Kiero
2010-09-25, 05:20 AM
This is a reworking of the old thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103051) since things have moved on a great deal since then. Primary among which is that Spirit of the Century is no longer the default or only FATE 3.0 game around. There are numerous innovations that have improved things in the later incarnations, thus rather than trying to bridge the changes, I start again with Legends of Anglerre as my base.
Now you may be thinking LoA is a strange choice, surely Starblazer Adventures (with all the spaceship and sci-fi stuff) would be a better fit? To me, Star Wars is primarily fantasy (and wuxia), and the only thing you lose by going LoA rather than SBA is the space combat stuff. Which is easily ported across since the two systems are eminently compatible.
The purpose of this adaptation is to turn FATE 3.0 into something familiar to those who've played Star Wars Saga Edition, while at the same time being a simpler game that requires less rules lookups. That means simpler than both SE and LoA, and one of the primary means of doing this is through simplified Stunts.
The focus is in seven areas; Skills, Aspects, Stunts, Stress, The Force, The Dark Side and Advancement.
Skills
I think Skills are really important in providing a fixed means of differentiating characters. Particularly in this little adaptation, there's a lot of "define your own" which runs the risk of having no concrete means of really distinguishing characters from each other. Here we abandon LoA's pyramid structure, in favour of a more relaxed "tower". This means you must have at least as many Skills at the level below, as the level above (so to have two Great Skills, you must have at least two Good, and thus two Fair and so two Average).
Starting characters (who are assumed to be competent and moderately experienced) get 25 points to spend on their Skills, which cost the following:
1 = Average (+1)
2 = Fair (+2)
3 = Good (+3)
4 = Great (+4)
[5 = Superb (+5)]
Note Great (+4) is the highest they can go at chargen. It's not possible to start with more than two Skills at Great, given the "tower". For less experienced characters, reduce the number of points, and if desired lower the cap to Good.
There are 20 Skills, although given the nature of Knowledge, characters may have more than 20 Skills listed on their sheet. They are as follows (Saga Edition terms) [LoA terms], those in bold affect Stress tracks:
Athletics (Climb, Jump, Swim and Acrobatics; Reflex Defense) [Athletics]
Close Combat (Melee BAB) [Fists and Melee Weapons]
Deception (Deception) [Deceit, Rapport]
Empathy (Perception) [Empathy]
Endurance (Endurance; Fortitude Defense) [Endurance and Might]
Gather Information (Gather Information) [Contacting and Investigation]
Knowledge* (Knowledge) [Academics, Art and Science]
Larceny (-)
Mechanics (Mechanics) [Artificer]
Perception (Initiative and Perception) [Alertness and Investigation]
Persuasion (Persuasion)
Pilot (Pilot) [Drive and Pilot]
Ranged Combat ([I]Ranged BAB) [Ranged Weapons]
[B]Resolve (Will Defense) [Resolve]
Resources (-) [Resources]
Stealth (Stealth) [Stealth]
Survival (Ride and Survival) [Survival]
Treat Injury (Treat Injury] (Science)
Use Computer (Use Computer) [Academics, Artificer and Science]
Use the Force (Use the Force) [All Power Skills]
*Specialisms in the Knowledge skill are represented with Stunts. Some of the specialisms are as follows: Bureaucracy, Galactic Lore, Life Sciences, Linguistics, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, Tactics, Technology. Each of these specialist Stunts gives a +2 to the Knowledge Skill when dealing with that particular area.
Every level of Linguistics after Average gives an additional two languages a character is fluent in. Getting Knowledge at Average gives a character one additional language besides their native tongue and Basic.
Those in bold affect Stress tracks.
I'm also considering requiring everyone to nominate a Skill not on their list at Terrible (-2) for some added colour and potential comic potential.
Aspects
Stealing an idea from DFRPG, characters will have two Aspects variant aspects, one related to their concept and something that makes life difficult. The former will also correlate to your base class in SWSE (telling us what Skills it can be used to Invoke).
Concept is the core of what the character is about in a short statement. It should also be possible to link it to one of the five base classes from SWSE. So you might have Scion of House Amaraja (Noble). Each base class has five Skills that are always considered Invoke-able.
Jedi: Athletics, Close Combat, Perception, Resolve, Use the Force
Noble: Deception, Empathy, Knowledge, Persuasion, Resources
Scoundrel: Deception, Gather Information, Larceny, Pilot, Use Computer
Scout: Athletics, Endurance, Mechanics, Perception, Survival
Soldier: Athletics, Endurance, Perception, Ranged Combat, Treat Injury
Not entirely sure on the exact mixes, but that's the general idea.
Trouble is as per DFPRG. Something about the character that drives them to get into sticky situations. I'm considering making this Destiny or the like instead, to make it some sort of pull from the universe that lands the character in it. After all there are going to be Compel-related effects from their regular Aspects already.
Otherwise it's Phases use as per normal. One of everyone's Origins-type Aspects should be related to their homeworld or species. To be a Force user, you have to have an Aspect dedicated to it, which allows you to use the Use the Force Skill at Mediocre (+0).
Usually go with four Aspects from Phases for a total of six, plus two "campaign Aspects" which are agreed by the group and shared by all PCs.
Stunts
Generic Stunts are the order of the day, as a general rule if you want to co-opt those from LoA, add two of them together and rename. The aim here is to break down the tiering and what I see as too granular a separation of Stunts.
Stress
Stress as hit points, base three (3) boxes, Vitality (Health) and Balance (Composure) tracks as normal, the latter is particularly important for Force users. Weapons and armour add Stress or absorb Stress/Consequences. They also have their own Aspects. More on this as I develop this.
The Force
I'm still formulating the changes to the powers specifically, but some principles.
We're re-working the Power Skills from LoA here, but with some major changes. Firstly, there is only one Use the Force Skill, which is the only Skill ever used for Force powers. Secondly, you don't buy individual powers with Stunts, affinities will come with a host of Trappings at two tiers, which are accessed by the Force Training Stunts.
There are six affinities for the Force (Body Control, Influence, Sense Control, Telekinesis, Dark Side, Lightsaber), each of which has some universal powers that anyone who is Force Sensetive can use, and those that require Force Training Stunts. I might change the name of Sense Control to Awareness. Lightsaber is an exception in that it has no universal powers. Using powers for which you have no training (or don't have as one of your affinities) costs an FP per use.
There are three Force Training Stunts, which represent tiers of mastery and are the only tiered Stunts. They correspond roughly with the class/Prestige class levels of SWSE.
Force Training I (Padawan, etc) - requires UtF of Average (+1) - two affinities
Force Training II (Jedi Knight, Sith Apprentice, Force Adept, etc) - requires UtF of Good (+3) - four affinities
Force Training III (Jedi Master, Sith Lord, Force Disciple, etc) - requires UtF of Superb (+5) - six affinities
The Lightsaber affinity requires Force Training. There are some universal powers (basically blaster bolt deflection) which come with Force Training I and with Force Training II you choose a lightsaber form. Musing over whether there should be some Force Forms as alternatives.
(Powers are a work in progress)
Body Control
Force Trance - Regeneration and Extreme Conditions. A universal power.
Breath Control - . A universal power.
Surge - spend an FP to gain the following for a scene: Lightning Fast (the +4 to Athletics applies to jumping as well as other actions), Glide, +1 Athletics for dodging and +4 Perception for initiative.
Negate Energy - Protection (but only against energy attacks - absorbed energy can be stored and traded as spin for every three points).
Awareness
Influence
Telekinesis
Move Light Object - Telekinesis (the Trapping from the power of the same name). A universal power.
Dark Side
Lightsaber Combat
There are no universal powers with Lightsaber combat, all require training. If you choose Lightsaber Combat as an affinity, you get Deflect with Force Training I and choose a form with Force Training II.
Deflect - can substitute UtF for Close Combat when defending against blaster attacks with a saber in hand (without this power, Athletics is the only valid defense against Ranged Combat). Requires Force Training I.
Redirect - as Riposte, can turn blaster fire back with spin on a Deflect. Requires Force Training II.
Lightsaber forms (requires Force Training II, pick one):
Shii-Cho: +1 to Close Combat defense against melee attacks, +1 Stress on a hit
Makashi: +1 to Close Combat on maneuvers against lightsabers, +2 to defense against lightsabers
Soresu: +1 to Close Combat in defense, +2 to Deflect
Ataru: No supplementary action penalty when moving in melee, +2 to Athletics maneuvers in combat
Shien: +2 Stress on a hit, +1 to Redirect.
Nimaan: Flawless Parry, +1 to Deflect
Juyo/Vaapad: Whirlwind Attack
Jar'Kai: Weapon in Each Hand
Djem So: May choose to do Composure/Balance Stress on a hit, +2 to Persuasion maneuvers in combat.
Trakata: -1 to melee opponent's defensive rolls, +2 to Deception maneuvers in combat.
The Dark Side
My thoughts have moved on a little here from not really doing anything with it beyond darkening of the Force Aspect, to using a track. It allows you to do some neat things with the dark side having a "cost" and allowing Consequences (which can become Aspects).
For Force users, the Balance track becomes important, since its the measure of how close they are getting to the dark side, and the means by which their Aspects can be darkened as they fall prey to the temptation.
The most obvious thing about the Balance track is that it can be attacked, representing the lure of the dark side. Where it really starts to bite is in Consequences. Because as with the other tracks, you can choose to take a Consequence instead of Stress, but they hang around longer and can be Compelled.
I'm thinking that some or all of the following will give you hits on your Balance track:
Accepting dark side Compels, either on your Force Sensetive Aspect, or on any dark side Consequences.
Direct attacks on your Balance with darkside powers (you take Stress on your Balance track).
Using dark side powers (each one has a Stress cost).
Using emotion to fuel the Force (you can trade two points of Stress for a +1 to a roll - should this be a power?).
An exception to the normal use of Consequences is that you can choose to take one to clear your existing Stress, not just absorbing incoming.
I'm also making dark side Compels (both to Aspects and Consequences) an exception to my normal house rule of no cost to ignore them. There's an escalating scale for how far they can go. Compels on Minor dark side Consequences can be ignored at no cost. Major can go up to one (as in you have to buy off the offer up to one FP). Severe go up to two (as in the GM can offer a second and you have to pay two FPs if you don't want it). Extreme and Aspects go up to three.
Extreme dark side Consequences become permanent Aspects. This replaces the "darkening" of your Force Sensetive Aspect, though players may opt to do that anyway in addition. There's no "your character is now an NPC" threshold. Obviously removing an Extreme dark side Consequence is a big deal.
Advancement
As per LoA, it already gives plenty of detail on how to do this.
Now you may be thinking LoA is a strange choice, surely Starblazer Adventures (with all the spaceship and sci-fi stuff) would be a better fit? To me, Star Wars is primarily fantasy (and wuxia), and the only thing you lose by going LoA rather than SBA is the space combat stuff. Which is easily ported across since the two systems are eminently compatible.
The purpose of this adaptation is to turn FATE 3.0 into something familiar to those who've played Star Wars Saga Edition, while at the same time being a simpler game that requires less rules lookups. That means simpler than both SE and LoA, and one of the primary means of doing this is through simplified Stunts.
The focus is in seven areas; Skills, Aspects, Stunts, Stress, The Force, The Dark Side and Advancement.
Skills
I think Skills are really important in providing a fixed means of differentiating characters. Particularly in this little adaptation, there's a lot of "define your own" which runs the risk of having no concrete means of really distinguishing characters from each other. Here we abandon LoA's pyramid structure, in favour of a more relaxed "tower". This means you must have at least as many Skills at the level below, as the level above (so to have two Great Skills, you must have at least two Good, and thus two Fair and so two Average).
Starting characters (who are assumed to be competent and moderately experienced) get 25 points to spend on their Skills, which cost the following:
1 = Average (+1)
2 = Fair (+2)
3 = Good (+3)
4 = Great (+4)
[5 = Superb (+5)]
Note Great (+4) is the highest they can go at chargen. It's not possible to start with more than two Skills at Great, given the "tower". For less experienced characters, reduce the number of points, and if desired lower the cap to Good.
There are 20 Skills, although given the nature of Knowledge, characters may have more than 20 Skills listed on their sheet. They are as follows (Saga Edition terms) [LoA terms], those in bold affect Stress tracks:
Athletics (Climb, Jump, Swim and Acrobatics; Reflex Defense) [Athletics]
Close Combat (Melee BAB) [Fists and Melee Weapons]
Deception (Deception) [Deceit, Rapport]
Empathy (Perception) [Empathy]
Endurance (Endurance; Fortitude Defense) [Endurance and Might]
Gather Information (Gather Information) [Contacting and Investigation]
Knowledge* (Knowledge) [Academics, Art and Science]
Larceny (-)
Mechanics (Mechanics) [Artificer]
Perception (Initiative and Perception) [Alertness and Investigation]
Persuasion (Persuasion)
Pilot (Pilot) [Drive and Pilot]
Ranged Combat ([I]Ranged BAB) [Ranged Weapons]
[B]Resolve (Will Defense) [Resolve]
Resources (-) [Resources]
Stealth (Stealth) [Stealth]
Survival (Ride and Survival) [Survival]
Treat Injury (Treat Injury] (Science)
Use Computer (Use Computer) [Academics, Artificer and Science]
Use the Force (Use the Force) [All Power Skills]
*Specialisms in the Knowledge skill are represented with Stunts. Some of the specialisms are as follows: Bureaucracy, Galactic Lore, Life Sciences, Linguistics, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, Tactics, Technology. Each of these specialist Stunts gives a +2 to the Knowledge Skill when dealing with that particular area.
Every level of Linguistics after Average gives an additional two languages a character is fluent in. Getting Knowledge at Average gives a character one additional language besides their native tongue and Basic.
Those in bold affect Stress tracks.
I'm also considering requiring everyone to nominate a Skill not on their list at Terrible (-2) for some added colour and potential comic potential.
Aspects
Stealing an idea from DFRPG, characters will have two Aspects variant aspects, one related to their concept and something that makes life difficult. The former will also correlate to your base class in SWSE (telling us what Skills it can be used to Invoke).
Concept is the core of what the character is about in a short statement. It should also be possible to link it to one of the five base classes from SWSE. So you might have Scion of House Amaraja (Noble). Each base class has five Skills that are always considered Invoke-able.
Jedi: Athletics, Close Combat, Perception, Resolve, Use the Force
Noble: Deception, Empathy, Knowledge, Persuasion, Resources
Scoundrel: Deception, Gather Information, Larceny, Pilot, Use Computer
Scout: Athletics, Endurance, Mechanics, Perception, Survival
Soldier: Athletics, Endurance, Perception, Ranged Combat, Treat Injury
Not entirely sure on the exact mixes, but that's the general idea.
Trouble is as per DFPRG. Something about the character that drives them to get into sticky situations. I'm considering making this Destiny or the like instead, to make it some sort of pull from the universe that lands the character in it. After all there are going to be Compel-related effects from their regular Aspects already.
Otherwise it's Phases use as per normal. One of everyone's Origins-type Aspects should be related to their homeworld or species. To be a Force user, you have to have an Aspect dedicated to it, which allows you to use the Use the Force Skill at Mediocre (+0).
Usually go with four Aspects from Phases for a total of six, plus two "campaign Aspects" which are agreed by the group and shared by all PCs.
Stunts
Generic Stunts are the order of the day, as a general rule if you want to co-opt those from LoA, add two of them together and rename. The aim here is to break down the tiering and what I see as too granular a separation of Stunts.
Stress
Stress as hit points, base three (3) boxes, Vitality (Health) and Balance (Composure) tracks as normal, the latter is particularly important for Force users. Weapons and armour add Stress or absorb Stress/Consequences. They also have their own Aspects. More on this as I develop this.
The Force
I'm still formulating the changes to the powers specifically, but some principles.
We're re-working the Power Skills from LoA here, but with some major changes. Firstly, there is only one Use the Force Skill, which is the only Skill ever used for Force powers. Secondly, you don't buy individual powers with Stunts, affinities will come with a host of Trappings at two tiers, which are accessed by the Force Training Stunts.
There are six affinities for the Force (Body Control, Influence, Sense Control, Telekinesis, Dark Side, Lightsaber), each of which has some universal powers that anyone who is Force Sensetive can use, and those that require Force Training Stunts. I might change the name of Sense Control to Awareness. Lightsaber is an exception in that it has no universal powers. Using powers for which you have no training (or don't have as one of your affinities) costs an FP per use.
There are three Force Training Stunts, which represent tiers of mastery and are the only tiered Stunts. They correspond roughly with the class/Prestige class levels of SWSE.
Force Training I (Padawan, etc) - requires UtF of Average (+1) - two affinities
Force Training II (Jedi Knight, Sith Apprentice, Force Adept, etc) - requires UtF of Good (+3) - four affinities
Force Training III (Jedi Master, Sith Lord, Force Disciple, etc) - requires UtF of Superb (+5) - six affinities
The Lightsaber affinity requires Force Training. There are some universal powers (basically blaster bolt deflection) which come with Force Training I and with Force Training II you choose a lightsaber form. Musing over whether there should be some Force Forms as alternatives.
(Powers are a work in progress)
Body Control
Force Trance - Regeneration and Extreme Conditions. A universal power.
Breath Control - . A universal power.
Surge - spend an FP to gain the following for a scene: Lightning Fast (the +4 to Athletics applies to jumping as well as other actions), Glide, +1 Athletics for dodging and +4 Perception for initiative.
Negate Energy - Protection (but only against energy attacks - absorbed energy can be stored and traded as spin for every three points).
Awareness
Influence
Telekinesis
Move Light Object - Telekinesis (the Trapping from the power of the same name). A universal power.
Dark Side
Lightsaber Combat
There are no universal powers with Lightsaber combat, all require training. If you choose Lightsaber Combat as an affinity, you get Deflect with Force Training I and choose a form with Force Training II.
Deflect - can substitute UtF for Close Combat when defending against blaster attacks with a saber in hand (without this power, Athletics is the only valid defense against Ranged Combat). Requires Force Training I.
Redirect - as Riposte, can turn blaster fire back with spin on a Deflect. Requires Force Training II.
Lightsaber forms (requires Force Training II, pick one):
Shii-Cho: +1 to Close Combat defense against melee attacks, +1 Stress on a hit
Makashi: +1 to Close Combat on maneuvers against lightsabers, +2 to defense against lightsabers
Soresu: +1 to Close Combat in defense, +2 to Deflect
Ataru: No supplementary action penalty when moving in melee, +2 to Athletics maneuvers in combat
Shien: +2 Stress on a hit, +1 to Redirect.
Nimaan: Flawless Parry, +1 to Deflect
Juyo/Vaapad: Whirlwind Attack
Jar'Kai: Weapon in Each Hand
Djem So: May choose to do Composure/Balance Stress on a hit, +2 to Persuasion maneuvers in combat.
Trakata: -1 to melee opponent's defensive rolls, +2 to Deception maneuvers in combat.
The Dark Side
My thoughts have moved on a little here from not really doing anything with it beyond darkening of the Force Aspect, to using a track. It allows you to do some neat things with the dark side having a "cost" and allowing Consequences (which can become Aspects).
For Force users, the Balance track becomes important, since its the measure of how close they are getting to the dark side, and the means by which their Aspects can be darkened as they fall prey to the temptation.
The most obvious thing about the Balance track is that it can be attacked, representing the lure of the dark side. Where it really starts to bite is in Consequences. Because as with the other tracks, you can choose to take a Consequence instead of Stress, but they hang around longer and can be Compelled.
I'm thinking that some or all of the following will give you hits on your Balance track:
Accepting dark side Compels, either on your Force Sensetive Aspect, or on any dark side Consequences.
Direct attacks on your Balance with darkside powers (you take Stress on your Balance track).
Using dark side powers (each one has a Stress cost).
Using emotion to fuel the Force (you can trade two points of Stress for a +1 to a roll - should this be a power?).
An exception to the normal use of Consequences is that you can choose to take one to clear your existing Stress, not just absorbing incoming.
I'm also making dark side Compels (both to Aspects and Consequences) an exception to my normal house rule of no cost to ignore them. There's an escalating scale for how far they can go. Compels on Minor dark side Consequences can be ignored at no cost. Major can go up to one (as in you have to buy off the offer up to one FP). Severe go up to two (as in the GM can offer a second and you have to pay two FPs if you don't want it). Extreme and Aspects go up to three.
Extreme dark side Consequences become permanent Aspects. This replaces the "darkening" of your Force Sensetive Aspect, though players may opt to do that anyway in addition. There's no "your character is now an NPC" threshold. Obviously removing an Extreme dark side Consequence is a big deal.
Advancement
As per LoA, it already gives plenty of detail on how to do this.