Discipline (Willpower)

DISCIPLINE (WILLPOWER)

There are boundless horrors present across the span of the galaxy. Some—like the rancor, the wampa, and the krayt dragon—are natural entities, which are horrifically violent as an outgrowth of their environs. Others, such as Sithspawn horrors or the Death Star, are deliberate creations made by sentient life, which serve little purpose save to spread terror and destruction. Through the course of their adventures, characters often encounter creatures that seek to dismember or devour them. The ability to maintain their composure and react in an effective manner is governed by their Discipline. This skill represents a character’s ability to control his biological instincts, so that he can overcome things that might induce abject panic in a person of lesser resolve. A character’s Discipline is used to resist Leadership, Coercion, and Deception, and may enable him to overcome treachery and threats that others attempt to impose upon him. See Social Skill Interactions on page 118 for more information. Discipline plays a key role in the development of Force abilities. See Chapter VIII: The Force for a full explanation.

• If a character is pinned down by heavy fire, he may need to pass a Discipline check in order to act normally.
• When confronted by a creature with inherently horrifying aspects, a character’s ability to engage the foe rather than flee before its might is governed by the Discipline skill.
• Sometimes, a business contact might offer a character a deal that seems far too good to be true. The ability to resist such temptations is based upon Discipline.
• Mentally sorting truth from fiction and determining when someone is lying (and not letting oneself be swayed by those lies), is often a function of Discipline.

Discipline is often used to oppose another’s actions— where there is no roll—so it may not always be possible to generate an extra Success. In situations in which an extra Success can be earned, one may be spent to downgrade a Challenge Dice to a Difficulty dice on the character’s next action.

Advantage from a Discipline check may be spent to give the character an additional insight into the situation at hand. He might notice a particular vulnerability on a seemingly indomitable foe or an unusual pattern to the suppressing fire that gives the character a moment to leap from cover. Often, the sight of an ally looking danger in the eye and refusing to blink is all it takes to bolster one’s resolve. Triumph generated during a Discipline check may be spent to add Boost dice to any Discipline checks made by the character’s allies during the following round.

The GM may spend Threat generated during a Discipline check to undermine the character’s resolve, perhaps inflicting a penalty on further actions in the face of distressing circumstances. Despair may be spent to overwhelm the character entirely. In this case, the character is unable to perform more than a single maneuver during the following round of combat.