Chapter Nine: The Force
Note: In Star Wars, Second Edition, this section is discussed in Chapter Seven, "The Star Wars Universe," on pages 138-152.

These rules allow gamemasters a firmer hand in controlling the powers available to Jedi characters.

Tremors in the Force. Jedi cause "tremors" whenever they use the Force; these ripples can be detected by other Jedi.

A Jedi who sparingly uses the Force and then only uses it in a minor way creates the faintest ripples, detectable only by powerful Jedi at close ranges.

However, a Jedi who often uses the Force in grandiose displays creates very noticeable ripples which can be detected by other Jedi at vast distances. Those who rely on the Force as a crude instrument of power are very likely to draw the attention of people whom they’d much rather avoid…

Premonitions and Visions. Some Jedi characters experience premonitions, dreams and visions. Such occurrences have been known to warn Jedi of impending danger or summon then to "crisis areas" where their unique abilities are needed.

Force Skills

Characters must be Force-sensitive to learn Force skills.

When a characters receive their first die in a Force skill (control, sense, or alter), they receive one Force power.

Force Skill. Character Point Cost: Number before the "D." Double character point cost without a teacher. Training Time: One day per Character Point spent if the character has a teacher. Two days per Character Point without a teacher. Training time may be reduced by one day for each additional Character Point spent (minimum of one day).

Force Powers. A Jedi may be taught a new power each time a Force skill is improved by one pip. The new power is chosen by the teacher and must use the improved skill (for instance, a Jedi improving control could not learn a power based solely on alter).

A character may be taught a Force power without improving a Force skill, but the character must spend five Character Points.

A power that uses two Force skills counts as two powers when being taught powers.

A Jedi character cannot use a power that has not been learned.

The Lure of the Dark Side. When a character with Dark Side Points uses a Force skill, her skill roll gets a bonus of 1 D per Dark Side Point.

A Jedi may refuse this bonus, but the difficulties of all Force powers should be increased by at least one difficulty level to reflect the intense concentration needed to avoid the dark side's temptations.

A character who has gone over to the dark side no longer receives this bonus.

Intuitive Powers. It is well-known that some beings can push themselves to feats of great strength or endurance. Likewise, Jedi characters, when faced with an incredible challenge, may exhibit powers they had not previously learned.

At the gamemaster's discretion only, characters may be "granted" powers in exceptional circumstances. This reflects the Force's mystic and often unpredictable nature.

Gamemasters may grant the power for "free," require the Jedi to spend a number of Character Points or Force Points to learn the power, or set other conditions. Gamemasters may grant a Jedi a power on a one-time basis to indicate the importance of a particular task, or to "reward" characters who have performed exceptionally well by allowing them to "subconsciously" learn a new power.

Dark Side Characters

Returning to the Light. Dark Side characters can return to the light, but it's not easy.

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.

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 ... she must atone to remove the Dark Side Points or else she could very easily fall back under the sway of the dark side.