How Best to Play a Consular

[Dune Rhur]

As the title suggests, I'm looking for feedback on how best to play a Jedi Consular type character. When I think of a consular, I think of some sort of healer or mystic sage like older Yoda. However apparently a lot of the Jedi Council and members of the order in the various media are sort of Guardian-like despite being listed as consular class. I'm talking Kit Fisto, Luminara Unduli and such.

Allegedly counselors are supposed to spend their time researching the force or involved in diplomacy a la Valenthyne Farfalla. However Fisto and Unduli are allegedly among the better swordsmen of the order. I don't know if that's due to genuine skills or the fact that much of the order aren't really that good compared to the Dark siders.

My goal with my character is to be fairly balanced. I don't want to be this tank/master swordsman Plus Master mystic and sorcerer all at the same time. Jedi characters in various media are balanced in terms of their abilities and I want emulate that. Perhaps my character might dabble in a bit of healing but I don't want to be exclusively that healer-pacifist type. Neither do I want to be a warmonger.

How do you think I should approach this?

 

[Matsu Ike]

I would say look at how you rp your character and now there is an interesting force organization cheat sheet made that can be used to help learn and work on things. Study the force and remember that it is infinite and always something new to discover. Matsu is always training and specializes at not being specialized so she works with consulors to learn and practice the force to see what they can discover. Have fun with it.

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

[member="rsj435"]

To me, the classifications or titles are what you make of it.

Sor-Jan is a Jedi Archaeologist, which puts him under the Jedi Consular/Jedi Researcher label, but I draw most of my inspiration for him from Indiana Jones (and, by extension of the main portraying actor, Han Solo as well) so in actual practice his character traits are more stereotypical of a Jedi Sentinel.

I explain the dichotomy as Sor-Jan's master having been a Jedi Sentinel, giving Sor-Jan the habits of a Sentinel even though he works in a Consular field. Sor-Jan carries the stereotypical green lightsaber and identifies as Consular -- though he'll freely admit he's probably the worst Jedi Consular that ever was. He loves history and he's an explorer by nature, so being a Jedi Archaeologist is important to who he is as a character.

That doesn't stop him from carrying a blaster or shooting first though.

I do something similar with Zak Dymo, who wants to be a Jedi Guardian... except he abhors violence or hurting people, which has led to him learning minor Force Heal tricks. In his mind, he still sees himself as a Guardian, but in a more chivalry interpretation. He wants to be a protector, not a warrior.

tl;dr: The titles/names/classes are what you make of them. Be creative. Push the envelope. And make the titles fit your character, not your character fit the title.

 

[Kalous Anson]

I think the problem is that you're trying to make things fit into categories. Those categories are mostly for game mechanics and not for storytelling. There are a few titles such as blademaster which were actually jobs assigned to extremely specialized members of the jedi order but it doesn't mean they weren't capable of other things.

 

[Jsc]

Do what moves you. Our timeline allows for absolute creativity.

However, I sense that you are requesting aid towards playing something you might perceive as more 'traditional'. In which case I can only echo, "there is no wrong answer". The Jedi Way is open to interpretation. Follow the code and follow your heart. Labels make for cold bedfellows, after all. Better to have your character seek after the fire in the heart and the passion in their breast. Then let what label falls, fall. You might even begin by exploring these 'traditional' tenets of the Consular. Take them for a test drive and see what sticks. Keep what you love and leave the rest. Finding the Consular for yourself.

If you're looking to go really really ceremonial here? Then stick with brown robes, a single hilt green lightsaber, and master Niman Form or Zero Form. Chattering often about peace, science, libraries, and mystic medicine. Usually gets the job done enough to have people label you, "Oh her? Yeah. She's sooo Consular. For sure Becky."

 

[Phylis Alince]

[member="rsj435"]
Consular is a state of mind as well as a skillset. In TOR terms Phylis is a sage. She specialises in the Force primarily for combat and defensive lightsabre combat.

But as [member="Jay Scott Clark"] says it's more than just the tools one uses. A Consular is different from the others because of their approach. They're more like to be researchers and negotiators.

Ultimately it's your choice, but I've always played Phylis as a research librarian almost who seeks knowledge rather than taking the battle to the Sith...but that's just one way to play it.

 

[Dune Rhur]

Fair points, all. I think that a Consular seems to be more of a ask questions first and then shoot later sort of person. But that doesn't mean that they don't pack a wallop if they have to. Probably explains Kit Fisto; he was forced into a role of military commander whether he liked it or not. I'm sure he would rather be off meditating or something if he actually existed.

 

[Kalous Anson]

Kit Fisto happens to be my area of expertise--as he's obviously my favorite SW character due to my Nautolan characterness. In fact, being the best duelist in the Jedi Order, or at least tied with Mace Windu--which is why ROTS irritates me at how quickly he died. The truth about him is, however, that he was more concerned about harmonizing--as his Nautolan tendrils allowed him to further enhance his force abilities to sense emotions--which is a reason why he was on the Council of Reconciliation to better negotiate between political factions and the Jedi Order.

But that's neither here nor there. Bottom line: Just do you xD

 

[Ellie Mors]

the best duelist in the Jedi Order, or at least tied with Mace Windu

He was one of the best, not the best, neither were Windu or Yoda. The three were renown as some of the best duelists of their time, but they never quantified that kind of information.