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codexgigas
2008-01-28, 01:31 PM
One of my friends has decided to run a Star Wars Saga edition game. I've never played any of the Star Wars RPGs before, so I'm a little lost when it comes to character creation. I've got the Core Book for Saga, and I've looked through it, but I have no idea what actually makes for an effective character. Normally, I'd be willing to blunder through making some sub-optimal choices with my first character, but the campaign is an all-jedi one, and it's going to start out at level 15. It's set shortly after the Clone War begins, and the party will be an advance strike force on a separatist world. That means we're going to be facing lots of droids.

I think I'll be a Jedi 7/Knight 5/Master 3, but I'm not sure if that's really the most optimal combination. As far as race goes, I'm thinking either Bothan or Mon Calamari (and I'm pretty sold on just those two). Stats (rolled 5d6 with the gm watching) are 9, 17, 14, 13, 18, 18. I'm pretty sure the 9 will go into strength, with weapon finesse and the Ataru lightsaber form talent making that a non-issue.

The only other player who's decided on a character yet has rolled a Wookie Jedi Guardian, so the party already has one front-liner. If possible, I'd like to balance my abilities with the lightsaber and the Force, but I don't how effective that works out to be.

Mando Knight
2008-01-28, 01:44 PM
Jedi 7/Knight 5/Master Whatever is a pretty common setup, and that's what Obi-Wan has. Yoda has additional levels in Jedi and Knight because he's maxed out Master, but that's besides the point.

I'd put one of the 18s into Dexterity and the other in Charisma, as those are some of the primary stats in Jedi. The 17 should go into Wisdom, the 13 into Intelligence, and the 14 into Constitution, unless you want to be the party's skill monkey (not the best role for a Jedi), in which case you want one of the higher abilities in Intelligence.

I would spend the "multiple of 3 levels" feats (I'll call them character feats...) on some Force related feats, like Skill Focus (Use the Force) and two Force Trainings. Bonus feats can be spent on Rapid Strike (more damage, useful for Dex-based Jedi), weapon finesse, and Weapon Focus (Lightsaber). Recommended Talents would be Ataru, Weapon Specialization (Lightsaber), Force Talents, etc.

I'd try to be of more help, but I've got a class in a few minutes.

Fuzzy_Juan
2008-01-28, 02:08 PM
General consensus when 'twinking out' a jedi is to focus on melee or 'sorcery'. Go full caster or full melee build...a mix will only weaken you in one. If you have other reliable members of the party that are capable of covering other roles...perhaps it might be best to focus on another.

That being said...7/5/3 is fine if you want pure jedi/knight/master. I might recommend taking one level in soldier to pick up a ranged weapon or light armor proficiency as well as either weapon specialization talent or the one that bypasses 5 pts of threshold...if you choose to go melee.

if you choose to go full caster mode, do note force adept and the higher version of that PrC...they can sometimes be better for a pure caster than jedi.

For melee builds...I would recommend acrobatic strike and being trained in acrobatics...using this while fighting defensively gives you great battlefield mobility...coupled with mobility it makes you virtually immune to getting hit while moving around. If you are going to do melee...elusive target and block/deflect are a must. Block to ensure furthe that no hits land, and deflect to help against blasters and force lightning...can never be too careful. No more than 2 force trainings for a melee build...battle strike, rage (if you are dark this and the force point recovery are a must), one surge, a slam...rebuke if your check will be high and you know you will face other force users. Rebuke is a must as it will enable you to make them waste their turn and enable you to get into melee. The rest is a delicate balance of feats and talents that need to suit your taste and style/campaign.

For casters...you want force recovery (reaquire a force power in combat), rebukes, negate energy, plenty of slams, and force grip, move object, mind jack (probably only one of these). max use the force...Telekinetic savant is good...block/deflect are good since your use the force will be very high. Consider doing some jedi consular and getting force persuasion...mindjacking people for fun and profit...always amusing. If you are light side, healing with at least 2 points in the force point recovery talent...dark side...force lightning with the same FP recovery.

Something to keep in mind...if noone in the party is a 'leader', consider a few levels of noble...their support abilities can be quite useful, and barring the ones that just inspire people, there are the two talents that will make people you hit hard run in terror...that alone is pretty fun.

Person_Man
2008-01-28, 02:26 PM
I only own the core rulebook, and haven't played it very much. So please take what I say on this matter with a grain of salt.

But the basic rules of optimization for any roleplaying game still hold. Look for special abilities that scale with levels, or abilities that provide an option that you can't otherwise buy. Anticipate your DM and build your PC accordingly.

For example, the Noble has an ability that gives you bonus credits every time you gain a level of Noble, and it scales upward. So a Noble/Jedi would not only have more Skills, but would also have a huge financial advantage with which to buy special equipment. There are various abilities that give scaled damage, especially on the Dark Side. The Block/Deflect abilities are a must in my opinion, because they scale with Use the Force and are wildly useful.

I would also suggest that you avoid multi-classing and ignore the iconic character examples. They were constructed to shoehorn everything the characters did in the movies into the stats. They are not optimized.

Mando Knight
2008-01-28, 03:31 PM
At level 15 you have 6 feats from character levels, and another 3 bonus feats from your 7 levels in Jedi; giving you 9 total unless you pick a race with a bonus feat (like humans). For a mixed force-user/lightsaber Dexterity-based brawler I would suggest: (spoilered for space)
Weapon Focus (lightsaber) (+1 to attack bonus)
Rapid Strike (take a -2 penalty to hit for +1 die to damage)
Weapon Finesse (Use Dexterity instead of Strength for attack bonus)
Skill Focus (Use the Force) (+5 competence bonus to selected skill)
Force Training (Add Force powers equal to 1+ Wisdom modifier to your repertoire)
Force Training (can be taken multiple times)
Force Boon (extra Force points each level)
Strong in the Force (roll d8s when spending a Force point to augment a roll instead of d6s)
Melee Defense, Martial Arts I, or Improved Defenses (increase Reflex Defense)

Your Force powers could include:
Force Slam (hammers large areas)
Force Stun (if your UTF check is especially high, you can bring down enemies instantly)
Battle Strike (increases your damage output in melee)
Force Grip (no, it isn't Dark Side at all)
Surge (massive long range charges, especially with Powerful Charge)
Vital Transfer (best if you want to take the medic role, increase your Con modifier, and use Force Points)

You'll have 4 Jedi Talents, 3 Knight Talents, and 2 Master Talents:
Jedi:
Lightsaber Defense (increasing your Reflex Defense, always good)
Weapon Specialization (Lightsabers) (increases damage, that's good...)
Deflect (ignore those Battle Droid blasters more easily)
Redirect Shot (shoot those blasters right back at them)

Knight:
Ataru (use Dexterity modifier for everything, why don't ya?)
Telekinetic Savant (can be taken anytime, useful for Force powers)
Another Saber form, Block, or a Talent from the Alter or Control Force Talent trees

Master:
Greater Weapon Focus (lightsabers) (another +1 attack bonus)
Telekinetic Power, Telekinetic Savant, or Greater Weapon Specialization (lightsabers)

You'll also have 2 Force Techniques and 1 Force Secret:
Techniques:
Improved Move Light Object (make two attacks per turn by throwing an object then attacking with a weapon)
Force Point Recovery (Force Points become more disposable...)

Secret:
Quicken Power (faster Force usage)

That's just what I think would be useful for a half-caster half-melee master Jedi build...