Does the skill non-projectile weapons have any effect on lightsaber ability or is it based only on lightsaber combat? Would a jedi with both lightsaber combat and non-projectile weapons be more of a threat with a lightsaber than a person with an equal number of ranks in lightsaber combat alone?

No skills are currently used in combat, so no-one knows.

Not entirely true, Ellias, the weapon skill is used somewhere (I can't remember right off the top of my head).

Xanatos, if you're Force Sensitive, it will use your Lightsaber Combat skill when the weapon skill is required by a formula. If you're not FS it will default to using your NPW skill.

“Not entirely true, Ellias, the weapon skill is used somewhere (I can't remember right off the top of my head). ”

Perhaps A/E is the one you're thinking? NPW/PW is used as the secondary for Fight response checks.

No.

I appreciate the help and I am aware that these skills aren't implemented. I should have been more clear in what I was asking.

I was wondering if the design team had any idea if force sensitives just need lightsaber combat or if they need both skills to be at their best with a lightsaber, once combat is implemented. I realize it is still subject to change as well. Thanks for the help.

If you're Force Sensitive then it will only take into account your Lightsaber Combat skill.

Thank you Mikel, that was the answer I was looking for.

Hmmm... This is interesting...
So a person who is master with swords, spears, axes and various other bladed and blunt implements of doom - has skill 5 in non projectile weapons (which really could be named melee weapons as a side note) - will have no clue how to hold a lightsaber to not hurt himself if he has lightsaber dueling skill 0?
That seems a bit ridiculous as lightsaber even if balanced completely differently is used pretty much like any sword or sabre (more of a sword really)...
I really hope it gets implemented in a way that lightsaber dueling will only provide some kind of bonus (perhaps when battling other FS people?) as a martial art supplementing NPW skill...

Til.

Re-read what Mikel said.

Yes, I've read:

“Xanatos, if you're Force Sensitive, it will use your Lightsaber Combat skill when the weapon skill is required by a formula. ”

“If you're Force Sensitive then it will only take into account your Lightsaber Combat skill. ”

So it would mean for my understanding that Lightsaber combat skill replaces NPW skill when someone is FS...
Or does it augument the NPW skill? If it doesn't it is a bit hard to understand for me as I wrote that someone who knows well how to handle swords doesn't know how to handle lightsabre, even more if he was able to handle one when he was not FS but suddenly lost his ability when he became FS (I'd expect him to only be able to gain bigger benefits of this)...

Unless I understand it wrong, then please explain to me :P

You didn't say anything about a person going FS - from how I read it (and others by the looks of it) you were just asking if someone has a 5 in the NPW skill ,why can he not use a lightsaber - which was answered previously.

Since skill usages for the weapons hasn't been coded yet, let alone the FS lightsaber issues, no-one really knows yet.

There were 3 options: have LSC replace NPW when one was FS, have it add to NPW, or not use it at all.

Obviously option 3 was not acceptable, so we were left with having it add to NPW (potentially leaving some points in LSC useless, for example if you had a 3 in NPW there's no need for anything about a 2 in LSC) which was equally not acceptable, so we settled on the first option, having it replace the NPW skill, only for lightsabers, and only if the person was Force sensitive.

Seeing as how it's a completely different weapon from all others, and somewhat logical to assume that even a "NPW master" hasn't trained with a real one to the extent that even a force using apprentice has, I'm debating whether the NPW skill when using lightsabers for a non-FS should be capped at 1 or 2.

My point is that none of the given options was very acceptable, but the one we chose we saw as the best for now. If you have any reasoned arguments for another way, I'll gladly listen in the Force or suggestions forums.

Ok, thank you for the answer, I understand the reasons now ;)

Mikel, how about having NPW capped for use with lightsabers, but when they go FS they use which ever is higher of their NPW of lightsaber combat skills. I seem to remember the lightsaber combat skills was a universal facet which you cannot put skill points into when you are unlocked and so have to train to get points to raise it. This might allow for a transtion period between the two.

Oh, right, I forgot the other option was to take the higher one, but I don't really like the idea of "shopping" skills.

Really, it's ridiculously easy to gain Force levels (you gain one after your first and second successful trainings), so it's not really that much of a chore to put the points into it.

As a side question, will dexterity, strength, or any other regular skills affect lightsaber combat if you are force sensitive? Or will it just be the lightsaber combat skill?

Also if you remember that non-projectile weapons are usually well balanced weapons that make it easy to train muscle memory with. A lightsaber isn't a balanced weapon at all because the blade weighs nothing. The weight of the weapon is all in the hilt and feels like nothing is attached to it.

It makes sense that NPW wouldn't carry over to the LS combat. Some of the parry and thrust moves maybe similar, but it would be very awkward to use one when used to a weapon that has weight to both ends of it.

I don't know, Ming. This is only concerning where the "weapon skill" is selected.

The rules were written that only the LSC would be used when dealing with lightsabers. All the arguments about skill with regular weapons carrying over, or the difference because there is no weight from the blade (and accordingly no real momentum in the swing) is irrelevant compared to the fact that the lightsaber is a Jedi (Force User) weapon. There are few, if any, examples of non-Force Sensitive wielding them in canon, and even those who were somewhat adept at killing Jedi and collecting lightsabers didn't attempt to use them. The inability of a non-FS person to use a lightsaber effectively is an additional deterrent to FS selling lightsabers, and makes them more of a trophy taken from a defeated Force User rather than an all-powerful weapon being gained in addition to the kill itself.

NPW should not be used in any lightsaber equations within SWC. Period.