Djem So – Counterstrike Form
Lightsaber FormUniversal- Cost
- 4 FP
- Activation
- Reaction
- Range
- Melee
- Recommended Lv
- Lv 12+
Effect
When a melee attack hits you, you may make an immediate lightsaber counterattack with Advantage. If it hits, deal +2d8 Force damage, and the attacker is pushed back 10 ft. At level 17+, your counterattack no longer provokes reactions and deals +3d8 instead.
At the Table
A Jedi Guardian holds the line against a Sith acolyte who lunges in with a vibrosword — and the blade connects. Spending 4 FP as a Reaction, she turns the impact into momentum, swinging back with an immediate lightsaber counterattack at Advantage. The strike lands for her weapon dice plus +2d8 Force damage, and the acolyte is hurled 10 ft back, his charge broken before it began. Once she hits level 17, that counter rips for +3d8 and no longer gives nearby enemies a free reaction — she can carve a hole in the formation without flinching.
In the Lore
Djem So is the aggressive variation of Form V lightsaber combat, the "way of the krayt dragon," built on the principle that a Jedi should answer an attack with an overpowering counterattack rather than pure defense. In Legends it grew out of Form III (Soresu): masters frustrated by Soresu's endless patience refined Form V to turn a successful block into an immediate, punishing riposte. Its most famous practitioner is Anakin Skywalker, whose powerful, momentum-driven dueling style epitomized Djem So's "strike back harder" ethos, and it is also associated with masters such as Plo Koon and Jedi Battlemaster Cin Drallig. The form's reputation is one of strength and dominance — controlling an opponent by seizing the initiative — which made it a natural fit for powerful Jedi and a stepping stone some would later twist toward more aggressive, even Dark-leaning combat.