Force Wizard’s Got Talents – Part 7 (Armorer Specialization)

August 1, 2022 Linda Whitson Astral Projections, Force Wizard 0

“Force Wizard’s Got Talents” is my series on the Force talents, from all of the FFG Star Wars lines.

Welcome back, padawans and disciples. In Parts 6, 7, and 8 we’re studying the FTs for the Guardian career from Force and Destiny and Keeping the Peace. Part 7 covers KtP’s Armorer specialization. (Part 6 covered the three F&D specs.)

Abbreviations
EV = Endless Vigil
F&D = Force and Destiny
FR = Force Rating
FT = Force Talent
KtP = Keeping the Peace
Rise = Rise of the Separatists

Comprehend Technology (Unranked; 20 or 25 XP)

  • Also: Artisan (F&D).
  • This is an Active talent (Action).
  • Make an Average (Difficulty 2) Education check to use/repair an item of personal gear, including armor or weapon.
  • Substitute FR for your ranks in the relevant skill (Mechanics, Melee, Ranged [light], etc.) when building the dice pool.
  • See the full Comprehend Technology entry on p. 141 of F&D.
  • I don’t think Comprehend Technology is worth the XP. By the time a PC can buy 20-25XP talents, they probably already have equal or greater ranks in the skills they are most likely to use for fixing or using many personal items.

Falling Avalanche (Unranked; 20 or 25 XP)

  • Also: Shien Expert (F&D).
  • This is an Active talent (Incidental).
  • Once/round, add damage equal to Brawn to one successful Lightsaber combat check.
  • Take two Strain to use Falling Avalanche.
  • The full text on p.142 of F&D is clearer and makes more sense than the boxes in the Armorer and Shien Expert trees, so go with that. (This may be one of the rare cases where the trees weren’t updated to reflect a text revision.)
  • Falling Avalanche costs somewhat less XP in this spec than in Shien Expert. However, this is a valuable enough combat talent – allowing a target to be taken down much faster – that it is well worth buying regardless of which spec or career you prefer. I call it a must-have.

Imbue Item (Unranked; 20 or 25 XP)

  • Also: Artisan (F&D).
  • This is an Active talent (Maneuver).
  • A single item or weapon within Short range gains one enhancement.
  • Take one Strain and commit one Force die to Imbue Item, and an additional Strain at the start of each turn for as long as the die is committed, to maintain the enhancement.
  • The full list of possible enhancements is in the entry on p.145 of F&D.
  • All of the options are very good, making this an FT you need.
  • Most of the options are only suited for a weapon and/or armor set. However, the usefulness of an item Imbued with reduced encumbrance shouldn’t be discounted – certainly not if you need to move a McGuffin fast.
  • The text doesn’t say it’s possible to Imbue the item with more than one enhancement; in fact the wording strongly implies you can only commit one Force die. So, no, you can’t do this. It’s a munchkin move anyhow.

Mental Tools (Unranked; 5 or 15 XP)

  • Also: Artisan(F&D).
  • This is a Passive talent.
  • You always have the right tools for any job requiring a Mechanics check.
  • An inexpensive FT that adds a Boost die to the relevant checks is a no-brainer to pick up.

Reinforce Item (Unranked; 25 XP)

  • Unique to Armorer spec.
  • This is an Active talent (Maneuver).
  • Grant the Cortosis quality 9pp. 162-3, F&D) to one weapon or armor set you are Engaged with.
  • Commit 2 Force dice and take three Strain at the start of each of your turns that Reinforce Item is active.
  • Due to the Engaged range limit, this is a self buff only.
  • Using this FT over multiple rounds will drop your Strain fast, even if you aren’t using other abilities that cost Strain, or targeted by effects that deal Strain.
  • Somewhat situational but no more so than many other unique and/or high-XP talents.

Saber Throw (Unranked; 10 – 25XP)

  • Also: Ataru Striker (F&D); Jedi Knight (Rise); Sentry (EV); Shien Expert (F&D).
  • This is an Active talent (Action).
  • A classic, flashy, and useful talent for Guardians and other action/combat oriented PCs.
  • Saber Throw is a Lightsaber combat action, made as a ranged attack upon a target up to Medium range distance.
  • Add Force dice up to your FR to the ranged Lightsaber attack pool.
  • Hitting the target requires one Force pip and Success on the check.
  • You may spend a second Force pip to call the lightsaber back to your hand.
  • While Saber Throw is in the 10XP tier of the Armorer tree, it will cost you 95 XP to reach it. Plus, you have to buy the Comprehend Technology FT, which I don’t think is a great one (see above) to get it. The Jedi Knight instance is even more expensive.
  • If you want to be able to throw your lightsaber (and who doesn’t?), go instead for the Sentinel’s Sentry specialization, where it will cost only 30XP. As a bonus you’ll then be able to buy Improved Saber Throw (15XP).
  • Shien Expert, another Sentinel spec, also has Saber Throw for a much lower XP investment than either Armorer or Jedi Knight.

Next time, Part 8 will complete the Guardian career’s Force Talents. Until then, may the Force be with you always, padawans and disciples.

 

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Linda Whitson

Contributing Writer & Copy Editor at D20 Radio
Linda Whitson is a long-time RPGer, amateur musician & artist, & an officer in the Rebel Legion Star Wars costuming club. Linda met her husband in an AD&D game and they have 2 teenagers, an anime fangirl daughter and a son who plays on his university's quidditch team. She is the Lead Mod of D20 Radio's forums and Copy Editor for the blog. Linda can be reached at GMLinda@d20radio.com

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