Dark Side Characters

The Dark Side's Seduction

The dark side seduces individuals with promises of power, but once someone takes up the darkness, the only rewards are pain and helplessness. The dark side controls her, rather than her controlling it.

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Playing Dark Side Characters

In most campaigns, it is strongly suggested that player characters seduced by the dark side become gamemaster characters, to be used as a continuing villain. (The player must create a new character.)

However, if there is one thing that Star Wars teaches us, it's that good triumphs over evil. If you and the player agree, she may be allowed to continue playing a character consumed by the dark side with the understanding that she will attempt to bring the character back to the light side of the Force. This kind of character is very difficult to play properly. The player has an evil character—even if she's trying to be good.

On the other hand, allowing a player to portray the fall and redemption of her character has the makings of a truly epic story. True redemption often requires the character to commit a heroic sacrifice, and may involve the character's death.

If you feel the character is not being played properly, you can take her as a gamemaster character (to be used as a continuing villain) and the player must design a new character.

Most characters consumed by the dark side began the game with other characters dedicated to the cause of the Rebel Alliance, Republic, and the light. Such a character may try to hide her new path (perhaps betraying the rest of the characters at a critical point) or may simply leave the group. Playing a dark side character can be a lonely, challenging undertaking.

Some groups use Imperial characters. A dark side character would naturally be much more appropriate to this type of group. However, such characters shouldn't have it easy: they get what they deserve. Not only will a dark side character face dangerous foes who embrace the light, but other, more powerful dark side characters (such as Dark Jedi) may try to control or kill the player character. A dark side character who is being played in an immature manner is going to have a very short life span.

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Dark Side Costs

When playing a dark side character, one must realize its consequences. The glamour of having an all-powerful Dark Jedi soon wears off when the cost starts to come into play. Who wants to look like 300 years plus at 40?

The list below is a small sample of what gamemasters might actively impose upon the players as they progress down the path of the dark side. However, these are not the only prices that the dark side demands—some can be far worse…

Possible Costs

Advanced age. The character starts to age rapidly due to the dark side's influence on the body. At first it's not noticeable, but in a few short months after the character falls to the dark side, he begins to look far older as the corruption of the dark side fills his being. Soon the body begins to fall apart. This can only be combated one of two ways: 1. gain more Dark Side Points; or 2. use the transfer life power on a clone or an unwilling host.

Crippling illness or injury. Suddenly the character is struck with a rare illness or injury that forces the character to have extensive life support systems attached to them as the dark side corrupts the body. There is no cure for the sudden illness or injury. Characters may become stronger only by getting multiple Dark Side Points.

Memory loss. The character suddenly forgets many things. Only by concentrating on the task at hand is he able to function. Moments of clarity and memory only exist when the character receives Dark Side Points. The character's Knowledge, Mechanical, and Technical skills are reduced by −2D due to memory loss. Skill advancement costs three times the normal amount for any related skills. This penalty goes away for short times (usually one adventure) if the character gains at least two Dark Side Points the previous adventure.

Blindness. Corruption of the dark side makes the character go blind! It is a sudden occurrence, and cannot be fixed. Moments of vision only exist if the character gains Dark Side Points.

Tremors. Soon after falling to the dark side the character develops nasty, painful tremors on the face, and small twitches, making it seem that the character is on the verge of breaking at any moment. The twitching can be stopped for the adventure by gaining a Dark Side Point.

Corruption of the flesh. Suddenly, without warning, the character begins to grow a new arm… or is it an arm? It could be anything the gamemaster desires—even small puss nodules growing on the character's body. There is no cure for the illness and soon the character is being hunted down for being a strange mutation. However, only by gaining Dark Side Points does the strange mutation of the flesh go away.

Parasites. The character picks up some nasty parasites. They live within the character's body, and cannot be removed. Any attempts at removal causes death. The parasites make the character become hungry, sore, or tired. Only gaining Dark Side Points makes the pain or hunger go away.

Mute. The corruption of the dark side makes the character no longer able to speak. Speech can only exist if the character gains Dark Side Points.

Paralyzed. Horribly, small nerves in the character's body get infected and break, making the character paralyzed, from the waist down usually. Gaining Dark Side Points allows the character to move for a short time.

Third eye. Soon after going to the dark side, he is able to "see" apparitions of dark side ghosts, or other phantasms. They haunt and tease the character. Gaining Dark Side Points stops the ghosts from coming for a short while (usually one adventure).

Insane. In a few cases the Jedi go mad after falling to the dark side. They are no longer controllable, and act insane. Gaining Dark Side Points allows the character to act normally for a short time.

Game Notes: The character must make a willpower roll at a Moderate difficulty plus the number of Dark Side Points, once per adventure, to combat the effects of the dark side corrupting them. If the character fails the roll, the character is insane for the duration of the adventure. Gaining Dark Side Points allows the character to act in a normal manner, usually for about one adventure.

Of course there are other possible costs, and the gamemaster is free to explore any that he deems would be appropriate to the character.

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Turning to the Dark Side

Normally, whenever a character acquires over six Dark Side Points, that character is usually then made into a gamemaster character. However, using the following optional rules one may continue to play that character, but it will soon become apparent that it is progressively harder to continue on the dark path.

After falling to the dark side, the character no longer gains Character Points for normal play. Instead, they only gain a Character Point by committing horrible acts, thereby gaining Dark Side Points. This is usually very easy at first, but becomes more difficult as the character is forced to do greater evil acts—often to simply keep alive as the dark side demands more and more… until at last it tears the character apart.

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Dark Side Rules

A character consumed by the dark side retains all Force Points and Character Points.

Force Points

A dark side character only receives Force Points when spending Force Points while committing evil at the dramatically appropriate time. The Force Point is returned at the end of the adventure and the character gains another.

Any other time a dark side character spends a Force Point, it is lost, even if spent while committing evil. The dark side requires greater and greater evil to fulfill its needs.

Character Points

Characters consumed by the dark side no longer receive Character Points for adventuring. Instead, they receive one Character Point every time they receive one Dark Side Point.

Dark Side Points

There are three ways a Force-Sensitive character may gain Dark Side Points: through Action, Inaction, and Calling Upon the Dark Side.

For any action that results in a Dark Side Point, the gamemaster secretly rolls two dice. If the result is equal to or higher than the amount of evil acts done in the adventure, the character receives the Dark Side Point. If it is lower than the amount of evil acts committed, the character does not receive a Dark Side Point.

However, if the gamemaster deems it a particularly evil act—or if the character is not yet fallen to the Dark Side—the character still gets the appropriate amount of Dark Side Points and the gamemaster does not need to roll.

Action

Anytime a Jedi knowingly and willfully breaks the Jedi Code, he gains a Dark Side Point. This includes any use of unjustified violence and justifiable violence fueled by hate or anger. It is the gamemaster's duty to decide what is and is not "justifiable violence." A good guideline is: any act that makes you say, "That's cold!" is unjustifiable.

Example: A Jedi uses Telekinesis to suspend a target off the ground (thus taking away its chance to dodge) while other PCs gun him down. This is unjustifiable… cool, but still unjustifiable.

Additionally, committing or actively bringing about evil actions will also result in a Dark Side Point. Examples of this include when Darth Vader strangles the Rebel soldier in the first scene of Star Wars; and when Grand Moff Tarkin orders the destruction of Alderaan.

A character receives a Dark Side Point by using "Dark Side" powers (Inflict Pain, Telekinetic Kill, Force Lightning, etc.). Any character who uses a Force Point for evil also gains a Dark Side Point in this manner.

Inaction

Also known as "evil by association," this is when a Jedi sits idly by while an act of evil is committed, or passes on an obvious opportunity to bring justice to an evil doer. When a Force-Sensitive character is around those who choose to do evil, he must intervene or gain a Dark Side Point. Failure to do so allows the dark side to strengthen its grip on the character through his feelings of guilt and doubt.

Calling upon the Dark Side

When a Force-user is in a tight spot, he may attempt to gain a Force Point by opening himself to the influences of the Dark Side. In this manner the character gains a Force Point (which must be spent that round) and an accompanying Dark Side Point (whether the attempt is successful or not).

It is easy to call upon the Dark Side—especially when angry—at first. The first time a character calls upon the Dark Side, the difficulty is Easy. If the actions are not intended to bring harm or pain to other beings, increase the difficulty by two levels.

The difficulty raises by 3 points each additional time the character calls upon the Dark Side. The character rolls his control versus the difficulty number to determine whether or not he is successful.

If a character fails in an attempt to call upon the dark side, it demands something of her. The dark side's corrupting influence is dominating the character.

Roll 1D—the character must lose that number of Character Points or the dark side will "take" 1D from either an attribute or Force skill (character's choice as to which attribute or Force skill). If any attribute or skill is reduced to 0D, the character is consumed by the dark side and dies.

Dark Jedi

If a Dark Jedi character fails to get a single Dark Side Point in an adventure (unless they are atoning), then he loses a Force Point. If their amount of Force Points are 0, then 1D of skills from their Force powers are taken away permanently. If all three attributes drop to zero, then the character dies, as the dark side rips them apart.

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Option: Slow Progression into Darkness

A character receives a negative personality trait each time he gains a Dark Side Point (up to six, at which point he falls completely to the dark side). Each time a player character earns a Dark Side Point, either choose or randomly select (by rolling 4D) a negative trait from the following list:

Negative Trait Table (Roll 4D)

Returning to the Light

Dark side characters can return to the light, but it's not easy—the dark side is never eager to release those it has enslaved. Such a character must truly begin to believe in the light, forsaking the path of darkness. The influence of others—particularly Jedi of the light—may cause a dark side character to have a "moment of doubt."

A dark side character must prove her commitment to the light by spending a Force Point in a selfless manner at a dramatically appropriate time. Often, this requires the character to make a heroic sacrifice, such as risking certain death in defense of the innocent and good. (As gamemaster, you have final say over whether the character is redeemed—the effort must be sincere and the character must show that she will not lapse back onto the path of darkness.)

When a character is redeemed, the dark side exacts a final toll: • She loses all Force Points and Character Points. • The character's Dark Side Point total drops to five.

The character is now part of the light (and earns Force Points and Character Points normally), but the presence of the Dark Side Points indicates the character's precarious position. The character should atone to remove her Dark Side Points, or even the slightest transgressions can send her back on the path of darkness.

The dark side will not be so "forgiving" for a character who returns. You can use special rules to reflect the almost punitive conditions the character will face. Perhaps the dark side takes 1D from an attribute or Force skill as soon as the character returns to the darkness. The character may also find it much more difficult to earn Force Points and Character Points, and slowly be consumed by the dark side.

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Atonement

When you have 1–5 Dark Side Points, the character may begin to atone. The cleansing of the corrupting influence of the Dark Side is a long and difficult process. The character must be of serious mind while attempting to atone.

The character must choose the way of atoning based on spiritual belief. (The Jedi usually fast, reflect through ritual, and meditate.) When atoning, the character must actively work to prevent evil and follow a basic code of ethics. The following guidelines are suggestions. These goals should be reached through non-violent solutions when possible: 1. Preserve the existence of life 2. Preserve the right to gain knowledge and enlightenment 3. Preserve the right of peace and harmony 4. Defend the defenseless

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Time Required

The following is a guideline for the time to remove Dark Side Points. Atonement must begin again if a Dark Side Point is received during atonement. • 1 Dark Side Point = 40 days • 2 Dark Side Points = 60 days • 3 Dark Side Points = 80 days • 4 Dark Side Points = 100 days • 5 Dark Side Points = 120 days

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Source: REUP:176