Adversaries!

[Reddicediaries5 2]

I just realized as a totally, noob GM (having never ran any game before) I dont know what amount of adversaries will be suficant for a group of 3 PCs. Thoughts?

[RLogue177 1,506]

What are the three PC character types? What sort of encounter are you planning?

[Reddicediaries5 2]

So far I have a sage and that's it. I have 3 players, just don't know what the other are playing yet. I'm planning some kind of running from the inquisitors while building up the PCs powers. The group might have a hidden sage if the rest of the group are hired guns/ bounty hunters, etc

[Richardbuxton 7,319]

Start small, a single group of 3 or 4 minions, but be prepared to bring in reinforcements. There is no XP for killing in this game so there is nothing stopping you from piling more and more NPC's at an encounter.

 

The skills, characteristics and equipment can have a big effect on the outcome. Also sometimes PC's will "win" initiative and take everyone out before an NPC can act, other times the same NPC's will "win" and bring a load of hurt to the group.

 

An important thing to remember is that the environment can be as much an adversary as NPC's, fighting in a blizzard on Hoth or on a catwalk over lava pits can be very dangerous no mater who your fighting.

 

In the same way time can be a big problem for the group, If they have a non combat objective then the enemy is just there as a roadblock, they may need to get creative to get around since fighting even easy enemies will use up too much time.

 

Different PC's will need different opponents to be challenged too, some need a melee to find things hard, others will be unconscious from a sniper before they ever get a chance to fight back.

[Reddicediaries5 2]

I mean seer.

[Donovan Morningfire 10,200]

It's going to depend very much on how the PCs are built, and what they're capable of.

 

A Seer may not seem like much in a fight, but with the right Force powers, especially as they gain XP, they can be quite potent.

 

A Guardian or Warrior is going be much tougher than a Consular or Mystic (exceptions being Niman and Makashi, but even those are limited at the start).

 

If none of your PCs are combat-focused, then even simple minion groups could prove a challenge.

 

My best suggestion would be to snag one of the Beginner Boxes, and run your players through that adventure, either with the offered pre-gens or characters of your own making.  This will help give you some ability to judge what's too much for your party by comparing how the players do against the pre-set encounters in the BegBox module.

[SFC Snuffy 809]

If you're all new to the system, I'd recommend using the beginner game to help everyone learn. There's also the adventure in the back of the rulebook, and another adventure packaged with the GM screen. All three can easily be used together as a sort of mini-campaign. Playing through a couple of published adventures will really help you get a feel for encounter design and give you some examples to refer back to when building your own.

 

EDIT: Ha, ninja'd by D. Morningfire!

Edited July 16, 2016 by SFC Snuffy

[Reddicediaries5 2]

We're not new to the system persay. I've had numerous campaign ideas, I just have'nt been able to flesh them out. I'm also thinking about making an Ataru Striker Mentor NPC. Not sure what power level to give him and talents and skills. Thoughts? Thanks for the help everyone!

Edited July 16, 2016 by Reddicediaries5

[Richardbuxton 7,319]

GM PC's are risky. Its very easy to either overshadow the actual PC's, or even worse, to break the illusion of a story a little as you make odd decisions for the character while trying to not overshadow the other PC's.

 

Your much better making some bad bad bad Nemesis, then really put some time into making them memorable. If your having a Mentor for the group they almost don't need stats, they should always have something better to do. Think of Obi Wan on the death star, he is kind of a mentor for the group, he just says "catch ya later dudes, I'm gonna go do some impressive stuff and face off against a Sith Lord, you guys go fight a couple of Stormies." If he had gone with Luke and Han (ignoring the fact Vader would have followed him) then their breakout of Leia would have been much easier "This is not the prisoner your looking for" and all that.

[FuriousGreg 1,667]

I'd advise not having an active NPC, one that participates in adventuring, especially one that is stated like a PC. If your group is missing some skills then add an NPC Astromech droid or something similar. NPCs should be plot devices not adventurers or they could overshadow them. Best to let them succeed or fail on their own. And don't forget to remind your Players that sometimes heroes run...

As for difficulty take a look at the adventure in the back of the book and free downloadable FFG adventures (Long arm of the Hutt and Under a Black Sun, and the F&D one Lure of the Lost). These should give you an idea what 0-50 or so EXP PC's should be able to handle.

https://images-cdn.fantasyflightgames.com/filer_public/d7/ee/d7ee55a8-0c22-4841-ab48-666ee909fe88/long_arm_of_the_hutt_hr.pdf
https://images-cdn.fantasyflightgames.com/filer_public/18/ff/18ff8afe-bf19-47a3-97e5-a313ded3d6b3/under_a_black_sun_lores.pdf
https://images-cdn.fantasyflightgames.com/filer_public/74/9f/749fc12b-fd71-489f-aee9-cf8b23b03e60/swfp01_lure_of_the_lost_lr.pdf

[Reddicediaries5 2]

He's not meant to be a main character, He also is supposed to be an ataru specilisiest, but not with the PC tree. I feel like after a few sessions, the PC's find him and he begins to teach them, but the inquisitors show up and kill/ drive him up.

[Guest cimmerianthief]

I agree with others who suggest broad adversarial encounters. Sure, a bunch of mooks outfitted in Stormtrooper gear may work, but when I struggle with suitable encounters, I look to the movies for inspiration.

 

Luke almost died in the snows of Hoth. Yup, this was after fighting a Wampa, but an immediate serious threat was hypothermia.

The droids crashed landed on a desert planet, and encountered some thieves who thrive in these conditions (I see Jawas as mooks, in this case).

The forests of Endor offered unique chases while battling more mooks on speeder bikes. Luke vs. a handful of troopers shouldn't be a challenge, but alter conditions, and it was good action.

 

What species are others considering? A 3-PC party that consists of a Quarren, a Mon Cal, and a Nautolan seems well-suited for aquatic adventures that are not typical ofother,  traditional RPGs, and opens new locations for new rewards. How many Inquisitors swim, for example? How do you envision SCUBA-troopers? Considering how species may work together BEYOND their numeric characteristics elevates your game and embraces Star Wars mythos.

 

Wishing you good luck- keep us posted!

[FuriousGreg 1,667]

He's not meant to be a main character, He also is supposed to be an ataru specilisiest, but not with the PC tree. I feel like after a few sessions, the PC's find him and he begins to teach them, but the inquisitors show up and kill/ drive him up.

If thats the case there is no need to stat them at all. The only point to stat anything is if you need uncertainty in the results of the character's actions. If your plan is to have him teach a bit then die at the hands of some Inquisitors to move the plot along then there isn't any need for stats. His form specialization is fluff that should probably match the PC's chosen one(s),if that happens to be ataru ,great.

[Reddicediaries5 2]

Yeah, I guess he does'nt need many stats. I did just make a Jedi bounty hunter grank. He will also be sent after the PC's. Here are his stats. Thoughts and comments are welcome.

 

Brawn 6 (Includes cybernetics)

Agility 2

Intellect 3

Cunning 3

Willpower 4

Presence 2

 

Skills

 

Athletics 3

Brawl 4

Cool 2

Computers 2

Cordination 2

Dicipline 2

Mechanics 3

Perception 3

RH and RL 3

Reslience 2

PS and PP 2

Vigilance 3

Stealth 3

Streetwise 1

Underworld 1

Deception 1

Coercian 3

 

 

Talents

 

Adversary 3

Durable 4

Enduring 3

Feral Strength 2

Grit 2

Hard Headed 1

Jury rigged 2

Lethal Blows 2

Mental Fortress

Natural Brawler

Percise Aim 1

Pressure Points

Rapid Reaction 1

Slippery Minded

Tinkerer 1

Toughned 2

True Aim 1

 

Equip

 

Heavy Blaster Rifle

Bantha Laser sight

Superior 1

 

Blaster Pistol

 

2 Vibroknives Paired

 

5 Mk Frag gernades

 

Heavy Battle Armor

1 Cybernetic Arm +1 Brawn

2 cybernetic legs +1 Brawn

Cybernetic eyes

Implant armor

Cybernetic Reflexes

 

Survalience Tagger

Comlink

Binders

Comm Scrambler

Breath Mask

Ration Pack

Stimpack

 

 

Atributes

 

Soak 13

Wound 20

Strain 16

R and M Defense 1

[Reddicediaries5 2]

Maybe soak is to high?

[Guest cimmerianthief]

Yeah, I guess he does'nt need many stats. I did just make a Jedi bounty hunter grank. He will also be sent after the PC's. Here are his stats. Thoughts and comments are welcome.

 

 

Are they a Gran or a Gank? I presume "Gank" from Lords of Nal Hutta, since you seem to outfit the character with cybernetics, although that's not exclusionary to the Gran.

[Reddicediaries5 2]

 

Yeah, I guess he does'nt need many stats. I did just make a Jedi bounty hunter grank. He will also be sent after the PC's. Here are his stats. Thoughts and comments are welcome.

 

 

Are they a Gran or a Gank? I presume "Gank" from Lords of Nal Hutta, since you seem to outfit the character with cybernetics, although that's not exclusionary to the Gran.

 

He's a gank

Edited July 17, 2016 by Reddicediaries5

[Richardbuxton 7,319]

That's a lot if talents, honestly I only list the ones with mechanical effects on dice pools or Action/Maneuver stuff. For Enduring, Toughened, Grit etc just make the numbers what ever you want. Same for Tinkerer and Jury Rigged, just do whatever you want with gear, when a PC picks it if the warm body it reverts back to standard, perhaps with an unmodified attachment.

[FuriousGreg 1,667]

This guy is good enough to take on a full party of experienced and well equipped PCs. Your PCs, whatever they happen to be, probably won't ever hit him with Adversary 3 and if they do they aren't likely to get past his Soak.

 

As you've said you're new to GM'ing and to this system, so I'd advise just grabbing some adversaries from the book and re-skin them.  An inexperienced team of three mixed PCs (combat and non-combat) will find it challenging at one Rival each or a couple of 3 member lightly armed Minion Groups. After around 20-25 EXP throw in a Nemesis and a couple of Rivals. All these folks should have pretty standard gear to match what the PCs have. Much more than this and you'll take out all your PCs.

Seriously, take a look at the adventure in the back of the F&D book. That adventure is challenging for new PCs.

[Reddicediaries5 2]

This guy is good enough to take on a full party of experienced and well equipped PCs. Your PCs, whatever they happen to be, probably won't ever hit him with Adversary 3 and if they do they aren't likely to get past his Soak.

 

As you've said you're new to GM'ing and to this system, so I'd advise just grabbing some adversaries from the book and re-skin them.  An inexperienced team of three mixed PCs (combat and non-combat) will find it challenging at one Rival each or a couple of 3 member lightly armed Minion Groups. After around 20-25 EXP throw in a Nemesis and a couple of Rivals. All these folks should have pretty standard gear to match what the PCs have. Much more than this and you'll take out all your PCs.

Seriously, take a look at the adventure in the back of the F&D book. That adventure is challenging for new PCs.

The plan is for them to see him, and have escape routes. The PCs are NOT supposed to engage him before they are much more expirienced. The PCs will need lightsabers to take care of him with his 13 soak, so that will be a part of the campaign. And just for clarification, I'm not new to the system, just GMing. Most likely its my fault this miscommunication ocured, I'm sorry for that. Also, my second PC is a heavy, FYI.

Edited July 17, 2016 by Reddicediaries5

[Daeglan 5,950]

It would likely also be helpful to binge on the Order 66 Podcast. Especially the list, the new holocron and the NPC Deli. But really you should listen to them all. 

[Reddicediaries5 2]

 I have been binge listening.

Edited July 17, 2016 by Reddicediaries5

[Daeglan 5,950]

 I have been binge listening.

You are never spose to admit that....

[Reddicediaries5 2]

By that, I mean I've just found them and have listened to a fair number while working.

[venkelos 568]

I'm having flashbacks to when I wanted to figure out how a group could hire a follower, or get an Apprentice, if they were Force-users, and stuff about the PCs, and their action economy getting wrecked by Kira, Elara, or M1-4X being there, even though you can have as many enemies as you feel like. Still, if the Mentor is going to be an active NPC, even just once, and you want stats, I'd say build them with the Inquisitor rules, which keeps it pretty simple, and call it good. Hopefully, after their big appearance, they'll get an excuse to fade into the background, and let the players be the stars.

 

It's a bit different if you were the Mentor; I still don't know how the game expects you to get an Apprentice, if you wanted to be Ob-Wan, Meetra Surik, or whomever, and not "have the action economy go flop". I can see where, initially, you might want more say in them than you'd get if they were just another PC, who wants to make their own choices, as well, so an NPC option would be better, and they sort of need to stick around, for training, but whatevs.