The Force is an energy field generated by all living things. It surrounds and penetrates everything, binding the galaxy together. There are two sides to the Force. Peace, serenity, and knowledge form the light side, while the dark side consists of aggression, anger, and feat. The universe is a place of balance: life and death, creation and destruction, love and hate. As such, both sides of the Force are part of the natural order.
Some beings are more attuned to the Force than others. Whether they understand it or not, they can feel the Force flowing through them. Of those that are sensitive to the Force, beings that study its ways can learn to manipulate its energy. The Jedi fall into this category, using their knowledge of the Force to give them their powers. But theirs is not the only Force-using tradition. The Sith, the Nightsisters of Dathomir, and others embrace the dark side of the Force, while a variety of alien cultures, such as Ewok shamans and Ithorian eco-priests, call the light side of the Force by different names. Understanding of the Force manifests in many ways.
The Force Through the Ages
For most of the history of the Republic, the Jedi were looked upon as defenders and protectors of justice. By their example, belief in the Force was accepted if not always understood. Most being could not perceive the Force directly; they could only see it manifest in those attuned to it, such as the Jedi. At times over the years, the dark side came to the forefront, such as during the ancient Sith Wars, but in general the champions of the light side helped keep the galactic peace.
During the Rise of the Empire era, the Force is a powerful component of everyday life. The Jedi are visible, active proponents of the Force. Regardless of what an individual may believe about the Force, it’s hard to deny the power demonstrated by the Jedi. As the Clone Wars rage across the galaxy, Jedi are seen at the forefront of battles, and the Force impacts the lives of soldiers and citizens alike.
Later, in the wake of the destruction of the Jedi order and the rise of the Empire, the Force comes to be looked upon as an arcane religion practiced by misguided fools. The Empire outlaws the Jedi and attempts to stamp out anyone who demonstrates an affinity for the Force. Propaganda and politics keep the local systems in line and succeed in driving Force-users underground, where they live in fear and obscurity.
If your campaign is set in the Rebellion era (around the time of Episodes IV-VI), the Force has faded from common knowledge. Those who can manipulate the Force keep their skills hidden to avoid the notice of the Empire. Even members of the Imperial hierarchy, despite the presence of Darth Vader, consider the Force to be outdated and insignificant compared to the military might of the Empire. In many ways, that’s just how the Emperor wants it. Even the Emperor, one of the most powerful Force-users in the galaxy, keeps his Force abilities secret from the general public and most of his subordinates. The few Force-users that exist during this period are either hiding from the Empire, working for the Empire, or trying to ignore the presence of the Force. The Rebel Alliance has begun to use the Force as a rallying cry, adopting the Jedi salutation, “May the Force be with you,” as its own. Because of this, the few Force-sensitive beings that can actually use the Force begin to reach out to the Alliance. And, of course, Luke Skywalker begins his training during this time.
If your campaign is set in The New Jedi Order era, the Force has regained a place in everyday society and a new fellowship of Jedi has come to prominence under the tutelage of Luke Skywalker. Many beings in the New Republic, however, harbor varying degrees of mistrust and feat toward Force-users. These negative feeling are due, impart, to the actions of a few rogue Jedi who have taken the law into their own hands and have begun to rebel against Luke Skywalker’s leadership. The memories of a host of darksiders that plagued the galaxy since the time of Darth Vader and the Emperor add fuel to the fire of fear, and the political machinations of members of the Republic Council have begun to fan these flames. Force-users of this period, then, are finding that acceptance of the Force among the general population may turn into a bad thing—at least as far as they are concerned. Tensions are already high, as this era is marked by the invasion of the Yuuzhan Vong.
Using the Force
All life shines in the Force, very much the way gravity wells in realspace are reflected in hyperspace. A single person not particularly attuned to the Force flickers like a candle in the night, making but the slightest impression in the Force. A Force-user shines more brightly, especially when manipulating the Force. Each time a Force-user calls upon the Force, a slight tremor ripples through it that can be perceived by other Force-users. Used sparingly and in harmony with the natural balance, such ripples can barely be detected. When a user constantly calls upon the Force to alter the world around them, the ripples become quakes that can be felt at great distances. Such quakes attract attention, making those who have less refined control over the Force or who rely on the Force too frequently the target of more powerful Force-users. It is believed that through such methods the Empire was able to hunt down stay Force-users in the years leading up to the Galactic Civil War.
The Force is a mystical energy field that surrounds and binds all living things in the galaxy. More than just a source of power for those sensitive to its presence, the Force can affect the fates of even ordinary citizens who have no aptitude for its use. In the Star Wars Roleplaying Game, there are two ways that players call upon the Force for assistance. The first way, usable by all characters, comes in the form of Force Points. The second way, usable only by characters with the Force Sensitivity feat, is through the Use the Force skill and associated Force powers.
Force Points
Force Points represent a character’s knack for using the Force to aid their actions. A character need not be Force-sensitive to use Force Points; they represent the presence of the Force in all forms of life, and though some call it luck, others believe that it is the will of the Force that grants a person aid. For a Force-sensitive character, it represents a conscious decision to call upon the Force for assistance. Characters without the Force Sensitivity feat don’t realize that the Force is aiding their actions, only that they are trying hard to succeed.
Gaining Force Points
You get 5 Force Points at 1st level. When you gain a new level, you lose any unspent Force Points from the previous level but gain a number of Force Points equal to 5 + one-half your new character level (rounded down). Some prestige classes grant a higher number of Force Points at each level.
Example: Deel Surool, a 1st-level scoundrel, gains 5 Force Points at 1st level and spends only four of them before achieving 2nd level. When he hits 2nd level, he loses the unspent Force Point from the previous level, but he gains 6 Force Points (5 + one-half his new character level).
Using Force Points
On your turn, you may spend a Force Point as a free action to roll 1d6 and add the result to a single attack roll, skill check, or ability check. You can so this once per round. At 8th level, when you spend a Force Point, you instead roll 2d6 and take the best die result as your bonus; at 15th level, you roll 3d6 and take the best die result as your bonus. This is summarized below:
| Character Level | # of Dice Rolled | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st—7th | 1d6 | |
| 8th—14th | 2d6* | |
| 15th or higher | 3d6* | |
| * Only count the highest die result. | ||
Some talents, Force techniques, Force secrets, and Force powers require you to spend a Force Point to activate. In addition, if you are a Force-user, you may spend 1 Force Point as a reaction to return a single spent Force power to your active suite of Force powers.
If you are reduced to 0 hit points and would be killed, you can spend a Force Point as a reaction to avoid death and instead fall unconscious.
Finally, you can spend 1 Force Point as a swift action to lower your Dark Side score by 1 (see The Dark Side, below).
Unless noted otherwise, you can spend only one Force Point per round.
The Dark Side
Most players don’t want their Jedi characters to slip over to the dark side of the Force. If you want a campaign where all the heroes most constantly strive against the lure of the dark side, then the GM should increase a character’s Dark Side Score for even the most minor of transgressions. If you want a campaign where the heroes have more room to explore options, or if you don’t want slipping to the dark side to be a major theme of the campaign, then the GM should consider increasing a character’s Dark Side Score only for major or moderate transgressions.
The Force has two aspects, one light and one dark. The dark side lurks in the shadows, whispering to Force-users, tempting them with quick and easy access to power. While seemingly stronger, the dark side is only easier. It consists of the destructive impulses of all living beings. Anger, fear, hatred, and aggression are expressions of the dark side, and such emotions can quickly lead a Force-user down the dark side’s corrupting path. Early on in her training, a Force-user finds that the dark side greatly enhances her abilities. After a time, the dark side demands more and more of those in its embrace.
Dark Side Score
You Dark Side Score measures the extent to which you’ve been corrupted by the dark side of the Force. A 1st-level character begins play with a Dark Side Score of 0. The only way to increase one’s Dark Side Score is to commit evil acts.
A character who commits an evil act increases his Dark Side Score by 1. What constitutes an evil act is discussed under Dark Side Transgressions, below. Regardless of how many evil acts a character commits, the maximum Dark Side Score a character can possess is equal to his Wisdom score. Thus, a character with a Wisdom of 15 can have a maximum Dark Side Score of 15.
A character whose Dark Side Score equals his Wisdom score has fully embraced the dark side and is wholly evil. A hero who falls to the dark side becomes a GM character (unless the GM wants to allow the player to continue playing the dark side character as a sort of campaign anti-hero).
Dark Side Transgressions
A GM may decide to run a completely heroic campaign. In this case, the GM can rule that once a Force-using character becomes dark, that character becomes a GM character and is no longer under the control of the player. If you’re the GM, consider this option carefully before implementing it, because it takes away player freedom. If you put this rule in place at the start of your campaign, then it just becomes part of the rules and everyone is aware of the consequences of walking down the dark path.
The GM should use the considerations detailed below as guidelines for whether or not to increase a character’s Dark Side Score. The guidelines are separated by degree: Major transgressions are acts that definitely deserve an increase, moderate transgressions are acts that probably deserve an increase, and minor transgressions are acts that could be considered dark but probably don’t deserve an increase.
Major Trasngressions
Any of the following transgressions should increase a character’s Dark Side Score by 1:
Performing a blatantly evil act: This includes deliberately killing or injuring another character who hasn’t done anything wrong or who honestly seeks redemption for evil acts her performed in the past.
Using a Force power with the [dark side] descriptor: A few Force powers are, by their very nature, evil. Examples of Force powers with the [dark side] descriptor include Force lightning, which channels dark energy, and dark rage, which feeds on negative emotions.
Using the Force in anger: Using the Force in anger or hatred is bad, but this can be hard to enforce. It’s difficult to determine the emotion a character is experiencing. The GM should increase a character’s Dark Side Score by 1 in these situations only when the player specifically states that his character is feeling fear, anger, hatred, pride, jealousy, greed, vengeance, and so forth.
Moderate Transgressions
Any of the following transgressions might increase a character’s Dark Side Score by 1, at the GM’s discretion:
Using the Force to cause undue harm: Many uses of the Force are not overtly of the dark side, but they can be harmful or even fatal in their applications. When a Force power that isn’t specifically tied to the dark side is used to harm living beings, the GM should consider increasing the character’s Dark Side Score by 1.
Performing a questionably evil act: Some acts, while seemingly cruel, aren’t necessarily evil. The GM should consider the intent behind the action before deciding to increase a character’s Dark Side Score. For example, it may be a transgression to deliberately kill or injure (or allow someone else to kill or injure) a character known to have committed evil acts without remorse, but who is otherwise helpless.
Minor Transgressions
The following transgressions should probably not increase a character’s Dark Side Score, unless the GM feels there’s good cause to make an exception:
Performing a dubiously evil act: Increase a character’s Dark Side Score only when the act is out of proportion to the situation. In most cases, the GM shouldn’t increase a character’s Dark Side Score for a single incident, but multiple incidents may indicate that the character has an unconscious cruel streak. For example, a hero who kills an opponent in combat while ignoring opportunities to end the situation without the loss of life might deserve an increased Dark Side Score, though a specific might not appear quite so clear-cut.
Dark Side Score Tracker
The Dark Side Score tracker is a useful tool for tracking a hero’s devotion to the dark side. The Dark Side Score tracker is represented as a row of 24 numbered boxes at the bottom of your Star Wars character sheet.
A character’s Dark Side Score tracker should have a number of empty boxes equal to the character’s Wisdom score. Any extra boxes should be shaded in or blackened out. For example, Set Harth has a Wisdom of 11, so his Dark Side Score Tracker looks like this:
Whenever a hero’s Dark Side Score increases by 1, the player fills in one of the empty boxes on the character’s Dark Side Score tracker. When a character has no more empty boxes on his Dark Side Score tracker, he is considered to be dark. He is now effectively lost to the dark side and has little hope of finding redemption.
Whenever a character’s Wisdom score increases by 1, he gets an additional empty box on his Dark Side Score tracker. This box remains empty until his Dark Side Score increases by 1.
A hero who still has empty boxes on his Dark Side Score tracker may be tainted by the dark side, but not beyond redemption. A tainted character can rid himself of the dark side’s taint by atoning.
Atoning
A hero tainted by the dark side can work his way back to the light through heroic deeds, the use of the Force Points, and by atoning for past misdeeds. A dark character’s only path back to the light is to accomplish a truly epic act of heroism against the dark and in the service of the light.
Effectively, the tainted character accomplishes this by reducing his Dark Side Score. A character can sacrifice 1 Force Point to reduce his Dark Side Score by 1 and clear one box on his Dark Side Score tracker. This form of atonement represents a period of meditation, reflection, and absolution on the part of the character. If desired by the player and GM, this can be worked into the campaign as part of an adventure, bit it isn’t necessary. It can occur between adventures.
In addition, an act of dramatic heroism by the character—if performed without calling upon the dark side—reduces the character’s Dark Side Score by 1 and clears one box on his Dark Side Score tracker.
A dark character can’t reduce his Dark Side Score by atoning. Such a character’s only option is an act of dramatic heroism (see below).
Dramatic Heroism
A dark character may attempt to turn away from the dark side by performing an act of dramatic heroism without calling upon the dark side of the Force. Such as act should require extreme personal cost, be made in a selfless manner, and provide a significant benefit to the galactic balance.
Darth Vader performed such as act of dramatic heroism at the end of Return of the Jedi when he sacrificed his own life to save his son and destroy the Emperor. Kyp Durron (in the expanded Star Wars universe) performed a similar act of dramatic heroism by destroying the Sun Crusher, a super weapon prototype. Additionally, Jedi history tells of a Jedi named Bastila Shan (from Knights of the Old Republic) falling to the dark side, but in an act of dramatic heroism she turned the Republic fleet against Darth Malak using a powerful form of Battle Meditation.
If the GM accepts the act as being appropriately heroic, dramatic, and selfless, the character’s Dark Side Score drops to 1, and he clears all but one of the boxes on his Dark Side Score tracker (so that he has a number of empty boxes equal to one less than his Wisdom score). In addition, the dark side exacts a final toll by drawing away all of the character’s current Force Points. Henceforth, the character must strive to walk the path of the light side.