Choosing your Weapon
Now that you fully understand Imperial Law, Acolyte, it is time to begin the next step in your journey to becoming Sith: it is now time to choose your weapon. As a servant of the Empire, it is your duty and privilege to wield your power against our enemies. The foolish Jedi, the witless soldiers of the Galactic Federation, and false Sith who gloat their counterfeit "Empires"… all must be struck down and destroyed.
The Forge
Sickly green light flickers across your face as you step into an oppressively hot stone room: You have entered the cursed forge of the Sith Academy on Korriban. The glint of metallurgical tools and finished weapons of all varieties catches your attention as you scan the room, darkly inviting and sinister. Glimmering Sith swords, lanvaroks, axes, pikes, and more line the walls, and a table before you boasts a plethora of lightsaber hilts.
Here is where you may create your own unique weapon—arcane machinery and tools are at your disposal to forge the lightsaber hilt or sword of your desires. You can feel the dark side breathing like a beast all around you, begging the question…
What weapon will you create?
OOC:
Acolytes of the Final Sith Order may choose between two styles of weapon.
- You may choose a standardized lightsaber design, such as single-bladed, double-bladed, pike, and crossguard styles. You may use a basic genuine or synthetic lightsaber crystal; you may not choose a crystal which may grant you additional weapon bonuses.
- You may choose a standardized Sith sword. The basic alchemization of a Sith sword will grant you no additional weapon bonuses; you may not add additional alchemizations.
Choosing a Combat Form
Now that you have built your chosen weapon, it is time to choose your style of combat.
There are seven forms of lightsaber combat, many of them derived from ancient forms of swordplay. Six of them are considered standard forms. They are as follows:
- Form I: Shii-Cho – Known as the Way of the Sarlacc, or the Determination Form. Shii-Cho is the first recorded lightsaber form, developed by the Jedi as they began to use primitive lightsabers.
Shii-cho is the basic form all combatants must learn, and involves simple but effective swordplay of broad, sweeping motions. It was originally designed not for lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat, but for disarming opponents using other weapons. In the hands of a seasoned Shii-Cho practitioner, the form can be fluid, wild, and random.
- Form II: Makashi – Known as the Way of the Ysalamiri, or the Contention Form. Makashi is the second recorded lightsaber form, developed during the Hundred-Year Darkness as classes between Jedi and Dark Jedi necessitated the development of lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat.
Makashi is a classical, elegant form of refined dueling, involving balance, frequent use of single-handed wielding, thrusts, ripostes, and sophisticated slices. Makashi wastes very little of the practitioner's energy.
- Form III: Soresu – Known as the Way of the Mynock, or the Resilience Form. Soresu is the third recorded lightsaber form, developed between the Hundred-Year Darkness and the Old Sith Wars, as blaster technology became more prevalent.
Soresu is a patient, defensive, and highly efficient form; it creates a near-impenetrable shield against blaster-wielding opponents, and Sith Lords such as Darth Zannah have wielded it to great effect against lightsaber-wielders, as well, by keeping one's lightsaber close to one's body—and snapping the trap shut once the enemy has tired.
- Form IV: Ataru – Known as the way of the Hawk-Bat, or the Aggression Form. Ataru is the fourth recorded lightsaber form, developed before the Old Sith Wars as a dueling-focused alternative to Makashi.
Ataru is a highly acrobatic form. It is an offensive form involving drawing on one's Force reserves to power superhuman feats of acrobatics. The goal of Ataru is to overpower the enemy with quick, nimble attacks from every angle, dodging with backflips, somersaults, and ceaseless motion.
- Form V: Shien / Djem So – Known as the Way of the Krayt Dragon, or the Perseverance Form. This fifth lightsaber form is split into two disciplines, both highly offensive in nature.
Shien focuses on deflecting blaster bolts back at enemies; some Shien practitioners, such as Starkiller, us e a reverse grip on their hilt. The Djem So variant, used by Vader, is specialized towards kinetic, powerful lightsaber combat, utilizing the brute strength of the wielder.
- Form VI: Niman – Known as the Way of the Rancor, or the Moderation Form. Niman is a hybrid martial art, created by effectively combining elements of the preceding five lightsaber forms into a single, "jack-of-all-trades" type form.
Niman focuses on using all resources available to its wielder—typically it relies on supplementary force techniques such as telekinetic attacks, utilizes other weapons such as grenades or daggers, or features dual-wielding. While Niman originated as a dual-wielding form, not all dual-wielders practice Niman, and not all Niman practitioners are dual-wielders. Niman practitioners who do dual-wield are considered masters of Jar'Kai.
There are also additional forms above and beyond the standard six. There are a handful of variant forms and techniques that fall outside of standard lightsaber combat, including techniques such as Form VII – Juyo, Dun Moch, and Trakata. You are encouraged to also research combat techniques above and beyond those that are listed here.
- Form VII: Juyo / Vaapad – Known as the Way of the Vornskr, or the Ferocity Form. Juyo began its development before the Old Sith Wars, and has been historically shunned by the Jedi. The only Jedi to master this dark-inclined form was Mace Windu, who created its variant, Vaapad.
Juyo and its Vaapad variant is a highly chaotic and aggressive form of deadly ferocity. Practitioners of this form draw on their aggression, passion, and love of combat to pummel the enemy with staccato sequences of erratic, unpredictable attacks. Its moves are far more kinetic than those of Form V, yet less acrobatic and elaborate than Ataru.
- Jar'Kai – Jar'Kai originated as a separate form of dual-blade sword fighting developed by the Yovshin Swordsmen; in the modern usage of lightsaber combat, Jar'Kai is the technique and tactic of dual-wielding, and can be used in conjunction with the standard forms of lightsaber combat. For instance, Asajj Ventress used Jar'Kai in tandem with Makashi; Darth Maul used Jar'Kai in tandem with Juyo, utilizing a double-bladed lightsaber.
- Dun Möch – Dun Möch is a clever invention of the dark arts, and can be used in conjunction with any lightsaber form—Dun Möch is psychological warfare, involving the use of taunts to unbalance opponents, or tempting light-siders to give into their anger and embrace the power of the dark side.
More skilled practitioners, often using Dun Möch in conjunction with Force techniques such as precognition and Shatterpoint, can string together a series of words that shatter the enemy to the core, making them doubt themselves, their beliefs, or their intentions, thus disrupting their very connection to the Force—or even, in the case of Sith relying on the Force for their unnatural existence, such as Darth Sion and Darth Andeddu, their connection to life itself.
- Tràkata – Tràkata involves deceptive use of a lightsaber's ability to be switched on and off, as well as various other basic functions. Some Sith Lords, such as Exar Kun, have developed their lightsabers with special simple capabilities for the purpose of Tràkata, such as the ability to turn into a harmless "flashlight" beam in order to deceive enemies. Users of Tràkata bypass the opponent's guard by switching their lightsaber off and on again as they pass their blade—or where their blade should be—through the other's.
Once you have completed this Task, move on to Task 3: Choosing your Class. Remember to tag your master in your reply below, if you have one.
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