. They probably won't finish them until 5th level.

So until they get to 5th, they're stuck with sporting blasters and training sabers, doing odd missions and uncovering a growing dark side threat (when isn't there a dark side threat of some sort growing? Like fungus in gym showers, I tells ya.) But a group full of Jedi is not without ability.

More than I thought. I scaled back an encounter to account for their general lack of powerful weaponry. Sent them against some 4th level thugs with sporting blasters. While the Jedi couldn't deal any real damage with their sabers, they were still "armed" with melee weapons and the guardians moved in aided by the consulars and handily disarmed, tripped, and generally humiliated my thugs without killing anybody. Consulars giving ground 2m by 2m using full defense against the one other melee combatant (a Dark Side Marauder that only wanted to escape) to keep from getting hit, all sorts of stuff. Made me proud.

So now, when they DO get their hands on their lightsabers, I don't think anybody will get Lightsaber Syndrome. They're sure enough of themselves that they'll know if they need to strike to kill, the situation will be grim indeed.

--fje

 

[AmorphousBlob]

What??? You need to do something else besides use a lightsaber...? Surely you jest.

In all honesty, if Bothan Jedi is using his two lightsabers as if he's swinging them like normal weapons I'm not sure what the issue is... A Jedi needs the same reason to use a blaster as he does his lightsaber.

The way I see it, a Jedi's lightsaber is more than a weapon, it's a symbol. The problem wasn't in the combat situations, but rather in the non-combat ones. You argue that a Jedi needs a lightsaber for the same reasons as a blaster, but a Jedi wouldn't treat a lightsaber like a blaster. After all, if a smuggler's blaster is stolen, would he get totally upset? Not that much, because, unless he built or modified the blaster himself, he could just buy another one pretty easily.

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

The way I see it, a Jedi's lightsaber is more than a weapon, it's a symbol. The problem wasn't in the combat situations, but rather in the non-combat ones. You argue that a Jedi needs a lightsaber for the same reasons as a blaster, but a Jedi wouldn't treat a lightsaber like a blaster. After all, if a smuggler's blaster is stolen, would he get totally upset? Not that much, because, unless he built or modified the blaster himself, he could just buy another one pretty easily.

and I don't still don't see the issue, if he's waving it around as weapon, which is its intended uses, than what's the issue?

Is he using his weapon when he shouldn't be? Like when he's suppose to being doing the diplomatic thing?

The way it’s suggest it seems like he's using his lightsaber in an improper way in combat... I would ask if he's trying to do subdual damage with it by hitting someone with the hilt but a) it doesn't exist in the VP/WP system. and b) that actually seems like a very noble, abit stupid, attempt to end combat without maiming/killing someone.

My point with the blaster is that a Jedi firing one in anger is just as accountable to a DSP as one wielding a lightsaber.

 

[DnDChick]

Yeah you guys are absolutely right ... I was completely ignoring the more symbolic and dare I say it *spiritual* aspects of what a lightsaber is.

As a Star Wars geek, I am almost ashamed at myself for even considering this at all. lol

He will get vibro-stars if he wants the martial arts geek cool factor of high tech shiruken.

But at least we have a great discussion going on here about the philosophy of the lightsaber.

Let's keep it going!

 

[humble minion]

If you're playing strictly by the lightsaber construction rules (in the 'The Force' chapter of the RCRB), then making even a single lightsaber blade function correctly is an arduous task requiring a good deal of time, meditation, and probable use of Force points. A 'saber-star' with (say) four blades would be an enormous undertaking. Should a Jedi devote that much time to creating a weapon, especially one that is relatively ineffective when used defensively, unlike a regular lightsaber? Your call...