The Unifying Force
The Unifying Force is a Force-Using Tradition.
Followed by many Sith and a rare few Jedi, this tradition holds that the Force does not have "sides". Instead, it unifies all space, time, and possibility, and thus, in its contemplation, one can see through the mists of time, to one's ultimate destiny. Sith use this trait to discover the path to ultimate power, while Jedi are more keen to explore the spiritual depths of this revelation. The Unifying Force is about the past, the future, about prophecy and destiny.
Philosophy
The Unifying Force is less about navel-gazing and more about actively navigating the currents of the Force. In a Universe in which all things are unified into a single point of infinite consciousness, the only thing that differentiates any two people, places, or events is Will. Will is what collapses waveforms, what gives meaning to chaos, what imposes order on the Universe. Thus, perception is far less important than intent.
The philosophy of the Unifying Force holds three virtues above all others: Passion, Conviction, and Will. While they are superficially similar, they are distinct in that:
- Passion describes intense, focused emotion. It does not describe wild, chaotic emotion, which bear a person like waves in a storm bear a ship; it describes the pure, distilled nature of emotion, focused, filtered of any animal instinct or uncontrollable urge, and put to use.
- Conviction describes the certainty of one's path. In a Universe of infinite uncertainty, infinite possibility, there can be no objective Truth, only Conviction. In theory, so says the philosophy, a being of infinite conviction would impose his world view on the entire Universe, redefining the very laws of time and space to suit his conception of them. Such a being would thus wield unlimited power. Infinite conviction is, of course, impossible, but that is no reason not to pursue ever greater heights of it.
- Will describes one's destination. Given one's current condition, one must visualize a desired destination, a desired state to which the Universe will transition. Will keeps this destination in mind, and thus provides motive force to reach it. If one loses Will, one loses all motion, and becomes a subject to the flows of the Force, not its guiding hand. Will must be absolute and unyielding, else Chaos will take over.
Mechanics
Practitioners of the Unifying Force use Charisma for Use the Force checks.
Also, they gain the following abilities: Passion, Conviction, and Will.
Passion
Passion: So intense is the passion of the practitioner that it spills over into the world at large. In a constant emanation with a radius of 10 squares, the practitioner applies one of the following effects. She may choose, as a free action, which to apply, canceling all others in progress:- Aura of Courage: Focused emotion can dispel fear. Allies in the area gain +5 per rank to Will Defense against fear and negative emotion-based effects. Furthermore, they gain DR 1 per rank of the practitioner, as they fear no pain or impediment to achieving their goals.
- Aura of Wrath: The desire to destroy one's enemies can overcome many hindrances. Allies gain +1 to all attack and damage rolls, as well as any Use the Force rolls to cause harm or debilitation to enemies. Bonus increases by +1 per rank above 1.
- Aura of Alacrity: Spurred on by passion, your allies make haste toward their goals. Allies gain +1 to Speed. Furthermore, on any standard, swift, or move action requiring a roll, a roll of 20 immediately grants a bonus action of the same type (i.e. standard, swift, move). Speed bonus increases by +1 per rank above 1.
Conviction
Conviction: The mind of the practitioner is set against the intrusion of foreign ideas, and steeled against opposition by any force.- As an immediate action (max once/rd), the practitioner may attempt to free herself from any debilitating effect of any source (e.g. grappling, a net, a carbonite grenade, or any movement-impairing or debuffing effect from a Force power). If the effect normally uses an attack roll, this ability forces it to re-roll, with a -5 penalty to the check (cumulative with each attempt to break free). If the effect does not use an attack, the practitioner rolls opposed Charisma vs. the assailant (again with a cumulative -5 penalty to the assailant).
- On success, the effect immediately ends, and this ability goes on cooldown (recharge 33%).
Will
Will: With your mind focused on your desired outcome, the Force itself sways reality to your cause. You may use the following abilities:- Interject: Encounter, immediate; you take one action (standard, swift, or move).
- Deny Action: Encounter, immediate; you cause one action of an enemy to fail. This usually occurs as a coincidence, perhaps a modification of the environment, a freak failure of equipment, or a momentary blunder by the subject.
- Reject Failure: Encounter, immediate; you turn one failed roll (made by you) into a success. Does not work on critical failure, and cannot create a critical success.