KotOR Guide by Reaper 511 (from the days of yore)

[Reaper511 Guide Part 2]

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* Section II - Number crunching *
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To make an educated decision on how to create your character, you need to know what all the numbers that describe your character mean, and how everything about your character works. So we're going to create a little character here and I'll list all the information that you would see on the "Character Information" pages in your start menu. Then I'll explain, briefly, what the information means. To get a more detailed explanation of how these numbers affect your game, you might try a post on the official KotOR forums. If you post in the XBox forum I'll likely be able to help you, as will several other knowledgeable and friendly people.

Anyway, I'll start with Stats, moving on to Skills, and Feats. Jedi-specific information wil be covered more in the Jedi section.

HANDY TIP: If you have an Xbox handy, or can print this tutorial off, you may find it more helpful to your understanding to actually make a custom character along with this tutorial and see how attribute modifiers change things and whatnot.

NOTES ON D20 SYSTEM: You may see notation such as 1d20 pop up. This notation means "roll 1 20-sided die", and stems from the d20 system on which D&D and the Star Wars PnP games are based. KotOR is a modified version of the Star Wars PnP game, so this is the appropriate notation. As an example, lightsaber damage is calculated as 2d8, meaning you roll two 8 sided die, and the total is your damage. The game shows this as 2-16. Anyway, on with the tutorial.


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STATS:
Name: Dark Helmut (His Schwartz is bigger than yours)
Level 1
class: Soldier
Vitality: 11
Force: 0
Defense: 13

Attributes:
- Strength (STR): 14
- Dexterity (DEX): 16
- Constitution (CON): 12
- Intelligence (INT): 10
- Wisdom (WIS): 12
- Charisma (CHA): 12

Saves:
- Fortitude: 3
- Reflex: 3
- Will: 1

So let's take a look at what these stats mean:

Name: You can figure that out. And no, "Helmut" is not a typo, if you look at the credits for the movie Spaceballs. Which is a great movie, by the way.

Level: Obvious. When you level up, you get better. Specifics will be covered in the next Section. As you can guess, Mr. Helmut has JUST been created.

class: Also obvious. We'll get a lot more detailed about classes below.

Vitality: Vitality, is like health in any game. When you get hit you take damage to your Vitality Points (VP). When you run out of VP, you die. Characters who die in battle will be resurrected with 1 VP at the end of the fight, but if all your characters are dead at the same time, it's game over. Obviously. Your VP do not regenerate naturally, although there are a few exceptions: Canderous has an implant that causes him to regen 4 VP per round (this does not take up his implant slot). Also, HK-47 regens 2 VP per round after he’s repaired, and some enemies regen VP.

Force: Only Jedi classes have this stat. Each Power has a cost, in Force Points (FP). When you run out of FP, you can’t use your Powers anymore. Note that these recharge naturally, but the recharge rate is MUCH faster when you are not in combat. A final note about FP is that some Powers are inherently light or dark in nature, and your alignment can increase or decrease the cost of such powers accordingly. For example, if you are COMPLETELY light, then the cost of Lightside Powers would be halved, while Darkside Powers would be doubled. (In case of an odd number in a calculation of cost reduction, the game will round against you... because it is evil and it wants you to lose)

A NOTE: As long as I'm talking about it, keep in mind that in ALL calculations, the game rounds against you. So, decide which way you would prefer the game to round for a calculation, and expect it to round the other way. The game is CLEARLY on Darth Malak's payroll.

Defense: Defense is a little harder to explain, but I'll give it a shot. Defense measures how hard it is to hit Mr. Dark Helmut (or you). When an enemy attacks, they roll a 1d20 (this is D&D lingo for 1 20-sided die). We'll say they roll a 5 (sucks to be them). That 5 is then added to the attacker's Base Attack Bonus (or BAB, a number that goes up as you level. Detailed BAB charts for each class are below), and also added to any bonuses or penalties from effects, feats, items, powers, etc. If, when all these numbers are added together, the attacker does not get a number higher than your Defense, they miss and you take no damage. In other words, Defense is good. All characters (as far as I know) have a base Defense of 10. Many things increase your defense, including effects, feats, itme, and powers; but the most obvious and readily obtained bonuses are from your DEX mod and equipped armor.

Once the game tabs up the enemy's attack roll and his target's Defense, it calculates a miss or hit. If the attacker hits successfully, he'll then randomly roll damage.

NOTE ON ARMOR: Armor just adds the listed "Defense bonus" directly to your defense, and also sets a cap on how much Defense you can get from your DEX mod. For example, a Combat Suit is a 4 Defense/+5 max DEX bonus armor. This means you would gain 4 Defense, but your bonus from DEX mods is limited to +5. YOU DO NOT AUTOMATICALLY GET +5. This is simply a cap. Like a salary cap in football. This is why low DEX characters do better wearing heavier armor, while high DEX characters can have defense as high or higher wearing light armor, because their DEX mod is higher.

NOTE ON DEX MOD: If you play around with your DEX during character creation you can watch as your defense goes up by a point when your DEX mod goes up by a point. THIS IS ONLY WHEN THE MOD GOES UP, NOT THE DEX ITSELF. More on that next.

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SIDEBAR: Notes on damage and attacks
1. Critical Threat. All weapons have a "Critical Threat" range. This could say 20-20, 19-20, 17-20, etc. What this means is that if your attack roll falls into the range, you get a threat roll. If your threat roll also falls into the range, you score a critical hit. Note that a critical hit is NOT an automatic double damage, but rather a second random damage roll. As you can see, the lower the first number of your critical range, the better.

2. Automatic Hits/Misses. If you roll a 20 you hit your opponent regardless of defense. Similarly, rolling a 1 means you miss automatically.
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Attributes: All attributes work the same way. Every 2 numbers change the attribute’s modifier. Thus at 10, you have a +0 modifier. 8 is -1, 12 is +1, 14 is +2, etc. As far as I know, the attribute number itself is NEVER used by the game in any calculations; it’s only the modifier that has an effect. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER: a STR of 15 is no better than a STR of 14, technically. Generally, when I say that a modifier “affects” something, I mean that the modifier is directly added to it. So if your STR modifier is +4, for example, you would get 4 extra damage on a melee attack, and +4 to your attack rating with melee weapons. Now let's look at what each modifier does:

STR - The STR modifier affects your Attack value with melee weapons, and adds damage to melee attacks.

DEX - My favorite stat. The DEX modifier affects Defense, your Attack value with ranged weapons and grenades, and your Reflex save.

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A REALLY IMPORTANT note about Lightsabers: KotOR is based on the old-school Star Wars Pen-and-Paper (PnP) RPG. In that game, your Attack value with a Lightsaber is affected by your STR modifier. However, there is a feat which allows you to use your DEX modifier instead. KotOR has made this feat automatic, but LucasArts forgot to mention that in the manual. So, if your DEX is higher than STR, your Lightsaber Attack value will be affected by DEX, or vice-versa. However, note that NOTHING else changes: damage is still modified by STR, and Defense by DEX.

To be extra clear, an example.
Bob has 18 DEX and 16 STR. When wielding a lightsaber, he gets +4 to Attack (from DEX), +4 to Defense (from DEX), and +3 to damage (from STR).

Fred has 18 STR and 16 DEX. When wielding a lightsaber, he gets +4 to Attack (from STR), +3 to Defense (from DEX), and +4 to damage (from STR).
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CON - CON adds modifiers to your Vitality gain per level. Note that, like the Toughness feat, it is retroactive for levels previously gained. Items that increase your CON enough to change the modifier are also retroactive. So increasing your CON MODIFIER (not just your CON stat) by 1 at level 20 will boost your VP by 20 points. CON also affects your Fortitude save.

INT - INT, besides being important to several skills, adds modifiers to how many skill points you get when you level up. Unlike CON, this is NOT retroactive, so if you want high INT, do it at the character creation screen or you'll be screwing yourself out of some extra skill points. Also, note that a modifier of +1 will have NO effect, since the game calculates skills by adding an even number (based on your class) to your INT modifier and dividing by 2. And because the game is evil, it rounds down. So a +1 INT modifier does nothing to your skill points, although it will still affect certain skills individually. Note that a -1 INT modifier WILL affect your skill points per level. Again, this is because the game hates you.

As an example, let's look at Dark Helmut's skill equation. Soldiers gain
(2+INT-mod)/2 Skill points per level. So, if he has a +0 INT-mod, he gets 1 point per level (which is lame, if you ask me). A +1 INT-mod means he STILL GETS 1 POINT PER LEVEL, since (2+1)/2 = 1.5, and the game rounds down. A +2 INT-mod means 2 points per level.

NOTE: This makes it seem like giving a soldier 8 INT (a -1 mod) would cause him to gain 0 points per level. Lucky for you, the game has a minimum of 1 point per level, so some people like to leave INT at 8 to get more attributes elsewhere. However, I never do that, since I can't stand the idea of being about as smart as a gizka.

WIS - WIS is crucial to Jedi. It affects almost all Force Powers, and the higher it is, the harder the powers are to resist. It also is used when YOU attempt resist an enemy force power, in the form of your Will save. Further, WIS affects your FP gain per level, and is retroactive like CON. It also affects a couple skills. In the end, it’s a very important attribute for Jedi characters, though non Jedi tend to worry about it less.

CHA - CHA affects the persuade skill, and modifies all the same Force Powers that WIS does. It also affects FP gain (though I don't think it should). It's a good idea to split points a bit between WIS and CHA. Here's why: at character creation, if you take WIS above 14, it begins to cost TWO points to raise it instead of one. So let's compare: if you bought both WIS and CHA to 14, you would have a +4 bonus to all Force Powers, whereas if you neglected CHA and just pumped WIS (with the same allotment of points) you could only get up to WIS 16, CHA 10, giving you only a +3 bonus. You also lose the bonus to Persuade (if you care). Thus I find a 14/14 setup best.

Saves: Saves all work the same, but they affect different things. Basically you roll a 1-20 and add your save value to the roll. I’ll give an example for each one, but I don’t care to list everything affected by each save, because that would take 11 years. Luckily the game will tell you as you go (provided you read the descriptions of Feats and Powers)!

Saves also often involve what’s known as a Difficulty Check (DC). The DC is nothing more than a base difficulty number for a particular task, like a computer function, a repair function, a landmine, or a Force Power. The number is preset and cannot be modified by anything.

NOTE: If you have your game running, try adjusting your CON modifier up and down and watching as your Fortitude save goes up and down. By default, a level 1 Soldier would have 2 Fortitude, 0 Reflex, and 0 Will. If you want to see the standard (as in, without mods) saving throw charts for each class, they are below in the class sections.

Fortitude - Fortitude saves have to do with a lot of physical Feats and maybe a couple Force Powers, including the Stun tree. As an example, we’ll look at Critical Strike: Regardless of what level it’s at, Crit. Strike attempts to stun the target for 6 seconds. To avoid the stun affect, the target makes a Fortitude save vs. the attacker’s level + STR modifier. So, if a person at level 3 with a STR modifier of +2 (3 + 2 = 5) attacked Dark Helmut with a Crit. Strike, he would need to roll a 2 or better because his Fortitude is 3, meaning that a roll of 2 + 3 = 5, which would save successfully against the attack. Make sense?

Reflex - Reflex saves affect grenades, Force Push, and some other things. I’ll use a Concussion Grenade (which attempts to stun the target) as an example, since grenades are a common threat from a lot of enemies. The Concussion Grenade has a DC of 15 (note there are no modifiers from the attacker), so Dark Helmut needs to roll a 12 or higher, since his Reflex is 3. Feeling smarter yet?

Will - Will saves are almost exclusively used for Force Powers, I believe. We’ll use Shock as an example, because it’s everybody’s favorite Force Power. Shock attempts to damage the target 1-6 points of Electrical damage per level of the attacker, to a maximum of 10 levels (which is 10-60 damage... ouch!). Shock calculates a DC of 5 + attacker’s level + attackers WIS and CHA modifiers. So to keep it simple let’s see what would happen if Dark Helmut tried to Shock himself! He’s a level 1 soldier with a WIS modifier of +1. So his Will save is 1. With his CHA mod of +1 (and the other stats listed) his Shock DC would be a value of 5+1+1+1 = 8. Thus, he must roll a 7 or better to Save successfully against his masochistic Shock attack. If he is successful with a Will save, the damage will be halved.

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SKILLS:
Skills are mainly non-combat abilities. Each one works the same way. Your total rank in a skill is determined by how many points you’ve put into it + the modifier for whichever attribute is related to the skill, + any feat bonuses. Also, certain equipment can increase specific skills. When using a skill, your rank is compared against the DC of the task you are working on.

Computer Use: Computer Use is all about slicing computers, and INT is its related attribute. Each command when slicing a computer has a base cost (in computer spikes). Every 4 points in your Computer skill subtracts 1 from the base cost. Contrary to what the shoddy manual (it’s LucasArts’ fault, btw) says, it IS possible to reduce the cost of certain tasks to 0, although I’ve only seen T3-M4 be able to do that.

Demolitions: INT-related. Demolitions is all about mines. Basically, a mine has a base difficulty depending on how powerful it is. For example, setting a Minor Frag Mine has a DC of 15. Disabling an active mine adds +5 to the DC, and trying to recover it adds ANOTHER +5. Mines of all flavors come in three sizes, with DCs of 15, 20, and 25. I’m fairly certain your skill rank here is added to a 1d20 random roll. Because otherwise these numbers would be too high... based on my experience. If you attempt an action with a mine and get a “skill too low” message, it means that even with a 20 roll, you couldn’t do it. Also, if you roll too low while messing with an active mine, it may blow up in your face!

Stealth: Stealth is DEX related, and sort of Awareness related, really. When you enter stealth mode (which requires a Stealth device in the Belt slot, except for Juhani) you become invisible, and in order for an enemy to detect you, they must roll a 1d20 + their total Awareness skill in an attempt to detect you. If they can’t detect you, then Carth just bobs his head around for hours on end. Ignore that last sentance if you haven't heard of the "Carth bug".

Awareness: Awareness is WIS related, and helps you detect hidden objects, including Mines, enemies, and a spunky Twi’lek named Mission. Low Awareness is the entire reason behind the infamous Carth Bug, and works like I explained in the Stealth section above. Note that if you encounter the Carth Bug, you can put on Awareness-increasing equipment and let the game sit for awhile in an attempt to overcome the bug (which involves the Player being unable to detect Mission in stealth mode). Here’s what happens: When the game detects that you are nearing a hidden character or object, your Awareness makes an attempt to spot it. If it fails, the game waits 20 seconds and then tries again. In the case of the Carth bug, your player character has to detect Mission in order for the dialog to continue with her. This whole bug can be avoided by turning stealth mode off before doing anything that you fear might trigger a dialog sequence, by the way.

Persuade: CHA-related. I’m not sure on the exact mechanics here, because Persuade is only available to the main character and it only affects dialog options. But I believe that the request you make has a DC which is then compared with your level relative to the level of who you’re talking to, your total Persuade skill and a random 1d20 roll. I’m guessing there’s a roll involved because sometimes you can succeed with Persuasion if you try repeatedly. So my theory is this.

You attempt persuade: your level + total persuade skill + 1d20 -> vs. DC of option chosen + level of persuade-ee.

Repair: INT-related. Repair is used to activate damaged droids you find in "dungeon" areas and have them help you. It works exactly like Computer Use, with one exception. With Computer Use it’s possible to reduce any command to a cost of 0 (almost, anyway). With Repair, you can reduce the cost of activating a damaged droid to 0, but any other commands will still have a minimum cost of 1. As an aside, I would like to reaffirm that the manual does not say this, and thus it sucks. LucasArts should know better.

Also note that droid repair kits (medpacs for T3 and HK) are based on this skill. I believe the mechanics are exactly the same as medpacs, but to be sure of specific numbers, just look at a Repair Kit in-game.

Security: Picking locks. Security is WIS related, and works by checking your skill against the DC of the given lock. I’m not sure on the precise mechanics involved with what the DCs of different locks are, or the exact effect that Security Spikes and Spike Tunnelers have on your attempt, but I would guess that Spikes add 5 to your skill and Tunnelers add 10. Or somesuch. Also, I don't think there are any dice rolls here, either. You either succeed, or fail.

Treat Injury: WIS-related. Treat Injury modifies the amount of VP a particular variety of Medpac will heal when used. For example, a regular Medpac heals 10 VP + WIS modifier + total Treat Injury skill. Simple, right? Higher level medpacs add a multiplier to your Treat Injury skill, by the way.

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FEATS:
Feats are mainly combat related. Characters gain feats as they level up, and there isn't a whole lot more to say about that, except maybe some general ideas of what different feats there are.
- There are feats which allow you to use certain weapon or armor types. If you don't know the correct feat you CANNOT use the weapon/armor type.
- Some feats beef up your stats, and are "always on"
- Some feats are used as special moves during combat.
- Some feats increase your skills, and are "always on"
- Each class has its own Feat Progression, which you will see below.


Now, with all this information in mind, we can look at what makes the classes different, and help you make a choice on which class is best for you.
Edited by Reaper511, 07 February 2012 - 03:49 PM.

[Reaper511 Guide Part 4]

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* Section IV - FINALLY, CHARACTER CREATION *
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There are several combinations of character classes, and really it's all up to your playing style and preference as to what you choose. So, I will list all the different combinations, give a breakdown of what each setup would like at level 20, and recommend some attribute points and feats and whatnot. Note that for Force Powers, I will make 3 sets of suggestions, for Light, Neutral, and Dark aligned characters. For more info about your alignment choices, and how to play them effectively (like how to be a Lightsider who isn't poor) see the related section after the Character class discussion.

First, the three primary combinations, the ones that most people naturally gravitate towards, especially the first time through, since each initial class basically converts directly to a matching Jedi class.

A REMINDER: Remember that the Force Sensitive feat will give your main character an extra 40 FP, so the soldier/guardian will actually have a base of 100 FP at lvl 20. Also remember that ALL numbers are base numbers, as in listed without any bonuses from stat modifiers, feats, or equipment.

A NOTE ON SKILLS: I never mentioned it before so I will add now that when you create your character, you get extra skill points. I can't remember the formula, but I've listed the numbers anyway, and you can always look them up easily by goofing around in character creation.

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5/15 SOLDIER/GUARDIAN:
200 Vitality gained(without bonuses)
60 Force gained
Total Skill Points: 23 (4 at first level + 1 per level after that)
Total Feats Gained: 13
Total Powers Gained: 16

Free Feats:
Armor Proficiency: Light, Medium, Heavy
Weapon Proficiency: Blaster Pistol
Weapon Proficiency: Blaster Rifle
Weapon Proficiency: Heavy Weapons
Weapon Proficiency: Lightsaber
Weapon Proficiency: Melee Weapons
Power Attack
Power Blast
Jedi Defense
Force Jump -> Improved Force Jump -> Master Force Jump
Jedi Sense -> Knight Sense -> Master Sense

Other Bonuses: High Base Attack Bonus, High Fortitude and Reflex, access to Weapon Specializations

Pros: This is a Tank. He's unstoppable in combat, if you set up the attributes right, and has a lot of VP, and can learn a lot of feats. This is Mace Windu, really. Also, Force Jump rocks because it allows you to instantly close the distance with a target and hit with big damage on the initial attack. This is especially handy for battles with opponents using ranged attacks, as it forces them to switch to melee combat, the Soldier/Guardian's specialty.

Cons: 23 Skill points is terrible. Simply terrible. You barely even hit maximum level (23) in a single skill. This guy NEEDS to have 14 INT so he can get 2 skill points per level instead of one, if you ask me. With 2 points per level you could get 12 at level 1, and 2/level after for a total of 50 points, which is WAY better.

Recommended Setup:
STR 14
DEX 15
CON 10
INT 14
WIS 12
CHA 12
- Recommended Attribute Point Additions: 5 DEX

- This setup makes you awesome at combat with high STR and DEX, and covers for your horribly low amount of skill points by giving you enough INT to get 2 points per level instead of 1. The WIS and CHA are high enough to make your Force Powers work, but some points were sacrificed to increase DEX and INT. No CON bonus here, because you don't need it! You're a tank already, and your Fortitude save will be plenty high by itself. As you level up, you pump up the DEX even higher and you will become very skilled with your Saber and have high defense. And you'll still get extra damage from high STR.

- Recommended Feats (13):
Two Weapon Fighting/Dueling 1-3
Conditioning 1-3
Flurry 1, 2
Critical Strike 1, 2
Implants 1-3

This guy is awesome at combat, and thus he should really be allowed to play with 2 Sabers, or a Double-Saber. However, if your personal style demands you stick with one Saber, then Dueling is what you need. I like both feats about equally for Guardians. Whichever of the two you choose, you should always max it out. Unfortunately, for all his awesomeness, because of his low Saving Throws he is still somewhat susceptible to special abilities, especially Force Powers. Therefore 3 feats spent on Conditioning will be a big improvement. Next we have Flurry and Critical Strike, which will give him more to do in order to spice up combat a bit. I would not, however, level these two abilities up all the way. Instead, I would suggest leaving them both at level 2 and spending 3 feats on Implants, to further boost your attributes. One thing you might want to do though, if you don't use Critical Strike much is drop a level of it and get the last level of Flurry. Either way works well.

- Recommended Powers, Lightside(16):
Cure -> Heal
Speed 1-3
Aura 1-3
Affect Mind 1
Stun 1/whatever you want
Force Push 1-3
Throw Lightsaber 1
Force Resistance 1, 2

- Recommended Powers, Neutral:
Cure 1-2
Speed 1-3
Aura 1/whatever you want
Shock 1-3
Affect Mind 1-2
Force Push 1-3
Force Resistance 1, 2

- Recommended Powers, Darkside:
Drain Life 1-2
Speed 1-3
Shock 1-3
Affect Mind 1-2
Force Push 1-3
Wound 1-3

Guardians need Force Speed more than anything. It makes them devastating in combat. The other powers have various uses helpful to a Guardian, and Shock is just a must for any Dark Jedi, as is Choke, if you ask me . If you want a more in-depth analysis of each power, refer to the Feats and Powers guide.

- Equipment Suggestions:
Apart from obvious things, like any item that ups your DEX or STR, I would suggest the Nerve Amplifier Belt, which starts turning up in Containers or on enemies (and maybe in a shop somewhere) somewhat late in the game. It will render you immune to Mind-Affecting Abilities, which means those annoying Dark Jedi will have a lot more trouble stopping you from whooping on them. Also, I would avoid armor like the plague, because it denies you the use of Powers like Force Speed. Your high DEX will more than make up for it if you wear some Master level or better robes.

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5/15 SCOUT/SENTINEL:
160 Vitality gained(without bonuses)
90 Force gained
Total Skill Points: 54
Total Feats Gained: 10
Total Powers Gained: 16

Free Feats:
Armor Proficiency: Light, Medium
Weapon Proficiency: Blaster Pistol
Weapon Proficiency: Blaster Rifle
Weapon Proficiency: Lightsaber
Weapon Proficiency: Melee Weapons
Flurry
Rapid Shot
Implant Level 1 -> Level 2
Uncanny Dodge 1
Jedi Defense
Force Immunity: Fear -> Immunity: Stun -> Immunity: Paralysis
Jedi Sense -> Knight Sense -> Master Sense

Other Bonuses: High Saves, good class skills, well rounded

Pros: Much more well-rounded than the Soldier/Guardian, this guy has a decent amount of skills, and should easily be able to repair HK-47. Also, gets a good set of free feats, best saving throws in the game, more FP, and various immunities.

Cons: Not as much health, or as many feats as the Soldier/Guardian. Also, sentinels do not excel completely in one specific area. Finally, Force Jump will be sorely missed if you play this combo., especially after having played as Guardian.

Recommended Setup:
STR 14
DEX 15
CON 12
INT 10
WIS 14
CHA 12
- Recommended Attribute Point Additions: 5 DEX

- This setup makes you awesome at combat with high STR and DEX, and covers for your low VP by giving you enough CON to get an extra 1 point per level. The WIS and CHA are higher than with the Soldier/Guardian because as a Sentinel you will be using Force Powers more offensively, and Stasis Field is worthless if it doesn't land. The +3 total bonus to your WIS will help make sure your powers are hitting their targets, and give you a nice bonus to your FP. As you level up, you can pump up the DEX even higher and you will become very skilled with your Saber and have high defense. And you'll still get extra damage from high STR.

- Recommended Feats (10):
Two Weapon Fighting/Dueling 1-3
Flurry 2, 3
Critical Strike 1, 2
Toughness 1
Implant 3
Improved Jedi Defense

The Scout/Sentinel gets fewer feats than the Soldier/Guardian, but compensates with the fact the the free feats are much better (namely Flurry and 2 levels of Implants)! This setup is fairly good at combat, but I would suggest sticking with a single Saber and Dueling, rather than Two Weapon Fighting. This will help increase your Defense to keep you alive. Whichever of the two you choose, you should always max it out. This character's awesome Saves make Conditioning unnecessary which frees up feats for Toughness and Jedi Defense, to further increase you life expectancy . Next I finished off Flurry and threw in some Critical Strike to make the Sentinel combat effective. I left out Power Attack because frankly, I don't think the extra damage is worth it. There are better feats to buy. Namely Implant level 3, to further boost your attributes.

- Recommended Powers, Lightside(16):
Cure 1-2
Speed 1-3
Stun 1-3
Stun Droid 1-3
Affect Mind
Force Push 1-3
Throw Lightsaber 1

- Recommended Powers, Neutral:
Cure 1-2
Speed 1-3
Shock 1-3
Stun
Affect Mind 1-2
Force Push 1-3
Throw Lightsaber 1, 2

- Recommended Powers, Darkside:
Drain Life 1-2
Speed 1-3
Shock 1-3
Affect Mind 1-2
Fear 1-3
Slow/Poison 1-3

Sentinels are designed to balance combat with Powers, which is exactly what my recommendations do. This character will be able to damage/disable enemies with the Force, and then finish them off with his lightsaber. In the case of beefy opponents, Force Speed can level the playing field. Darkside Sentinels will have it a bit easier thanks to Plague, which will destroy a single target's attributes, making it easier to land Fear and Shock on them.

- Equipment Suggestions:
As usual, avoid armor. It is bad. It denies you the use of Powers like Force Speed. However, this character could get away with armor a bit better than the Guardian, since Force Speed isn't as essential to the Sentinel. Honestly though, equipment is not a big issue here. Try to find items to augment your DEX and STR, or WIS if your powers aren't landing enough. An Electrical Capacitance Shield (it's a Belt, despite the name) would also be worth considering as it makes you immune to electrical attacks... like Force Lightning. You can find those at a couple of shops mid-way through the game, and maybe in some Containers late-game. It's especially useful if you carry it and just switch to it when fighting powerful Dark Jedi.

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5/15 SCOUNDREL/CONSULAR:
120 Vitality gained(without bonuses)
120 Force gained
Total Skill Points: 47
Total Feats Gained: 9
Total Powers Gained: 19

Free Feats:
Armor Proficiency: Light
Weapon Proficiency: Blaster Pistol
Weapon Proficiency: Blaster Rifle
Weapon Proficiency: Lightsaber
Weapon Proficiency: Melee Weapons
Critical Strike
Sniper Shot
Sneak Attack 1-3
Scoundrel's Luck
Jedi Defense
Force Focus -> Improved Force Focus -> Master Force Focus
Jedi Sense -> Knight Sense -> Master Sense

Other Bonuses: Medium saving throws, good Defense

Pros: This setup will gain you tons of FP, lots of Powers, and allow you to make good use of the damage bonus from Sneak Attack 3. Additionally, this character's Powers will almost ALWAYS hit.

Cons: Very weak with VP and melee combat, not very many feats. Also, saving throws are not spectacular, and he ends up with fewer skill points than I would like, considering Scoundrels are supposed to be skill-mongers.

Recommended Setup:
STR 10
DEX 15
CON 14
INT 10
WIS 14
CHA 14
- Recommended Attribute Point Additions: 5 DEX

- This setup makes the Consular unstoppably strong in the Force, and covers for his very low VP by giving him enough CON to get an extra 2 points per level. He has low STR, but he doesn't really need it, since he can get bonus damage from using Sneak Attack on stunned opponents. As you level up, you can pump up the DEX even higher and you will become very skilled with your Saber and have high defense, which is critical to a Consular.

- Recommended Feats (9):
Dueling 1-3
Flurry 1
Jedi Defense 2, 3
Toughness 1, 2

The Scoundrel/Consular gets a pitiful feat selection, but that's okay, considering this character isn't built for straight combat. Thus, I went with Master Dueling and Master Jedi Defense, to keep him alive. Additionally, Master Jedi Defense will help ensure that while your character is standing back nailing people with Force Powers, he's doing extra damage by deflecting blaster bolts back at his enemies! This character lacks somewhat in Fortitude and Reflex saves, but I felt it more important to round out my feats with Flurry (because everyone needs Flurry) and two levels of Toughness, to offset the Scoundrel/Consular's inherent frailty. You might consider grabbing two levels of Flurry and one level of Toughness if you find you aren't taking too many hits. This will help ensure that your Flurries actually hit.

- Recommended Powers, Lightside(19):
Cure 1-2
Speed 1-3
Force Valor 1-2 (or lower Throw Lightsaber by one and max this out)
Stun 1-3
Stun Droid 1-3
Affect Mind
Push 1-3
Throw Lightsaber 1-2

- Recommended Powers, Neutral:
Cure 1-2
Speed 1-3
Shock 1-3
Stun 1-3
Affect Mind 1-2
Force Push 1-3
Wound 1-3

- Recommended Powers, Darkside:
Drain Life 1-2
Speed 1-3
Shock 1-3
Affect Mind 1-2
Force Push 1-3
Wound 1-3
Fear 1-3

Consulars have lots of fun in the Power department, with a combination of Force Focus and high WIS and CHA modifiers, Consulars enjoy a degree of certainty that their powers will actually work every time! Thus, a Consular can stand back and use the Force to render the enemy completely ineffective, and then destroy them using more Powers, Saber Throws, or if all else fails, melee attacks coupled with Force Speed. Additionally, some people claim that lightside Scoundrel/Consulars are only good for support, but they seem to be forgetting the terrible power of Stasis Field + Master Speed + Flurry (with the Sneak attack bonus!). That's 4 attacks per round, with extra Sneak Attack Damage, against a helpless opponent. Lightside Consulars (especially Scoundrel/Consulars) are a very powerful class.

- Equipment Suggestions:
As usual, avoid armor. It is bad. It denies you the use of all your wicked-cool Powers. Besides, would Yoda wear armor? Of course not, because Consulars are too cool for that crap. Honestly though, equipment is not a big issue here, though I would recommend the Nerve Amplifier Belt, just in case your Will save fails. You don't want people disabling you with Force Powers... that's YOUR job. Other than that, try to find items to augment your DEX, and maybe WIS. Remember, though, that Force Focus will be boosting your powers a lot, so having 20+ WIS isn't completely necessary. It's just fun.
Edited by Reaper511, 07 February 2012 - 03:51 PM.

[Reaper511 Guide Part 5]

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*Section V - Fear leads to anger, anger l-blah blah blah, Yoda is so preachy*
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Alignment is an important part of a character. But really, it's not all that complicated. Generally, in a dialog sequence or quest, you will see that there are 3 (usually 3) possible options. One is obviously evil, one good, and one sort of neutral response. It's generally not hard to figure out, and I won't insult your intelligence with a Section devoted to how to be good or evil. Instead, this section is about how to be SMART about being good or evil.

LIGHTSIDE:
Pros - You feel good about yourself for doing the right thing. Everyone likes you (except the Sith, of course). You get to use really badass items like the Solari Crystal and Qel-Droma Robes! And of course, your Stats page shows you in a heroic posture with a column of light shooting up behind you... very badass.

Cons - Lightside quests usually involve a lot of legwork, playing Psychiatrist for somebody, and/or expenses.

Many people think playing Light means playing poor. I'll agree that I spent my first game (which was Lightside) not buying anything but the occasional healing supplies. But that's because I had no clue how to play. As a Lightsider you can be good (and still feel good at the end of a quest) without always giving away cash. Also, no one demanded that you be an angel from the get-go. In fact it makes much more sense that your transition to goody-goody-ness would be a slow, gradual one, over time. People don't change so drastically over night in real life, why should you here? Remember, there are a multitude of opportunities to gain light points, and many of them don't require you to spend any money. Additionally, even the best of us slip up occasionally... and kill someone for credits... oops!

Personally I think it is perfectly justified from a roleplaying standpoint to be Light but not perfect, and that allows you to make a lot more money than most people do playing Light.

MONEY MAKING TIPS: In addition to some penny-pinching in quests, you can race swoops and play Pazaak to make loads of cash. Many Pazaak players will play infinite games for a decent sum of money, meaning a patient player could make all the money they wanted just from Pazaak.

DARKSIDE:
Pros - Wanton Carnage and Destruction follow wherever you go! BWAHAHAHAHA. Nifty Darkside items are yours to command! Strike fear into all who hear your name! Make thousands of credits collecting bounties or just taking it from the peons around you! And of course, the sinister posturing with smoke and fire in the stats menu. By far, however, the best part of playing Dark is having Force Choke pop up in a dialog sequence! Nothing's better than choking someone just to freak him out! Note that you can also use Force Persuade to scare people to death.

Cons - You feel guilty stealing from poor people . Also, Darkside items suck compared to lightside items. And your party members will hate you for being a jackass all the time.

In the end Darkside may seem immediately better than Light, but what's the point in comparing, really? Play both! It's a whole different game each time! In all honesty though, my only advice as a Darksider is: don't be SUCH a punk that you lose the opportunity to go on quests and learn more about people. I found myself saving often before I talked to people so that if by being mean (which was funny, I admit) I screwed myself out of an opportunity, I could reload and do it again. Remember, you don't have to kill or *** out everyone you meet to be evil.

In my opinion, true evil is more subtle. It's manipulative. It twists people, uses them, wages psychological warfare on them. It's more than just wanton killing and going "give me money or die!" to everyone you meet. Also, I find it much more fun to slowly fall to the darkside the way someone really would. Throughout the game I gradually slip away. On Taris, I look out for number one, but if my needs are met I'm a nice guy. In the middle I fall more to the point of doing ANYTHING as long as I make money or power. By the end, I'm completely Dark, and only at THAT point am I killing people just for kicks. Anyway, that's my two cents on the issue of evilness.

NEUTRAL:
Pros: Access to all Force Powers without a penalty, and without feeling odd. Opportunity to be good when it suits you, or bad when suits you. As long as it suits you. Give you the chance to have a character who could logically end up seeing either ending. You can make a save towards the end of the game and wait to go one way or the other until right before the end. Then reload and play it the other way too!

Cons: No Lightside/Darkside only items for you! No reduced cost for Powers. No special ending for neutral.

What, there's neutral? Most people don't even consider the option. I know I didn't. Not at frist, anyway. However, playing with Jolee Bindo got me thinking on the merits of neutrality: a neutral Jedi can dabble in light AND Dark Powers. And a nuetral character can do whatever seems most likely to make him profit, or gain him respect/friends/etc. I feel sort of like Han Solo when I play neutral (except my neutral character isn't a Scoundrel). I look out for number one, but I'm a smooth talker, and very charismatic. Plus, I tease Bastila a lot (which is really fun, because you can tell she likes it). Anyway, don't knock neutral until you've tried it. It can be a lot of fun, and add some variety into KotOR.

Well, that's all for Alignment. In conclusion I'd like to say: play all three! Variety is the spice of life!

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* Section VI - Slightly More Advanced Tips than in Section I *
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Now that you're through all this Character mumbo jumbo, it's time to go play the damned game. However, remember these tips on general gameplay, with all your newfound Character-knowledge in mind:

Tip 1 - Money doesn't grow on trees, but Alignment pretty much does. Playing as a Light or Dark character is fun, but remember that you don't have to be completely Light or Dark immediately. You can play for awhile (especially on Taris) as a more or less neutral character, and try to do whatever you can to make money. There are PLENTY of opportunities to raise or lower your alignment, so don't worry about taking a hit here and there. Also, there are a few points late in the game where you can reverse your alignment completely in one or two dialog sequences! And I know where they are too. You'll have to ask me privately, or on the KotOR forums, if you want specifics. (See the contact info at the very top of this guide)

Tip 2 - Rare items are occasionally for sale by certain equipment dealers throughout the game. Feel free to buy weapons or armor for your characters, but you may want to shop around so as to find the absolute best items to buy. After all, you only get SO much money in this game (unless you play hours of Pazaak like me and then you get infinite cash in a way). Also, if you DO want to go on a shopping spree, you may want to do it BEFORE you complete your FIFTH planet (including Taris and Dantooine). The reason here is that certain shops disappear after this point. Namely the shopkeeper on Dantooine with Cassus Fett's armor disappears, and you don't wanna miss that!

Tip 3 - Free healthcare is your friend. Especially if you are a Scoundrel. Rapid Transit can take you instantly back to your base and restore you to full health. Then you can transit back to where you were and go on your way without wasting medpacs. Also, you can switch wounded party members out for fresh ones. Careful, though! There are some areas where you cannot use Rapid Transit or Party Selection.

Tip 4 - Never underestimate things like shields and stimulants, or Powers like Force Aura and Force Valor. Now that you understand more about Characters and stats, you should be able to see the benefit of temporary buffs. For example, the lowest version of Adrenal Strength will add +2 to your Damage and Attack Rating with melee weapons for a limited time, as it adds +4 STR. An effect like that can turn the tide of a fight against a tough opponent.
Edited by Reaper511, 07 February 2012 - 03:54 PM.

Looks interesting. Unfortunately...that's a lot of words.

Hey guys! It is I! I fear I received Element Zero's email a couple days too late (thanks gmail spam filter!), so I'm glad to see he(she?) grabbed the guide and took the liberty of copying it over.

I was active on the ORIGINAL bioware forums that haven't existed for ages, just to set the record straight. There was many a good discussion thread going back then. In the years since, I've always been thrilled to find I still would get the occasional PM or email asking about this old guide.

Many thanks, Zero, for the kind words about this thing. It's pretty damn wordy, and not exactly an "ideal" approach for the min/max purist out there, but then that was never the point. It was about making sure Taris wasn't a COMPLETE bear to get through by saving too many levels, and creating a character with a good "flavor", that would have you grinning through each big battle. Hopefully this'll inspire some people to make another run-through of an old classic and get some nostalgia on.

If I can spare some time I think the guide could use some formatting touch-ups, and I'll try to re-post a cleaner version here, and correct the fact that this guide is somehow missing from gamefaqs (I swear it used to be there). ... No promises, I'm a lot busier nowadays than I was in 2003!

If you guys ever wanna find me... I do plan to get back to SWTOR at some point, haven't played in a couple years, and I'm Reaper7707 on XBox Live (Destiny, Halo, etc.), and I'm on Star Citizen, as well, forum name's Reaper (handle: Shachath).