Star Wars: Chronicles (Inactive)

Game Master DM Xyro

OK, I'm revising the background substantially and starting to look at the crunch side of things. I have a couple of questions for the GM:

1) Roughly how long ago was the destruction of Alderaan and the Battle of Yavin?

2) Is there any limit (apart from XP) on the number of Force powers we can start with, or on the degree to which they can be advanced (extra Strength/Range/Control, that sort of thing)?

Thanks

The limiting factor is traditionally your Force Rating. Some of the powers require you to commit your die to use, meaning you can't roll it for other Force checks.

Otherwise, if you're going for the "started basic training but never progressed much" theme, I think it's very appropriate to know a lot of the basics but aren't able to use them often/well.

The only book I've read though is Force and Destiny; can you (if possible) summarise the Obligation/Duty mechanics?

1) Roughly how long ago was the destruction of Alderaan and the Battle of Yavin?

The GM has not said specifically and he does have finally say on it, but if I were to ballpark it so to speak, I would say a few months at the most, maybe a year?

2) Is there any limit (apart from XP) on the number of Force powers we can start with, or on the degree to which they can be advanced (extra Strength/Range/Control, that sort of thing)?

Again, it is my opinion only, but I assume the limit, other than the XP (and Force Rating as Jaarka pointed out), is common sense, concept and background, as well as timeline and circumstances. Novice Force-users like, well, our characters, who are not in the service of the Empire and thus the Dark Side, would have very little (in the case of Arannis) to no (in the case of Djebelle) actual formal training in the ways of the Force, as the Jedi fell about twenty years ago give or take. Other than that, as Old Guy GM has pointed out in of his posts, it is a very dangerous time for Force-users, so I am guessing whatever skill in the Force they have is going to be self-taught and somewhat basic at the beginning. And I am not sure if the size of the "footprint" one leaves is connected to one's power and skill with the Force, making a powerful Force-user easier to find by forces such as the Empire and the Inquisitors than, say, one who is just starting out to develop his or her powers (if that is the case, Yoda and Obi-Wan would be exceptions, but they did take great pains to remove themselves from current events and hide as best they could).

On another note, Arannis is -finally- finished crunch-wise. I did some moving around, but I am finally done.

Arannis Crane, or Rann to his friends

Thanks for your input, I have tweaked background and personality some more and added information on the notable NPCs from her past.

Link to character sheet

I'm going to have a first stab at crunch here - if anyone has suggestions or comments, please have at it!

STARTING XP

110 - human
10 - Morality
20 - GM benevolence
80 - GM benevolence, greater

CHARACTER DECISIONS

Race - Human (2 free skill points: Discipline, Underworld)
Career - Mystic (3 free career skill points: Charm, Lore, Vigilance)
Specialist - Advisor (2 free skill points: Deception, Streetwise)
Morality: Pride/Arrogance - 50
Obligation: Bounty - 10
Motivation: Faith (Force, her own abilities)

Force rating 1

GEAR

I need some help spending the money - any suggestions for what I should buy?

SPENDING XP

Attributes

Brawn 2 (no cost)
Agility 2 (no cost)
Intellect 2 (no cost)
Cunning 3 (30 XP cost)
Willpower 3 (30 XP cost)
Presence 4 (70 XP cost)

Talents

Kill with Kindness (5 XP cost)
Nobody's Fool (10 XP cost)
Plausible Deniability (5 XP cost)
Grit (5 XP cost)
Knowledge is Power (10 XP cost)

Force Powers

Influence - basic (10 XP cost)
Control (10 XP cost)

Misdirect - basic (15 XP cost)

Skills

1st point in Coercion (5 XP)
1st point in Negotiation (5 XP)
2nd point in Lore [1st is from Career] (10 XP)

I think that adds up to the correct XP total, but if I've miscalculated give me a shout.

I would be grateful for comments, this is a preliminary draft but something I hope will be workable. I hope she fills in some gaps in the group, but if there's anything to add/change/improve, let me know!

Thanks again.

All, I have to say I like everything I see. :)

I appreciate the help you're giving each other, and I love the interactions over on the gameplay thread while we get things rolling. ;)

As a plus (and you can modify your stuff with these as well) here's a couple of additional attachments/mods for your items. Most are lightsaber based, but the Modular can apply to any ENC 1 weapon.

I welcome input and comments on these. :)

Modular

While the majority of weapons are constructed to be a single piece, some wielders find that being able to break the weapon down into two or more components is conducive to keeping their presence a secret until such time as necessary.

This attachment can only be applied to weapons with a base Encumbrance of 1 or less.
Base Modifiers: A weapon with this attachment requires an incidental to assemble, and a maneuver to be split into its separate components. Increase the difficulty of Perception checks by one to detect this weapon when concealed and split into its separate components. Drawing the weapon while separated requires a single maneuver.
Modifications: None
Hard Points Required: 1
Cost: 250 credits; Rarity: 5

Connected Hilt
While the double-bladed lightsaber is a potent weapon, there have been times where it would have been more advantageous to wield two separate lightsabers instead. To that end, this attachment enables the wielder to disconnect the two halves of a double-bladed lightsaber into a pair of functional lightsabers for when the situation warrants.

This attachment can only be applied to a double-bladed lightsaber.

Base Modifiers: The wielder can spend a Maneuver to separate the two halves of a double-bladed lightsaber into a pair of basic lightsabers, or a Maneuver to re-connect the two basic lightsabers back into a double-bladed lightsaber. If the weapon would be destroyed as the result of an opponent spending AA on their attack roll, the wielder of this weapon can flip a Destiny Point to only have one end of the weapon destroyed and allowing the weapon to otherwise function as basic lightsaber.
Modifications: 1 reduce the type of action from a Maneuver to an Incidental.
Hard Points Required: 1
Cost: 800 credits; Rarity: 7

Electrum Detailing
Once used by the Jedi Order as a sign of the owner’s mastery of the Force, electrum detailing was a purely cosmetic feature and as such was generally restricted to high-ranking Jedi, though that did not stop several Sith Lords from using the same process to make their lightsabers all the more distinctive.
Base Modifiers: When making a Charm or Coercion skill check while the lightsaber is clearly visible, add Advantage to the user’s result.
Modifications: None
Hard Points Required: 0
Cost: 2,500 credits; [b]Rarity: 8

Guard Shoto Hilt
A variation on the typical shoto, the guard shoto extends the hilt while adding a secondary handle at a 90-degree angle, which in turn allows the wielder to better intercept an opponent’s attack. To counteract the exposed portion of the hilt, the guard shoto is often constructed using phrik alloy or a similarly light-saber resistant material. This attachment can only be applied to a shoto lightsaber.
Base Modifiers: The weapon gains the Item Quality (Defensive +1).
Modifications: 1 Item Quality (Deflection +1) mod.
Hard Points Required: 1
Cost: 1500 credits; Rarity: 7

Synthetic Kyber Crystal
During the time of the Emperor’s rule, most of the known sources for Kyber crystals were either destroyed or kept under strict Imperial surveillance. In response to these draconian measures, those students of the Jedi looking to construct their own lightsaber often fell back upon the practice of growing synthetic crystals. And while they are easier to procure, the difficulties that come in properly forming a synthetic crystal often lead them to being of an inferior quality to most naturally occurring Kyber crystals.
Base Modifiers: Installing this crystal changes a lightsaber’s base damage to 5 and critical rating to 4, and the lightsaber gains the Breach 1 and Sunder weapon qualities. If the crystal is ever removed, the lightsaber loses these qualities and reverts to its previous base damage and critical rating.
Modifications: 2 Damage +1 Mods, 2 Decrease the weapon’s critical rating by 1 to a minimum of 1 Mod, 1 Item Quality (Vicious +1) Mod.
Hard Points Required: 2
Cost: 3000 credits; Rarity: 8

Synthetic Kyber Crystal
During the time of the Emperor’s rule, most of the known sources for Kyber crystals were either destroyed or kept under strict Imperial surveillance. In response to these draconian measures, those students of the Jedi looking to construct their own lightsaber often fell back upon the practice of growing synthetic crystals. And while they are easier to procure, the difficulties that come in properly forming a synthetic crystal often lead them to being of an inferior quality to most naturally occurring Kyber crystals.
Base Modifiers: Installing this crystal changes a lightsaber’s base damage to 5 and critical rating to 4, and the lightsaber gains the Breach 1 and Sunder weapon qualities. If the crystal is ever removed, the lightsaber loses these qualities and reverts to its previous base damage and critical rating.
Modifications: 2 Damage +1 Mods, 2 Decrease the weapon’s critical rating by 1 to a minimum of 1 Mod, 1 Item Quality (Vicious +1) Mod.
Hard Points Required: 2
Cost: 3000 credits; Rarity: 8

Oooh, shiny!

Ancient weapons and hokey religions are no substitute for a good blaster rifle at your side, kid.

Kara-fied and paraphrased, I had to do it. ;)

I'd be disappointed if someone hadn't! :)

A thought occurred to me. Since our characters are supposed to be a band of ne'er-do-wells with hearts of gold akin to the crew of the Serenity in Firefly or the guys and gals of Star Wars Rebels, perhaps we should decide on a basic history of sorts? Who knows who and that sort of stuff?

Going by the Gameplay thread and the IC posts in it by Kara, Kellen and Arannis so far and also taking into account that at least some of us should probably know each other before being tasked to go to the Roche system and pick up some Rebel sc... err, freedom-fighters (:-P), how about something along the lines of what follows?

Jan'Tar Shen and Kellen Tantar, the pilot and the smuggler-slash-scoundrel respectively, could already know each other and could have already been in business together for quite some time, since a pilot-smuggler combination along with a ship sound like a good fit.

Lt. Kara Savyn could be newly hired by them, their partnership having formed before this trip (as evidenced by how she and Kellen just introduced themselves to each other) as the duo needed some muscle and firepower to add to their merry band, the previous associate who had filled that role having retired (either literally, i.e. quit, or figuratively, i.e. deader than a doorknob).

As for Arannis Crane, he could have gotten on the ship as part of his almost continuous planet-hopping either by buying his way on it looking for a way to get to another planet or gambling his way on it (never gamble with a Jedi, they say, or in this case a Force-sensitive dude who can sense your feelings...) or just as a stowaway whom they discovered half-way on their way to the Roche system, but decided to keep instead of jettisoning into space because, well, what band of ne'er-do-wells with hearts of gold does not need a sneaky type?

If other players join before we start the game proper, it should not be too difficult to add them as members of our merry crew, either old ones or new.

Anyway, the above are a few thoughts and suggestions. I am hoping I am not stepping on any toes, especially ones belonging to our GM. :-)

Hey, Darkness Rising.

A few posts up I proposed a couple of things concerning the crew's history. Jaarka and xyrophobic seem to find them to their liking. Since you were not around at the time, what do you think?

Going by it, Jan'Tar and Kellen are old friends/associates with a shop, while Arannis and Kara are supposed to have gotten on the ship at its previous stop probably, each under different circumstances. What about Djebellle?

Also Darkness, you'll need to set up your profile to show base stats like ours. Check the gameplay thread see what I mean.

OGGM: working on it - I need to finalise the rest of my crunch first!

F.Castor, good question. It seems that Djebelle is new to that particular ship, but if the ship is a relatively recent acquisition that doesn't preclude her from knowing some of the others.

It's possible that Djebelle knew either/both of Jan'Tar or Kellen from her previous life, when she was flitting around the underworld in the Outer Rim. Like Kellen, she was primarily only interested in cash - that has of course now changed. From their point of view, she basically dropped off the radar for three years and reappeared with new motivations - but she can still sweet-talk and lie with the best of them, so remains a useful person for them to know.

Alternatively, with her old motivation of money now gone, it's possible that Djebelle helped Kara evade the imperials: with both her persuasion ("this is not the Chiss you're looking for") and her misdirection ("trust me girl, the sentry won't see you - now run!") she could have been very helpful. Djebelle likely claims the Force led them together, which would probably annoy Kara a lot. Plus there's the whole opposites thing - with Presence 1, Kara is pretty spiky but is very good at stuff Djebelle isn't.

In which case, if Djebelle knows both Kara and one/both of Jan'Tar and Kellen, maybe she was able to introduce Kara - after all, a bunch of rebels is unlikely to take on a Chiss commando just because she says she's no longer serving the Empire, without some pretty serious proof - or the word of someone they trust.

The only person she probably doesn't have a prior with is Arannis.

Thoughts?

Sounds good to me and it does make having a Chiss soldier -sorry, ex-soldier- on board more easily justified, but I will leave it up to the other three since it is you four guys' stories that intersect.

As for Rann, he has just come to the ship, having won passage after gambling with Kellen and Jan'Tar (they do seem the gambling type). His goal was simply to hitch a ride to another planet, but there seems to be a detour. He hardly minds however, as he considers that perhaps staying aboard a moving ship instead of a stationary planet may actually be a better way to evade certain people and keep himself hidden. And having noticed that the group is recruiting, Kara being proof of that, he is pretty sure they will not mind adding another member to their band of miscreants.

Crunch is now basically finished, apart from gear: I have a LOT of credits left to spend and I see that we get another d100 in starting cash.

Any thoughts on what I should buy?

pocket money: 1d100 ⇒ 97 Yay Force powers!

Not much I can suggest really. You have both a melee and a ranged weapon, as well as armor and various useful items. Maybe a glow rod or a fusion lantern and a breath mask? Not sure. Quite frankly, the main reason Rann has spent more than Djebelle is because he is carrying a modded lightsaber hilt around (no crystal, of course).

Also, your Strain Threshold should be 14, I believe, since you have Willpower 3 and Grit 1.

Fixed, thanks - and I know this has taken time away from our WotW campaign, but I'm putting the next post on that together right now!

Ok guys, I have the word: we can get set up to use our custom pictures for this game.

You want to send a pm to yoricksrequiem here, with your alias name and a link to your picture. You'll have to add a Google Chrome extension he wrote, called SWRPG Avatar Replacement. Get it from him. This will take all of our Paizo avatars and replace them with the pictures of our choice. Great for immersion purposes!

After much searching, I have finally found a hooded picture to my liking. Going to send the PM now.

Here is it by the way: Click me.

While we wait for the campaign proper to start, does anyone have any thoughts about the direction they want their characters to take?

Djebelle is slowly transitioning from street-smart savant who uses her powers to manipulate people for her own benefit, to a greater awareness: both better awareness of the Force at work within her, and an awareness that she probably has a role to play in the current struggle. She's made some of that journey already, but she's still not clear where the Force is ultimately taking her. Probably into some sort of life/death struggle with the Empire, though - assuming you guys are up for that sort of a story?

The "fluff" on the Mystic career path in the F&D rulebook states that they regard the Force as a friend and mentor, and that's definitely the way I'm going - she's going to be self-taught rather than educated (no isolation in a mucky swamp on Dagobah for her, thank you very much! They don't even have one fashion boutique!) but could be powerful. If any lightsaber turns up, I will probably specialise in Makashi Duellist for a time, but that's probably a way off.

I'm interested to know what you see your characters doing in terms of development.

Kara starts the game angry. She probably stays that way until she can slowly work her way out of it. Having been raised in Imperial service, she doesn't know any other way as yet. She's an efficient killing machine, and her only outlet of emotion betrayed her.

Well, Arannis knows enough about the Jedi and the Force from his surrogate father's stories, even if he has refrained from actually training him and his "brother". Now on his own, he feels he has a responsibility towards his mentor to seek out more information about the Jedi Order of old and hone his own skills in the Force and putting both to good use if he can help it, perhaps even going so far as to seek out other Force-users.

I picture him as a more physically-oriented Force-sensitive, witty and relying more on agility and cunning than brute force. Battle-wise, if Kara is to be the blunt instrument, I am thinking Rann could be the scalpel, or something to that effect. Force-wise, I will be going for the more traditional powers, such as Sense, Move and Enhance, maybe Influence; the others I will give some thought, as some like Battle Meditation certainly have mechanical benefits. Still, quite a way off for now.

Also a bit down the road is the lightsaber thing, although at least Arannis has a hilt in his possession, so there is that. Going for Shien Expert myself.

For now however, the Shadow and Force Sensitive Exile are going to be what I will be getting talents from, which are a nice continuation of his whole moving around and keeping himself hidden theme. And as for skills, Athletics, Coordination, Discipline, Perception, Resilience, Stealth and Vigilance are what I am most interested in. Other career skills like Computers, Deception, Skulduggery and Streetwise I will keep in mind, but are probably not priorities, at least not as much as the others. But even that remains to be seen, depending on how the game goes and what is needed.

On another note, have you picked a picture for Djebelle? Old Guy GM's proposal to have the Paizo ones sorta kinda replaced via a Google Chrome extension sounds pretty interesting. You can see mine in a link in my previous post.

Soooo...Kara's a little rough...and a touch grumpy...

But I am going with several layers here: ex-elite Imperial military, non-human in the Empire, jilted by the man she trusted, wanted by the Empire for striking an officer and now (or soon to be)for working with the Rebellion.

I hope this game gets going, looks like fun already!

I want to let everyone know that things are rolling on as expected and I love the direction everyone is going. :)

I'm tempted to set up a campaign at Obsidian Portal in addition to a Word doc I'm putting together. What's your thoughts on that? The word doc will be on my Dropbox share so anyone can check it out, but I want to get it to a certain point before I share it... :)

I'm looking through the thread today to be sure I haven't missed any questions or concerns, and may get something rolling more in the gameplay later today or tomorrow. (Maybe get things going to start with the start of springtime. :) )

@Kara: It's OK, Djebelle gets it and likes Kara anyway (come to think of it, that might annoy her more!).

I look forward to seeing which direction you take her...

@GM: great! Also, please can you let the weather outside know that it's frickin' springtime? Thanks

Really looking forward to this!

I've been meaning to get your ride posted....

Kessel’s Folly
(YT-1930 Class Freighter)
Hull Type/Class: Transport/YT-1930
Manufacturer: Corellian Engineering Corporation
Hyperdrive: Primary: Class 2, Backup: Class 12
Navicomputer: Yes.
Sensor Range: Short
Ship’s Complement: 1 Pilot, 1 Co-pilot/engineer
Encumberance Capacity: 300
Passenger Capacity: 6
Consumables: 4 months
Cost/Rarity: 135,000 credits / 4
Customization Hard Points: 4
Silhouette: 4
Speed: 3 Handling: -1
Defense: 2/1 Armor: 6
Hull Integrity: 25 Strain Threshold: 18
Weapons:
Medium Laser Cannon (Fire Arc Dorsal Turret; Range Close, Damage 6, Critical Hit 3)
Medium Laser Cannon (Fire Arc Ventral Turret; Range Close, Damage 6, Critical Hit 3)

While generally marketed as a new design, the YT-1930 is actually a commercial variant of the venerable YT-1300. Like many later entries in the YT-series, the YT-1930 has the cockpit placed in the ship’s center, nestled in between the twin forward prongs, with the other major design change being the inclusion of two aft cargo pods, resulting in a drastic increase in how much cargo the ship could carry. Other significant changes included upgraded shields and hull plating, as well as an engine design that proved to be even more resilient than the YT-1300’s even if the sublight drives were only marginally faster. While it was never produced in large numbers, the YT-1930 did prove to be a resilient design, and many of its innovations were incorporated into the YT-2000 transport. In spite of its low production volume, many starship enthusiasts considered the YT-1930 to be the pinnacle of the YT-series.

@GM: great! Also, please can you let the weather outside know that it's frickin' springtime?

LOL I wish it would listen! It was mid seventies and sunny on Monday, and now it's low fifties and rainy.... I prefer this over snow though... LoL

Djebelle Torr wrote:

@GM: great! Also, please can you let the weather outside know that it's frickin' springtime?

LOL I wish it would listen! It was mid seventies and sunny on Monday, and now it's low fifties and rainy.... I prefer this over snow though... LoL

Midwest? I'm in St. Louis and you just described our weather perfectly.

DM Arknight wrote:

Midwest? I'm in St. Louis and you just described our weather perfectly.

Specifically, about 5 hours southwest of you in the northwest corner of Arkansas. Rogers, Arkansas, next to Bentonville and just north of Fayetteville, home of the Razorbacks! :)

Detroit here

A wee bit farther away here. Athens, Greece.

Greece! That's why I love my hobby and the internet, bringing together gamers world-wide!

Has everyone gotten their picture and alias to yoricksrequiem?

Yup!

I have.

I have not but I am okay with the pic I have.

I haven't. I'll set myself a reminder for this evening. Apologies.

Alright, I sent off the PM this morning for the custom icon. Should be good-to-go as soon as he sends out the extension link!

extension link here

From yoricks: For anyone in this game, You can update by going to chrome://extensions/ and clicking on the "Update extensions now" button at the top of the page.

FYI, its already working for me, so yoricks already has the pics up and set

Squeeeeee! We. Look. Faaabulous.

Just a quick note: I'll be offline until Sunday. Have a couple nights away with wofe for our anniversary. :)

Love the way things are going and hope I can keep it interesting :)

Squeeeeee! We. Look. Faaabulous.

We DO look amazing!

Happy anniversary!

We still live?

Look for something later today... :)

Hello...?

*Taps microphone*

This still on?

<static buzz>

Should we try PMing Arknight? He does seem to have posted elsewhere within the last five days or so.

I was very interested in playing a SW game and I very much still am and would like to think this could still go on instead of going the pessimistic route and think it could be dead. Besides, I rather like the players and characters involved already (provided they are all still around and interested, that is...).

Give the PM a try. At the very least, he can tell us if he can't do this one. I did want to play in one as well.

Alright, PM sent. Now to keep my fingers crossed for preferably the good kind of answer or at the very least a prompt one... :-)

Sorry guys!

This has been a bad week. Every time I went to advance things, something came up. :(

I'm reading through the latest posts right now. Give me a few minutes...