Darths & Droids

ARCHIVE     FORUM     CAST     BONUS MATERIAL     RSS     FAQ

<     Episode 2687: A Little Less Conversation, A Little Diffraction Please

Episode 2687: A Little Less Conversation, A Little Diffraction Please

<<FIRST     <PREVIOUS    

One important thing that sometimes trips up inexperienced GMs or players is that a mundane Persuasion skill is not a magical power. Just because you're charming and make a good argument, doesn't mean that someone will be persuaded to abandon their job, or give up their children, or give you all their gold. There are many things you just can't persuade people to do, no matter how good your dice rolling.

Force Suggestion, on the other hand, is a magical power. So it can influence people to do stupid stuff they would never normally do.

It's wise to remember the distinction and don't let players simply fast talk their way into something that really should take a magical power, or some other course of action, to get.

Commentary by memnarch (who has not seen the movie)

Ohhhh, the protagonists were being dumb so Rey could show off another Force power. That's still not good writing, but at least there's a point to it this time. I think if I were to improve this scene, rather than being surprised by troopers pointing guns at them, Rey would lead the others to surprise some troopers in a barracks room or breakroom of some kind. And then Force Suggestion for the information. It would still have the same result sure, but it changes things from the characters reacting and getting lucky into them being more proactive and intentional.

And Force Suggestion already is kinda physics breaking, so what about that Pete? Or was mentally remotely manipulating brain chemistry and electrons not physics breaking enough for you?

Transcript

Trooper 1: Drop the weapons!
Rey: I use the Force to mask our presence. Bending light and sound around us.
GM: You... don’t have that ability.
Rey: It’s just Force Manipulate on photons and air molecules. If heavier things are harder to move, this should be trivial.
{beat}
Trooper 1: Hey, where’d they go?
Trooper 2: Gosh, beats me.
Finn: We still don’t know where Chewie is.
Rey: I use Force Suggestion to get them to discuss Chewie. 17.
Trooper 1: Well that’s good. Looked like they might have wanted to rescue the Wookiee.
Trooper 2: Who is down this very corridor, in cell 327.
Poe: If you’re bending sound waves around us, then we can’t hear them.
Rey: Shhh!
Poe: We shouldn’t be able to see anything, either.
GM: You could have just used Force Suggestion for this whole thing.
Rey: If I don’t break physics at least once per mission, what’s even the point of being a Jedi?


Our comics: Darths & Droids | Irregular Webcomic! | Eavesdropper | Planet of Hats | The Dinosaur Whiteboard | The Prisoner of Monty Hall | mezzacotta
Blogs: dangermouse.net (daily updates) | 100 Proofs that the Earths is a Globe (science!) | Carpe DMM (whatever) | Snot Block & Roll (food reviews)
More comics we host: Lightning Made of Owls | Square Root of Minus Garfield | iToons | Comments on a Postcard | Awkward Fumbles
Published: Tuesday, 14 October, 2025; 02:13:10 PDT.
Copyright © 2007-2024, The Comic Irregulars. irregulars@darthsanddroids.net