The Force System
The Force is the energy field that binds the galaxy. In SWURPG, only certain classes and species access it — through Force Points (the resource that fuels powers), Force Training (the trait that grants known powers), and a Force DC tied to your Wisdom and proficiency.
Force Points
Force Points are the resource that powers Force abilities.
Force Points = (Wisdom Modifier × 2) + Character Level + Proficiency Bonus
Force Point Recovery
| Rest Type | Recovery Amount |
|---|---|
| Short Rest | One-third of total Force Points (rounded up, min. 1). |
| Long Rest | All Force Points restored. |
Force Training
A character who gains the Force Training trait learns a number of Force Powers equal to 1 + Wisdom modifier (minimum 1). A character with a negative Wisdom modifier still learns 1 power — a negative modifier never reduces the number of powers known below 1. This represents their initial attunement to the Force.
Force Training Rules
- The character must meet each power's listed prerequisites.
- The same power cannot be selected twice.
- Known powers are persistent — no daily preparation is required.
- Additional Force Training selections may be gained through level advancement or class traits.
Force-Using Classes
The Force-sensitive classes:
- Base classes (start here at level 1): Jedi Padawan, Force Adept.
- Jedi specializations (level 3+): Jedi Guardian, Jedi Sentinel, Jedi Consular, Jedi Pathfinder.
- Force Adept specializations (level 3+): Force Warrior, Force Mystic.
Other classes may gain limited Force access through story events, class traits, or GM approval.
Force Power Categories
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Energy Powers | Direct damage and destructive Force projection. |
| Kinetic Powers | Movement manipulation — pushes, pulls, telekinesis, throws. |
| Mind Powers | Mental influence, illusions, emotion manipulation. |
| Sense Powers | Awareness, perception, foresight, and reading intent. |
| Lightsaber Form Powers | Combat stances that enhance attacks, defense, or mobility. |
Force DC
When a Force power requires a saving throw, the target rolls against the user's Force DC.
Force DC = 8 + Proficiency Bonus + Wisdom modifier
Mind Trick has no effect on droids. Droids are immune to the Charmed condition (per the Droids rules), and Mind Trick relies on Charm to take hold — droids automatically succeed on the save. This matches canon (Obi-Wan to TC-14: "These aren't the droids you're looking for" fails; droids are unaffected by Mind Trick across the films and TV).
Concentration
Some Force powers require concentration to maintain their effect.
- A character can only concentrate on one power at a time. Starting a new concentration power immediately ends the previous one.
- When a concentrating character takes damage, they must make a Constitution saving throw. The DC equals 10 or half the damage taken, whichever is higher. On a failure, concentration breaks and the power ends.
- Concentration also breaks if the character becomes Incapacitated or chooses to end it voluntarily.
Force Power Resolution
Force powers use one of two resolution methods depending on the power:
- Use the Force skill check vs. a GM-set DC.
- Saving throw — the target rolls Wisdom, Dexterity, or Constitution against the user's Force DC.
Most Force powers cost an Action. Some cost a Bonus Action or Reaction as noted in their description.
Force Surge
Some Force powers may be amplified at cast time by spending additional Force Points beyond the power's base cost. Each Surge-eligible power lists one or two scaling vectors — reach, duration, target count, area, or a special rider — and the player allocates extra FP at the moment of casting to enhance one of those vectors.
Force Surge is an optional rule. Tables that prefer the flat-cost baseline can ignore it entirely; the catalog still works without it.
Core rule:
- A Force user may spend up to +3 additional Force Points on a single cast, on top of the power's base FP cost.
- Each Surge-eligible power's catalog page lists what each +FP tier does. Effects are cumulative — +2 FP includes the +1 FP benefit, and so on.
- Surge and class-trait FP-burns are mutually exclusive on a single cast. If a class trait says "spend N extra FP to enhance this cast" (e.g. Force Warrior's Kinetic Ripple), you cannot also Surge the underlying power. The trait IS the Surge for that cast.
- Surge does NOT change the action economy. The cast still costs whatever action type the base power specifies (Action / Bonus Action / Reaction).
Eligibility:
- Surge-eligible powers carry a "Force Surge" callout on their catalog page. The pilot rollout covers four powers (Force Push, Force Pull, Mind Trick, Force Barrier); more may be added as playtest feedback comes in.
- Not Surge-eligible: any Force power without a Surge callout — typically high-tier powers (Lv 10+), Lightsaber Form powers, and powers that already scale on a different axis (e.g. Force Healing scales with Proficiency Bonus by default; Vital Transfer scales with the HP you choose to sacrifice).
Common Surge patterns:
- Reach extension (Force Push, Force Pull): each extra FP extends the power's reach by
WIS modifier × 5 ft, up to a max single-target reach at +2 FP. Push damage and pull/push distance both scale with how much reach you spend AND how the target is positioned — a target close to you gets pushed far; a target at the edge of reach barely moves. - Save at disadvantage: most Surge tiers cause the target's saving throw to be rolled at disadvantage, making the Surged effect more reliable in addition to bigger.
- Tier-3 rider effects: the +3 FP tier typically unlocks a qualitatively different effect — a cone conversion on Push, a Bonus Action melee attack rider on Pull, +2 rounds + +1 target on Mind Trick, or a width/duration max on Barrier.
Worked example — Force Push at +2 FP, L5 caster (PB 3, WIS +4):
- Base reach (PB+WIS)×5 = 35 ft. With +2 FP: reach = 35 + (2 × 4 × 5) = 75 ft.
- Target stands 15 ft away with a 25 ft wall behind. Use the Force check vs. STR save (at disadvantage). On fail: push distance = 75 − 15 = 60 ft, but the wall stops the target at 15 ft of actual push.
- Damage: 1d4 per 10 ft of push (rounded down per die) = 1d4 from the push + 1d6 collision = ~6.5 avg damage + Prone.
- On save success: target is pushed half that distance (~5 ft, doesn't reach the wall), takes half damage (roll the push dice normally and halve the total, rounded down — for this example, the 1d4 push roll halved averages ~1.25), is not Prone, no collision.
Light Side and Dark Side
SWURPG does not use an alignment score. A character's relationship with the light or dark side is expressed through narrative choices and the powers they select. NPC reactions and story consequences are determined by the GM based on observable Force usage patterns.
Falling to the dark side
There is no Sith class in SWURPG — and that's deliberate. A Force user's slide toward the dark side is a GM call, made from the story, not a mechanical trigger you opt into: it happens through the choices a character makes at the table — the powers they reach for, the lines they cross, the bargains they justify.
Once the GM decides a character has truly fallen, they step off the standard Jedi tradition tracks. From that point the GM carves a custom progression — granting dark-side-themed traits as the character levels, in place of the Jedi subclass traits they would otherwise gain. Every fallen character ends up bespoke: a fallen Guardian plays nothing like a fallen Consular. Treat the existing Jedi subclass traits as a palette to reskin and twist, not a track to follow.
See the Force Powers Catalog for every power's costs, ranges, effects, and prerequisites — filterable by category (Energy, Kinetic, Mind, Sense, Lightsaber Form).