BRP Star Wars: Using Traits and Passions

[Merak Gren]

While watching The Empire Strikes Back last weekend, I began to think about using the Pendragon Traits and Passions in a BRP conversion.

I don't know if this has been done before, but will be happy for links.

I had several thoughts on how it could work, but didn't get it to gel. I now appeal to your collectiive wisdom for ideas on how to finish off my thoughts.

Here we go. We all know that Fear, Anger, Hate etc lead to the Dark side of the force. So I thought, no. SW game to date incorporate this into the game. What if, the more your developed these traits, the stronger you became in the Dark Side. What if each emotion, provided different Dark Side powers. For example Force Lightning could be linked to Fear, Force Choke could be linked to Hate etc.

Similarly, the Light side powers could be linked to patience, kindness, justice or whatever the Jedi values are.

I am not much of a SW junky, and therefore do not know much of Force philosophy. Some help here would be good.

Also, I fell foul of the corrupting effect of the Dark Side. How to model this?

Now we all know that the Dark Side is easier and quicker path to power, but the Light side is stronger. How could this be modelled?

I am really stuck and frustrated with this. Stuck, because of work and family commitments (just had a little baby girl to keep my 20month old son company) and frustrated, as I feel I am at the verge of a great discovery, and can't get going.

Please Obi Wan/ BRP Central. You're my only hope.

[Merak Gren]

Oh. I forgot to add: Passions. These are things that will work well with the Dark Side (eg Hate Jedi).

However, I don't see how these would work for the Light Side. How could this be balanced in play? Would it make the Dark side too powerful?

Also, another thing about traits. I wanted to be able to 'corrupt' characters by using opposed trait rolls. So for example. Darth Vader wanted to scare Luke/ make him angry and hoped he'd use the force while in fear or anger.

Whereas a Force sensitive player could use the force at any time, if Luke failed his Courageous / Fearful roll not only would he gain a fearful check, he'd also get a Dark Side PP to use.

This brings me to another point. Force Points. These are not set on your POW stat alone, but can grow from your traits as they become more extreme. Also, when Darkside corruption occurs, a Lightside point will be turned Dark and can only be used for Darkside powers. This represents the slow decline to the darj side. The reverse is not possible without some huge sacrifice or act of selflessness as Darth Vader showed when he Killed the Emperor in Return of the Jedi. In this case, all his darkside points turned Light again (before he died).

How does this sound? My head has been a mess all week as I have tried to put some shape to these, but o feel I'm missing somethig.

[Shaira]

Hi Merak ;-)

I'll add some more comments later - this is something I've been using too, but not for Star Wars and more from the standpoint of the HeroQuest rules than Pendragon, but it's the same ballpark.

First: use Allegiance for Dark Side / Light Side. It's a % skill, so you can use it as a skill; it can have different effects at different levels (like the Ally and Apotheosis thing in the BRP rulesbook). You'll probably have to drum up some specific Dark Side and Light Side Ally and Apotheosis benefits.

Second: have traits which are definite Dark Side / Light Side things (like Pendragon Virtues); Compassionate vs Cruel, Just vs Arbitrary, that sort of thing. Then, MAKE SURE you use them in play, even to the extent of putting the PCs in situations where they're a factor - if a character does the Cruel thing, they get Dark Side points, etc. If they *don't*, they get Light Side points - possibly reducing their Dark Side powers, that sort of thing.

Third: use the Complimentary Skill rules. If you're modelling Force Powers with, say, Psychic Abilities, allow a character using them in an evil way to use their Dark Side Allegiance score to Compliment their Psychic Ability roll (Allegiance / 5 as a bonus). Also, you could allow a character to Compliment a Dark Side Allegiance roll with one of their negative traits (ie the highest of the lot); so, Darth Evil uses his Cruel 60% to get a +12% bonus to a Dark Side Allegiance roll (probably to use Some Evil Allegiance Power in an appropriately Cruel way).

Fourth, get creative with Opposed Rolls. Example: Leia is persuading Luke not to kill Darth Vader (or something... ). Leia's Persuade skill is Opposed by Luke's Hate (Darth Vader) passion / trait. Allow unusual skills and traits to be used to oppose as long as there's a good game narrative reason for it.

That's it for now!

Cheers,

Sarah

[Merak Gren]

Shaira,

Thanks for your thoughts. I hadn't considered Allegiance but I'll have a look at this.

[Jason D]

I hadn't considered Allegiance but I'll have a look at this.

I was specifically thinking of the Force when I wrote the deStormbringerized version of Allegiance.

[Merak Gren]

I was specifically thinking of the Force when I wrote the deStormbringerized version of Allegiance.

Hmmm. I am now thinking of a way of using allegiance but it is triggered by the Traits and passions.

Thanks

[frogspawner]

This is my system for it:

- PCs have Traits which they can roll like skills to gain a x2 bonus on another skill they are about to use (in suitable situations, natch).

- Religious devotees (e.g. Jedi/Sith) gain more powerful abilities the higher their Allegiance percentage.

- Characters increase Allegiance when they get ticks (skill checks) for all of five Traits specified as "favoured" by the religion.

Obviously, religions which favour Traits such as "Hate(Everything)", which could be applicable in most combat situations, are likely to allow faster progress than those favouring "Love(Democracy)" and the like (bleuch!).

[Merak Gren]

This is my system for it:

- PCs have Traits which they can roll like skills to gain a x2 bonus on another skill they are about to use (in suitable situations, natch).

- Religious devotees (e.g. Jedi/Sith) gain more powerful abilities the higher their Allegiance percentage.

- Characters increase Allegiance when they get ticks (skill checks) for all of five Traits specified as "favoured" by the religion.

Obviously, religions which favour Traits such as "Hate(Everything)", which could be applicable in most combat situations, are likely to allow faster progress than those favouring "Love(Democracy)" and the like (bleuch!).

Thanks for sharing. This could work for me too although I was thinking of using the Allegiance value as my core Force Skill value. So the more you align yourself, with a side, the better you become.

I suppose I can tie abilities in as you have done.

How have you allocated them? Eg at 30% you get say 3 abilities 4 at 40%.?

I originallly wanted to link abilites to different traits eg anger, hate etc but there is no foundation after doing some research.

Hmmm its frustrating trying to decide.

At least I have somewhat more to go on now.

Cheers

Damon.

[frogspawner]

Thanks for sharing. This could work for me too although I was thinking of using the Allegiance value as my core Force Skill value. So the more you align yourself, with a side, the better you become.

I suppose I can tie abilities in as you have done.

How have you allocated them? Eg at 30% you get say 3 abilities 4 at 40%.?

You're welcome. BRP doesn't define the mechanism to increase Allegiance, so how do you 'align yourself'? By using/increasing the right traits seems to fit nicely.

Yes, a simple 1 ability per 10%*, and a maximum of 1PP-level in each per 10% too. Though I've slowed the Allegiance gain down by giving only +1/+d6-2 % per increase - but it's a matter of taste.

(* Actually 1 ability per 10% in all favoured traits - but that may be an overly-fine distinction that's unnecessary in practice).

[NickMiddleton]

You're welcome. BRP doesn't define the mechanism to increase Allegiance, so how do you 'align yourself'?

Err, page 317?

I can't see anything wrong per se with directly tying specific personality trait values to Allegiance, but I'd be wary of being too deterministic - as the discussion in another thread about Allegiance in Elric! showed, people will abuse deterministic rules badly if given the chance; and having watched some people get the wrong end of the stick with respect to traits and passions in Pendragon it can very quickly kill the mood and atmosphere it's supposed to promote.

In a fantasy setting I'm doing at the moment I have different Allegiance's for each God that Priests use to get their powers - and whilst each god has a few notes (per page 317) about what's "right action" and what is not in their service, I've quite deliberately left it somewhat open so the player and I can discuss a priestly characters actions and agree between sessions and increase or decrease their Allegiance accordingly.

Cheers,

Nick

[frogspawner]

BRP doesn't define the mechanism to increase Allegiance, so how do you 'align yourself'?

Err, page 317?

Thanks, I had forgotten that. But page 317 lists stuff like "Aid someone weaker than yourself", "Behave dishonourably", "Behave honourably" etc. It's not exactly definitive, and stated as only a 'suggestion' (and that within an 'OPTION'). Of course, if you're not using Personality Traits you'd have to do something like that.

But I feel sets of Traits tie it down better (you don't need an exhaustive list of actions and what each religion thinks of them). It's flexible, and perhaps even less open to abuse than the list-method because trait-rolls are always subject to GM approval, before the event.