Force Wizard’s Got Talents – Part 5 (Ascetic and Teacher Specializations)

June 13, 2022 Linda Whitson Astral Projections, Force Wizard 0

“Force Wizard’s Got Talents” is my series on the Force talents, from all of the FFG Star Wars lines. Welcome back, padawans and disciples. In Part 5 we check out Force talents appearing in the Consular career specs Ascetic and Teacher, both in Disciples of Harmony (DoH).

Abbreviations
DoH = Disciples of Harmony
F&D = Force and Destiny
FR = Force Rating
FT = Force Talent
RAW = Rules as Written

ASCETIC TREE

(Note: Most talents unique to the Ascetic specialization, whether Force or not, require that the character carry items with a total Encumbrance <2. This detail is seldom included in the Ascetic tree entries, so be sure to read the full descriptions in the New Talents section of DoH (pp. 28-30) before buying any of these talents. Because of this, the Ascetic spec isn’t a good choice for a campaign where the Encumbrance rules are usually/always ignored, which is a fairly common play style in my experience.)

Empty Soul (Unranked; 25 XP)

  • Unique to Ascetic spec.
  • This is a Passive talent.
  • If a character is carrying items with a total Encumbrance <2, they add 1 Dark pip and 1 Light pip to Force power checks.
  • Only useful if your GM enforces the encumbrance rules and your PC uses Force powers frequently.
  • GMs, see the full Empty Soul entry (p. 28, DoH) for advice on deciding whether the PC “qualifies” for Empty Soul benefit based on their usual amount of Encumbrance. The information may also be useful for adjudicating use of other talents unique to this tree.

Force Protection (Ranked; 10 or 20XP)

  • Also: Protector (F&D).
  • This is an Active talent (Maneuver).
  • Commit one Force die up to ranks in Force Protection and take one Strain to gain +1 Soak per Force die committed.
  • Lasts until beginning of the next turn.
  • The character suffers 1 Strain every round Force Protection is maintained.
  • Not very cost effective unless you have 2+ ranks – unless you often get hit multiple times per round.
  • Two instances each in Ascetic and Protector trees.

Meditative Trance (Unranked; 15XP)

  • Unique to Ascetic spec.
  • This is a Passive talent.
  • One of the few Ascetic-only talents that doesn’t limit items carried to Encumbrance <2.
  • When suffocating, you take 1 Strain/round vs. the usual 3/round.
  • When exposed to vacuum, you take 1 Wound/round vs. the usual 3/round.
  • It’s situational, but if you’re in one of those two dire situations above, it’s invaluable, tripling the amount of time you’re conscious/alive. Meaning you’re probably going to survive.
  • It is also located on the least expensive path (75XP) to the tree’s Dedication talent.
  • Meditative Trance is lifesaving when it comes into play, offers easy/inexpensive access to a Dedication, and is only 15XP. Don’t skip it!

Mind Bleed (Unranked; 20XP)

  • Unique to Ascetic spec.
  • This is an Active talent. (Incidental, Out-of-turn)
  • This is an Auto-Conflict FT.
  • The character must be carrying items <2 Encumbrance total to use this talent.
  • When attacked, if the character chooses, they may suffer Strain < the number of Wounds taken, to inflict Wounds equal to Strain suffered upon the attacker.
  • Could be an effective way to finish off opponents with low Wounds.
  • Mind Bleed is risky to use when your PC is low on Strain.
  • If you don’t want the Auto-Conflict, it’s easy to “detour around” Mind Bleed.

Slippery Minded (Unranked; XP)

  • Also: Shadow (F&D)
  • This is an Active talent. (Action)
  • Requires an action.
  • Only usable when “under the effects of a Force power” and only on oneself.
  • Make a Hard (3 purple dice) Deception check to end the Force power’s effects immediately.
  • In the Ascetic tree, it’s easy to skip Slippery Minded if Force power-using opponents are very rare in the campaign.

TEACHER TREE

(Note: Now the Master and Once the Learner require a large amount of XP investment, beyond their “sticker prices,” since they can only be reached by going up from the Force Rating talent in the lower right corner of the tree.)

Now the Master (Unranked; 15XP)

  • Unique to Teacher spec.
  • This is an Active talent. (Incidental)
  • Once per session.
  • Pick any one talent or Force power possessed by any character in the encounter to use as your own for the rest of that encounter. Be mindful – it doesn’t have to be an ally’s power/talent, and the talent doesn’t have to be an FT, per RAW.
  • A “Self Buff” that expands your options for a whole encounter.
  • See the entry in New Talents (DoH, p. 29) for how to handle ranked talents or Force power upgrades.

Once the Learner (Unranked; 20XP)

  • Unique to Teacher spec.
  • This is an Active talent. (Action)
  • Suffer 4 Strain to increase an ally’s FR by an amount equal to your FR.
  • Tree says it lasts until the “end of the round” while the New Talents entry (DoH, p. 29) says “until the end of the character’s next turn.” I would go with the latter.
  • Powerful Buff for an ally.
  • The character may not use any Force powers until the end of their next turn, which lessens the options for using Once the Learner.
  • Talents that require committing Force dice are a good choice for the buffed ally’s action/s.

 

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Linda Whitson

Contributing Writer & Copy Editor at D20 Radio
Linda Whitson is a long-time RPGer, amateur musician & artist, & an officer in the Rebel Legion Star Wars costuming club. Linda met her husband in an AD&D game and they have 2 teenagers, an anime fangirl daughter and a son who plays on his university's quidditch team. She is the Lead Mod of D20 Radio's forums and Copy Editor for the blog. Linda can be reached at GMLinda@d20radio.com

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