The lightsaber is the chosen weapon of the Jedi tradition. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster, the lightsaber is an elegant weapon for a more civilized combatant. The following talents allow you to improve your prowess with a lightsaber.
This talent tree is available to those who take the Jedi heroic class, as well as the Imperial Knight, Jedi Knight, and Sith Apprentice prestige classes.
Block
Saga Edition Core Rulebook, page 41.
As a reaction, you may negate a melee attack by making a successful Use the Force check. The DC of the skill check is equal to the result of the attack roll you wish to negate, and you take a cumulative −5 penalty on your Use the Force check for every time you have used Block or Deflect since the beginning of your last turn. You may use the Block talent to negate melee area attacks, such as those made by the Whirlwind Attack feat. If you succeed on the Use the Force check, you take half damage if the attack hits and no damage if the attack misses. You may spend a Force Point to use this talent to negate an attack against an adjacent character. You must have a lightsaber drawn and ignited to use this talent, and you must be aware of the attack and not flat-footed.
Cortosis Gauntlet Block
Legacy Era Campaign Guide, page 27.
You have received additional training in the use of cortosis gauntlets. You can use the Block talent, even when not armed with a lightsaber, provided you are wearing a cortosis gauntlet. If you successfully block an attack with a lightsaber while wearing a cortosis gauntlet, the attacking lightsaber is deactivated.
Prerequisites: Armor Proficiency (light, medium).
Deflect
Saga Edition Core Rulebook, page 41.
As a reaction, you may negate a ranged attack by making a successful Use the Force check. The DC of the skill check is equal to the result of the attack roll you wish to negate, and you take a cumulative −5 penalty on your Use the Force check for every time you have used Block or Deflect since the beginning of your last turn. You may spend a Force Point to use this talent to negate an attack against an adjacent character. You must have a lightsaber drawn and ignited to use this talent, and you must be aware of the attack and not flat-footed.
You can use this talent to deflect some of the barrage of shots fired from a ranged weapon set on autofire, or the Force lightning Force power. If you succeed on the Use the Force check, you take half damage if the attack hits and no damage if the attack misses. This talent has no effect on other area attacks (such as grenades, missiles, and flamethrowers).
This talent cannot be used to negate attacks made by Colossal [frigate] or larger-size vehicles unless the attack is made with a point-defense weapon.
Lightsaber Defense
Saga Edition Core Rulebook, page 41.
As a swift action, you can use your lightsaber to parry your opponents’ attacks, gaining a +1 deflection bonus to your Reflex Defense until the start of your next turn. You must have a lightsaber drawn and ignited to use this talent, and you don’t gain the deflection bonus if you are flat-footed or otherwise unaware of the incoming attack.
You can take this talent multiple times, each time you take this talent, the deflection bonus increases by +1 (maximum +3).
Lightsaber Throw
Saga Edition Core Rulebook, page 41.
You can throw a lightsaber as a standard action, treating it as a thrown weapon (without this talent, a thrown lightsaber is considered an improvised weapon). You are considered proficient with the thrown lightsaber, and you apply the normal range penalties to the attack roll. The thrown lightsaber deals normal weapon damage if it hits.
If your target is no more than 6 squares away, you can pull your lightsaber back to your hand as a swift action by making a DC 20 Use the Force check.
Precise Redirect
Rebellion Era Campaign Guide, page 24.
Whenever you successfully redirect a blaster bolt and hit your target, the redirected attack deals +1 die of damage.
Prerequisite: Redirect Shot.
Precision
Legacy Era Campaign Guide, page 27.
As a standard action, you can make a melee attack with a lightsaber against an adjacent opponent. If the attack hits, it deals normal damage and also reduces the target’s speed to 2 squares until the end of your next turn.
Redirect Shot
Saga Edition Core Rulebook, page 41.
This talent allows you to redirect a deflected blaster bolt along a specific trajectory so that it damages another creature or object in its path. Once per round when you successfully deflect a blaster bolt, you can make an immediate ranged attack against another target with which you have in line of sight. Apply the normal range penalties to the attack roll, not counting the distance the bolt traveled to reach you. If the attack succeeds, it deals normal weapon damage to the target.
Only single blaster bolts can be redirected in this manner. Barrages from autofire weapons and other types of projectiles can’t be redirected.
Prerequisites: BAB +5, Deflect.
Riposte
Knights of the Old Republic, page 25.
As a reaction once per encounter, make a lightsaber attack against a being whose attack you negate using the Block lightsaber combat talent. Only non-area melee attacks can be riposted in this manner; you cannot use this talent when negating the damage from melee area attacks (such as those made with the Whirlwind Attack feat).
Prerequisites: BAB +5, Block.
Shoto Focus
Jedi Academy Training Manual, page 14.
Whenever you wield both a one-handed lightsaber and a shoto (or a guard shoto), you gain a +2 competence bonus on attack rolls made with the shoto.
Weapon Specialization (lightsabers)
Saga Edition Core Rulebook, page 41.
You gain a +2 bonus on melee damage rolls with lightsabers.
Prerequisite: Weapon Focus (lightsabers).