Sidious is the most powerful Sith to have ever existed. Let me put it this way- Malgus is a good. In fact, for his era, he is incredibly good. But Sidious has the advantage of a few thousand years of progression in Force techniques, abilities and Lightsaber styles. Which means his abilities will be way more advanced. It would be like pitching a member of the SAS armed with Claymores, a Barett .50cal and an assault rifle Vs. a soldier with a musket and basic shrapnel bombs from the Battle of Waterloo. Secondly, Sidious has even more of an edge thanks to the Rule of Two, implemented by Bane. According to this rule, the Apprentice has to kill the Master. Which means the Apprentice has to become stronger than the Master. And this happened over, and over and over with each successive Apprentice learning a little more, becoming a little more powerful, until we hit Sidious. The most powerful of the lot. I mean, Sidious was able to drag himself back from the dead. Destroy entire fleets with a Force Storm. Mind control an entire planet. Oh! And move so fast that he couldn't be seen by the human eye. Malgus doesn't have a patch on that. And if that isn't good enough for you? Well, George Lucas said it was so. Which does kinda make it final.

Thanaton would get his skinny white arse handed to him.

Sith Spawn are created via Sith Alchemy. In fact, there are a plethora of creatures created (or augmented) through Sith Alchemy. You find a fair few in SW:TOR alone. It can also be used to make lethal toxins, mask your identity (the technique Palpatine used to appear... Normal) and even make Lightsaber resistant weapons like Sith Swords.

If you don't see a body, then the odds are they are coming back (and sometimes even with a body)!

Look at it this way, the Republic primarily relies on planetary armies, militias and security forces. But these are then supplemented with the elite clones when and where they are needed. You must also remember that a Clone Trooper is vastly superior to most off-the-line Battle Droids, making it a quality Vs. quantity type of engagement most of the time. The fact that the Republic has Jedi support is also a massive boon, whereas the Seps only have Dooku, Ventress and Grievous. And those three can't be everywhere. The Force and a Lightsaber are damn powerful allies against Droids.

Way I see it, the Republic is larger and more established, thus stronger economically. But the Sith can counter this with practices such as slavery, which equates to near round-the-clock free labour. The average Sith is also, arguably, stronger than your average Jedi. This is due to the fact that, if you are a weak Sith, you will die. Period. As a Jedi, they get all sorts passing through bar the weakest/most inept. I would say the Sith have the better military. Initially the Sith army outnumbered the Republics, but now I would say they are numerically even. However, I would argue that the Sith army as a whole is more disciplined and better trained. However! The Republic have the best Special Forces. Fleet-wise I would say that they are on par. Perhaps the Sith Fleet has an edge, taking into account the Sith Inquisitors Storyline...

The Hutts have always been a power house. When the Republic was first forming the Hutts were one of their primary nemesis. And Hutts, despite common opinion, can be quite swift and powerful when they need to be. Especially the younger ones. They are the third most powerful faction, along with the Republic and Sith Empire. Sadly, by the looks of the new expansion, they try to take on both factions at once. And boy, are they gonna suffer for that.

Can Darth Vader command men and fleets, assuming he doesn't personally engage in battle? I mean, I would already give this to Sidious and the Galactic Empire, but with the likes of Thrawn and Vader? Psht. It wouldn't even be a competition. One-on-One: Vitiate is immensely powerful in Sith Magics and rituals. He also absorbed the life force of an entire planet. But - and this is important - Sidious is the most powerful Sith to have ever existed. That means that he is stronger than Vitiate, even without sucking the life out of an entire planet. Sidious is so far ahead of Vitiate in terms of power, it's not even funny. Fleets: The Galactic Empire has a far larger fleet. I won't go into too much detail, plenty of others have, even so far as the first page. But the Empire has a far larger, far better equipped and far better commanded fleet (even more so if we assume Vader and Thrawn are allowed to pitch in). Ground Forces: Like the fleets, the Galactic Empire has a far more numerous, better equipped ground force and as far as I'm concerned this would normally give them the win. However, the Sith Empire has an abundance of Force Users fighting among them and commanding them. That is a big game changer. Against your average Imperial force - in a ground war - I have to hand the conflict to the Sith Empire. The Force and a Lightsaber are just too big an ally. When it comes down to the Galactic Empires elite, though (see: Stormtroopers, 501st, Imperial Guard) the Galactic Empire comes back in a whole new way. Stormtroopers are meant to be insanely skilled. They only miss because the movies require them too. And the 501st are Vaders personal legion. Many of them were around in the Clone Wars and would have iced their fair share of Jedi. I'm gonna have to say ground-wise they are fairly even. Vehicles: Galactic Empire wins. I have yet to see anything the Galactic Empire possess that could trump an AT-AT one-on-one in a ground conflict. Their walkers and tanks are inferior. Less numerous. Overall: Sidious wins. His forces are better equipped than the Sith Empires forces, they are more numerous, they are better lead. The Galactic Empire is much more stable than the Sith Empire thanks to the Rule of Two which results in a marked decrease in Machiavellian Sith underlings. His fleets totally outstrip the Sith Empires, even including the Ascendant Spear. And if it ever came down to a duel between the two, Vitiate would learn to fear Sidious more than death as the latter throws the former around like a rag doll.

I want Nautolan. I bet they'll introduce Togruta.

See, that just makes me think of a Predator Vs. Boba Fett scenario.

I suppose so. I guess as a Bounty Hunter it fits rather well. I'm sure the Empire would love a pair of giant, angry master-hunter lizards with regeneration on their payroll. Just be careful to whom you reveal it too. I like the concept, and if this were SWG, It would have my sticker of merit. But people can get angsty when people break the rules of the game. Even if it's something as little as a Warrior using Lightning or an Inquisitor using Force Choke,

I have a Sith Warrior, who was trained from nothing to something. Quite tragic really. He was soon to be taken to the Jedi Temple by a Master who had discovered his Force Sensitivity. Then the Empire invaded the planet and put paid to any of those plans. Not a bio, so I'll save the rest. My Jedi Knight comes from a family with a history of Force Sensitives, has met my Warrior, duelled him and (strangely) parted amicably, forming something of a competitive rivalry. They respect each other, but each believes that when next they meet, one will have to off the other. I have a Trooper who is of no relation, no consequence, but once fought in the same battle as my Knight. He probably wouldn't be able to pick him out of a line-up, but the name could ring a bell.

Given the nature of some Sith (not all, not by a long shot) that is a fairly valid excuse for rolling a Sith. I don't condone their actions, but of all the classes they COULD have picked, a Sith definitely suits their, ah... Tastes... better than any other. It sounds like you've rolled a character on what may possibly be the most sleazy and depraved server I have ever heard of. Progenitor doesn't seem to have anything like that. It's a real shame some Sith are like that, but I and others out there are doing our darndest to restore the Sith's, uhm, good name? I mean, seriously, when is the last time you saw Sidious or Vader chilling in a bar, or hitting up the hoes? Robot Chicken/Eddie Izzard stand-up videos do NOT count!

It's been established in lore a certain level of willpower totally renders Mind Tricks useless. Some species may also possess an immunity to such tricks such as Hutts and Toydarians. On the other hand, Jabba and Watto may be incredibly strong willed (or so focussed on their avarice) that the Mind Trick had no effect. Id also imagine that strength and concentration factors into whether you can remove someones firearm. If I have a firm, two handed grip on my weapon, am expecting you to come at me and aren't the most weedy of fellows, your Force Pull is gonna yank it, but not take it. Might off-set my aim for a bit, but that's all. In that situation, you may as well Force Pull the person to send them flying.

I dunno about Trandoshan. What with the shape of their head. And the claws. Unless you can find a suitably shaped helmet and especially bulky gloves and boots? If you reckon you can pull it off, Id say go for it. But expect a few raised eyebrows and funny looks. If you're gonna roll a new character to do this, maybe test the waters first before you level someone 1-50 on a wasted project? Would you be open to the idea of playing a Rodian instead? I believe they are also counted as a reptilian species.

If you read up on some of what Vader achieved, you would know he is no pushover. He really is a total ******. It took four men to kill(?) Malgus? Vader took on around six Jedi, one of which was armed with a Cortosis blade, and took them to pieces. He also stabbed -himself- through the torso once, in order to kill a ressurected Darth Maul. And the final words between them were epic. Picture this: <Maul, standing over an exhausted, wounded Vader> Maul: <Laughs, raising his blade to finish Vader> "What could you possibly hate enough to defeat me?" (Sith gain power through hate) Vader: "Myself!" <Plunges his Lightsaber through his own torso, impaling Maul standing behind him> Now I'm not 100% sure that's accepted as EU cannon (like Obi-Wan vs. Robotic Maul on Tatooine), but those two lines solidify how much of a ****** Vader is in my mind.

Blatantly trying to ape Darth Vader in stature. And look. In fact, he may as well be proto-Vader

I think we can all agree that we would have quite happily forked out for a Princess Leia in a bikini model. Or Master Shan (before she got old) in a metal bikini. Or even Malgus in a- Yeah, never mind.

Okay, I'm just connecting some dots in my head here... But you have a Powertech (a character in full bulky armour) you want to play a species that's not one available and you'll wear a helmet 24/7? Are you thinking of playing him as a Gen'dai? But yes, technically, that is possible. People also play Humans as Sephi and Echani, although the differances between those species are only minor. But sure, go for it. Just make sure your character at least sorta looks the part. Playing a tall black human as a Wookie just isn't gonna fly.

It's best not to associate your characters RP backstory (and current story) with your characters class quests. While it may be hard, try to imagine them as two separate entities. Use the story given to you by Bioware to try and pin down your characters personality a bit. Light/Dark/pure crazy etc etc. Then go on to play your Jedi Knight from Alderaan.

In fact, not only would Vader win, he would ***** slap Malgus mid fight for trying to steal his look.

lol u don kno wut ur sayin. y lrn 2 spell? YOLO. gt n a* in swaglish nyway, who needs 2 spell? Yeah, writing that just gave me cancer. I hear you, agree with you, and am now going to scrub my hands for the next hour to try and wash away the disgrace that were my original two... sentances.

Vader, whether he was in the suit or not. No joke, he would tear Malgus to pieces.

She's got a point. I know people may cluck their tongues at this, but look at World of Warcraft here: Buring Crusade - Illidan was the clear villain, and his fortress of the Black Temple. In order to reach him you had to fight his lieutenants Vashj and Kael'thas. The lead up to these conflicts was prevalent throughout the Outland levelling experience. They WERE the big bad guys. They were the ones you had to topple. And everyone new it and hated them (partly due to having to deal with their minions, constantly, in the leveling experience). Wrath of the Lich King - This took a bit further. You had constant interaction with the Big Bad Boss, the Lich King. He was your target. From the word go he was portrayed as a ruthless ******. The Wrath Gate (typically the midway point in Northrend levelling) only further enforced this. Cataclysm - Big *********** dragon blows up the world. Hm. Wonder who the villain is? Throughout the Azeroth levelling, from 1-60 and 70-80 he was clearly your enemy. You foiled his plans constantly. SW:TOR doesn't really have that same drive towards the big bad boss. Outside of the class stories (which, as the OP said, are small side storys in the big galaxy wide plot) we have no clearly defined overarching villain for everyone to fight. And also, as the OP said, our leaders need to be brought out more. I think I may have heard general Garza's name mentioned ONCE on my Jedi Knight at the end of a certain quest. My Trooper only knows Shan from the flashpoint holoterminals.

God, wouldn't that be a kick in the balls. "Oh, so you've been imprisoned and tortured by the Sith Emperor for three centuries? Well don't worry, we've rescued you from that hellish existance!" *Boots Revan into a Republic cell*