Thursday, December 16, 2010

Episode 67: Instinctive Attack and Instinctive Defense

I’m DarthGM, and this is the 67th installment of Fragments from the Rim.

Force Points; unless you’re a Force User, odds are you only have a few options for how you spend these resources.  You’re either going to be adding to an attack roll, or to a skill check.  Don’t get me wrong, getting another 1 to 6 points on your roll can make the difference between success and failure, but those dang Force Users get so many neat things to spend their Force Points on.  Isn’t it about time for the mundane to get some love too?

Well, in the Unknown Regions, on page 27, you get two new feats that let anyone spend their Force points to do more than just improving a die roll by a few points.

With Instinctive Defense, you can spend a Force Point as a Free action to increase all your defenses by 2 until the start of your next turn.  That ain’t bad; if you know you’re going to be the subject of a lot of attacks in the next turn, that extra 2 points can really save your bacon.

Generally, if you really tank an attack roll you know that a Force point won’t help you get the number you need to hit your opponent. With Instinctive Attack, you get to really beef up your benefit from spending a Force Point on an attack roll and turn a clear miss into a successful attack.  With this feat, when you spend a Force Point while making an attack, you can reroll the attack and take the better result.  You even apply the results of the die from the Force Point to the better result!  You can use it on any roll, and since you can decide to spend a Force Point after you roll the attack, you can use it even on a roll of “1”.

There’s one drawback to these feats; well...two, really.  The first is that you have to be a living creature to take these feats.  Sorry droids, you just don’t have the right instincts in your computerized body of yours.  The second is that Instictive Attack isn’t a Bonus Feat for any class, and Instinctive Defense is only a Bonus Feat…for Jedi.

...damn Force-Users…*sigh*  Ah well, they’re still very worthy choices for your Character.

That’s all for this week.  If you have any questions, send them along to d20darth@gmail.com.  Until next time, 20 side up, 1 side down.

Originally aired on the Order 66 Podcast Episode 122 "M4C-GUV3R".

Episode 66: Order 66

Somewhere out there is the text for Episodes 64 and 65; where they got off to I don't know...maybe I'll be able to update them later...



I’m DarthGM, and this is the 66th installment of Fragments from the Rim.  This week we’re talking about Order 66.

With one order, Chancellor Palpatine triggered an event that replaced a corrupt democratic government with a tyrannical dictatorship.  Almost overnight  the benign Jedi Knights who had served the Republic as peacekeepers were wiped out, replaced by faceless Stormtroopers and an aire of racial superiority from the human leaders of the Empire.

Anyone listening to this podcast knows that Order 66 represented a dynamic shift in the Star Wars universe.  It’s a sharp break from what had occurred before, and what the universe was now destined to be.  It’s not the only such event in the Star Wars Universe, there are others.  The destruction of the Death Stars, the Death of Emperor Palpatine, the capture of Darth Revan, the ascension of Darth Krayt; the movies, shows, and EU are filled with focal points and key events that cause a dramatic change in the galaxy.

There’s another Order 66 to talk about that’s caused a dynamic shift, at least to me.  I’ve been gaming in this universe for quite some time now, since the 2nd Edition of the West End Games edition of the RPG.  I’ll be honest; I’ve run some damn good games over the years.  I’ve also run some pretty bad ones.  It wasn’t until I ran into GM Chris on the old WotC Gleemax boards that I discovered the Order 66 podcast.  For 121 episodes I’ve had my conceptions about game balance, good storytelling, and good Gamemastering challenged and turned upside down.  I’ve found that since this event, my stories are better, my encounters are more epic, and my games are move fun.

I would have to say that the biggest change to my style is my hesitation to mess with “Uncle George’s Sandbox”.  I never wanted to introduce something to my games that would enable the characters to alter established canon.  My games would skirt the edge of movie storylines and novels, but never intervene.  Never intersect.  All that has changed.  GM Chris and GM Dave have called an Order 66 of their own on my hang-ups and gaming hesitations and opened my eyes to how much fun this galaxy has to offer.  To stop saying “no” to PCs, (unless they’re violating the rule of DBAD).  To let the PCs fail, because earning a defeat can be more rewarding than being handed a victory.  And to remember that it might be George’s sandbox, but he’s not going to kick me out of it if I play how I want to play.

Fellow Gamemasters; don’t be afraid to toss established canon out the airlock.  Let the PCs fail.  Say “Yes, but what if we do this instead” to your PCs.  And if your PCs kill General Grevious before the Battle of Utapau, or rescue Han Solo before he’s delivered to Jabba, let it happen.  You don’t know the power of dynamic change until it’s presented to you.  It can be an incredible experience if you let it happen.

That’s all for this week.  Thank you GM Dave, GM Chris, TG, and you Gamer Nation for letting Fragments from the Rim entertain you for 66 crunch-and-fluff-filled installments.  We hope to continue to enhance your gaming experience for another 66 episodes.  Until episode 67; 20 side up, one side down.

Originally aired on Order 66 Podcast Episode 121 "Paging Doctor Awesome"

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Episode 63: Assured Attack

I’m DarthGM, and this is segment number 63 of Fragments from the Rim.

Damage; admit it, you love it.  You love dealing it.  You love seeing how many extra dice you can get for a damage roll.  You love seeing the highest possible value come up on the dice you roll for damage.  You love the sound your cupped hands make as you shake those many-sided polyhedrons, like some demented, nerdy maraca player.  You love the sight of all those dice bouncing as they are unleashed upon the table.

What you don’t like is when one of "dem bones" comes up as a 1.  Or even a 2, depending on the die.  You see that rogue polyhedron sitting there, it’s taunting you.  Laughing at you. Woe is me! If only there were some way I could remove that offensive die from my total!  Well, you can.  With the Assured Attack feat.

Found on Page 28 of the Rebellion Era Campaign guide, this worthy feat states “Whenever you deal damage to a target with an attack and you roll multiple dice, you can reroll the lowest damage die but must keep its second result, even if it’s worse.”  This feat has no pre-requisites.  It has no limitations.  It can be used any time you make an attack.  It can be used on the ground.  It can be used in space.  It can be used with single target weapons, area attacks, or vehicle weapons.  It can be used multiple times in a round.  It’s a Bonus feat for Jedi and Soldiers.  Just about the only thing you can’t use this with is Force Powers, and it’ll even work with some of those (I’m looking at you, Lightsaber Form Powers…).  So any time you roll horrifically on damage rolls, you can try to reroll that lowest die and hope to get something a little bit better.  Or a lot better, if you turn that 1 to an 8 or a 10.

Let’s face it, there aren’t too many attacks out there where you only roll one die for damage.  This feat can really help bump up the average damage for your character.

We’ve come to the end of another episode, Gamer Nation.  Until next time; 20 side up, 1 side down.

Originally broadcast on the Order 66 Podcast Episode 117 "The Vanguard's Meat"

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Episode 62: Comrades in Arms and Focused Targeting

Get in line, rookies!  I’m Darth GM and I will be your instructor for episode 62 of Fragments From the Rim.

I’m about to start up a new bi-weekly campaign set in the Clone Wars era, and two of the PCs are playing Clone Troopers.  They both just happened to pick the same talent at level one.  It’s from the Clone Wars Campaign Guide, and can be found in the Soldier Talents section on page 26.  The talent they chose is Comrades in Arms; "When you are within 3 squares of an ally, you get a +1 circumstance bonus on all melee and ranged attack rolls."  Not bad, especially when one thinks about the game.  More often than not, the clone troopers will be within three squares of at least one ally in combat, most likely  each other.  It’s not a kick-ass “Oh my god, I have to take this” talent, but it does gateway to some other useful talents, and if carried through to a logical conclusion this talent can work nicely with several others.

The next talent up the “chain” is Focused Targeting, which states “when you damage a target with a melee or ranged attack, all allies within 3 squares gain a +2 bonus on damage rolls against the target until the beginning of your next turn”.  Now, I’m going to make an assumption that the ally needs to be within three squares of you, not the target.  This is nice because if these two guys have this talent, if they keep shooting the same target, they’re giving each other the +2 bonus damage, and mow through targets faster.

If the campaign makes it to level 8, I can see these characters looking into the Republic Commando Tree for the Elite Trooper Class, also in the Clone Wars Campaign Guide.  With Shoulder to Shoulder, they gain bonus hit points equal to their Heroic Level at the beginning of each turn if they’re adjacent to an ally.  With Strength in Numbers, their Damage Reduction is increased by +2 if they’re within 10 squares of an ally.

Finally, all these talents mix in very well with the Brute Squad Talent Tree from the Legacy Era Campaign Guide.  Now, that Talent Tree is more fitting for melee fighters, and doesn’t offer much for ranged attackers, but if you and a fellow PC are building melee fighters, and looking at talents from the Brute Squad Talent tree, take a look into the Trooper Talent tree for Soldiers as well.  Get some cross-era synergy going and really whallop that BBEG.

At Ease, Gamer Nation.  Until next time; 20-side up, 1-side down.

Originally aired on the Order 66 Podcast, Episode 116 "Gnomes in Advance"

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Episode 61: Strike Formation

It’s that time again!  I’m DarthGM, and this is episode 61 of Fragments from the Rim.  This episode is mostly going to be for GMs, but you players may enjoy the subject too.

It is my humble opinion that you cannot have a Star Wars campaign without a liberal helping of starship combat.  Every movie starts in space, the camera panning to some ship arriving at a planet or engaged in combat with an adversary.  But running space combat in SAGA can get tricky.  At low levels, space combat can get pretty lethal, a couple good rolls on hit and damage and your PCs are sucking vacuum.  At higher levels the PCs have their ships tricked out so much that out-of-the-book opponents are more of a nuisance than a threat.  I’ve found that following the rules for Starship Maneuvers from the Starships of the Galaxy sourcebook gives my NPC ships a nice little bump.  It makes them more of a credible threat as well as making them more interesting for my PCs to fight.

While characters only have to worry about the maneuvers they have.  A GM is running multiple craft, though, and can sometimes get overwhelmed trying to keep track of various maneuvers. I have found one maneuver in particular that is easy to keep track of, makes the enemy starfighter more of a threat, and makes them a fun opponent for the PCs; Strike Formation.  It’s an "Attack Pattern", meaning once you activate it, that ship gains the benefit of the power until they decide to end it or activate another attack pattern.  While Strike Formation is active, all weapons on that ship deal an additional die of damage, but you take a -2 to your ship’s Reflex Defense.  It’s a swift action to activate, needs a Pilot Check with a DC of 20, and lasts until a swift action is spent to end it.

In one of my games, the PCs have a freighter and an accompanying starfighter.  They’ve acquired the best shields they can fit onto a colossal freighter, with a shield rating of 55.  They also have four gun emplacements on the ship.  While the Pilot and the Soldier trained in Heavy Weapons have no problem hitting enemy craft, everyone else in the party suffers a -5 to their attack rolls when trying to defend the ship [because they're not proficient with the mounted weapons].  On the other side, most enemy craft they come up against are firing weapons with a base damage of 5d10x2.  The average damage of those weapons  is 56; barely enough to get through their shields, nevermind the damage resistance of their hull.  With the enemies not able to threaten the PCs, and half the PC party unable to hit the enemies, space combat tends to drag on and be a bore for many.

With Strike Formation, the enemies are more of a threat, meaning every shot that hits has an increased chance of dealing a little more hull damage, and it lowers their defenses so the gunners who are firing with a penalty have more of a chance to participate in, and enjoy, the space combat encounter.  According to page 29 of Starships of the Galaxy, any ship with a “Skilled” crew rating can have one Maneuver.  If you find yourself running space combat encounters that sound a lot like my previous example, consider giving your enemy fighters this maneuver.

Time to break formation, Gamer Nation.  Until next time, Gamer Nation; 20-side up, 1-side down.

Originally aired on the Order 66 Podcast, Episode 115 "Vong but not Forgotten"

Episode 60: Force Harmony

Back again with episode 60 of Fragments from the Rim, I’m DarthGM.

Today I’m going to talk about a talent I just happened to pick up for one of my characters, but didn’t quite realize how useful it was until recently.  That talent is Force Harmony, found on page 16 of the Jedi Academy Training Manual.  "Once per encounter Force Harmony allows you to activate a talent that requires a Force Point to use without spending a Force Point."

The original reason I picked up the talent was for Force Point conservation; I’m playing a Jedi, and I’ve got a couple talents now that use Force Points.  With the limited number of times someone can take Force Point Recovery (that being “once”), this just seemed like a good talent to take to allow me to stretch out the number of times I can use my Force Point abilities for any given level.

The other day I realized the talent had another very useful benefit.  Unless the specific talent says so, you are still limited in the number of Force points you can spend in a round.  This means if you have two talents that require Force Points to activate, you can only activate one of them that round.  Or if you have a reactionary talent that requires a Force Point, like the talent Channel Energy (also from JATM), you can’t use that talent as a response to an attack if you spent a Force Point during your normal turn.  Force Harmony will allow you to circumvent that restriction, because you’re activating the talent that requires a Force Point without spending a Force Point.

It was a nice surprise to realize as I was looking through the books.

That’s it for this week.  Next time I promise to review something not from JATM.  Until next time, Gamer Nation; 20-side up, 1-side down.

Originally aired on the Order 66 Podcast Episode 114 "It's All About the Celebration!"

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Episode 59: Follow Through

This is Darth GM, sometimes called GM Phil, and welcome to the 59th episode of Fragments from the Rim.

The ability to get off multiple attacks in a round is uncommon in SAGA edition.  When the game first came out, the rules tended to favor a highly mobile character, one who moved around the battlefield and struck out one attack at a time.  It certainly did not favor a chance for someone to use the Double and Triple attack feats, or the Dual Weapon Mastery all too often.  Over the years, new options have emerged to help characters utilize these multi-attack abilities with increased frequency.  Some of them are obvious, like certain talents that allow a character to make a full-attack action as a Standard Action.  Some of them are less apparent until you really think about the ability’s application.  This is the case with the feat Follow Through. 

Follow Through can be found in the Jedi Academy Training Manual on page 23.  With this feat, if you deal enough damage to your opponent with a melee attack to reduce them to 0 hit points, you can immediately move up to your speed.  You can use this ability once per turn.  It also states that if you have the Cleave feat, you can move up to your speed before making the extra melee attack granted by the Cleave feat.

I really like this talent because it helps out the highly mobile melee fighter get around the battlefield as they dispatch their foes.  I also like this because it grants a nice benefit to an old favorite of mine, Cleave.  Cleave seemed really useful when it came out back in D&D 3rd edition, but its usefulness wanes as the characters progresses in levels.  Great for mowing down stormtroopers and battle droids, but when you’re fighting bosses the odds of you being able to drop an opponent to zero and have another opponent within range is low, especially if your GM is following “The List” as presented by GM Chris.  This allows you to drop a character to 0 and move to someone else to get in your cleave attack.

Another point is that it doesn’t require an action to take the move, it simply says “immediately”.  That means that if you’re lucky enough to be granted a bonus attack during their turn and drop the target to 0, you can move up to your speed right then and there.  It doesn’t say it avoids attacks of opportunity, though, so keep that in mind.

But how does this relate to Double Attack and Triple Attack?  While it’s not specifically spelled out, it can be judged that because it says you Immediately move after dropping a target to zero, and doesn’t spell that movement out as costing an action, that you could use this movement in the middle of a declared full attack action.  So if your first shot drops the target, take your move to another target and finish your attacks.  Is this balanced?  I feel it is, because it only works when the target is dropped to zero and the bonus movement is subject to attacks of opportunity.  Plus, this feat is not a bonus feat for any class, so it’s going to eat up one of those coveted “Character Feat” choices that come every 3rd level.

There’s no official errata that spells this out, but that’s how Follow Through works in my games.  But even without this, I still think it’s a nice feat for a melee character to take.

That’s all today, my mobile melee masters. If you have any questions, send them along to d20darth@gmail.com.  Until next time Gamer Nation, 20 side up, 1 side down. 

Originally aired on Order 66 Podcast #113 "Roger Roger Retro"

Episode 58: Shoto Master and Shoto Focus

This is Darth GM.  As fortold by prophecy, for this 58th episode of Fragments from the Rim I will continue my presentation on the short lightsaber, or Shoto. 

A friend of mine raves that George Lucas is a creative genius because he gave us the greatest personal weapon ever conceived; the lightsaber.  And the only thing better than a lightaber?  Two Lightsabers.

Normally when someone thinks about a twin-lightsaber weilding fighter, they think of the character wielding two normal length lightsabers.  But there is an interesting benefit for some very specific builds by wielding a shoto as one of your lightsabers.

The Shoto Master talent on page 19 of the Jedi Academy Training Manual states “When you wield both a one-handed lightsaber and a shoto, you can consider the one-handed lightsaber to be a light weapon.  Additionally, if you have the Lightsaber Defense talent, you can activate the talent as a free action on your turn (instead of a swift action) whenever you are wielding a one-handed lightsaber and a shoto.”  The talent does state that this works if the shoto is a guard-shoto.  So here, you have the option to use your full-sized lightsaber as a light weapon, which can be handy, but if you’re someone who’s investing in Lightsaber Defense talents, you can activate it as a free action, allowing you to have a full set of actions and get the benefit of your Lightsaber Defense talents in the same round.

There’s another talent, this one from the Lightsaber Combat talent tree in JATM, that benefits this weapon style, Shoto Focus.   It states “Whenever you wield both a one-handed lightsaber and a shoto (or guard shoto), you gain a +2 competence bonus on attack rolls made with the shoto.”  So that’s great, my Shoto get’s a +2 attack roll bonus; awesome.

But wait, if you’re wielding two Shotos, each shoto is meeting the requirement for the bonus; a shoto in one hand and a one-handed lightsaber in the other.  At low levels, a +2 bonus to attack rolls is huge.  A level 1 Jedi with a 14 strength can start with a +5 bonus to attack rolls with their shoto, and so can a human Jedi with the Weapon Finesse Talent and a 14 Dex.  That means they’re rolling a base d20 to hit someone when using Dual Weapon Mastery at LEVEL ONE.  For a Clone Wars Era game, where the average battle droid has a Reflex defense in the 9-12 range, you stand a really good chance of hitting that droid twice in a round.  Certainly much better than any other dual-wielding 1st level melee combatant.

To optimize this high-defense, dual wielding concept, you’ll need the two talents presented here, 2 Lightsaber Defense talents, and the Niman and Jar-Kai Lightsaber Forms talents from the Core Rulebook.  You’ll also probably want a Dex of 17, all three Dual Weapon Mastery Feats, and Weapon Finesse.  That’s a pretty focused build, but by the time you have all those talents you’ve got a 12th level Jedi Knight with at least a 32 defense and a +17 to hit with each shoto minimum.
I’m sure folks out there can make that number even higher.

The Shoto; proving once again that it’s not the size that counts, it’s how to use it.

If you have any questions, send them along to d20darth@gmail.com.  Until next time Gamer Nation, 20 side up, 1 side down. 

Originally aired on Order 66 Podcast #112 "Split Happens"

Episode 57: Shotos and Shoto Pin

Darth GM here with the 57th installment of Fragments from the Rim.

It’s back to the books this week, and this week we’re talking lightsabers.  Specifically, I’m going to talk about a lightsaber that’s only been on-screen in one character’s hands, Yoda’s short lightsaber also known in the EU as the “shoto”. 

The shoto is listed in the Core Rulebook as the Short Lightsaber, a small weapon that deals 2d6 energy and slashing damage.  Normally the main weapon of a small Jedi character, the Shoto offers some interesting character choices for Medium Sized characters too.  It’s a small weapon, but closed down it’s a diminutive object, granting a larger bonus to try and conceal the item.  It’s also a light weapon for a Medium sized character, meaning you can use it in a grapple.  Both of these help out a sneaky Jedi Shadow or Emperor’s Hand who may want to conceal a surprise or two, or who may need to pull a guard into an alcove and dispatch of them quickly and quietly. 

A variant of the Shoto is the Guard Shoto, used by Maris Brood in the Force Unleashed video game.  This tonfa-like weapon has a second handle that extends off from the main handle at a 90 degree angle.  The whole hilt is made of Phirk Aluminum, and grants a +2 equipment bonus to Use the Force checks for the Block or Deflect talents.  To balance this, the weapon deals less damage, only 2d4 damage, but makes for a great off-hand weapon for a dual-wielding jedi or as a main weapon character more concerned with defense than offense. 

This brings up the first of a few talents that take advantage of the shoto’s properties.  With a single shoto, you can take advantage of the Shoto Pin talent from the Jedi Academy Training Manual.  Found in the Jedi Weapon Master Talent tree for the Jedi Knight Presige class, the talent states that “Whenever you are wielding a shoto and successfully use the Block Talent to negate a melee attack, the attacker can make no further melee attacks until the start of its next turn or until you are no longer adjacent to it.”  Naturally, you need to have the Block talent to take this talent. 

Think about what this will do; no melee attacks until you move or the attacker’s next round.  That’s no further attacks from Dual Weapon Mastery, Double Attack, or Triple.  No bonus melee attacks from Attacks of Opportunity, or from attacks granted by certain feats and talents.  And it’s not just the weapon the attacker tried to hit you with, it’s all melee attacks.  So they can’t even kick at one of your allies as they try to move through the attacker’s threatened area, or use an off-hand melee weapon, or attacks like the reactive claw attack for Cathar.  Block that first attack and you own that guy for the rest of the round as long as you stand next to him.  You can even attack him on your turn without breaking the Shoto Pin. 

Be careful of Privateers though, those guys cheat and tend to use blasters and blades at the same time.  You might block the blade, but the jerk just might shoot you for your trouble.  Shoto Pin offers nothing for being shot at point blank range. 

That’s all for this time, but check in next episode as I continue the Shoto discussion.  Twice the shotos, twice the fun.  If you have any questions or comments, sent them along to d20darth@gmail.com.  Until then, Gamer Nation; 20 side up, 1 side down.

Originally aired on Order 66 Podcast #111 "If the Asshat Fits, You Must Acquit!"

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Episode 56: Game Immersion

Darth GM here with Episode 56 of Fragments from the Rim.  

This week I’m closing the gaming books to talk about an aspect of gaming that’s more metaphysical than talents and feats; “Game Immersion”.    

The ability to portray and be in character can be a task at times.  Let’s face it, we’re in a time of bright lights, flashy displays, unlimited information at our fingertips and a pre-disposition to Attention Deficit Disorder.  It can be difficult to keep your head in the game.  Sometimes you need something more than a mindset to do it.  In these situations I’ve found a useful ally, props.

Props can come in many forms, from attire, to weapons to models, and many places in between.  For example If your character is a cigar smoking tramp freighter captain, or a hardened mercenary soldier who’s seen it all, there’s a lot of posturing and pointing to be done with a half smoked cigar.  Maybe you use an unlit version of the real thing (beware of cancer, kids!), but in most cases it’s a pen that you’re chomping on while your character smokes.  There have been many a game where a bag of Bachman’s pretzel rods served the need for a character’s smoking habit.  Perfect for when a plan comes together, and they’re tasty too!

Sometimes an article of clothing can help you get into character.  Vests, hats, a pair of sunglasses to represent goggles, the simplest of clothing additions can help you feel like your character.  You don’t need to have an outfit good enough for the 501st or the Rebel Legion, just something that gets you into your character’s head.

Thank the Maker for Lucasfilm’s Licensing Department, because of them Gamers have a variety of replicas to display on the gaming table and fiddle with in play.  Personally, every time I run a game there are 3-4 blaster pistols and stormtrooper rifles either on the table or in players hands to be fidgeted with during the game.  While you could drop several hundred for a replica blaster online, a quick trip to Toys R Us or Target can net a very decent supply of relatively cheap Star Wars weapon props.  I do recommend taking out the batteries for any blasters that make noises, it gets annoying after several hours.

Toys and models can help too.  I had one campaign that centered on a Clone Wars Star Destroyer that the PCs had stolen for the Rebel Alliance.  To help with the visual cues, I had several Star Wars Miniatures of that star destroyer around the table, along with models for the X-Wings and Y-Wings the PCs were flying.  True to form, the players would pick up the models, manipulate them, fidget with them, and it helped them get into character and focus on the game.

I know gamers who even have a tradition of making a Lego Models of the PC’s and their group’s main transport.  I recommend this is you’ve got the time and extra bricks lying around.  Besides, I firmly believe you’re never too old for Legos.

Finally, lighsabers.  Sure, you can get the Force FX sabers that are out there for $100 each, or search online for one of a couple Custom Saber Shops that sell machined parts and wiring kits to make your own saber.  You don’t need to drop a lot of cash to do this, though.  Head out to your local hardware store and pick up a 12” Kitchen Sink tube, a 1.5” pipe end cap or two, a flicker switch from Radioshack, and when you change your wiper blades cut the old ones into ten equal lengths.  Put them all together with the wiper blade lengths perfectly spaced around one end of the tube, just like Darth Vader’s lightsaber hilt, and you’ve got yourself a cheap, decent lightsaber hilt my friends.
There’s no 3 foot blade to whack the person sitting next to you.  I leave it to you to decide if that’s a feature or a drawback.

That’s it for this week, my prop playing pals!  If you have any questions, send them along to d20darth@gmail.com.  Until next time, Gamer Nation; 20 side up, 1 side down.

Originally aired on the Order 66 Podcast #110 "The Last Droid Starfighter"

Episode 55: Deep Space Raider

I’m Darth GM, and “Here We Go” with Episode 55 of Fragments from the Rim.

Luke Skywalker is my favorite character from the Star Wars saga, because of two reasons.  First, he’s a Jedi Knight, and Jedi are freakin’ cool.  Second, he’s a fighter pilot, and fighter pilots are also freakin’ cool.  So this week I’m taking a look at a new Spacer talent from page 21 of the Unknown Regions, Deep Space Raider.

To take this talent, you need to have the Spacehound and the Starship Raider talents from the Scoundrel’s Spacer talent tree.  The talent grants three options for character to use in an encounter.

The first option is called Clear a Path; spend a standard action to make a ranged attack.  If the attack hits, on their next turn the target must move it’s speed to a square that’s not adjacent to you.  If the target is an enemy starfighter engaged in a dogfight, it must spend it’s next turn trying to break from that dogfight.  It says you can use this option while aboard a starship, not just while piloting a starship, so this ability can be used by ship gunners, or at the character scale when you’re character is fighting aboard a starship or space station, just like the Starship Raider talent.

This option is great at character scale to keep any enemy melee fighters or grapplers off you for a round.  It’s also very handy at starship scale to help free your fellow pilots from annoying dogfights.  Also note that it says “if the attack hits”.  So even if it’s negated by shields, DR or Deflect abilities, they still have to move away.

The second option is Covering Fire.  This one requires you to be piloting a vehicle, it doesn’t specify starships, so any vehicle will do.  As a full round action you may move up to twice the vehicle’s speed and make a single ranged attack roll with one of the pilot-controlled weapons at any point during that movement.  If you hit and deal damage to a vehicle with the attack, that vehicle takes a -2 penalty to attack rolls against your vehicle until the end of your next turn.

This is a great resource for speeding your ship (or speeder, or AT-AT...) from one point to another and still making an attack against a threatening enemy along your path.  The debuff to your opponent’s attack roll is a nice touch too, and will help out if they decide to return fire.

The last option is Disabling Fire.  Make a ranged attack with a vehicle weapon...(there’s that phrase “vehicle” again)...against a vehicle.  If you hit and damage the vehicle you may choose one of the following to take effect until the end of your next turn: one of the target’s weapons ceases to function, the target’s SR is reduced to Zero, the target’s hyperdrive is disabled, or the target’s speed is reduced to 2 squares.

Now this, me like!  A bevy of choices!  Fighting an AT-AT?  Disable those annoying heavy blaster cannons for a round!  Drop the shields on an enemy ship and let the rest of your squadron-mates enjoy a round of attacks without shields reducing their damage!  Prevent that BBEG from escaping into hyperspace for one more crucial round, or simply slow down their ship and allow your friends to swarm it.

Disabling Fire is another option that doesn’t specify pilot-weapons, so all you gunners out there could use this option too.

This talent fits very nicely into a build involving a Han Solo, blockade-runner type of character, or as a Wedge Antilles, starfighter squadron pilot character.  It’s also nice for those Baron Fel type opponents, too.

If you’re picking up Spacehound and Starship Raider, take a close look at adding this talent to your list.

That’s all for this week, my fellow Deep Space Raiders!  If you have any questions, send them along to d20darth@gmail.com.  Until next time, Gamer Nation; 20 side up, 1 side down.

Originally aired on the Order 66 Podcast #109 "Calls from the Dark Side"

Episode 54: Force Blast

For my own benefit, as well as those who may want to find the text of things without needing to go through the actual podcast episode, I'm transcribing all of my Fragments from the Rim segments that I recorded for the Order 66 podcast.


I'm Darth GM, and this is Episode 54 of Fragments from the Rim.

Saga players have been given a wide variety of Force Powers over the past few years.  Some Force Powers are less effective than others by themselves, but with the right build those same powers can shine, or at least make your character’s opponents sit up at take notice.  One such power appears on page 86 of the Force Unleashed Campaign Guide, and is a signature ability of Galen “Starkiller” Marek in the Force Unleashed video games; Force Blast.


Force Blast targets one target within 12 squares.  You make a Use the Force check and compare it to the Reflex defense of the target.  If you exceed the target’s Reflex Defense, you deal damage to the target.  The result of the Use the force check determines the damage, from 2d6 at DC 15 up to 5d6 at DC 30.  You can spend a Force Point to add one-half your character level as a damage bonus just as you would with a normal weapon.


By itself, Force Blast is rather sub-par to other damaging powers, like Move Object.  Move Object on comparable die rolls deals more damage, and if you use one opponent as the “object”, you can deal significant damage to two opponents by knocking them together.  One advantage Force Blast has is that it’s not listed as a Telekinetic power, which means cover will not protect your target as long as you have line of sight, but by itself that’s not enough to beat out the utility of Move Object.


So how can Force Blast shine?  There are no Techniques that directly modify Force Blast, but there is a talent in the Felucian Shaman Talent Tree that can really give this power some serious punch.  The Detonate talent allows you to spend a Force Point to turn your Force Blast into a 2 square splash attack.  When you do, you compare the result of the Use the Force check to all characters, creatures, or droids within 2 squares of the original target.  Interestingly enough, it’s not considered an area attack against the primary target, but is against the secondary ones.  If you fail to beat the secondary target’s Reflex defense, you still deal half-damage to them.


You have to be a Felucian force-user to get access to this talent at low levels, but any Jedi Master, Sith Lord, or Force Disciple can pick this up as one of their Prestige Class Talents.  For a 13th level force user, rolling 25-30 with a Use the Force check is simple, allowing your Jedi Master, or your GM’s Sith Lord, to drop some rather considerable area damage to the battlefield.  5d6 damage to a 2 square splash area isn’t a take down, but it is something most opponents won’t ignore.


It’s a combo to think about if you’re playing a high-level campaign or one-shot, or if you’re planning on sending some Felucian Shamans up against your PC party.


That’s it for this week.  If you have any questions or comments, please send them to d20Darth@gmail.com.  Until next time Gamer Nation, 20 side up, 1 side down.

Originally Aired during Order 66 Podcast #108 "LFG"

Friday, November 5, 2010

YV-100 Light Freighter


One of the things I've been working on and contributing to the Gamer Nation at large have been maps of ship interiors for use with the Star Wars Roleplaying game.  Inspired by the published works of Map Designer Christopher West, I've only done a few thus far.  I've been pretty happy with the results of my endeavors.

Here's my latest one; the YV-100.  Designed by Corellian Engineering Corporation, it's design takes a nod from CEC's highly popular YT-1300 design.  One of the bit of "fluff" about this ship is that, unlike other CEC Designs, it's not as modular or easy to modify as the ships from the "YT" series.



WotC never published Saga Edition stats for this ship, but Darth_Scorpion on the d20 Radio forums came up with these home-brewed stats, which I approve.

Corellian Engineering Corporation YV-100 Transport CL 7
Colossal space transport
Init -5; Senses Perception +5
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Defences Ref 13 (Flat-footed 13), Fort 28; +13 armour
hp 150; DR 15; SR 15; Threshold 78
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Speed Fly 12 squares (max. velocity 880 km/h), fly 2 squares (starship scale)
Ranged Fire-linked (2) Light Blaster Cannons +2 (see below) and
Ranged Fire-linked (2) Medium Laser Cannons +4 (see below)
Fighting Space 12x12 or 1 square (starship scale); Cover Total
Base Atk +0; Grp +38
Atk Options Autofire (Light Blaster Cannons, Medium Laser Cannons), Fire-link (Light Blaster Cannons, Medium Laser Cannons)
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Abilities Str 46, Dex 10, Con --, Int 14
Skills Initiative -5, Mechanics +5, Perception +5, Pilot -5, Stealth -15, Use Computer +5
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Crew 2 (normal); Passengers 10
Cargo 150 tons; Consumables 6 months; Carried Craft None
Hyperdrive x3 (backup x12), navicomputer
Availability Licensed; Cost 150'000 (50'000 used)
Emplacement Points 5

Fire-linked (2) Light Blaster Cannons (Gunner)
Atk +2 (-3 autofire), Dmg 4d10x2

Fire-linked (2) Medium Laser Cannons (Pilot)
Atk +4 (-1 autofire), Dmg 5d10x2


Designer Notes
[*]The ships Dexterity score, but as it is a light freighter I didn't see it being particularly manoeuvrable and gave it the same score that the YT-1300 has
[*]Free Emplacement Points. As the YV series was remarked as being less adaptable than the YT-series, I decided to give the ship half the number of free EP that a YT-series ship has
[*]The Laser Cannons being controlled by the pilot, though it seems a reasonable solution

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Incoming Transmission

So I've gone out and made a blog page. 

Some would wonder why I've done this, given that I've had an LiveJournal Account for over 10 years now.  I don't really have a great answer for that, except to say that this blog page will allow me to put out some more "professional" or "finished" items.  No memes, quirky commentary on the day, or depression over missing the latest Bosstones Hometown Throwdown. 

Instead, the blog will mirror and enhance the contributions I make to the geeky community at large; segments for the Order 66 Podcast, additions to my various campaigns over at Obsidian Portal, and status on my various projects for the 501st Legion.  Maybe even some of my artwork. 

So here we go...