SWI Jedi Masters
SWI currently has three Masters of the Force. These beings, each one with a unique philosophy of the Force and outlook on life, all command a close and powerful connection to the Force. Each is fully capable of instructing students up to a high level of proficiency.
Names or information about the identities of these characters is tightly restricted IC and not generally discussed OOC. However, at least one of these masters is capable of training adherents to the Light Side of the Force, while at least one is willing to take on Dark Jedi apprentices. In order to locate and receive training from these masters, more information must be uncovered through active play in the SWI setting and is only permitted by ruling of the Nobles and Rogues Branch GM.
Finding a Master
The process of locating one of SWI's elusive masters will be a long and involved one. The first step is simply to learn of the existence of such a being. This may be done in one of two ways: first, you can contact the Branch GM and communicate your desire to have your established character locate them, and the Branch GM will begin work on an adventure designed to give you this knowledge (no new characters will be permitted such an adventure right off the bat); second, and far less likely, you might actually encounter one of these characters somewhere in an SWI setting. This second option has the additional requirement of actually being in a circumstance in which the character is exposed to the master's skills; simply being around them is almost assuredly not enough.
Characters who have learned of the existence of a master that might train them must then begin to search for this being. The time this takes may be as short as a single adventure, or it may take several adventures. Characters who have encountered a master may still have to relocate him or her to begin their training; if not, they will still be required to complete some form of task or quest before being permitted to train, so the effect of having to wait for a few adventures will still stand.
Both the nature and the rate of progress of these adventures are left up to the discretion of the Branch GM or the person appointed to oversee them. They will generally have little to nothing to do with the masters themselves, and may involve many mundane tasks and locations before the reason behind the adventures becomes clear.
From an OOC perspective, one of the reasons for this search process is to generate the character enough Character Points to allow them to train under their master for an extended period of time. It is highly recommended that a player spend few or none of the CPs received during this process.
Training in SWC
Because SWC allows for situations that will see Jedi from the Republic interacting with Dark Jedi from the Empire, or either or both interacting with Force users from SWI, the process by which characters improve Force Skills and learn Force Powers is carefully structured across the three sections of the club, to be sure that everyone is following the same rules.
When training under a master (who must have both 3D in the Force Skill being taught and a higher skill code in that skill than the student), a player must spend one CP per number of dice their character currently has in the Force Skill being trained (ignoring additional pips), just like increasing any other skill. The player must spend a number of days training in the skill equal to the number of CPs thus spent, and is required to make at least one post on the SWC Forums per day spent in training. Roleplayed interaction with the master may require more posts than this, but there is no way to reduce this number of posts. Learning a Force skill at 1D costs 10 CPs, and takes 10 days and 10 posts to do successfully.
In this posting, the player's goal is to show their character learning concepts and discovering how to use those concepts with their skills. This should be a difficult process, because the Force is anything but mundane and easy to comprehend. Learning how to use your mind to effect mystical, inexplicable actions should be very difficult, and players should have their characters tackle these problems from a realistic and appropriate internal perspective (i.e. a Light Side student might learn to accept her limitations and let go of her frustration, whereas a Dark Side student might learn to use that frustration to fuel their emotional fury to gain the necessary strength to succeed).
When you have adequately approached the training session for the required number of days, the master will give you the opportunity to spend CPs to increase one or more of your Force Skills. When you do so, you may be permitted to add a Force Power to your sheet as well, if you have been studying a new power rather than simply practicing your existing skills. Masters may also be given CPs if they have played their character well, approached the Force training correctly from their own unique perspective, and succeeded in training their student. Such CPs will only be awarded by the Branch GM or a person designated by the Branch GM to do so.
Self-Training
The rules do present an option for characters to advance their skills without a master. A character may train in a new Force Power, but they must have a valid, in-character reason for their character knowing of the existence, rules for use, and limitations of the power they wish to learn. The player is required to spend double the normal number of CPs when self-training, and for this reason, the training time and post requirements are also doubled. This is an expensive and difficult path to take, and it is generally discouraged, but a character who has learned of an ability that would serve them particularly well in their profession or environment, and who has no current connection to a master, may be allowed to conduct a self-training session to learn that power.