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Raven Redstar
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Joined: 10 Mar 2009
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Location: Salem, OR
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 Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 6:05 pm Post subject: Training Jedi NPCs |
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In my game, my Jedi player has progressed far enough in knowledge that she should be ready to train a student of her own. I was wondering if anyone had come up with some sort of mechanic that the player would roll to find out if the student actually learns what the player is trying to teach them.
My first thought would lead me to an initial "Jedi Lore" skill check to bring up the knowledge that the player's character possesses, followed by a persuasion roll (coupled with roleplaying of course.) to instruct the student in how to use the skill, force power, force attribute, or whatever.
A similar system could be used for a player wanting to instruct any NPC in any skill. Roll the appropriate skill, then a persuasion check to instruct the student.
Any thoughts or suggestions? |
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Bren
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Joined: 19 Aug 2010
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Location: Maryland, USA
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| Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 6:08 pm Post subject: |
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| Couple questions first. What era are you playing in? Is there a reason the student is not another PC? |
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Guardian_A
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Joined: 24 May 2011
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Location: South Dakota, USA
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| Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 6:22 pm Post subject: |
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I try to let my NPCs progress at a compairable pace to my PCs. As such, I use the same rules for NPCs as I do for PCs. If its important that the NPC grows at a faster or slower rate, I fudge things accordingly.
Now, as for training a Jedi NPC:
There is actually a little section in the R&E book on p140 under "Taking on Pupils" that gives a little information about PCs teaching others. I hope that helps. |
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Raven Redstar
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Location: Salem, OR
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| Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 6:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | What era are you playing in? |
New republic era.
| Quote: | | Is there a reason the student is not another PC? |
There are a few reasons that. First reason is that I only have a single player. That is mostly due to an out of state move.
I'm hesitant to go and get into recruiting for my games again. Gamers are in general an unreliable bunch. I did go perusing at the local game shop for prospective players, but I met with the sorts of player that I detest, all about the power or all about breaking the system.
Pretty much the other reasons all end up boiling down to a solo campaign.
My player is getting up in skill enough where I want to give her an NPC that she can really care about. Then, for purposes of story or whatever put the person she cares about in mortal danger. It adds in some challenge without me having to continually create new dark siders to throw at her. Very soon, she will be responsible for protecting and teaching a pretty much helpless life form. For the most part I was trying to think of a fair way of determining whether or not the pupil learns, without having to wave the GM hand.
| Quote: | | There is actually a little section in the R&E book on p140 under "Taking on Pupils" that gives a little information about PCs teaching others. I hope that helps. |
I will have to track that down. Thanks Guardian for the page number! |
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Raven Redstar
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Location: Salem, OR
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| Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 6:52 pm Post subject: |
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Ok, so checked in on what Guardian had mentioned, and it provides some useful minimum requirements, but no rules except that the master is responsible for the pupil, even if they fall to the dark side. Which is a given.
Thanks for the section though Guard! |
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Guardian_A
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Joined: 24 May 2011
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Location: South Dakota, USA
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| Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 6:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Raven Redstar wrote: | Ok, so checked in on what Guardian had mentioned, and it provides some useful minimum requirements, but no rules except that the master is responsible for the pupil, even if they fall to the dark side. Which is a given.
Thanks for the section though Guard! |
Like I said, it was a small section. I see it as a case of "Use the basic rules in the book, then GM to taste." |
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Bren
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Joined: 19 Aug 2010
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Location: Maryland, USA
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| Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 7:05 pm Post subject: |
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So New Republic era, OK then students may not be assigned quite the same way as in the days of the old Jedi Council. If you haven't already, first thing might be to game out how the PC gets a student. Does she come across a force sensitive by accident, does she go recruiting, does some other established Jedi have to ask her to take on this burden.
| Raven Redstar wrote: | | Quote: | | Is there a reason the student is not another PC? |
There are a few reasons that. First reason is that I only have a single player. That is mostly due to an out of state move.
Pretty much the other reasons all end up boiling down to a solo campaign. |
Gotcha. I have been using Skype to keep one player in another state involved in our game. As you may be doing single player or duet play, you might find these articles on Duet play interesting. http://www.rpg.net/columns/list-column.phtml?colname=duetsIt's not Star Wars specific, but it had some good ideas. I've done a fair amount of Duet play - oddly enough a lot of my first D&D play way back in the Dark Ages of gaming was Duet play, both as player and then as GM.
OK, now that I have some sense of the background - I would suggest that first thing the player come up with essentially a teaching plan. What does she want her student to learn and why. This should include some notion of what kind of Jedi she envisions her student becoming e.g. healer, fighter, scholar, diplomat, generalist, etc. This may require roleplaying with the student, meditation, sense force, visions, etc. This should include force abilities (which ones, how high, in what order), force powers (which ones, using which abilities, in what order), skills such as Willpower, Persuasion, Tactics, Jedi Lore, first aid, Lightsaber repair, as well as the typical combat oriented skills. ,Moral lessons, such as the Jedi Code, attitudes on detachment vs. attachment, choice vs. responsibility, duty as a Jedi, avoiding the Dark Side, you name it. This should grow out of the solo play you have both been doing and the lessons her Jedi has learned.
Once that is done, or maybe in parallel, you should decide what the student's plan for development might look like. This should grow out of the student's personality (for ease of keeping pronouns straight I will assume the teacher is she and the padawan is he). Is he reckless and impatient like Anakin or thoughtful and methodical. Is he over or under confident. Does he think he can do anything (even when he can't) or does he not believe he can succeed (even when perhaps he can). Then go through and decide what the student wants to learn and in what order. This will give you areas for conflict between student and teacher and areas where learning for both can occur.
As far as rolling for learning, I would model it on PC learning, but I would probably use something like Willpower for the student's ability to stick to a task rather than become impatient or distracted. Set an appropriate difficulty based on whether the teacher is teaching what the student wants to learn then see if the student can maintain attention or whether it takes longer than expected. Generally this may mean the student learns at a slower rate than the PC which probably makes the PC feel superior which may be fine. Unless you want the student to be a force prodigy like Anakin, in which case you will need to adjust, maybe just start with times cut in half and then use willpower to add time back.
One other twist, we mod the rules on learning force powers, so that as force abilities go up, sometimes the student learns a new power that they have not necessarily been taught. This may be a Dark Side power they have seen used or had used on them or just something the character has an insight into the force for some reason.
Just some thoughts. Sounds fun. Good luck. |
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garhkal
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Joined: 17 Jul 2005
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Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.
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| Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 12:44 am Post subject: |
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i'd say
Jedi lore from both to ensure they are on the same page.
Instruction skill roll on teachers part
Know roll on the students part.
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