Resource CS Cheat Sheet (READ THIS!)

[Xarxes]

How to Make a Character

For FSO: Conquests​

Table of Contents

I: Introduction
II: Choosing a Race
A: Restricted Races
B: Banned Races
III: Choosing a Base Class
A: Starting Beyond Level 1
IV: Choosing a Lightsaber Style
A: A Note on Lightsaber Varieties
B: Regarding Sith Swords
C: Other Melee Options
V: Leveling Bonuses and Leveling Up
A: General Notes and How-To
B: A Note on Alchemy
VI: A Detailed Explanation of Power Ranks and Capabilities
A: On Unique and Innate Powers
VII: On Starting Gear
A: Vehicles
B: Pets
C: Armor and Weapons
VIII: Creating a Backstory
IX: The Approval Process and Closing Remarks

I: Introduction​

So, you want to join the Final Sith Order? You wish to Conquest with us and seek glory and power to your name? Seek no more, and begin your endeavor by creating your character!
READ THIS DOCUMENT IN FULL BEFORE DOING ANYTHING ELSE!!! In order to expedite the approval process for your character, you must be aware of all the rules involved in making a character sheet for the new system. Below are all the guidelines for doing so. A blank character sheet template can be found as the second post in the Class and Power List forum post found here: https://forums.sithempire.net/index.php?threads/the-force-codex-powers-and-class-list-2023.300/
Once you have read this document, read through the Class and Power List opening section. This will help you to fill out the Skills section of your CS (the most exciting part) properly. It is important that you do all of this in that order so that your character can be approved more quickly.
The approval process may take up to 48 hours from the time you send it in, so be patient once you’ve sent it in, and remember the Guides: DRL comes first, so be understanding if it takes a day or two for your character to be approved.

II: Choosing a Race​

The first thing to consider when making a character is what species you are playing as. There are a plethora of species available to choose from in Star Wars Canon and Legends, and the vast majority are open game to pick from. However, there are a few exceptions. See below for details on this.

II.A: Restricted Races​

Within the history of the group, there have been some races that tend to cause trouble or are frankly overpowered and possess abilities that can very easily be abused. The following races should not be simply taken, but must be run by the Dark Council first. Generally, these races will not be approved, and no means no. If they say no once, do not ask again.
In addition, any race with an average life span in excess of 200 years requires Council approval.

1. Shi’ido
2. Anzat
3. Yoda’s Race
4. Neti
5. Shard
6. Sith Purebloods
7. Rakata

III.B: Banned Races​

Unlike those listed above, the following races are not up for discussion, and one should avoid asking the Dark Council about using any of these races.

1. Gen’Dai
2. Celestials
3. Xenomorphs
4. Yautja
5. Yuuzhan Vong
6. Duinuogwuin (Star Dragons)

III: Choosing a Base Class​

Now, acolyte, you have passed our Guides and selected your race. As you enter your first teachings as a Sith, you must select a primary focus. The three classes available to you are Sith Warrior, Sith Assassin, and Sith Sorcerer, all of which offer branching paths later, leading to greater power.
Of course, you can feel free to read through the full power list in order to determine what you want your build to look like, but if you want to start simply as what you currently envision your character being inclined to, you should. Your character will naturally develop over the course of time, and this will generally be reflected in your leveling choices. But once you start down the dark path, forever is your destiny set in stone.

III.A: Starting Beyond Level 1​

Players extant from Trials-era FSO (ca. 154-157 ABY) will retain the same level they are at as of the time, OOC, Conquests begins. This means that if you are Level 4 now, you will be starting at Level 4 for Conquests. Master-Apprentice pairs need not change, either; simply pick up at a roughly equal place with your new Conquests characters.

IV: Choosing a Lightsaber Style

IV.A: A Note on Lightsaber Varieties​

As you will have noted from the Class and Power List, there are several different types of lightsaber combat. Most characters at level 1 will need to use a lightsaber or other melee weapon when they begin, though most will opt for the former. Detailed descriptions of these styles can be found in the List, but as a reminder, all styles require at least 1 point in Shii-Cho to unlock. Characters wishing to use a saber variant that isn’t a simple single or double-bladed lightsaber will also need Exotic Lightsaber Combat to be effective with the use of Lightwhips, Lightpikes, and Claymore sabers.

IV.B: Regarding Sith Swords​

Unless a Sith Sword is the item you carried over from the Trials era, or your character is starting at a higher level, your character will not be allowed to begin with a Sith Sword. Sith Swords are classified as melee weapons, almost always swords (though they could be war hammers, axes, polearms, etc.,) that are, at minimum, resistant to lightsaber strikes, can absorb Sith Lightning, and act as miniature Dark Side nexuses. These are powerful objects that few will be allowed to begin with. The use of a Sith Sword does not require any knowledge of lightsaber combat, and keeping up with a lightsaber user requires proficient use of other skills, such as Precognition and Augmentation, to be on par, in conjunction with creative writing.

IV.C: Other Melee Options​

Characters are always free to select a different simple melee weapon to begin with if they choose. Viable options include vibroblades and electrostaves, among others. Amphistaffs are not a viable melee weapon to begin with. If you want a non-lightsaber melee weapon to start with, peruse this document by Darth Skyllan: https://www.facebook.com/groups/finalsithorder/permalink/2976095106026640/

V: Leveling Bonuses and Leveling Up

V.A: General Notes and How-To​

In order to assist in the approval process, all powers should be labeled exactly as they are labeled in the power list. If an ability requires (Level 3+, Telekinesis), it should be listed that way on your character sheet. If it has the RITUAL or UNIQUE tags, it should likewise be listed so. If you have a bonus from your leveling or your class, label it as such:

Telekinesis: 2 (+ 1 from Level 1): 3

This will allow the Council to approve your character sheet much more quickly and will help GMs to understand your capabilities more swiftly as well.

The sources of bonus points are 1: simply from leveling up, and 2: from your class, subclass, and prestige class choices. List these points accurately as you take them.

The highest a bonus point bonus can be is a +3, where free points expire and no longer increase. After receiving a bonus like this at level 5, where the max rank for a power is 3, players should NOT be listing anything higher than a +3 as a free point bonus on their character sheet. Some subclasses only give two powers to two different powers. That bonus is stagnant, and never goes higher than +2, so any additional points in that power must be invested from your point total.

If you want to be able to use any power, it must be present on your CS. If it does not appear there, then your character cannot use it. Additionally, bear in mind that while we once used “umbrella” powers, where possessing Telekinesis meant also possessing Force Wave and Force Crush, etc., this is also no longer the case. Telekinesis as a power is meant to show how much weight you can move with your mind, while the powers in its tree show the various applications of said power. The same applies to other powers, like Force Resistance, Sith Lightning, etc.

V.B: A Note on Alchemy​

In the past, Sith Alchemy was taught as a general practice, and we had little apart from a character’s level to distinguish what they could accomplish through it. This is no longer the case. The new power list has integrated and added to the True Sith Trials power list, including the specific abilities of Sith Alchemy. Alchemy now falls entirely under Sith Sorcery, and the vast majority of its capabilities are locked to specific classes that specialize in these powers. Nearly all alchemical powers are considered RITUAL-type powers and cannot be used in combat. Anyone looking to receive alchemized weapons should either request a GM to obtain one or should curry favor with a powerful Sith Alchemist or Artificer who might craft something for you.

VI: A Detailed Explanation of Power Ranks and Capabilities​

There has been some confusion regarding the separation of power ranks on all levels of the Order. This is here to clear that up. Powers have five ranks, 1-5, with each new rank increasing the effectiveness of the power or unlocking new effects. The exception to this are Godlike powers, which require a 10-point investment and usually have a hefty requirements list.
If a power does not appear on your CS, it is unusable.

--Rank 1 powers are those one is truly a novice in, as any newcomer to using the Force is. This is roughly equivalent to the effectiveness of a Level 1 character in KOTOR. The power is there, but it is untrained and cannot hope to stand up against one more powerful. Rank 1 powers must be used creatively to be effective, and this is arguably the most important stage of creativity.

--Rank 2 powers are on par with most Jedi Padawans and Dark Side Adepts, not so unlike the powers showcased by Kylo Ren and Rey in the Sequel Trilogy (in regards to most of their feats). Someone with Rank 2 in a power will be twice as strong as the lower rank.

--Rank 3 powers are where things really pick up, and there is a huge margin of difference between Ranks 2 and 3. Rank 3 is the rough equivalent of individuals like Count Dooku or Darth Vader in the films and shows. Vader’s Force Choke and other telekinetic abilities we see could be replicated by most possessors of Rank 3 powers, for example, as could Dooku’s lightning duel with Yoda from Attack of the Clones.

--Rank 4 powers show the terminal rank for most powers. Individuals like Grandmaster Luke Skywalker and Darth Sidious would have had rank 4 in the vast majority of their powers. These are truly monstrous powers with awe-inspiring and devastating effects, and one should never hesitate to use the full capabilities of these powers.

--Rank 5 shows the highest gestalt of a given power that we have seen in Star Wars and its surrounding lore or, in cases where this cannot be determined, the highest assumed demonstration of said power. For example, the lightning variant of Force Storm that Darth Sidious uses at the end of The Rise of Skywalker is considered the greatest feat of Sith Lightning and its subcategories. Darth Vader’s total mastery over Form V: Djem-So is the greatest seen in Star Wars to date. Darth Plagueis’ ability to atomize several assassins with a Force Blast or Force Push, to the point where they were suspected to have been blown apart by explosives, is the greatest vicious telekinetic feat we know of.

As a reminder, one can upgrade their power rank to 2 at level 3, 3 at level 5, 4 at level 7, and 5 at level 9.

VI.A: On Unique and Innate Powers​

Some powers in the lore are exceptionally difficult to learn, requiring intense direct teaching or knowledge from the original source. Sadly, such powers, some very great, cannot be learned by all, especially not a fledging Sith.
Because of this, any power with the UNIQUE tag must either be quested for with the aid of a GM or taught to you by someone already possessing the power. Anyone wishing to start with one of these powers (generally someone starting above level 1) will need Council approval to use these powers.
Other powers, no matter their strength, are considered INNATE powers, locked to the genetics of the user or the gift of the Force. INNATE powers generally need to be started with at Level 1, but these and rare, and all require Council approval. Occasionally, a power like this will not manifest until later on a Sith’s journey to using the Force well, but even then, the power will require Council approval.

VII: On Starting Equipment

VII.A: Vehicles​

Items such as a common landspeeder are fine to start with. Personal starships are going to be more rare, especially considering how costly they are. Avoid including ownership of such vehicles in your backstory. Perhaps, when you are knighted, you will receive one of your own, or you will come into ownership some other way, but apart from land vehicles of a standard type, these items will not be approved on a new sheet.

VII.B: Pets​

We welcome the inclusion of pets of a humble or middling nature on your CS. It is fairly normal to have a companion Gizka, Bogling, or other small creature with you even at a starting level. Creatures like rancors, drexl, and wyyyshok, however, will not be approved for starting characters, as these will have to be obtained via roleplay once a character has the appropriate powers to do so.

VII.C: Armor and Weapons​

We encourage you to be simple in your starting equipment. A fledgling Sith won’t be walking around in Beskar armor, or carrying a Songsteel sword. Remember that Sith acolytes are generally garbed in simple robes and wield only a single lightsaber. Perhaps you will carry a Sith shikkar or lanvarok, but avoid giving yourself overly-complex technology or expensive materials, as this is not in keeping with what a Sith acolyte should have. More powerful items should be quested for, especially during apprenticeship and conquesting.

VIII: Creating a Backstory​

When creating a backstory, there are a few things to be mindful of. While we encourage creativity when it comes to what your character has done before, you should keep in mind that a Level 1 character will not have accomplished much. You have slain no armies and commanded no kingdoms. You are, in the grand scheme of the galaxy, a nobody. It should not be your backstory, but your actions in the group that make your character truly special. A backstory is simply all that has led your character to the point of joining the Sith Order.
In regards to this same issue, immortality is banned except for the highest-ranking members of the Order; and even then, it is heavily regulated. Immortality is a common aspiration for Sith, but rarely achieved– just as it is in the Expanded Universe. Characters in the world are generally not people who have survived since the Clone Wars, or the 450 years since the War of Typhojem. Rather, people are relatively ordinary and young. There are a few exceptions with longer-lived races who may have been around for a century, but given the state of the galaxy, we expect most characters to be relatively young by the time they join the Order. If your character sheet contains carbonite freezing, a method of immortality, or another way of circumventing the regular passage of time, it will not be approved.
We encourage players to create characters that fit plausibly within the Star Wars universe; use characters from Canon and Legends as rulers to measure your own characters against, ensuring you are not pushing the boundaries of what is believable for the galaxy far, far away.

IX: The Approval Process and Closing Remarks​

You’ve done it! You’ve made your CS according to the above parameters and those on the Class and Powers List! You’re almost ready to go. All you need to do is to send your CS to PROXY ( https://www.facebook.com/fsoPROXY ) and await approval from the Council. If any corrections must be made, the Council will inform you of them. Accept any corrections with grace and make them without complaint, and once it’s been approved, post it to the CS repository and dive into the world of The Final Sith Order: Conquests!