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After my trip down memory lane discussing Dark Forces I felt it was time to cover a topic that was introduced to me by way of the last game in that series, Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, namely the ASP-19 lightsaber training droid. Featured in video games, comics, and novels, this droid and variations thereof throughout galactic history have had a subtle presence in centers of Jedi and Sith training. As seen in Jedi Academy, the variable difficulty settings of these droids can be a dangerous surprise. Something to keep in mind not just to escalate combat challenges, but also to fill other roles in your narrative such as at the center of a murder mystery in the New Jedi Order.
Lightsaber Training Droid (Rival)
Based on the ASP-19 battledroid, a favorite among fencers and swordsmen for its capabilities as a sparring partner, the lightsaber training droid is upgraded with more than just a lightsaber. Programmed with lightsaber combat tactics and techniques, these droids are capable of adjusting their difficulty level on demand to provide the desired challenge to the trainee. While this specific model was originally used by Darth Vader before spreading throughout Inquistorial training centers, historians note that both the Jedi and Sith employed humanoid training droids over the millennia. These ancient machines may still remain in forgotten training halls and arenas on worlds such as Tython, Ossus, Moraband, and Dromund Kaas. For those Force sensitives rediscovering the Jedi ways and on the run from the Empire, a lightsaber training droid may on one hand be a liability through risk of discovery, but if concealed as a normal labor or utility droid the potential boon to lightsaber training could outweigh the risk.
Characteristics
Br 3, Ag 2, Int 1, Cun 2, WP 1, Pres 1
Soak 5, W. Threshold 18, Def 0/1
Special: Difficulty Settings (Lightsaber Training Droids are programmed with variable difficulty settings capable of challenging novice saberists and masters alike. See the below chart for ranks in Lightsaber and Talents.), Droid (does not need to breathe, eat, or drink and can survive in vacuum and underwater; immune to poisons and toxins)
Skills: Athletics 1, Cool 1, Coordination 1, Brawl 1, Lightsaber (see chart)
Talents: (See Chart)
Equipment: Training lightsaber (Lightsaber; Damage 6; Critical – ; Range [Engaged]; Stun Damage) or basic lightsaber (Lightsaber; Damage 6;Critical 2; Range [Engaged]; Breach 1; Sunder)
| Program Type | Lightsaber Skill | Parry Ranks | Additional Talents |
| Novice | Lightsaber 1 | Parry 1 | None |
| Padawan | Lightsaber 2 | Parry 2 | None |
| Knight | Lightsaber 3 | Parry 4 | Adversary 1, Improved Parry |
| Master | Lightsaber 4 | Parry 6 | Adversary 2, Improved Parry, Natural Blademaster |
Construction
The above statistics represent the factory assembled and professionally upgraded ASP-19 melee training droid variant. At the GM’s discretion, a player may construct or modify a an appropriate droid such as a baseline ASP-series labor droid to fit these statistics exactly, or may use the following in conjunction with the droid chassis rules in Special Modifications.
As per Special Modifications page 82, programming a droid to serve as a lightsaber trainer is handled by the Directives rules. The Lightsaber Training Directives set requires a Formidable (5 Purple) Computers Check lasting 168 hours. This check can only be made if the programmer has access to sufficiently detailed lightsaber training material, such as from a Holocron, series of recording as seen in Star Wars: Rebels, or with assistance from a lightsaber combat expert defined as a character with at least Lightsaber 4. A successful check programs the droid with the above outlined skills, talents, and the Difficulty Settings special rule with one exception. The Master difficulty setting is only available if the programmer spends 2 Triumph during the programming check.
Christopher Hunt
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