new house rules

[Reno]

I mentioned most of this during the game today, but I thought I ought to post them here as a reminder. And so bluecommander knows about them too.

1. In order to rein in the insanity that has become the Aid Another action, I am limiting this a bit. Only one person may Aid on a particular skill. They must declare their aid before the skill check is rolled, and if the skill is trained only, they must have ranks in it.
Also, in order to aid someone, you must describe how you are aiding them. For example, you could aid a Pilot check by sitting in the copilot seat (if there is one) and manning it. Or you could aid in a Treat Injury check by holding down the patient, passing tools, or something like that.

2. Also, by the next time we play, I would like each of the players to take a sheet of scrap paper or whatever, write out all their gear, including weapons, and list where it is stored. If it's carried on the body, I want specifics. Is your blaster tucked into your belt, or holstered at your hip, or hidden in your boot? Do you carry your grenades in belt pouches, or did you leave them in a weapons locker on your ship?
Unless you specify otherwise beforehand (i.e. "I am taking two frag grenades with me in my pants pockets"), your equipment will always be assumed to be in this "default" location. This should eliminate any "do you have X item with you?" confusion.

[fenris]

Not a problem. i pretty much already have this in mineall though an official list wouldn't hurt.

[Reno]

A couple more things I'm going to change:

1. Trying too hard to stick to continuity with the movies and books is out. So if you happen across Darth Vader and manage to cut off his head with a lightsaber, then he's dead. I'm still not really expecting you guys to become the heroes of Endor in place of Luke, Leia, Han and Chewie, but it's not impossible either. Basically the game's going to go where the game's going to go, and whatever changes as a result of that, will change.

2. I'm throwing out the rule that your character becomes an NPC if you get too many DSPs. I don't think it's necessary anymore, and I don't want it to affect the roleplaying too much, causing a player to change what the character would do just because it would garner a DSP. However, do not take this as a license to just kill random people for practically no reason (Rude, I'm looking at you).

Also, I am applying some class variants from the Jedi Counseling updates on the wotc website. From Jedi Counseling 90 come the following changes to Fringer:

Variant: Fringer Damage Reduction

After years of surviving in the wildest regions of the galaxy, fringers develop an uncanny ability to shrug off damage that might be lethal to others. At 15th level, they gain damage reduction 1. At 17th level, this improves to damage reduction 2, and at 20th level, this improves to damage reduction 3. Unlike damage reduction from armor, this ability applies to all damage, not just wound damage.

Variant: Wild Empathy

Many fringers live surrounded by animals, both domesticated and wild, and this experience gives them an almost instinctive connection to some creatures. A fringer can improve the attitude of a herd animal, predator, or scavenger. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check to improve the attitude of a character. The fringer rolls 1d20 and adds his fringer level and his Charisma bonus to determine the wild empathy check result. The typical domestic creature has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild creatures are usually unfriendly.

To use wild empathy, the ranger and the creature must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 10 meters of one another under normal visibility conditions. Generally, influencing a creature in this way takes 1 minute, but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time.

The fringer can also use this ability to influence a parasite or vermin, but he takes a –4 penalty on the check. A fringer cannot use this ability to influence a creature with the highly-evolved template. Such creatures can be influenced only with the Diplomacy skill.

If a fringer uses the Friendship Force skill to influence a creature, he gains a synergy bonus to the skill check equal to his fringer class level.

Variant: Fast Movement

For many fringers, the primary method of getting from place to place is walking. As such, they develop a longer stride and faster pace than average. Beginning at 6th level, a fringer's land speed is faster than the norm for his species by +2 meters. This benefit applies only when he is wearing no armor, light armor, or medium armor and not carrying a heavy load. Apply this bonus before modifying the fringer's speed because of any load carried or armor worn.

At 11th level, the fringer's land speed increases by an additional +2 meters (+4 meters total), and at 16th level, his land speed increases by a final +2 meters (+6 meters total).

For example, a 16th-level Human fringer carrying a light load would have a base speed of 16 meters when unarmored or wearing light armor, and a base speed of 14 meters when wearing medium armor.


And from Jedi Counseling 77, some changes to Tech Specialist:

Variant: Tech Specialist Bonus Feats

In this variant rule, the tech specialist class gets bonus feats at 1st, 6th, 12th, and 18th level, chosen from the following list: Artistic*, Cautious, Cybernetic Surgery*, Dodge, Gearhead, Inventor*, Kit-Bashing*, Low Profile, Sharp-Eyed, Spacer, Starship Dodge, Starship Operation, Surgery, Technical Wizard*, Weapon Group Proficiency (blaster pistols), Zero-G Training. The tech specialist still must meet all prerequisites for the feat to select it. This change allows the tech specialist to be proficient with blaster pistols at 1st level if desired.

* Feat found in the Hero's Guide.



Variant: Stacking Tech Specialties

In this variant rule, the Tech Specialty ability is changed so that each time the character gets it, he selects one new specialty at +1, and all previous specialties also increase by +1 (to a maximum of +3). Thus, after a character has gained six Tech Specialty abilities, he'll have four at +3, one at +2, and one at +1. This encourages the tech specialist to select his chosen specialties early in his career, but he can still gain competence and even mastery of more than a few different specialties over time.



Variant: Cheaper Mastercrafting

In this variant, the XP requirement for mastercraft items is reduced to 1/100th of the cost of the item. The Inventor feat from the Hero's Guide reduces this to 1/150th of the cost of the item. This change makes the XP cost of mastercraft items more in line with the equivalent XP cost for making magic items in Dungeons & Dragons.



Variant: More Tech Specialist Skill Points

In this variant, the tech specialist receives (6 + Int modifier) x 4 skill points at 1st level, and 6 + Int modifier skill points at each additional level. The tech specialist class skill list is not changed.

[black heart]

heh, i'm glad you've decided to stop trying to keep things in canon, it always kinda bugged me that we where in a universe and could effect anything...and thats one of the greatest things about role playing games, seeing how you change the world around you, and the consequences of our actions, be them good or bad.

[Reno]

Okay, one more houserule: I'm now expanding the Force Secret ability of Jedi Master and allowing more choices:

Increase the bonus provided by enhance ability by +2 (but add 2 to the vitality point cost because this skill is WAY powerful)

Increase the damage dealt by Force Grip or Force Lightning by +1

Increase the saving throw DC of any Force skill requiring a Will save by +1.

Any of these Force Secrets may be chosen multiple times, except for the bonus to Enhance Ability, which may only be chosen once.

black heart, I don't know if Sin has levels in Jedi Master, but if he does you can change your Force Secret if you want to. Just let me know if you do.

bluecommander, you can do the same for Telos if you want to. Again, just let me know.

[black heart]

eh, he'll have a lvl in it sooner or later...

[Reno]

Are you still a straight Guardian?

[black heart]

...saddly yes, i ran intoi a few skill problims

[bluecommander]

So for each 1 pick of force secret you can get +2 to enhance ability bonus? For a cumulative +2 vitality cost, right? Please clarify this

[Reno]

Oh no, I specified that the Enhance Ability force secret can only be chosen once. It adds +2 to the bonus but +2 to the vitality as well. Allowing multiple picks of Enhance Ability would be too much, I'm afraid.

[bluecommander]

Oh this is excellent news for I previously had Telos statted the same way but using both his force secret picks. With this rule he can basically have the same ability with a slight raise in cost and have yet more power. I'll get right on it! ;D

[Reno]

I recently discovered that, contrary to what I have believed since I started playing this game, you can in fact take the Force-Sensitive feat after level 1, according to the rules. Therefore, I am instituting the following house rule:

The Force-Sensitive feat may only be taken at 1st level.

;D

[black heart]

eh, its just one of those things that makes sense

[Reno]

Which is part of why I thought it was the rule already.