Forceful Addictions: The Jedi Knight, Part 5

You may have noticed a lack of blog-posting last week.  I went on a much needed vacation with my impending wife-to-be and her son to the land of The Mouse.  I started writing this post on Sunday the 24th at 4:45am in Logan Airport while waiting for my plane to take off.  I thought I could get it done and ready for your enjoyment on the 28th.  Clearly, I was mistaken.

Sorry about that.  Better a week late than not at all, though.

So two weeks ago I wrote about seven of the thirteen Obligations your Jedi could have for an Edge of the Empire campaign.  This week, I'll finish off the list of my suggestions.  Once again, I will be tapping into the resource and additional suggestions presented by Sterling Hershey.  His own blogpost a few weeks ago gave us some great suggestions for Obligations for any character, and helped clarify what could be a minor Obligation and what could be a major one.

Tricky Jedi

We're starting to get into the realm of Obligations that might not be such an obvious fit for a Jedi, but as I wrote in my last post any of these Obligations can work, and work well if you're willing to be a little creative in what the Obligation means.

Addiction: Jedi are typically known for their purity of body and mind.  The idea of a Jedi addicted to a substance isn't a typical one, but it not outside of the realm of possibility.  What's more likely, and dangerous in the long run, is that the Jedi is addicted to something more ethereal.  He could have a compulsion to being a hero, so he will constantly try to leap into danger a every opportunity he can to display his heroism.  He could be addicted to Force use, and will use the Force to solve just about any and every problem he encounters.



She doesn't look so evil with green blades...



A 5-point addiction is one that will come up occasionally, maybe the Jedi can control his urges better and only succumbs if he feels he hasn't had a good opportunity to be heroic.  A 15-point addiction means the Jedi is constantly being bold to the point of recklessness, or using the Force for trivial matters.  The strain from this comes from withdrawals, and from the Jedi's superiors expressing their concern and caution against the Jedi's actions.

Buying down this Obligation means that some of the Master's concerns are sinking in, and the Jedi starts acting more responsibly.  If the Jedi doesn't work to reduce this Obligation, he could incur an additional Dutybound or Responsibility obligation, or possibly a Betrayal one if they get expelled from the Jedi Order because of it.



Betrayal: This is the first Obligation that gives me pause; it's a tricky one for a Jedi to have, but not impossible.  What if the Jedi was an heir to a noble title and land, like Count Dooku.  If the character's family lost their standing because of the character joining the order, there may be relatives who blame the Jedi and wish to extract some form of revenge.  The Jedi could have informed on a fellow student who was doing dangerous things, like trying to access the Sith Holocrons in the Jedi Temple.  The student could have been expelled from the Jedi, and is now looking for some payback.  What if the Jedi's former Master betrayed the Jedi and left the Order, and now the PC is trying to make amends for their masters actions and working to bring their Master to justice?



I'll never forgive him for killing Mara...



Blackmail: Someone has something on your Jedi.  Maybe you engaged in an illicit affair with someone, and someone else found out about it.  That sort of thing could get you a reprimand if it's a small obligation, or expelled from the Order if it's a severe Obligation.  Your Jedi could have a nasty track record of Using the Force to get his way, through improper use of Mind Tricks or a tenacity for Force Choking people.  What if someone like a holonews reporter recorded it, and now wants to use you to get inside information on the goings on in the Jedi Temple?  The reduction of this Obligation could be the Jedi doing something that cancels out the obligation, or destroying the evidence the other party has.  They could even reveal their secret, thus removing the Blackmail obligation and replacing it with another.

 Bounty: One of my favorites, because it will inevitably and likely lead to someone in heavy body armor and a jetpack rocketing in out of nowhere and opening fire on the Jedi.  This is also a step up from the "Crime" obligation from last post, where not only has the Jedi offended some local personage or law, but so severely that they now have a bounty on their heads.  It could also mean that the Jedi is so good at her role as Protector of the Republic that some criminal organization has decided they'd be better off without her as a foil to their enterprises.

Debt and Favor:  These two almost go hand in hand, so I'll cover them both at the same time.  A Jedi rarely needs money, but you could be stuck on some Outer Rim dustball with a broken hyperdrive, and maybe your attempt to bet on the local podrace went not as expected.  Or perhaps you cut out the preamble of gambling and borrow the funds needed on credit. 

Depending on the Era, a Debt Obligation might not last very long before turning into some other obligation.  If the Jedi Council is still around, they might be able to wipe out the debt entirely, with the cost being the placement of additional obligations on the character.  If the Jedi Council isn't around, or isn't as economically solvent as they are during the Golden Age of the Republic, a Debt obligation could stick around for quite some time, or quickly turn into a Favor obligation if the Jedi cannot pay.  You're much more likely to get a Jedi to honor their debts by exchange for services rather than get credits out of them, but sometimes getting a Jedi to look in on your issues can be worth the debt.

High Obligation, Low Obligation

Edge of the Empire says that a low party obligation means that criminals might not talk to you, but reputable people will, and a high party obligation means the opposite.  How can this be explained by a Jedi in the party factoring into this matter?  It might not have to.  I could see a Gm granting a reduction to the effective Group Obligation total of 10 or 20 if the person trying to do the talking is the Jedi.  I could also see it not working differently at all.  A Jedi with a high Obligation party may be seen as too fanatic to the Order (Dutybound or Responsibility) or too much of a politically liability (Crime, Bounty, Betrayal).  Criminal elements may be intrigued why someone with the Jedi's reputation wants to speak to them, or feel the Jedi possesses qualities they can exploit, which explains their willingness to speak to Jedi groups with a high Obligation.

Just about finished...

This might be the last post for the Jedi Career until the Edge of the Empire core rulebook comes out, rumored to arrive sometime in April.  Then I'll go back and update the Talent Trees if need-be based on what changes FFG made to the talents.  Until then I've got some costuming to do and a special project I'm working on with my former podcasting co-host, Fiddleback.  Should be an interesting and exciting spring!