Optional Mechanics

The following are some optional rules sets to change the over-all flavor of Galaxy At War.

=Holocrons= You can use Jedi and Sith holocron artifacts in your campaign to enhance the abilities of player characters. This is especially useful for campaigns with relatively few PCs who have only limited skills and abilities. They should be used rarely and sparingly, as they are very powerful devices.

A holocron is a crystal-lattice device that has been imprinted with the knowledge and personality of its creator via a combination of complicated science and Force ability. Only a very powerful and skilled Jedi or Sith can create a holocron—they must be of at least 12th level. When a holocron is activated, the memory stored inside the device produces a holographic duplicate of its creator—also called a host.

This host is, for most intents and purposes, an exact copy of the person who made the holocron—it possesses all his or her personality and beliefs, as they were at the time of the holocron’s creation. It also possesses all or most of its creator’s knowledge and memories, so long as the creator opted to include them. Some lesser hosts carry only a fraction of their creator’s knowledge, as crafters did not always intend to teach everything they knew, or designed certain holocrons so that they must be combined with others to construct a complete knowledge base.

While the host isn’t real, and has no true physical presence, it is as close to a copy of its creator as possible. It can speak and react in real time and make choices of its own. A very rare few also possess a limited ability to manipulate the Force in pre-determined ways—such as to open a certain door that only the creator might be strong enough to open, or to drive away creatures that it considers enemies. Essentially, the holocron contains the most advanced artificial intelligence that can be made.

All holocrons possess an array of powerful abilities, mainly in that they can potentially teach a character anything. They can even teach their wielders how to use the Force, in the rare case that they cannot already. However, because it is a facsimile of a real person, the holocron’s host always has an agenda. Frequently, the host will test a potential wielder’s knowledge, Force ability, and/or ideology before cooperating (the host can’t be re-programmed or otherwise artificially manipulated into cooperation). Requirements for approval by the host typically include some of the following:

Force Mastery/Level: The host can sense the wielder’s attunement to the Force, and provides information only if the wielder is strong enough, in the host’s opinion, to benefit from its knowledge. Only characters with a certain number of ranks in Force Mastery, or Jedi/Sith level, will be bothered with.

Diplomacy: The host must simply be convinced to cooperate—i.e. convinced that the wielder is someone who shares his values, goals, or general attitude, and that he or she can be trusted. Sometimes, the host must simply like the wielder. Alternately, the wielder may have to learn who the host is before it is even responsive.

Password/Secret: The wielder must know the correct password, or pass on information to the host that only the host and its trusted allies might know.

All holocrons have the following abilities:

Skills: The holocron has the skill set of a Jedi or Sith character of the listed level. The Intelligence and exact class of the creator, as well as the exact skill list, is determined by the GM.

Skill Discovery: Characters that successfully and thoroughly absorb the teachings of the holocron gain a certain number of additional skill points. What skills are enhanced are up to the GM, but the new skill points can be applied to any skill, and allow the character to exceed the normal maximum for his level. These are typically skills like Autohypnosis, Concentration, Craft, Force Mastery, Heal, Knowledge, and Speak Language.

Force Powers: The holocron can bestow the knowledge of new Force powers. The character must be able to potentially manifest the power in order for the holocron to teach it (a character capable only of 3rd level powers cannot learn 4th level powers). Alternatively, any holocron can bestow the Force Attuned feat for free, if the character cannot otherwise learn Force abilities.

If the wielder is of insufficient ability, the holocron can wait to bestow its knowledge when the wielder is ready.

Feats: Greater and Legendary holocrons can teach the character new ways to use the Force, as well as new lightsaber combat styles. Greater holocrons typically bestow either Force powers or feats, while legendary holocrons can impart knowledge of both.

Catch-All: Some holocrons were made for very specific purposes, containing vital information that can’t be forgotten and/or widely disseminated. The holocron may exist simply to bestow this information to a qualified listener, first and foremost.

Holocron, Lesser
Skills: 12th Level

Powers
Studying the holocron thoroughly bestows four free skill points and knowledge of one Force power of up to 1st level.

Holocron, Major
Skills: 16th Level

Powers
Studying the holocron thoroughly bestows six free skill points and knowledge of one Force power of up to 2nd level.

Holocron, Greater
Skills: 20th Level

Powers
Studying the holocron thoroughly bestows eight free skill points and knowledge of two Force powers of up to 3rd level, or one [Force] or [Stance] feat that the character qualifies for.

Holocron, Legendary
Skills: 24th Level

Powers
Studying the holocron thoroughly bestows twelve free skill points and knowledge of four Force powers of up to 4th level, and one [Force] or [Stance] feat that the character qualifies for.

=Super-Powered Force Users= Galaxy At War is intended to be balanced so that characters capable of using the Force, while powerful, are not so great that they can always automatically overwhelm characters that don't possess the Force. This doesn't always reflect what goes on in the films and Expanded Universe, however.

This variant changes that considerably, so that Jedi in a campaign can more closely resemble Force-wielders in certain books, movies, and other media. Apply the following changes:

Bonus Feat
All characters proficient with a lightsaber automatically gain the Weapon Finesse feat.

Enhanced Abilities
At 4th level, and every 4th level thereafter, characters that wield the Force automatically receive a +1 bonus to their Dexterity and Wisdom scores. Dark Side users receive a +1 bonus to Charisma instead of Wisdom. This is in addition to any other ability points they spend at those levels, which stack.

Expanded Powers
All characters capable of wielding 1st level Force powers know all the standard 1st level powers by default. This does not extend to 1st level Light and Dark powers.

Regenerating Power Points
All Force-wielders automatically regenerate 1 spent power point per round, at the beginning of their turn. At 6th level, this increases to 2 power points, and by another power point for every six levels thereafter. Jedi Consulars and Sith Masters regenerate an additional power point per round more than other Force-wielding characters.