In a Galaxy far, far away, where Lightsabers and Blasters take headline, good old fashioned hand to hand combat is still prominent. Here is a look at the selectable Martial Arts Forms members of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood may select from when building their Character Sheet.
How To Use This Guide
As with any large subject, it is impossible to express the full detail and nuance of hand to hand combat in just a few pages worth of writing. This guide should be a springboard for those looking to learn more about which Martial Arts Form they are going to pursue while also acting as a quick reference for the seasoned veteran. This guide is not meant to be a crutch or restrictive to how you write your character. The descriptions listed below are by no means complete and should be treated not as an inflexible gospel, but as a first-order approximation for how to describe how practitioners of the Form typically act, and how Graders could use these for interpreting material.
Martial Art Forms
Members of the Brotherhood are able to choose from the following Martial Art Forms when creating their characters:
Martial Art Skill Tiers (1-5)
The following is a breakdown of how your respective Skill points in your character's Martial Arts style can be visualized when writing martial combat. For more information, see the Skills page of the Character Creation Guide.
CS Approval Guidelines
Please note, per the Character Sheet Approval guidelines:
1. You must have at least one Skill point invested in Martial Arts in order to select one of the Forms from the drop-down selector under the Specialization tab on the Character Creation Wizard.
2. Novitiate characters can select a single preferred Form. Beginning at JM1, a character can select primary and secondary specialization.
Martial Arts Skill
| Martial Arts |
| An individual's Martial Arts capability. This skill must be trained (minimum of +1) to use. |
| +0 |
“Stop trying to hit me and hit me.”
You can throw punches and kicks, but not with any style or form behind them. Brawler and raw mechanics. |
| +1 |
You have an understanding of the basic patterns and principles of your respective Form. |
| +2 |
You have an understanding of the more advanced patterns and principles of your respective Form. |
| +3 |
You’ve earned your Black Belt and have mastered the core techniques of your respective Form. |
| +4 |
Sifu, Sensei, Mentor. People seek you out for you knowledge and ability in your respective Form. |
| +5 |
Master. A master of your respective Form, teachers seek you out to better their understanding and ability. |
| Related Feats |
Drunken Master, Jar’Kai, Petranaki, Shockboxing, and Sleeping Rancor |
Combat Aspects — “Hybrid Styles”
Some members will choose to select both a Primary and Secondary Martial Arts Form. For those same members that want to explain how your character uses both Martial Arts Forms together to create their own unique “Style”, a Custom Combat Aspect would need to be created. Please contact the Voice staff or Combat Master if you require assistance with your Combat Aspects.
Martial Arts Forms
Whiptree
| Whiptree |
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Buzzwords:
- Throwing
- Gripping
- Unbalancing
- Sturdy
- Pulling
- Pushing
- Locking
- Pinning
- Pressure
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Resembles:
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Description:
Whiptree is arguably one of the most common martial arts in the Galaxy due to its ubiquitousness and the ease with which new students can find classes and pick up the basics. The Form's pure focus is on grappling, making it the popular poster child for self-defense techniques that could be used in everyday situations. Today, it is practiced by many police departments, militaries, and civilians throughout the Galaxy.
Whiptree is focused on using an opponent's momentum against them and employing leverage, positioning, and redirection to minimize employing direct impact against direct force.
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Stance and Striking:
Whiptree's basic stance favors balance and the ability to quickly enter an opponent's guard for pivots and throws. Feet are set about at shoulder's width apart, arms extended at chest level with bent elbows in order to establish a grip on the opponent while also protecting the face from attacks. Toes are generally pointing outwards at 45 degree angles for stability. The knees and hips are relaxed and bent, with one foot slightly further forward to maintain balance.
Whiptree's offensive arsenal consists of a wide series of throws in order to get the opponent to the ground. Using the arms and legs as pivot points, a practitioner can grapple an opponent to the floor with the shoulders and hips. Once an opponent is down, chokes, arm locks and pins become the major points of attacks with Whiptree. Once engaged, the Form teaches force submission and can even lead to broken limbs from applying the right torque to different joints. There are also techniques taught for attacking the incoming limb and targeting the joints on the wrist for disarming.
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Broken Gate
| Broken Gate |
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Buzzwords:
- Solid
- Grounded
- Rooted
- Tough
- Resilient
- Rounding
- Absorbing
- Flexing
- Standup
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Resembles:
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Description:
Broken Gate is one of the most widespread and common standing combat forms in the Galaxy. Taught on hundreds of planets from the Core Worlds to the far reaches of the Outer Rim, the simple and efficient Form is popular with those looking for a well rounded Form rooted in physical fitness training.
Conditioning is key to Broken Gate, with adherents training rigorously to harden their bodies against strikes. As a stand-up fighting style, it employs little to no ground-fighting techniques but is entirely focused on upright combat. Using powerful blocks, kicks and strikes in conjunction with simple body control, it is a balanced martial art that can take hits but dish them out just as readily.
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Stance and Striking:
A Broken Gate stance places the practitioner's hands out in front of their chest, front fist angled towards the opponent's face while the back hand lowers to protect the stomach. Elbows tuck in tight to the ribs as the hips twist off at an angle to present a smaller target. The lead foot is the foot opposite the main hand, with the other foot a shoulder width apart and then behind the other. Both knees are bent and weight is kept off the heels to allow for faster movement. From this stance, a practitioner can transition between deep and wide stances while moving in order to maintain balance while putting them in a position to lunge into an attack.
Practitioners will take advantage of the torque and power behind roundhouse kicks, uppercuts, and other chambered strikes. Counters are rudimentary but effective with the intent to safely absorb an incoming attack rather than to try and deflect it. Hand techniques vary from open handed chops and grabs to closed hand hammer fists and knuckle-jabs while utilizing the meatier parts of the wrists and arms to absorb impact. While it lacks many ground combat techniques, this Form has more than a few techniques designed around escaping quickly from grapples or any other maneuver that would take them off their feet and down to the ground.
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Corellian Kickboxing
| Corellian Kickboxing |
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Buzzwords:
- Brutal
- Striking
- Kneeing
- Rapid
- Chaining
- Pummel
- Clinching
- Grabbing
- Intense
- Aggressive
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Resembles:
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Description:
Developed on the streets of Corellia, Kickboxing originated as a potent form of aggressive self-defense. It was later adapted into self-fitness exercise practice and then eventually into a legitimate competitive sport. Formalized on a basic level and taught in gyms all across the Galaxy, it is a mix of toughness, speed and strength that has given it a widespread popularity.
Many martial artists consider it an extremely rudimentary and brutal style without much depth or complexity, but few can argue against its effectiveness in mid-to-close quarters.
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Stance and Striking:
Practitioners are required to turn slightly to the side with their stronger side at the back. Both hands are up near the face with the elbows pointing downwards. Weight is evenly distributed between both legs, knees bent slightly to allow more mobility when attacking and defending.
Corellian Kickboxing employs the eight points of contact - two fists, two elbows, two knees and two feet. Punches are typically straight and chained in rapid succession by using the rotation of the hips and the shoulders. Straight kicks and round kicks are employed in equal measure, as well as grabbing an opponent with one hand to deliver elbow strikes or both hands to clutch and then deliver strikes from the knee. Defensive techniques include basic arm deflections and movements away from the incoming attack, or simply absorbing the hit if it is not aimed at a vital area in order to counter with a hit of their own.
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Shadow Step
| Shadow Step |
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Buzzwords:
- Fluid
- Striking
- Swift
- Agile
- Nimble
- Open-hand
- Precision
- Weak-point
- Silent
- Deft
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Resembles:
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Description:
Shadow Step focuses on taking your opponent out of the equation before they realize your presence. It was designed to be one part unpredictable and one part stealth. Speed and precision are required to master a Form that incorporates a wide array of techniques for defense against armed opponents as well as silent, non-lethal takedowns to subdue them. As it was originally developed by the ancient Sith assassins, “non-lethal” can be interpreted differently between each practitioner.
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Stance and Striking:
Shadow Step has no formal stance. Like a hunting cat stalking its prey in the wild, movement is fluid and graceful as the practitioner moves lightly on the balls of the feet to quietly close the distance between targets. Balance and center of gravity are more important than using the hands or the angle of the body as protection.
Shadow Step makes use of various open-handed techniques, focusing on speed and timing over torque or power. Weak and vital points on the body such as the throat, eyes, or joints are targeted without hesitation or mercy. Footwork is important with these quick strikes, and practitioners are not afraid to employ acrobatic feints or rolls when needed.
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K'thri
| K'thri |
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Buzzwords:
- Spinning
- Leaping
- Dodging
- Deceptive
- Flashy
- Acrobatic
- Aggressive
- Slippery
- Evasive
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Resembles:
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Description:
K’thri traces its history to the early Zabrak on Iridonia, where it served as a form of ritualistic combat. This tribal Form was based heavily on rhythmic dance motions mixed with sporadic ramping between slow and rapid movement. The Form has gone through a renaissance of sorts as both a source of Zabrak pride as well as an art particularly suited for competitions. Acrobatic and kicking oriented attacks have become more prominent, allowing for more breathtaking stunts that can draw and distract the eye.
The tertiary goal of the K’thri practitioner is to utilize malice and trickery to fool the opponent into absolute vulnerability. Adherents wait patiently for the opponent to fall for the feints or false-openings they present before delivering the final blow. Darth Maul was famous for his use of this Martial Arts Form.
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Stance and Striking:
K’thri’s ready stance is more aptly termed a “ready movement”. It comes in the form of a swaying, rhythmic step where the stance is constantly shifted to confuse the opponent. Most opponents do not know when a strike will come and find it difficult to “catch” a practitioner. The arms are kept loose as well, with one hand always kept near the head for defense and the other used as a counterbalance and kept free to assist in dodging and evasion. Movement is often circular in nature, angling around an opponent to size them up. Practitioners remain in constant motion, swaying, executing acrobatic dodges and movements which embed the opponent in layers of trickery and feints.
K’thri favors kicking, particularly spinning kicks delivered with a great deal of momentum. These kicks and spins can be executed from a standing or prone position. Hand techniques are often delivered with the open palm, drawing their momentum from either spinning or swinging from twisting at the waist. Other techniques include more rudimentary attacks like eye pokes or gouges, along with knees and elbows aimed towards crippling an opponent. K’thri also possesses an extreme array of sweeps and takedowns which bring the opponent to the ground quickly and dramatically. The head is also used as a weapon more than in other arts, mainly due to the often horned and “hard headed” Zabrak physiology.
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Mandalorian Core
| Mandalorian Core |
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Buzzwords:
- Aggressive
- Brutal
- Destructive
- Attacking
- Countering
- Swiveling
- Tracking
- Improvising
- Breaking
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Resembles:
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Description:
Mandalorian Core emphasizes threat neutralization, simultaneous defensive and offensive maneuvers, and aggression. The Form is known for its focus on real-time situations and its brutally efficient counter-attacks. Derived from primal street-fighting skills taught to Mandalorians at a young age, it has since been refined for civilian, police and military applications.
At its highest level, ‘Core is most widely known for its use by Clone Troopers during the Clone Wars. While less disciplined than the Imperial Martial Arts System's rigid approach to training soldiers, ‘Core excelled in lateral flexibility across unconventional battlefields. The style has remained popular for both its historical grounding in Mandalorian culture, and its effectiveness in adapting to unpredictable scenarios.
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Stance and Striking:
Mandalorian Core borrows from a lot of other Martial Arts Forms, so the stance can vary depending on the situation. The most common stance has both hands up and in front of the body at chin level so that the practitioner can protect their face without blocking their eyes' lateral vision. Elbows get tucked in protectively over the ribs and the knees bend ever so slightly as the practitioner looks to always stay on the balls of their feet. A stable center of balance allows for attacks to be launched swiftly while similarly providing the ability to counter from any direction an attacker might take.
Strikes look to target the body’s more obvious points of vulnerability--eyes, neck, solar plexus, groin or anything that could be hit to quickly end an engagement. Countering is just as important as attacking, with some techniques built into the Form designed to seek out and intercept an opponent's limbs before they can deliver their strikes. A practitioner keeps their head on a swivel, always maintaining awareness of their surroundings while tracking threats in order to look for escape routes, further attackers, or objects that could be used to defend or help attack.
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Echani
| Echani |
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Buzzwords:
- Flowing
- Aggressive
- Balanced
- Quick
- Discipline
- Grounded
- Stalwart
- Fluid
- Flexible
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Resembles:
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Description:
Developed by and then later named after the Echani people, this Martial Arts Form focuses on mastering the body itself as a weapon. Known for judging other sentients through combat rather than words, the Echani would forgo the use of armor, weapons, or Force techniques in their tribal duels. Combat was seen as a form of communication similar to art. Exposing emotions while fighting, however, made the duel personal. Engaging in repeated sessions was a courtship of sorts, in which one's favors were won through superior fighting prowess.
This methodology required rigorous and intense physical training to enable the practitioner to maintain the body for this style of unarmed combat. Practitioners often used weight training mixed with cardiovascular fitness and spent as much time honing their bodies as they did on perfecting their patterns and technique.
The Form was later adapted by Emperor Palpatine and taught to all Imperial Guardsmen, but now stands as a highly effective self-defense Form that is taught individually by a Master practitioner rather than at any kind of school or dojo.
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Stance and Striking:
Echani utilizes a series of unique stances built around the primary “Nexu Stance”. The feet are staggered wider than the shoulders while the knees bend and the buttocks sinks. The torso twists 45 degrees, and both hands extend out fully in front of the body with open palms turned either upward, downward, or outward. From this stabilized position, it is very difficult to knock an Echani practioner off of their feet. All other stances stem from his foundation, with the focus on always maintaining a powerful center of gravity.
Echani strikes from the hip, the practitioner turning their body into the strikes, pivoting to lend momentum to each blow. Counter pivoting is done from the hip, flowing from one strike to another in a very fluid form. Open hand chops blur into closed fist jabs, seeking weak points like joints and extended limbs to push an opponent off balance. Once off balance, an Echani practitioner will strike swiftly with a flurry of blows aimed to incapacitate and disable rather than eliminate a threat.
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Wrruushi
| Wrruushi |
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Buzzwords:
- Strong
- Powerful
- Grabbing
- Throwing
- Pinning
- Takedown
- Tossing
- Crushing
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Resembles:
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Description:
Wrruushi stemmed from outsiders studying the way in which Wookiees fought with one another when they were not using their Bowcasters or ceremonial Ryyk blades. These outsiders were typically armored as part of their studies to fight Jedi and other powerful enemies. So they developed a tradition of fighting against each other to become just as efficient while wearing heavy armor in hand to hand combat as they were without it.
Wrruushi seeks to offset an opponent's balance by using grappling, leverage, and body mass manipulation. A Wrruushi practitioner will seek victory by opening up their opponent’s defenses with a series of direct, headlong strikes and then maneuvering to take them down to the ground using throws and takedowns. Once on the ground, they will look to quickly grapple before forcing a submission hold to subdue an opponent.
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Stance and Striking:
The ready stance in Wrruushi is simple. The knees are bent with the feet pointing forward. The practitioner's strong leg slides back with the hips angled slightly. The hands are kept up high in front of the face and with open fingers, giving greater flexible range for gripping and grabbing an opponent's body or limbs. The head dips down with the chin, tucking slightly to present less of a target.
Striking encompasses the primary weapons of punches, elbows, knees and kicks. Punching is performed using straight strikes. There are no hooks or uppercuts as they leave a practitioner open to throws and takedowns. Elbows and knees are employed in order to stagger an opponent while low kicks are employed, generally, to the knees and the thighs to destabilize the opponent. Locking techniques involve, primarily, arm and leg locks, usually by pinning a hip or a shoulder and twisting or pulling the limb in question against its natural bend. Defensively, Wrruushi prefers to absorb the blow while standing, and then have better position on the ground. There are very few, if any, defensive techniques in this style at all, with the strategy of positioning considered more important than blocking incoming attacks. Clinching is an important aspect of Wrruushi, where the arms will either wrap around and loop behind the neck, or seize the shoulders or neck.
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Imperial Martial Arts System (IMAS)
| IMAS |
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Buzzwords:
- Triangular
- Versatile
- Swift
- Looping
- Direct
- Parrying
- Unified
- Basic
- Discipline
- Fundamentals
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Resembles:
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Description:
The Imperial Martial Arts System (IMAS), was universally taught throughout the armed forces of the Galactic Empire. Stormtroopers and officers alike were trained in IMAS for its disciplined approach to effective close quarters engagements. Simple and easy to teach to a large group of trainees at once, IMAS is a system primarily oriented around weaponry. Unarmed movements typically mirrored the movements of weaponry that the practitioners were already being trained to fight with. One of the first lessons of IMAS is that a downward diagonal strike or thrust is the same regardless of whether it is a stick, knife, or empty hand.
IMAS’ favored tactic is “defanging the serpent.” The focus of the practitioner's strikes are directed at the opponent's extended limbs, rather than trying to push through a frontal guarding of the face or torso. This philosophy has become popular with police and military forces for its tendency to help quickly prevent the escalation of violence by ending a fight quickly and effectively.
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Stance and Striking:
The hands are held at chest height, ready to deflect and parry incoming attacks at their extension points. Utilizing triangular footwork, the practitioner will choose to advance or retreat at a diagonal to one's opponent in an attempt to disorient opponents that are acclimated to more headlong melee. IMAS practitioners therefore appear to zig-zag randomly as they close for the kill or step aside to dodge a blow.
IMAS practitioners turn their body into attacks with the winding from the previous strike flowing into another strike in rapid succession. IMAS stylists will often strike attacking limbs and weapon hands to cripple them while either parrying or evading the attack. Typical strikes include basic punches, kicks, knees and elbows, but also standard joint locks. Most of the focus in IMAS is incorporating weapons into the patterns.
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Teras Kasi
| Teras Kasi |
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Buzzwords:
- Fluid
- Adaptive
- Compact
- Flexible
- Continuous
- Primal
- Instinctive
- Aggressive
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Resembles:
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Description:
Teras Kasi is predicated on a very simple principle: animals are not taught to fight, they simply act by instinct to survive. Reaction-time and reflex are the critical elements of this Form, lending itself to being very quick and exceptionally fluid. A wide variety of close-in strikes, blocks and evasive techniques are deployed in rapid succession to keep an opponent on their heels and on the defensive. Aggression is the key. Attacks are meant to destabilise an opponent and continue attacking until they submit, stopping a target's forward momentum to keep them off-balance.
Teras Kasi draws a lot of its patterns from nature, and takes the techniques used by animals to create an eccentric but deadly Form. Ideal mastery of each move comes from being able to apply the wild, instinctual nature of these patterns with hardened discipline.
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Stance and Striking:
Teras Kasi favors a wider stance, with the front foot barely a shoulder width in front of the back foot but wider than shoulders width. The hips are turned very slightly off center so as to keep the focus of attack forward and to help generate a strong base. The hands are up protecting the upper chest and pointed towards the opponent. Practitioners will often sway in place to mirror the motion of a predator in the wild. Short and quick steps in straight are used to cover the most distance in a minimum amount of time, staying as close as possible to the opponent’s guard.
Teras Kasi striking focuses on chaining vertical punches that 'roll' over one another. As one hand returns to the guard, the next punch is already going over the top of it towards the target strike zone. Kicks are often low and usually to the knees or hips to destabilise an opponent. Elbows and knees are very common, as these are close-in attacks favored by the style. These are then complemented by extremely flashy acrobatic techniques similar to animals such as wampas, reeks or acklays. Everything from clawlike slashes with a half-open hand to rising, chambered kicks are used with the animal techniques.
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Sliding Hands
| Sliding Hands |
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Buzzwords:
- Reactive
- Smooth
- Graceful
- Fluid
- Relaxed
- Circular
- Reversal
- Locking
- Throwing
- Defensive
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Resembles:
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Description:
With Sliding Hands, the main focus is on using an opponent's own momentum against them by utilizing joint locks, throws, takedowns and ground submission to subdue a would-be attacker without brute lethal force. All of these rely on being the defender in the situation - whether the practitioner is the one being attacked, or someone else is being attacked. This Form makes extensive use of non-striking techniques in order to shape itself into a defensive style used to counter a wide range of aggressive, strike-based styles, perfect for the peacekeeping ways of the Jedi Order and other pacifist cultures.
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Stance and Striking:
Sliding Hands uses long, deep ready stances with one leg almost two complete shoulder widths back to maintain a good base so as to avoid being dislodged. The hands are up and open with the elbows tucked in, both pointing towards the opponent to effectively grab and grapple.
Striking in Sliding Hands is done almost entirely with open-handed techniques, as a closed fist would not permit the practitioner to seize an extended limb or other part of the body to control their opponent. These strikes are typically targeted specifically at the nerve and pressure points of an adversary.
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Martial Arts Feats
A member can further enhance their training in Martial Arts by taking advantage of Martial Arts Feats.
The Hand Is Quicker
While unarmed and facing down an opponent wielding a weapon, {{member}} has a knack for being able to quickly disarm an opponent that is within striking range as long as it is at the start of a combat exchange.
Drunken Master (Journeyman 1)
The Martial Arts Form known as Bacch'nal, or drunken boxing, is a rare and refined technique that allows {{member}} to fight effectively when unarmed and under mind-altering afflictions such as intoxication, alchemy, and either herbal or conventional poison. The patterns used are wild, sporadic, and almost impossible to predict, but also look sloppy and occasionally humorous to others.
Jar'Kai (Journeyman 1)
{{member}} is adept with Jar'Kai, an ancient martial arts technique that roughly translates to “two swords as one". {{member}} is able to use {{gender:his,her}} Martial Arts skill in place of their Dual Wielding skill level so long as {{gender:he,she}} is wielding either a pair of Bladed Weapons or a pair of Lightsabers.
Petranaki (Journeyman 1)
The gladiator's art of Petranaki was developed in the arenas of Geonosis where fighters in the beast pits learned to adapt to whatever they could find to survive. When an improvised weapon is required to fight an enemy--such as using a broken bar stool leg as a club--{{member}} can substitute the relevant Weapon Skill with his Martial Arts Skill.
Shockboxing (Journeyman 1)
Shockboxing is a cage fighting technique that focuses on the eponymous "shock gloves" worn over the hands. Most shock boxers come from another fighting background but train with these gloves on. While {{member}} is wearing shock gloves or any other knuckle or glove-type weapon, {{gender:he,she}} can use their Martial Arts at one Skill level higher.
Sleeping Rancor (Journeyman 2)
The martial techniques of the secret style of Hij'kata are designed to subdue an opponent peacefully and with minimal harm. So long as {{gender:he,she}} is aiming to disable his opponent without striking or otherwise directly harming them, {{member}} is able to use {{gender:his,her}} Martial Arts at one Skill point higher.