“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 17, we take a look at the Knights of Fate Colossus, Joyu Berserker, and Steel Hand Adept Force talents from the Warrior career.
Abbreviations
F&D = Force and Destiny
FT = Force Talent
KoF = Knights of Fate
COLOSSUS
Indomitable Will (Unranked; 20XP)
- Unique to the Colossus spec.
- This is an Active FT (Maneuver) and is usable once/encounter.
- Suffer 3 Strain to commit Force dice < FR to reduce all damage taken by an equal amount.
- In addition to the initial 3 Strain, the character takes 1 Strain/turn.
- The Strain drain makes this a less desirable FT than it might be otherwise. A Colossus will often have more Strain than other characters, due to 2 instances of Grit. Still, if your PC has abilities that use Strain – e.g., Reflect – or is facing opponents who can inflict it, a drawn out combat could leave you in the single digits. Improved Hard Headed, another Colossus talent, helps a little with this.
- Indomitable Will is also situational. If you aren’t taking a lot of damage – which is part of the Colossus schtick – it’s not helpful. In my opinion, the Strain cost and situational usefulness makes it an “In case of emergency, break glass” FT.
Power from Pain (Unranked; 25XP)
- Unique to the Colossus spec.
- This is an Auto-Conflict FT.
- This is an Active talent (Incidental).
- Power from Pain is once/session and requires spending a Destiny Point to activate. It lasts until the end of the encounter.
- Gain +1 FR for each Critical Injury the character is currently suffering from.
- Your Power from Pain mileage may vary, and I’m not just talking about it being somewhat situational. (Critical Injuries are fairly common, after all.) The FT’s usefulness depends on the PC’s build and how much they use abilities where FR is a factor. If they don’t have a lot of Force powers – likely for a Colossus who hasn’t bought into other specializations/careers – or have other FTs that require committing Force dice, it’s not going to come into play often.
JOYU BERSERKER
Vapaad Control (Unranked; 10XP)
- Unique to the Joyu Berserker spec.
- This is an Active FT (Incidental).
- Usable with Lightsaber combat checks only.
- The wielder may suffer 1 Strain to downgrade the Difficulty as many times as there are Lightside Points in the Destiny Pool.
- This talent is the opposite number of Joyu Savagery, since its effect is dependent on how Lightside the Destiny Pool is. Note that unlike Joyu Savagery (below), you have the option to not use it. But who wouldn’t take advantage of a downgrade – or several?
- A Must-Have and not just for mechanical reasons. It makes for great roleplaying. Just one example: Vapaad Control is the only time the Force Wizard can think of where a Darksider (Morality <30) can use an aspect of the Lightside as easily as the Darkside, with none of the pain or difficulties. Now there’s something for that Redemption Arc you and your GM have been talking about.
Joyu Savagery (Unranked; 20XP)
- Unique to the Joyu Berserker spec.
- This is an Auto-Conflict FT.
- This is a Passive FT, which means you don’t get a choice (unlike Vapaad Control).
- Usable with Lightsaber combat checks only.
- When a PC inflicts a Critical Injury, add +5 to the Critical Injury Result roll (Table 6-10, F&D p. 225) for every Dark Destiny Point in the Destiny Pool. Be mindful that 5 is the difference between Results, as well as enough to bump to the next-higher Severity if the roll is on the cusp.
- As mentioned above (and as “Savagery” and “Control” imply), Joyu Savagery is something of the opposite number of Vapaad Control. Its effect is based on the number of Darkside Destiny points in the pool.
- Also like its opposite number, Joyu Berserker has some good roleplaying potential, such as the constant temptation of the Darkside increasing when you sense that it is ascendant, as represented by the Destiny Pool.
STEEL HAND ADEPT
Acklay’s Scything Strike (Unranked; 10XP)
- Unique to the Steel Hand Adept spec.
- This is a Passive FT.
- Brawl attacks gain Pierce (F&D, p. 164) equal to the PC’s FR.
- Acklay’s Scything Strike stacks (adds to any existing Pierce quality).
- A very low-cost Must-Have. Take my 10XP!
Sapith Sundering (Unranked; 20XP)
- Unique to the Steel Hand Adept spec.
- This is an Active (Incidental) FT.
- Usable only with Brawl combat checks.
- May include Force dice < FR in the Brawl check pool.
- The Brawl combat check gains the Sunder quality (F&D, p. 164).
- Force pips generated on the check may be used as Advantage to activate the Sunder quality.
- Another low-cost Must-Have.
Far Strike (Unranked; 25XP)
- Unique to the Steel Hand Adept spec.
- This is an Active (Action) FT, and usable only with Brawl combat checks.
- Make your Brawl check at Short range or greater! Just add Force dice Force dice < FR to the Brawl check pool.
- Spend Force pips to increase the attack’s range by 1/Force pip. Maximum (personal) range band is Long.
- The text (KoF p. 30) notes, “If the target is at medium range or further, the character must both sufficiently increase the range of the attack and succeed on the check to hit the target.” The Force Wizard admits to having been perplexed by the wording and seeking the wisdom of her fellow Master, Donovan Morningfire. He pointed out that this is another “one of those weird ‘order of operations’ issues with SWFFG’s Force system.” You pick a target and roll vs. the Ranged Difficulty, including the Force dice, or course. If the target is within Short range, and the Brawl check succeeds, you hit. However, if the target is at Medium or Long range, you must both succeed and generate enough Force pips to increase the range that much; if you don’t generate the needed pips, the attack is an auto-fail.
- It’s a pretty solid FT, and I bet you could have a lot of fun narrating how you got a kick to land from the far side of an SSD’s main hangar.
Next time, Part 18 will cover the FTs from the Jedi Padawan and Jedi Knight specializations introduced in Rise of the Separatists. May the Force be with you always, 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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