Force Powers
- Thread starter Jinan B
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Okay, so after having done a lot of thought on the subject of Force Powers and acceptable use and fatigue etc. (which was initially inspired by a PM from @Apollyon (sorry I sort of ran away and did this whole side thing that's not really related to the idea you pitched, but I got inspired and just sorta went with it >.>), I've sort of tried to come up with a system of....not necessarily scoring or points-based Force usage, but rather a criteria sheet for self-evaluation.
And yes, it took me ages to come up with a snappy acronym in order to sell the idea to you all.
Finesse
Area
Intensity
Longevity
Finesse: The amount of complexity involved in performing a power - whether the Force is being used as a sledgehammer or a scalpel. As Rebels and TFA have taught us, using the Force is comparatively easy, but applying it with skill, finesse and delicacy are the true challenges of a master-level practitioner. A Force user should have the training and mastery to harness the Force with skill and precision, and complex and sophisticated use is far more challenging. This shouldn't be confused with small-scale powers effectively costing more, but rather more precise, delicate or skillful applications (which by their nature are tougher to defend against) effectively being more difficult compared to more brutish applications (which are generally more straightforward to use, understand and defend against)
Example: A low-level (Finesse 1) telekinetic attack would be a generic, formless 'burst' of telekinetic energy that flies through the air from the Force user to their target. A mid-level (Finesse 3) telekinetic attack would be flattened to sweep the target's legs or perhaps move from a different point of origin, while a high-level (Finesse 5) attack would originate at the point of the target and be shaped in such a way to grip and lift the target off their feet, throw them around, or focus on a particular area to shatter bones or choke an opponent.
Area: This is effectively the range and/or area of effect of the Force, the size of the area which is affected by the power when it is used or the distance from the practitioner to the target. The number of targets involved increases the Areascore as well - however, if an attack discriminates between friend or foe, this would add to the Finesse score, and the overall area should still be considered for the Area score. This is effectively the overall range and area of effect of an attack.
Important reminder: Lacking a direct 'line of sight' so to speak, should be considered as adding significantly to the Area score. To clarify, this means that the Force user should at least have a full and complete knowledge of the location of the target, or otherwise add massive penalty scores to this criteria.
Example: A low area (Area 1) telekinetic attack would be a single target, short range attack of a few meters. A mid-range attack (Area 3) could reach tens of meters and hit nearby, adjacent targets. A large scale attack (Area 5) could hit a large number of targets over a wide area, or reach across far and extreme distances to affect a single target.
Intensity: This is the strength of the Force power when it is in full effect - for a defensive power, this is the strength of the defence, while for an offensive power, this is effectively the amount of damage and sheer force.
Example: A low magnitude score telekinetic wave (Magnitude 1) may simply sweep an opponent off their feet, a mid-level attempt (Magnitude 3) would slam an opponent into a wall with enough force to knock the air from their lungs or concuss them, while a high enough magnitude power of this nature (Magnitude 5 could send a person through the wall, inflicting massive damage.
Longevity: This is effectively the duration of time that has elapsed between the power beginning to be used and the end of its effect - the amount of time a power has been actively in play before the user either disengages or switches to a new tactic. This is particularly important for defensive and self-enhancing powers - the longer a player is enhancing or protecting themselves, the more fatigued they should become over that time. However, in certain offensive power situations, longevity also comes into play. Using the Force to choke, or protect from damage, or enhance one's speed, or nauseate an opponent, or fight by telekinetically holding a lightsaber are all examples of where longevity comes into play - as times passes on and the longer the practitioner exerts themselves to maintain the effect, the more tiring it becomes. Having one's concentration broken obviously changed the amount of exertion used, so this should be taken into consideration when evaluating the longevity score.
Example: A low duration telekinetic power (Longevity 1), for example, would be a singular attack or a power with no duration - ie a singular effect that does not need to be sustained. A mid-duration telekinetic power (Longevity 3) would be more like a Force Bellow, a sustained power taking the duration of multiple combat rounds and effectively lasting up to two turns of combat without interruption, while a high-duration telekinetic power (Longevity 5) would continue into the full third round and beyond.
As you can see, each category individually has a fairly significant amount of leeway, but as you begin combining the criteria together, you start getting higher and higher FAIL scores. Each section should be self-valued on a scale of 1-5 - you don't need to post this score every round, but you should probably do the basic math on the ballpark figure of your FAIL score before you post in case it's asked of you - and to ensure that you're not accidentally going over the top with your Force usage, either.
Generally speaking, a total FAIL score of 10-12 is about the absolute maximum you should ever have for any power, and is probably going to exhaust your character if they keep using the Force at that level - effectively, this is the level at which you're at risk of exhausting yourself unless you stop using the Force so much, or at the very least significantly lower your following FAIL scores in future rounds. A score of 13-15 would basically be a 'cinematic' power - ie impractical and unusable in actual real combat, but possible as a one-off display in a controlled environment where the character could then find rest and recover immediately after. A score above 16 or would either simply fail and (potentially) severely injure or damage the user as a result of the Force consuming the user's body, either in part or whole. In short, don't even try to attempt that kind of level of power.
(NB: FAIL scores are not cumulative over multiple rounds - a FAIL score of 8 in round 1 and a FAIL score of 6 in round 3 do not equal total exhaustion for a thread. Each round should be calculated individually, including for Force usages that span multiple rounds.)
Now, to repeat, but this is a form of self-evaluation. IE do not calculate someone's FAIL score for them, have them score it themselves. This is important for a number of reasons - first of all, all players (and moderators and admins) will be able to look at FAIL scores in an OOC discussion and determine a) the writer's actual intent in terms of overall scale, and also determine over time whether the player's own self-analysis is lacking or incorrect, in which both players and staff alike can help in correcting. Analysing the writer's intent, as well as their own self-assessment skills, is vital to teaching proper habits and proper self-balancing skills over time, so I think having the FAIL system as a method of self-analysis first and foremost, rather than a grading system, gives it a more educational nature in the long term.
This also helps determine, for all players involved, the amount of overall fatigue the player should be feeling as the thread continues on. Obviously this should be weighted against the backstory, role, rank and even amount of tech the character utilizes and as such should be treated case-by-case, but it helps reveal patterns of over-exertion rather than using often arbitrary and opinion-based determinations, while still enabling a Force-using player to be able to enjoy the freedom the Guide to Force Powers provides.
Anyway, it's late and I might do a second draft of this if it's considered a decent idea, but just thought I'd pitch it and see what people think.
And yes, it took me ages to come up with a snappy acronym in order to sell the idea to you all.
Finesse
Area
Intensity
Longevity
Finesse: The amount of complexity involved in performing a power - whether the Force is being used as a sledgehammer or a scalpel. As Rebels and TFA have taught us, using the Force is comparatively easy, but applying it with skill, finesse and delicacy are the true challenges of a master-level practitioner. A Force user should have the training and mastery to harness the Force with skill and precision, and complex and sophisticated use is far more challenging. This shouldn't be confused with small-scale powers effectively costing more, but rather more precise, delicate or skillful applications (which by their nature are tougher to defend against) effectively being more difficult compared to more brutish applications (which are generally more straightforward to use, understand and defend against)
Example: A low-level (Finesse 1) telekinetic attack would be a generic, formless 'burst' of telekinetic energy that flies through the air from the Force user to their target. A mid-level (Finesse 3) telekinetic attack would be flattened to sweep the target's legs or perhaps move from a different point of origin, while a high-level (Finesse 5) attack would originate at the point of the target and be shaped in such a way to grip and lift the target off their feet, throw them around, or focus on a particular area to shatter bones or choke an opponent.
Area: This is effectively the range and/or area of effect of the Force, the size of the area which is affected by the power when it is used or the distance from the practitioner to the target. The number of targets involved increases the Areascore as well - however, if an attack discriminates between friend or foe, this would add to the Finesse score, and the overall area should still be considered for the Area score. This is effectively the overall range and area of effect of an attack.
Important reminder: Lacking a direct 'line of sight' so to speak, should be considered as adding significantly to the Area score. To clarify, this means that the Force user should at least have a full and complete knowledge of the location of the target, or otherwise add massive penalty scores to this criteria.
Example: A low area (Area 1) telekinetic attack would be a single target, short range attack of a few meters. A mid-range attack (Area 3) could reach tens of meters and hit nearby, adjacent targets. A large scale attack (Area 5) could hit a large number of targets over a wide area, or reach across far and extreme distances to affect a single target.
Intensity: This is the strength of the Force power when it is in full effect - for a defensive power, this is the strength of the defence, while for an offensive power, this is effectively the amount of damage and sheer force.
Example: A low magnitude score telekinetic wave (Magnitude 1) may simply sweep an opponent off their feet, a mid-level attempt (Magnitude 3) would slam an opponent into a wall with enough force to knock the air from their lungs or concuss them, while a high enough magnitude power of this nature (Magnitude 5 could send a person through the wall, inflicting massive damage.
Longevity: This is effectively the duration of time that has elapsed between the power beginning to be used and the end of its effect - the amount of time a power has been actively in play before the user either disengages or switches to a new tactic. This is particularly important for defensive and self-enhancing powers - the longer a player is enhancing or protecting themselves, the more fatigued they should become over that time. However, in certain offensive power situations, longevity also comes into play. Using the Force to choke, or protect from damage, or enhance one's speed, or nauseate an opponent, or fight by telekinetically holding a lightsaber are all examples of where longevity comes into play - as times passes on and the longer the practitioner exerts themselves to maintain the effect, the more tiring it becomes. Having one's concentration broken obviously changed the amount of exertion used, so this should be taken into consideration when evaluating the longevity score.
Example: A low duration telekinetic power (Longevity 1), for example, would be a singular attack or a power with no duration - ie a singular effect that does not need to be sustained. A mid-duration telekinetic power (Longevity 3) would be more like a Force Bellow, a sustained power taking the duration of multiple combat rounds and effectively lasting up to two turns of combat without interruption, while a high-duration telekinetic power (Longevity 5) would continue into the full third round and beyond.
* * *
As you can see, each category individually has a fairly significant amount of leeway, but as you begin combining the criteria together, you start getting higher and higher FAIL scores. Each section should be self-valued on a scale of 1-5 - you don't need to post this score every round, but you should probably do the basic math on the ballpark figure of your FAIL score before you post in case it's asked of you - and to ensure that you're not accidentally going over the top with your Force usage, either.
Generally speaking, a total FAIL score of 10-12 is about the absolute maximum you should ever have for any power, and is probably going to exhaust your character if they keep using the Force at that level - effectively, this is the level at which you're at risk of exhausting yourself unless you stop using the Force so much, or at the very least significantly lower your following FAIL scores in future rounds. A score of 13-15 would basically be a 'cinematic' power - ie impractical and unusable in actual real combat, but possible as a one-off display in a controlled environment where the character could then find rest and recover immediately after. A score above 16 or would either simply fail and (potentially) severely injure or damage the user as a result of the Force consuming the user's body, either in part or whole. In short, don't even try to attempt that kind of level of power.
(NB: FAIL scores are not cumulative over multiple rounds - a FAIL score of 8 in round 1 and a FAIL score of 6 in round 3 do not equal total exhaustion for a thread. Each round should be calculated individually, including for Force usages that span multiple rounds.)
Now, to repeat, but this is a form of self-evaluation. IE do not calculate someone's FAIL score for them, have them score it themselves. This is important for a number of reasons - first of all, all players (and moderators and admins) will be able to look at FAIL scores in an OOC discussion and determine a) the writer's actual intent in terms of overall scale, and also determine over time whether the player's own self-analysis is lacking or incorrect, in which both players and staff alike can help in correcting. Analysing the writer's intent, as well as their own self-assessment skills, is vital to teaching proper habits and proper self-balancing skills over time, so I think having the FAIL system as a method of self-analysis first and foremost, rather than a grading system, gives it a more educational nature in the long term.
This also helps determine, for all players involved, the amount of overall fatigue the player should be feeling as the thread continues on. Obviously this should be weighted against the backstory, role, rank and even amount of tech the character utilizes and as such should be treated case-by-case, but it helps reveal patterns of over-exertion rather than using often arbitrary and opinion-based determinations, while still enabling a Force-using player to be able to enjoy the freedom the Guide to Force Powers provides.
* * *
Anyway, it's late and I might do a second draft of this if it's considered a decent idea, but just thought I'd pitch it and see what people think.
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All the people who do PvP should read this and take note! Not just for them though; this is a great idea that should definitively be pondered by all members of the forum.
And now before people start bringing in the sledgehammer to tear this apart how about we try some P6000 sandpaper instead?
And now before people start bringing in the sledgehammer to tear this apart how about we try some P6000 sandpaper instead?
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Wow, thanks for the feedback everyone! TBH I wasn't expecting it to be so...overwhelmingly positive, but hey, I'll take it. >.>
Constructive criticism is obviously welcome though, so keep the comments coming :D
Constructive criticism is obviously welcome though, so keep the comments coming :D
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I'm a bit late here but @Green Ranger that idea sounds awesome. As someone who is new here and not known by many people this may be out of place but technically speaking PvP isn't supposed to be fair. Before you tear me to shreds hear me out. As someone who has been through at least 100 PvPs i'd say that there are far too many things to take into account when fighting another player character. The core things that should be focused on are skill level and the playing field. For example if a single Jedi Master is taking on two amateur bounty hunters, there is a huge gap there skill wise. Assuming all was "fair" the bounty hunters would almost definitely be cut down which isn't a bad thing, becoming a Master Jedi takes time and with time many things can be learned. The same goes for if there was a Jedi Padawan facing off against two veteran bounty hunters, he'll likely be shot down or forced to flee.
In our world we've always has technological races, who can get to the moon first, who can build the atomic bomb first, who can develop the most efficient battle rifle, etc. While Star wars is very different compared to our world, it is also extremely similar. There are competitive companies trying to out develop one another (BlasTech, Merr-Son, Czerka, etc.) because who doesn't want "the most technologically advanced armor" or the "blaster of the century". People who hunt force users are going to develop ways to kill them, likewise force users are going to develop ways to counter them. As far as fatigue and skills go that should all be based on the persons character, by that I don't mean what suits them best at that moment, but what has been built on through their characters life. There is no way a 16 year old padawan's force endurance should be on par with a masters, likewise there is now way a 55 year old masters physical endurance should be on par with the 16 year old's (unless he uses the force of course).
I've had PvPs where I've killed someone much stronger than me because I planned it out or I brought backup, then again I've been killed by people much weaker than me because they did the same thing. Character death is something that happens quite often in PvP (At least where i'm from), because of this i'd recommend avoiding it if you fear for your characters life or just don't want to lose the character. Taking hits is all part of the game so it's not right to see someone say "I duck behind cover and spray you with fire" and then you be dead. It's also not right to see "I force choke you and snap your neck." I think Ranger's system is awesome personally, probably one of the best I've seen. The unfortunate thing is that any system can be abused no matter what, some just more than others. It's kind of a pick your poison thing. The only problem I really see with the FAIL system are the numbers. Rather than using numbers just go off a general rule, someone using the force to activate and fight with three light sabers is going to get tired much more quickly than someone occasionally giving themselves a burst of speed or strength.
As someone who doesn't have a force using character or ever plan to make one i'd definitely say that they have it kinda bad right now. Force users are special and when trained are something to be feared. At the same time they are far from invincible, if too cocky or outnumbered they may need to reevaluate their situation. I don't think anyone but maybe someone JUST starting to grasp the force would get tired in 2-3 rounds unless the force user is attempting to choke an entire squadron at once. These are just my opinions though, I hope no one takes what I said offensively or thinks i'm trying to be aggressive because that's not the idea in any way. I'm just trying to help find a middle ground between tech and the force because without a balance somewhere, the system will never work. As mentioned earlier, there will likely ALWAYS be advances in tech to counter force users just like there will LIKELY always be advances in tech to counter those advances. I understand some people don't want their Jedi to be forced to carry a polarized helmet into combat because of a certain weapon, but look at it from the other side, the guy fighting the Jedi probably doesn't want to be using such an unstable weapon that could go off in his hand if manipulated just right.
Sorry for the rant guys but i'm probably off for the night, cheers!
In our world we've always has technological races, who can get to the moon first, who can build the atomic bomb first, who can develop the most efficient battle rifle, etc. While Star wars is very different compared to our world, it is also extremely similar. There are competitive companies trying to out develop one another (BlasTech, Merr-Son, Czerka, etc.) because who doesn't want "the most technologically advanced armor" or the "blaster of the century". People who hunt force users are going to develop ways to kill them, likewise force users are going to develop ways to counter them. As far as fatigue and skills go that should all be based on the persons character, by that I don't mean what suits them best at that moment, but what has been built on through their characters life. There is no way a 16 year old padawan's force endurance should be on par with a masters, likewise there is now way a 55 year old masters physical endurance should be on par with the 16 year old's (unless he uses the force of course).
I've had PvPs where I've killed someone much stronger than me because I planned it out or I brought backup, then again I've been killed by people much weaker than me because they did the same thing. Character death is something that happens quite often in PvP (At least where i'm from), because of this i'd recommend avoiding it if you fear for your characters life or just don't want to lose the character. Taking hits is all part of the game so it's not right to see someone say "I duck behind cover and spray you with fire" and then you be dead. It's also not right to see "I force choke you and snap your neck." I think Ranger's system is awesome personally, probably one of the best I've seen. The unfortunate thing is that any system can be abused no matter what, some just more than others. It's kind of a pick your poison thing. The only problem I really see with the FAIL system are the numbers. Rather than using numbers just go off a general rule, someone using the force to activate and fight with three light sabers is going to get tired much more quickly than someone occasionally giving themselves a burst of speed or strength.
As someone who doesn't have a force using character or ever plan to make one i'd definitely say that they have it kinda bad right now. Force users are special and when trained are something to be feared. At the same time they are far from invincible, if too cocky or outnumbered they may need to reevaluate their situation. I don't think anyone but maybe someone JUST starting to grasp the force would get tired in 2-3 rounds unless the force user is attempting to choke an entire squadron at once. These are just my opinions though, I hope no one takes what I said offensively or thinks i'm trying to be aggressive because that's not the idea in any way. I'm just trying to help find a middle ground between tech and the force because without a balance somewhere, the system will never work. As mentioned earlier, there will likely ALWAYS be advances in tech to counter force users just like there will LIKELY always be advances in tech to counter those advances. I understand some people don't want their Jedi to be forced to carry a polarized helmet into combat because of a certain weapon, but look at it from the other side, the guy fighting the Jedi probably doesn't want to be using such an unstable weapon that could go off in his hand if manipulated just right.
Sorry for the rant guys but i'm probably off for the night, cheers!
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I get where you're coming from, but in practice it doesn't make for much fun. Last timeline in particular was notorious for battles being decided by 'I outrank you so you just lose no matter what you do', which, while probably realistic, wasn't really much fun for players - and also made climbing ranks difficult, since new/inexperienced members would keep getting offed by veterans, which, in the long run, isn't good for the health of the RP.
We've also always had a fairly strong focus on writing over rank, so last timeline was an anomaly in that respect. A key site philosophy has always been that a clever/skilled writer should be able to get themselves out of almost any situation if they're good enough at writing, and I think that was somewhat lost last timeline with the insistance on ranks defining IC power level. A large part of why the ranks are structured as they are now is to discourage this mentality.
Generally speaking for this whole thing, I'll use the stock-standard response of 'Star Wars doesn't always function like real life, nor does it has to because it's a) fiction, and b) fantasy.' Generally speaking, as is the case with almost any fictional work, trying to apply real life logic doesn't always fit, and the same is true for Star Wars. technological advancements are a key example - even in the EU, for all the state-of-the-art prototypes, cutting edge experimental technology, and weapons of increasingly staggering destructive power...Star Wars technology advances at an abysmally slow rate. The same technological leaps we're making in say....five years in real life take millennia in the Star Wars universe.
And for the most part, Star Wars isn't about fancy tech. It's about fancy looking sci-fi style tech, but ultimately in almost every canon source there's very little real variation or even progress. A blaster is a blaster is a blaster. A grenade goes boom. A lightsaber goes vwang. Armor occasionally protects against like one hit but is usually just cosmetic. And so forth, because it's just secondary fluff to build immersion, not the focal point of the Star Wars universe as opposed to, for example, Star Trek, which is classic science fiction as opposed to the space fantasy of Star Wars.
Furthermore, tech races hurt the RP badly in the end. We saw it last timeline - people were basically comparing tech-peen rather than focusing on skills, tactics and writing ability, and it made for boring and/or just outright unpleasant battles. Personally, having gone through that, I'd want to avoid encouraging another tech arms race.
But then, I also have pretty much felt that having a tech section at all has been a mistake ever since we brought it in, because just by existing it encourages people to create and submit exotic tech that inevitably feeds an arms race mentality, but I understand not everyone agrees with that assertion either. YMMV.
Thanks for the feedback, by the way! I genuinely appreciate it, so I want to clarify that in case my previous comments above get misintepreted or something. I more or less agree with the assertions here about character death, but the other things I'd say is - if you don't want your character to die, outright ask if they can be spared. Like...99% of the time a member won't be that heartless if you ask, and the 1% that do? Well, FLs remember that kind of conduct for future battles and stuff. Ultimately almost every RPers I've dealt with or seen has been pretty damn decent when it comes to asking for mercy - there are always exceptions, but by all means the mast, vast majority of people are happy to work out a compromise.
As for your comments on the FAIL score, essentially what you described as an alternative is what we do now - someone disagrees with a Force Power, we argue semantics over exhaustion and practicality, and then generally a mod or admin is called in when the discussion goes nowhere. The problem with things as they are now is that it's all really arbitrary and based purely on opinion. Misunderstandings run rampant, and more often than not (especially lately), judgements by players and, yes, occasionally the staff themselves, is based off of cultural, unwritten guides and misunderstandings rather than the actual guides and rules themselves. There's a very clear void in terms of guidelines when it comes to acceptable use of the Force, and it's causing Force users to be at a massive disadvantage. Considering at any given time the majority of RPers generally want to play a Force user in some form or another, this is kind of a big problem.
If there wasn't an issue, I wouldn't have written the FAIL score proposal. But because that gap exists, because rulings are being made arbitrarily at the moment and because Force users are completely hobbled at the moment as a result, is why I'm trying to fix it with the FAIL score, and with trying to get members to start to self-assess their own use of the Force.
I get what you're saying here, for sure. I think, as is the case with...pretty much every game system, RP system, ruleset or anything ever really, you can't ever really, truly balance all aspects - it's an ongoing process of fine tuning, making adjustments where necessary, adding, altering or removing rules where necessary and so forth. At the moment, I feel like the lack of balance between tech and the Force is probably close to, or the actual worst it's ever been, which is why I'm pushing so hard for change in some form or another. Maybe by introducing the FAIL score might make the Force OP in relation to tech, and so tech will then need to be tweaked - who knows?
But I mean, people are quitting the RP because of how shit the Force is right now. And I'm not just speaking about myself here - I've had a number of PMs and messages on Skype about it. And I might have stepped down as co-owner (side-note: Staff members, if you're reading this, I still have admin rights for some reason. You might want to fix that), but I still care a hell of a lot about the site and want to see it do well and continue to thrive and...well, the way the Force is right now is turning people off RPing, so that feels like a pretty major problem to me.
Anyway, thanks again for the feedback - it's really appreciated. :)
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Quick, spam Boli with rotten tomatoes. We can't have him feeling praised about his work. He might be motivated to be an admin again.
On a serious note, it does look interesting, of what I was able to read over quick.
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This was a well thought out, and quite interesting read @Green Ranger.
For me, I never rely to much on the Force in a pvp atmosphere, focusing more on the important things such as story, joint-writer collaboration, and fun. For the most part, I keep it basic in terms of Force powers in pvp like telekinesis. In truth, most powerful Force abilities require mental preparation and usually during a pvp there isn't time for that.
For example:
On my previous site, I was dueling another writer of a Sith Sorceress and they posted this lengthy and elaborate post about raising the dead around us, to give her allies against me. It was a great read, and my response was simple: I wrote I kicked sand in her face, disrupting her Force attack. My witty response was less lengthy and elaborate than the other writers. So my pointe is, mental preparation compared to fast-paced pvps is a no no. Keep it simple and basic.
For me, I never rely to much on the Force in a pvp atmosphere, focusing more on the important things such as story, joint-writer collaboration, and fun. For the most part, I keep it basic in terms of Force powers in pvp like telekinesis. In truth, most powerful Force abilities require mental preparation and usually during a pvp there isn't time for that.
For example:
On my previous site, I was dueling another writer of a Sith Sorceress and they posted this lengthy and elaborate post about raising the dead around us, to give her allies against me. It was a great read, and my response was simple: I wrote I kicked sand in her face, disrupting her Force attack. My witty response was less lengthy and elaborate than the other writers. So my pointe is, mental preparation compared to fast-paced pvps is a no no. Keep it simple and basic.
Apollyon
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@Swamp Witch
While I generally agree with that statement, large scale powers and sorcery based abilities usually require preparation, rituals, and channels of some sort. There are abilities that we have seen in canon that do not. The issue with the force in pvp right now is people misunderstand how taxing doing something simple like utilizing force speed for a quick burst of movement or pushing or pulling something towards or away from you should be.
What this does is create a system that is clear cut and eliminates personal opinion. Allowing characters that utilize force powers like force lightning, telekinesis, or augmentation to have equal footing in combat environments. Without being completely broken.
While I generally agree with that statement, large scale powers and sorcery based abilities usually require preparation, rituals, and channels of some sort. There are abilities that we have seen in canon that do not. The issue with the force in pvp right now is people misunderstand how taxing doing something simple like utilizing force speed for a quick burst of movement or pushing or pulling something towards or away from you should be.
What this does is create a system that is clear cut and eliminates personal opinion. Allowing characters that utilize force powers like force lightning, telekinesis, or augmentation to have equal footing in combat environments. Without being completely broken.
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That has always been my argument, @Apollyon, in pvp settings too. People fail to realize that using the Force is taxing, and thus think they can do it constantly without drawbacks. I've always used the term Force Exhaustion to explain to writers, either in PM with my opponents or teaching my character's apprentices, that the Force is infinite; your usage is not.
I have always cited examples such as Vader vs Kenboi (both counts) and Sidious vs Maul/Savage. In both examples, the Force is rarely used and when done so, it's in spurts. I like to think, for my writing of Force usage anyway, that it requires a time of charging to use Force powers; more so for the powerful abilities. So when I do use an ability, it will be at least two minimum posts before I write using it again. Charging time!
I have always cited examples such as Vader vs Kenboi (both counts) and Sidious vs Maul/Savage. In both examples, the Force is rarely used and when done so, it's in spurts. I like to think, for my writing of Force usage anyway, that it requires a time of charging to use Force powers; more so for the powerful abilities. So when I do use an ability, it will be at least two minimum posts before I write using it again. Charging time!
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You've got it backwards.
The whole thing arises from people saying using force speed once in a fight should make the force user exhausted for the remainder of the engagement, not that the force user is using force powers willy-nilly with no consequence.
Apollyon
SWRP Writer
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Well I mean rogue one showed us that the force CAN be utilized in more then spurts. Without spoiling I will just call it "The Vader scene". It clearly demonstrates that the Force can be used on simpler abilities quite often within a small window and the practitioner doesn't become exhausted.
My thing is understanding the magnitude of what you are doing, pushing or pulling a person is going to be a lot easier then lifting a star ship. Utilizing the force to do things often in pvp is fine just not when they are major actions and not more then a single power per post. Basically, rp realistically and fairly even inside of pvp, your character is a being with limits, not a god.
My thing is understanding the magnitude of what you are doing, pushing or pulling a person is going to be a lot easier then lifting a star ship. Utilizing the force to do things often in pvp is fine just not when they are major actions and not more then a single power per post. Basically, rp realistically and fairly even inside of pvp, your character is a being with limits, not a god.
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@soed
I see.....well that is just silly. I've yet to participate in a pvp here. So by these people's reasoning, it can be said that writing you ran (normally) should exhaust you, and after doing so you need a nap before running again. :)
Anything associated with Art of Movement should be hand-waved as daily routines.
I see.....well that is just silly. I've yet to participate in a pvp here. So by these people's reasoning, it can be said that writing you ran (normally) should exhaust you, and after doing so you need a nap before running again. :)
Anything associated with Art of Movement should be hand-waved as daily routines.