Okay, so far I've gotten PMs from Sabe, Kyra, and Anakin. JonJon, I know you're still thinking it over, and if you can't really come up with much, that's okay, PM me and we can work together on it.
I'd like to hear from Ralk and Obi-Wan by Sunday. I'll PM them if I don't, no big deal, but I'd like to get working on this.
Just as a heads up, I know Ralk has been being hit harder than I was with the forum outages. I was texting him last night and while they were working fine for me, he still couldn't connect. He had some other stuff come up too, so I dunno when he even last checked the forums.
I'll shoot him a text for you, though.
know Ralk has been being hit harder than I was with the forum outages. I was texting him last night and while they were working fine for me, he still couldn't connect. He had some other stuff come up too, so I dunno when he even last checked the forums.
It does appear as though the outages are inconsistent. This is the second or third time I've been able to get on at all in about 5 days. :(
From what I read on some threads where people were communicating with the IT people, it's a problem with ISPs or something like that? For a while we both couldn't get on at the same time ever, last night was the first time that changed. However, I also had a few days without any problems. Thankfully, their Director of Technology said they found the issue and have everyone working on it. So, seems like we'll be back to normal soon.
Oh, excellent, thanks for sharing that information! Fingers crossed that it'll all be resolved before long.
Yep. They said they couldn't give a time frame (probably because coding is basically magic) but that it would be fixed soon.
I was basically unable the access the site all weekend and yesterday through today. I'll get to work on some thoughts on character direction and stuff. :)
Yeah, I've been busy and unable to access the boards even during my free time for the past few days. That said, I should have some more reliable access and time for the next day or two, so I'll try and get caught up on everything soon--including PMing you!
Update for everyone, I'm working on figuring out the arc for the rest of The Phantom Menace. I've got a decent framework for the next part, but I still need some time to get things together. So, Monday, June 26, I'll start seeing about getting things moving with the story again.
Hopefully the story moves in a good direction.
Okay, so, I said I'd get things moving with the story today, and I have done so. Our retelling of the Phantom Menace shall continue today!
Hey all, posting this in all my games to let people know I'll be away for a few days. My family is headed to camp later today, and I won't have Internet or my computer while I'm there. I should be back and posting Friday afternoon/evening (Eastern Time), but please push the game as needed, botting my character if you need to do so. Thanks!
Which skills are still available for this round of checks?
All of the skills I previously listed minus Stealth. You may also be able to make a check counting towards a success using another skill. Get creative :).
I'll be out of town this weekend for a wedding, please bot me as necessary.
I think Obi-wan is good to go unless there's something I can rig to obstruct the swoop bikes movement via UTF in 2 rounds.
You *could* move object a big pile of sand up and avalanche them, or grab the lead swoop and smash it into other ones.
Are they within range of my weapon at all yet? I'll start shooting at them before they're on us if I have the range to do so.
Right, outdoor combat plus heavy weapons means longer ranges. Based on the speed of the speeder bikes, I'll put them 110 squares out, moving at maximum velocity. That's medium range (-5 attack) for heavy weapons and rifles, out of range for all other weapons. I'll go roll Initiatives in the thread.
I'll see what I can work up for a map. I'm not too good at drawing my own.
I'm not sure where it came from, but there was an error with my Initiative modifier in my header, it should be +12. It doesn't alter the order, it just puts Anakin ahead of me (not that it really matters, since we both move after the first person and before the speeders). Just wanted to let you know.
Okay. That means a lot of the party has Initiative +12 - I shouldn't be surprised by that, because that's how the system is designed, but it's interesting.
Hey guys, my father-in-law is in the hospital, and my wife and I have our second wedding anniversary next week. Posting might be short and scarce until Thursday.
Hope the father-in-law is okay. No worries on delays, we'll be here!
Have the speeders moved close enough that they're within a closer range bracket?
Speeders, no, speeder bikes, yes. Bikes are now at extreme range for pistols.
Hey GM, Ralk shot me a text and told me his computer is busted. He's looking for an alternate means of posting, but fixing the laptop is currently not really an option for him. If his other methods of posting don't pan out, he's probably going to be out for a bit.
Okay, got it. Let me get things figured out for moving us forward.
And I'm back! It was probably a false flag--my laptop crashed, and I was concerned due to the nature of it that the screen had broken. I've had bad luck with computers in the past, so I wanted people to be aware if it was a worst case scenario. For right now, I'm okay, but if I go dark you know why.
So I'd just need to run up to hit the guy on the speeder bike this turn (assuming that is what I wished to do)?
Yes, if you wished to do that, you would be able to.
Hey guys, this is a blanket notice going out to all of my games here on the boards. While I am thankfully outside the path of Hurricane Harvey, current projections for Hurricane Irma are sending it barreling up the coast of Florida to sweep much of the eastern coast of the United States. As I live directly on the ocean, I'm already gearing up for a potential evacuation at the moment. While hopefully all I get is a lot of rainfall, it's likely that by the time Irma hits Maryland it will still be at least a Category 3 storm, if not worse. I will have my laptop and such in the case of an evacuation, but I likely won't be able to post with any real schedule or frequency. Moreover, given that I live more or less directly on the ocean, it's more likely than not that if I'm forced to evacuate there will not be a home for me to come back to after the storm passes. The island is not built to withstand that kind of storm, and the last time something anywhere near that deadly swept through, it made an inlet where there used to be a road. My point being, if I'm hit by the hurricane it's very likely I will be off the boards for a long while, or at least my posting will be sparse and intermittent.
I'm sure I'm not the only one following the storm on the news, but I'll do my best to keep everyone updated on my status. It's likely the storm, if it hits me at all, will make landfall here early next week. If you see on the news that the storm has hit Maryland and you don't hear from me, that's probably why. I just wanted to put this message up now as I'm prone to losing power during storms and I didn't want to leave anyone hanging.
Thanks for understanding,
Jon
Yikes, wishing the best for you and yours. Definitely stay safe and we'll be waiting to welcome you back. :)
Agreed. Stay safe, and no worries about delays in posting.
Okay, so, JonJon and Obi-Wan's actions have brought me to a point where I realize I need to cover a couple of things.
First is that I actually have a house rule on Force Thrust. The check to resist it is Strength +1/2 level, and the damage done if they collide with a bigger object is 1d6 per 2 squares the target is pushed (minimum 1d6). Doesn't make much of a difference for faceless mooks like the Mandalorian, but it makes a big difference for the bigger, named bad guys like the red-skinned figure. So, keep that in mind for future use.
The second is the assignment of Dark Side Points, especially as they pertain to Force Powers, and how big a deal you want the Dark Side to be.
For non-Force Powers, the default is that I'll base your action on the amount of harm done to others by the action, the target of said action, and potential other options. Combat obviously doesn't result in DSPs, but noncombatant casualties will, and excessive execution of enemies post-combat will also result in gaining DSPs. Leaving unconscious enemies lying on the floor behind you is okay, but going around performing a coup de grace on each of them is going to get looked at askance.
Force Powers will be a little different. First of all, if a Force Power has the Dark Side descriptor, using it gives you a DSP. Full stop, do not pass Go, do not collect $200. The only way to mitigate that is if you have the Jedi Sentinel talent that lets you avoid gaining one for a specific power, chosen when you take the talent. On the reverse side, powers with the Light Side descriptor will never give you a DSP.
Second, I will consider the intent behind your use of the Force Power. If the intent is to cause harm, I am more likely to give you a DSP. However, this ties in with considerations three and four. Lightsaber Form Powers will never be considered in this light, since that's rather the point of most of them.
Third is the Force Power in question. Using Move Object to lift a person will not inherently give you a DSP. However, using Move Object to lift the person then repeatedly beating them into the wall or ground with it will give you a DSP each time you slam them into the wall or ground. Similarly, using Move Object to hurl an item at an enemy isn't likely to give you a DSP, but the damage will be done to both the target and the item.
Fourth is the target of the Force Power. Using the Force Power on a droid or inanimate object is less likely to give you a DSP than using it on a living being. I might note that you tend to use the Force rather aggressively, but you won't get a DSP for it.
The current, specific instance of using Force Grip on the Mandalorian like JonJon is doing will result in a Dark Side Point. The intent of the Force Power is to cause harm, the target is a living being, and the description of Force Grip is that "You can use the Force Power in question to choke or crush your enemy."
If there are any questions or other specific scenarios you want to ask about, please do. I don't want different opinions on this to end up resulting in a bad game.
So, JonJon, in light of that information, are you sure you want to use Force Grip on the Mandalorian?
Yes I'll stick to my decision. Thank you for asking :) Jonjon, as we discussed, is from a rather different force tradition than the Jedi, and doesn't have as clearly defined concepts of light and dark side use of the force, since it's more of a 'mystic power' to him than a discipline.
I would however, point out that Force Grip no longer has the [dark side] tag on it anymore; at least not in saga edition. I would also wonder what application of force grip wouldn't incur a dark side point in your interpretation of the power. Especially since I'm using it *in* combat to incapacitate an enemy.
I mean sure, I totally get earning a dark side point to choke a guy to death in our next mission briefing, but they're trying to kill me just as much as I am them.
If you can allow me to drop the guy as he falls unconscious but not *dead*, I can also do that too. The point was to get the guy to stop shooting at me while I watch the two jedi fight.
I will accept any dark side points you decide on, though. :) It's just one for now and that opens up roleplay opportunities with the other characters.
[edit] I totally get your house rule for *key* enemy defenses vs. force powers. Characters who focus in use the force can just ruin a boss encounter because they can hit that high defense number extremely easily.
Well, to be fair, the book states outright that using Force Powers to damage living enemies results in a Dark Side Point. The idea is that the Force is meant to be an energy of life and healing, not destruction, and using it to directly harm a living creature is a corruption of its intended purpose. That said, I've always felt that interpretation to be a little black and white... and as we know, only a Sith deals in absolutes.
I can't accept that, cause there are tons of non-dark side powers whose result it 'damaging' living entities. In fact, in such a combat-focused system, MOST of them do, with very few powers that are strictly for utility. -_-
Yeah, the book's interpretation of what causes Dark Side Points would make it very easy for a lot of characters from the movies have a pretty high Dark Side score. Luke should have somewhere around double the amount, or more, that his listed stat block has him at. I understand the idea behind it, but the Jedi very clearly use the Force in an offensive capacity more than it seems to think.
The house rule for Force Thrust applies to all characters, PCs and all enemies. It's just that most faceless mooks aren't high enough level for it to make a difference. This guy Obi-Wan used it on is only going to succeed on the check if he gets a nat 20, cause he doesn't have those kind of modifiers.
As to how you could use Force Grip to not get a Dark Side Point, using it on a droid or the speeder bike itself would not incur a DSP. Points 2, 3 and 4 have to all have "Yes" answers in order to provide a DSP. If it's not a living target, it's less likely to give a Dark Side Point.
I also don't take as black and white a view as the book does. For instance, by the books rule Force Slam should cause a DSP when used against a living creature, but I don't see it as an issue, so I don't give a DSP for that.
How about this for a compromise on Force Grip: When you use it in combat, you don't gain a DSP unless you choose to sustain it. JonJon doesn't get a DSP this round, but will next round if he sustains it. And if it's used outside of combat, it counts as a DSP regardless. As other Force Powers come up, we'll consider them on a case-by-case basis. Will that work for everyone?
Re: Named Characters having less DSP than they should - I view that as them having used the option to spend a Force Point and meditate to negate a Dark Side Point. That's always an option in the rules.
This guy Obi-Wan used it on is only going to succeed on the check if he gets a nat 20, cause he doesn't have those kind of modifiers.
Misread that at first as saying I'd only succeed on knocking the guy off the bike on a nat 20 and was starting to worry about the super-trooper more then the 'mysterious red-skinned figure'.
As far as the DSP stuff goes, it seems fine to me. The core of it seems to come down to: respect life and don't abuse the Force aggressively. To clarify though, I'm being somewhat aggressive here as Obi-Wan. I'm trying to knock the guy out of the fight (preferably not kill him unless that's the only way out). At what point would using Force Thrust on a sentient creature earn my a DSP? Off the top of my head, I would imagine shoving someone off a cliff or into a smelting foundry (or similarly dangerous environmental) that is basically guaranteed death would count. To extend the question, what if that's the only way to save my or anothers life?
Since Force Thrust only does damage if the target impacts, say, a wall or another creature, in most cases it will be okay. Pushing someone back a few squares isn't harmful, more inconvenient. If it weren't for JonJon's Force Grip, the Mandalorian would have landed on his butt, then stood up and started shooting. The scenarios you mention would be the sort of situations that require a more careful examination, and if you had other options available, would be more likely to result in a DSP.
To answer your extended question, I'll say depends on the situation. That is essentially the Paladin question: If the only way to save my or another's life is to fall, is it worth it?
Given that I don't think we want to be debating the morality of Paladins, let's agree to table that bit, shall we?
I think that's a fair arrangement for the DSP for using grip. I didn't intend on using it more than that round.
Shouldn't he still take half damage from me on a miss? Using Burst Fire still seems to be automatic fire and thus would deal half damage on a missed attack, right? I don't believe that's exclusive to it being an area attack, since Burst Fire is described as still being automatic fire but only against a single target. If there's something I'm missing (or perhaps it was hit in an errata or something), just let me know. I'm just confused on that at the moment.
The Deflect talent calls out that if you use it on a miss from an autofire attack, you take no damage. There's a successful Deflect roll in the spoiler, which is how he avoided damage.
This guy is a bit higher level than you guys are.
Is anyone annoyed by Sabe's contributions? I feel like at this point in the story, Sabe and Padme shouln't be too much "action girls." While most of you are trained and experienced warriors, Sabe is not. I want to balance that with the needs of a role-playing party. I think at this point Sabe and Padme would not jump into the firefight, but if anyone feels like Sabe isn't carrying her weight, I'm happy to discuss that.
I think that, though I think Sabe would be a trained warrior, while playing the role of Queen she most certainly should not be jumping into firefights. In fact, that would probably give Panaka more premature grey hairs than he's probably already going to get.
That's my view on it.
It's fine by me! OOC it makes sense to look at it from that viewpoint, and it potentially provides growth for Sabe becoming more action-oriented later on. IC, Ralk had never figured the Nabooans (Nabooites?) would do too much since he's more independent-minded and doesn't have great love for authority figures anyway.
As a note, Kyra doesn't actually have to reload her weapon. It's hooked up to the internal generator in her armor so that she can fire continuously. I'm fine with having her weapon 'malfunction' instead and require the same kind of action that reloading would to let her fire again, or something else can happen if you'd prefer.
Okay, I wasn't sure if it was hooked up to the internal generator or not. In that case, the cable came loose and she had to reseat it. Same kind of action.
As a heads up for you, Ralk is out of commission for a bit as his life is super crazy. I don't know exactly when he'll be back but I know him outside of Paizo and he does plan to be back ASAP.
Thanks, Kyra. I’ll bot him until he gets back.