Okay, so I've often given feedback and/or comments on other customs, but I've never actually tried my hand at a custom of my own. The other day, out of the blue, I had this idea for an OR CE pop into my head, and so I figured that maybe it would be worth sharing. Then I needed to find an OR piece to use it, and KOTOR 2's Vandar came to mind as the most likely candidate.
So, with a character name to work from, I did some research, and here is what I found on wookieepedia:
Quote:
Vandar Tokare was a master of the Ataru form of lightsaber combat, and owned two shotos.[13] Like most wielders of the Force, he could perform Mind tricks, but he also possessed many strong Force powers such as Sever Force and Force Suppression. He was also capable of advanced applications of Telekinesis, like levitation, and could wield weapons effectively without his hands.[13]
Therefore, based on the info from Wookieepedia and my CE idea, here is my initial attempt at Master Vandar:
Quote:
Master Vandar 40
HP 110
Def 20
Att +10
Dam 20
Special Abilities
Unique
Melee Attack (This character can only attack adjacent enemies.)
Ataru Style Mastery (+4 attack and Twin Attack [Whenever this character attacks, he makes 1 extra attack against the same target] if exactly 1 enemy is within 6 squares.)
Force Powers
Force 2
Force Renewal 2 (This character gains 2 Force points each time he activates)
Master of the Force 2 (This character may spend Force points up to 2 times in a single turn.)
Jedi Mind Trick (Force 1, usable only on this character’s turn: range 2; target living enemy is considered activated this round and cannot make attacks of opportunity this turn; save 11.)
Sever Force (Force 3: replaces turn: Target adjacent character cannot spend Force points for the rest of the skirmish.)
Force Defense (Force 3: Cancel a Force power used by a character within 6 squares.)
Levitation (Force 1, replaces attacks: Move 1 Small or Medium ally within 6 squares to any unoccupied square within 6 squares. This move does not provoke attacks of opportunity.)
Force Spirit 6 (If this character is defeated, immediately add 6 Force points to an allied character with a Force rating; that allied character can spend Force points 1 extra time per turn for the rest of the skirmish.)
Commander Effect
For the rest of the skirmish, Unique allies with a Force Rating gain Force Spirit 6.
So, there he is, Master Vander. He started out as a commander effect looking for a place to happen, and with the help of the holonet, he took on much more. The way I envision him being played is as an annoying tech piece similar to Yoda of Dagobah. He’s not a heavy-duty attacking piece, and that’s why I didn’t give him Double (with Ataru Mastery that would quickly become really powerful). His main role is to activate enemies, strip them of Force, cancel Force powers, and move his people around (I think it’s obvious that the OR, of all factions, should surely have access to Levitation!). I imagine that a regular turn for this character could consist of Mind Tricking an enemy, and then Levitating an ally into a useful position. Your opponent will have to go after either Vander, who is acting as a continual pain-in-the-neck, or the levitated piece which is suddenly in a threatening position. I expect he’ll be fun to play, for this reason. Oh, and to anticipate questions about Levitation and MotF2, Levitation cannot be used 2x in a round because it replaces attacks.
With regard to his CE, I wanted to find a way to boost the OR’s force-using capabilities to the level where they should be, since this was the most force-user-prevalent time in SW history. Making his CE last for the entire skirmish might be overpowered, or maybe it will be what makes him useful. The thing is, if his CE dies when he does (which could often be quickly, since he has no defensive abilities), then you’ve paid some significant points for nothing but 6 fp. But if his CE lasts the entire skirmish, then he’s still useful, even after he dies (in addition to giving 6 FP to another character). I think it’s important that the CE doesn’t boost non-uniques, since those 5pt Younglings would abuse it like crazy. Furthermore, it does give the player more incentive to use the various interesting force users that the OR has. This concept fits well with the flavor of the era, when heroic (unique) jedi fought bravely and made heroic sacrifices for the greater cause. When these Unique jedi die (-cough- Cay! -cough-), they can boost either JBMs or other uniques as the situation requires.
As for cost, I want to avoid the undercosting-trap. But at the same time, this piece doesn’t have a lot of offensive capability (kinda like Yoda of D), so I’m hesitant to cost him over 40. Levitation and Force Sever make him more useful than Yoda of D in some situations, but he’s not a force battery the way Yoda of D is. Therefore, I settled on 40pts. Is that too high? Too low? Does he need Deflect? (Perhaps I just need to remove some of his Force powers, since it is not required that 1 version of a character represents every aspect of that character.) What do you think? Please critique and offer suggestions!