Hello everybody!

As part of prep for a one-shot knight-level adventure I'm planning, I'm currently looking at the Dantari crystal entry on p.196 FaD CRB, and it has this very specific wording:

"When making a Force power check as part of a combat check"

Since I'm the GM most of the time, I lean towards very narrow interpretations, especially if the wording is so specific.

So far I have figured out what a combat check and a Force power check is.

"A PC makes a combat check when he uses a combat skill to attack a target." (p. 210 FaD CRB)

A Force power check is "rolling a number of Force dice and using the results to generate Force points. The character can spend these to activate and enhance abilities in a variety of ways, as described in the individual Force power or Force talent." (p. 280 FaD CRB)

So I know that

• both Force powers and Force talents are valid ways to make a Force power check.
• You need either a Force power or a Force talent that uses a combat check as well.
• Only Force power checks combined with Brawl, Gunnery, Lightsaber, Melee, Ranged (Heavy), Ranged (Light) are also combat checks. (Suck it, Discipline!)

If I read the Force power descriptions of Move very carefully, it never says to use Discipline (it does say "ranged combat check combined with a Move power check.")

That and the sidebar on p. 211 FaD CRB makes me think that Move is meant to use either a Ranged (Light), Ranged (Heavy) or Gunnery check and yes, you can use the Dantari crystal on that.

Enhance (Brawl) should work fine with it as well.

Unleash is a special case, as it talks about a Discipline check which is also a ranged attack. Since it says it is a ranged attack, I assume it works with the Dantari crystal.

Same thing with Saber Throw: Here the longer description says explicitly that it is a "Lightsaber combat check as a ranged attack."

Now here are my questions:

• Can you use the Dantari crystal with Harm as well? It appears as if you don't combine the Force power check with a combat check (even though you still need to touch your opponent unless you use range upgrades)
• Can you use it with Influence or Bind?
• Since Force talents work, what is the best Force talent that uses a combined attack with Force power check?

Thanks!

My takes.

#1) Harm: I'd say that since Harm doesn't include a combat check by default, then the Dantari crystal's benefits don't apply. Even if an opposed check gets involved, since it's not a core part of the power. If target wants to resist, it becomes a resistance check, not a combat check.

#2) Influence/Bind: Again, I'd say no, since a combat check is not inherently involved with those power.

#3) From my own experience, Hawk-Bat Swoop can be very good, since they can convert any extra FPs into much-needed strain via the Dantari crystal rather than more advantage they may not need (especially if they're not using Saber Swarm for whatever reason or already generated enough advantage to activate Linked for that attack). Admittedly, they'd need to be FR2 or better to really take advantage of it, but seeing as how Ataru Striker doesn't have much in the way of strain recovery or strain threshold increases, every little bit helps.

A bit more on that third one, but I'd only permit combat checks that directly involve the lightsaber. So a PC using a heavy blaster pistol to shoot someone while simply holding a Dantari crystal 'saber wouldn't quality for the crystal's benefits no matter what Force talent they were using.

I thought about that, but that would remove all Force powers and leave only the Force talents (Hawk Bat Swoop, Draw Closer, and Saber Throw.)

Still very useful, but also very narrow. I also feel like I forgot a talent, but I can't remember what it was.

I think it makes sense to restrict it to situations where you actually wield the (ignited) lightsaber, but personally I feel it's okay if the lightsaber isn't actually used.

Assuming I'm correct for a second, I have a different question:

Let's say I use the two-weapon wielding rules to make a Brawl attack combined with a Lightsaber attack. Since I only roll once (with a hybrid Brawl/Lightsaber dice pool,) would I be able to combine that with an Enhance Force power check? (and therefore use the Dantari crystal?)

In that case, using the lightsaber and an unarmed strike with the Brawl skill, then yes Enhance would qualify.

Thing is, most of the Force powers that let you attack someone are pretty powerful already without adding lightsaber effects into the mix. Plus, the PCs that are most often going to be using lightsabers are those that took one of the LS Form specs, of which only Niman Disciple really leans towards heavy Force usage.

One of the balances for the would-be Jedi crowd is that Parry and Reflect cost a decent amount of strain per usage, so having easy ways for one of those PCs to recoup that strain would begin to skew the game towards favoring the Jedi crowd, something that FFG has generally taken great pains to avoid. So being able to easily make use of the Dantari crystal's strain recovery ability outside of limited situations would again skew that balance, making it easier for the Jedi to stone wall the opposition, since they've got a quick avenue to recover strain, even if they're only rolling a single Force die.

Move: in the description of the Discipline skill it calls out throwing objects at others to cause harm as one of the uses for Discipline (FaD p120). I think this was cleared up by a Dev as well at some point. The Move combat check is a Discipline check using the Silhouette as the difficulty.

Dantari crystal: In my own games i would say;

• the Move force power (with Hurl Control upgrade) and the Enhance power would both qualify for use with the Dantari strain recovery mechanic, both are described as "Force power check combined with a combat check" or "Brawl check with Enhance power check as part of the pool".
• I do not think that Unleash would though since it is described as a "Discipline check"
• I also believe the Crystal acts more as a focal point for the characters connection to the Force, it doesn't state anywhere that the usere must make a "Lightsaber" check, only a combat check. Therefore the following talents would fit the requirements; Draw Closer, Saber Throw, Strategic Form, Makashi Finish, Hawk Bat Swoop, Force Connection (when attacking with a mounts weapons as per the SoT/SS beast riding rules), Intuitive Shot, Disruptive Strike, Intuitive Strike. Thats 9 different talents covering almost every weapon type except "Melee" and personal scale "Gunnery" and a few that are not normally weapons.

Its an awesome crystal to have for many characters and can give plenty of use to "extra" force pips for both Light and Dark side force users.