Rules

Welcome. SWURPG is a fan-made tabletop roleplaying game in the Star Wars universe. It blends the depth of Saga Edition with the streamlined feel of D&D 5E — if you know either, you'll feel at home in about 10 minutes. If you've never played a TTRPG before, this page tells you exactly what to read and in what order.

Quick Start: a 90-second SWURPG primer

Whatever else you read, here's the entire rule system in 5 bullets:

1. Resolution roll. When the outcome is uncertain, you roll a d20, add your relevant ability modifier, add your Proficiency Bonus (if you're trained in the skill / weapon / save), and compare to a Difficulty Class (DC). Equal or higher = success.
2. Combat goes in rounds. When initiative is rolled, each round on your turn you get 1 Action, 1 Bonus Action (if you have a class feature that uses it), and 1 Reaction (off-turn, in response to a trigger). You can also move up to your Speed.
3. Attacks vs. AC. Attack rolls are d20 + ability mod + PB vs the target's Armor Class. On a hit, you roll the weapon's damage dice + ability mod.
4. Force users spend Force Points. If your class is a Jedi or Force Adept (or one of their subclasses), you have a pool of Force Points that fuel Force powers — push enemies, sense intentions, heal allies, and so on. FP refresh on a long rest.
5. At 0 HP you start dying. Drop to 0 HP and you make death saves (d20 ≥ 10) at the start of each of your turns. Three failures = dead. Three successes = stable. Your party can also revive you with healing or medpacs.

That's the entire engine. Everything else is detail.

What to read first (recommended order)

If you're a new player

1. Character Creation — abilities, dice, proficiency, skills. The page that gets you from "blank sheet" to "I have a character."
2. Combat System — initiative, actions, attacks, damage, conditions. The most-referenced page in actual play.
3. Your class page under /classes — covers your specific class abilities. Each class also has a "How to play it at the table" section for newcomers.
4. Your species page — much shorter; just check your stat bonuses and special traits.
5. (If you're playing a Jedi or Force Adept) The Force — Force Points, Force Training, Force DCs.

If you're a new GM

Read everything above, plus:

• Monsters & NPCs — the GM Resources hub with the Difficulty Rating (DR) system, encounter math, "How to read a stat block," 77 pre-built enemies, and per-faction running guides (Imperial, Syndicate, Droid, Nihil, Wildlife).
• LEGO Play Guide — practical advice on running combat with bricks if you don't have a battle map.

What's core vs. optional

Not every rule applies to every campaign. Here's the quick split:

• Core (everyone reads): Character Creation, Combat, The Force (if your class uses it), Rests and Medpacs, Conditions.
• Specialized (read when relevant): Droid rules (if anyone at the table is playing a droid), Heroic Surge Points (an optional metacurrency some tables use), Starship Combat (only when ships are flying), Equipment Rules (rarity, encumbrance — usually GM reference).

Plain-English glossary

Terms you'll see scattered throughout the rules. Click any to jump to its full explanation.

• AC (Armor Class) — how hard you are to hit. Higher = harder. See Combat → Armor Class.
• ASI (Ability Score Improvement) — the level-up bonus that lets you bump abilities or pick a special trait. Available at levels 4, 8, 12, 16, 20. See Leveling for ability score improvements and the full ASI Alternative Trait catalog.
• Bonus Action — a separate action slot some class features unlock. Most characters don't have one most turns.
• DC (Difficulty Class) — the number your roll has to meet or beat. Easy DC 10, Moderate 15, Hard 20.
• DR (Difficulty Rating) — how dangerous a single enemy is. Used for building encounters; see Monsters & NPCs → DR system.
• Death Saves — d20 rolls you make when you're at 0 HP. ≥ 10 = success; 3 successes stabilize you, 3 failures kill you.
• FP (Force Points) — the resource Jedi and Force Adepts spend on Force powers. See The Force.
• HP (Hit Points) — how much damage you can take before going down. Starts at hit-die-max + CON mod at level 1; grows on level-up.
• Initiative — d20 + DEX mod (+ class bonuses) at the start of combat. Highest goes first; play descends from there.
• PB (Proficiency Bonus) — +2 at levels 1–4, +3 at 5–8, +4 at 9–12, +5 at 13–16, +6 at 17–20. Added to anything you're proficient in.
• Reaction — an off-turn action you can take once per round in response to a trigger (e.g. opportunity attacks, Lightsaber Defense).

A note on "Star Wars rules vs. SWURPG mechanics"

You might know that lightsabers cut through anything in the films, that Force pushes throw stormtroopers across rooms, that Jedi can sense each other across galaxies. SWURPG abstracts all of that into mechanics that have boundaries — limited Force Points, range increments, finite damage dice. The rules pages explain those abstractions. Stick with the mechanics on the page; the cinematic flavor lives in the roleplay.

When in doubt: rule of cool wins, but the GM has the final call. Talk to your group.