Powercasting Configuration and Overrides

Powercasting Configuration and Overrides

TLDR

• the powercasting configuration workflow exists so supported actors can override default casting assumptions
• Force-school ideas are Light, Dark, and Universal
• Universal can use highest effective or fixed mode
• 1.3.9 also supports tech casting ability overrides in the same Configure Powercasting dialog
• In the 1.4.0 feature set, Force and Tech point discounts live on the Power Point dialogs (flags.sw5e.forcePowerDiscount / flags.sw5e.techPowerDiscount)
• Powers Known is a prepared count of qualifying owned powers; Free Learn does not count against it
• casting ability and points ability are related but not identical
• the most important advanced paths live under flags.sw5e.powercastingOverrides.*
• full path catalog: Attribute and Active Effect Keys

This page explains the powercasting configuration and override workflow in the SW5E Module.

If you are a GM, advanced player, homebrew author, or contributor and want to understand what the Configure Powercasting controls do, start here.

What this page covers

This page will help you understand:

• what the powercasting configuration workflow is for
• what the Edit-mode cog is meant to change
• how the Light, Dark, and Universal Force-school model works
• how tech casting overrides fit into the same dialog
• what “points ability” means in this workflow
• where to look for the related effect keys and flags

The big idea

Some actors need more powercasting control than the default sheet assumptions provide.

The SW5E Module now supports a configuration workflow that lets the table control how certain powercasting abilities are chosen, especially for Force-school handling and, in 1.3.9, tech casting ability overrides.

This matters because a table may want:

• a different casting ability than the default
• a different points ability than the casting ability
• a clearer Universal Force behavior rule
• an explicit Tech casting ability instead of relying only on defaults

Where users usually see this

On supported actors, this workflow is exposed through the sheet’s Configure Powercasting path, typically through an edit-oriented control such as an Edit-mode cog on the Powers tab.

The exact UI placement can evolve, but the purpose stays the same:

• let the user review the actor’s current powercasting setup
• change supported override values intentionally
• avoid hiding important casting assumptions behind raw data only

What the configuration is for

This workflow is primarily about how the actor’s powercasting abilities are chosen, not about ordinary point spending during play.

In practical terms, it helps control things such as:

• which ability score a Force-school path should cast from
• which ability should matter for point calculations
• how Universal Force should choose between Light and Dark behavior
• which ability Tech casting should use when an override is needed

The Force-school model

The Force side of the workflow centers on the Force-school structure:

• Light
• Dark
• Universal

Light

The Light school can have its own casting-ability behavior and its own points-ability override.

Dark

The Dark school can also have its own casting-ability behavior and its own points-ability override.

Universal

Universal is the most important Force part to understand, because it can follow more than one mode.

Universal Force mode

Universal Force supports two main ideas:

• highest effective
• fixed

Highest effective

In this mode, Universal uses the better effective result between the Light and Dark paths.

This is useful when you want Universal to follow the actor’s stronger current Force-school result rather than being pinned to one fixed school ability.

Fixed

In this mode, Universal uses a fixed chosen ability instead of dynamically following the stronger side.

This is useful when the table wants a stable, explicit Universal casting rule for that actor.

Tech casting overrides

1.3.9 extends Configure Powercasting so Tech is no longer a Force-only conversation.

In practical terms:

• supported actors can set a tech casting ability override in the same dialog
• the dialog can show or hide Force and Tech options based on what the actor actually uses
• per-item casting-ability overrides can affect power save DC resolution when that item-level override is present

If your Tech user’s save DC or casting ability does not match the table’s expectation, check Configure Powercasting before assuming the power item itself is wrong.

Casting ability vs points ability

This is one of the most important practical distinctions on the page.

Casting ability is the ability the actor uses for the school’s casting-facing math.

Points ability is the ability the actor uses for point-related handling where the override model supports it.

Why this matters:

• some tables want both to be the same
• some tables want them separated
• some homebrew builds need the flexibility to choose intentionally

Reset behavior

The configuration workflow is not only about setting overrides. It also includes a way to reset the actor back toward the default model by clearing the override state.

This is useful when:

• a test build is no longer needed
• a homebrew experiment should be rolled back
• the actor was configured incorrectly and you want to start clean

Related flags and effect keys

If you are a homebrew author or contributor, these are the most important flag paths to know.

Force-school override flags

• flags.sw5e.powercastingOverrides.force.lgt.ability
• flags.sw5e.powercastingOverrides.force.lgt.pointsAbility
• flags.sw5e.powercastingOverrides.force.drk.ability
• flags.sw5e.powercastingOverrides.force.drk.pointsAbility

Universal Force override flags

• flags.sw5e.powercastingOverrides.force.uni.mode
• flags.sw5e.powercastingOverrides.force.uni.ability
• flags.sw5e.powercastingOverrides.force.uni.pointsAbility

Tech override paths

Tech casting overrides live under the same flags.sw5e.powercastingOverrides family as the Force-school overrides. If you are wiring Active Effects or homebrew automation, check Active Effect Keys for the current exact tech paths supported by your module version.

Related actor fields

You may also see school ability data in fields such as:

• system.powercasting.force.schools.lgt.attr
• system.powercasting.force.schools.drk.attr
• system.powercasting.force.schools.uni.attr

For a broader reference of effect paths and related bonus keys, use Attribute and Active Effect Keys.

Force and Tech point discounts (1.4.0 feature set)

On the current development version and for the upcoming 1.4.0 release, actors can set separate non-negative whole-number Force and Tech point discounts on the Force / Tech Points configuration dialogs.

• Flags: flags.sw5e.forcePowerDiscount and flags.sw5e.techPowerDiscount
• Missing flags behave as discount 0
• These are not Special Traits characterFlags
• Recognized Force and Tech powers apply finalCost = max(0, rawCost − discount) for usage-dialog preview, Consumption text/warnings, affordability, and actual spend
• Item and Activity source costs are not mutated

Configure discounts from the Power Point dialogs. See Attribute and Active Effect Keys for classification.

Powers Known and NPC pools (1.4.0 feature set)

Powers Known

• The visible numerator is a prepared count of qualifying owned power Items for that cast type
• Free Learn powers are possessed but do not count against Powers Known
• system.powercasting.{force|tech}.known.max is a persisted nullable override (characters also derive class maxima)
• system.powercasting.{force|tech}.known.value is prepared/derived and is not an Active Effect target
• Unspecified NPC Known max presents as N / —

NPC Force/Tech point pools

• When an NPC has an authored pool max greater than 0, current is initialized to that max and persisted
• Prepare does not silently refill spent points back to max

Details and key classification: Attribute and Active Effect Keys.

Common confusion

“Why would I use this instead of just changing an item or description?” Because this workflow changes actor-side powercasting assumptions, not only flavor text.

“What is the difference between casting ability and points ability?” Casting ability affects the school’s casting-facing math. Points ability affects the point-related side where supported.

“Why does Universal behave differently on two actors?” Because one actor may be using highest effective while another is using fixed.

“Where is Tech in this dialog?” In 1.3.9, Tech casting ability overrides are part of Configure Powercasting when the actor supports tech casting.

“Where do I set a Force or Tech point discount?” Use the Force / Tech Points configuration dialogs (1.4.0 feature set), not Special Traits.

“Do I need to use this on every actor?” No. Many actors can stay on their normal defaults. This workflow matters most when you actually need an override.

Light troubleshooting

If an actor’s powercasting behavior does not match what you expected, check:

• whether the actor is actually using a supported powercasting workflow
• whether an override was previously set and forgotten
• whether Universal is using highest effective or fixed
• whether a Force/Tech discount is set on the Power Point dialog
• whether the issue is a casting-ability question, a points-ability question, a Tech override question, or a bonus-effect question
• whether a stale known.max value of 0 was left behind on an older actor; 1.3.9 migration cleans that case when there is no active powercasting progression

If you are working with effect paths or bonuses, continue to Attribute and Active Effect Keys.

Where to go next

Use the next page based on what you need:

• Sheets & Features for the broader actor-sheet context
• Attribute and Active Effect Keys for exact paths and related bonuses
• Homebrew and Content Authoring if you are building content around this workflow
• Troubleshooting if the actor still does not behave the way you expected

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