“Force Wizard” is my new series on the Force powers in Fantasy Flight Games’ Star Wars RPG lines. It is primarily aimed at new players/GMs, and more experienced players playing a Force-sensitive character for the first time. I will discuss using each power in play and suggest what upgrades to pick up, and when to buy them. (Be mindful–upgrades that require Force pips are useless if you can’t possibly roll enough pips.) I may also discuss how powers have been used/viewed in Canon and Legends/Expanded Universe sources. First up is Move.
The Move Power Tree was one of the three included in Edge of the Empire and Move is one of the most iconic Force abilities. It is so iconic that it is in all three core books. Move falls under “Telekinesis,” a term Luke Skywalker first used in the years after BBY 0. (See the novel Heir to the Jedi.) However, mechanically speaking, Force Telekinesis includes several other Force powers in this system. The Bind power covers using the Force to restrain others–indeed, its Mastery upgrade demands to be narrated as the classic Force Choke–while Manipulate uses the Force to fix machines, vehicles, etc. (Anakin Solo, of EU/Legends fame, is the iconic Manipulate wielder.) In my opinion, Heal/Harm is another very specialized form of Telekinesis.
The Move tree, then, is all about moving objects–or living beings and creatures–around. The Basic power allows you to move one Silhouette 0 object within close range for 1 Force pip. However, there is only 1 activation, regardless of the result of the Move power check. In other words, if a Force-user only has the Basic power, they can only ever move one Sil. 0 item with a single check, no matter how high their Force Rating (FR).
Most of the upgrades increase the number (Magnitude), Silhouette (Strength), or Range of the object/s you can move, at the cost of 1 Force pip for each additional object, Silhouette increase, or range band. This is in addition to the cost to activate the power; however, unlike the base power, you can activate as many of these upgrades as your result allows–and how much Conflict you’re willing to take, if the roll comes up with Dark pips.
The 3 Control upgrades in the right 2 columns provide a lot of the utility–and fun!–of using Move and do not cost additional Force pips. The first of these Upgrades lets you telekinetically “throw” an object at a velocity great enough to do damage, a minimum of 5 Wounds at Sil. 0. If you plan to use this, your Force power check is combined with a Ranged combat check. The other Control upgrades gives you the abilities to pull an object from a fixture or someone’s grasp or to manipulate fine objects, like starship controls.
Which of these upgrades do I suggest? It depends on your Force Rating for the most part. At FR 1, the most you can do is activate the basic power and your choice of a single Range, Magnitude, or Strength upgrade, plus (if needed) a Control upgrade–assuming you roll and spend 2 Force pips. So you don’t want to buy a lot of Range, Magnitude, &/or Strength upgrades until you reach at least FR2. One 5 XP of each, maximum, to give you the most options when the Force die does come up 2 pips.
Speaking of options, if you want to put a lot of XP into this tree at FR 1–buy Control upgrades over additional Range, Magnitude, or Strength upgrades. The damage-dealing Control gives you a ranged attack about as good as the base holdout blaster, also Damage 5/Short Range. However, you do need to be doubly mindful of witnesses who might tip off the Imperial Security Bureau, the Inquisitorius, or others who don’t have your best interests at heart.
The other Control upgrades are also handy. Disarming someone, a la Vader in Episode V, can gain you a weapon–or even the session’s MacGuffin. The surprise might even convince your GM to add a Setback to the target’s, or another opponent’s, next check. Being able to do fine manipulations means that not only can you swipe the oblivious First Order guard’s code cylinder, you can open the door with it, all without leaving your hiding place!
Once you reach FR 2-3, then spend XP on more of the other upgrades. I opted to prioritize Range upgrades, since I feel that more Range works better for how I use Move. Also remember what I wrote above about it being possible to activate Range, Magnitude, and Strength upgrades multiple times if you have the Force pips.
What’s the difference between FR 2 and FR 3 with Move? In my experience, FR 2 means being able to activate Move Basic (&/or Control) plus 1 upgrade fairly reliably. FR 3 is where this power becomes both awesome and fun! I have an FR 3 Seer who has invested pretty heavily in Move. It still feels amazing when I see 4-6 Light pips come up. (Yes I have rolled 3 double Light pips on 3 dice several times!) With a roll like that, you can do pretty much what you want in that action, so make the narrative good.
Finally, here are some talents that work very well with Move (and often other powers, for that matter), if you have access to them. Natural Mystic is obvious, granting a re-roll on a Force power check. Sense Danger is situational but if you are dealing damage with the Control upgrade and the GM adds Setback to the Ranged combat portion of the pool, consider negating them with this talent.
My go-to, especially for high-stakes encounters, is The Force Is My Ally, allowing a Force power to be activated as a move, once per session. You can then take any other action in that turn–attack, skill check, or a second Force power. My favorite is what I call the “One-Two Force Punch”–activating Move (usually for damage) twice that turn! This can make for some spectacular telekinetic action, whatever upgrades, or other Force power, you activate. Worst-case? You can use the second Move as an immediate do-over for a bad roll. If you also have Natural Mystic, in effect you could have 2 Force power check re-rolls, for those sessions when your dice just aren’t feeling it.
The Move power is one of my 2 favorite Force powers and I hope you have as good a time using it as I do. Let me know how you use it in your games.
Force Wizard Index (Book/s)
Alter (Unlimited Power)
Battle Meditation (F&D)
Bind (F&D, Rise of the Separatists)
Conjure (Unlimited Power)
Ebb/Flow (Disciples of Harmony)
Endure (Knights of Fate)
Enhance (AoR, F&D, Rise of the Separatists)
Farsight (Savage Spirits)
Foresee (AoR, F&D)
Heal/Harm (F&D)
Imbue (Disciples of Harmony)
Influence (EotE, F&D)
Jerserra’s Influence (Ghosts of Dathomir)
Manipulate (Endless Vigil)
Misdirect (F&D)
Move (AoR, EotE, F&D)
Protect / Unleash (F&D) – Part 1 (Intro & Protect) and Part 2 (Unleash)
Seek (F&D)
Sense (EotE, F&D)
Suppress (Keeping the Peace)
Warde’s Foresight (Chronicles of the Gatekeeper)
Linda Whitson
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