[RPG] Can one force jump into engaged

star-wars-edge-of-the-empirestar-wars-force-and-destiny

If one moves normally it is so that you move into short distance then another maneuver to move into engaged.

But my question is now if I use force jump (enhance force tree) and am able to jump medium distance and the distance between me and the enemy is short to start with. Can I jump into engaged already by using force jump only once?

Best Answer

The Short Answer

To move to a specific location within Short Range of an opponent using Force Leap from Medium Range will require the Force Enhance Power, the Horizontal or Vertical Leap Control Upgrade (depending on context), and the Range Upgrade. It can benefit from the Maneuver Control Upgrade. The cost for this leap will be 1 Force Point for the use of the power, and 1 for the Range Upgrade.

Once in Short Range, the character will still need to use 1 Maneuver to Engage their target. They may not simply use Force Leap to Engage the target.

They will be able to Leap from Medium Range to Engaged in one Turn for the cost of 1 Action (Force Leap) and 1 Maneuver (Engage). To also attack in that same turn, they will need to complete their progress in the Control Upgrades associated with Force Leap in the Enhance Force Power tree so that they can perform Force Leap as a Maneuver instead of as an Action.

How to do it:

As explained in Chapter 6: Conflict and Combat, in a normal combat, the character will have 1 Maneuver and 1 Action available. For the cost of Strain (or other explicitly stated means), they may take a second Maneuver.

Under the Move Maneuver in the Maneuvers section of Chapter 6 of the three core books, it states the cost for Engaging or Disengaging an opponent. It specifies directly that this is a cost independent of being in Short Range, and identifies that the use of this Maneuver is intended to represent getting into or out of a position where physical attacks are possible.

There are many ways to close range with an opponent. The use of Force Leap is an awesome one that can not only be cool in the mind's eye, but can serve tactical benefits as well, such as voiding obstacles, cover, and rough terrain, or crossing empty expanses or towering levels of Star Warsian architecture.

If a character has Force Leap, what can they expect to accomplish? They can either close to Engaged and Not Attack, or close to Engaged and Attack depending on their proficiency with the Force Power and the number of Maneuvers they have available in addition to their Action:

Leap Only

A character with the Force Leap Control Upgrade can use 1 Action to leap to any location in Short Range that can be accessed physically by a leap, such as clearing cover. This manifests first as horizontal distance (with enough elevation to clear obstacles), and then in its second Control Upgrade can be vertical distance as well.

What they can accomplish with the Leap in terms of changing proximity to a target or their location is limited to inside the Short Range Band. In all other respects, it will be the same as the next entry, Leap + Range Upgrades Only.

Leap + Range Upgrades only

Without the 'Maneuver' Control Upgrade for Enhance's 'Force Leap' Control Upgrade, a character will be able to close to Short Range with their 1 Action. They will be not be Engaged unless they pay the Maneuver to become so. As their Action has been used they will be unable to attack this turn. This allows leaping from Disengaged and at Medium Range, into Engaged.

If they are acting before the target character and are concerned about being attacked, they may adopt a Guarded Stance for the cost of their 1 Maneuver.
If they are acting after the target character they will have 1 Maneuver left to use for something else, such as 'Preparing' a weapon, drawing one, and so on. No attack is possible.

Leap + Range + Maneuver Upgrades

If they have the 'Maneuver' Control Upgrade, they may Leap into Engaged for the cost of 1 Maneuver to Leap and 1 additional Maneuver to become Engaged with the target. They have not used their Action yet, so they may then also launch an Attack Action, all within the same turn. This allows leaping from 'Disengaged and at Medium Range' to 'Engaged and able to Attack.'

The Full Explanation

The original question, in essence, asks how many Force Leaps (Force Enhance power) are required to move into Engaged with a target from the Medium Range Band. This question can be confusing as Engaged functions as much as a Condition as it does a Range. This is certainly the sort of thing a good Star Wars RPG group will want to enjoy, but to preserve the ability of all characters to act in tune with the source material, the basic assumptions of the combat system need to be kept in mind.

How is it a Range Band?

It can best be defined as a special range category within the Short Range Band that allows for Brawl, Melee, and Lightsaber attacks (which are themselves a subcategory of Melee), and offers potential complications or adjustments to Ranged attacks. Entering Engaged has a cost in Maneuvers.

How is it a Condition?

In order to interact with an object (pick it up, etc), in order to punch someone, or in order to land an attack with a hand-held weapon like a knife or vibro-ax, the character must be 'Engaged' with the target of their chosen action. To achieve the condition of 'Engaged' a player must spend one Maneuver to make that happen. This is the cost of attaining the condition, and is levied in addition to the movement required to get into Short Range.

On Maneuvers

There are numerous ways to gain one additional Maneuver listed in the core rules, such as exchanging one's Action for one, taking Strain for one additional Maneuver, or getting one as a bonus due to rolled Advantages, or Threats (as the GM's provision of an out-of-turn Maneuver). There are also rare Talents that can allow a third Maneuver. Unless affected by a specific Talent or other power description that clearly lifts the restriction, no more than two Maneuvers may be taken in a turn by a character. This is clearly stated in the Maneuvers section of Chapter 6, under the Maneuver Limitations heading.

Note on the out-of-turn Maneuver

This ruling allows a character to gain a Maneuver (if it makes sense to the group in context) during the action of an opponent, as the interpretation of Threats or Despair. This does not occur during the character's turn, and cannot be stacked with their normal Maneuvers. If a character were to close to Short, but lack the Maneuvers to Engage, or found the opponent then used their turn to Disengage, IF that opponent then suffered a tragic roll, the character could be awarded with a bonus Maneuver to use at that moment. They could use it to close to Engaged, or to Engage again, before their turn came around again.

Force Leap

This power is found in Age of Rebellion and Force and Destiny in the Force Powers section of Chapter 8: The Force. It requires an Action until the character has earned the final Control upgrade in the Enhance Power tree. The Force Leap power appears as one of the many Control upgrades in this tree. Its first iteration offers horizontal leaps. This can be improved to include vertical distance with another upgrade. The final Control upgrade in this branch of the tree allows the leap to be a Maneuver, not an Action.

Also on this branch of the Enhance Force power is the sole Range upgrade in the tree, and it allows the leap to be extended into the Medium Range Band (any location from Short to Medium, or Medium to Short, not blocked from access to physical movement). As the text for the Range upgrade specifically bans it, the Range upgrade may not be invoked multiple times to Leap farther than this.

Related Solutions

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ABIL: d{0, 1, 1, 2, 0, 0, 1, 0}
PROF: d{0, 1, 1, 2, 2, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1}

output 2dABIL named "2x Ability"
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