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Changes in Star Wars re-releases vary from minor differences in color timing, audio mixing, and take choices to major insertions of new visual effects, additions of characters and dialogue, scene expansions, and replacement of original cast members with newer ones. Though changes were also made to the prequel trilogy, the original trilogy saw the most alteration. Dissatisfied with the original theatrical cuts of the original Star Wars film, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, creator George Lucas altered the films in an attempt to achieve the ideal versions that he could not initially due to limitations of time, budget, and technology.
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The original theatrical release of Return of the Jedi features Sebastian Shaw as Anakin Skywalker (above). The 2004 DVD release of the film replaced his appearance as a Force ghost with Hayden Christensen (below), who plays the character in the prequel trilogy.
The first significant changes were made in 1997 with the release of a Special Edition remaster in commemoration of the franchise's twentieth anniversary. These changes were intended to modernize the films and create consistency with the forthcoming prequel trilogy. Additional significant changes were made when the original trilogy was released on DVD in 2004, and such changes tried to further create consistency with the prequel trilogy after the release of The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones and in anticipation of Revenge of the Sith. 60 from the sixties (let the sunshine in deezer youtube. Further changes were made to the films for their Blu-ray release in 2011.
Many changes met criticism and outrage from fans and critics, and many believed that Lucas degraded the original films with the additions. Most controversial is the decision to have Greedo shoot before Han Solo does, which sparked wide usage of the phrase 'Han shot first'. Other controversial changes include replacing the 'Lapti Nek' performance by a puppet Sy Snootles with a longer 'Jedi Rocks' performance by a CGI Snootles, having Darth Vader yell 'No!' as he kills the Emperor, and replacing Sebastian Shaw as the Force ghost of Anakin Skywalker with Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin in the prequel films. It was also felt that subsequent changes stripped the Star Wars film of the qualities for which it won Academy Awards. Despite the negative response to many significant changes, critics also felt that many smaller changes were improvements, innocuous, or understandable.
Background[edit]
There will only be one [version of the films]. And it won't be what I would call the 'rough cut', it'll be the 'final cut'. The other one will be some sort of interesting artifact that people will look at and say, 'There was an earlier draft of this.' The same thing happens with plays and earlier drafts of books. In essence, films never get finished, they get abandoned. At some point, you're dragged off the picture kicking and screaming while somebody says, 'Okay, it's done.' That isn't really the way it should work. Occasionally, [you can] go back and get your cut of the video out there, which I did on both American Graffiti and THX 1138; that's the place where it will live forever. So what ends up being important in my mind is what the DVD version is going to look like, because that's what everybody is going to remember. The other versions will disappear. Even the 35 million tapes of Star Wars out there won't last more than 30 or 40 years. A hundred years from now, the only version of the movie that anyone will remember will be the DVD version [of the Special Edition], and you'll be able to project it on a 20-foot-by-40-foot screen with perfect quality. I think it's the director's prerogative, not the studio's, to go back and reinvent a movie.
George Lucas[1]
In 1989, the original release of Star Wars was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry of the United States Library of Congress.[2] In 2014, the National Film Registry still did not have a copy of the 1977 film; director George Lucas refused to submit a copy, stating that he no longer authorized the release of the theatrical version.[3]Lucasfilm offered the altered 1997 Special Edition release, but the Registry refused it as the first published version must be accepted.[4] The Library of Congress, however, received a 35mm print of the film, without the A New Hope subtitle and subsequent alterations, in 1978 as part of the film's copyright deposit.[3][5]
Star Wars release history[edit]
Significant changes[edit]Star Wars[edit]Title change[edit]
The first film was released in 1977 under the title Star Wars. The subtitlesEpisode IV and A New Hope were retroactively added to the opening crawl in a subsequent release.[13][14] Accounts differ as to when this change occurred. Some, including Lucasfilm, date the addition to a theatrical re-release on April 10, 1981,[9][13][14] while others place it much earlier at the re-release in July 1978.[15] This change was made to bring the original film in line with the titling of its sequel The Empire Strikes Back, which was released in 1980 with the subtitle Episode V.[9]
Greedo scene[edit]
Because I was thinking mythologically â should he be a cowboy, should he be John Wayne? And I said, âYeah, he should be John Wayne.â And when youâre John Wayne, you donât shoot people [first] â you let them have the first shot.
George Lucas in 2015[16]
In Star Wars, Han Solo is cornered in the Mos Eisley cantina by the bounty hunterGreedo, and the confrontation ends with Han shooting under the table and killing Greedo. The circumstances of the shot varies between versions of the film. In the original 1977 theatrical release of the film, Han shoots Greedo, and Greedo does not shoot at all.[5] The 1997 Special Edition release of the film alters the scene so that Greedo shoots first and misses, and the scene is altered again in the 2004 DVD release of the film so that Han and Greedo shoot simultaneously.[3]
Lucas stated that he always intended for Greedo to have shot first.[17] He felt that the idea of Han shooting first depicts him as 'a cold-blooded killer'.[17][16] This decision sparked objections that it changed Han's moral ambiguity, fundamentally altered his established character,[18] and diminished his transition from antihero to hero; it became one of the most controversial changes to the films.
Biggs Darklighter on Yavin 4[edit]
During the production of Star Wars, scenes were filmed featuring Biggs Darklighter and his friendship with Luke Skywalker set on Tatooine and at the rebel base on Yavin 4 shortly before the attack on the Death Star. The scenes were cut because they were felt to disrupt the pacing of the film. In the original theatrical release, Biggs is only briefly mentioned as one of Luke's friends early in the movie, and he is seen briefly during the attack on the Death Star, in which he dies, and a relationship between Biggs and Luke is never stated. Despite this, Luke reacts strongly to Biggs' death. The 1997 Special Edition of the Star Wars film incorporated the previously deleted scene on Yavin 4. The loss of the scenes at Tatooine and Yavin 4 was felt to lessen the significance of Biggs' death, cast Luke's reaction to the death as overly strong, and make the framing of the death as a tragedy confusing. It was felt that the readdition of the Yavin 4 scene helped to rectify this issue.[19][20]
Jabba the Hutt and Boba Fett[edit]
The original script for Star Wars included a scene between Jabba the Hutt (who was designed in concept art drawings similarly to his Return of the Jedi appearance and often traveling on a sedan chair) and Han Solo, set in Mos Eisley's Dock 94, and the scene was filmed with Harrison Ford, playing Solo, and Declan Mulholland (for unknown reasons, dressed with a bizarre, furry, costume), a stand-in for Jabba[21][22]. Lucas intended to replace Mulholland in post-production with a stop motion character. Due to time limitations and budget constraints, Lucas could not achieve this, and the scene was cut. In the 1997 Special Edition, the scene was reinserted with CGI replacing Mulholland. Because Ford walked too close to Mulholland in the original scene, Han stepping on Jabba's tail, causing Jabba to squeal, was created as a workaround.[21]Boba Fett was also added to the background of the scene.[22] Jabba's design was modified for the 2004 DVD release, making him more realistic and similar to his Episode VI depiction[21], and this is the currently canonical version of the scene, though the Star Wars Legends novel The Hutt Gambit depicts, on its cover, Jabba as featured in the 1997 edition of the film.
The insertion of this scene into the film was criticized for being superfluous to the previous cantina scene, slowing down the pacing, and failing to move the plot forward[21][22] The original 1997 CGI, having big Cheshire Cat-like eyes and a small head, was also described as 'atrocious'.[21].
The Empire Strikes Back[edit]The Emperor's hologram[edit]
Clive Revill originally provided the Emperor's voice in The Empire Strikes Back, while actress Marjorie Eaton portrayed him physically, wearing a mask.[a] Ultimately the actress and voice actor were replaced by Ian McDiarmid, who portrayed the character in later films, for the 2004 DVD edition and subsequent releases.[27][28][b]
Boba Fett's voice[edit]
Boba Fett's dialogue in the film was originally recorded by Jason Wingreen.[3][30] Subsequently, Attack of the Clones revealed Boba to be a clone of Jango Fett, played by Temuera Morrison.[31] To reflect this, Morrison re-recorded Boba's lines for the 2004 DVD release of the film.[3][32][30]
Return of the Jedi[edit]Max Rebo Band[edit]
The scene in Return of the Jedi in which Jabba the Hutt feeds the dancer Oola to the rancor opens with performance by the Max Rebo Band and its lead singer Sy Snootles. In the original theatrical release, the song is 'Lapti Nek', sung for 45 seconds in the fictional languageHuttese. The 1997 Special Edition changed the performance to the 'less dated' song 'Jedi Rocks', which runs nearly 2 minutes.[33]
Owen Good of Polygon Kingdom come deliverance hood up. , though he understood the desire to update the song, described the 'Jedi Rocks' performance as 'an overproduced intrusion that takes twice as long to add nothing' and felt that it distracted from the intention of the scene: to establish the trapdoor leading to the rancor and Jabba's deadliness. He also felt that 'Lapti Nek' was an overall better song and described the vocal performance in 'Jedi Rocks' as difficult to listen to or understand and as having 'the volume and vocal fry of a higher pitched Tina Turner but none of the soul'.[18] Brian Raftery of Wired wrote that replacing 'Lapti Nek', which he praised as a track, was 'one of Lucas' most salaciously dumb choices' and described 'Jedi Rocks' as a Pointer Sisters 'rip-off' and a 'soul-free strutter, which is so grating that you can almost hear a tone-deaf Lucas beard-smirking approvingly in the background'.[34] Ryan Lambie of Den of Geek! similarly noted that the change negatively altered the tone of the scene and only 'replaced one flawed effect with another', writing: 'What was once a low-key yet appealing background moment in the movieâs first act had grown into a literal show-stopperâan in-your-face audio-visual spectacle that literally overshadowed the original hand-made effects'.
The puppet used for Sy Snootles was also replaced with CGI in the Special Edition. This was made because, according to producer Rick McCallum, Lucas could not achieve the 'large musical number' he envisioned because characters could not move in certain ways, Sy Snootles could not open her mouth to lip sync correctly, and her eyes did not move. Lambie criticized this decision because it removed almost all evidence of puppeteer Timothy D. Rose's work in the film.[35] The 1997 Special Edition also increased the size of the Max Rebo Band from three members to twelve.[33] While Good wrote that this change was inconsequential,[18] Ratery felt that the additions made the scene 'overstuffed' and described the CGI as dead on arrival.[34]
Expansion of Oola's death scene[edit]
In the theatrical release of the film, Oola's death is filmed from outside the rancor pit: she falls into the pit, and her scream is heard from off-screen. In the 1997 Special Edition, extra shots were inserted depicting her in the pit, including shots where she looks up to the crowd, the pit door being raised, and a shot of her terror. The rancor and Oola as she screams remain off-screen.[20]
Femi Taylor, who played Oola, impressed critics with her ability to reprise the role over a decade later without visible difference.[20][22] James Whitbrook at io9 praised the additions to the scene, especially in comparison to the decision to bring the wampa on-screen in the Special Edition of The Empire Strikes Back, writing that it teased the rancor well while still keeping the monster a surprise for Luke's later battle with it.[20]Den of Geek!UK, however, criticized the additions as unnecessary and felt that they made the audience familiar with the pit, lessening fear during Luke's scene in the pit.[22]
Addition of Darth Vader's 'No!'[edit]
At the climax of the film, the Emperor tortures Luke with Force lightning, prompting Darth Vader to throw the Emperor down a chasm and kill him. In the theatrical release and earlier home video releases, Darth Vader watches and acts in silence.[36] The 2011 Blu-ray release adds Darth Vader muttering 'No' and then yelling a drawn-out 'No!', creating a parallel with his similar cry at the end of Episode III â Revenge of the Sith. This addition was described as unnecessary[18][36] and sounding terrible,[9] and it was said to '[take] what was once emotional and [make] it laughable' and even ruin the film's climax.[18] It was also felt that the addition displayed a distrust in an audience's ability to interpret Vader's emotions.[18][36] The symmetry created by the parallel was described as 'clumsy' and was felt to mock the scene in the prequel.[9][36]
Anakin's eyebrows[edit]
In the scene where Anakin Skywalker is unmasked, the 2004 DVD release digitally removed his eyebrows to reflect Anakin burning on Mustafar at the end of Revenge of the Sith.[32]
Victory celebration[edit]
The film ends with a scene of the Rebel Alliance and a village of Ewoks on Endor celebrating the death of the Emperor and victory over the Empire. The original theatrical release of the film featured the song 'Ewok Celebration', also known as 'Yub Nub', playing over the celebration.[9][34] The 1997 Special Edition release of the film replaced 'Ewok Celebration' with score composed by John Williams titled 'Victory Celebration',[9] and the scene was lengthened to include shots of celebration on the planets Coruscant,[9][37]Bespin, and Tatooine.[38] The 2004 DVD release further added a shot set on Naboo, in which a Gungan is given a line of dialogue.[9]
Anakin's Force ghost[edit]
At the end of the film, Darth Vader is redeemed by killing the Emperor to save Luke Skywalker's life, then dies of his injuries shortly after, and appears to Luke as Anakin Skywalker alongside the Force ghosts of Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi. In the 1983 theatrical release, Sebastian Shaw plays this Force ghost in addition to an unmasked Vader. Hayden Christensen later played Anakin in the prequel trilogy films Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. To reflect this, the 2004 DVD release of Return of the Jedi replaced Shaw's appearance as the Force ghost with Christensen, which was considered controversial by some.[32]
The Phantom Menace[edit]CGI Yoda[edit]
For the theatrical release of The Phantom Menace, a puppet was used to portray Yoda in most of his scenes. This was changed for the 2011 Blu-ray release, with the puppet being replaced with a CGI-model, similar to those used for the film's sequels Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.[39]
Response[edit]
One writer claimed that the first Star Wars won the Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects, Best Production Design, Best Original Score, and the Special Edition changes to the sound mixing, sound effects, and visual effects were felt to have 'stripped the film of every aspect that it had won its Academy Awards for'.[4]
Lance Ulanoff of Mashable, who in 2015 viewed the original theatrical print of Star Wars submitted to the Library of Congress, notes merit to Lucas' belief that technology did not allow him to achieve his vision, noting that a visible marquee around Leia's ship is 'so jarring that it temporarily pulls me out of the film' because it is 'lack[ing] the seamless quality [he has] come to expect from sci-fi and fantasy'. Despite this, he 'hate[s] each and every one' of the later added CGI effects and describes positively his ability to view the original print despite 'Lucas's meddling'.[5]
Dave Tach, writing for Polygon, noted minor changes, such as adding windows to Cloud City on Bespin, adding sparks to Jango Fett's jetpack, or replacing the original Emperor hologram with McDiarmid, as 'innocuous' ones that 'angered, to a close approximation, nobody' because 'there was a solid logic behind those amendments'.[18]
References[edit]
Footnotes
Citations
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Changes_in_Star_Wars_re-releases&oldid=904087979'
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I've just joined a group, starting up a Star Wars: Saga Edition game, beginning at. Naturally, I picked a Jedi, and I've decided to be a Zabrak. The one thing that worries me is, I'm not going to be as awesome a Jedi as I thought I would be.
This is what I've rolled (after the +2 from my level):
I know these aren't optimal, but it's what I've got. I'm going to attribute the 7 in Str to an injury from the battle of Order 66, but I'm not opposed to moving it around, and the GM isn't enforcing roll in order.
Firstly, I was expecting talents to be easier to get. At level 4 I only have two talents, making it hard to feel like an iconic Jedi, whom I've seen using the Block and Reflect talents ubiquitously. That's two talents that have an immense Jedi feel to them, gone already. And I'm not even thinking of focusing on Lightsaber combat. How can I make the most of my Talents, and still feel like a proper Jedi?
Secondly, on the subject of force powers. I will only be getting two, due to my low wisdom score. It feels like some are too good not to have, like Negate Energy, even though it isn't the feel I want, and I'm worried I won't survive without it. I've picked up Vital transfer, as we don't have any sort of party medic, leaving me with only one power left. I'm torn between either Force Slam/Force Push and Surge, as I was going to aim for Form VI lightsaber fighting. How can I pick powers to complement my abilities, and style?
I think my best hope it to use the skill Use the Force like a crutch and make as many things reliant on that as possible. I've noticed Force Perception, but I can't tell if it's going to be useful.
In summary I wanted to make a Diplomat/Knight style Jedi, but I'm worried I don't have enough Powers, Talents and Feats to represent this concept whilst staying useful to the party.
How can I pimp my Jedi?
The thing is I will enjoy playing a sub-optimal character (~bad stats, few powers) but I don't know if my party will, so I want to make the most of what I've got.
I've seen a lot of good ideas in the answers and their comments. If they could be collated I could assign a correct answer and my bounty!
Pureferret
PureferretPureferret
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6 Answers$begingroup$
First off: If you want to be iconic Jedi, I'd say emphasize your lightsaber prowess. Problem is, with that 7 crippling you, it won't be easy as Jedi more-or-less need all stats.
However, here's another idea: Keep the 7 STR, and instead, become a Force-focused Jedi.
The Force powers can be massively powerful, and you should take full advantage of them. I suggest changing your stats to the following:
STR 7DEX 12CON 10INT 12WIS 16CHA 16
Now, at levels 1 and 3, take Force Training as your feats.Bonus feat should be Skill Focus (Use The Force), maybe more skill trainings, or Force Boon (extra force point)Also talk with your GM about making Diplomacy a class skill for Jedi, since I see no good reason why it isn't. Be trained in that.
Next, talents.Force Focus is AMAZING. As a full-round action, recover a spent force power. So useful, both in and out of combat.Skilled Advisor grants any ally a +5 on a skill check, if you spend a full-round action. Very useful.The Telekinetic tree (telekinetic Power, TK Savant, TK Prodigy, etc) are also pretty good.
Alternatively: Dip noble for a level, pick Exceptional Skill for UTF. If you ever roll between 2 and 7 on a UTF check, it's now treated as an 8. Every time. It's stupid useful.
Powers:Move Object is a must.Negate Energy is a must.Force Grip restricts enemies to a minor action. Useful.Force Shield is wonderful in a pinch.Enlighten is maybe the most useful thing of all. Roll a UTF check. Congrats, you or an ally can use that roll in the place of something - attack roll, skill check, or defense, as a one-time switch. If your UTF modifier is high, it's a godsend. Sensitive, one-time thing, such as a diplomacy check, or disarming a bomb? Roll Enlighten, and give it to the person. If they roll better, great. If not, they use your result. Combine this with the above mentioned Force Focus and you are immediately one of the most useful party members.
With this, you've got a pretty damn powerful Jedi. Iconic? Not as much. But useful to the party? Hell. Yes.
As an alternate idea, but you'll need to start it now. Renew Vision + lots of Farseeing uses + Prepared for Danger. Prep For Danger lets you spend a Farseeing use and regain any already used power as a swift action. Renew Vision lets you regain all spent uses of Farseeing. The other WatchCircle talents (see the Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide) are also immensely useful, but that combo right there? you can't do it until level 8 at the earlier (as Prepared For Danger is a Jedi Knight talent), but when you can..hooo boy.
Also, if you reeeeally wanna optimize? Drop Zabrak, become a Miraluka. Free Force Training at first level if you're trained in UTF, which you will be as a Jedi.
Also also: Someone on the Wizards forums went and made indicies. So, so, SO very helpful. Here's the link: http://www.mediafire.com/?w7mlg0lq70gnd90
Wizards hasn't shut down the thread yet, so they seem okay with it, as the indicies don't contain all the specifics - just general stuff and tags.
I hope this helps! I've made lots of Force Users in Saga Edition, so this is my area of expertise.
EDIT: Since you asked, here you go:
Iconic Jedi are proficient in both Force Powers and Lightsaber ability - Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi were both accomplished duelists as well as Force masters.
The problem here is that without being very high level, your character cannot be good at both, especially with those stats.
If you want to maximize your ability for both, however, here's what I suggest. Assuming level 4 Jedi, with the stat build I gave you.
Talents: Deflect & Force Focus. Deflect will protect you from ranged fire, and you can work your way to the Praetoria Ishu talent which is from the Imperial Knight prestige class in the Legacy book. That talent lets you use it on others.
Force Focus has many uses outside of combat, and is a good emergency talent to have in combat in case you really need is.
Feats: Force Training, twice. This gives you 8 Force powers to choose from.
Bonus feats: Skill Focus (Use The Force) and Weapon Finesse, if you want. Take advantage of your DEX mod for your lightsaber, if or when you need it.
Powers:
- Move Object - no brainer - Vital Transfer - good for healing, but have medpacs on hand as well - Enlighten - the ultimate in helping the party. Use it often, recover as a full round when outside of combat (or in combat). - Negate Energy - just in case. - Mind Trick - Another classic Jedi power. - Force Grip - can more-or-less disable on enemy in a round, plus decent damage at lower levels. - Force Slam - a good area effect power. - Surge - the movement bonuses can be very, very handy to have
ThreadOfFateThreadOfFate
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Okay so here is what you want to do for starters:
All of that is in the main book for guidance. Do also take Force Training whenever you can, and increase your Wisdom as well when possible, and there you go, you have turned yourself into an unstoppable embodiment of the Force.
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Solomon VashjSolomon Vashj
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One thing you can do is not worry so much about Cha
STR 7 DEX 16 CON 10 INT 12 WIS 16 CHA 12
your UTF checks should be bolstered by skill focus and eventually other things.
weapon finesse is a must here and you may look into battle strike or lightsbaer combat force powers to make up for the low strength.
Really, if you can get up on a pillar using surge or levitate you should eb able to fight off enemies from a distance.
Do not overlook adept negotiator for instance as a means to just talk an enemy down.
also if you level dip look into weapon proficiency pistols as your free proficiency. You should be able to hold a lightsaber in one hand to take advantage of deflect while shooting with a pistol at enemies.
CaraecynCaraecyn
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If you're willing to hold out for a few levels, get Weapon Finesse, and then once you become a Knight, use your first Knight talent take the Ataru form- this allows you to utilize your Dex bonus instead of your Str bonus for damage; it also this doubles your Dex bonus to damage if you're using two hands on a saber.
Until then, worry about Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization in lightsabers. As for force powers, I'd suggest Move Object, Ballistikinesis (from the Knights of the Old Republic sourcebook) and Negate Energy. Heal and Heal Another are also really useful in a sticky situation.
Chuck Dee
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SomeguySomeguy
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Something I haven't seen anyone else mention yet:
Saga Edition is very multi-class friendly. You could dip into Scout for Evasion, and flavor it as your deflect skill (it'll only help you against auto-fire, but that's common enough). If your concept involves more of a force-wizard or diplomat type, you could level dip and get a nice talent from the Noble.
The low strength isn't that much of a hindrance. By 4th level, your level bonus to damage will compensate for that, and as others have mentioned, there are feat/talent/prestige class combinations that will let you overcome it completely.
Rest assured, you'll get to pick from plenty of talents through your character's career.
Theo BrinkmanTheo Brinkman
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Block and deflect are good. Deflect, especially since all sorts of people have blasters. Weapon finesse would be good, as that would offset the str penalty. Skill focus UTF would be nice too.
JeveJeve
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Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged star-wars-saga-edition or ask your own question.I like Star Wars. I like Star Wars roleplaying. It's fun, cinematic, and gives players the opportunity to be in touch with the biggest universe fiction has ever seen. Star Wars Saga Edition is pretty much the best thing to happen to the D20 system since it's inception, and I feel it really captures the feel of Star Wars without feeling too terribly clunky or difficult to use. It also quantifies characters more than the old D6 system did, meaning it's easy to see what characters can handle and what they can't.
Even so, the Saga Edition has a few problems here and there. This post will point out what I feel the issues are and try to handle them. Feedback is, as always, welcome and requested.
At level 1, level 3, and every three levels thereafter, you may gain either one feat or one talent. You must fulfill the prerequisites of the feat or talent you choose.
Multiclassing
Normally, when you take your first level in a new class you have the opportunity to select one of that class's starting feats as an immediate bonus feat. Instead, you may also select Skill Training in one of that class's class skills. This option lets you learn something new from your class without it having to be one of its feats.
Skills
The Climb, Jump, and Swim skills have been condensed into Athletics. If any of these skills is a class skill for your character, then Athletics is a class skill for your character.
The Jump application of the Athletics skill works differently than in the core book:
Long Jump: You may leap 1 square per DC 10, DC 15 without a 4 square running start.
High Jump: You may jump 1 square per DC 15, DC 20 without a 4 square running start.
Jump Down: You may decrease the damage from a fall by 1 square per DC 10. If you take no damage, you land on your feet.
Trained skills can be chosen from any skill, not just the Class Skills list (except Use the Force, which can only be selected if you have the Force Sensitive feat). Class skills gain your level as a bonus.
Skill Checks
Skill checks are like attack rolls, and so skills are treated with the weapons rules rather than the skill rules from SWSE Core. If using a skill untrained, apply a -5 penalty, similar to using a weapon without the appropriate Weapon Proficiency feat. Trained skills drop the penalty, and add your level (if a class skill), your ability modifier, and a +1 competence bonus for having the appropriate Skill Focus feat.
For example, a 3rd level Jedi with Charisma 12 making a Use the Force check to Mind Trick another character would roll the following:
3 (Level Bonus) + 1 (Cha mod) = +4 vs Will Defense.
This is to keep such attacks from virtually always succeeding against opponents because of +10 bonuses at low levels (Training + Skill Focus).
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Combat
Armed Advantage
An unarmed character receives a -2 circumstance penalty to Reflex defense against attacks made with a melee weapon. Characters armed with melee weapons count as unarmed when defending against lightsaber attacks unless armed with a weapon that retains its Damage Reduction against lightsaber damage. This is to reflect that during the normal course of an attack round, defending characters parry, block, and dodge incoming attacks. Without a weapon that can parry incoming attacks, the character can't properly defend against attacks and must rely entirely on dodging. Characters with the Martial Arts feat are considered armed even when wielding no weapons.
Two-Weapon Fighting
As it stands, there is no difference between wielding two One-Handed weapons or having a Light weapon in the off-hand, even though the book's text describes most Small weapons as being used often as off-hand weapons for dual-wielding fighters. So, to give the short lightsaber, knife, and short sword more of a purpose, here is a rule covering Light weapons.
When wielding two weapons, if the off-hand weapon is considered Light, the fighter gets a +1 dodge bonus to Reflex Defense for each Dual-Weapon Fighting feat possessed. One-handed weapons already have a damage advantage over Light weapons, making this a fair tradeoff. Double-weapons, such as the double-bladed lightsaber and the quarterstaff, also gain this benefit.
Star Wars Saga Edition Pdf Downloads
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Lightsaber Construction
Building a lightsaber requires the Force Sensitivity feat and proficiency with lightsabers to attempt. It's recommended that the character have at least one level in the Jedi class.
Building a lightsaber requires two steps. The first is the body and its corresponding electronics, while the second is focusing the lightsaber crystals using the Force. While it's possible to skip the second step, doing so means the lightsaber provides no Force bonus to anyone, including the person who built it.
Constructing the lightsaber itself requires a DC 25 Mechanics check. The process takes 6 hours, and taking 20 on this check increases the time to 5 days. If the check is failed, the character must spend another 6 hours disassembling and reassembling the weapon. The necessary components cost 1500 credits, and the focusing crystal can usually only be bought at incredible cost or it must be discovered. There are a few options that may increase the difficulty, but provide other benefits.
Curved Hilt: The curved hilt lightsaber changes the weight and balance of a lightsaber such that it is easier to wield one-handed, and was especially favored by practitioners of the Makashi style of lightsaber combat. The odd shape was difficult to set parts into correctly, however, leading many Jedi to focus on creating the more simple standard lightsaber. Creating a curved-hilt lightsaber adds +5 to the construction DC, and the weapon adds a +1 equipment bonus to the user's Dexterity, for the purposes of attack rolls or Reflex Defense.
Double-Bladed: A double-bladed lightsaber is a formidable weapon, associated with the Sith due to its combat-oriented nature. There are two methods for creating one of these weapons. The first is to construct a single hilt that projects lightsaber blades from both ends. This adds +5 to the construction DC. This method doubles the cost of components. The second method is to construct two separate lightsabers that can be joined together with a magnalock. This process doesn't increase the build DC, but does require undergoing the construction process twice, and each lightsaber must have a 250 credit magnalock component added (for a total cost of 3500 credits). Both methods double the construction time, since the builder is making two lightsabers instead of one, and require undergoing the focusing ritual twice, using one crystal per blade.
Dual-Phase: The dual-phase lightsaber has a switch or toggle capable of extending the lightsaber's blade immediately, rather than using a focusing dial to adjust. This increases the build DC by +5, but allows the user to switch the blade's length as a swift action. A dual-phase lightsaber not only grants the user reach when in extended mode (at the expense of a -1 attack and Reflex Defense penalty against adjacent opponents), but also grants a +2 circumstance bonus to use the feint application of the Deception skill in combat.
The second, and final, step is to attune the focusing crystal using the Force. This creates a bond between the lightsaber and the person creating it, granting that user special bonuses when wielding the weapon. Focusing the crystal requires spending a Force Point and making a DC 25 Use the Force check, meditating and shaping the crystal as necessary. The process takes another 6 hours, and taking 20 increases the time to 10 days. On a failed check, the Force Point is lost and the user must spend another 6 hours focusing the crystal again.
When focused properly, the crystal grants a bonus to the creator depending on the type of crystal being used. The standard adegan crystals from the caves of Ilum grant a +1 bonus to attack rolls with the lightsaber, as do synth-crystals forged with the Force. Other crystal types, outlined in the Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide, grant other effects, such as dealing stun or ion damage rather than energy, adding to damage rolls, or granting bonuses on the use of the Deflect or Block talents. These crystals are more rare after the Empire's destruction of most major crystal caves, and so require GM permission to obtain.
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Equipment
Weapon Ranges
The ranges presented in the Saga Edition core rulebook seem to be a bit extreme, possibly presented under exacting technical definitions of the term 'point blank range'. Under Pistol ranges, for example, Point-Blank is 20 squares. Each square is 1.5 meters or about 5 feet. That means 100 feet is point-blank range for a pistol. I'm pretty sure that's not right at all. At least, so far as range penalties for targeting something go, that shouldn't be it. So until I can get a better method going, here's the new set for weapon ranges:
All weapon ranges found on Table 8-5: Weapon Ranges on page 129 of the Saga Edition core book are to be halved, with the exception of Thrown Weapons.
Weapon Group: Maximum Point-Blank/Short/Medium/Long Ranges
Pistols: 10/20/30/40
Simple: 10/20/30/40
There are a few oddities in the Ranged Weapons section of the Saga Edition core rulebook. Repeating blaster rifles seem far underpowered as compared to standard blaster rifles. Since they're more expensive, heavier, and have a Military availability instead of Restricted availability, I've decided to alter their rules somewhat.
Blaster carbines, rifles, and pistols may have retractable stocks. The cost of a retractable stock is included in the credits listing for carbines and rifles, and adding a retractable stock to a pistol costs an extra 100 credits. A weapon with a retractable stock may only be fired in autofire mode (if it has that firing mode) with the stock extended. Weapons marked autofire-only may be braced (reducing the -5 autofire penalty to -2). Weapons with a single-fire capability may not be braced, and have a -5 to autofire attacks as normal.
The purpose for having a retractable stock is to allow a rifle to be used in a single hand without penalty (reducing its size from Medium to Small), or to increase the range of a pistol (moving a Pistol into the Rifle group for range).
Armor
Characters gain a bonus to Reflex Defense from either their armor or heroic levels, whichever is greater. The Armor Defense talent from the Armor Specialist talent tree uses the rules for the Improved Armor Defense talent, which is no longer used at all.
Star Wars Saga Rpg
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The Force
Force Points
Spending a Force point to aid an action gives a flat +5 Force bonus, rather than adding 1d6 to the roll. This makes things simpler and involves less die rolling.
A character trained in Use the Force may spend a Force Point as a free action to gain a single use of a Force Power not currently in that character's Force power suite, subject to GM approval. If the Force power gained is used to harm a living being, the character gains a Dark Side Point. The Force Training feat is not required for this use of a Force Point.
Characters regain one spent Force Point for every eight hours of rest, once in any 24 period.
Destiny Points
When acting in accordance with your Destiny, in addition to the normal Destiny Bonus, you gain a Destiny Point. Your heroic level is the cap for the number of Destiny Points you may have at once.
Dark Side
Force Powers with the Dark Side descriptor don't increase your Dark Side Score through use automatically, but their effects almost certainly will be at least a moderate transgression, if not major. Instead, the effects of the power are based on your Dark Side Score, as detailed in the altered powers list below.
Force Powers with the Dark Side descriptor don't need to be in your Force Suite to use them. You may call on these powers at any time. The Dark Side is quicker and easier, and as such does not use up as many of your precious resources such as feat slots.
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Force Powers
Battle Strike (Core)
For each DC you meet, you gain either +1 to hit or +1d6 to damage. The 'next attack' must be within one minute of activating the power.
Dark Rage (Dark Side) (Core)
For each DC you meet, you gain +1 to hit and to damage, plus half your Dark Side Score. The Dark Side Score bonus is not cumulative with DCs.
Force Disarm (Core)
Make a Use the Force check against a target within 6 squares and in line of sight. If you succeed against a DC equal to the target's Str +5 (+10 if they hold their items with both hands), the target drops any held items, which you may bring to your hand or leave on the ground anwhere within 6 squares of the target.
Force Grip (Core)
This power is considered an application of Telekinesis.
Force Lightning (Dark Side) (Core)
This power deals half your Dark Side Score in d6s. This damage may be distributed to any targets within a 6 square cone of effect.
Force Slam (Core)
This power is considered an applicatin of Telekinesis.
Force Thrust (Core)
This power is considered an applicatin of Telekinesis.
Move Object (Core)
This power is considered an application of Telekinesis.
Negate Energy (Core)
This power can deflect not only Force powers, but physical and energy attacks. It is similar to the Deflect talent, but can be used without a lightsaber.
Sever Force (Light Side) (Core)
This power is for all basic telekinetic activities, and includes the former powers Force Disarm, Force Grip, Force Slam, Force Thrust, and Move Object. Each application will be described below.
Move Object: As the Move Object power, DC determines the size category for objects controlled. Each size category can be considered two of the next category down, so lifting one Large object is the same as lifting two Medium objects.
Force Grip: You may crush a target you telekinetically lift using Move Object, dealing the listed damage for the DC.
Force Thrust: You may throw a target 6 squares in any direction, dealing the listed damage if the target strikes a surface or another object. If the target strikes nothing, deal no damage but the target begins their next turn prone.
Force Slam: As Force Thrust, but straight down. If you reach a DC high enough, you may split the size categories such that you telekinetically lift several targets at once and slam all of them.
Vital Transfer (Core)
The target gains HP according to the DC as stated, but multiplied by your own level, not the target's. You may only use this power on a given target once in any 24 hour period.
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