Mark's Star Wars House Rules
Hierarchy of Rules
The hierarchy of rules interpretations is: GM Fiat > House Rules > WotC published errata and clarifications > Books > Chrysler Fiat
Retraining
At each new level, one (1) talent, feat, or skill may be exchanged for another that they would qualify for. The same type of trait must be retrained (feat for a feat, talent for a talent), and from the same list. Subject to GM approval.
Multi-Classing
Instead of normal starting feats when multiclassing, you may take a Skill Training feat instead to learn a new class skill.
Soldier: If starting as a soldier at level 1 or multi-classing into the Soldier class, you may take Weapon Proficiency (advanced melee weapon) instead of Weapon Proficiency (rifles).
Skills
Athletics: Climb, Jump, and Swim are consolidated into a single ‘Athletics’ skill. Any Feat, Talent, or Force Power that affects any one of the former skills can affect the new ‘Athletics’ skill for that use. (e.g. the Surge Force Power)
Acrobatics: You may substitute Acrobatics for Climb or Jump skills in certain situations. Subject to GM approval. A successful tumble requires an Acrobatics check vs. DC 15 or the attack roll for the opponent’s attack of opportunity, whichever is higher.
Mechanics: The Mechanics skill can be used untrained. However, much like Knowledge skills, untrained characters can only achieve a maximum DC 10 success. It is the GM's discretion to allow up to DC 15 successes in Mechanical areas tied to other skills or talents. For example, a character trained in Pilot may know a bit more in maintaining a speeder or fighter, while one trained in Use Computer may know enough to do some basic maintenance on their datapad. A character with 2 or more talents in the Commando talent tree is likely to have some explosives exposure, so may do up to a DC15 untrained Mechanics check for explosives (incidentally, the number needed to correctly set the explosive).
Treat Injury: If a target is unconscious and their Second Wind has not yet been used, medics and doctors may use a medpac to trigger the target’s Second Wind. This is in addition to the standard First Aid that is allowable per day. If the target has multiple Second Winds, the medic may use multiple medpacs to trigger them. This requires a DC 15 check.
Use Computer: Like the Knowledge skills, an untrained character can only only achieve a maximum DC 10 success. Characters who are trained in Pilot may achieve up to DC 15 Use Computer checks for navigation plotting only. Characters who have the Educated talent may make up to DC 15 checks.
Modified Feats
Burst Fire: Replace prerequisites with the following: "Proficient with heavy weapons, proficient with weapon." Add the following sentence to the Special section of the feat: "If you do not have a Strength of 13 or higher, increase the penalty on attacks to –10 when using this feat with non-vehicle weapons." [Per Jedi Counselling 112]
Fool’s Luck: This feat does not apply to Use the Force checks.
Rapid Shot: Remove the Strength prerequisite from the feat. Add the following sentence to the Special section of the feat: "If you do not have a Strength of 13 or higher, increase the penalty on attacks to –5 when using this feat with non-vehicle weapons." [Per Jedi Counselling 112]
Rapid Strike: Remove the Dexterity prerequisite from the feat. Add the following sentence to the Special section of the feat: "If you do not have a Dexterity of 13 or higher, increase the penalty on attacks to –5 when using this feat with non-light weapons." [Per Jedi Counselling 112]
Skill Training: You may become trained in any skill, irrespective of it being in any of your class skills lists. Use the Force is the exception – it still requires the Force Sensitive Feat.
Skill Focus: There is still a maximum +5 to a skill roll, but it is capped by half your level, rounded down, minimum of +1. (e.g. At level 7, the skill roll bonus from this feat is 7/2 = 3.5, or +3.) See also Table 1 below.
| Table 1: Skill Focus Bonus | |
| Level | Bonus |
|---|---|
| 1, 2, 3 | +1 |
| 4, 5 | +2 |
| 6, 7 | +3 |
| 8, 9 | +4 |
| 10+ | +5 |
Tech Specialist: Like the Superior Tech Feat, you must select one set of traits that it applies to. You must find a trainer who knows that specialty. May be taken multiple times.
New Feats
Rapid Reload: You can reload as a swift action instead of a move action to recover from rolling a 1 on an attack. (See Dice Rolling section.)
Modified Talents
Block and Deflect are considered to be a single talent. Block and Deflect may be used to reduce a critical hit to a normal hit if the character’s Use the Force check meets or exceeds the attack roll.
Educated: In addition to making Knowledge checks untrained, you may make Use Computer checks up to DC15 untrained. [This is to allow for the notion that someone who's done extensive education has likely been exposed to more computer use than some slum rat, but isn't going to be spectacularly better.]
Atonement
Characters may atone a maximum of 1 Dark Side point per level. The Force Point must be spent at the beginning of a level, representing a period of meditation and contemplation.
Dice Rolling
When rolling a 1 on an attack roll, the weapon is considered temporarily inoperable. The character must do a Reload Action (see below) before their next attack. Melee weapons are considered to have caught something (clothing, scabbard) and require another draw action to become ready for use.
You must also roll a second d20. If this second dice also turns up a 1, the weapon is destroyed and deals maximum damage (including all bonuses, just as if the you were using it against yourself) to the wielder. If this number exceeds your Threshold, you lose the limb(s) holding the weapon. You may spend a Force Point to negate the limb loss, but you still take the full damage.
The Force
The Seductive Dark Side: For Force Sensitive characters the temptation to call upon the Dark Side is always present. By calling on the power of the dark side a Force Sensitive character may gain a single use of any one of the following Force powers: battle strike, dark rage, force grip, force lightning, force slam, or force thrust, at the expense of gaining a dark side point per power used. The use doesn’t count against the characters total number of Force power in their suite nor does the character need to have already selected the Force power as one of their suite of powers.
Calling on the Dark Side of the Force: If your Dark Side Score is less than half your Wisdom, when you spend a Force Point to roll 1d6 and add the result to a skill check, attack roll, or ability check. You may choose to call upon the dark side of the Force and gain an additional 1d6 to roll and then choose the higher result (as usual). In addition the character also receives 1 dark side point. This feature stacks with the Power of the Dark Side talent, so a character with this talent could potentially roll 3d6 and keep the better result and gain 2 Dark Side points. Calling on the dark side is a major transgression (see page 94 of the Saga Edition Core Rulebook). Only heroic characters can call on the dark side.
Variant Rule: Force Point Usage: You may spend 1 Force Points to increase one Defenses by the die roll result until the beginning of your next turn. You may spend 2 Force Points to increase all 3 Defenses by the die roll result until the beginning of the your next turn. This may help the character survive a particularly lethal encounter. The GM may use this rule for NPCs at any time.
The Force Fights With Me: PCs may ask to use a Force Point to minorly affect a scene in some advantageous manner. For example, in attempting to distract a stormtrooper, a player may ask to use a Force Point to have a bar brawl break out between NPCs that ends up distracting the stormtrooper. A player may ask for a small advantage due to luck – a patch of dry pavement on an otherwise icy road while being chased. This represents the Force granting them an edge that might not otherwise exist.
Combat-Related Rules
Explosions: Whenever a character is hit with a grenade, thermal detonator, character scale missiles or starship weapon or any other explosion or weapon that deals area effect damage, the character is knocked 1d4 squares for anything smaller than a thermal detonator, or 1d6 squares otherwise, and lands prone. The character also drops any object(s) they are holding.
Once the explosion distance is rolled, roll a 1d8. The result will correspond to a cardinal direction based on whatever part of the map is considered ‘North’, proceeding clockwise. (i.e. 1 = North, 2 = NE, 3 = East, etc.) A scatter die may also be used to determine direction.
A character with the Acrobatic Recovery talent can use it normally to remain upright, but is still knocked (moved) backwards. If the Acrobatics check is successful, they also hold onto any object(s) they had in their hand(s).
Edge of Exhaustion: If you have already activated your Second Wind(s) for the day, you may make another Second Wind at the cost of a going -1 on the condition track. This condition is persistent until you have surgery performed on you or you get 8 hours of uninterrupted rest. Even species that require less sleep, or Jedi and other Force users who can normally trance, need 8 full hours of uninterrupted rest.
Minions (The Mook Rule): Taken from D&D 4e, minions (or mooks) are designed to help convey a certain sense of presence without overwhelming the gameplay with too many rules for combat. For Z-Team play, minions may show up to help fill out a roster for opponents. Minions have the following characteristics:
- Mooks go down in one hit
- Mooks do fixed damage, usually equal to the average damage of the weapon(s) they are using
- Four mooks of the same level equal one fully statted NPC of the same level for the purposes of challenges and experience points.
Point Blank Range: Point Blank distance for character-scale combat is now a fixed distance of 3 squares for all weapon categories where point blank is greater than 3 squares. (i.e. Thrown weapons distances are not changed.) Anything within 3 squares’ distance is considered point blank. This will extend the “Short” ranage of weapons from 4 squares to whatever the current maximum distance is for that weapon category. For instance, pistols will now have a Short range of 4-20 squares. Medium and Long range are unaffected.
This affects all skills, feats, talents, and any other rule that provides bonuses, penalties, or other mechanical modification for being in “point blank range”.
Reloading: Reloading a weapon due to a jam (see Dice Rolling rules above) can reload a weapon as a Move Action.