Post by ALMIGHTY ALICE on Jan 23, 2012 11:34:13 GMT -5
The famous weapon of the Jedi, forever immortalized as a symbol of their power. The weapon came a long way from its origins as a dangerous, difficult to control beam consuming so much power it had to have a battery pack connected to it. Now, the weapon is regarded as an articulate, sophisticated weapon to be respected - or feared. For in the hands of a Jedi, it transcends being a weapon and becomes a tool capable of much more.
The Seven Forms of the Jedi Order
Traditionally, all forms of Lightsaber combat known and taught within the Jedi Order are of these seven. Rare cases find some individuals discovering other forms, but they were rarely taught. It was not unheard of for combatants to switch between forms in combat as the situation demanded, though some have a greater difficulty with this than others.
Form I: Shii-Cho
Developed during the earliest days of Lightsaber combat, Shii-Cho is the most basic form of combat. One that all Jedi begin learning, and one that all other forms are based upon in some manner. It teaches the fundamentals of dueling one on one. When used by a Master, its simplicity is its strength, with one move always following into another in continuous motion. It's wide arcs and defensive sweeps make it ideal for combat against multiple foes, allowing one to keep them at bay. Shii-Cho was the basis upon which many Jedi learn to trust their feelings and use the Force in combat, rather than over thinking.
Form I focuses upon deflection and disarming.
Form II: Makashi
Makashi was developed to be an offensive counter to Shii-Cho. It excelled in one-to-one combat with Lightsabers, with a more aggressive approach than Shii-Cho. Good timing, accuracy, and skill were the basis of this form, opposing the more strength based forms. Practitioners of this form were often elegant and calm, even during combat. In fact, they typically appeared so relaxed during an engagement, that their movements felt more like a well orchestrated dance than fighting maneuvers.
Form II focuses on precision, avoiding being disarmed, and avoiding pattern or prediction.
Form III: Soresu
Soresu was developed to counter an age seeing rapid expansion of Blaster and alike technology. As the forms before it focused on dueling, and defending against Lightsabers specifically, this form was very useful. Its teachings could be used for more than just Blaster fire however; it taught to minimize the effort of a defensive move and maximize its effect. A Master of Soresu was very hard to successfully strike, for there were often no gaps left in their defenses. And through strong defensive prowess, a practitioner of Soresu aimed to gain advantage of a confrontation, and often settle the confrontation through non-lethal means. However, many training in Soresu find bridging the gap betweem defense and counter attack to be incredibly difficult, and consequently cannot win a confrontation on this form alone.
Soresu focuses on a tight defense, reflex, maintaining options and victory without a lethality.
Form IV: Ataru
Ataru was a very aggressive form relying on strength, momentum and speed to beleaguer opponents. This form often demanded the aid of the Force for movement, allowing the Force to raise them to acrobatic heights one otherwise couldn't achieve. Specifically used by those with some sort of limitation such as age or size to overcome it. Acrobatics are commonplace with this form, with elaborate flips, tumbles, jumps and twists making up much of the movement. Ataru was also one of the more quicker forms; when performed properly, the practitioner could often appear to be in many places at once - as did their weapon. Its weakness was the exhaustion that came along with using the Force to such a degree coupled with the constant movement, making it a poor choice for prolonged engagements.
Ataru focuses on agility, acrobatics and freedom of movement.
Form V: Shien/ Djem So
Form V traces its origins to Form III, originally created by Masters of Soresu who wished a more balanced approach. As a result, this Form became a combination of Form III and II. Shien was the first variation of this form produced, created with the ability to retain incredible defense without limiting the ability to counter attack. It specialized upon protecting from Blaster fire, as well as protecting against multiple foes. However, it was lacking when it came to one-to-one combat. Djem So came after, bringing with it a balance between the defense of Lightsabers and Blasters. However, rather than preparing for counter attacks, Djem So allows for an actual offense of sheer power. It wasn't unheard of for Djem So practitioners to be able to knock foes to the ground, even if the foe was parrying, just with the force of the impact.
Shien focuses on total defense and the riposte.
Djem So focuses on total defense and brute strength.
Form VI: Niman
Originally a Dark Sider craft, Niman was created through careful blending of most of the forms that came before it (I, III, IV, V). With its blending, many of the strengths were able to cross over, and many of the weaknesses cancel out. This left the success of the Form much more in the hands of the practitioners intuition, improvisation and creativity in combat. It was selected by those who sought to be able to cover as much ground as possible in their foes selected forms, as well as by those who preferred to spend their time upon matters other than training, as it relied less on the form itself.
Niman focuses on balance, improvisation, and creativity.
Form VII: Juyo / Vapaad
Juyo was a vicious form of combat that excelled in one-to-one combat. Because of its incredibly aggressive nature, it was considered to be the most demanding upon the practitioner not only physically, but mentally, as its usage brought one dangerously close the to Dark side. It was regarded as being as strong as Form V, but more precise than Form IV. It often appears to be a mess of unrelated, focused blows. Vapaad was a form partially pioneered by Mace Windu (though he'd tell you it was all him). It was described as more than a form, but a mentality in which the user would accept their fury and actually enjoy the fight, and the prospect of victory. Combining this with a constant feed from the Force made it remarkably deadly. It was warned, however, that this would take the user dangerously close to the Dark side, riskier than Juyo itself.
Juyo focuses on sheer power, precision and unpredictability.
Vapaad focuses on sheer power, aggression and unpredictability.
Form VII is a restricted form. Please PM an Admin if you wish to learn it.
Unorthodox Forms[/color][/size]
Trispzest
A combination of Juyo and S'kytri aerial combat techniques, Trispzest was a form dedicated to attacking ground based foes from the air. Employed almost exclusively by winged species, the form had many advantages to be gained over grounded foes. Swings from an aerial foe have the height advantage, able to use gravity to aid them in their swings. Similarly, grounded foes are always fighting upwards, which is both exhausting and difficult. Aerial combatants also have the advantage of being on level with an opponents head - if they have one - making it that much easier to swing for the vital areas of a foe.
Trispzest focuses on using gravity, the high ground, and fatigue to the users advantage.
Sokan
Sokan wasn't so much a form as it was a state of awareness and mentality. Sokan taught practitioners to use their surroundings to their own advantage, often leading to such individuals leading foes over vast amounts of terrain until they reached a prime location from which to stage an offense or defense. Sokan generally goes hand in hand with Form IV: Ataru, as Sokan relies on great speed, agility, and acrobatics to reach these prime locations as quickly and safely as possible, as well as maximizing the effectiveness of this location through use of unorthodox swings and lunges.
Sokan focuses on agility, acrobatics, and insightful use of terrain to gain an advantage.
Mounted Lightsaber Combat
Mounted Lightsaber Combat functioned very much like Trispzest, in that it focused on swinging downward at the more difficult to defend vitals of a foe through use of the high ground and gravity. However, a practitioner of this was very much limited in their mobility thanks to their mount; be it a mounted animal or a vehicle. Often, this meant keeping one hand on the mount at all times, as well having ones legs wrapped around the mount, effectively confining one to the mount.
Mounted Lightsaber Combat focuses on the high ground, gravity assisted blows, and the speed of the mount.
Telekinetic Lightsaber Combat
This form of combat was among the most difficult to Master, as it demanded an incredible amount of focus for the entire length of the engagement. Practitioners would have their Lightsaber hover about them and function as if they were being wielded by a real person - with the limitations of ones reach. Because of this constant demand, coupled with the ever changing dynamics of a battle, the concentration required for this form was incredible. Masters of this form were capable of using more than one blade at once with the form.
Telekinetic Lightsaber Combat focuses on excessive range, maneuverability of a weapon, overcoming physical limitations, and a shock factor.
(Requires Mastered Core Powers)
Weapon Specific Forms[/color][/size]
Jar'Kai
Jar'kai was more a style of fighting, focusing on the use of two Lightsabers, one in each hand. With the obvious presence of another weapon, the Jar'kai form was one that taught an unrelenting assault through use of repeated, quick attacks against a foe aimed to overwhelm their defenses, or even just put them on the defensive. Another common practice was to have one weapon available for an almost strictly guarding purpose, with the other serving to assail the foe. Jar'kai was easily applied to other forms, allowing one to take the teaching of a more traditional form and apply it to the use of two sabers. In this respect, it could become as versatile as the practitioner required. Each method proved very useful against single Lightsaber users.
Jar'Kai focuses on a relentless offense, a versatile defense, and a constant motion.[/blockquote][/color][/font][/size][/justify]
