Yorach
As I have been preparing for a new Star Wars Saga Edition campaign, I have come across a issue with which I can not find a definitive answer to within the rules. The issue: what happens when the lightsaber talent block is used to negate damage from a vibroblade?
The campaign is set during the dark times. As such it is assumed that vibroblades and their variations do not possess a cortosis weave or other lightsaber resistant materials. Because I anticipate both NPCs and PCs utilizing both weapons, I foresee an issue when they "lock" blades.
I have formulated a few solutions to the problem (some more drastic than others):
1. On contact with the lightsaber, the vibroblade is cut in half (disabled) without any rolls being necessary. I dislike this solution as stats do exist for the item HP and Damage Reduction. This leads to...
2. When a lightsaber is used to successfully block a vibroblade, damage is dealt to the vibroblade as per the attacking an object rules found in the core rule book.
3.When a lightsaber is used to successfully block a vibroblade, damage is dealt based on the damage value of the lightsaber. No strength modifier or 1/2 heroic level is added.
Thank you for your help concerning this topic.
Comments
I'm gearing up to run a SWSE campaign pretty shortly myself, so it's nice to get a preview of the types of issues that might crop up. With a quick peek at the rules (not exhaustive mind you), I also found no specific rule for that particular scenario. I think ultimately, you have two real choices - depending on the style that you intend to run the game in:
Option A (more realistic/cinematic): Go with something along the lines of your #2 or #3 solutions. If you take out the lightsaber resistant materials, vibro weapons are just vibrating knives and such, so they aren't going to be too handy at going toe to toe with a lightsaber. I'd lean towards your #3 myself, since the defender isn't making an attack, merely blocking one. The lightsabers ignore the DR of weapons they strike, so a lot of the vibro weapons (particularly smaller ones) are just going to get cleaved in two anyway, no point to adding salt to the wound by factoring in STR and level modifiers.
Option B (rules nazi): Ignore the concept of damaging the blocked weapon. If you go according to the rules as written (RAW), there is no mention of the lightsaber used in the Block talent damaging the blocked weapon. There is even updated text for the Block talent in the rules errata and they *still* don't mention it. Clearly it is not intended.
Thanks for your help! Perhaps as we continue our campaigns we can compare notes! I am practically a complete beginner to this but am confident I can pull it off well.