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Post by Zenios on Apr 19, 2015 0:27:17 GMT -5
Lacking the government backing, moral high ground, and legitimacy the Jedi could have been said to possess, the Sith tended to see far fewer Force-sensitive volunteers flocking to bolster their numbers. As a result, the Kingdom of the Sith frequently had to turn to abduction, kidnapping, and coercion to collect their new recruits. Such was the purpose of the Recruitment Corps, a group of Sith meant to seek out new potential Apprentices no matter their age, though obviously the younger were considered more easily hammered to fit the ideals of the Sith. Younglings, therefore, were most frequently kidnapped or otherwise taken to the Korriban Academy, to be Trainees; adults, abducted or persuaded to join the Kingdom of the Sith as Acolytes.
Training, whether with a class of Trainees or of Acolytes, was hard. Some were given new names, as their new teachers decided, names that befit the Sith. These new Sith were quickly taught, whether through torture--Force lightning was a favorite method of many Sith Academy instructors--or through being forced to kill each other, that to be weak was to die. The defiant were broken into obedience, the rest indoctrinated with Sith ideals and often compelled to backstab and betray each other for their instructors' favor. This form of training would continue for a minimum of seven years, and often more.
A Trainee or Acolyte's promotion to the rank of Apprentice was often dependent on earning the favor of a Lord or Darth. Whether by showing promise or fitting a certain need, these prospective Masters would often lay claim to their future apprentices--more powerful Masters naturally owning the right to pick the Apprentices they wished before their lessers--and order them to perform a final task, a trial, proving they'd absorbed their training. These tasks varied heavily from Master to Master and the would-be Apprentices specialties; whether creating a lightsaber and killing an apprentice with it, exploring a tomb, or demonstrating a certain proficiency in the Force, most at the very least required the Apprentice demonstrate a certain obedience. Loyalty was hardly necessary--if anything, it was frowned upon--but obedience was key.
Upon the successful completion of this trial, the nascent Sith would officially become the Apprentices of whichever Lord or Darth took them. This training, while not as needlessly cruel as what often took place at the Academy, was often just as harsh and demanding. The Apprentices generally received training from their Masters in exchange for essentially acting as servants, bodyguards, or footsoldiers. It was often here that Apprentices would begin to mold their lightsaber or Force talents beyond the merest basics of a Form or ability, under the closer supervision of a powerful Sith. As each Lord was responsible for as many Apprentices as they saw the need to take, however, Apprentices often experienced and participated in just as much infighting to curry the favor of their superiors. Killing each other, while somewhat frowned upon at this stage, was hardly unheard of.
To become Lords themselves, however, Apprentices were told to be more self-analytical, as there was no fixed number of Lords as there were Darths. All declared themselves ready for Lordship in one manner or another, whether by attempting to off their old masters or taking Apprentices of their own. For that master to have survived or objected, however, often forced a duel to first submission--often death--between the two. To kill a Lord meant giving his power, assets, and sphere of influence to his Apprentices, divvying it up between whichever still survived, and that in turn often meant most of a dead Lord's Apprentices fought one another until there was but one survivor.
Given that there were only ever a certain number of Darths among the Kingdom of the Sith, the path from Lordship to Darthdom (or Dread Mastery) was similarly straightforward, if much more challenging. All that was required was for a Lord to kill a Darth, whether by duel or assassination, and then fend off any of that Darth's subordinates (or other potential claimants) seeking to gain that foothold. To become a Darth meant always being on one's guard, but it also meant enjoying the finest of privileges among the Kingdom of the Sith. Yet higher still were ranked the Dread Masters, essentially a group of Darths who formed the Dread Council, and the Emperor himself. To become any of these, one of the most powerful Force-users in the galaxy, required the utmost care, the utmost power in the Force, and more likely than not an absurd level of proficiency with the lightsaber.
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Post by Zenios on Apr 16, 2019 10:40:56 GMT -5
In order to try and limit just how powerful Force-users can get (and to give people some reason to play non-Force-sensitive characters), the staff has implemented something resembling a skill point system to be used when creating a Force-sensitive character.
We've broken up Force-users into three general 'classes' or archetypes: Marauders, Assassins, and Sorcerers (respectively known as Guardians, Sentinels, and Consulars where those silly followers of the light are concerned), and assigned each class a certain number of these points based on the role each would be more likely to fill.
Marauders are those Sith who tend to focus on practice and use of the lightsaber more so than Force powers. Most of the premier lightsaber duelists among the Sith consider themselves Marauders; but with this increased mastery of, and focus on, the lightsaber comes less time to use and master Force abilities.
Assassins fall somewhere in between Marauders and Sorcerers. These Sith possess comparatively middling mastery with both the lightsaber and the Force; they tend to be better duelists than Sorcerers and more adept Force-users than Marauders. Assassins are also more likely to possess other talents, such as stealth or slicing computers, because they have not dedicated themselves to either the Force or lightsaber combat and thus can afford to spend more time learning other skills.
Finally, Sorcerers are the Force and interrogation specialists of the Sith Empire. In combat, these Sith are strongest in their use of the Force to distract and maim, but tend to shy away from lightsaber duels. They form the backbone of the Sith’s academic, subterfuge, and ‘diplomatic’ services.
Based on their archetype, a character will tend towards lightsaber combat, Force use, or strike a balance. Based on their rank, a character will be limited in just how strong they can become in either of these disciplines. In order to make things easier, the staff has broken things down into three levels of proficiency: Apprentice, Adept, and Master. Someone with an Apprentice level of proficiency can be said to have comfortably learned the basics, but not much more than that; the Adept level indicates a middling level of skill; and the Master level indicates, well, mastery.
For both the seven lightsaber Forms and Force powers, to possess an Adept level of proficiency also grants Apprentice proficiency and so on. So, for example, a Apprentice Marauder can learn three lightsaber Forms, of which they are an Adept in one and an Apprentice in two.
Below are the maximums a character can achieve, depending on their archetype, at any playable rank.
Force Power Evaluation
Rank -------- Apprentice-Adept-Master
(Archetype) powers known: X-Y-Z
Apprentice rank:
Marauder powers known: 5-0-0
Assassin powers known: 5-1-0
Sorcerer powers known: 7-1-0
Lord rank:
Marauder powers known: 6-1-0
Assassin powers known: 8-2-0
Sorcerer powers known: 10-4-0
Darth rank:
Marauder powers known: 6-2-1
Assassin powers known: 10-4-2
Sorcerer powers known: 15-6-4
Lightsaber Skill Evaluation
Rank -------- Apprentice-Adept-Master
(Archetype) Forms known: X-Y-Z
Apprentice rank:
Marauder Forms known: 2-1-0
Assassin Forms known: 2-0-0
Sorcerer Forms known: 1-0-0
Lord rank:
Marauder Forms known: 1-2-0
Assassin Forms known: 2-1-0
Sorcerer Forms known: 1-1-0
Darth rank:
Marauder Forms known: 1-2-1
Assassin Forms known: 1-1-1
Sorcerer Forms known: 1-2-0
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Post by Zenios on Apr 16, 2019 11:07:09 GMT -5
Most abilities in the Force (even ones at Apprentice level) will improve as one gains 'Force Proficiency'; that is, as one gains power in the Force, these abilities become stronger, as well. Some, however, require a certain level of mastery in the Force to even begin to learn. The list below contains Universal and light-side powers. These are the ones most likely to be used by Sith, as light-side Force powers tend to require a more benevolent or centered mindset than Sith are typically trained to possess. There are also a series of Legendary powers, detailed at the bottom of the list; due to their nature, many of these are heavily restricted. Universal Force Powers Apprentice-level powers Breath Control Detoxify Poison Basic Telekinesis: Push/Pull/Disarm * -> Improves to Advanced Telekinesis. Force Speed Force Valor Tapas Force Listening Comprehend Speech Force Sense Force Sight * -> Improves to Precognition/Force Empathy Close Telepathy * -> Improves to Planetary Telepathy Force Bellow * -> Improves to Force Scream (Dark Side) Force Flash * -> Improves to Disable Droid Tutaminis (Force Defence) Force Jump Force Ball Force Weapon Force Barrier * -> Protection Bubble Basic Mind Tricks: Persuade/Fear(Dark Side) * -> Improves to Adanced Mind Tricks Adept-level powers Force Body Force Heal Force Stealth (the alignment/force sensitivity concealment thing) Force Trance Force Cloak Precognition * -> Improves to Battle Precognition Force Empathy Planetary Telepathy * -> Improves to Interstellar Telepathy. Beast Control Combustion (Item scale) Droid Disable Force Subjugate Pyrokinesis Protection Bubble Advanced Telekinesis: Levitate/Blast/Throw/Whirlwind/Rend(Dark Side) * -> Improves to Master Telekinesis. Advanced Mind Tricks: Illusion/Horror(Dark Side)/Control(Dark Side) -> Improves to Master Mind Tricks Master-level powers Wave Force Flight Repulse Dopplegänger Battle Precognition Farsight Suppresion Interstellar Telepathy Alter Image Alter Environment (local scale) Combustion (environmental scale) Deflection Sever Mechu-deru Master Telekinesis: Flight/Wave/Repulse Master Mind Tricks: Projection/Insanity(Dark Side)/Confusion
Dark-side Force Powers Apprentice-level powers Grip * -> Improves to Choke Force Drain * -> Improves to Drain Knowledge Force Lightning/Shock * -> Improves to Chain Lightning Force Slow * -> Improves to Force Affliction Adept-level powers Choke -> Improves to Crush Shadow Vision Drain Knowledge Chain Lightning * -> Improves to Force Storm Force Scream Force Affliction * -> Improves to Force Plague Kinetite Master-level powers Force Crush Force Phantom Force Destruction Force Storm Force Plague Memory Walk Sith Alchemy Legendary Force Powers
Universal Legendary Powers Battle Meditation/Battle Confusion Force Meld Flow-walking Shatterpoint Force Ghost Dark Transfer Psychometry Breach Galactic Telepathy Art of the small Alter Environment Combustion Phase Dark-side Legendary Powers Deadly Sight Thought Bomb Force Destruction Force Storm Wormhole Force Travel Darkshear Transfer Essence Force Walking |
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Post by Zenios on Apr 16, 2019 11:11:32 GMT -5
The Seven Forms of Lightsaber Combat
Form I: Shii-Cho
Also known as the Determination Form, Shii-Cho was the first lightsaber combat form to be developed. Nowadays, the vast majority of apprentices are taught the basics of this Form at a bare minimum before moving on to learn a Form that suits either their preference or taste. Shii-Cho is simple, yet highly randomized and unpredictable: despite being so basic, it remains quite effective when employed by a skilled user.
Shii-Cho is at its most effective when used against multiple opponents; its characteristic movements are wide, sweeping, and thus effective at keeping a number of enemies at bay. It has no particular weaknesses, and is an excellent Form to fall back upon when no others seem useful. Common Shii-Cho attacking philosophies relied on the concept of victory without injury; one of the most common maneuvers used was a quick strike at an opponent's weapon, intended to either rip it from their grasp or disable it entirely.
Form II: Makashi
Also known as the Contention Form, Makashi was developed as a direct result of Shii-Cho's relative ineffectiveness against lightsaber-wielding opponents. Makashi was developed for lightsaber-on-lightsaber combat. It fell out of popular use quite some time before the rise of the Empire, in large part because of its ineffectiveness when used to deflect blaster bolts.
The second Form was intended as a direct opposite to Shii-Cho's wide, sweeping movements. Makashi focuses on precise and efficient attacking movements: thrusts and light cuts, as opposed to heavy-handed swings. Makashi is at its most effective when used to engage an enemy one-to-one; however, Makashi specialists are generally susceptible to being overwhelmed through sheer force or numbers and many are ineffective where deflecting blaster bolts is concerned.
Form III: Soresu
As with Makashi, Form III--the Resilience Form--was developed to directly counter another Form's weaknesses. Soresu was developed to allow lightsaber wielders to more effectively deal with the increasing popularity of blasters and other projectile weapons. Regarded as the perfect symbol of Jedi non-aggression philosophy, Soresu was quite popular from its development onward. Initiates are commonly more than capable of defending themselves, but oftentimes lack the experience to effectively counter-attack.
Like the second Form, Soresu espouses economy of motion and efficient, tight bladework. Wielders tend to keep their blades constantly in motion in order to build up momentum and further preserve energy. Unlike Makashi or Shii-Cho, however, Soresu is entirely focused around defense: users tend to rely on their strong defensive technique to wear opponents down and then take advantage of mistakes made by either fatigue or frustration. Requiring endurance much more than physical strength, Soresu can be effective in any user's hands regardless of physique or situation - as long as they don't mind drawing out combat.
Form IV: Ataru
Developed concurrently with Shien, Ataru was initially conceived as a pushback against the overly conservative nature of Soresu. This was a Form used by both Jedi and Sith from its inception through to the fall of the Old Republic; perhaps the most visually impressive form, Ataru is physically intensive and heavily reliant on acrobatics and agility.
Ataru tends to be much more physically intensive than Soresu or Makashi. This Form is easily identified by the Force-assisted acrobatics for both attack and defense, as well as the fast, powerful strikes from a number of directions its users commonly employ. Some users, like the Jedi Master Yoda, were capable of using the Force to effectively employ Ataru despite physical limitations such as age or small stature. While effective against a single opponent in an open space, Ataru becomes less effective when a user is forced to fight in a confined space, against multiple opponents, or for a lengthy period of time.
Form V: Shien / Djem So
Unlike most of the other Forms, Form V actually consists of two primary disciplines: Shien and Djem So. Shien was developed alongside the fourth Form as a more aggressive alternative to Soresu with an emphasis on defending against blaster attacks, whereas Djem So came later and was intended as more of a lightsaber combat form. Both disciplines heavily focus on using an opponent's attacks against them, whether by returning blaster bolts to the location they were fired in Shien's case or attempting to immediately counter after blocking an attack, as with Djem So. Despite also having its heyday, some Jedi felt that the fifth Form put too much emphasis on aggression and dominating opponents.
Shien was intended to, and effectively does, fill a niche somewhere in between Soresu and Ataru: it is most effectively employed when a user needs to defend themselves, commonly against blaster-wielding enemies, but also needs to retain some level of offensive capability. Another more unorthodox variant of Shien involves wielding the lightsaber in a reverse grip, but its effectiveness was frequently debated and the matter was never truly resolved. Despite its strengths, Shien is said to be much less effective when used to combat a single opponent.
Perhaps as a result of Shien's weaknesses, Djem So was developed as a later variant of the fifth Form and also to push back against Soresu's inherent deficiencies. While many Djem So users can effectively defend themselves from all manner of attacks, they are much more well-known for their strength, power, and quick retaliation after parrying a blow. Djem So is primarily a lightsaber combat form known for an emphasis on strong vertical strikes, whose most notable weakness is a distinct lack of mobility.
Form VI: Niman
Niman, the Moderation Form, is perhaps the most versatile of all the Forms. It was initially developed as a blend of all the previous Forms, meaning users possessed no particular strengths or weaknesses. Niman was the form commonly learned by those who preferred to study the Force or effective diplomacy; its being essentially made up of the basics of the other Forms made it easy to learn and quick to master. As it also incorporated elements of other martial arts with dual-weapon combat as their focus, Niman also offered a strong base for those interested in learning how to wield two lightsabers.
While praised for its versatility, Niman was also said to take a relaxed approach towards bladework. Niman was commonly derided as ineffective because of this, being somewhat ineffective in a real fight and only good for facing down criminals and thugs, but in the right hands it could prove just as effective as any of the other Forms. Niman relies heavily on a user's improvisational skills and creativity, rather than the instinctive responses promoted by the other Forms, to be truly effective. Users also commonly applied Force-based attacks, such as telekinetic pulls or shoves when timed with lightsaber swings, to make up for the fact that they might have been less effective lightsaber duelists. Niman's most notable weakness, perhaps, is Makashi: it was said that a Niman user would find it almost impossible to defeat a Makashi practitioner purely in lightsaber combat.
Form VII: Juyo / Vaapad
The last of the seven classical Forms outlined by the Jedi Order, the Ferocity Form was perhaps the most controversial. Juyo was frequently considered the most vicious of the seven Forms, and was also the most difficult and demanding to master. Juyo is a furious, aggressive form, and Jedi generally avoid learning it because of this. Another related style, Vaapad, was developed and perfected by Mace Windu in the last days of the Old Republic. Vaapad was similar in that it relied on the user's aggression and inner darkness, making it something of a contentious topic and a form many Jedi avoided learning. Vaapad users, barring total masters of the form, are nearly always at risk of falling to the dark side; in a fight, they flirt with darkness at best and give in to it at worst.
Juyo is characterized by wide, sweeping motions with a heavy focus on keeping up the attack. Chaotic, erratic, unpredictable, Juyo also incorporates some level of acrobatics, though these do not seem nearly as smooth as those espoused by Ataru users. Juyo is most effective in one-to-one lightsaber combat, where its pure aggression and general lack of focus on defense cannot be easily taken advantage of. Like Ataru, however, Juyo also possesses some level of physical intensity, and can tire a user over the course of prolonged duels - if to a lesser extent. Vaapad shares many of these characteristics, but its techniques and movements are said to possess a certain liquid precision that the ragged brutality of Juyo often lacks.
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