About the D20 System

By Alex McLain

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords is a deep and feature-rich role-playing game. There are attributes, skills, feats, different ranks, cross-class skills, Prestige classes, and more. It offers so many options and rules that it can sometimes be overwhelming. Whole areas of the game can be overlooked because learning how best to use a feature can seem daunting. Rest easy, it's not as difficult or complex as it initially seems. Understanding the underlying system that KOTOR II uses is crucial to building and customizing a character.

She's a Green Bay Packers fan.

The D20
D20 stands for a twenty sided die, which is used in nearly every skill check and action you take in KOTOR II. Of course, the game "rolls" this die and calculates everything for you in the background, but it's still good to know. For a quick breakdown, it works something like this: If you want to use a skill (e.g. repair a droid) or action (e.g. shoot a blaster), the game "rolls" the D20, and then takes the result and adds any necessary modifiers to determine if you're successful.

For example, let's say I choose to attack a droid with Atton (a roguish fellow that joins your party early on in KOTOR II). The game, in the background, determines the roll of the D20. Let's say the result is a 14. Then, it adds Atton's base attack bonus (a character of his level and class gets a +4 at the time) and dexterity bonus (a number determined by the dexterity attribute, also +4 at the time), and then any equipment bonuses (he has a scope that gives +1 bonus) and feat (special abilities) bonuses he may have (he has Weapon Focus, which gives him +1 for using a blaster pistol). In this case, the final result adds up to 24. That result is then compared to the enemy's defense. If the defense is lower than Atton's attack roll, Atton's attack hits and does damage. There are all sorts of situational modifiers and such that can also play a role, but that's basically how it works. Whether you're trying to persuade an enemy or slice him in two, the random element will always come from the D20.

Sith and a monster? That's just not fair.

Attributes
Every character has six different attributes. Each attribute controls or alters a different facet of your character's abilities. Subtract 10 and divide by two to get the bonus for a given attribute. For example, if your dexterity is 16, you get +3 to all actions related to dexterity, like firing a blaster or dodging an explosion. This also works in reverse—say your character isn't very strong, with a Strength score of 8. That means he takes a –1 penalty each time he attacks with a melee weapon. Here's a quick breakdown.

• Strength: Bonuses for strength affect how well you can swing a melee weapon, and how much damage you do with that weapon.
• Dexterity: This determines how well you can fire a ranged weapon, and it adds points to your defense (the more nimble you are the harder you are to hit). Also, it helps your Reflex save (more on Savings Throws later).
• Constitution: This affects how many hit points you gain when you go up a level. It also helps your Fortitude save.
• Wisdom: This is especially useful for Force users, as many of your Force abilities use your Wisdom bonus to help determine the outcome. Also, it helps your Willpower save.
• Intelligence: Your Intelligence modifier determines (in part) how many skill points you get to spend every time you level up.
• Charisma: This determines how charming, likeable, and trustworthy you are. This attribute is mostly crucial for your main character, as they're going to be doing all the talking, and adds bonuses to many Consular class skills.

Skills
Skills cover all your abilities that aren't directly related to combat. There's Computer Use, Treat Injury, Repair, Security, Demolitions, Persuade (only your main character can put points in Persuade), and several others. Also, each skill has associated attributes. For example, the Persuade skill is tied to your Charisma, so any bonus points you have in Charisma will help your ability to Persuade someone. A character's class defines his or her "class skills," which can be purchased at half the cost of non-class skills when you gain a level.

Classes
Each character belongs to a different class. For instance, your main character can start out as either Jedi Guardian, Jedi Sentinel, or Jedi Consular. The other characters you meet already have an assigned class when they join your party (e.g. Atton is a Scoundrel, one of the base classes from the first game). Each class offers different abilities, different class skills, and access to different class-specific feats (see below). Each class has particular strengths and weaknesses, so make sure you read their descriptions in the game, as it will help you understand each member's abilities and focus.

If it wasn't for those cortosis weaves …

Feats
These may be more easily categorized as special abilities. These include things like Power Attack (which makes your strikes more powerful, but less accurate), Gear Head (added bonuses to repair and demolitions), and Weapon Focus (more proficient in a certain type of weapon). Many of the stronger or "improved" feats have prerequisites—usually a certain class level or another feat. You'll be able to pick a new feat every three levels (at least), and each different class will automatically grant you class-specific feats as you go up in levels. When you do get to choose a new feat, make sure to read each available feat's advantages carefully, and choose wisely.

Saving Throws
Saving Throws determine your ability to survive situations you can't consciously plan for. They also have an associated attribute and are affected by your class (e.g. the Scoundrel has a really good Reflex save while the Jedi Consular excels at Willpower). Here's a quick explanation of each Saving Throw.

• Reflex (tied to Dexterity): Reflex saves allow you to dodge a sudden, unexpected attack of any kind, like the splash damage from grenades or other area effects. For example, if you step on a mine with your character, and they make their Reflex save, they would only take half damage from the mine.
• Fortitude (tied to Constitution): This determines your ability to withstand internal damage. For example, if someone throws a poison grenade at you, and you make your Fortitude save, you may take no damage or very little. It's also tied to many Jedi healing powers.
• Willpower (tied to Wisdom): Willpower most often determines your ability to counteract Force abilities. For example, if someone uses the Stasis ability (it freezes you in place), and you make your Willpower save, you won't be affected.

While the D20 system may in fact be much more complicated (after all, every rule has an exception or a modifier of some kind), these explanations should give you a basic foundation of knowledge of the system. With a fundamental understanding of these underlying workings, you can make much more informed decisions when deciding what skill, feat, force power, or attribute to concentrate on when you level up.