Since this is the only forum that I am aware of for GM's, I thought I would bring this up in this setting rather than throwing it out to the general forums first.

Have any of you experimented with Combination Forms? Clearly this would be home-brew/non-canon and I have only lightly addressed this in a brief West End game I ran and I can see these more as a signature ability (like Vaapad or Juyo or other Forms not mentioned in the book being such as well) or lost secret, etc. For example, I actually had Juyo as an ability accessed in a special holocron and it could be bought for 25 xp (mechanically it simply increased the damage of any lightsaber attack by 2 and the Vicious rating by 2 and was only used once I think). I think something like that could work in that context.

The one combination form I came up with was a modification of Shii-Cho and Ataru called Rishii-Sho which allowed for swift fluid combination attacks and defense. The weakness would be against ranged attacks but it would be designed to handle melee and multiple melee opponents well.

For this system, I am merely in an experimental stage and may only allow it is a 'Force Secret' from a holocron or lost knowledge, etc if one of my players gets good enough if I progress at all. Regardless, would love to hear some thoughts about it and combination forms or other form techniques in general.

Thanks all.

Sorry, I guess I should have pointed out that a form such as listed above would require the specializations in those forms and having bought one form to the bottom of the tree, maybe both (probably so). For me, I think that someone who has mastered two forms should be able to experiment and create hence my thoughts in the matter.

Honestly, maxing out two different lightsaber specs is already pretty powerful. Between the Reflects, Parries, special attacks, bonuses, and other odds and ends, the character in question is going to be pretty nasty in combat. I don't see the need to invent an extra ability - they're already combining the abilities from two different lightsaber specs, creating a hybrid organically by using the system as-is. And it works pretty well, I think.

One of my players is doing Makashi and Shien, which naturally gives rise to a very nasty duelist, both being strong dueling forms. I have no plans to give him any extra abilities - he's already the group's designated lightsaber duelist, and demolishes the mid-level opposition I've been throwing at the group.

I appreciate the input as I think this system handles its specializations well with all those abilities. I hadn't quite gotten that far in our endgame with the Beta (and we are re-setting with the new books in a couple of weeks) so your insight is welcome. Admittedly, I like to tinker a lot with my games and sometimes I need to draw myself back a little. I think hybrid forms are probably conceptually a fair idea (and I mean high level concept) but as you point out, in practice, it can develop organically with the talents at hand. Thanks!