Two of my players recently got into a small discussion about the wording on the Krayt Dragon pearl found in the core book specifically around the part that says "...and the lightsaber replaces it's item qualities with beach 1, Sunder, and Vicious 1 item qualities".

One argues that makes it sound like it if you put it in, say, a shoto hilt that it would loose accurate 1. I however am of the opinion of the other player who thinks this isn't the case for the simple fact that I believe it to be a misprint as no other crystal does that and every other crystal also contains text in the same area stating that a lightsaber looses these qualities if it's removed. Alas I can't find an errata to see if this is the case or not, thoughts?

I thought the pearl only replaced the crystal properties not the actual hilt properties.

I thought the pearl only replaced the crystal properties not the actual hilt properties.

Ergo the first line in its entry "Installing the crystal changes the lightsaber's damage to..."

The wording of the Krayt pearl is bizarre and atypical in contrast to the other crystal attachments. To me, I think it's pretty clear what the devs intended (those qualities are added to the hilt properties) but at the same time there have been some weird interpretations lately that ran pretty counter to how I thought the rules were supposed to be interpreted.

With this system, the best solution just seems to be "do what works best for your table and be consistent." You can message the devs for a rules clarification here if you're interested.

I thought the pearl only replaced the crystal properties not the actual hilt properties.

Yeah the pearl becomes the crystal once it is placed into the hilt, so you remove the old crystal and replace it with the stats of the pearl.

I would probably say the way it was written is a little off, and it should be interpreted the same as the other crystals. Otherwise the shoto would be less useful in comparison, as it looses 1 point of damage and Accurate 1.

Just curious... why would you go to the effort of gaining a Krayt Dragon pearl and put it into a shoto hilt? I mean, I'm all for the argument that you can do whatever you want, but this should be a pretty epic lightsaber crystal that, IMHO, doesn't really fit with the concept of the shoto. It is also possible that you could destroy the eco-system of Tattoine so that you could have a second one to add to a staff. The min/max gamer would be all about that. The jedi code would not support that. The philosophy of the Force would not really support that... unless you were evil, I guess. Or else I'm a hard nosed GM. My players will probably get a total of 1 Krayt Dragon Pearl in their entire career... for the whole party... and it will be an epic fight and other circumstances will be involved. It will be a triumphant symbol of their success and will have other effects added in (visual, not mechanical)... I haven't detailed that yet, so I don't know what it will do. I'm interested in seeing who they will determine should receive the crystal.

There will be other crystals, and in the end, each of them will have a chance at finding epic crystals that will dance and hum in their own way. I do want them to have them, but I also want them to be thirsty and grateful with special moments sprinkled through the story arc.

With all of that said, I interpret this rules as written and do not necessarily think it was a misprint. It has flavor and is different than the other crystals. That is not a bad thing.

Just curious... why would you go to the effort of gaining a Krayt Dragon pearl and put it into a shoto hilt? I mean, I'm all for the argument that you can do whatever you want, but this should be a pretty epic lightsaber crystal that, IMHO, doesn't really fit with the concept of the shoto. [Additional points clipped for brevity]

That's cool. Given the 'omission-by-intent' style that these books seem to have, [almost] everyone's going to have different interpretations. IMO, it's almost pointless to debate what the "correct" interpretation is anymore.

Yeah, I'd just say the Krayt Dragon Pearl works the same as other 'saber crystals and doesn't overwrite any innate qualities of the hilt it's been placed into.

Othewise, as LethalDose noted the KDPearl becomes a less-than-optimal choice for something like the double-bladed lightsaber or lightsaber pike.

As for putting one in a shoto... never underestimate the ability of a boost die to provide extra Advantage, which then makes it easier to trigger a critical injury, possibly more than once. With the amount of Vicious that can be stacked on, the 1 point reduction is small potatoes in comparison to the sheer potential brutality of the crits being doled out. The only real trade-off to using a shoto is that you've only got 1 hard point to play with after installing a crystal (which takes up 2 of the 3 a shoto has) instead of the 3 that you'd have to play around with for a standard hilt or 2 for a double-bladed hilt. But if you're only going for a crystal and superior hilt customization, I could see a shoto with a KDPearl and superior hilt as being a pretty brutal weapon, especially in a one-on-one fight.

never underestimate the ability of a boost die to provide extra Advantage

OMG the Boost die is nuts. Its refreshing to hear this from another source.

Yeah, if the pearl overrode the different qualities for each hilt (Accurate for shoto, Linked for doubles, Defensive for pikes), then you've disadvantaged yourself, especially if the lightsaber was one you had to track down and buy. Again, I would say read it as the other crystals, or add that it 'replaces the qualites bestowed by the previous crystal ' and not the qualities inherent with the hilt style.

That was pretty much my stance, it didn't make much sense for the crystal to act absolutely differently than every other crystal in that it would somehow remove properties from the hilt, also let's not forget the implications of it basically saying you could put it in, remove it, and the effects would still be there which to me is what most screams that this was merely an error and not the intent (ie the text for effects leaving was likely a copy / pasted fix that merely missed that particular crystal).

Just curious... why would you go to the effort of gaining a Krayt Dragon pearl and put it into a shoto hilt? I mean, I'm all for the argument that you can do whatever you want, but this should be a pretty epic lightsaber crystal that, IMHO, doesn't really fit with the concept of the shoto. It is also possible that you could destroy the eco-system of Tattoine so that you could have a second one to add to a staff. The min/max gamer would be all about that. The jedi code would not support that. The philosophy of the Force would not really support that... unless you were evil, I guess. Or else I'm a hard nosed GM. My players will probably get a total of 1 Krayt Dragon Pearl in their entire career... for the whole party... and it will be an epic fight and other circumstances will be involved. It will be a triumphant symbol of their success and will have other effects added in (visual, not mechanical)... I haven't detailed that yet, so I don't know what it will do. I'm interested in seeing who they will determine should receive the crystal.

There will be other crystals, and in the end, each of them will have a chance at finding epic crystals that will dance and hum in their own way. I do want them to have them, but I also want them to be thirsty and grateful with special moments sprinkled through the story arc.

With all of that said, I interpret this rules as written and do not necessarily think it was a misprint. It has flavor and is different than the other crystals. That is not a bad thing.

I don't know, I'm not my player. They like the Shoto and feels it thematically fits their player better to wield 2 shotto's. They don't have a Krayt Dragon Pearl and I'm not even sure that they'll ever even attempt to get one, rather it was just a question that came up to try and figure out what seemed an oddity in the rules before it became a problem mid session (be that for the shotto or another hilt with item qualities).

Also I think it's a bit rude to call it a min/max gamer, that's not it at all. This player simply likes the idea of having two short blades as it fits his more rogue like force user. As for how "jedi-like" it is, none of my players are Jedi... they're force sensatives largely ignorant of the Jedi like everyone else in the galaxy who are slowly learning what they are and the history of the Jedi. Whether or not they choose to embrace the ideals of the Jedi is entirely up to them and I have no intent of railroading my players into playing by the Jedi Code, if they want to they're more than welcome and for the most part most of the party is being very jedi-like, but one player (the one in question) is playing more of a gray force user in that he's flitting between good and evil which he thinks (and I'd be pressed to agree) makes his character interesting as he's very human in that regard, ie he wasn't raised by a Jedi temple and so is struggling with coming to terms with the power he has access to whilst still trying to be a good person and overcome normal vices.

Sorry if you thought I was accusing your player of being a min/max gamer. Wasn't my intention at all, just a sidenote and was more pointed at someone trying to load up a staff, not a shoto.

Sounds like a player who has really thought out where he wants his character to be and is looking at possibilities down the road. May you always have this kind of player!

Sorry if you thought I was accusing your player of being a min/max gamer. Wasn't my intention at all, just a sidenote and was more pointed at someone trying to load up a staff, not a shoto.

Sounds like a player who has really thought out where he wants his character to be and is looking at possibilities down the road. May you always have this kind of player!

Anywho hopefully we get an official errata soon.