Armor On Profile Pages

I had a quick query in regards to the armor on the profile pages ie. the one on my profile (http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/dossier.asp?ID=1825). Am I correct in assuming that this is standard issue Stormtrooper armor and has no other benefits apart from what standard Stormtrooper armor gives, which isn't much if you watch the films.

I had a quick query in regards to the armor on the profile pages ie. the one on my profile (http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/dossier.asp?ID=1825). Am I correct in assuming that this is standard issue Stormtrooper armor and has no other benefits apart from what standard Stormtrooper armor gives, which isn't much if you watch the films.



Great question. I think it may be beneficial if we set up a Wiki entry for each set of armor, detailing their benefits. Sounds like a project for Muz and a team of writers. I would like to think my Armor has some sort of special skill, maybe warding off jackasses. >:)

Nah, as GM your armor is especially vulnerable to assination attempts.

Especially DP's hiding in the shadows waiting to incinerate you with some far out awesome Force power. But the armor should be like highly resistant to blaster fire or something.

Since your a GM or anyone else high ranked, they shouldn't get any real armor. Because you guys could easily block it, or buff yourself to resist it or something. Your near immortal just walking out naked, let alone a some armor that would make it extra harder to kill.

Does that mean every robe is imbued with special powers or just the armors? If each robe confers unique powers, Muz's job just became exponentially more difficult. If not--if only the armor provides benefits--everyone will grab the armors.

Personally, I like the robes and armors sans special abilities; not as if stormie gear ever stopped a blaster shot. Ars gratis artis, they're just fun and cool.

Standard robes shouldn't do anything except what normal clothes do, there's no way that we could realistically create 3k+ robes with unique properties to each one. Robes that actually do something could be an interesting reward, though; something along the lines of the unique ACC weapons. The fact that we lack a codified system of implementing something like that for the entire DB is one major obstacle, though.

it isnt the outside that defines a person's strength...

as of such...I am against robes and armors having special abilities...

I don't think they're saying *all* robes and armor will have special abilities... maybe more like an awarded thing.

Ok just to clarify, all I wanted to know was if it was standard stormtrooper armor or if it was slightly better, like maybe it can take two or three shots before they penetrate the armor as opposed to the one we see in the films. To be honest I dont think giving the armor "special powers" is such a great idea, but thats just me.

Well in the original trilogy you have to take into account that the storm troopers were the bad guys which is why it only took one shot to kill them, in the prequel you see the first edition of the armor on the clone troopers and there it seems to work better.

well those stormtrooper armors werent designed to survive a direct hit, more like sharpnels, or lower energized shots, but not a direct blaster fire. Thats how it was meant, 1 shot and you die. Although noone cared as the stormtroopers werent that important. They had alot of backup

My robes have a special power. They allow me to walk around everywhere in the galaxy without drawing attention to myself.

Boo Kaine and his Jedi Robes.

If anything the use of armor should be kept to a minimum... theres really no purpose to wearing armor because it hampers mobility and provides little if any protection against lightsabers. The only real exceptions are the Obelisk Order and GMRG, because theyre expected to fight on the ground: often in harsh environments where exposure means certain death. Also their physical strength helps mitigate the weight of the armor.

Or if you have Dark Armor- a different beast entirely.

I agree with the most of you that not all armors should have special propeties...robes i do not count since they`re just clothes like the ones we wear every day...

if perhaps a person wins one of Muz`s blog comps and gets a custome robe(and ba robe i mean both robe and armor) he could possibly have an armor with special propeties made...he would have to tell the HRLD aka Muz these special properties (they must`nt be farfetched ofc...ya cant have "You-cant-kill-me-while-i-wear-this" type of armor ) and the armor would be built accordingly...offcourse seeing how im M:HRLD id gladly help Muz in any way

Or if you have Dark Armor- a different beast entirely.

Dark Armor is rare enough though that its use would be heavily restricted even among the Elder ranks. Its highly unlikely that anyone below the rank of DA would be entrusted with a suit of Dark Armor. And certainly no one below the rank of DA possess the monetary resources to buy a suit of Dark Armor on the black market.

There were plans to allow customizable armor for obelisks as part of rebirth, but we're unlikely to see that happen now. The basic idea was that each suit of armor would have a number of slots for adding components like personal shields and stealth generators. Id be perfectly okay with that type of customization. I do think the use of "magical" armor needs to be restricted though.

I'm sorry... when did we cross over into scary D20 land? Armor doesn't have special bonuses... it's not magical. Armor provides basic protection against blaster fire (and never against a direct shot) and it's useless against a lightsaber.

If you want magical robes and armors go play KOTOR

Why wear armour at all?

Just go commando.

Why wear armour at all?

Because Obelisks are often required to fight in volatile atmospheres, complete vacuums, and contaminated areas (whether it be radiatiative/chemical/biological contamination). So they're given enclosed power armor for those reasons. Their armor wont protect them from lightsabers, it *might* turn a fatal blaster wound into an incapacitating blaster wound, but it will keep them alive in hostile environments.

EDIT: oh yeah and magic armor is stupid

And certainly no one below the rank of DA possess the monetary resources to buy a suit of Dark Armor on the black market.

I am gonna take us on a slight tangent because I have been trying to find a suitable time or place to address this concern and this seems the best place thus far.

Onto the matter: I am going to have a problem with a full economy within the DB because it will most assuredly be based on rank, time within the Brotherhood and merit awards (as detailed by the Rebirth Project). This in my opinion is overly simplistic and will detract from the role-playing aspect of the Dark Brotherhood because character history will mean absolutely nothing.

I highly doubt most here would make the in-character choice to live their entire lives as simple, ascetic, Dark Jedi, monks (ironically not even Etah), and I doubt one who did, would have more than very minimal monetary resources, liquid or otherwise.

Monetary rewards should defiantly be awarded to those veterans who have chosen to remain with this organization over time, in an in-character framework. For instance as shareholders to the various companies each clan is bound to own. Furthermore it would make sense for the Star Chamber to award additional income to members in leadership positions, staff and support positions (House/Clan/Dark Summit, Dark Council etc.), both past and present.

But character creation should also be able to account for character histories. So if a character were wealthy (within reason) they should be allowed to purchase a resources background similar in manner to the White Wolf/Story teller system. Of course there would be balance and one who would choose to have a wealthy background would be lacking in other areas. Thus we have both balance and realism.

The stormy armour you can select freely for your dossier is modified clone armour. That is to say that it can be expected to withstand a few blaster shots before failing.

The GMRG armour is more substantive, and also sealed for adverse conditions. It's also the only stuff with a helmet. Coincidence? I think not.

Sarin's armour pwns. It has a secret pwntastic power that is derived from distilling the blood (and other fluids) of various Tally members.

Obelisk don't get anything special to their order.

Yet.

And if something does come up for order specific, you can expect equally cool stuff for Krath and Sith as well. Speaking of that, Macron, email me on that stuff.

The robes are not magical. Period. No. No Robes of t3h Archmagi +37. Cut it out, or you will get the only magical robes in the DB, the ones that come with a little fairy wand.





Etah: The problem with your theory is the same exact problem that White Wolf had. Twinkies would abuse it and ruin the game for everyone else, by taking their points in some sort of 'uber template' that we might not have been able to tweak out correctly, and upset the balance of power.

A consul can pretty much own 20 apprentices out of hand.
He'd have a harder time owning 20 apprentices who have huge warships firing at his dinky fighter.

Part of open rules like that is that twinkie powergamers like finding ways to disrupt realism and balance. It's part of their hobby. It'd be good in a perfect world, but, like with communism, it fails when applied to human nature.

Plus, part of the DB storyline is that you surrender all material possessions when you join.

Sarin thanks you for your contribution.

Twinkies would abuse it and ruin the game for everyone else,

I share your pain when it comes to munchkins. That is why in all areas, common sense can and should be enforced by DJB leadership (Much like competent story tellers prevent min-maxing in WW games).


He'd have a harder time owning 20 apprentices who have huge warships firing at his dinky fighter.

A clan Consul can own 20 Apprentices in the force, without a doubt. What if your apprentice had been an Imperial Royal Guard? Think you might have a hard time in hand to hand? Probably. For instance a member of my battle team is an experienced member of the Imperial Senate. Though he ranks as a Guardian there are Dark Jedi Masters here who served UNDER him in the Imperial Senate. Think he might have a hand up in politics, propaganda and other kinds of intrigue? I think so.

I think the answer is to expand the role-playing elements among the Dark Brotherhood. We are less a religious cult now than we are the rightful and constituted Government of a Sovereign state. Within that state we would have an organized militia, law enforcement elements, public administration, other types of infrastructure, commerce etc. Being that the DJB is the constituted Government it would only make sense for its members to take leading roles in all the above areas.

Well I don't know the white wolf system but if it were like that I predict that everyone will just say they're wealthy or even nobility and as such claim limitless funds.

You can’t claim limitless funds in Whitewolf, you can buy up to five points of resources with each point being a defined amount of income per month (it’s generally broken down like $500.00 / $1,200.00 / $3,000.00 / $9,000.00 / $30,000.00) and by taking 5 dots in a resources background you spend two to five freebee points (you get free backgrounds as part of character creation) that could be better be used on other types of background such as mentor, contacts or influence. In addition most good story-tellers charge more than 1 point for backgrounds (so 1 point for level one and maybe level two, then 2 points for level three, 3 points for level four etc.).

Rules should be well defined to keep munchkins from taking advantage of the system, but not so rigid that role playing becomes stagnate or the system overtakes the actual writing.

KM has no source of income - no job, no trade or service to offer. He is sustained monetarily by donations from charitable individuals. Some may have been persuaded.

My point is I don't think we need a DJB exclusive background-building tool. Look to White Wolf, WotC or any other RPG's system to come up with something. Bounce those ideas off a friend in the club.

Money - from a Star Wars "realistic" approach - is just plain insane. Looking at the original trilogy money is hardly discussed. The only instance that comes to mind - when paying off Han Solo to get to Alderaan. Even still, the amount he was asking (17,000 credits) seemed rather high, given Luke's reaction. Then again, Luke could have just been a hick moisture farmer from a backwater planet who never saw 170 credits, let alone 17,000.

On the same hand, Han acted like "holy crap - it's the answer to all my dreams! 17,000 credits!" Sure, he was going to use it to pay off Jabba and could get back to "regular" work, but he seemed awfully excited over 17k.

Apply that thinking to some of the DJB possessions, worth hundreds of thousands of credits. Seems silly huh? Sure it's like 20 years later, but would inflation be that severe?

It's possible, but, to me, rather improbable.

A clan Consul can own 20 Apprentices in the force, without a doubt. What if your apprentice had been an Imperial Royal Guard? Think you might have a hard time in hand to hand? Probably. For instance a member of my battle team is an experienced member of the Imperial Senate. Though he ranks as a Guardian there are Dark Jedi Masters here who served UNDER him in the Imperial Senate. Think he might have a hand up in politics, propaganda and other kinds of intrigue? I think so.



What you're talking about is completely different from what Muz was talking about (or your original point, for that matter). Muz said that as part of the fictional initiation to the DB all new members are required to give up the material possessions and claims to any future material possessions that they may have once had (titles of nobility not earned in the DB are included). What you're saying is that the character's past may influence the skills that the character has now, and that they can't be ignored. Although that is something I agree with, it was never the argument. Skills acquired before joining the DB don't vanish.

On the other hand, however, things need to remain realistic. You brought up the example of someone from the Senate. I was in the Senate too, and I was a Bounty Hunter, a TIE pilot and a Dark Jedi all at the same time. Realistic? Hell no. Dark Jedi plus one other occupation at the same time would have been realistic, but dark jedi plus senator plus bounty hunter plus TIE pilot just isn't.

When I wrote my history I fudged the dates a little and have myself becoming a bounty hunter early in life, which led to me working with some Dark Jedi who brought me back to train, which eventually got me into the TC. The Senate isn't anywhere in there because it wouldn't have fit with the story.

Muz said that as part of the fictional initiation to the DB all new members are required to give up the material possessions and claims to any future material possessions that they may have once had (titles of nobility not earned in the DB are included).

That just seems like a copout to me and fictionally it doesn’t work or make sense. Firstly if this rule was active, all you would get was a legion of poor people who had nothing to surrender anyway and secondly it seems logical to me that the Brotherhood would WANT people with experience and maybe actual power or authority whether they be sleeper agents or representatives abroad. A Brotherhood of essentially vagrants doesn’t make much sense to me.

Now I know why you would do that, we have already mentioned the munchkin syndrome. We all know there are people that would seek to take advantage of the system and people that would make their character as powerful as possible even within the bounds of the rules (called min-maxing by some). The reality is that everyone (and I mean everyone) wants a character that is somehow special or different, from journeyman to elder and I believe you can do that within the framework of a full RPG system, and maintain balance.

For instance, say you want to role play a senatorial aid, given that it is not a ‘very’ high achievement, one could assume that they are probably educated and young-ish, therefore could possibly be physically fit. Now say someone else wants to actually be a Senator or have been a senator. This person is likely to be VERY educated and advanced in years meaning their physical stats would be very weak. Trade off’s like this maintain balance.

A good role playing system would by nature be complicated. Because you have so many factors to balance realism and variety, but that is why you have a dedicated and knowledgably staff like the ACC does. You could munchkin proof a system but you would also deprive said system of much of what makes role playing fun.

And by balance I mean that one would be limited by specific rules gauging character histories, possessions and of course actions. I don’t think EVERYTHING from matchbooks to pencils should be detailed on a character sheet, but details (name, race, age, planet of origin etc.), character background and all major items including weapons, armor, uncommon items, vehicles and vessels etc. should be detailed on the sheet and be accepted or rejected by the RPG staff in a similar manner as the ACC. That is how you allow diversity while simultaneously enforcing common sense.

Also note that you don't necessarily use the same character, e.g. RevengeX the Dark Jedi may not be the same as RevengeX the Bounty Hunter or RevengeX the Plumber.

God, I feel a little like Pandora after she opened the box. Basically all I was looking for was what Muz said,

"The stormy armour you can select freely for your dossier is modified clone armour. That is to say that it can be expected to withstand a few blaster shots before failing."

Thanks Muz, all I wanted to know mate

That just seems like a copout to me and fictionally it doesn’t work or make sense. Firstly if this rule was active, all you would get was a legion of poor people who had nothing to surrender anyway and secondly it seems logical to me that the Brotherhood would WANT people with experience and maybe actual power or authority whether they be sleeper agents or representatives abroad. A Brotherhood of essentially vagrants doesn’t make much sense to me.

If initiates were allowed to keep their wealth, they would be picked off by higher-ranking members almost immediately after joining.

the DB's government is a form of neo-feudalism. members arnt actually paid a "salary". Instead members are given tithes by their vassals. As a dark adept I would likely have multiple vassals of varying ranks, and they pay me tithes in exchange for my protection and my counsel. In the same manner, all members of a clan pay a tithe to their clan, and every clan pays a tithe to the dark council... so basically all the wealth of the DB is redistributed according to rank and position. And it balances out eventually once you become high enough in rank to gain vassals of your own. Provided you live that long...

If initiates were allowed to keep their wealth, they would be picked off by higher-ranking members almost immediately after joining.

the DB's government is a form of neo-feudalism.

And now its time for Star Wars realism, Clone troopers killed off almost the entire Jedi Order. A soldier with an X-45 can take out a Dark Jedi Master.

This isn’t jail where you become an elder’s sissy so he’ll protect you from the bad men. Leaders need followers as much as followers need leaders. I would say it’s more like the mob than feudalism.


so basically all the wealth of the DB is redistributed according to rank and position.

And it balances out eventually once you become high enough in rank to gain vassals of your own.

Fictionally, few would give up all their worldly belongings to join some Brotherhood that might or might not fulfill its promises, especially a Dark Jedi Brotherhood who’s members for the most part, are essentially greedy.

Well you have to remember that the jedi were killed because they never expected the clone troopers to turn on them, I would assume that a dark jedi is more suspicious of the people around him because of the nature of the dark side.

How's about this...your "worth" is directly proportional to your rank and former positions in the club...at least in terms of your fictional character. Otherwise, your character is basically a "nothing" Anything that is made, RP-wise, uses that as its foundation. Ta da, done As for armor stuff, Muz said all that was needed to say on that.

We have to be careful not to make the Sith out to be too godlike, or armour invincible. We also have to be careful not to diminish its usefulness either.

As Etah pointed out a non-Jedi with a blaster (clone, bounty hunter, even a droid) is quite capable of killing any Jedi, circumstances providing. If you’ve got surprise, and overwhelming numbers, then even the Grand Master should die. The whole “energy absorb/dissipate” power only goes so far. That’s why Force-users HAD to invent lightsaber forms capable of dealing with the awesome threat of blasters in the first place.

Getting the element of surprise should be a bit more difficult against a Dark Sider, true, but it is still possible. After all Plagueis was killed in his sleep, and Palpatine was betrayed by someone he never thought could be turned from the Dark Side.


As far as armour versus blasters goes (and echoing what others have said), I know what you’re thinking, stormtroopers go down like dominoes. That seems like a gross generalization though, doesn’t it? Star Wars armour must protect somewhat against blasters, otherwise why would one of the Clones ask for a medic during the Utapau battle, and why would a trooper from A New Hope have been checking a fallen comrade for life signs when Vader made his first appearance?

I figure stormtrooper armour actually gives a good deal of protection, aside from direct hits, which only goes to show us again how important blasters and other ranged weapons are in the grand scheme of things. A blaster bolt melts its way through instantly as there’s no dissipation of force over a large area. It all boils down to where the shot lands on the body, and how powerful the blaster itself is. Not all weapons are built alike. To actually make a fair number of military-grade blaster bolts survivable, the armour would have to be way thicker and heavier than it is on the average stormtrooper, to the point that no one would be able to wear it without mechanical assistance (as in the case of spacetroopers). Tanks are more expensive than infantry.


Stormtrooper armour clearly isn’t going to save someone from a firm lightsaber hit or a well-aimed blaster bolt, but it is going to give significant protection against other weapons (clubs, punches/kicks, stones, arrows, knives, lighter swords, etc.).



The robes are not magical. Period. No. No Robes of t3h Archmagi +37. Cut it out, or you will get the only magical robes in the DB, the ones that come with a little fairy wand.

Exactly. Leave Muz alone. And get that +3 mace stuff away from me too...it scares me.

i will be short,

i think the current system is fine. you can get wealth within the brotherhood still not getting any advantage. and/Or if you roleplay a guy who is wealthy you gain no advantage of it in the either. Our clans own worlds, on those worlds you can be a nobie. What else you want?

How's about this...your "worth" is directly proportional to your rank and former positions in the club...at least in terms of your fictional character. Otherwise, your character is basically a "nothing"  Anything that is made, RP-wise, uses that as its foundation. Ta da, done

It can be done like that and I’m sure it will be, but it’s fictionally unsound and in my opinion will severely limit any kind of role playing environment that might be created in the Dark Jedi Brotherhood.

I'm interested in hearing why you think that requiring new members to give up their possessions is a cop out, and nonsensical. The way I see it, it's a perfectly legit rule that is in line with one of the DB's guiding principles: the only thing that matters in the DB is what you do in the DB. This is also reflected in our policy on transferring ranks and medals from the EHDB. You may be the Emperor of the Known Universe in another club, but when you join the DB you're still just an APP. This is a policy that was put into place in order to protect current members who had spent years working in the club from being pushed to the side by some newbie who came in with a fleet of his own and a huge bank account (which could be anyone, in reality, because this is all fictional; when you write fiction you can write whatever you want).

If you take offense to the idea of protecting old, established members who have worked over the years to make this club what it is today from new members who have contributed nothing and just want to be teh uber dark jedi, then please speak up. Otherwise I don't see any point in continuing this discussion.

I'm interested in hearing why you think that requiring new members to give up their possessions is a cop out, and nonsensical.

Because I believe that fictionally, it would handicap the Brotherhood beyond belief. What is the nature of a Dark Jedi from cannon sources? Selfish, greedy, they lust for power in all forms. Is my characterization unfair? Who of these would “surrender” all they own in life to someone else, to become that persons pawn.


The way I see it, it's a perfectly legit rule that is in line with one of the DB's guiding principles: the only thing that matters in the DB is what you do in the DB. This is also reflected in our policy on transferring ranks and medals from the EHDB.

And I agree with this rule. I am not in any way shape or form suggesting that we should induct people as equites or elders based on experience from unaffiliated clubs or we turn over Consulship to an Apprentice. My one and only point is that fictionally a person’s character history enriches the character and lends itself to higher quality role playing.


because this is all fictional; when you write fiction you can write whatever you want).

Fiction within the Dark Brotherhood as it exists now; yes you can pretty much say whatever you want, but an economy would be part of a role playing system. A role playing system is created to put limitations and the story teller/game master/dungeon master/moderator enforces common sense and balances realism with game mechanics.

All I am suggesting is the ability to include fundamental character history in character creation within the bounds of game mechanics, including a limited amount of wealth and possessions and possible if limited influence over external entities.


If you take offense to the idea of protecting old, established members who have worked over the years to make this club what it is today from new members who have contributed nothing and just want to be teh uber dark jedi, then please speak up.

I can see why you could understand my posts this way, but I assure you; nothing could be further from the truth. If it was, I’m sure my Master would smite me lol

My one and only grievance is the fictional inconsistencies with some kind of surrender and redistribution of wealth policy. While I am not saying a person should be able to have as much wealth as they want, but each member should be allowed individual assets within reason, within the bounds of game mechanics and common sense and with their individual character histories in mind.

I find it funny that no on thus far has commented on the expanding of fictional roles within the Dark Brotherhood. These are the kind of outlets we had while enthralled to the Emperors Hammer. With that organization cast aside I believe its time we reclaim them within the Brotherhood.

The EH had a larger fictional aspect than the DB has now? Really? Since when? If you go back in DB history, pre-split, our fictional reality wasn't all that fleshed out. The DB has become much more of a fictional place than it once was. There is of course more room to grow, but since as you've mentioned those aspects are much more complicated, implementing them properly takes a lot of time and isn't something that can just be slapped together.

As for clamping down on one's character...well...the entire point of character development is to grow your character. You start off at the bottom, and as you "grow" in the DB, your character does as well. I can easily go back into my own history and flesh out a thousand little things without having to go outside the DB "reality". Everyone wants to have that already well made character that has a huge history and throw them right into the middle of the DB. But it doesn't work like that. The whole point is to start from scratch and work your way up, just like all other members of the club did. So as you grow, your fictional character grows with you.

So, in summary, the DB has grown in a fictional sense and will continue to grow into that area. There are always new ideas in the pipeline, but as with everything it takes time, hard work and effort to implement it properly. It is however a lot more developed than the EH ever was. There were faction in the EH that were extremely RP-oriented, but they were never a "main" part of the EH...so your argument in that area goes out the window.

And there you have it.

So when I have my battlefleet of twenty Death Stars and am Emperor of my own minature Empire whats my motivation for joining the DB and taking orders from a bunch of rejects exactly? Oh, right, nothing. I'd just march my army to Antei, butcher the DB leadership, take the holocrons for myself, make myself Dark Lord of the Sith and rule the galaxy alone.

That's the problem with total freedom. There is more than one article on the wiki that is virtually as bad as that sans the Death Stars. I have seen members in the past quit because they weren't allowed to be Dark Lord of the Sith as a Novice.

You have to draw a line somewhere. That's an inescapable fact of life.

There is also the activity issue. The primary goal of the DB is to provide an interest for people and to try and get them active and working together. If someone just wants to write up their God-Emperor character that will never be able to have any realistic involvement in the DB then theres always the SW Fanon Wiki or something where someone could do that. It's like if you give someone $100,000,000,000 the day they're born, they aren't likely to go out and get a job, they're much more likely to end up like Paris Hilton. If people get all the goodies the day they join there isn't a whole lot of reason to be active.

Now, that's not to say I think everyone should be paupers with no clothes who we kidnap off the streets of downtown Mos Espa. My character is the son of a Falleen noble with a relatively aristocratic upbringing and quite a lot of money. There is a difference though between being a millionnaire and being Roman Abramovich with a fleet of private yachts. Most people when they talk about "my character is rich" usually have attached to that "and owns a planet, is a count, has his own army and flies around in a Star Destroyer". That's just not realistic. Even Bill Gates doesn't own an aircraft carrier or have a private army. Even if he could afford them he wouldn't be allowed to. And, despite how rich he is, even he wouldn't actually be able to buy that much of an air force. Individual wealth is trivial next to the wealth of nations.

It's the same principle in Star Wars. A private corvette is the equivalent to owning your own luxury yacht. Having your own Victory Star Destroyer is like saying you own your own aircraft carrier, it's just plain rediculous. Likewise, being governor of your own planet is like saying you're Kim Jong-il but for some reason want to come train at the US naval academy for a bit. It's illogical. Nothing stops you being that powerful but why would you join the DB? More importantly, how would you justify it? If George Bush suddenly enrolled at Sandringham academy in the UK I doubt he'd be able to keep his job as president while roughing it as a private and being taught how to fire a gun.

If your character is that powerful you just wouldn't be taking orders from the DB. It's that simple.

That doesn't stop you being Leia Organa though. Leia was rich. Super rich. She was a galactic celebrity. But even she didn't fly around in a Star Destroyer, the most she had a luxury corvette. She might have had a dozen or so private bodyguards but she didn't have an army.

That's the reality. There is a lot people can do but they seldomly do. When I was rewriting my history recently I felt like I was being far too over the top but then I go and look at some other peoples' and think "Actually, wait a second, I'm being far too mundane". Xanos's father was a viscount, but there are members of the DB who are counts themselves or kings of their own planets. It's just silly. Not everyone can be Count Dooku or Darth Vader. It's hard enough when a Consul claims that and has to then fit in "why would I care about this clan as well then?". It's practically nonsensical when you get a Novice doing it who in the DB itself fictionally has no power at all, is treated like dirt, and has a 90% chance of not surviving basic training at the Shadow Academy (see APP AWOL rates).

It's no different in any roleplaying game. You start at Level 1 you earn XP and work up to Level 20. Not starting at Level 20 with a Sword of the Avenger +15 doesn't mean your character has to be boring though. If anything, boring characters are the ones that were born with the powers and wealth of Superman. Interesting and well developed characters are the ones with a punchline and a reason for why they are like they are today.

Anyway, I'll end on the Leia Organa example. One of the richest people in the galaxy. A former Head of State of the whole Galaxy twice. And she flies around in the Millennium Falcon. Your character can be whatever you want it, just so long as you're not claiming you own your own planet as if its as casual a thing as owning a 10 bedroom mansion. If your character's history, key word, has him being governor of his own star system, whatever, that's fine, but there then has to be a reason for him joining the DB as the governor of a star system isn't going to do that. If he used to be this glorious Imperial Grand Admiral who lost everything and ended up with us... fine, someone's history can be whatever they like provided it has a reason for eventually ending up joining the DB.

Bill Gates might take karate lessons but he's not going to join Al'Qaeda.

Jedi = Karate lessons.
Us = Al'Qaeda.

I'm going to add a few things now.

If you govern your own planet, how do you maintain control while your are away at Antei? Who is trying to overthrow you because you aren't an active participant in politics? Who is trying to steal your influence? How much have you lost because you were too busy in the shadow academy to stop them?

If you are that rich, how much do you tithe to your home clan? Your consul? The Grand Master? We're darksiders, after all, and not above the notion of bribery.

Also: how did you get rich? how do these riches help you in the brotherhood? Without force aptitude, you'd never get your fleet through the shroud intact. If you have a fleet, you probably need it to be doing it's job, protecting your estate. And how does your wealth entitle you to state-level purchasing power.

As goat said, you can be rich, but you still can't buy certain things. Bill Gates cannot buy a nuclear bomb, a fighter jet, or an aircraft carrier. Maybe he has the cash, but that doesn't mean that he can do it. Citizens only can do so much.

As goat said, you can be rich, but you still can't buy certain things.  Bill Gates cannot buy a nuclear bomb, a fighter jet, or an aircraft carrier.  Maybe he has the cash, but that doesn't mean that he can do it.  Citizens only can do so much.



are you sure about this one?

the DB's government is a form of neo-feudalism. members arnt actually paid a "salary". Instead members are given tithes by their vassals. As a dark adept I would likely have multiple vassals of varying ranks, and they pay me tithes in exchange for my protection and my counsel. In the same manner, all members of a clan pay a tithe to their clan, and every clan pays a tithe to the dark council... so basically all the wealth of the DB is redistributed according to rank and position. And it balances out eventually once you become high enough in rank to gain vassals of your own. Provided you live that long...

Pyramid scheme

I so wish I'd never even started this topic now, that'll teach me to keep my mouth shut.