Force Wizard's Got Talents - Part 15: Investigator, Racer, & Sentry Specializations

“Force Wizard’s Got Talents” is my series on the Force talents, from all of the FFG Star Wars lines. Greetings, padawans and disciples. In Part 15, we check out the Force talents from the Sentinel specializations introduced in Endless Vigil: Investigator, Racer, and Sentry.

Abbreviations
F&D = Force and Destiny
FT = Force Talent
EV = Endless Vigil

INVESTIGATOR

(Note: The Investigator tree has only 3 FTs besides Force Rating – Uncanny Senses, Sense Advantage, and Sense the Scene – but 5 unique non-Force talents. This probably reflects the pragmatism of both Sentinels in general as well as many private eyes and other non-Force-sensitive investigators.)

Sense the Scene (Unranked; 20XP)

Unique to the Investigator spec.
This is an Active talent (Action).
To use the Sense the Scene Action at a crime scene, make a Hard (3 Difficulty) Perception check, adding Force dice < to your FR to the pool.
If successful, spend 1 Force pip to identify the emotional characteristics/state of a single person – perpetrator, victim, witness, etc. – who was involved.
You may spend multiple, additional Force pips to learn the emotional states of multiple involved people, on a 1 to 1 basis (EV, p. 31).
Because Sense the Scene can only give a subject’s emotions at the time of the incident, it probably won’t be useful in recognizing someone present at a later time. However, it might provide some information if your Sentinel Investigator is into FBI style profiling.

RACER

Intuitive Evasion (Ranked; 10 or 25 XP)

This is an Active talent (Maneuver).
Also: Starfighter Ace (F&D).
Only usable when piloting a vehicle/starship < Silhouette 5.
Commit Force dice < the character’s ranks in Intuitive Evasion and take 1 Strain. (Also take 1 Strain at the start of each round you keep the dice committed.)
Upgrade combat checks targeting the character’s vehicle by that same amount.
A Starfighter Ace PC may want to buy into Racer to get a third instance of this FT, but that’s a hefty XP cost. (Picking up some of the non-FT Racer talents would be a better idea.) It would be much cheaper for a (non-foot) Racer to buy into Starfighter Ace to get a second rank.
If your PC is a foot Racer, this isn’t the FT for you, but in that tree, it’s off in the lower right 25XP slot, so is easily skipped. You don’t even need it to buy a Sentinel Signature Ability since neither My City nor Unmatched Vigilance attach at that slot.
The F&D wording has problems. First, p. 145 says “…committing a number of [Force dice] no greater than his Force rating or ranks of Intuitive Evasion.” In this case it is clear the 2 talent trees are correct in limiting the dice to the PC’s FR, like other ranked FTs that require committing dice.
Another problem with the F&D wording is the Starfighter Ace tree says the PC takes additional Strain every round. It doesn’t make much practical difference but I would go with “turn,” the term used in both the Starfighter Ace and Racer trees.

Superhuman Reflexes (Unranked; 25 XP)

This is an Active Talent (Incidental).
Unique to the Racer spec.
Once per session.
When a Piloting check (Planetary or Space) results in a Despair, you may replace that Despair with Success/es equal to the PC’s Cool.
A Must-Have for a Racer who uses a vehicle or starship.
The ONLY reason for a foot Racer PC to buy this FT is if they are set on the Unmatched Vigilance Signature Ability, which has far left and middle left attachment points, and don’t want to pick up another Sentinel spec.

SENTRY

Fear the Shadows (Unranked; 20XP)

Unique to the Sentry spec.
This is an Active talent (Action).
This is an Auto-Conflict talent.
Range: Long (personal).
If the PC succeeds at a Hard (Difficulty 3) Deception check vs. a single Minion Group or Rival, the Minion group/Rival will flee the encounter.
The GM may decide the targeted Minion group/Rival won’t flee if they have no place to go, or the only options might kill them. The entry on p. 30 (EV) describes some situations, but not what the target might do if running away isn’t a viable option. In this case, the GM and Sentinel alike should be mindful that trapped beings/beasts can be almost as lethal as an infuriated Darth Vader…

Impossible Fall (Unranked; 15XP)

Unique to the Sentry spec.
This is an Active talent (Incidental, Out of turn)
Once per session.
When falling, the PC makes a Force power check. This can be any Force power, although Move is the most obvious one. Just pick your strongest power and make it sound amazing.
Spend 1 Force pip “to land in a safe place” and reduce the fall’s effects by one range band per Table 6-9 (F&D, p. 221).
Spend multiple, additional Force pips to reduce effects by additional range bands, on a 1 to 1 basis.
It’s not Star Wars without impossibly high bridges/catwalks/cliffs – and no safety railings – over lava/chasms/power generators. So yes, you’d be a fool not to buy this FT.

Improved Saber Throw (Unranked; 15XP)

Unique to the Sentry spec.
This is a Passive talent.
Extends the Saber Throw range to Long (personal).
It costs 2 Force pips return the lightsaber to your hand from Long range.
This is not only cool but, like all the 15XP Sentry talents, it is pretty useful. Don’t skip it.

Parts 16 and 17, upcoming, will cover the Warrior specializations from Force & Destiny and Knights of Fate. May the Force be with you always in 2023, padawans and disciples.

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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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