So back on Christmas, I posted up an article listing out a number of homebrewed kyber crystals for use with a character's lightsaber in Fantasy Flight Game's Force and Destiny RPG. And overall, they seemed to be pretty well received.
One thing that did come up was "how do I create a synthetic kyber crystal?" And by extension, how would a PC create a compressed synthetic crystal, which is supposed to be a 'flawed' version of the typical synthetic crystal.
As I noted in the comments section of that post, at the time I wrote those crystals for inclusion an update of my Ways of the Force fan supplement, we didn't really have any sort of constructions rules. However, with the release of the Force and Destiny GM Kit as well as Keeping the Peace, we've actually got rules for building things, specifically lightsaber hilts and sets of armor.
Well, after reviewing both sets of rather different rules, I opted to take the route that best adhered to the long-standing principle of "Keep It Simple Stupid." So, going the path of the construction rules for lightsaber hilts, I've put together this fairly simple process to enable a PC to try and construct their own synthetic kyber crystal.
Creating a Synthetic Kyber Crystal
The process of creating a synthetic kyber crystal requires a geological compressor, which is often far easier to obtain under false pretenses due to its primary usage of replicating geological conditions in a laboratory. The raw materials to form the crystals are also easy to obtain, costing approximately 900 credits with a Rarity of 4. Once acquired, the raw materials are placed within the compressor and essentially left to bake for a period of roughly three days. During this time frame, the Force user creating the crystal would meditate upon it through the Force, guiding the formation of the crystal and increasing its potency. The level of control required over the formation process of the synthetic crystal often proved daunting to raw initiates; perhaps the difficulty and degree of control required lead to the Sith preferring to use synthetic crystals in contrast to the naturally-formed crystals used by most Jedi in their lightsabers?
When a character attempts to create a synthetic kyber crystal, they need to make either a Mechanics of Discipline skill check at a Formidable (dddd) difficulty, adding Force dice equal to their Force Rating to the check. Each Force Point generated can be used to add either success or advantage to the check result.
If the check is successful, then the character has created a synthetic kyber crystal. If the check succeeds with a Triumph or 3 advantage, the player may choose one modification option of their choice to be included with the crystal when it is installed into a lightsaber hilt (it still counts as a successful modification when determining the difficulty of future modifications to the crystal). If the check is successful but generates 3 threat, then the character has created a compressed synthetic crystal. If the check succeeds but generates a Despair, then the character has created a flawed kyber crystal. A failed check results in a crystal that is unsuitable for use in a lightsaber, requiring the character to start over from scratch.
Under most conditions, the synthetic kyber crystal does not have an inherent color until it has been attuned through the Force for installation into a lightsaber hilt. However, if the creator is a dark side Force user, then the lightsaber's blade will default to a shade of crimson, usually the blood red for which the Sith are known and feared. However, the dark side can spend a Triumph from a successful check to create the crystal to have the lightsaber blade be of a different color, though for most followers of the dark side, a red-hued lightsaber is seen as both mastery and commitment to the dark side of the Force.
January 31, 2016
January 16, 2016
Additional Lightsaber Hilt Ideas
So, first post of the new year. Had meant to post something sooner, but didn't happen for one reason or another.
A few entries ago, I posted a small collection of lightsaber crystals for use with FFG's Star Wars: Force and Destiny RPG. Today, I'm following up on that with a few different lightsaber hilts. None of these have seen any degree of serious playtesting, but at the very least they pass the eyeball test of not being too broken.
Crossguard Lightsaber
Considered to be an archaic design by the time of the Galactic Empire, the crossguard lightsaber creates a distinctive appearance over other lightsabers by way of either a single or pair of lateral vents that are placed at a 90-degree angle to the primary blade. When activated, these lateral vents create a smaller blade, forming energy quillions that can be used both offensively and defensively in combat.
This lightsaber is a crossguard lightsaber hilt containing an unmodified Ilum crystal (see page 197 of the Force and Destiny Core Rulebook). This crystal occupies two of the weapon's hard points.
Skill: Lightsaber
Damage: 6; Critical: 2; Range: Engaged
Encumbrance: 1; Hard Points: 4
Price: 9,900 (r); Rarity: 10
Special: Breach 1, Defensive 1, Sunder, Vicious 1
A crossguard lightsaber hilt without a kyber crystal costs 900 credits, has a Rarity of 8, and has the
Defensive 1 and Vicious 1 qualities.
Lightwhip
Rare and exotic even by the standards of lightsabers, the lightwhip operated on the same general principles as a more traditional lightsaber, emitting a coherent beam of energy, with the key difference being that the blade was frequently several meters in length and very flexible. Another difference was that the lightwhip made use of multiple smaller crystals instead of the single focusing crystal used in the majority of lightsaber hilts.
This weapon can be used to make Lightsaber combat checks against targets at up to short range, although the difficulty of the attack remains at Average.
For purposes of gameplay, this weapon is treated as having a single crystal. This lightsaber is a lightwhip hilt containing an unmodified Ilum crystal (see page 197 of the Force and Destiny Core Rulebook). This crystal occupies two of the weapon's hard points.
Skill: Lightsaber
Damage: 5; Critical: 2; Range: Short
Encumbrance: 1; Hard Points:3
Price: 10,500 (r); Rarity: 10
Special: Breach 1, Ensnare 1, Sunder, Unwieldy3
A lightwhip hilt without a kyber crystal costs 1500 credits, has a Rarity of 8, reduces the damage value of any crystal placed in the hilt by one, and has the Ensnare 1 and Unwieldy 3 qualities.
Two-Part Lightsaber
An uncommon though deceptively simple variation on the standard design of a more traditional basic lightsaber hilt, the two-part lightsaber was conceived with stealth in mind, allowing a Jedi to better conceal their signature weapon and avoid drawing attention to themselves while undertaking covert missions for the Jedi Order; a feature that has proven very useful in the dark times of the Empire's reign as Imperial agents scour the galaxy for Jedi renegades. The emitter portion of the two-part lightsaber made to quickly and easily detach to the lightaber's grip, and can be reattached just as quickly, enabling the two pieces to present a far more innocuous appearance when traveling the galaxy; to most inspections, the two components are little more than bits of tech gear that are hardly cause for alarm.
When it is disassembled, add two setback dice to all skill checks to identify the separated components as a weapon. Assembling or disassembling a two-part lightsaber is an incidental, and is treated as a single item for purposes of holstering or drawing the weapon when in its disassembled state.
This lightsaber is a two-part lightsaber hilt containing an unmodified Ilum crystal (see page 197 of the Force and Destiny Core Rulebook). This crystal occupies two of the weapon's hard points.
Skill: Lightsaber
Damage: 6; Critical: 2; Range: Engaged
Encumbrance: 1; Hard Points: 4
Price: 9,450 (r); Rarity: 10
Special: Breach 1, Sunder
A two-part lightsaber hilt without a kyber crystal costs 450 credits and a Rarity of 6.
Blaster-Hilt Lightsaber
Initially devised by the Rebel and Jedi-in-training Ezra Bridger, the blaster-hilt lightsaber has very little in common with the more traditional aesthetics of a lightsaber. However, it does have the added benefit of providing the wielder with a viable weapon at times when openly brandishing a lightsaber would be foolish, as the hilt guard section can double as a short-range blaster. While Ezra designed the blaster portion of his lightsaber to only fire stun bolts, the weapon can be constructed to fire standard blaster bolts.
The wielder may switch between blaster-mold and lightsaber-mode as an incidental, however the lightsaber blade must first be deactivated before switching to blaster mode. In blaster mode, treat the weapon as having the same stat block as a light blaster pistol as detailed on Table 5-5: Ranged Weapons on page168 of the Force and Destiny Core Rulebook). Due to its highly unusual appearance, attempts to identify a blaster-hilt lightsaber as a lightsaber without having seen it in action have the difficulty increased once; it is still obviously a blaster, albeit one of an unusual design. If the option to spend a Despair result to force the blaster-hilt lightsaber to run out of ammo is used while operating in blaster-mode, the lightsaber-mode is similarly unavailable until the end of the encounter.
This lightsaber is a blaster-hilt lightsaber hilt containing an unmodified Ilum crystal (see page 197 of the Force and Destiny Core Rulebook). This crystal occupies two of the weapon's hard points.
Skill: Lightsaber
Damage: 6; Critical: 2; Range: Engaged
Encumbrance: 2; Hard Points: 3
Price: 9,600 (r); Rarity: 10
Special: Breach 1, Sunder
A blaster-hilt lightsaber hilt without a kyber crystal costs 600 credits and a Rarity of 7. Given the origins of the design, it should not be available for sale, and instead the Games Master should require the character to construct this hilt as per the guidelines provided either on 177 of the Force and Destiny Core Rulebook or on page 23 of the Hidden Depths Adventure Module instead.
A few entries ago, I posted a small collection of lightsaber crystals for use with FFG's Star Wars: Force and Destiny RPG. Today, I'm following up on that with a few different lightsaber hilts. None of these have seen any degree of serious playtesting, but at the very least they pass the eyeball test of not being too broken.
Crossguard Lightsaber
Considered to be an archaic design by the time of the Galactic Empire, the crossguard lightsaber creates a distinctive appearance over other lightsabers by way of either a single or pair of lateral vents that are placed at a 90-degree angle to the primary blade. When activated, these lateral vents create a smaller blade, forming energy quillions that can be used both offensively and defensively in combat.
This lightsaber is a crossguard lightsaber hilt containing an unmodified Ilum crystal (see page 197 of the Force and Destiny Core Rulebook). This crystal occupies two of the weapon's hard points.
Skill: Lightsaber
Damage: 6; Critical: 2; Range: Engaged
Encumbrance: 1; Hard Points: 4
Price: 9,900 (r); Rarity: 10
Special: Breach 1, Defensive 1, Sunder, Vicious 1
A crossguard lightsaber hilt without a kyber crystal costs 900 credits, has a Rarity of 8, and has the
Defensive 1 and Vicious 1 qualities.
Lightwhip
Rare and exotic even by the standards of lightsabers, the lightwhip operated on the same general principles as a more traditional lightsaber, emitting a coherent beam of energy, with the key difference being that the blade was frequently several meters in length and very flexible. Another difference was that the lightwhip made use of multiple smaller crystals instead of the single focusing crystal used in the majority of lightsaber hilts.
This weapon can be used to make Lightsaber combat checks against targets at up to short range, although the difficulty of the attack remains at Average.
For purposes of gameplay, this weapon is treated as having a single crystal. This lightsaber is a lightwhip hilt containing an unmodified Ilum crystal (see page 197 of the Force and Destiny Core Rulebook). This crystal occupies two of the weapon's hard points.
Skill: Lightsaber
Damage: 5; Critical: 2; Range: Short
Encumbrance: 1; Hard Points:3
Price: 10,500 (r); Rarity: 10
Special: Breach 1, Ensnare 1, Sunder, Unwieldy3
A lightwhip hilt without a kyber crystal costs 1500 credits, has a Rarity of 8, reduces the damage value of any crystal placed in the hilt by one, and has the Ensnare 1 and Unwieldy 3 qualities.
Two-Part Lightsaber
An uncommon though deceptively simple variation on the standard design of a more traditional basic lightsaber hilt, the two-part lightsaber was conceived with stealth in mind, allowing a Jedi to better conceal their signature weapon and avoid drawing attention to themselves while undertaking covert missions for the Jedi Order; a feature that has proven very useful in the dark times of the Empire's reign as Imperial agents scour the galaxy for Jedi renegades. The emitter portion of the two-part lightsaber made to quickly and easily detach to the lightaber's grip, and can be reattached just as quickly, enabling the two pieces to present a far more innocuous appearance when traveling the galaxy; to most inspections, the two components are little more than bits of tech gear that are hardly cause for alarm.
When it is disassembled, add two setback dice to all skill checks to identify the separated components as a weapon. Assembling or disassembling a two-part lightsaber is an incidental, and is treated as a single item for purposes of holstering or drawing the weapon when in its disassembled state.
This lightsaber is a two-part lightsaber hilt containing an unmodified Ilum crystal (see page 197 of the Force and Destiny Core Rulebook). This crystal occupies two of the weapon's hard points.
Skill: Lightsaber
Damage: 6; Critical: 2; Range: Engaged
Encumbrance: 1; Hard Points: 4
Price: 9,450 (r); Rarity: 10
Special: Breach 1, Sunder
A two-part lightsaber hilt without a kyber crystal costs 450 credits and a Rarity of 6.
Initially devised by the Rebel and Jedi-in-training Ezra Bridger, the blaster-hilt lightsaber has very little in common with the more traditional aesthetics of a lightsaber. However, it does have the added benefit of providing the wielder with a viable weapon at times when openly brandishing a lightsaber would be foolish, as the hilt guard section can double as a short-range blaster. While Ezra designed the blaster portion of his lightsaber to only fire stun bolts, the weapon can be constructed to fire standard blaster bolts.
The wielder may switch between blaster-mold and lightsaber-mode as an incidental, however the lightsaber blade must first be deactivated before switching to blaster mode. In blaster mode, treat the weapon as having the same stat block as a light blaster pistol as detailed on Table 5-5: Ranged Weapons on page168 of the Force and Destiny Core Rulebook). Due to its highly unusual appearance, attempts to identify a blaster-hilt lightsaber as a lightsaber without having seen it in action have the difficulty increased once; it is still obviously a blaster, albeit one of an unusual design. If the option to spend a Despair result to force the blaster-hilt lightsaber to run out of ammo is used while operating in blaster-mode, the lightsaber-mode is similarly unavailable until the end of the encounter.
This lightsaber is a blaster-hilt lightsaber hilt containing an unmodified Ilum crystal (see page 197 of the Force and Destiny Core Rulebook). This crystal occupies two of the weapon's hard points.
Skill: Lightsaber
Damage: 6; Critical: 2; Range: Engaged
Encumbrance: 2; Hard Points: 3
Price: 9,600 (r); Rarity: 10
Special: Breach 1, Sunder
A blaster-hilt lightsaber hilt without a kyber crystal costs 600 credits and a Rarity of 7. Given the origins of the design, it should not be available for sale, and instead the Games Master should require the character to construct this hilt as per the guidelines provided either on 177 of the Force and Destiny Core Rulebook or on page 23 of the Hidden Depths Adventure Module instead.
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