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Jedi Counseling 3: NJO Ships | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Your own personal Yoda returns with another batch of wisdom for the faithful! In this installment of "Jedi Counseling," Star Wars Roleplaying Game designer JD Wiker answers player questions about using feats in starship combat, bringing Yuuzhan Vong armor and thud bugs in line with the new rules, the Sense Surroundings Force technique, converting ships from The New Jedi Order Sourcebook to the new rules, how long it takes to run around inside your ship, and more! Have a question for the counselor? See the link at the end of the column!
Q: I don't understand how to repair damage to starship shields. In the Battle Damage chart on page 216 of the revised core rulebook, the table gives rules for hull damage sufficient to damage shield generators. However, what happens when the shields are reduced to zero, but the damage is not sufficient to damage the hull? Are the generators damaged, ionized, or what? A: The shields are simply reduced to zero, but as long as the engines are still functioning, the shields begin recharging, automatically, right away, as per the rules just below Table 11-9. If you're in a hurry, though, a member of the crew can restore depleted shield points as a move action, as explained in the "Heroes as Crew" rules on page 225.
Q: If I'm the pilot of a YT-1300 freighter and I want to reroute power, can I do that from the cockpit? If not, how long does it take to get to the engines or wherever I need to go to do that? A: I've always ruled that in a starfighter, the pilot in the cockpit has access to controls for all of the ship's "stations." That is, he can pilot the ship, operate the guns, shields, and sensors, or reroute power -- all from the cockpit. If the pilot wants to jury-rig a repair, the GM has to decide whether the pilot can do it from the cockpit based on the type of repair. On a space transport, only the piloting controls, sensors, and shield controls are in the cockpit. If a character in the cockpit wants to operate the guns, jury-rig a repair, or reroute power, it takes him a full-round action to bolt back to the appropriate station. By the same token, it takes a full-round action to go from any of those stations to any of the other stations -- including returning to the cockpit. The bridge of a capital ship is a different story. There is a post for every station, but in the case of gunnery, engineering, and shields, the actual work is done somewhere else aboard the ship. A character who leaves the bridge for one of these other stations, or who moves from station to station aboard the ship (again, including returning to the bridge) spends at least 5 rounds -- and on some ships, as much as a full minute -- getting there. Further, moving between posts on the bridge requires a move action; they're just not that close together, in most cases.
Q: My Jedi character wields two lightsabers. He just recently became a Jedi Knight and selected the Lightsaber Defense Feat. Does he get the +2 dodge bonus twice, one for each blade?
A: No. The feat doesn't provide a dodge bonus for each lightsaber the character wields. In that regard, one lightsaber is no different than four.
Q: After a ship takes ion damage in combat, how soon can the crew attempt a Repair roll to get rid of the penalty? And is it a move action, a full-round action, or what? A: The crew can attempt to repair the ion damage as soon as their turn comes up in the initiative order again. The Repair check takes one full round.
Q: I'm glad to see that the revised core rulebook treats armor as Damage Reduction. But I have The New Jedi Order Sourcebook, and the Yuuzhan Vong armor in there already has Damage Reduction. How do I convert that armor to the new rules? And the same goes for the dark armor in The Dark Side Sourcebook -- and the orbalisk armor, too. A: For Yuuzhan Vong armor, use the DR listed in The New Jedi Order Sourcebook, and add +1 to the DR for each full three points of defense bonus provided by the armor. As for dark armor, note that Table 4-2 in The Dark Side Sourcebook states that the Damage Reduction effects of dark armor aren't cumulative with other DR. You'd take the better of the two, which would almost always be the dark armor's DR. So, for example, if you had a suit of medium battle armor given the best possible Damage Reduction by Sith alchemy, it would provide DR 10 -- but not DR 15, since the Damage Reduction isn't cumulative. For orbalisk armor, simply convert the Defense Bonus provided by the armor into Damage Reduction.
Q: Yuuzhan Vong thud bugs don't work under the new rules when it comes to deflecting them. They have a DC for a saving throw, but it says they can be deflected with a lightsaber, which requires an attack roll. A: Use the following revised text, which makes it possible for Jedi to use their deflect ability against a thud bug.
Thud bugs are nasty little bioengineered weapons that, when released, fly toward the nearest enemy at a speed of 10 meters (perfect maneuverability). A thud bug provides a +5 equipment bonus on the hurler's ranged attack bonus and deals 2d6 points of bludgeoning damage with a successful hit. Furthermore, a struck target must succeed at a Strength check (DC 15) or be knocked prone. The thud bug continues to attack each round until it hits the target, it is destroyed, or the target falls prone, at which point the thud bug becomes dormant. Attacks after the first are treated as melee attacks, made by the thud bug itself. An activated or dormant thud bug has no vitality points or hardness, 1 wound point, a +5 melee attack bonus, no effective ranged attacks, and Defense 19 (+5 Dex, +4 size).
Q: Exactly what feats can a player utilize in starship combat? If I am to take the game literally, it appears as though Starship Dodge, Starship Operations, Rapid Shot, and the appropriate skill-enhancing feats are the only feats specifically mentioned as having an effect on starship combat. If a feat isn't specifically mentioned, can it be used? For example, can players use Combat Expertise (to increase starship Defense), Heroic Surge, Improved Initiative, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot (to shoot into a dogfight), or Shot on the Run? What about the Force Feats? A: You should take some time to re-read the feat descriptions a bit more literally. Combat Expertise states that the bonus applies when you make an attack action or full attack action in melee. So, no, it doesn't apply. Heroic Surge simply lets a character make another move or attack, but has no other restrictions, so it does apply. The same goes for Improved Initiative. Point Blank Shot, on the other hand, says that the target has to be within 10 meters. If two ships are that close to each other in starship combat, then sure, you could get the bonus. Precise Shot talks about opponents engaged in melee, just like Combat Expertise. Shot on the Run is perhaps the only one that isn't clear about whether it means personal ranged weapons or any ranged weapons. But it does, in fact, refer to personal ranged weapons, and therefore doesn't apply in starship combat.
Q: Thanks for the conversion of starship speeds from all the old sourcebooks to the new starship rules. But I think you missed one. I didn't see any of the ships from The New Jedi Order Sourcebook. A: Oops! You're right. Here's the ship data you need from that book:
Q: Does Force Mastery allow you to reduce the move-equivalent action penalty from Deflect to a free action? A: It doesn't apply. While Deflect costs the Jedi a move action, that "cost" is merely a limitation on your future actions.
Q: I'm playing a Miraluka Jedi from the Power of the Jedi Sourcebook, and there's something I don't understand. How long does the Sense Surroundings Force technique last?
A: It normally lasts 10 rounds, but it's effectively an indefinite period for Miraluka, since they don't pay a vitality cost to activate it.
Q: What's the maximum range for Sense Surroundings? And can it "see through" walls? A: It's pretty much the same as the range for normal sight, with the same -1 penalty for every 4 meters between you and what you are trying to "see." Yes, Sense Surroundings allows you to perceive through obstructions, since you are seeing through the Force.
Q: Does Sense Surroundings let you see in all directions at once? A: "Direction" is a deceptive word in d20 games. There is no facing in combat. So, in a way, everyone sees in all directions in d20. Thus, no benefit is gained from Sense Surroundings other than the elimination of concealment, darkness, and blindness problems.
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