Soresu

"That is so like you, Master Kenobi. I am called a great swordsman because I invented a lethal style; but who is greater, the creator of a killing form—or the master of the classic form?" ―Mace Windu to Obi-Wan Kenobi
  Form III, also known as Soresu, the Way of the Mynock, or the Resilience Form, was the third of the seven classic forms of lightsaber combat that was recognized by the Jedi Council prior to and during the Clone Wars. Soresu was developed during the widespread emergence of blasters as an offensive weapon. Essentially a development on Form I blast-deflect training, Soresu relied on tight blade work and subtle dodges to provide maximum defensive coverage, minimizing exposure to ranged weaponry. Over time, Soresu transcended this basic origin and came to be considered the ultimate expression of non-aggressive Jedi philosophy.   Like Makashi, Soresu relied on the economy of motion and energy efficiency, keeping up constant blade movement to build up momentum and minimize energy expenditure. Form III focused on strong defensive technique to essentially outlast an opponent, waiting until he/she began making mistakes due to frustration or fatigue, before taking advantage of these lapses and countering. Despite its effectiveness, Soresu was heavily criticized for its lack of offensive capabilities, as it facilitated survival rather than victory. As an answer to these weaknesses, the highly aggressive Ataru and Shien forms were developed side by side.
"A… defensive technique. But effective. Use it if you do not wish to be hit, or if you are facing many opponents with blasters. With a lightsaber blade and enough skill in deflection, it is an excellent offense against blasters, but in other situations, it merely delays the inevitable." ―Kreia
  The Soresu form was devised to counter the widespread emergence of blasters, weapons that the previous Makashi form wasn't equipped to combat. The pragmatic Form III became the most defensive of the seven forms and utilized tight moves, consisting of subtle dodges and efficient parries, intended to provide maximum defensive coverage and minimize exposure to ranged fire. Over time, Form III came to transcend this basic and pragmatic origin and became an expression of non-aggressive Jedi philosophy.   Soresu utilized tight motions, lightsaber moving every second in an attempt to achieve near-total protection, and expend as little energy in the process as possible. Form III stressed quick reflexes and fast positional transition, in order to overcome the rapidity with which a blaster could be fired. This technique minimized the body's exposure, making a well-trained practitioner practically invincible, which allowed Soresu to be effective against both single enemies and multiple opponents, as well as blasters and lightsabers. Form III involved preparation for prolonged battles where the user observed and learned as much as possible about their adversary's technique while engaged in combat. Also, being more optimized for lengthy battles, a Soresu user had the ability to gain control of a combat situation, creating multiple options for the Jedi employing the form. A Form III user could choose to kill, disarm, or even reason with their opponent.   The core tenets of Soresu encouraged duelists to place themselves "within the eye of the storm": to maintain a calm center, undistracted and undisturbed by the conflict around them. In keeping with this idea, Soresu incorporated powerful defensive techniques that were flexible enough to adapt to almost any circumstance, at the cost of never reaching past the figurative "eye of the storm." In other words, Soresu focused almost entirely on self-defense, often at the expense of offensive capabilities. The tactics encouraged by the style involved the reliance on pure defense while essentially waiting out the opponent, holding back until his frustration or fatigue inevitably caused his defense to lapse, then employing an alternate, more aggressive attack to take advantage of this. Overall, the whole point of Soresu was to deflect blaster fire out of harm's way and safely prolong a lightsaber fight in hopes of wearing an opponent down.   Truly focused masters of Soresu were extremely formidable due to their strong defensive technique, as well as the well-rounded nature of the form itself, effective against both blasters and lightsabers. However, Form III facilitated survival rather than victory, as Soresu possessed no dedicated offensive sequences of its own. Form III initiates were more than capable of defending themselves from attack, but they needed considerable experience to effectively counterattack and entrap opponents. Masters had to maintain an incredibly strong focus on the center of the combat circle since the defensive tactics of the form included guards and parries that engaged very close to the body. Jedi with small lapses in their otherwise strong defense left little room to avoid injury. As a result of this defensive mindset, Soresu practitioners often had great difficulty seizing the offensive initiative in combat. Also, the goal of many Soresu practitioners was to prolong the fight, the idea being to cause the enemy to become fatigued or frustrated as they attempted to keep up their offense. However, this tactic ran the risk of fatiguing the user if said user faced an adversary who could maintain an aggressive but cautious offense.
Knowledge Check required to learn: DC 10 Requirements: 
  1. Exotic Weapon Proficiency(lightsaber), 
  2. Deflect(Defense), 
  3. Jedi Class level 1
  Knowledge Check required to learn: DC 15 Requirement: 
  1. Exotic Weapon Proficiency(lightsaber), 
  2. Deflect(Attack), 
  3. Jedi Class level 3
  Game Effects:    Soresu Stance A: Soresu Stance A is best used if the user goes into total defense. While in total defense, the character receives a -2 penalty on all attack rolls made with the lightsaber and receives a +3 defense bonus. These effects last for 4 rounds (The +4 defense bonus from total defense expires after one round, you may use total defense again during the second round to continue to keep the bonuses). The concentration on this form is to not only block blaster fire but deflect it.   Soresu Stance B: Soresu stance is best used if the user is fighting defensively against blaster fire. The character's penalty to deflect (attack), that is associated with the redirected attack is lessened by one. This effect may not reduce the penalty so that the user gets a bonus that is associated with the redirected attack (it may, however, reduce the penalty to 0). This gives the user a -2 penalty to all other attack rolls for 4 rounds.

Comments

Please Login in order to comment!