Wise advice suggests we never bring a knife to a gun fight.

More importantly on topic, my player offered a creative use of the Explorer's Knife from Savage Spirits (p. 43). RAW: "An explorer's knife grants 1 Boost die to all Survival checks."

This player is an exiled Drall Hermit/Healer whose prolific writing about planetary climate change caused her to lose favor among her academic circles; she's been banished and censored because of her radical expose on limited natural resources, etc. Although we start at Knight Level Play, the player intentionally neglected to raise Brawn or Agility- she disdains violence. However, in her isolation, she uses a explorer's knife as part of her Force-using rituals and it played a role in obtaining her bonded animal.

With 'Survival of the Fittest' talent, she asked to use a boost die because she incorporates her explorer's knife in the action (she used the Force to Heal another character - her bonded animal). This talent (p. 27) reads, "Once per session, when making a single check, the character may treat his Force rating* as being equal to ranks in Survival."

*= her Force rating is 1, and her Survival ranks are 2.

I'm asking for feedback: I allowed her to include the boost die to her pool, because of the limited use and theatrics of healing her beloved pet (which was very wounded after combat). Would continued use of this angle muddy waters elsewhere in my campaign; am I opening doors that I don't want to open? I think I may have stuck to RAW if she used the explorer's knife for more than this (and smaller instances, in which we may suppose the skill check boost makes more intended sense) instance, or if she used it more than 1x per session.

Although my players were happy with the decision, and it moved along game play, I also stated how I don't want to fall down a slippery slope of everyone using explorer's knives. They agreed, and suggested I ask someone else for input, too. So, here I am.

First of all, I don't think you've quite started down the slippery slope when allowing the boost die in this one check.

But I'm not entirely sure I follow what happened. She used the Force to heal her animal companion, but why would the boost die be included? The Survival of the Fittest talent refers to ranks in Survival, not boost dice. Did she use Survival instead of Medicine to heal the companion?

As for everyone using explorer's knives I wouldn't worry. Personally I'd restrict the boost die to any check to forage or otherwise survive in the wild. I'd not allow it when using Survival to tame or train animals, or when following tracks. But if everyone wants to take 1 encumbrance to get a boost die to Survival, they should feel free.

Thanks- this is sort of what I had hoped. Allowing players to use the explorer's knife to cut down shelter grants them a boost die. I even another character to use their weapon to score a much-needed hit for hunting food (again, granting a boost die). With these actions going on, my player suggested how her ties to the explorer's knife was more like a power focus in many shamanistic traditions. Since this was a much needed Healing roll, she wanted to trust her abilities, and loosely read the rules for the talent.

I may allow her to use her knife to heal her pet, to keep that investment viable. As for other characters, I think I'll forbid the use of the knife, as their connection to technology and such are less Survival-related than a living nature critter. Thoughts?

So the question is; What other Talents allow you to substitute X-Skill for Force Rating? And given that answer, how could this (a Force check) be exploited by other gear (or Talents?) that provide a Boost Die to said X-Skill substituting said Force check?

Is that correct?

I wasn't aware such a Talent existed at all, and I'm not aware of any others that do the same thing. Certainly doesn't mean they don't exist, of course. But it doesn't seemed like you opened much of a flood gate, it's only once a session after all. And if you're concerned about your players all taking this Spec for this Talent just for a Boost Die to their Force Checks... well, I'd tell them they're welcome to it, but I don't think you'd have much to worry about cuz it's not that great a thing. Anyway, seems like they're pretty chill about you not proceeding with it, so roll with it until it breaks and then stop. Just let them know that's how it's gonna go; if they're not ass-hats about it, you will continue to play nice.

Thanks- this is sort of what I had hoped. Allowing players to use the explorer's knife to cut down shelter grants them a boost die. I even another character to use their weapon to score a much-needed hit for hunting food (again, granting a boost die). With these actions going on, my player suggested how her ties to the explorer's knife was more like a power focus in many shamanistic traditions. Since this was a much needed Healing roll, she wanted to trust her abilities, and loosely read the rules for the talent.

I may allow her to use her knife to heal her pet, to keep that investment viable. As for other characters, I think I'll forbid the use of the knife, as their connection to technology and such are less Survival-related than a living nature critter. Thoughts?

So, you're just concerned about everyone getting a Boost Die to their Survival skill checks, as this knife says it does?

Survival is a fairly niche, infrequently used skill, in my experience so I don't understand at all why you're concerned about a Boost Die to it. The Accuracy trait gives you a Boost Die to your attack - a very commonly used skill in my experience, and that's a thing that I assume you have no problem with.

I don't understand the problem you would have if every PC bought this knife and used it as the book said it is to be used. Even for tracking or navigating; so the knife is good at clearing brush and has a compass on it. Give em the Boost die. Taming an animal? The knife is shaped with a vicious curve and has a matte finish that doesn't scare them, yet induces their respect. Give em the Boost die. Boost die are cheap, and Survival is pretty crap, let em use their knives.

Very close, yes. I apologize if I can't quite wordsmith as well as I'd like; its been a hectic day with no decompression aside from visiting the forums for distraction.

With 'Survival of the Fittest,' we see a way to use a skill to replace one's Force rating, once per session. I think this is the only skill that has a link to Force Ratings, but has the potential to be offsetting (especially with Savage Spirits' love for the Survival skill redefined and inflated in that book).

For one instance, we clearly see she violated RAW. Given the circumstances, I let the play slide (also because the party burned through their Destiny points by that time in game), because it added to the cinematic flavoring. She spent five minutes describing how she collected weird berries and soothing plants (again, using her knife, which could have been enough to warrant a boost die based on whichever berry or plant seemed cool enough to merit medicinal properties), and nobody at the table wanted to see the bonded animal die; it's their new mascot.

Shrug I have a character whose sole weapon is the rope from his climbing gear...

Survival is not a niche skill in Star Wars.

Survival is one of the crafting skills.

Survival is your cooking skill.

Survival is your tracking skill.

Survival is your hunting/gathering/Brewing/herbalism skill.

Survival is the skill that allows you to survive in hostile environments.

Survival is your pet control skill.

Survival of the Fittest (Hermit) and Power of Knowlege (Advisor) are very powerful abilities. I actually dummied up a knight level+maxranks Lore Advisor who, once per session when spending a destiny point, would grab a nerby Sil 13 moon and throw it.

I called it the Majora's Mask character, but Sephoroth is also a good example.

Grab said moon? Possibly.

Throw it? Highly unlikely. That would be a difficulty 13 check (although technically Silhouettes only go up to 10), which is so far into the Impossible category that it's not even funny. To even attempt to throw it you'd need a Destiny Point, meaning he couldn't have used one to gain access to dark side Force pips*, and even then it would still be 5 Difficulty Dice (probably 5 Challenge, actually). But even then, most GMs would likely rule that a base difficulty of 13 is so far into the realm of the impossible that he's not even allowed to try to attack with the moon.

*The character almost certainly used a DP to use dark side pips: Sil 13 requires at minimum 5 pips, but being at short (personal) range to the moon is not really practical for throwing it, meaning he needs more. The moon is likely at planetary long range, so, assuming you're interpreting planetary range bands to be one personal band each after personal extreme, that's another 3 pips, meaning a minimum of 8 pips needed to do it. The odds on getting that using only light side pips is only 2.00%; with dark side pips only it's a meager 0.17%. So unless you get incredibly lucky, you're not able to pull this off. Heck, even using a Destiny Point to have access to both light and dark side pips, you're still only getting enough to even move the moon 20.99% of the time, which is barely better than once in every fifth attempt...

Survival is one of the crafting skills.

Survival is your cooking skill.

Survival is your tracking skill.

Survival is your hunting/gathering/Brewing/herbalism skill.

Survival is the skill that allows you to survive in hostile environments.

Survival is your pet control skill.

However every PC that has participated in any significant portion of those ~50 sessions has used Stealth, Skulduggery, Computers, Negotiation, Deception, Charm, Perception, Education, Several other knowledge skills, the list goes on.

Survival is niche. Certainly this is subject to your GM/campaigns setting(s), but I think it's safe to say that objectively it's not nearly as commonly used as many other skills.

Given the party consists of Seekers (which they agreed to do during Session Zero), survival comes into play a lot more than expected.

Also, with so many foragers, I never really have to worry about foodstuffs, either. When I see other GMs hand-wave food (and thereby negating foraging talents), I'd secretly want them to be a part of this campaign.

Did she used the force power heal? Which rolls force dice? So she rolled 2 force and a boost? I am not sure what the boost would even do as the heal force power check is looking for force pips to heal.

Did she used the force power heal? Which rolls force dice? So she rolled 2 force and a boost? I am not sure what the boost would even do as the heal force power check is looking for force pips to heal.

This really.

That and the survival knife does have limitations; it is not a substitute for a full pack of anything, but it has a little bit of things to help out. Because of her particular focus around her knife as a tool and a force focus I would be inclined to allow something as she choses what is stored within her knife; but I probably wouldn't allow the rest of the party to jump on the band wagon as they are not dedicated to it in the same way.