The Force

Unlike many other settings, there is really only one type of magic in Star Wars, known throughout the Galaxy as The Force. While there are hundreds if not thousands of small Force Traditions, many of whom believe that something else is at work, either magic, ancestral spirits, fate, ect. It is largely accepted that all of these different belief systems simply misunderstand the true nature of the power that they wield, that they are misidentifying the Force. Now as the Jedi are the dominate Tradition, it is also possible that the Jedi are simply applying their narrow view on others. Supporting the Jedi view point, however, is the fact that it is generally believed that anyone with Force Sensitivity can learn any Force Based power with the right teacher. Regardless of its true nature, the term Force will be used throughout the rest of this material.

With that in mind, the Jedi see the Force as an energy field that is generated by, surrounds, penetrates and nurtures all living things. In Jedi Dogma, it is divided into two distinct but related energies. The Living Force is the Force generated by and connects all living things. The Cosmic Force draws its source energy from the Living Force and is the underlying energy that binds the galaxy together. It has been widely theorized that the Cosmic Force is responsible for regulating mass, gravity, electromagnetism and other fundamental forces in the physical sciences.

Beyond the two energies associated with the Force, it is widely held that the Force has two opposed aspects; the Light Side – associated with compassion, selflessness, knowledge and benevolence, and the Dark Side – associated with passion, aggression, fear and malevolence. It has been well documented that both of these aspects have occasionally displayed a sense of awareness and more importantly an agenda. In particular the Dark Side seems to engage more frequently with the physical than the Light Side, and the Dark Side, at first glance, appears to be easier to master, as Dark Side devotees have often spontaneously

Force Sensitivity

Once you have purchased the Force Sensitive Fate Benefit, you are now capable of sensing and potentially harnessing the Force. In addition to the effects of that Benefit, you also gain access to three new specialties and a new Ability Use.

Force Specialties

There are three Force Specialties. When a Force Power uses these Specialties it will be clearly indicated by the Force Power's effect. The Specialties are:

• Awareness (Sense) - Applies when your ability to feel the Force is important
• Will (Control) - Applies when your ability to manage and control the Force flowing through you is important.
• Presence (Alter) - Applies when your ability to harness the Force to affect your environment is important.

New Ability Uses

Below are new uses of your Abilities because you are Force Sensitive

• Will (Control) - Commune with Force: You may Test Will (Control) against a Routine (6) Difficulty, to enter a meditative state, heightening your connection to the Force. For each Degree of Success you score, you may regain one (1) spent Force Point. You may only enter this state once per Scene, and requires 1 hour of meditation per Force Point recovered. In addition, while in this meditative state, you may convert one (1) Bonus Die granted form the Sense Specialty into a Test Die.
• Awareness (Sense) - Detect Disturbance: The Storyteller may call on you to Test Awareness (Sense) against a Routine (6) Difficulty. If you are successful, you feel a ripple in the Force. For Each Degree of Success after the first the Storyteller may give you a vague piece of information, but should refrain from outright telling you the source. (Designer Notes: Consider Kenobi following the Destruction of Alderaan in A New Hope. He says he felt a "a Great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices.... In terms of this mechanics Kenobi achieved three Degrees of Success on his Test, one allowed him to feel the disturbance, the second gave him a gage of its size, and the third gave him a vague indication of what happened, i.e. millions of people were suddenly killed)

Force Powers at a Glance

Your ability to use the Force within the game system if governed by a series of Force Powers. There are three broad categories that Force Powers fall into; the Jedi Arts, the Dark Arts; and the Obscure Arts. Each Force Power will have several effects that it can be used for, depending on how much energy you put into the Power. Once you have gained access to a Power, usually by investing a Destiny Point in the Force Training Benefit, you have access to all of the effects listed under the Power. In general there are three categories of effects; Persistent, Sustained, and Manifestation.

Persistent Effects are always available to your character, however, they are not always 'on'. They still must be activated. They do not require the expenditure to activate however.

Sustained Effects are the more commonly seen Force Powers. They allow the Use access to many incredible abilities, which often defy the natural laws. These powers require you to Spend a Force Point, which then gives you access to that Effect for the entire Scene. If a Power has multiple Sustained Effects, they must be spent for and activated separately.

Manifestation Effects are usually the most powerful effects a Force Power has. They require you to Spend a Force Point each time the effect is used.

Force Points

Force Points represent your Characters raw strength with the Force. The more Force Points you have, they stronger you are. In truth they function in a similar fashion to Destiny Points, with the exception that they may only used when you are using the Force through Force Powers.

You may spend Force Points to do several things:

• Activate a Force Power effect, as described above.
• Convert one Bonus Die gained from the Control, Sense, or Alter Specialties into a Test Die
• Increase your Rank in the Control, Sense, or Alter Specialty by 1 for a Single Test.

You may spend as many Force Points at a time as you would like, however, there is a limit to how many you may spend safely each SCENE. Beyond this limit, channeling such raw power through your body and mind, erodes away that which keeps you anchored in the Physical Existence. This causes serious harm and can even lead to death (as the Force User sheds their Physical Body, becoming a being of pure light and energy before merging completely with the Force). To represent this, each time you Spend a Force Point above your Ranks in Will, you must make an Endurance (Fortitude) Test against a Challenging (9) Difficulty. If you fail you suffer an Injury and subsequent tests increase this Difficulty by one Step. If you critically fail you suffer a Wound instead, and all further failures inflicts Wounds.

If your character suffers a Fatal Wound in this fashion, they have shed their Physical Body. All Injury and Wound Penalties are discarded, and they may continue to spend any Force Points they they have left with out having to make the above tests. Once all of your Force Points are gone, you may then BURN your Force Points, allowing you to spend them again - and you must, at a minimum, Burn a Force Point in this Fashion once each Turn. When all of your Force Points have been burnt, your Character merges with the Force and is gone permanently.

Destiny and Force Points

There is a relation between Destiny and Force Points.
You may Spend a Destiny Point to immediately recover one (1) spent Force Point.
You may Burn a Destiny Point to immediately recover ALL of your spent Force Points.