Misdirect, like some other Force powers, combines two different but related abilities–to hide things from the “weak minded,” or to make them see something that’s not there. I use “weak minded” deliberately, as this power is a type of mind trick, even though it isn’t THE classic mind trick of Influence. It has been a staple of Star Wars RPGs all along–notably Saga Edition’s Jedi Academy Training Manual–and, as “illusion,” is used by many Legends figures–Lumiya in the Legacy of the Force novels, and various Sith, mostly in the Tales of the Jedi era, among them. In Canon, at least one of Darth Sidious’ rituals has been described as a type of illusions. But the F&D Force power Misdirect is simpler than most of these.
Before I go into the details of what the basic power and upgrades do, two things to keep in mind. First, “target” is the person whose perceptions you are affecting, not the character/item you are placing the illusion on. So, you can’t hide, or alter the appearance of, multiple people/items with Magnitude. Next, Misdirect is another power where reading the fine print (the text descriptions, that is), not just the tree, is super-important. Unlike some powers, the full Misdirect text is the only place that tells you what can be activated more than once–only Magnitude, Mastery, Range, and Strength. Additionally, text for the Duration upgrade and one Control upgrade have additional mechanics information, which I will cover below.
On to Basic Misdirect, which enables the wielder to “beguile” a single target within Short range, preventing them from perceiving one person/object. Be mindful, RAW doesn’t say how far away the hidden thing can be from either you or your target, so that’s a GM call. Speaking of GM calls, the text and tree never explicitly state Misdirect cannot conceal (or alter the appearance of) oneself, and I don’t think allowing it is overpowered at all.
The top 10XP Control lets you alter an object’s or person’s appearance rather than hide it. This increases the utility of Misdirect. Rebels disguised as Stormtroopers escorting (someone disguised as) a very loyal, pro-Imperial Senator might have an easier time pulling off an infiltration with this upgrade.
The Control just below this grants the ability to make one being perceive a single person or object where there is none. Remember what I said above about the fine print being in the text? The entry for this one has a lot of “fine print.” First, the illusion is limited to Silhouette 1–no illusions of a rancor or KX security droid. A strill or astromech is doable. Next, you must succeed on a Deception vs. Vigilance check as well as spend the Force pips to activate the power. Finally, using any Dark pips to do so inflicts 1 Strain for every pip (Dark or Light) you spent on the check.
The last Control allows a character to commit one or more Force dice. Each one is an auto-Threat added to every combat check against the PC. It doesn’t sound like much, especially if you’re committing only one die–but one Threat might be enough to keep you from taking a Critical Injury. The suggested fluff is that the PC blurs their form just a little. But feel free to narrate whatever else sounds cool.
Duration also requires committing Force dice, two to be precise. After activating Misdirect, the Force user can keep the illusion, of whatever type, going for all the targets. If a target goes out of range, the illusion ends for her, but not for any targets that are still in range. So be mindful of range bands as you, as well as your target/s, move about the encounter area while you maintain Misdirect.
That KX-series droid you couldn’t create an illusion of? That X-wing fighter you wanted to hide until the biker scout patrol went by? Here is where the four Strength upgrades come in. For 2 pips, you can increase the Silhouette of your illusion by 1 for every Strength upgrade you have. Silhouette 5–that’s enough to create or hide a ship!
The Range upgrades are standard. For 1 Force pip you can extend your range from the base Short to however many Range upgrades you have. With three instances in the tree, that’s out to Extreme personal range.
There are just two Magnitude upgrades but the power really doesn’t need more. The Misdirect Magnitude gives a lot of bang per pip. One pip allows you to affect a number of targets equal to your PRE times number of Magnitudes you have. (Compare to Bind, one of several powers where you spend 2 pips to affect 1 target times Magnitudes.) Again, be mindful that Magnitude activations don’t allow you to make extra things “invisible” or look different.
If you want to do that, you must buy the Mastery upgrade. Then you can hide/alter/create illusions of several things, up to a generous (Cunning ranks plus Deception ranks) per activation. Yes, you can activate it more than once! Even at 2 pips per activation, this is a very good deal, since Mastery is only 20XP.
Overall, Misdirect is one of the least expensive powers. Fifteen XP and FR 1 gets you the Basic power, so it’s a good second, or even first, Force power. Mastery is the only upgrade costing over 15 XP, and most are only 5-10 XP. Even a human character, however, is unlikely to be able to buy more than the basic power with starting XP and not short themselves on other abilities, especially characteristics.
After the basic Misdirect, I suggest picking up the first Control (right side) next. It doesn’t cost additional Force pips beyond activating the power, so it’s an ideal upgrade for an FR 1 PC. Next, the 5XP Range upgrade. Even though it’s also only 5XP, I would hold off on Duration until you reach FR2+, as it’s not usable before then. Strength upgrades should also wait until FR 2, at least, so the PC has a decent chance of rolling enough Force pips to activate it. The second Control on the right, or even the Magnitude on the far left, are better choices at FR 1.
You might consider forgoing, at least for a while, the second Magnitude, considering the number of targets you can affect per pip and that it’s a multiple activation upgrade. The third (add Threat) Control, the Duration, and the Mastery upgrades are all quite useful, if you want to go deeper into Misdirect as you gain experience and Force Ratings. There are some upgrades, however, I would skip.
I wouldn’t buy Range 3, for starters, given that most personal scale scenarios are within Medium range with a few going out to Long range. Range 2 (within Long range) is worth it since, if you have any Magnitude upgrades (and a spare pip to activate them), you can probably beguile however many targets you need to. What about picking up multiple Strength upgrades? Strength 2, sure, if you have the XP to spend. Strength 3 and Strength 4 are very situational (how often are you going to need to create/hide something larger than a Wookiee or a landspeeder?) so I would skip them unless you really, really want to specialize in illusions.
Give this uncommon–and subtle–Force power a try if you are looking for something a little different. Next month, the Force Wizard will give you a two parter, to thoroughly cover Protect/Unleash. Until then, may the Force be with you always.
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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