Ascetic

Of the 6 Career Skills, choose 3 to get a free rank. Of the 4 Specialization Skills, choose 2 to get a free rank.

Consular Career Skills: Cool, Discipline, Knowledge (Education), Knowledge (Lore), Leadership and Negotiation.

Ascetic Specialization Skills: Athletics, Discipline, Resilience and Vigilance

The Consular begins play with a Force rating of 1

There are many paths that might lead one to the role of Ascetic. Whether they are particularly sensitive and seek seclusion to contend with some failure that haunts their steps or wish to contemplate the greater role of the Force in the galaxy at large, Ascetics are individuals driven to a calmer, more contemplative approach to their life, their needs, and their place in the galaxy. They do not seek to gather credits, possessions, or laurels, but rather judge their worth by the depth of their understanding of and communion with the Force.

While most Consulars focus on the acquisition of helpful skills and abilities, Ascetics concentrate on honing their own mind to a razor focus. As a result, they are likely to have a higher strain threshold than any other Consular specialization, and they have the versatility to work their way through almost any difficulty. An Ascetic has spent a considerable time living on the fringes of society, learning to make do with whatever materials and facilities were on hand, regardless of their apparent functionality or crude construction. Ascetics may be out of practice in social interactions and interpersonal communication, but the awareness and resilience they have gained through their trials, as well as the physical strength their chosen path has earned them, can be invaluable to a group when more refined, civilized plans have failed.

An Ascetic may be found almost anywhere, from the urban wastelands and undercities of the Core Worlds to the most inhospitable and isolated corners of the Outer Rim. The distractions and demands of the outside world can jar even the most focused, powerful minds from the spiritual path. Those who retreat from the noise and the chaos follow the path of the Ascetic. There are times when even the greatest must set themselves apart, focusing on the spheres of the spirit and the mind to the exclusion of all else. By embracing isolation and hardship, many Consulars are able to realize levels of potential that more mundane training techniques could never unleash.

Many Ascetics have chosen their lonely path of deprivation and meditation to plumb the depths of a specific mystery, a troubling event in the balance of the galaxy, or a great personal failing. The growth made possible through this introspection and self-denial means that when Ascetics choose to emerge from their self-imposed exile, they are ideally suited to confront any situation, with the adaptability of hard-won experience. Often Consulars will surface from such isolation to take up a particular cause or purpose, driven from quiet contemplation of the galaxy by a troubling imbalance sensed from the depths of their serenity.

The Ascetic can well prove to be one of the most versatile characters in his group. Between his high strain threshold, demanding physical training, and versatility bred through voluntary deprivation, an Ascetic can often provide flexible, insightful leadership to his group. Although perhaps lacking in some of the more subtle social skills of other Consulars, an Ascetic knows that meditation on the Force can only take one so far. The knowledge earned through such rigorous contemplation must eventually be put to use in the galaxy at large, either through teaching or direct action, to better bring balance to the Force.

Potential Backgrounds

  • Failed Initiate: Ascetics recognize that their failure came about from attachment. Such individuals strive to cast aside all attachment in an effort to make amends for their previous failures. This might begin as a foolish attempt to reconcile themselves with past mistakes, but as the Force opens itself to them, they begin to walk the unfettered path for its own sake. The mistakes of the past serve as reminders of the person they once hoped to become—but now the galaxy has moved on, and so too must they.
  • Rogue Scholar: Ascetics take an unorthodox approach when acting as a rogue scholar. The material trappings of the galaxy often serve as a smoke screen to galactic citizens. By cutting through the distractions that cloud the perceptions of those around them, Ascetics allow the truth to shine through for all to see. To these Consulars, the truth is waiting to be seen. Revealing it is simply a matter of helping others to see what is already in front of their eyes.
  • Relic Seeker: Ascetic relic seekers might seem contradictory, given their detachment from the physical world. In some sense, this is true. Ascetics do not search for relics in order to horde it for themselves. Instead, Ascetics hope to preserve these antiques for future generations, keeping them safe from all hands until such a time comes when their use can be of the greatest benefit. Once discovered, such objects are hidden away yet again in a location shrouded in even greater secrecy. To Ascetics, an artifact that is revealed to a select few and wielded by no one can be preserved until such a time as it is needed.
  • Wandering Diplomat: Ascetics are surprisingly effective in the role of wandering diplomats. They are able to see past the distractions that so often blind everyone else involved. By focusing solely on their connection to the Force and its connection to those they seek to aid, Ascetics are able to get to the heart of the struggles in which they are interceding. The truth appears easily to them, unfettered by interruptions.