There was some confusion regarding talents last time. They are pretty poorly presented in Saga Edition; and some are very good while others are completely useless. I've been meaning to streamline them a bit, so here goes:

Talents are just like feats, but unlike feats you're more limited in which talents you can buy. Usually only those talent trees that are available to you class. You can select from the talent trees listed. Most classes have fewer trees, but as Force-users you have extra options. There is one catch; you don't get very many talents (level/3, round up + bonus talents), so spend them wisely (E Leet currently has 4, E'tan 5). You can also use Feats to buy the Talented feat; which gives you a bonus talent...

• Light Side: Mostly stuff that will let you ward off Dark Side attacks.
• Jedi Guardian: Fast, tough, melee expert. That's the Jedi guardian. Example: Elusive target, resilience.
  
• Lightsaber mastery: Lets you use your lightsaber to block and deflect incoming attacks; stuff only Jedi can do. Examples: Block, riposte, deflect, reflect.
• Control: Lets you shrug off damage and deliberating effects.
• Sense: Lets you use Sense in new ways; you could gauge the Force potential in another sentient, peer into the future to give yourself combat bonuses, etc.
• Alter: Lets you use Alter in new and exiting ways; you could, for example, get better at using telekinetic powers or Force lighting, you could learn how to create Force illusions, and much more.

The shuttle streaks away...and Mayzin Turin has a question; where to? E Leet suggests heading for the Droid Control Ship that must be in orbit somewhere. It must be disabled or all will be lost. Not the most well-considered plan perhaps, but the dice have been cast. Getting to the ship i surprisingly easy; they are, after all, flying the Sith Lord's personal shuttle! But Sith Lords are also entitled to a reception; so the docking bay is filled with battle droids on parade and Neimoidian officers. So much for that plan...

E'tan quickly shaves his head with his saber, gets a red tunic from one of the Congressmen, grabs a grey Neimoidian cloak, then tops off the disguise with a breath mask. Behold - a Dark Lord is among you! It's not a great disguise by any standard, but the droid guards are oblivious to trivial details and the Neimoidians are mostly concerned with bowing and scraping. Putting on a show E'tan orders his 'prisoners' taken to detention, the injured Jedi to the med-bay, and himself escorted to the bridge along with his remaining prisoner.

There is a brief fight with some Guard droids outside the bridge, but they get inside the command deck before the blast doors close. The Neimoidian command crew is captured and the droid army put on standby. Colonel Boroosh and his Trandoshans get a little suspicious then; but a quick bluff keeps them at bay while the Jedi formulate a new plan. Migor Nurgay, 1st Assistant Envoy, offers to help - he's thought through his options and they all end with him at the end of red lightsaber...Darth Obsirius is not the forgiving type.

Soon the droid army has been reactivated...after a 'brief communications failure'. The crew of the Light of Reason is released and escorted back aboard, then the corvette takes off with droid fighters flying cover - Republic prisoners being brought aboard for processing you see. Meanwhile the President are released and board the shuttle again; they will return to Rigelia to continue the fight. The Light of Reason arrives unmolested, E'tan and E Leet get aboard with the Neimoidians, as do the wounded and Mayzin Turin (she'll represent Rigelia before the Republic). Then the ship takes off again, dashing through the line of Techno Union frigates...and into hyperspace, heading for Hexan, the sector capital.

CUTSCENE

Behind them Colonel Boroosh orders his ships to fire on the Droid Command ship - he's convinced that the Neimoidians are up to no good or that the Jedi are aboard or in control. Whatever the case; the ship must be destroyed!

We use the Saga edition, with a few tweaks. Mostly taken from either the former edition or DnD 4E. Here is a summary of the most important changes:

• There are 30 levels instead of 20.
• You get a level bonus every other level (to attack, skills, defense).
• At odd levels you get a feat.
• You also get cool stuff at every level from your class; non-Jedi alternate between bonus feats and talents, Jedi between bonus feats, talents and force powers.
• You get fixed hp (vitality) every level; you don't roll. For Jedi it's 5/level (x6 at 1st level).
• There are also some changes to some skills (including 3 Force skills rather than 1), feat and talents.
• There are a lot of changes to Force powers (they are more powerful).
• Jedi are more powerful than non-Jedi; but they are (apparently not applicable to E'tan) bound by the Jedi Code.
• Using the Force is either skill-based (i.e. lifting a big rock is Alter-based vs. difficulty, lifting another Jedi is Alter vs. Control) or work as any other attack (Force Push or Lightsaber Throw for example)
• Attacks are either STR-based (melee), DEX-based (lightsabers and blasters) or CHA-based (Force)
• Armor provides DR.
• Some changes to the way vitality/healing surges etc. work.
• Force points work differently; they regenerate regularly and can be spent in more ways.
• Destiny points can also be used more creatively.

There are probably some additional changes, but these are the most important ones.

The Phantom Menace has been revealed, so the Jedi know that the Sith are back. Some of the Jedi, such as Yoda, can sense the Dark Side clouding the future, making everything uncertain. And then there was the incident on with the Sith warrior that ambushed Master Qui-Gon on Tatooine. The one that was later defeated on Naboo. There have been other sightings as well, but nothing as substantial. There are also rumors that link the Sith to the Confederacy - or even claim that the Sith have infiltrated the upper echelons of the Republic! But again, nothing substantial.

Rigelia is a civilized world located on the fringes of the Erberus Sector. Trade routes link Rigelia to the rest of the sector. There is also some traffic through the system going towards Hutt Space and the Corellian Run. Rigelia is politically unaligned. It is governed by an elected Planetary President. The legislative body is called the Congress of Rigelia. There is a small Republic consulate on the planet. There is a small professional police force and a professional guard protecting Congress and the President. The Conglomerate also has corporate security personnel. During a crisis the ranchers can form a potent militia. Congress recently ratified the purchase of a squadron of Z-95 fighters from Income; they fighters have been delivered, but are not yet fully operational.

Rigelia is an arid world; the interior regions are desert or near-desert, but the coastal areas are largely fertile. In between are enormous swathes of bush and outback. This is where many of the ranches are located. The capital of Rigelia is Driscol City. It lies on the northern coast of the main continent, not far removed from the planet's northern pole. The climate here is relatively cool and moist compared to the southern regions. Empogmia is the center of the mining industry and the location of the planet's second major starport. It's a hot and dry hell-hole. Rigelia's economy is export-oriented; vast outback ranches provides the sector with prime meat, while great mines generate many valuable metals and minerals. There is some tension between the ranchers and the Mining Conglomerate.

Lightsaber base damage is 3d8 (just as it was in the previous edition of the rules). That's the same damage a blaster rifle does on the normal setting. Sounds about right to me.

Although we have switched to the Saga rules armor will continue to provide DR.

• Armor provides no protection against lightsabers
• Armor provides normal protection against blasters and other hi-tech weapons (primitive armor offers half protection against such weapons)
• Armor provides double protection against other 'primitive' weapons (unless we're also talking primitive armor)

Exceptions are possible; as you've already noticed the new Sith has armor that is at least partially resistant to ligthsabers.

Jedi can wear armor, but rarely do. Their fighting style is focused on speed and mobility, and armor tends to slow down a warrior. Armor also isn't all that effective against blaster fire and completely useless against lightsabers, so that to a Jedi would not gain all that much protection either - blocking and deflecting with a saber is far more effective. The Republic also has not been in a real war for a thousand years, and neither have the Jedi. They have adopted the role of negotiators and enforces, but they are no longer soldiers. Soldiers that wear armor, peacekeepers do not. And even the soldiers only down their armor in times of war, and there haven't been a real one in a very long time.

The Clone Wars has changed the equation. The Jedi are at the forefront of one of the greatest conflicts the Galaxy has ever seen. The enemy is numerous, their weapons advanced. The battlefield holds many dangers besides blasters and lightsabers, dangers against which armor protects very well. So more an more Jedi are taking to wearing armor, often armor adapted from Clone Trooper armor. Historically Jedi Guardians have worn armor in times of war, mostly for the same reason they are now taking to wearing it again - protection from the many dangers of the battlefield. Not all Jedi are inclined to wear battle armor - there are many old-school Masters that frown opon its use, for example.

This campaign doesn't concern itself with star Wars canon. Whatever that really is...it sure is messy! We don't want to be touching any of that. So this is just Star Wars. Probably rather old school, but inspired by the Clone Wars series and the Force Unleashed game. So that means Jedi can do some truly amazing stuff - maybe not completely Starkiller, but it's not the original trilogy, that's for sure.

When it comes to history and main characters I would not worry too much about that. The Clone Wars are well underway, there is a man called Palpatine that is Supreme Chancellor, Yoda is da man in the Jedi Council, but other than that anything is possible. You are, after all, the mains of this story! Besides, you won't be getting near Coruscant, not any time soon anyway...

Lightsabers are the iconic weapons of the Jedi (and the Sith). They are very rarely seen in the hands of anyone else. Both Jedi and Sith frown upon their use by others, which is a surprisingly effective deterrent for most. Lightsabers are also very impractical weapons. They not particularly difficult to use as such; ignite the blade and then hack away at your enemies. Just be sure you are very, very careful, for even the smallest mishap could have you maiming or killing yourself. And since your enemies are likely to be carrying blasters...you'll be dead long before you can bring your blade to bear. So better leave lightsabers to the Jedi - they train with them daily from childhood...and they have the Force as their ally. And said Force grants them superhuman reflexes, phenomenal peed, and the ability to deflect blaster bolts. So in the hands of a common soldier lightsabers are largely worthless, but in the hands of a Jedi they are absolutely lethal.

A lightsaber blade consists of hyper-energetic plasma, contained within a stable looping containment field. The field keeps the destructive energies of the blade focused and contained, while having the secondary ability to keep other energy out - handy for blocking other lightsabers and deflecting blaster bolts for example. Contrary to popular belief an ignited blade is not 'weightless'; the plasma medium is dense enough to have significant gravitational mass. Moreover the complex interaction between the energetic medium and the containment field generates considerable additional felt inertial mass when swung. A lightsaber blade is still far lighter than a comparable physical blade, making it a much more agile weapon, but the energy blade has sufficient inertia to cut through matter, block other blades, and deflect blaster bolts.

The blade radiates very little heat and expends negligible energy until it comes into contact with solid matter or another energy field. If used actively, especially if cutting through lots of dense matter, the power consumption is somewhat higher and the Jedi needs to recharge his blade more frequently (how often is also dependent of the capacity of the lightsaber's power cell). The power of the blade is so great that it can cut through almost anything, although the speed through which it cuts depends on the density of the subject. When cutting through dense material, the interaction between the blade and matter causes some resistance; almost giving the blade a feeling of being solid. One important note about lightsaber wounds is that they rarely bled profusely, even when a limb had been severed. This is because the energy blade cauterizes the wound as it passes, and thus even a severe wound does not tend to bleed heavily.

Lightsabers cannot cut through other lightsabers (although sometimes the containment fields of two blades can fuse, causing the blades to lock up). The blades can also be deflected by other powerful containment fields. Personal deflector shields are less effective against lightsaber than blasters; a Jedi can usually force his blade trough such shields by applying extra pressure, whereas a blaster would have to be set on a very high setting indeed for it to penetrate. If face with a stronger shield a Jedi can switch of the blade, physically move the emitter inside the shield's perimeter, and then re-ignite. A dangerous move to be sure, but very effective against heavily shielded targets such as destroyer droids or tanks.

Lightsabers can also effectively deflect blaster bolts. The blade itself is about half an inch in diameter while the containment field is around two inches wide at the base (tapering to about one inch at the point). It goes without saying that only a Jedi has the reflexes, training and Force-sensitivity required to not only predict where a shot will land, but actually move his blade to intercept. Anyone else managing to deflect a blaster bolt is fantastically lucky - and either really desperate or terminally stupid. The lightsaber can also parry physical projectiles; they are not deflected, but annihilated by the blade, so reflecting bullets back at a shooter isn't possible (by a Jedi could very easily shield himself with a telekinetic shield if old-fashioned firearms are employed against him).

Various attempts - most of them failures - have been made throughout galactic history to develop lightsaber-resistant materials. Hyper-dense matter, personal shielding, Sith alchemy, and advanced materials technology have been employed in various forms. Sometimes with  some effect, but always plagued by lack of availability, cost, complexity and/or bulk. A lightsaber is a very simple and effective weapon, and if you're a Jedi you can build them from scratch at low cost if need be. So anything that's too expensive or too complex simply won't work, especially on a larger scale. Lightsabers have also been refined over the millennia to compensate for any advances in defensive measures. The best example of this evolution can be found by studying the aftermath of the Great Sith War, 4.000 years ago; the cortosis-weave used in the weapons and armor deployed by the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders were resistant to the lightsabers used in that age. Its exact nature is still a closely guarded secret, but it is likely it was a combination of exotic materials and experimental manufacturing techniques. The point is, however, that by the end of the Mandalorian wars lightsabers have been modified to deal with this new complication, regularly defeating cortosis-weave. And a modern-day lightsaber would likely cut right through such vintage equipment, should anyone try to field it against the Order.

The only effective method currently in use is the use of force weapons; force pikes, force staffs and force blades all project sufficiently powerful energy fields that they will block and be blocked by lightsabers - mostly without damage to the force weapon. Using force weapons in this manner requires great skill and great courage. as entering into melee with a Jedi or Sith is inherently extremely dangerous!

Lightsabers are usually pretty similar; a straight hilt suitable for both one-handed and two-handed grips and a blade length of about a meter. Variations do exit; longer and shorter blades, variable length blades, double lightsabers, lightsaber polearms, etc. The difference is largely cosmetic or charters to some specific style of lightsaber fighting. There are also some variant weapons that have some characteristics in common with lightsabers; energy whips for example, while not as destructive as true lightsabers they have a long reach and can effectively fight other energy-blades. Color difference is also largely cosmetic and mostly a product of the focusing crystal matrix used construct the saber. Most Jedi Order sabers are blue, with green blades also common, yellow less so, purple sabers quite rare, and other color variations almost never seen. During the days of the old Republic domestically produced Sith sabers were usually red, but this was probably more tradition than anything else.

In conclusion; the lightsaber is as much a badge of office as it is a weapon. It is rarely drawn, but when a Jedi ignites his blade he is armed with a blade that can cut through (almost) anything and even be used to deflect enemy weapons fire.

It is decided to call a special session of Congress in the Great Hall of the Turin ranch. The situation must be discussed and measures decided upon. The Jedi are allowed to address Congress. There are two camps. The Presidential camp that thinks this is a Separatist conspiracy. Everything that has happened has been engineered by the Confederacy. Their crowning argument are the arrival of the droid army and the bombing of Congress, as witnessed by E'tan. The camp of Vice-President Ulmin Drey calls it a Republic plot. Hiiso uprising, Republic weapons, led by Jedi. 'Coincidental' arrival of the Light of Reason. E'tan being a complete lunatic (which means him 'seeing' the bombing isn't very reassuring). The two camps can't seem to agree on anything.

But eventually Ulmin Drey admits to having been in contact with the Confederacy. Just like the President has been in touch with the Republic. He's gotten assurances that they will help put the rebellion do and restore order. More than the Republic has promised. He's also taken the liberty of inviting the Confederacy envoy to this meeting - after all the Jedi are here to speak for the Republic, so it is only fair the other side gets the chance to present itself.

Shortly thereafter Tito Jax reports droid battalions encircling the ranch. And E Leet spots an approaching shuttle. It lands and disembarks a squad of Super battle droids, five Neimoidian envoys - and a Sith warrior. They head inside to address Congress. Meanwhile, in the dewback stables...E'tan has another mad plan. He rides the dewback out, pretending to loose control, then conveniently falls off in the vicinity of the shuttle. He slips behind the two super battle droids that guard the ramp, then enter the shuttle, taking out two pilot droids, then blasting the supers with the shuttles cannons.

That sort of puts an end to the negotiations inside. The Sith draws his lightsaber and Oona and E Leet move to oppose him. Using his red lightsaber and Force lightning the Sith gains the upper hand. Oona is barely able to smash him through the doors and into the hall, giving E Leet time to evacuate the Congressmen out the back (well, not all of them really, Ulmin's people remain with the Neimoidians). The battle rages on. E'tan and E Leet rejoin Oona who is not fighting with Janna. The fight goes badly. Even a Jedi master and three apprentices can't seem to defeat a single Sith (Tito Jax would have made no difference were he present).

In the end E'tan calls up the shuttle to have it shoot at the ranch. Maybe, just maybe it can distract the Sith. Mayzin responds and fires the shuttle's guns repeatedly. The Jedi flee, but they get no further than the steps before a thrown lightsaber takes Oona in the back. She falls, mortally wounded. E'tan manages to use the Force to heal her, preventing her from dying outright. They stumble for the shuttle, E'tan carrying Oona and E Leet supporting Janna. The rubble shifts and the Sith gets out. E'tan flings a rock at him. The Sith throws it right back - then he starts flinging big rocks at the shuttle. E Leet rushes back, unleashing every bit of Force he has; the Sith is knocked down and buried in rubble for the second time. It won't last long though, so they race back to the shuttle and lift off...leaving Tito Jax behind in the process.

The Jedi turn out to be less-than-friendly and another battle breaks out. The strange Jedi do not fight like Jedi at all - they may be Force users, but not very accomplished ones, and while they have lightsabers they lack the lifetime of training true Jedi have. What they do have is anger - a clear sign of the Dark Side. E'tan has the opportunity to shine - no thinking or wisdom required to bash down false Jedi with lightsabers and Force strikes. The enemies are all slain, except one that runs off into the bush.

They reach the ranch and have a chat with Presiden Turin and Master Dio. The Hiiso have reached the capital of Driscol too. The President insists on leading an expedition to see to the safety of Congress. Master Dio does not want to risk the President's life. She suggests a compromise; the President's daughter will go with the expedition. She is well known to the Congressmen and knows Driscol well. E'tan and E Leet will escort her. The President and Oona will remain at the ranch.Tito Jax and Janna are to take a speeder and check up on neighboring ranches, see if the people there need help.

Mayzin Turin and the two Jedi lead a small convoy of bush speeders to Driscol. With them are some tough ranchers that work for the Turins. They are not soldiers, but they are pretty handy with blasters anyway. Night has fallen. The capital in in disarray. Hiiso bands are roaming the streets. Congress may be under siege. A convoy of speeders is to obvious a target. They leave the speeders, along with a few guards, well outside the city center. Then they head for the Presidential Palace - there is a secure tunnel leading from the Congress building to the palace. For use by the President only, but this is an emergency.

Before they can reach the Palace they are ambushed by another group of false Jedi. They are defeated with some effort. They reach the tunnel and use it to gain entrance into Congress. Mayzin knows all the codes and such, so there are no problems. A handful of Congress Guards are doing their best to keep the Hiiso at bay, but they outgunned and outnumbered. The Jedi help beat of a Hiiso assault while the Congressmen (and women) leave through the tunnel. Then they retreat, shutting the tunnel behind them. It will be a while before the Hiiso dare another attack, so now is the time to slip away.

Deciding against walking all these people through the streets it is decided to get the speeders. But there is no reply. So E'tan takes a handful of drivers/guards with him and sets off. He finds the speeders and makes ready to drive. But after driving only part of the distance he gets a hunch, halts the column and climbs on top of a tall building. In time to see three strange lights falling from the sky, directly for the Congress building. There is a big explosion - Congress was just bombed!

The Presidential Palace - and the people inside - survived the bombing, save for a few cuts, bruises and ringing ears. E Leet tries to reach E'tan. Nothing. Communications are being jammed. From somewhere high above. This can only mean invasion. E'tan gets his act together and rushes to look for survivors. He then witnesses a brief battle between Hiiso and Separatist Battle droids. The Confederacy has arrived. Figures. Reaching the palace E'tan holds a rousing speech, then they move out on foot. There is no other choice. Fortunately the speeders are where E'tan left them. The mount up and drive off in small groups to avoid detection and wholesale destruction. Their destination - the Turin Ranch.

After an arduous journey the Jedi heroes finally arrive at Rigelia. They may think they have reached as safe haven, but events are soon to prove them wrong as a violent Separatist plot engulfs the planet...

Rigelia is another unaligned world that is hotly debating whether to join either side of the escalating galactic war. There is conflict between two local power groups – the old landowners who favor the Republic, and the Mining Conglomerate that supports the Confederacy. A world-wide referendum will determine the political future of Rigelia. A referendum that the Conglomerate feels it must win – otherwise the Republic anti-slavery law will kick in and free the Hiiso slaves that work the mines. This alone will do very bad things for the Conglomerate’s profit margin, but the emancipated slaves will no doubt add their votes to those of the landowners, effectively securing their political power. It simply cannot be allowed to happen. Acting in secret the Conglomerate has been able to secure some additional support from the Confederation. The Confederation has guaranteed that the Confederacy of Independent Systems will not let Rigelia fall into chaos!

The Jedi are well received by the Rigelians. They are taken to the Congress building. Oona and her Padawan go to speak with the Planetary President and her ministers. The rest of the Jedi are supposed to stay put and not make any fuss. The President, the tough old rancher Tamzin Turin would very much like to help the Jedi, but given the current political situation she cannot be seen to be taking sides. The Light of Reason will be allowed to make some necessary repairs and the President will ensure that medical attention is given to those that need it, but after that the Light must leave.

In the meantime E'tan goes for a stroll. He encounters Vice-President Ulmin Drey (who is also the leader of the Mining Conglomerate, and pro-Separatist). E'tan get's a 'bad feeling' (not so strange perhaps, since Ulmin has a rather bad destiny). A quarrel develops. E'tan is frustrated. A lightsaber is drawn. Guards rush to help. Suddenly E'tan is keeping the Vice-President hostage and demanding a speeder be made ready for him. He intends to take Ulmin to Empogmia (the Mining Conglomerate HQ) and 'prove' that 'something' is very wrong. Poor Master Dio...

Oona sends E Leet after E'tan. A wise choice, since the brash Jedi is more likely to listen to the Cerean than any other sentient (and the Cerean is less likely to want to strangle E'tan than anyone else). The rest of the Jedi go with the President to her ranch - she's still supportive of the Jedi, but feels it is best if they keep a low profile.

E Leet eventually overtakes E'tan and forces him to stop. Before they can speak much the airspeeder that carried E Leet is shot out of the sky. Everybody dive for cover, and not a moment too soon - the landspeeder also go up in flames. Then a wave of heavily armed (as it turns out they are armed with REPUBLIC guns) Hiiso charge the Jedi. E Leet tries to reason with them, but these Hiiso are not docile at all. The Jedi are forced to kill them all. Afterwards they collect Ulmin Drey - totally panicked he's been trying to crawl away...

Mayzin Turin, President Turin's strikingly attractive and willful daughter, turns up in her outback speeder. She went looking for the Jedi against her mother's (and Oona's) wishes. Good thing she came though - saves the Jedi a long walk. Upon nearing the Turin Ranch they hear the sounds of blaster fire. The abandon the speeder and sneak through the bush...

...finding a handful of Jedi waiting for them. How...odd!

Darth Tempos is a female Jedi that was turned to the Dark Side by Darth Obsirius. She was always headstrong and temperamental, even as an apprentice, and because of this she was never accepted as a Padawan. Consigned to a lesser role within the Order she chafed at the restrictions placed upon her. She felt that she was being prevented from fulfilling her potential, a feeling that was strengthened when the Clone Wars began. She knew she had been born to do battle, but the Jedi would not allow her to follow her destiny.

Assigned to handle communications within the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, her break came when she read a classified dispatch intended for the Jedi Council; that a Sith had been spotted in the Erberus Sector. She deleted the dispatch, left the Temple, and headed for the far-away Erberus sector to find her destiny. When she arrived Darth Obsirius was awaiting his new apprentice.

Thanks to Obsirius tutelage Darth Tempos is a now a very capable lightsaber combatant and a fairly powerful wielder of the Dark Side. Her combat style is offensive in nature – she will attack furiously with her saber and telekinetic powers until the enemy has been defeated. She is also a competent starfighter pilot – and if need be she can be quite stealthy.

Darth Tempos has proven capable of dealing effectively with Master Dio. She was, however, defeated by Oona and her apprentices working in concert. She is believed to be dead, having fallen into a lake of molten lava on Consovor.

After a pause of three or so months (RL intruding) we finally managed to continue our SW campaign. When last we left off the Jedi had manged to liberate the members of the Rigelian Planetary Congress. Using the same secret tunnel leading from the Presidential Palace they used to enter. All that was left to do was bring the Congressmen from the Presidential Palace to the speeders they had left behind at a safe distance. Needless to say it didn't go according to plan. A droid army invaded. The First Minister turned out to be in the pocket for the Separatists. A Sith Lord arrived to negotiate - with lightsaber and Force lighting. Good fun.