Damaging yourself in Lightsaber combat

[evilnerf]

I mean... If we're talking real world? Yes, they would be an incredibly dangerous weapon and the would surely result in many more people dying because they are using a lightsaber then die by a lightsaber.

However, assuming the suspension of disbelief that Lightsabers are useful weapons, at least for those who are trained in the force, you have to assume that self-harm with lightsabers is very very rare.

I don't have Yoda's stats, but lets say he was 6D6. This would put him in the high expert range. Even if he's higher now, he would have had to been at this point at some time in his jedi career. Bare in mind they give YOUNGLINGS lightsabers.

Using 6D6 has a 0.18% of getting below 10. However, if you are a jedi using your Lightsaber once every week (Much less every single attack action), statistically you would have stabbed yourself 3 times during your jedi career with a weapon that can easily chop off limbs.

Every Jedi in the temple would be missing AT LEAST one arm, probably 3 if this statistic was born about the jedi average.

In short, I assert that having Lightsabers damage yourself is realistic, but having it in the game opens up some troubling (and very undramatic) implications that hurt the narrative and the suspension of disbelief in the Star Wars universe.

If you keep the limit at 6, at least any jedi who are experts in Lightsaber combat would have zero chance of stabbing themselves.
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His eyes are shifty. That's how you know the nerf did it.

[CRMcNeill]

Which explains the reasoning behind the training sabers that the Younglings were using in AOTC...
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[evilnerf]

True, but Padawans along with Luke Skywalker (about six hours after he found out the Jedi existed) did not use training sabers.

My point still stands. With these mechanics, they all would have been peraplegics by the time they graduated.
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His eyes are shifty. That's how you know the nerf did it.

[CRMcNeill]

[CRMcNeill]

A middle-ground alternative would be to keep the Lightsaber as is, but allow characters with the Lightsaber skill to roll Lightsaber as a reaction to avoid getting hit (at -1D due to MAPs). A successful roll means the character takes no damage, but loses his grip on the saber, and it lands 1D meters away in a random direction (Grenade Scatter chart).
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[Thx1138]

I seem to remember reading somewhere that many sabers had a training mode, much like the sabers the younglings used, it would not be deadly if they are struck by it, it would just sting. I would assume that many jedi would have that addition on there light sabers for sparing purposes in the temple since you wouldn't want to accidently kill someone while practicing.

[CRMcNeill]

My understanding was that training sabers were a separate device, and that you got your real saber later...
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[garhkal]

And don't forget when using LS combat, one can add OR subtract their Control rating from the damage. So even a 2d control jedi can lessen his training saber (4d) damage to 2d. Which is what i assumes gets done by jedi trainees.
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Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[Thx1138]

I would like to think that at the temple, they would require a training mode since some of the other forms like form 2 and form 3 would require a lot of sparing practice and you wouldn't want to accidently injure your sparing partner while practicing.

[Bobmalooga]

This is just a thought, but if you hit yourself with a saber during LS combat on a flub, why can't you make a control roll (map applying...) to reduce the damage, as long as your control exceeds the 5D damage, there is no reason why it couldn't be reduced to being non-harmful...

I had a couple of players with no force talents get a hold of sabers over the years. 1 Threw a saber and killed someone with it, another pretended to be 'mace windu' despite the fact that he looked like Chris (Captain America) Evans even going so far to use a saber he had found to engage in 'ls combat' rolling high enough to avoid hurting or killing himself. The last one cut part of his foot off trying to engage in LS combat with a training droid (all 5 toes in fact...)
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No matter where you go, there you are...

[garhkal]

Well, if they have LS combat up, they can already decide to remove dice up to their control rating from the damage as is.
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Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!