OOC Chat Thread

What about crystals
Kyber crystal, the mystical gemstones that are used to create a lightsaber blade, cannot be made. Instead, they must be sought out, usually though journeys of self-discovery to remote locations. In the era of the Republic, Padawans traveled to Ilum and other sacred sites to acquire their kyber crystals. Now, there are no clear paths to finding a lightsaber crystal, and aspirants must rely upon the Force to guide them to what they need.

For game purposes, this means that these crafting rules only provide a lightsaber hilt, which is incapable of producing a blade without a crystal. The lightsabers profiles provided here for the weapons assume that it is installed with an unmodified Ilum crystal (see page 197 of the Force and Destiny Core Rulebook); if no crystal installed, use the Hilt profile instead. Once the hilt is crafted and a kyber crystal acquired, the intended wielder of the lightsaber must become personally attuned to the crystal and install it. For more on acquiring and installing lightsaber crystals, see page 195 of the Force and Destiny Core Rulebook.

The rules in this section provide GMs and players with options for crafting their own lightsaber hilts. They offer Artisans and other skilled in technical arts a greater chance to shine, and for players to craft a wide variety of lightsabers. Players wishing to do so should consult with the GM, and then the two should collaborate while going through the steps listed below to create the device. As with all such matters, anything that the player wants to craft is subject to the Gm's approval. Note also that the following rules represent a more expansive and flexible approach to constructing lightsaber hilts than those included in the Force and Destiny Game Master's Kit, but they are not intended to replace them. Instead, players are encouraged to use whichever rules best fit into their styles of play and campaign plans.

Crafting follows three steps. Step 1: Select Template in which the PC chooses what kind of lightsaber hilt to make. Step 2: Acquire Materials in which the PC acquires the supplies to build it, and Step 3: Construction, in which the PC actually assembles the hilt. See the Lightsaber Hilts sidebar, on page 177 of the Force and Destiny Core Rulebook, for more on hilts and their role in the effectiveness of a lightsaber.

Step 1: Select Template

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When a character sets about creating a lightsaber hilt, the player first chooses a template from Table 3-10: Lightsaber Templates (see page 85). The template dictates the cost and rarity of materials for the chosen hilt (Material Price/Rarity), the challenge of building it (Check), an estimate of construction duration (Time), and possible results should the character succeed on the check (Hilt Style Examples).

Each template encompasses a number of different lightsaber hilts that accomplish their template’s function in very different ways. For instance, the defensive lightsaber template might represent a lightsaber with a hilt spike to seize enemy weapons, or one designed to let the user parry more swiftly. A template describe what a given lightsaber does, but not necessarily how it accomplishes it or what embellishments it might possess; those are the mark of the crafter. Thus, players and GMs should feel free to be creative in coming up with their own unique types of weapons that a given template represents. Inspired GMs are encouraged to create their own unique templates -- all a template needs is a Name, Material Price/Rarity, Check, Time, and profiles for the result which GMs can provide to their players as they see fit.

Step 1: Select Template takes as much or little time as the character spends planning before launching into hands-on work. After selecting a template, a character moves on to Step 2: Acquire Materials

Step 2: Acquire Materials

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To attempt to build a lightsaber hilt based on the chosen template, the PC must acquire appropriate materials for that template. The cost and rarity of these materials are listed under Material Price/Rarity, on Table 3-10: Lightsaber Templates. For mechanical purposes, materials count as a single item with the listed cost and rarity. As always, at the GM’s discretion, certain supplies might not always be available for the listed price at any given market (see page 157 of the Force and Destiny Core Rulebook).

Because Material Price/Rarity for a template is defined only in terms of cost in credits and abstracted rarity, the particular nature of the materials that a character uses can vary wildly and depend on the specifics of the item the character is crafting. At the GM’s discretion, PCs can acquire some or all of the materials for a template via means other than paying for them (such as salvaging them, stealing them, or being gifted with them).

Step 2: Acquire Materials requires as much time as it takes for the PC to physically obtain the materials. This could be as short as a trip to a scrapyard or market, or as long as an epic quest to find a rare ore or crystal, depending on the situation. After successfully acquiring materials, a character moves on to Step 3: Construction

Step 3: Construction

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After acquiring the materials to make the item, the character must make the associated check listed under ‘Check’ on Table 3-10 Lightsaber Templates to actually construct the lightsaber hilt. If the character succeeds, the device is fully functional and has the profile listed. If the character fails on the check, the hilt that comes out of the attempt is unusable and the materials are lost. See Table 3-11: Lightsaber Template Profiles, on page 86 for the characteristics of sample results for each template.

Table 3-12: Spending (ADVANTAGE), (TRIUMPH), (THREAT), and (DESPAIR) on Lightsaber Hilt Crafting includes suggestions on how to integrate other results into successful lightsaber hilt construction. First, crafters can use (advantage) and (triumph) results to make improvements to the item. Then, the GM can spend (threat) and (despair) to add flaws. Unless a limit is specified, an option from these tables may be selected any number of times, and it’s effects stack.

The amount of time Step 3: Construction takes is determined by the estimate of working hours listed under ‘Time’ on Table 3-10: Lightsaber Templates. Every (SUCCESS) the character scores on the check beyond the first reduces this time by 2 hours (to a minimum of 1 hour). Other factors can also affect the time required, at the GM’s discretion.

Building training emitters
Before they were entrusted with full lightsabers, jedi aspirants were given training sabers powered with training emitters instead of kyber crystals (see page 200 of Force and Destiny Core Rulebook). Substantially easier to acquire the parts for and build, crafting a training emitter requires only common electronic parts worth 50 credits (rarity 0) and an Average Mechanics check.

Reforging a hilt
In the days of the Jedi, the lightsaber was not merely a tool, but an extension of its builder. Though the true power of the lightsaber resides in the kyber crystal at its heart Jedi would choose materials that symbolized their commitment to the ways of the Force to build the hilt, Even today, Force sensitives who strive to build lighstsaber hilts are likely to go through long, involved process before settling on a final design, and night make updates to the weapon to reflect changes in themselves.

Because of this sentimental connection to the materials that many Force-sensitives feel. it is rare for a Force sensitive to voluntarily cast aside a lightsaber hilt. Rather than discarding the old materials in favor of new ones, a character who needs an updated lightsaber may choose to reforge the old hilt. A character may also reforge a hilt that has been destroyed, using the shards to create a new one. An old hilt might even be used to create a different type of lightsaber, if the character’s fighting style changes over time to incorporate new armaments.

During Step 2: Acquire Materials, a character may reforge an existing lightsaber hilt rather than acquiring entirely new materials. If the character does so, reduce the Material Price for the template, indicated in Table 3-10: Lightsaber Templates by half of the existing item's Price (to a minimum of 50%) and reduce its rarity by 1. This process consumes the existing hilt entirely.

At the GM’s discretion, the crafter may spend (TRIUMPH) to transfer one of the positive results of the crafter’s choice from Table 3-12: Spending (ADVANTAGE), (TRIUMPH), (THREAT), and (DESPAIR) on Lightsaber Hilt Crafting (see page 87) from the old hilt to the new one, provided that the trait can logically be carried over to the new item. In the same manner, the GM may spend (DESPAIR) to transfer one of the negative results from Table 3-12: Spending (ADVANTAGE), (TRIUMPH), (THREAT), and (DESPAIR) on Lightsaber Hilt Crafting from the old hilt to the new one.

Name................................Material Price/Rarity....Check................................Time..........Hilt Style Examples
Standard Lightsaber.............100 credits / 4............Average Mechanics Check.....6 hours.......Lightsaber
Precision Lightsaber.............150 credits / 5............Average Mechanics Check.....12 hours......Sho dagger lightsaber,
Defensive Lightsaber............300 credits / 6............Hard Mechanics Check..........12 hours.....Guard Shoto
Double-Bladed Lightsaber......300 credits / 5............Hard Mechanics Check..........12 hours.....Double-Bladed lightsaber, Temple Guard lightsaber pike
Pole Lightsaber....................150 credits / 5............Hard Mechanics Check..........12 hours.....Lightsaber pike, long-handle lightsaber

Name | Material Price/Rarity | Check | Time | Hilt Style Examples
Standard Lightsaber | 100 credits / 4 | Average Mechanics Check | 6 hours | Lightsaber
Precision Lightsaber | 150 credits / 5 | Average Mechanics Check | 12 hours | Sho dagger lightsaber,
Defensive Lightsaber | 300 credits / 6 | Hard Mechanics Check | 12 hours | Guard Shoto
Double-Bladed Lightsaber | 300 credits / 5 | Hard Mechanics Check | 12 hours | Double-Bladed lightsaber, Temple Guard lightsaber pike
Pole Lightsaber | 150 credits / 5 | Hard Mechanics Check | 12 hours | Lightsaber pike, long-handle lightsaber