If you have the pips but don't spend them, you don't miss. You choose not to hit.

I think deliberately flubbing Draw Closer is against the RAI.

And if you plan to spend an action to flub Draw Closer just to maybe trigger Force Assault, you might as well just activate Move with your action instead.

Well no, because then you couldn't activate your cheese crystal to regain all your strain as well on that turn.

I'd put Ataru or Niman at the top of the list. Ataru because it has Saber Swarm, Hawkbat Swoop and both Parry and Reflect (and Dodge + Sense to help trigger Improved Parry) making it very deadly.

Niman is up there because it's the most well rounded - Parry, Reflect, Force Rating, Dedication and Draw Closer is a nice generic be great with the lightsaber, and as others have mentioned it synergizes with Willpower which is a important Characteristic for Jedi (Strain, using and resisting force powers).

Take a majority of Shien and mix it with Niman for bucketloads of parry, reflect, then toss in 2 ranks of defensive training + armor + a defensive propertied lightsaber already, AND the + force rating.

For those advocating heavy defensive builds, keep in mind one of the benefits your opponent can trigger with 3+ advantages or a triumph is to completely negate your defensive bonuses until the end of the current round.*

I'm a big fan of Niman for the Dedi and Force Rating in one lightsaber tree. Ataru kicks but, though, and Agility is already used for so many skill checks.

*EDITED: Page 212 of the FaD core rule book says "Negate the targeted enemy's defensive bonuses (such as the defenses gained from cover, equipment, or performing guarded stance maneuver)..."

2 hours ago, Volt80 said:

For those advocating heavy defensive builds, keep in mind one of the benefits your opponent can trigger with advantages (1 or 2 I can't remember) is to completely negate your defense rating for the next attack.

I'm a big fan of Niman for the Dedi and Force Rating in one lightsaber tree. Ataru kicks but, though, and Agility is already used for so many skill checks.

Got curious about this, on the GM screen it's 3 advantage or a triumph. That's a good thing to take note of, creating a beastly def and finding that it can be somewhat easily defeated.

7 minutes ago, ASCI Blue said:

Got curious about this, on the GM screen it's 3 advantage or a triumph. That's a good thing to take note of, creating a beastly def and finding that it can be somewhat easily defeated.

Side Step, Defensive Stance, Dodge and Sense still apply

14 hours ago, blackyce said:

Well the long description of the talent clearly states that if the target is not at engaged the attack misses automatically, wich is the requirement specified for it to activate force assault. It doesn't say unsuccessful check, it says missing an oponent with a combat check. You still need advantage/triumph, so it's not like it works everytime. The dantari thing is just the trick to get something out of it. But I think it's way within the spirit that if you don't get enough pips on the draw closer you can activate force assault. I feel that is that the talent bringing some insurance when you try to use draw closer at low force ratings is well within the intent. I mean it's a 25 point talent, is it that bad that 2 expensive talents have some synergy if used with a certain item, considering hawbat and saber swarm exist?

I think Blackyce is correct by the letter of the law, as well as the spirit of the law, but it can be considered abusing a loophole that most GMs would clamp down on pretty quickly, however, if one of my players were inclined to do this for every attack in every combat encounter, my solution would be to put them in situations where blatantly wielding the force (or a lightsaber) would bring a buttload of negative consequences, but I would totally allow it in a combat encounter with an inquisitor (because at that point the time for subtlety is long past)

59 minutes ago, ASCI Blue said:

Got curious about this, on the GM screen it's 3 advantage or a triumph. That's a good thing to take note of, creating a beastly def and finding that it can be somewhat easily defeated.

True, although if you have a beastly defense, getting three advantage can be harder than you'd think (nothing you can do about Triumph, though). On the other hand, most opponents can trigger a critical hit on three advantages (or a Triumph), so having your defense temporarily nullified is potentially a less dangerous outcome. And my AoR book says "until the end of the current round," so there may or may not be much opportunity to capitalize on it, depending on where the attack falls in the initiative order.

1 hour ago, Richardbuxton said:

Side Step, Defensive Stance, Dodge and Sense still apply

Yes, because those talents (and force power) all upgrade the difficulty of the attack and do not apply to your defense rating.

Page 212 of the FaD core rule book says "Negate the targeted enemy's defensive bonuses (such as the defenses gained from cover, equipment, or performing guarded stance maneuver)..."