house rules for Saga Edition

[Inquisitor Tremayne]

because it is inevitable for almost any rpg, here are my house rules for the new Saga Edition of the Star Wars game.


House Rules

Classes
Multi-classing: When a character chooses to multi-class into another class they may choose to take the feat Skill Training instead of selecting one of the starting feats for the given class.


Combat
Knock down: when a character makes a successful unarmed melee attack against a target, the target is moved 1 square directly away from the attacker and knocked prone. The target may choose to make an opposed Acrobatics tumble check to remain standing and hold on to their weapon (see below). On a successful check the target may move to any adjacent square. The target suffers any damage they would receive from the attack.

A character with any martial arts feat that makes a successful unarmed attack against a target also causes the target to drop any object(s) they are holding in addition to being knocked prone. The target is also knocked 1d3 squares directly away from the attacker. Any dropped objects land 1d3 squares away from the target using the grenade deviation chart. A character with any martial arts feat that scores a critical hit with an unarmed attack against a target causes the target to instantly be knocked back (per the above rule), fall prone and drop whatever object(s) they are holding. The target cannot make an Acrobatics check to avoid being knocked prone by an unarmed critical hit.


Equipment
Medpac: functions as listed in the SECR.
Advanced Medpac: functions as a normal medpac but adds +5 to the Treat Injury check. 250 credits.
Antidote Kit: may be used in place of a medpac to treat poison and adds +5 to the Treat Injury check. 250 credits.
Life Support pack: functions as a medpac but adds +10 to the Threat Injury check. May also be used in place of a medpac to revive a character from death and adds +5 to the Treat Injury check. 500 credits.


The Force
Advancing levels: A character must have a mentor in order to take a level in or advance in the Jedi class. A character must also have a mentor in order to take their first level into the Jedi Knight or Sith Apprentice PrC. A mentor is defined as any character with levels in the appropriate class or PrC.

Vehicles
Hyperspace travel times: hyperspace travel time is determined by the following formula: 1d12+3 or 1d10 (when traveling within the same region) hours x hyperdrive modifier + n days. Where n equals +1 day per region crossed during the trip. Example: When traveling from the Core to the Outer Rim use the formula 1d12+3 hours x hyperdrive modifier + 5 days (for crossing through 5 regions of space). Or when traveling only in the Outer Rim use the formula 1d10 hours x hyperdrive modifier + 0 days.



Special:
During the Rise of the Empire and Rebellion eras (up until the death of the Sith Lords at Endor) Force-Sensitive characters suffer a –10 circumstance penalty on all Use the Force checks to determine the location and goings-on of any dark side character. If attempting to discern the location or activities of the Sith Lords the Use the Force check must succeed at an opposed roll vs. a Use the Force or Farseeing check from the reigning Dark Lord of the Sith, also at the same circumstance penalty.
The Sith Lords need not be aware of the Sense attempt. Even if the check succeeds, the information gained is vague (“…the dark side surrounds the chancellor…”) unless it is something the Sith want them to see.

[Inquisitor Tremayne]

Updated rules.

House rules

Disclaimer about the Force: I will not warn you if the action your character is about to take will give you a dark side point or not. I also will not define what the Force, the Light side and the Dark side are in an attempt to rationalize whether or not a dark side point is warranted for a character’s actions. We are all levelheaded people and have a somewhat firm grasp of good and evil, but know that this campaign is a heroic one. With that said I encourage players to flirt with the dark side if it befits you character concept, there really is no penalty to having dark side points, until you get enough to equal your Wisdom score that is! So have fun!

Abilities
When creating a character you may choose to roll your ability scores in front of the GM (me!) or if you are away from the gaming table you can use the point buy system using 30 points.

Species
Ithorians: Only Ithorian characters with the Force Sensitivity feat can utilize the Bellow special ability.

Classes
Multi-classing: When a character chooses to multi-class into another class they may choose to take the feat Skill Training instead of selecting one of the starting feats for the given class.

Combat
Knock down: when a character makes a successful unarmed melee attack against a target, the target is moved 1 square directly away from the attacker and knocked prone. The target may choose to make an opposed Acrobatics tumble check to remain standing and hold on to their weapon (see below). On a successful check the target may move to any adjacent square. The target suffers any damage they would receive from the attack.

A character with any martial arts feat that makes a successful unarmed attack against a target also causes the target to drop any object(s) they are holding in addition to being knocked prone. The target is also knocked 1d3 squares directly away from the attacker. Any dropped objects land 1d3 squares away from the target using the grenade deviation chart. A character with any martial arts feat that scores a critical hit with an unarmed attack against a target causes the target to instantly be knocked back (per the above rule), fall prone and drop whatever object(s) they are holding. The target cannot make an Acrobatics check to avoid being knocked prone by an unarmed critical hit.

Explosions: when a character takes damage from a frag grenade, thermal detonator, character scale missiles, or starship weapons that character is knocked 1d6 squares away using the grenade deviation chart and lands prone. The character also drops any object(s) they are holding.

Variant Rule: Free Actions Aren't Free: Each round, a character can perform a number of free actions equal to 1 plus his Charisma modifier or Intelligence modifier (whichever is more), with a minimum of one free action allowed each round. This encourages characters with a higher Charisma or Intelligence -- the leaders and planners -- to coordinate the group even when they don't have any talents that can come into play. Conversely, it encourages the heavy-hitters to "shut up and shoot" instead of trying to over-plan their actions, thereby keeping the tempo of the fight moving along.


Equipment

Medpac: functions as listed in the SECR.
Advanced Medpac: functions as a normal medpac but adds +5 to the Treat Injury check. 250 credits.
Antidote Kit: may be used in place of a medpac to treat poison and adds +5 to the Treat Injury check. 250 credits.
Life Support pack: functions as a medpac but adds +10 to the Threat Injury check. May also be used in place of a medpac to revive a character from death and adds +5 to the Treat Injury check. 500 credits.

The Force

Advancing levels: A character must have a mentor in order to take a level in or advance in the Jedi class. A character must also have a mentor in order to take their first level into the Jedi Knight or Sith Apprentice PrC. A mentor is defined as any character with levels in the appropriate class or PrC. Upon reaching their 7th heroic level a PC no longer needs a mentor in order to advance in the Jedi class.

Heroes and the Dark Side: When your character’s Dark Side Score equals his or hers’ Wisdom score you character has fallen to the Dark Side and thus becomes an NPC controlled by the GM. However, you may still play your character if you want to be brought back to the light and begin working toward that goal. This option should be discussed with the GM so that we can make it story appropriate.

Sensing the Dark Side: When you succeed on a Use the Force check to detect other Force-users you may also learn whether or not any Force-users within range are tainted by the Dark Side or have turned to the Dark Side. You know if the character is tainted (Dark Side Points equal to half their Wisdom score or less) or Dark (Dark Side Points equal to their Wisdom Score). The roll may still be opposed as normal and if the opposed roll is successful then you do not learn how much of a grasp the Dark Side holds over the character.

The seductive Dark Side: For Force Sensitive characters the temptation to call upon the Dark Side is always present. By calling on the power of the dark side a Force Sensitive character may gain a single use of any one of the following Force powers; battle strike, dark rage, force grip, force lightning, force slam, or force thrust, at the expense of gaining a dark side point per power used. The use doesn’t count against the characters total number of Force power in their suite nor does the character need to have already selected the Force power as one of their suite of powers.

Calling on the Dark Side of the Force: If your Dark Side Score is less than half your Wisdom, when you spend a Force Point to roll 1d6 and add the result to a skill check, attack roll, or ability check you may choose to call upon the dark side of the Force and gain an additional d6 to roll and then choose the higher result (as usual). In addition the character also receives 1 dark side point. This feature stacks with the Power of the Dark Side talent, so a character with this talent could potentially roll 3d6 and keep the better result and gain 2 Dark Side points.

Variant Rule: Calling on the Dark Side: If your Dark Side Score is less than your Wisdom, you can call on the dark side to gain a temporary Force Point. If the Force Point is not used before the end of the encounter, it is lost. Calling on the dark side is a major transgression (see page 94 of the Saga Edition Core Rulebook). Only heroic characters can call on the dark side.

Variant Rule: The Measure of Evil: When you commit a dark side transgression, your Dark Side Score increases by a random amount: 1d3 for major transgressions, 1d3-1 for moderate transgressions, and 1d2 for minor transgressions. (This never reduces your Dark Side Score, even if the result is less than zero.)

Atoning: Atoning to remove a dark side point from a character requires a period of self-reflection. To atone and remove a dark side point a character must spend 1d20 days in reflection, meditating upon their actions and atoning. The days need not be used all at once and can be spread out as far as needed. However no other dark side points can be removed before the initial atonement period is over. At the end of that time period the character spends their Force Point(s) as noted in the SECR and removes a single dark side point.
Atonement may also span the course of an adventure. In this case the character spends their Force Point(s), as noted in the SECR, before the atonement period (the adventure). At the end of the adventure the atonement is fulfilled and the character may then atone for other Dark Side points. The GM determines whether a character can spend time in reflection or if atonement takes place over the course of an adventure.

A character must spend an additional Force point for every additional dark side point they want to remove. Example: Jedi John has 5 DSPs. He spends his first Force point to remove one DSP. To remove the next DSP it will cost him 2 more Force points, to remove the 3rd DSP it will cost him 3 more Force points, etc... until he has removed all 5 DSPs. If he later gains another DSP and wishes to remove it, this one will cost him 6 Force points to do so. Atoning is required every time a character wishes to remove a DSP.

“Lost” Force powers: With the loss of so many Jedi and the loss of the Jedi archives several Force Powers and Force Talents are now considered “lost” to time. The following powers may not be selected for a characters suite of Force powers: Rebuke, and Sever Force. The following talents may not be selected: Force Haze, Battle Meditation, Dark Side Scourge, Dark Side Sense, and Resist the Dark Side. If a character is able to locate a Force Sensitive individual that knows one or more of these lost Force Powers or Talents, the character may then train with the “master” and from that point on is able to select a lost Force Power to add to their suite of Force Powers or Talent the next time the character is able to gain a Force Power or Talent.

Special:
During the Rise of the Empire and Rebellion eras (up until the death of the Sith Lords at Endor) Force-Sensitive characters suffer a –10 circumstance penalty on all Use the Force checks to determine the location and goings-on of any dark side character. If attempting to discern the location or activities of the Sith Lords the Use the Force check must succeed at an opposed roll vs. a Use the Force or Farseeing check from the reigning Dark Lord of the Sith, also at the same circumstance penalty.
The Sith Lords need not be aware of the Sense attempt. Even if the check succeeds, the information gained is vague (“…the dark side surrounds the chancellor…”) unless it is something the Sith want them to see.

Force Talents:
Battlestrike: When activating battlestrike the bonus provided lasts until the end of the encounter or until the character’s next attack roll, which ever comes first. This way a character can not activate battlestrike at the beginning of the day and have it active until their next attack roll later in the day as the power indicates.

Vehicles
The following hyperspace rules replace the rules for determining travel time in the SECR and work WITH the rules presented in the Starships of the Galaxy for astrogation.

Hyperspace travel: Travel within the same region of space; When traveling within the same region of space (Outer Rim for example) calculate the time using the following formula: 1d10 hours x hyperdrive modifier.

Travel across multiple regions; When traversing multiple regions calculate the time using the following formula: 1d12+3 hours x hyperdrive multiplier + n days. Where "n" equals +1 day per region crossed.

Example: When traveling from the Core to the Outer Rim use the formula 1d12+3 hours x hyperdrive modifier + 5 days (for crossing through 5 regions of space). Or when traveling only in the Outer Rim use the formula 1d10 hours x hyperdrive modifier.

Hyperspace lanes: When traveling along a major hyperspace lane divide the total time in half.