Survey: Favorite Lightsaber Build

[Donovan Morningfire 10,200]

5 hours ago, HappyDaze said:

*lame meme response*

If only that were actually true.

Edit: and he goes right ahead and proves my point about the nature of his character in his disrespectful responses to other posters for no other reason than to be antagonistic for the sake of being antagonistic.  He's reliable for that much at least.

Edited September 7, 2018 by Donovan Morningfire

[HappyDaze 10,108]

20 minutes ago, Donovan Morningfire said:

If only that were actually true.

OK, you got me. It really wasn't a cool story.

[Donovan Morningfire 10,200]

3 hours ago, StriderZessei said:

Yeah, as a GM, I'm always ready to hear about custom weapons and abilities, as long as they're not game-breakingly OP and willing to earn them. 

One PC wanted a Kyuzo energy bow, but we reduced its damage rating to give it more HP. My aforementioned Juyo has a crystal with the same stats as a Dragon Pearl, but with mods that give ranks in Parry and Reflect instead of Vicious. 

From a mixed EotE/F&D campaign, two of the PCs got themselves kyber crystals from the caves from Act 1 of Lure of the Lost.  The GM (fairly recent friend and fairly new to GMing in general) opted that instead of the "bog standard" Ilum crystal decided that she didn't want them to have something that could be quite so powerful, especially as she was using the GM Kit rules for 'saber building and would allow Knowledge (Lore) to be used to modify the crystal in her campaign.

So, she opted to take the stats starter crystals offered from the beta book, and tweak the mods offered so that they could get something in the ballpark of an Ilum crystal but not quite as potent, starting out at Damage 6/Crit 3/Breach 1/Sunder, with mod options for two Damage +1 mods, two -1 crit mods, and a single Vicious 1 mod.  Given this was only her second campaign and most of the players were rookie gamers, it made sense that she didn't want to go too nuts with custom gear that could inadvertently derail the campaign due to their collective inexperience.

And then one of those two PCs decided she didn't want a lightsaber after all (build was Consular/Sage with minimal interest in Niman Disciple or any of the other Form specs), and having read that Chirrit of Rogue One fame apparently used a kyber crystal in the tip of his staff to help him fight.  So after the GM and I (at the time a neutral third party that wasn't playing in the campaign) had some discussion on the matter, she settled on the crystal (once attuned via a RP segment) would provide her a boost die to her Perception and Vigilance checks, as well as the ability to once per session to tap into the crystal's energies to provide her with a free Force point (there's a similar item, a relic kyber pendant, from the Forgotten Knowledge adventure in the core rulebook).  The boost dice helped offset her character's comparatively low Perception and Vigilance (no ranks in either) but not be too potent an effect, while also giving her something that played to the character's focus on using the Force.  She did decide to also include the option to "modify" the crystal (narratively, strengthen her attunement to it), providing mod options to provide extra boost dice (for a max of 3) and an extra per session use of the Force point ability (up to 3 times per session).  So far the player's only gone for an extra boost die mod, and figuring the credits cost being spent on herbs, candle, and incense to help her meditations.

My own PC (who joined the campaign a few sessions later at Knight Level, which was barely half a session's XP worth above the rest of the group's XP totals) has a homebrew crystal as well, this being a variation on the Adegan crystal I wrote up for my old and very much outdated Ways of the Force fan doc, and has been jokingly referred to as the "vanilla-flavored kyber crystal" by a few folks.  It's Damage 6/Crit 2/Breach 1/Sunder, with two mods for +1 damage, one mod for -1 crit, and two mods for Vicious 1, making it a slightly watered-down version of the Ilum crystal, and something I figure would be found more readily, could be fully modded more easily and provide a quality weapon that's not too over-the-top, maxing out at Damage 8/Crit1/Breach 1/Sunder/Vicious 2.  I did write up a backstory justifying how he came by the crystal, and noting that since it wasn't from Ilum, it wouldn't be "as good" as the crystals the Jedi Order preferred to use.  Given I'm playing a Soresu Defender with a good Intellect and ranks in both Mechanics and Knowledge: Lore, I've been able to achieve the bulk of the mods (only have that last Vicious to attain).  Granted, even with the slightly better crystal, it's the other lightsaber-wielder (a Mirialan Mystic/Makashi Duelist) that is the real superstar of lightsaber combat, especially when in a one-on-one duel thanks to her Precision Hilt (GM let her use the template from Endless Vigil, but not the full build rules from said book) with a curved-hilt (modded for Defensive 1) and an extra hard point thanks to a Triumph on her Knowledge: Lore roll to build the hilt that's she's pretty much saving for a Superior Hilt Customization attachment at whatever point the Squib Scoundrel manages to finagle the group enough credits for her to purchase the necessary parts.

tl;dr version: custom lightsaber crystals don't have to be flashy or loaded with custom extras to be fun for the campaign or the players.  Sometimes even crystals that are weaker than the standard options can be fun and/or interesting, depending on how the PCs obtain them.

[Corvax Curze 5]

On 9/6/2018 at 12:10 PM, Donovan Morningfire said:

So here's the thing.  While the "corrupted crystal" in terms of the over all lore is based upon the "bleeding" of an Ilum crystal (first introduced in the Ahsoka novel and later codified in the Darth Vader comic series), in terms of the RPG, a corrupted crystal is considered to be it's own separate entity from all the other kyber crystal attachments, even having it's own rules with regards to when it's been "cleansed" and having a separate list of modification options than the Ilum crystal (notably it can't be modded to the full extent of an Ilum crystal even after it's been purified).

Thing also is that technically, going by the current state of the Disney canon, a kyber crystal is a kyber crystal is a kyber crystal, so variations such as Ilum, Dragite, Mephite, Dantari, Sigil, etc simply don't exist, and that there should really only be a standard set of stats for a kyber crystal installed into a lightsaber.  So in that respect, FFG is "breaking" from the current canon.  It's worth mentioning that prior to the KOTOR games, lightsaber crystals pretty much had the same stats no matter what used as a crystal (and Legends included a whole laundry list of possible sources for crystals that the new canon doesn't permit, with artificially grown crystals being a big one that's since been rendered non-canon).

So technically, if a non-Ilum crystal were to be "bleed" into a corrupted kyber crystal, then whatever stats that crystal had would be replaced by those of the Corrupted Crystal attachment as outlined in Disciples of Harmony, and whatever traits the crystal had beforehand would be lost as there's no such thing as a "corrupted Dantari crystal" or a "corrupted Krayt Dragon Pearl" or a "corrupted Mephite crystal."

But as I said in an earlier post, if your GM opts to run it differently, that's fine, especially if the group has a whole finds it fun and/or adds to the campaign's story.  These games are about having fun, so ultimately who cares what a bunch of faceless internet denizens say about how your GM runs things as long as you, the GM, and the rest of the players are having fun?

Hm I was unaware that the different Crystals were legends, thanks for clearing that up. Definitely makes the thought of a corrupted crystal standalone make more sense. 

[sithlord78 32]

I built an NPC nemesis for my campaign.  A Makashi duelist with a curved hilt lightsaber and a corrupted crystal.  Vicious 3 and reduced critical rating to 1.  The curved hilt adds an advantage upon successful hit.  He's a nightmare!

I have to reign him in because he can throw out an instant kill if he gets enough advantages and rolls high enough for his crit.

[ThreeBFour 101]

On 5/13/2018 at 11:53 PM, ZephyrTheDragon said:

personally, there was one gem that I really liked that really fit a jedi personality because it only dealt non-lethal damage.

 

On 5/14/2018 at 1:36 AM, Stormbourne said:

The kimber stone?

My plan would be to use the Kimber stone in a Cyclic Crystal Array with a 2nd stone so the Jedi has the choice of damage type.

[Tramp Graphics 2,328]

31 minutes ago, ThreeBFour said:

 

My plan would be to use the Kimber stone in a Cyclic Crystal Array with a 2nd stone so the Jedi has the choice of damage type.

Always a good choice. In fact, I'd suggest modding said CCA to allow it to fit three crystals, then really go to town. 

[penpenpen 1,748]

I really like that lightsabers are intensely personal weapons due to the attunement with the kyber crystal and all. It becomes something of a spiritual bond.

For that reason, the cyclic crystal array really rubs me the wrong way as it kind of dilutes that bond, in my opinion.

But hey, different strokes for different folks, right? If you like to have a whole bunch of crystals tucked in there, who am I to tell you that you can't play a Jedi Mormon.

[EliasWindrider 2,714]

On 1/23/2019 at 1:40 PM, ThreeBFour said:

 

My plan would be to use the Kimber stone in a Cyclic Crystal Array with a 2nd stone so the Jedi has the choice of damage type.

 

On 1/23/2019 at 2:12 PM, Tramp Graphics said:

Always a good choice. In fact, I'd suggest modding said CCA to allow it to fit three crystals, then really go to town. 

There's a much better option than a kimber stone in a cyclic crystal array but it requires having a dragite gem.  if you add a damping emitter (endless vigil, 2000 credits, 1 hard point, with a maneuver to switch it on/off,  saber loses  breach and I think sunder and also deals stun damage) to a saber with a fully modded dragite gem (which 2 of my characters  have, one is the kotor era ancestor of the other)  and it will deal stun damage and can activate concussive 2 (as opposed to kimber stone which only had concussive 1) plus you get disorient 3. It's also a lot cheaper than having 2 crystals (one of which is a kimber stone, 6000 credits for it alone) and a cyclic crystal array (1500 credits) and uses 1 hp compared to the 2 needed by the cyclic crystal array.  BTW the improved secrets of the jedi talent in the padawan survivor spec plus 5 ranks in lore meant all of the rolls to mod the dragite gem were I think (it's been a long time since I did it) 1 purple difficulty for a character with int 4 and 2 ranks in mechanics and fr4.

Edited January 25, 2019 by EliasWindrider

[Varlie 1,004]

On 1/23/2019 at 4:12 PM, Tramp Graphics said:

Always a good choice. In fact, I'd suggest modding said CCA to allow it to fit three crystals, then really go to town. 

I did this for the (Secondary) Boss character for my last campaign.  He was a master of all of the lightsaber styles at the time (The Juyo Berserker had not come out yet).  His lightsaber was an Extended Hilt lightsaber with the 3 Crystal CCA option.  He could use the lightsaber as a standard lightsaber, a dual lightsaber, or could break apart the hilts for dual lightsabers.  A bit of GM fiat on my part to lock in the third crystal on the off-hand/dual blade portion of the hilt.

He would switch between styles and lightsaber "builds" during the fight to throw off the PCs by either voiding/reducing their defense, adding setbacks, etc.

It was a great fight even though he almost died.  A Triumph on the his final roll after receiving "The End Is Night" and a flipped Destiny Point (and another GM fiat) had him escape, without his offhand side of the lightsaber. So now he's hunting the PCs to get it back and get vengeance for the defeat

Edited January 25, 2019 by Varlie

[ThreeBFour 101]

9 hours ago, EliasWindrider said:

 

There's a much better option than a kimber stone in a cyclic crystal array but it requires having a dragite gem.  if you add a damping emitter (endless vigil, 2000 credits, 1 hard point, with a maneuver to switch it on/off,  saber loses  breach and I think sunder and also deals stun damage) to a saber with a fully modded dragite gem (which 2 of my characters  have, one is the kotor era ancestor of the other)  and it will deal stun damage and can activate concussive 2 (as opposed to kimber stone which only had concussive 1) plus you get disorient 3. It's also a lot cheaper than having 2 crystals (one of which is a kimber stone, 6000 credits for it alone) and a cyclic crystal array (1500 credits) and uses 1 hp compared to the 2 needed by the cyclic crystal array.  BTW the improved secrets of the jedi talent in the padawan survivor spec plus 5 ranks in lore meant all of the rolls to mod the dragite gem were I think (it's been a long time since I did it) 1 purple difficulty for a character with int 4 and 2 ranks in mechanics and fr4.

I hadn't looked that deeply into it, but I do like the options you present, I'll have to remember this for a game I'm in.

[rcmgamer218 1]

So I’m considering building a Makashi Duelist, and this is the lightsaber I have planned:

Crossguard lightsaber with a curved hilt, Superior Hilt Personalization, and Krayt Dragon Pearl. What are your thoughts?

Edited April 11, 2019 by rcmgamer218

[Tramp Graphics 2,328]

4 minutes ago, rcmgamer218 said:

So I’m considering building a Makashi Duelist, and this is the lightsaber I have planned:

Crossguard lightsaber with a curved hilt, Superior Hilt Personalization, and Krayt Dragon Pearl. What are your thoughts?

Niiiiice. 

[penpenpen 1,748]

5 hours ago, rcmgamer218 said:

So I’m considering building a Makashi Duelist, and this is the lightsaber I have planned:

Crossguard lightsaber with a curved hilt, Superior Hilt Personalization, and Krayt Dragon Pearl. What are your thoughts?

Just checking if the krayt dragon is on board with the plan. If not, maybe you should aim for another crystal to start with. Gutting a krayt dragon with an empty hilt is a little harder than it needs to be if the dragon isn't cooperating.

[AnomalousAuthor 506]

Speaking of krayt dragon pearls, something I’ve considered doing is having the pearls be part of the fossilized remains of long-dead krayt dragons rather than needing to kill a live one. Of course, nobody says those fossils can’t still be in the lair of one of its toothy descendants.

Edited April 12, 2019 by AnomalousAuthor

[penpenpen 1,748]

26 minutes ago, AnomalousAuthor said:

Speaking of krayt dragon pearls, something I’ve considered doing is having the pearls be part of the fossilized remains of long-dead krayt dragons rather than needing to kill a live one. Of course, nobody says those fossils can’t still be in the lair of one of its toothy descendants.

Well, you can have both. As long as the dragon's dead it doesn't matter how long it's been dead.

However, if it's commonly known that dead krayt dragons leave behind very valuable crystals, every known dragon corpse will be long since picked clean by scavengers, and if it isn't why would the PC's know? Methinks an impossible Lore check might be appropriate. Or maybe you want to find and old fossilized krayt dragon no one else has found yet, in which case you should stop laughing at the guy who decided to play an explorer and picked the Sudden Discovery signature ability.

[rcmgamer218 1]

Well, I’m also the GM; I’m experimenting to see if it’s possible to be both the GM and have a PC. It’s actually going well so far. My friends seem to enjoy it. 

 

Anyway, my character is a Force Sensitive Mandalorian who’s the son of a former Jedi and a Nightsister. So while the group is on their adventure, my PC’s father tells the group about Krayt Dragons and their pearls, and recommends that they try to find a nest and acquire a couple of pearls. This will lead to a boss fight with a Krayt Dragon. That way, the group has to earn the pearls, and not just luck out and find some in a old cave, or on the corpse of an unlucky explorer. 

[penpenpen 1,748]

1 hour ago, rcmgamer218 said:

Well, I’m also the GM; I’m experimenting to see if it’s possible to be both the GM and have a PC. It’s actually going well so far. My friends seem to enjoy it. 

 

Anyway, my character is a Force Sensitive Mandalorian who’s the son of a former Jedi and a Nightsister. So while the group is on their adventure, my PC’s father tells the group about Krayt Dragons and their pearls, and recommends that they try to find a nest and acquire a couple of pearls. This will lead to a boss fight with a Krayt Dragon. That way, the group has to earn the pearls, and not just luck out and find some in a old cave, or on the corpse of an unlucky explorer. 

I'd generally advise against that, as you basically have a designated favorite npc. But if you're making it work, more power to you!

[sithlord78 32]

1 hour ago, rcmgamer218 said:

Well, I’m also the GM; I’m experimenting to see if it’s possible to be both the GM and have a PC. It’s actually going well so far. My friends seem to enjoy it. 

 

Anyway, my character is a Force Sensitive Mandalorian who’s the son of a former Jedi and a Nightsister. So while the group is on their adventure, my PC’s father tells the group about Krayt Dragons and their pearls, and recommends that they try to find a nest and acquire a couple of pearls. This will lead to a boss fight with a Krayt Dragon. That way, the group has to earn the pearls, and not just luck out and find some in a old cave, or on the corpse of an unlucky explorer. 

I would say don't do it unless you're doing it for the right reasons.  Do it to benefit the players first and yourself last.

As the GM your primary duty is to the viability of the game and setting up an adventure to make your character powerful might seem self-serving to the players and cause bad feelings.  You're already the Narrator, you don't need to be the star.

If you really want to do this make sure you take care of ALL the other players first.  If there's a guy who's a great shot find him an awesome gun.  Give them an adventure for a super-duper hyper-drive.  Do literally anything else before you make an adventure to benefit your character.  

If it were me I would forget about buffing my guy completely and just take scraps from the players and let your GM-PC be wallpaper until called upon.

[rcmgamer218 1]

1 hour ago, sithlord78 said:

I would say don't do it unless you're doing it for the right reasons.  Do it to benefit the players first and yourself last.

As the GM your primary duty is to the viability of the game and setting up an adventure to make your character powerful might seem self-serving to the players and cause bad feelings.  You're already the Narrator, you don't need to be the star.

If you really want to do this make sure you take care of ALL the other players first.  If there's a guy who's a great shot find him an awesome gun.  Give them an adventure for a super-duper hyper-drive.  Do literally anything else before you make an adventure to benefit your character.  

If it were me I would forget about buffing my guy completely and just take scraps from the players and let your GM-PC be wallpaper until called upon.

Oh, this adventure is well off into the future. And I’m doing my best to make sure everyone is taken care of (there’s only three of us, so it’s fairly easy). We don’t do anything to our game unless we all agree on it. Plus, I’m not the only one that benefits; our group consists of two Force users, and she’ll get her own pearl as well, if she wants it. 

Like I said earlier, there are three of us; I’m a melee fighter, building to become a Makashi Duelist. 

The second is a martial artist (though she seems to favor using a pistol more), and the second Force user. When we get to the point where she starts her Force training, I’m planning on making a custom weapon for her; lightsaber gauntlets that allow her to use her Brawl talent for her to use her Lightsaber attacks. She uses Vamblades, which I’m interpreting as the weapons the Clone Assassins from the Revenge of the Sith video game, so I don’t think it’s too unrealistic. Plus, it’s adds some cool factor to it

The third is our pilot/sniper. He has cybernetics from a bad crash, and will eventually make it a goal to become a cyborg, and improve himself as much as possible. The crash was the result of a failed attempt to rescue his wife and son, resulting in their death, which was caused by a supposed friend betraying him, and he’s now searching for his former friend so he can get revenge. In truth, his is probably the most cookie cutter backstory, but if he’s happy with it. In our last session, he successfully negotiated with a Hutt to acquire a Precision-X Marksman Rifle as a down payment for a job he hired our group for. 

But anyway, I’m doing everything I can to make the experience fun and fair for everyone. I listen to what everyone wants, and find a way to implement into our story. 

[Tramp Graphics 2,328]

My suggestion, if you’re going to have a character of your own in your the party is to rotate GM duties among the players, each taking turns running a session. 

[rcmgamer218 1]

3 hours ago, Tramp Graphics said:

My suggestion, if you’re going to have a character of your own in your the party is to rotate GM duties among the players, each taking turns running a session. 

That’s a pretty interesting idea. I’ll run it by them and see what they think.