Force Power Tradition Sign Casting 'Styles'

[Narzen]

"By using Sign Casting, you eliminate the need for Kyber and instead channel the Force directly through you as a conduit. The use of certain hand signs, arms movements, and body posture are what allows the practitioner to tap into the Force and use it in a more efficient method"
-Iymril Auvryt'tar, Sith Sign Caster

"Instead of using a kyber crystal to focus energy, the caster was able to use their entire body as the weapon, focusing the Force out of (usually) their hands. The precise shapes varied widely from practitioner to practitioner and could even vary from ability to ability being used"
-Excerpt from Sign Casting

"With numerous traditions of the force developed independently from each other, it stands to reason that other traditions arose within them. Look at Lightsaber fighting: At least seven separate forms from what I've seen in the Jedi alone. Why wouldn't sign casters also develop their own 'styles', unique to their culture and/or teachings, especially for species who have fewer or more fingers?"
-Abda-Vaal Alhazred, Jedi Sign Caster​

Over the years, sign casting has gained a little bit more of a following among both Jedi and Sith. As a result, more and more people have been digging into previous cultures who utilized sign casting. Numerous 'styles' have arose, similar to styles of lightsaber combat, and while none have any direct strength over another, each has unique aspects that can say a great deal about the Sign Caster.

Galactic Sign Language Casting: Perhaps the most straightforward of all sign casting, Sign Language Casting is basically 'speaking out' the force ability one is trying to perform. Based on the Galactic Sign Language, this type of sign casting is the easiest to recognize and thereby, easiest to teach by those who know the language. However, it is also usually the longest ones to perform. Instead of making one sign to perform a force push, a Sign Language Caster may need to perform three separate words to perform a force push. Some argue that this defeats the entire purpose of Sign Casting, but a well enough versed caster should be able to perform just as fast as anyone else.

Due to being so easy to recognize, some sign casting practitioners speak only with Sign Language, and focus the force only when they really need to utilize the abilities. That way, no one can tell if they are 'speaking' or preparing to utilize the force for combat until it is too late.

Constellation Sign Casting: Universally, almost every planet's cultures that can see stars have marked constellations. Many of these cultures identify patterns that look like certain animals or beings of myth. The Nu-Vaal and the Givin have compiled numerous constellation records, with names like 'The Fleeing Mynock', the 'Forlorn Zillo', the 'Weak Twins' or the 'Tongue of the Dead God'.

In each culture, a constellations can take special meanings. Within a culture, 'The Fleeing Mynock' might be a symbol for air or flight, and by making a hand sign that lines up certain points on the hands and limbs to the points of the constellation, a caster can cast a some type of Aerokinesis. The uniqueness of each constellation within each planet's culture means that these signs might be more complicated compared to some, but are much harder to recognize by outsiders.

Alchemy Sign Casting: A sub-tradition inside the Sith, Alchemy Sign casting draws on the symbols assigned to elements or certain powers. The tradition itself is described as very 'geometric'. The 'upward triangle' may be a reference to fire, and combined with the 'curved hook' that references sudden release of pressure, may create a bout of flames before the user towards the target. There are also signs that relate to various elements like Kyberite, wood, steam, etc.

Alchemy Sign Casting is almost exclusively used by the Sith, with the exception of some Nightsister cults. Its actually believed that Alchemy Sign Casting is actually descended from Nightsisters, who have their own specialized version of this that refrences 'spirits' more than 'elements'.

Kro Var Sign Casting: Developed by the Shapers of Kro Var, the hand positions often directly relate to the elements they are controlling. As a result, many signs for 'invisible' powers like telekinesis and telepathy don't exist. That said, descriptions for their elements can vary widely, with a specific Sign for each description. A trained Terra Shaper of Kro Var might have dozens of individual signs for making the ground they want, including things like 'rock good for walking', 'liquid rock (mud)' 'rock that flies in wind (sand)', 'rocks with many holes', 'many hard small boulders', etc. Think akin to '50 eskimo words for snow'

Kro Var Signs tend to rely on the whole body over just hands or hands and limbs, making their sign casting much more energetic and wild looking to an untrained eye. As a result of such physical demonstration, many people who practice Kro Var Signs might be more physically fit.

Intent: To add some flavor to Sign casters everywhere. This entire thing is optional and everyone is free to create their own 'styles' of sign casting, but I wanted to create a jumping off point for others.

 

[Logan]

Seems neat and a cool way to add flavor and flourish to sign casting.

Approved.