Sith

Thousands of years before the Clone Wars, the Jedi Order was fractured by a schism that began when a rogue and his followers turned away from the light side of the Force, believing the dark side was the path to true power. Having relocated to the planet Korriban in the Outer Rim Territories, their movement ultimately evolved into the Sith Order, resulting in a war between the former brothers and sisters in the Force as the Jedi Knights rallied to the defense of the Old Republic. Although the Sith were driven off of the Core World Coruscant by 5000 BBY, centuries of conflict ensued between the two orders, culminating in the Old Republic's collapse. Undermined by constant infighting and ruined by the last war against the Jedi, the Sith were rendered all but extinct with the exception of one; Darth Bane survived the ancient order's destruction and passed his knowledge to a single apprentice, Darth Zannah, before being entombed on Korriban, which became known as Moraband. Henceforth, the Sith was governed by the Rule of Two, a new philosophy dictating that only two Sith Lords—a Sith Master and a Sith apprentice—could exist at any given time. As a result, the Sith were all but forgotten while the Jedi focused their efforts on preserving the new age of peace under the modern Galactic Republic.

Offense

Offense was one of the three schools, or focuses, of combat using the Force as taught by the Sith. It encompassed powers that could be easily and immediately applied with little exertion and that had applications for lightsaber combat. Offense skills included Inertia, Blind, Push, Choke, and Throw.

Body

Body was one of the Sith's three schools, or focuses, of combat using the Force, specifically the dark side. The powers of Body drew from the living Force of the user's own cells and affected another being's.

Mind

Mind was the third school, or focus, taught by the Sith to use the Force. The Sith channeled the dark side of the Force for the disciplines of Mind, which drew from the unifying Force and operated in the realm of thought and memory rather than the physical plane; thus, they required psychic strength rather than physical.

Sith sorcery

By those against whom it was used, Sith magic, also called Sith sorcery, was described as the full destructive power of the dark side of the Force. Its strength was derived from negative emotions, and grew stronger and more corrupting with each expression. Sith magic was every bit a part of the dark side as conventional Force powers, and when the Dark Jedi Exiles of the Hundred-Year Darkness found Korriban and conquered the Sith people, they incorporated the magic of the Kissai priests into their own mastery of the dark side. Sith sorcerers of later generations learned to combine their exotic spells with traditional Sith talents while in the midst of battle, but when engaged in lightsaber combat, those who wielded said weapons were often forced to divide their concentration between casting spells and their bladework. The magic of the ancient Sith was a complex power that assaulted an individual's psyche in ways that were difficult to both comprehend and defend against. Only beings with considerable strength of will were able to resist its psychological effects. Conversely, a Sith sorcerer's concentration was able to be interrupted by Force users skilled in the art of Jedi battle meditation, and their magical creations could be undone by pure manifestations of the light side of the Force.

Sith magic was perceived differently by those who were subjected to its power. Some Force-sensitive beings felt as though it consumed their life energy, while others became physically weaker and felt like all their strength was being siphoned. Some sensitives without any Force training suffered from headaches while in an atmosphere permeated with the residual energy of Sith magic. Its power was enticing, and sometimes manifested as a musical undercurrent—beautiful to some, hideous to others—to lure the unsuspecting. Sith magic tempted the curious with what was believed to be limitless dark-side power, and such an opportunity compelled many to explore further.