yet another lightsaber variant

[Bren]

This is an idea inspired by posts by ZzaphodD and atgxtg and to Dueling Blades by Peter Schweighofer. I have extensively borrowed from their ideas so if you like it, they get credit. I have changed and mixed their ideas so if you don't like it, it might just be my fault.

One goal was to somewhat simplify or take out the some of the subjectivity of Dueling Blades, while retaining separate attack and parry rolls.

Lightsaber Dueling Variant
Limited Damage
Lightsaber combat in Star Wars D6 can be extremely deadly, especially as Jedi increase in ability. One result is that combat may resolve too quickly for an exciting build up or a series of interactions or blows. The first Jedi to strike successfully generally ends the fight. This system is designed to mitigate that to allow fights to take long enough for drama to occur.

Take attack roll minus target’s parry or defense roll including any modifiers for advantage to compute an Attack Result (AR) where AR = Attack Roll – Defense Roll + Modifiers.

Attack Result.......Effect
0-3....................Forced back. Defender must retreat or attacker gains +1D6 bonus to his next attack.
4-8....................Off balance. Attacker gains +1D6 bonus to his next attack.
9-12..................Glancing blow. Roll damage normally with a maximum result of wounded.
13-15.................Solid blow. Roll damage normally with a maximum result of incapacitated.
16+....................Serious blow. Roll damage normally with any wound result possible.

Losing Your Lightsaber
In the movies we frequently see the Jedi and the Sith dropping or having their lightsaber knocked away. On the other hand, we never see them amputate their own limbs. To make combat more cinematic, add the following two rule modifications.

(A) An attacker that rolls below difficult (16-20) with his lightsaber attack or parry is considered to have lost his grip on his lightsaber rather than hitting himself with his own weapon.
(B) A defender who rolls a 1 on the wild die with his lightsaber parry and gets a complication is considered to have lost his grip on their lightsaber. Like all complications this is at the GM’s discretion or the GM may chose to roll or have the player roll a second D6. A second 1 on the die indicates a lost lightsaber.

When a lightsaber is lost, it ends up 1D6 meters away. Roll on the grenade table for direction with the main arrow pointing behind the Jedi.

Thoughts? Comments?

[jmanski]

Interesting. Definitely sounds more cinematic.
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Blasted rules. Why can't they just be perfect?

[Bren]

[Raven Redstar]

I will also play test this in my Jedi campaign. It gives me a great reason to re-kindle the story. Also, it makes a huge difference in fighting mooks with blasters or the BBEG with his lightsaber.

[Random Numbers]

I like it. Simple and clean. The "hit yourself rule" is really silly so your rule is off course much better.
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Random is who random does...

[jmanski]

Yeah, I can't see very many Jedi missing hands, arms, or legs due to a mishap.
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Blasted rules. Why can't they just be perfect?

[Bren]

[Krapou]

[ZzaphodD]

[Bren]

[CRMcNeill]

I like the "Losing your grip" rule. Maybe you could maintain the "slashing yourself" rule for people attempting to use a lightsaber without training.
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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

[Bren]

[dadofett]

I like this a lot. Reading it as a newbie (still going through core rules now), it fits nicely with the "feel" of the original rules...light and crispy!

[CRMcNeill]

With regards to the off balance rules, I would think that the punch / kick / whatever would be what puts the opponent off balance. It could be anything from a physical blow to a feint to a leap or spin to one side, so that the opponent has to somehow adjust to the new combat situation.

I would like to something along the lines of rules for a coup de grace strike, as Maul did to Qui-Gon in TPM. In general, what I'm thinking is that, if the duelist successfully off-balances his opponent, he should be allowed to take advantage of that and make an attack, either unopposed or at an advantage of some kind. Once he delivers that strike, he would be unable to act for the rest of the round, and would thus be vulnerable to another attacker. To me, this would account for Darth Maul's actions in TPM, in that he played a waiting game until he could get Obi-wan and Qui-gon separated. Once they were, he was able to take advantage of Qui-gon's momentary distraction to deliver a lethal blow without having to worry about Obi-wan doing the same to him.
_________________
"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

[Bren]