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I really want to create a custom special ability for all of my customs that have a double-bladed lightsaber. I would like your help in creating it. What do you think are the defining characteristics of a double-bladed lightsaber? Below are some of the things I picked up from wookiepedia, books, and the movies.
1. "the double-bladed lightsaber is more limited than the traditional lightsaber. It can do more damage, but it is less precise. It requires longer, sweeping movements that don't transition well into a quick stab or thrust."
2. "the weapon is difficult to master, however, few among the Jedi – or even the Sith – understand it. They don't know how to attack or defend effectively against it. That gives those of us who use it an advantage over most of our opponents."
3. "The primary purpose of the double-bladed lightsaber was to allow for a faster rate of attack, unleashing a rapid assault with only a minimum of movement"
4. "Saberstaffs were also excellent defensive weapons, as the doubled length of the weapon provided more surface area for deflecting and parrying."
5. "In addition to the practical benefits of the weapon, it also possessed a great psychological impact. The dual-blades increased the visual impact of the weapon, and in combat, opponents would intuitively try to track the blades separately rather than as a single weapon, overwhelming them."
6. I think it is also important to note how Darth Maul used the weapon in the Phantom Menace as he was one of the very first characters to wield one. He used it as a way to defend and attack multiple opponents at once.
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Alrighty,
its an interesting approach to this menacing weapon.
Are you wanting the weapon to be more bizarre?
Do you want it to threaten a few squares and cause an opponent to pause?
Maybe Melee Reach 2 could be somehow worked in?
I think to encapsulate the risk and reward as outlined in your examples, Double ended Lightsaber could redirect attacks, functioning similar to bodyguard, overwhelming force and my "Attack X" ability in effect:
Double Ended Lightsaber: Anytime this character is attacked, this character may re-assign that damage from any adjacent attack to another adjacent enemy (this includes Critical Hits). If this character misses an attack with a roll of 1, it is defeated, Save 11.
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In the interests of fairness, perhaps you could up the ante on the risk of self-defeat, with a roll of 1,3,7, 13.
So a redesigned maul with this would probably have more force powers, possibly Attack X, maybe Draw Fire, Rolling Cleave... and Avoid Defeat...
Its important to note Maul was a skilled practitioner of the double ended lightsaber,
and Exar Kun intrinsically used and developed the weapon before Maul came onto the scene.
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kobayashimaru wrote:Double Ended Lightsaber: Anytime this character is attacked, this character may re-assign that damage from any adjacent attack to another adjacent enemy (this includes Critical Hits). If this character misses an attack with a roll of 1, it is defeated, Save 11. That is a very clever idea. It is extremely different from what I was thinking. I want to create a unique ability for dual blades, aka "Jar'Kai" and one for Double-Bladed Lightsabers. This is actually what I was thinking. Jar'Kai (Whenever this character attacks, it makes 1 extra attack against the same target at -10 Damage, this ability does not stack. Special abilities and force powers that generate attacks as a result of being hit by an attack from this character are suppressed.) I think this ability should function like twin attack because the attacker has two blades to attack with. On the other hand, strikes from the blades do less damage since is isn't as easy to put your weight into it. Finally I chose to suppress Djem So, Counter Attack, and Riposte, because (according to what I have read) it is difficult to counter attack someone with two blades since, even when they are attacking, they have another blade they can parry with. Double-Bladed Lightaber/Saber Staff (Whenever this character attacks, it can make 1 extra attack against a different adjacent enemy at -10 damage, this ability does not stack. Whenever this character makes a save to prevent damage from an attack add +2 to the result.) I thought this ability should function similar to Jar'Kai/twin but since the blades are on opposite sides you could attack two opponents at once. Again, great example from Maul. According to wookiepedia, the DBL is also great at defense, so I added the +2 to dice rolls. What do you think. Are they over powered, balanced, good, stupid?
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I sometimes forget that Jar'Kai is also double-bladed sabers and for my versions I focused on the idea of using 2 Lightsabers when necessary (like Luke Skywalker does against Lightwhips or other folks with dual blades) or for just pure offensive power.
Jar'Kai Style:If an adjacent enemy with Melee Attack can use Twin Attack, this character may also use Twin Attack.
Jar'Kai Style Mastery:
If an adjacent enemy can use Melee Attack, this character may use Twin Attack and Parry
NOW there are also people who become overly relient on Jar'Kai and can't function with a single blade (Ventress comes to mind) so that might also be something to think about, though I'd probably just make than an ability of her's and not a part of Jar'Kai
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I created this a while back based on Wook's article on Jar'Kai. Smilar to Andy, it's really based more on the use of two separate sabers but fits a double sided lightsaber as well.
Jar'Kai Style- (This character gains Counterattack while there is exactly 1 enemy adjacent to this character. This character gains Parry while there are two or more enemies adjacent to this character.)
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All of these are great ideas. I think that Jar Kai needs some drawback, or a strategy changer... I mean, both versions of the ability here seem to lend themselves to Gregarious/Swarm/Crowd Style Fighting/Momentum and abilities which increase the amount of adjacent enemies. Jar Kai should have to rely on movement, as it seems to me a very movement orientated form. Im thinking something along the lines of Strafe Attack and Whirlwind Attack/Lightsaber Sweep. I think Jar Kai should also punish opponents moving; as Juyo and Jar Kai are highly Movement orientated. Jar Kai Style: This character may attack each adjacent enemy once. Rest of ability as per Strafe Attack. Jar Kai Style Mastery: This character may attack each adjacent enemy twice; if the adjacent enemy moved this round, this character gains +10 damage. Instead of an AoO, enemy characters moving out of adjacency with this character are defeated, save 16.
Force Push/Force Repulse & Force Lightning + a Jar Kai user suddenly became more powerful. Pinball, anyone?  As to Double Bladed Lightsaber, I went for a balanced approach: benefit + drawback. I tried to incorporate the negative aspect to fighting with a double ended lightsaber (possibly explaining the insta-defeat of Maul, in SWM terms). Self Inflicted Insta-defeat seems consistent with all the entries on double ended lightsaber fighting; hence why the weapon is so rare and feared.
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kobayashimaru wrote:All of these are great ideas.
I think that Jar Kai needs some drawback, or a strategy changer... I mean, both versions of the ability here seem to lend themselves to Gregarious/Swarm/Crowd Style Fighting/Momentum and abilities which increase the amount of adjacent enemies.
Jar Kai should have to rely on movement, as it seems to me a very movement orientated form.
Im thinking something along the lines of Strafe Attack and Whirlwind Attack/Lightsaber Sweep.
I think Jar Kai should also punish opponents moving; as Juyo and Jar Kai are highly Movement orientated.
Jar Kai Style: This character may attack each adjacent enemy once. Rest of ability as per Strafe Attack.
Jar Kai Style Mastery: This character may attack each adjacent enemy twice; if the adjacent enemy moved this round, this character gains +10 damage. Instead of an AoO, enemy characters moving out of adjacency with this character are defeated, save 16.
I don't know-Kar'Kai itself is really not so much a lightsaber "form" as it is just fighting with two lightsabers (or a double sided lightsaber). I like your idea but I'm not sure if it fits Jar'Kai so much as it might someone who uses Jar'Kai in conjunction with, say, Ataru. Edit: I have to say, also, that the last sentence of \JKSM is a bit overpowered. 
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