Speed
Speed is... weird. Star Wars as a fictional series is quite off in its consistency, let alone the inconsistencies caused by merging Legends and Canon. We have done our best to create a standardised speed system which will add layers and detail to RP which many people have been requesting.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Your speed tier is your maximum speed. As such, if your opponent is not going all out straight from the beginning, the lines become a bit more blurred. Darth Sidious doing the ultimate bad-mouth to taunt someone could reduce his speed so a Tier H could keep up with him. It’s extremely circumstantial.
For Non-Force Users
Unlike Force Users, who can move from A to B at these incredible speeds, you cannot. What you can do is observe these fast people move if you have the required speed level. You can also briefly move your body at these speeds, as well as limbs and reaction time.
Essentially, non Force Users work off combat speed; while Force Users work off combat speed and travel speed.
Speed works in two forms: Visibility and Keep Up.
Visibility
Visibility is what your eyes can physically track. Beyond this point, when your opponent is moving at their fastest, you cannot physically see them. It is as if they are teleporting or invisible. As such, this could be seen as one’s maximum cut off point as to what they can actually beat in a fight. As seen below, Low C is typically the speed at which people can begin disappearing from the eyesight of most.
The visibility does has a catch. Someone can move faster than you can see, but they still have to stop to hit you. If their attacks are weak and cannot damage you, just can beat them when they stop moving!
Keep-Up
Keep-Up is one's ability to comfortably defeat someone at their best. In a raw, physical combat contest, people above your Keep Up will likely overwhelm your defence. I could physically keep up with Bruce Lee, but will I be able to do so in a comfortable way in a combat scenario? Probably not…
It should be noted that the Keep Up is NOT YOUR LIMIT. Using the Force, using the environment, playing the battle smart, having a buff, weakness in your opponent; all of these things can turn the tide of a battle. Furthermore...
Going Beyond Your Keep-Up
In a combat scenario, it is possible to go past one’s Keep Up through determination and pushing one’s self. However, this doesn’t last very long and is likely to leave one physically and emotionally exhausted after doing so, and extremely open to attack. So, be wary.
Contextually, it is up to the Dungeon Master presiding over the battle to decide how long this lasts and the effects of doing so, depending on the context of both battle and character.
This act of a temporary speed increase will be expanded on below...
How Do You Increase Your Speed?
Moving up the speed is a vital part of moving up the tier list, and increasing your abilities can only take you so far. At some point, you need to get faster. But the process is tricky, and this will be elaborated on below.
There are two ways to move up. Permanently and Temporarily.
Permanently
There's a new speed system in town, one that works through the logic that your character should naturally get faster as they get stronger. Thus, this will work off a system similar to that of the Group Training system.
Every time you move up the Tier List through means of training or feats (so rewards for challenges that move you up don't count), or you rank up any ability to Proficient or higher; this accumulates points.
Once you gather enough points, you can expend them for that character. And one of these things you can purchase is an increase to your speed; though you can purchase other things such as a high-risk high-reward roulette spin, or a task skip, strength increases, durability increases, and more. But for now, the system just covers speed, and will potentially be updated to include these other things later.
The system is designed to reward players for their progress, and allow characters to scale in natural capability according to their strength; and it means that players aren't limited to a particular placement until they have to wait for a speed buff to be deigned upon them.
More details on this can be found:
HERE
Temporarily
Temporarily is the speed increase one gets from techniques. Force Valour, Force Rage, the use of Stims etc. will all temporarily buff your speed tier. However, there is a catch.
If you go faster than your keep up limit, you’re going to get exhausted much faster. And if you go above your visibility limit without increasing your visibility, you’re going to not be able to see where you are going. Not even with Force Sight.
In terms of abilities, The Mastery and Extreme Mastery allows one to use a speed technique in combination with another efficiently
Yoda has The Mastery in Force Valour, so he could use Force Speed in combination with it efficiently
You can combine any ability at any level, but if one or both or whatever is below Extreme Mastery, it will be energetically draining (especially based on the demand of the ability itself)
When increasing your speed through a technique, it is a REQUIREMENT to state what the speed change is, i.e. “Malak uses Force Rage to go from Middle C speed to Middle B speed”. Not doing so will render the action void. The only exception to this rule is the DM DM’ing the combat scenario in question.
If you are ever confused, feel free to reach out to #StemmedAxis06 or ask for help in <#rp-discussion>. The user-base is sure to help!
Techniques That Increase Speed
Enhance Attribute
One must specify for every action. Only works on one attribute until Highly Proficient, of which the selection is:
Visibility
Will increase Visibility by two levels
Keep-Up
Will increase Keep-Up by one level
Strength
Will move you up one Strength Bracket to a maximum of Superhuman
Durability
Will move you up one Durability Bracket to a maximum of Superhuman
Reaching Highly Proficient allows you to enhance two attributes at once. Reaching Extreme Mastery allows three.
This ability cannot be used in combination with other stat enhancing abilities.
Force Valour
The Mastery - Increases by two tiers (Visibility and Keep Up)
For example, go from Low C to Low A
Mastery - Increases by one tier (Visibility and Keep Up)
For example, going from Low B to Low A
Proficient - Increases by one level (Visibility and Keep Up)
For example, going from Low B to Middle B
Force Rage
When one exits Force Rage and if they have not fallen to the Dark Side, the user is extremely susceptible to manipulation and mind-altering techniques; and a non-Fallen user will not be inclined to engage in combat due to moral contemplation.
Force Abilities are stronger and faster with Force Rage.
The Mastery - Increases by two tiers (Visibility and Keep Up)
For example, go from Low C to Low A
Mastery - Increases by one tier (Visibility and Keep Up)
For example, going from Low B to Low A
Proficient - Increases by one level (Visibility and Keep Up)
For example, going from Low B to Middle B
Dark Rage
Increases the speed and strength of Force Abilities, as well as the speed of the user. However, the user is completely blood-lusted and will attack anyone on sight, also prone to being manipulated easily and removes the Mental Shielding skill for the duration. Cannot exit the technique until all around the user is destroyed
The Mastery - Increases by four tiers (Visibility and Keep Up)
For example, go from Low E to Low A
Extreme Mastery - Increases by three tiers (Visibility and Keep Up)
For example, go from Low E to Low B
Mastery - Increases by two tiers (Visibility and Keep Up)
For example, go from Low E to Low C
Proficient - Increases by one tier (Visibility and Keep Up)
For example, go from Low E to Low D
Force Speed
Must specify for every action.
Mastery - Will increase movement speed by one tier and visibility by one tier
For example, going from Low B to Low A in both movement speed and visibility
The principle is the same as below, but one now has a visibility increase as well. The world around one does not seem blurred.
The technique can be used without dashing and merely increasing visibility, but one must note that their limbs will not physically be moved faster to keep up with what they can now perceive
Proficient - You can increase your movement speed by 1 Level.
For example, Low B to Middle B.
However, this is not combat viable unless one is doing a dash attack, this is merely for running and movement from point A to point B.
Furthermore, at this level, the world around one seems blurred, i.e. it does not increase visibility.
Battle Meditation
Only can be used on others, not on yourself
Mastery - Will increase allies speed by two levels (Visibility and Keep Up)
For example, going from Low C to High C
Proficiency - Will increase allies speed by one level (Visibility and Keep Up)
For example, going from Low C to Middle C
Vaapad
The Mastery - Forming a superconductive loop with your opponent, it allows you to reach their speed level quickly, and from there, gradually get faster than them until you reach a speed level that caps at one tier of speed faster than your opponent.
Your opponent has Low B speed. You will become Low B speed and eventually, become Low A Speed. If your opponent raises their speed to High A speed, then you will quickly become High A speed, and eventually, become High A +++ speed.
Mastery - Superconductive loops can be formed at this level, being able to feed of one's opponent without risk of falling to the Dark Side, thus being able to be utilised. Allows you to gradually (but not slowly) reach a state of speed equal to that of your opponent if they sit above you with no energy expenditure.
Your opponent has Low B speed. You will become Low B speed.
If you have a speed higher than that of your opponent anyway, the two levels happen once again, with the addition that you do not tire.
Proficient - Will allow you to reach a speed and visibility two levels greater than that which you have gradually (but not slowly)
Using Vaapad at this level presents an extreme risk of falling to the dark side.
You have Middle B speed. You will go to Low A speed.
Force Drain
You cannot use this ability on someone who is a lower number tier than you due to passive force barriers. This does not affect visibility.
Mastery - Will allow you to decrease your opponents Keep Up limit by one tier
If your opponent could previously keep up with High A speed, they now can only keep up with High B speed
Proficient - Will allow you to decrease you opponents Keep Up limit by one level
If your opponent could previously keep up with a Low B speed, they no can only keep up with the speed of a High C
Force Slow
You cannot use this ability on someone who is a lower number tier than you due to passive force barriers.
Force Slow is a mental ability, but affects a target both physically and mentally.
Mastery - Your opponents speed decreases by one tier (Visibility and Keep Up)
If your opponent had a speed of Low B, then after being slowed, they would have a speed of a Low C as well as the corresponding Keep Up and Visibility
Proficient - Your opponents speed decreases by one level (Visibility and Keep Up)
If you opponent had a speed of Low B, then after being slowed, they would have a speed of a High C as well as the corresponding Keep Up and Visibility
Teleportation and Fold Space
These techniques do not make you move faster. If someone were to teleport behind you, their body would still move at their assigned speed. You can just move from one place to the other instantaneously plus the time it takes to actually start the teleportation process
Shatterpoint/Forced Shatterpoint
Shatterpoint
The Mastery - Increases Visibility by two tiers
If you can only see a High C move, you can now see up to a High A
Mastery - Increases Visibility by one tier
If you can only see a High C move, you can now see up to a High B
Proficiency - Increases Visibility by one level
If you can only see a High C move, you can now see up to a Low B move
Forced Shatterpoint
The Mastery - Increases Visibility by one tier
If you can only see a High C move, you can now see up to a High B
Mastery - Increases Visibility by 2 levels
If you can only see a High C move, you can now see up to a Middle B
High Proficiency - Increases Visibility by one level
If you can only see a High C move, you can now see up to a Low B move
Using A Stim
A Stim allows one to temporarily increase their speed during combat. It can be used by both Force Users and non-Force Users. ALL stims can cause addiction to different degrees, and will cause one to slow down in a fight after use.
ALL stims last only 3 actions, though this can be extended through altering the stim through the chemistry skill (see below). There are five kinds of stims:
Ultra-Stim
An Ultra-Stim will increase speed by three tiers. (Visibility and Keep Up)
However, only one of these will cause stim addiction and will permanently reduce speed by one tier after the fight. Ultra-Stims can only be made by an individual with The Mastery in Chemistry and above, and can be done by altering a Hyper-Stim in a chemistry lab.
This stim lasts an entire event.
Hyper-Stim
A Hyper-Stim will increase speed by two tiers. (Visibility and Keep Up)
Using two of these in the same fight will cause stim addiction; and using one will reduce speed by two levels for a month. Hyper-Stims can only be made by an individual with Extreme Mastery in Chemistry or above, and can be done by altering a Super-Stim in a chemistry lab.
This stim lasts an entire battle
Super-Stim
A Super-Stim will increase speed by one tier. (Visibility and Keep Up)
Using three of these in the same fight will cause stim addiction and using one will reduce speed by one level for a week. Super-Stims can be made by an individual with Mastery in Chemistry or above, and can be done by altering a Stim in a chemistry lab. They can also be purchased for a high price in the relevant store.
Using this will cause your speed to drop by one level for the rest of the fight
Stim
A Stim will increase speed by two levels. (Visibility and Keep Up)
Using three of these in the same fight will cause stim addiction. Stims can be purchased in the relevant store.
Using this will cause your speed to drop by one level for the rest of the fight.
Lesser Stim
A Lesser Stim has no speed combat effects, and are the ones we see in some lore. Increased vigour, dull pain, can stay awake longer, etc. These will cause a contextual stim addiction.
Increasing the duration of stims is possible with the Chemistry skill.
Highly Proficient - Can modify Stims and Super-Stims to last 2 extra actions.
Mastery - Can modify Stims and Super-Stims to last 5 extra actions.
Extreme Mastery - Can modify Stims and Super-Stims to last 10 extra actions.
The Mastery - Can modify Stims and Super-Stims to last an entire event.
Stim Addiction is caused when one takes too many stims. Contextually, you will get addicted to stims eventually if you use them often, and this will likely be determined by your GDM in time; as we will be keeping an eye on stim use. Once stim addicted, players are required to take stims every day, or they suffer a one tier drop in speed until the addiction is broken (which can be determined in a plot by your Group Dungeon Master).