?Have you ever noticed how boring lightsaber duels can get in the RPG? They have none of the flair, excitement, or fun of those epic duels in the films. West End Games has successfully reduced the most grand aspect of Lucas’ masterpiece to an annoyingly redundant series of strikes and parries. So . . . here are a few optional rules to add a little fun and excitement to your lightsaber duels.

Step One: Initiative

?Both combatants roll initiative as usual. Also the winner gains a +1D bonus to strike or parry for the next round for every full 7 points his roll exceeds the loser’s roll. Dueling rewards the aggressive.

Step Two: Declare Actions

?The winner of the initiative sets the pace and chooses to either attack, defend, or maneuver. Strikes, parries and dodges are handled same as usual . . . the major change comes with maneuvers (other, often strategic, actions taken instead of attacking).

Maneuvers:

?Maneuver: Table Fighting

?Description: Attacker (winner of initiative) decides to move to higher ground and jumps on top of a table or other similar structure.

?Mechanics: Roll Dex with a difficulty of 10. Failure means you fall flat on your face (not a good place to be during a duel)!

?Effect: While atop a table, opponent’s strike difficulties are raised by 5.

?Maneuver: Telekinetic Leap

?Description: Attacker uses the Telekinesis power to propel himself into the air.

?Mechanics: Moderate to Difficult Alter roll, depending on user’s mass, as-well-as a Dexterity or Acrobatics roll of 15.

?Effect: This maneuver can be used to either remove himself from combat (full dodge), shoot straight up and take defender by surprise (and make it much more difficult to parry), or another creative use.

?Maneuver: Stair Fighting

?Description: Not so much a maneuver as a location for a duel. One combatant is on a higher stair and the other (of course) is on the lower.

?Mechanics: Whoever is on the higher stair adds +1D to strike rolls and whoever stands on the lower is at a better angle to defend and adds +1D to parry. This is only really useful when you A) know your opponent’s strike/parry roll is so low the extra 1D won’t help and B) when you’re shooting for Cinematic Bonuses (see below).

?Effect: Following every attack the defender must make a Moderate Dexterity check to avoid tripping and falling down (up) the stairs!

?Maneuver: "Forcing"

?Description: No, this is not a new, fantastic power . . . it is a battle of strength and will to push (or "force") an opponent’s blade back onto him (if you don’t fight two-handed, give it up).

?Mechanics: OK . . . this one gets a bit complex, but I’ll try and make it as simple as possible. If the attacker of the last round was parried and wins initiative for the next round (and is on the same plane as the defender, i.e. not on a table, stairs, etc.) he may use the "forcing" maneuver. Both attacker and defender roll strength. The difference between the two rolls are considered "points" and are awarded to the winner of the contest. The first person to score 20 points wins (see below). If the difference of the strength rolls was less than 20 the struggle continues to the next round. Roll initiative again. The winner gets to decide whether to continue the "forcing." If the winner was the attacker last round he may break the struggle without penalty, if the winner was the defender last round he may only break the struggle by scoring 20 points (see below). If the fight continues, both characters must make a Stamina check (Easy the first round and increasing 5 points every round thereafter). A failure means you are too exhausted to put up a fight and give in. The other character automatically gains 20 "points" and wins the contest (again, see below). If both fail, its a stalemate and the contest is broken up. If both combatants make the Stamina check, the contest continues as usual, both roll Strength (as above). The winner of the strength roll first subtracts this round’s "points" from his opponent’s total and then adds the remainder to his. The first to 20 wins.

?Effect: If the attacker wins, the defender cuts into himself doing standard damage (typically 5D, exceptions being modified sabers). If the defender wins, he overpowers and throws the attacker away. In this case the loser must make a dexterity check to avoid falling down.

?Maneuver: Feint/Attack

?Description: The character "fakes" an attack to throw off his opponent’s balance and then runs his saber home.

?Mechanics/Effect: The winner of initiative takes the role of attacker and declares the Feint/Attack maneuver (or declares 2 strikes and slides a piece of paper to the GM declaring his true actions in the case of two players dueling). The attacker is taking 2 actions this round and must adjust his dice pool accordingly (-1D to both actions). The first roll is for the feint. Attacker rolls his strike versus his opponent’s total in Perception and Sense. If the attacker wins, his opponent took the bait and is off balance for the real attack. On the attacker’s second, real attack, he rolls strike -1D (multiple actions) plus the amount his feint succeeded by. The defender must now defend the attack as normal, with a -1D penalty for multiple actions due to taking two defensive actions, even if the first wasn’t real (he sure thought it was). If the feint is not successful, the defender recognizes the attempt as being fake and doesn’t bother defending against it. On the second, real attack he may defend without penalty.

?Maneuver: Feint/Dodge

?Description: Attacker feints an attack in a direction he wishes the defender to go and then moves around him, much like a matador fighting a bull. He fakes the attack and when the defender steps forward and braces to parry, the attacker may take advantage of the situation and move around (behind) him. This can be useful when trying to make an escape, embarrass your opponent (spin behind and slash his belt, revealing his Power Ranger boxer shorts to the Galaxy), trick him into a dangerous environment (spin behind and kick him into a lava pit), etc.

?Mechanics/Effect: Similar to Feint/Attack. Attacker rolls a feint (as above) and if successful he adds the difference to his dodge (or acrobatics to flip over an opponent, or whatever’s appropriate). Failure has the same effect as above.

?Maneuver: Flip/Kick

?Description: An unarmed defender grabs his attacker’s wrists (usually during an over-hand strike), falls to the floor rolling onto his shoulder blades, and kicking the attacker over himself. This maneuver is especially useful when defending with your back to a cliff.

?Mechanics/Effect: The defender must make a successful brawling parry versus the attacker’s weapon skill plus 5 with a 1D penalty for multiple actions, followed by a moderate Dexterity check (no penalty, this is considered a reflex action) to fall and roll without touching the saber, and then a brawling strike (difficulty 5 for being point blank) with the 1D penalty. If successful, the victim must roll Strength versus kicking damage (as usual) and also make a Stamina check versus damage to avoid being disarmed.

?Maneuver: Disarm

?Description: The player attempts to remove the saber from his opponent’s hands. This can be done one of two ways: 1) he hits the lightsaber so hard it flies from his opponent’s hands or 2) he skillfully "wraps" his blade around his opponent’s, gaining leverage and prying it from his opponent’s hands.

?Mechanics/Effect: The first way can be accomplished by making a "called strike" to the saber instead of the defender (this is often accomplished as a Feint/Attack because the defender must parry instead of dodge for it to work). Attacker rolls strike at a difficulty of 25 (for a standard lightsaber). If parry is attempted but unsuccessful than the defender is automatically disarmed. If the parry is successful, the attacker rolls strength versus the defender’s strength plus the amount the parry was successful by. If the attacker wins, his opponent’s saber goes flying (and possibly damaging the user or an innocent bystander). If the defender wins, combat continues as usual.

?To disarm using the second method, a Jedi uses the specialization Lightsaber: Disarm. The attacker rolls his specialization plus Sense versus his opponent’s Lightsaber plus Control. If attacker wins, the defender is disarmed. This is useful when trying to disarm Wookkiee size Jedi.

Step Three: Roll Dice and Determine Outcome

?

Step Four: Roll Initiative Again

?When you’re on a roll, its hard to slow you down. If you were the attacker you gain +1D to initiative for the next round. Also, you gain +1D to initiative if you stay in the game by parrying all incoming attacks instead of dodging.

Cinematic Rules:

?Some players like to keep things as real as possible while others wish to recreate Highlander style duels. These rules are for the later. Whenever a players does something worthy of a MacLeod (as determined by the GM), he gains a bonus to his strikes and parries for that round (or next if the occurrence came at the end of the round). Anything worthy of style or originality should be rewarded.

Here are a few examples:

?A witty remark/insult => +1 pip - +2D

?Use of an "Ooze" saber => +1D

?Cinematic Maneuvers (Table Combat) => +2 pips

?Acrobatic Maneuvers (Acrobatic Dodges) => +1D

?Saying, "There can be only one!" ? => Automatic loss