Jedi Trials

A character may choose to start as a Padawan to a Master or they may choose to become a Padawan soon after character creation, after approximately 2 to 5 sessions. There will be a short RP session over voice with a GM wherein the Master will explain why they have selected the character to be their padawan. This is also when the character will receive their kyber crystal. Players are encouraged to communicate with the GM ahead of time if there are specific aspects or narrative beats that they wish to focus on during this RP and obtaining their crystal.

Characters will be assigned a primary instructor in the ways of the Jedi Order. This character will be one of the NPC Jedi Mentors at the Temple, normally a character with whom the PC has bonded over the course of their time as an Initiate or whom the player thinks will be a narratively interesting match. The leadership team will take into consideration player requests for the selection of their Mentor, but this is not a guarantee. Additionally, Grandmaster Skywalker and Jedi Masters are not accepting personal pupils at this time - they see the entire Order as their students, and endeavors to give them all as much time as they can spare. Focusing on one or two students would do a disservice to the others under their watchful eyes.

A character will be eligible for a Knight Trial as soon as they have completed 20 sessions - and as soon as the GMs find a suitable time slot and the narrative allows the PC to go. The goal of this trial is to test Padawan’s fundamental emotional, mental, and physical readiness to assume the responsibilities of a Jedi. The Force has a tendency to work in mysterious ways, and the nature of these trials will vary from character-to-character, but these fundamental principles will remain. Knight Trials will operate on a success or failure basis. If a character has reached 30 sessions without discussing the Knight trial with the GM team, a GM will reach out to determine how to help the player feel the character is ready for knighthood.

The Greatest Teacher, Failure Is

Knight Trials, being so thoroughly individualized and personal, will have very particular success and fail states, as determined by the GM running said session. As they are so personalized, any explicit indication of what would constitute success or failure would not be appropriate or accurate. In the case of a failure, there will be narrative and mechanical consequences: they will likely be admonished and counseled as to their failure by a presiding Knight or Master. They will be given another opportunity to complete a Trial, after completing another 3 sessions from the date of the failed Trial.

In the unlikely event a character fails both their first and second attempts at the Knight Trial, the character may be brought before the Jedi Council to discuss their future within the Order - and whether the Order is a good fit for them at all.

Note: In general, failure will be a result of the character failing to uphold the values, ethics, and morals of the Jedi Order in some glaring, obvious manner. Likewise, success will often be a result of the character successfully upholding the values, ethics, and morals of the Jedi Order under great duress or tribulation.

The Purpose of the Trial in the Campaign

• To become a Jedi Knight, a Padawan must demonstrate to the Order that they are capable of operating as an independent Jedi without their Master or a supervising Jedi present. For the purposes of JONE, this means completing a solo session.
• Success is not guaranteed. The trial sessions are meant to be appropriately challenging for a Padawan on the cusp of Knighthood. However, the purpose is to demonstrate your readiness, not to necessarily ‘win’ the session. If a character upholds the values of the Order, then they will almost certainly become a Jedi Knight.
• Narratively, a Padawan may or may not be aware that they are about to face their Knighthood trials. This decision is left to the discretion of the player and GM crafting the trial.
  

Initiating Knighthood Trials

• Knighthood Trials become available once a character passes 20 sessions, but if they are anticipating it prior to that, they are encouraged to speak with a GM about their potential Knight Trial.
• The initiation of Knighthood will usually be left to the volition of the player, though a GM will reach out if the character has been eligible for 10 sessions without hearing from the player. When they intend to initiate, they should send a GM the following information:
• The real-world time-table in which they think this process should happen.
• What major character beats need to be explored and challenged.
• A completed session template Knight Trial Template
  

The Results of the Trial

If the character is deemed to have passed their trial, then the character has become a Jedi Knight. Mechanically, the character may choose a skill to obtain a permanent skill focus. Players are encouraged to choose a skill that represents a skill that they connected with or bonded with their Master over to represent their Master’s continuing influence on their skills. Additionally, the Knight’s crystal will increase in power, reaching the attuned tier as detailed in the crystals page.

If the character fails the trial, the GM will either in session or immediately after arrange to have a discussion with the character from their Master on what happened and why they failed. Failure will be primarily narrative, driven by a character’s inability to maintain the tenets of the Jedi Order when under duress as opposed to not achieving the session goals. A character may re-apply to their Knight trials after they have completed another 3 sessions, and must detail in their new session request how the character has grown narratively from what previously caused them to fail their trial.