I didn't see this one specifically addressed:

Can you use a Flow Combined Check (top middle Control upgrade) to add advantage to your next roll using that skill in a vastly different situation?

Example: The character's allies have locked a Nemesis enemy (Adversary 3) in a room alone. The Jedi character makes a Flow check with their Lighstaber in the hallway, "just doing a kata to prepare myself" and rolls against base difficulty (2 purple). They bank 4 advantage but have no other effect because they are not actually engaged with anyone.

Next turn, the ally acts first and opens the door. The Jedi takes the next PC action, maneuvers to engage the enemy and attacks. Now, the lightsaber check is upgraded 3 times (Red, Red, Purple) plus any relevant defense of the enemy. Can the Jedi use the banked advantage on that check?

The power does not specifically call out needing to be engaged with anyone to use it (since that Flow power can be used on a lot of non-combat skills as well), so I'm not quite sure how to rule this one. My instinct is to say that in combat situations, the Flow check should be made against an actual opponent (though making the first attack against a minion and then using banked advantage on the next attack against a harder target seems ok?) and not "just practicing".

Thoughts?

I don't allow my players to use random skills for Ebb & Flow as it is too easy to munchkin. We had a fight where the PC who had Ebb & Flow was nearly at Strain threshold, he didn't roll any successes to recover strain on the post-encounter recovery check. He wanted to "meditate" and roll a Resilience combined check with Ebb & Flow to recover. I think I ended up letting him do it a single time, not the multiple times he wanted to to get back to full Strain.

Ultimately it's up to the GM.

Personally, my thinking is along a similar to line to Varlie's, though it's more that I won't allow PCs to make what amount to garbage rolls just so that they can "bank" advantages for the next roll they make.

In the scenario the OP presented, the character can choose to convert their action to a maneuver so that they can Aim, getting the boost die on their next combat check, but I wouldn't allow the PC to make a "just because" Lightsaber check, as that reeks of the sort of system manipulation that is a hallmark of muchkinism.

On 10/18/2018 at 8:33 PM, Schwavan said:

The   Jedi character makes a Flow check with their Lighstaber in the hallway, "just doing a kata to prepare myself" and rolls against base difficulty (2 purple). 

As a GM I would say there is no roll required for a kata, or to notice a chair, or to practice your intimidating face in the mirror, or anything else that doesn't have any risk, or an effect on the narrative of it fails.

That's abuse of the mechanics.

On 10/19/2018 at 4:33 AM, Schwavan said:

The Jedi character makes a Flow check with their Lighstaber in the hallway, "just doing a kata to prepare myself" and rolls against base difficulty (2 purple). 

You don't roll for that, just like you don't roll for parking your speeder or walking down some stairs.

On ‎10‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 3:33 AM, Schwavan said:

I didn't see this one specifically addressed:

Can you use a Flow Combined Check (top middle Control upgrade) to add advantage to your next roll using that skill in a vastly different situation?

Example: The character's allies have locked a Nemesis enemy (Adversary 3) in a room alone. The Jedi character makes a Flow check with their Lighstaber in the hallway, "just doing a kata to prepare myself" and rolls against base difficulty (2 purple). They bank 4 advantage but have no other effect because they are not actually engaged with anyone.

Next turn, the ally acts first and opens the door. The Jedi takes the next PC action, maneuvers to engage the enemy and attacks. Now, the lightsaber check is upgraded 3 times (Red, Red, Purple) plus any relevant defense of the enemy. Can the Jedi use the banked advantage on that check?

The power does not specifically call out needing to be engaged with anyone to use it (since that Flow power can be used on a lot of non-combat skills as well), so I'm not quite sure how to rule this one. My instinct is to say that in combat situations, the Flow check should be made against an actual opponent (though making the first attack against a minion and then using banked advantage on the next attack against a harder target seems ok?) and not "just practicing".

Thoughts?

I probably wouldn't allow it. To me ebb/flow is about momentum narratively; it's about moving more economically in a situation to optimise movement and the precision of action, it is as much about navigating a situation to a characters advantage or ultimately stemming the momentum of his foe. It is very much a "in the heat of the moment" talent.

In this particular case he is psyching himself up, which is a legimate idea, he might take an action to recover some strain or meditate, which is what Qui-Gon Jin did when he sat down in front of Maul to ensure he was ready as can be for his adversary. I wouldn't allow ebb/flow to be used in this situation however as technically he isn't interacting with anything, he is just waiting for his adversary to step through the door, furthermore the PC was unable to observe his opponent behind the door as I assume it is an opac material, thus he doesn't know what the opponent is doing at all. It probably could be summerised in this simple statement.

"Can you tell me what this nemesis is doing? Is he preparing to attack? Is he trying to find another way out of the room? Is he hiding? Or setting a trap? Put simply, you are not certain what he/she is doing in there, there is no flow to read into or tide to break so any preparation you do do, will be without flow/ebb."

In short while I would be open for the character undergoing some preparation, given that the character is unable to observe or interact with his adversary I would disallow him banking advantages to use against the adversary and I would disallow him from using flow/ebb in that particular situation, as the force power in my book requires at least some interaction with a situation in order to function.

In general though? I take as a character who very much lives in the present as long as they are aware what is going on around him. A perception check might lead to some advantages that makes them more prepared in init, which gives them a better order. In general ebb/flow applies to so many situations that attaching a stipulation of "you must be aware and able to interact with a situation" really isn't a deal breaker. Most encounters are one, winding situation.