The Force Shall Free Me (Star Wars AU!)

[VonDoom]

I haven't finished a full Sith background or character draft or yet since a lot of things are still up in the air for this game, but wanted to see how I might set up this kind of character from a FATE perspective. This assumes the Sith premise I described earlier, but doesn't really reference it - that'd come with a full background and personality writeup.

Kryn Narec

Male Human (Rattataki Crossbreed)
Origin: Rattatak
Age: 37
Height: 6'2
Weight: 250 lbs with cybernetic arm, 225 lbs without
Eyes: light blue

High Concept
Fallen Sith Apprentice
Trouble
Power of the Dark Side - Lost But Not Forgotten
Aspects
Mercenary Background
Jedi Must Be Purged
Prosthetic Arm

Stunts
Fierce Gaze: Gain a +2 bonus to Persuasion rolls used to make mental attacks while intimidating a target.
Strong Willed: Gain a +2 bonus to Will to defend against mental attacks from uses of the Force.
Form I: Shii-Cho: Gain a +2 bonus to Fighting rolls when creating a Disarmed aspect (requires lightsaber)
(Stunts taken from Rian M. Danks Star Wars Fate Edition)

Aspect Details
Fallen Sith Apprentice: Kryn's connection to the Force was blocked by a Jedi Knight with the rare Sever Force ability. Unable to tap into his Force abilities, he was imprisoned and lost his status as successor to the Sith traditions. If this connection were to somehow be restored, he regains access to the usual range of abilities associated with trained Force Wielders and the Sith. As a former apprentice, he has intimate knowledge of the Dark Side and the true history of the galaxy that the Jedi seek to censor.

Power of the Dark Side - Lost But Not Forgotten: Much of Kryn's former training relies on judicious usage of the Force to augment his own capabilities. Having to make do without has left him less than he was. The easy path still holds temptation, as does the promise of power. Strong passions run as deep as ever and are more difficult to reign in due to the added frustrations of his diminished state.

Mercenary Background: Kryn's birthplace of Rattatak is a place of many conflicts and he was raised from a young age in a mercenary troop until the age of 15, when he was discovered and recruited by a Sith Lord. This leaves him with some connections he would not have had otherwise and old lessons to recall now that he has need of them.

Jedi Must Be Purged: Kryn is a firm believer in Sith philosophy and draws strength from it still. His hatred for Jedi runs deep and pushes him to greater and greater heights.

Prosthetic Arm: Everyone knows Force Users like to chop off arms. Kryn's right arm is gone -- luckily, it was never his dominant hand. He now wears a combat model prosthetic arm, with a variety of lethal functions such as fingertip blades, poison injectors, an Arkanian energy shield -- and of course the unnatural movement range mechanical joints can afford. Or he would if he wasn't in prison and it hadn't been replaced with a crude droid-arm designed for manual labor. Whoops.

[BlackStone]

I am going to bow out.  I am not a fan of the Fate role play at all.  Looks like there is more than enough interest so wish the best of luck.

[VonDoom]

I don't think it's been decided what system it is yet, I was just creating the profile for demonstrative purposes.  :-)

[Cataclysmic Archangel]

I'm on the fence also, as I really wasn't interested in a new system.  I understand that not everyone wants Saga either, so whatever happens happens.

Edit:  the same goes with any concepts.  I'd rather see that we have enough players, too.  Since Wiggle mentioned sexy twi'lek apprentice, perhaps it even falls into something of an all force user campaign... giving us all a reason to be locked up, rounded up from castaways from the new Order or something.  I'm not ruling anything out.  Yet.

[Rajah]

Hi, here, interested. I'd like to do something like maybe a Force-sensitive bounty hunter. Perhaps he was handed a mandatory Imperial contract that he then defaulted on out of conscience. Told to help suppress a protest with lethal force or the like. Wants to get out of prison for obvious reasons, and also perhaps because there's people there he's helped lock up (maybe even another PC?). Perhaps he has a personal grudge against some member of the Empire or the Jedi Order that motivates him, or perhaps he funnels credits somewhere - a fledgling colony, a laundry list of ex-wives, maybe a Jedi temple somewhere that raised him - or he has some other issue. Partial 'possession' by a Force ghost or a cyborg implant or the influence of a Sith holocron; maybe he wasn't a bounty hunter but rather a failed Shadow Droid candidate, in prison until he can be destroyed or re-educated or they figure out how to stuff him properly into one of those ships. Or maybe he was a Jedi sentinel, if someone's looking for a not-Sith mentor. Just tossing ideas out. A collector and specialist in exotic melee weaponry, the lightsaber of course included. Probably not Mandalorian.

I'm especially interested in a FATE game (or freeform), sorry Saga fans; it's not that I don't like Saga, it's that I think FATE is generally better for online gaming and, to be honest, handles Star Wars as a setting better. It's just so smooth and versatile.

For anyone who's unfamiliar, it's very easy to pick up and very friendly to play with. It's also free! As a specific appeal to Arcannyx, in reference to your soldier idea, you can take whatever equipment you want in FATE - there's no currency/level-based restriction, that all gets handwaved. In fact you could take an iconic weapon or even the concept of being heavily armed as an Aspect, and thereby ensure you can't be deprived of your gear more than momentarily.

[Cataclysmic Archangel]

As a specific appeal to Arcannyx, in reference to your soldier idea, you can take whatever equipment you want in FATE - there's no currency/level-based restriction, that all gets handwaved. In fact you could take an iconic weapon or even the concept of being heavily armed as an Aspect, and thereby ensure you can't be deprived of your gear more than momentarily.

When the DM starts by saying we may be in jail, I take nothing for granted when it comes to equipment.

But thank you for the link, I'll take a look.

[Guancyto]

So, apologies to the SAGA fans, but Fate seems like a better system for what I'm trying to run here. So we're going with that!

Let's see. Lots of weapons. Well, on the one hand, private prisons make their money in part by pushing the guard/prisoner ratio to hilariously dangerous levels, which generally means a lot of contraband slipping through the net.

On the other hand, this is the spacefuturepast, so they're liable to have a lot better force multipliers than we have over on this side of the infinite void. Expect a lot of droids and scanners, so what equipment you have should have a reason why it hasn't been detected and confiscated. (Of course, if you have a "big-ass arsenal" aspect, what constitutes a big-ass arsenal while you're in prison is very different from what it means outside, but that doesn't mean you can't have it).

Likewise, if you do want to play a depowered Sith apprentice, it would be nice to have a good reason why he isn't in permanent solitary confinement, stasis, or otherwise being watched like a hawk.

I absolutely would be okay with an all-force-user campaign, where the players are mostly or entirely latent adepts who have gone hitherto unnoticed. Possibly force sensitivity is more common than previously thought! (Even without midi-chlorians, it sort of turned into a CRPG trait where some people had it and some people were muggles, while in the original trilogy it was just "the Force is strong with this one" and that was about as much as they said about how it worked in individuals. FATE would allow us, if we wanted, to turn the trend on its head a little.)

[VonDoom]

Likewise, if you do want to play a depowered Sith apprentice, it would be nice to have a good reason why he isn't in permanent solitary confinement, stasis, or otherwise being watched like a hawk.

That's not too hard -- they simply aren't aware, assuming at least that the game starts in a regular prison. The Empire is huge and convoluted, perhaps less convoluted with the Jedi behind them, but they're still stretching over a ridiculously large space. He got away from the Jedi who severed him and managed to flee the planet, returned to his master and was cast out, then captured later when he caused trouble but wasn't recognized.

Glad it's going to be FATE, though! Looking forward to the full setup and getting character sheets done!

[shmone else]

I'm definitely going to buck the trend. The force is for suckers and collaborators! Put the space back in this space fantasy! Power to the people!

I'm pretty familiar with Fate rules and their derivatives. Do you know what, if any, Fate sub-system in particular you were looking at and what kind of character creation rules you'll be using?

[VonDoom]

Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster, kid! -waves-

[Cataclysmic Archangel]

Disappointing.  I'll need to give it some thought, as I really was not looking to learn a new system.  I have to weight if it's worth the effort to get a game in.

And before someone says 'it's a light system!'... someone has already asked which SUB-SYSTEM is being used, and VD already started plucking other systems out of websites and stuff.  So it seems pretty complicated to me.  More so because they're trying to take abstract stuff and make a full framework out of it.

[Rajah]

You can learn both FATE Core and any subsystem of your choice in a single afternoon, so that's how much effort it'll take. I don't know that the game needs to use any subsystems, though; the Force is handled easy enough as stunts.

There are no other systems VD is plucking, just stunts. They're so easy to use and create (and you're encouraged to do so) that at this juncture the Internet has huge archives of homebrew stunts all over the place.

EDIT: Actually, Arcannyx, even more reassuring: look at VonDoom's character. That's literally almost an entire FATE Core character sheet, just needs skills and three derivative stats. If you can look at that and not be intimidated, the rest is a piece of a cake.

[VonDoom]

Yeah, it's really easy. Those stunts aren't official, they're just helpful offerings for people who are relatively new to Fate (which I still am, despite my enthusiasm). I was just linking it to give the source and in case someone else wanted a look.

You don't even need Stunts for the Force, unless they're particularly iconic for your character or you want a bonus on specific actions for them. Aspects are always true and a Jedi Knight aspect covers all the default Jedi stuff, normally. Superman wouldn't need Stunts for each of his powers. He just points to his 'I'm Superman - Up Up And Away' aspect and does whatever he does.

It's all very descriptive and focuses more on story and narrative.

[Cataclysmic Archangel]

Superman wouldn't need Stunts for each of his powers. He just points to his 'I'm Superman - Up Up And Away' aspect and does whatever he does.

That's actually exactly what I hate it, and have watched quite a few games fall apart because too broadly defined and it just gets confusing.  In your Superman example, it's taking for granted that someone already knows what to expect out of someone or a concept, rather than defining it.  yes, Superman should be something automatic, but it's too easy to have disconnect between what you're thinking when you write down our 'oh, everyone knows what this means' aspect and what I think it might mean.   

[VonDoom]

 The problem you're describing exists, definitely. FATE addressed it through talking/writing about it and getting everyone on the same page. That's the reason I put explanations of what I mean with my various aspects after the actual character sheet.

[Cataclysmic Archangel]

I think I might have an idea.  Working into the system will take some more work, but I have a concept.  Actually, I have a few variations of one concept.

question 1.  Does anyone have a character idea that seems legitimate?  by that I mean more official, less Scum & Villainy?

question 2.  Does anyone think they would need possibly a bodyguard type, with previous connections?  Bonus points for luscious female in this role.

[Iridial]

This sounds interesting, although I'm not really familiar with any of the systems so I'd have some major learning to do. 

My character concept, if allowed, is one I developed a number of years ago but never got really play out.

His name is Yodaru, he is Yoda's twin brother.  While Yoda was fantastic at so much, Yodaru tended to screw a lot of things up.  If the force worked for him, it tended not to get the results he wanted.  Consider living a life where your checks were always somewhere in the 1-5 range of a d20.

It is possible to say he's progressed and has a lot of force potential, but he's certainly no jedi, and doesn't have the control necessary.  As such, and fueled by jealousy of his brother he turned a bit more toward the dark side without being completely dark, or competent.

Thoughts?  Would this work?  Open to suggestions

[Tydorei]

Posting interest. Though I would rather Saga or FFG system. I don't feel like trying to learn the Fate system...

[VonDoom]

This sounds interesting, although I'm not really familiar with any of the systems so I'd have some major learning to do. 

My character concept, if allowed, is one I developed a number of years ago but never got really play out.

His name is Yodaru, he is Yoda's twin brother.  While Yoda was fantastic at so much, Yodaru tended to screw a lot of things up.  If the force worked for him, it tended not to get the results he wanted.  Consider living a life where your checks were always somewhere in the 1-5 range of a d20.

It is possible to say he's progressed and has a lot of force potential, but he's certainly no jedi, and doesn't have the control necessary.  As such, and fueled by jealousy of his brother he turned a bit more toward the dark side without being completely dark, or competent.

Thoughts?  Would this work?  Open to suggestions

Well, I'm not the GM, but while this sort of concept certainly can work, it sounds a bit like something you'd see in a parody. 'The wise old master and his evil but incompetent twin'. Most games also shy away from introducing new family members to canon characters since that's a common Mary Sue fanfiction theme. I don't know Guancyto's stance on these two points, but it's something to keep in mind if you're writing up this character.

Posting interest. Though I would rather Saga or FFG system. I don't feel like trying to learn the Fate system...

It's very simple, far less involved to learn than any d20 system. And we're glad to help you with things. :-)

[Iridial]

Well, I'm not the GM, but while this sort of concept certainly can work, it sounds a bit like something you'd see in a parody. 'The wise old master and his evil but incompetent twin'. Most games also shy away from introducing new family members to canon characters since that's a common Mary Sue fanfiction theme. I don't know Guancyto's stance on these two points, but it's something to keep in mind if you're writing up this character.

Thanks for the tip :)  I'm not married to it, just something that's been in the back of my head for a number of years.  I appreciate the honest input :)

[Rajah]

While we're waiting for character application information / further campaign information, who's definitely in? A lot of maybes.

Me (FS something or other), VonDoom (Sith apprentice), shmone else (somebody not FS), who else?

[Cataclysmic Archangel]

While we're waiting for character application information / further campaign information, who's definitely in? A lot of maybes.

I seriously think the system has become the major issue.  a bunch come in saying they'd like Saga, leave because Fate is declared, then more come in saying they'd prefer Saga.

I had a few ideas, but no one responded when I asked about concepts, so the few ideas I've had are stalled out, so I remain firly maybe until something more official gets mentioned.  It's definitely a high frustration-factor right now.

[VonDoom]

Well, FATE has been declared as the official system, so that question should be settled now. I'd be happy to take a bodyguard down the line when they have escaped, but my character doesn't come with the luscious curves you said you'd prefer. And he probably falls more under the 'villainy' part of the 'scum and villainy' equation.

[Rajah]

d20 doesn't make for happy online gaming, IMHO, even if you really really really like those 5% absolutes.  :P But that aside, you're looking to be a bodyguard, but one that explicitly wouldn't work with VonDoom's character or about half of my ideas, and there's not a lot else except some nibbles at assorted Twi'lek concepts. So alright, I can't help you out with the pretty lady bit, but say I roll something more like a (mildly) disgraced Jedi sentinel or an Imperial political dissident to meet your first requirement. Somebody with essentially noble aims but unorthodox methods (not in the terrorist sense, more in the Qui-Gon sense) who is perhaps a bit on the sardonic side of charismatic and carries grudges against the Empire both ideological and deeply personal.

Tell me more about your pitch. Who are they, aside from blaster magnets? What do they want, what defines them? Is this character a recent hire, an old companion, a descendant of a blood-sworn lineage, et cetera. Now that we're all on basically equal footing, are they the type to maintain their contract/fealty/life-debt/other or are things changing from their perspective?

[VonDoom]

A disgraced Jedi? Heh, that'll be fun, when my character starts off trying to strange him (obviously, he'll be kept from it and will settle down sooner or later since presumably his disgrace means he's a good guy and thus 'acceptable as a counterpoint' if the alternate Sith philosophy I proposed earlier goes through).  ;D