Respect Exar Kun
If you find this interesting then you should check out the respect thread of Kun's former apprentice, Ulic Qel-Droma:
http://www.comicvine.com/profile/i_like_swords/blog/ulic-qel-droma-respect-thread/101350/
Before reading the thread, it must be noted that users "AncientPower", and "CT123" (or "ChaosTheory123") have made highly appreciated contributions to this thread; content they provided me with will be credited to them directly as you'll see below.
Force Augmentation
Exar Kun's lightsaber strikes produce enough force to be heard for kilometers.
Kun snaps Vodo-Siosk Baas's Force-imbued staff under the weight of his blows. Vodo's staff is even stronger than a lightsaber blade.
Kun snaps Vodo's staff again.
Kun smashes a holocron with his bare hands.
Kun implants his fingers into the skull of Grand Chancellor of the Galactic Senate, lifts him with one arm nonchalantly, has him conduct a speech, and then drops him, dead.
Smashes down a wall of Mandalorian Iron.
Produces multiple afterimages with his blade while fighting Vodo-Siosk Baas.
More examples of afterimages.
Despite having tons of rubble dropped on him, with his bones being broken in hundreds of places, Kun survives for a prolonged period of time and can even continue to speak until he is healed.
Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma could have dueled for hours on even ground.
Exar Kun and Ulic fought, but they were too evenly matched for either to gain the upper hand. Their battle might have gone on for hours but for the macabre manifestation of a host of Sith spirits, led by the shade of Marka Ragnos.
- The Dark Side Sourcebook
Lightsaber and Martial Arts Skill
Exar Kun mastered lightsaber combat.
Kun was a master of lightsaber combat and had even bested Master Vodo’s quarterstaff during a sparring practice.
- Power of the Jedi Sourcebook
Consumed by pride and ambition, Jedi student Exar Kun had a dark place in his heart that even his vaunted master, Vodo-Siosk Baas, could not reach. An excellent student and a master swordsman, Exar Kun was fascinated with the powers of the ancient Sith Lords.
- The Dark Side Sourcebook
Kun was a master of Form VI, Niman. He practices an abnormally aggressive variant of Niman, focusing on applying his overwhelming strength.
- Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
Kun could wield a lightsaber ambidextrously.
- The Dark Side Sourcebook
Kun is a master of dual-bladed lightsaber combat.
- Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
Kun went down in history as having unparalleled lightsaber prowess during his time as a Jedi, recorded by Gnost-Dural, the future keeper of the Jedi Archives.
As a young Jedi Knight, Exar Kun exhibited a strong connection to the Force. Through long practice he achieved unparalleled prowess in lightsaber combat.
- Gnost-Dural (Star Wars: The Old Republic - Timeline - The Exar Kun War)
As a Jedi, Kun was the greatest duelist of Vodo-Siosk Baas' many apprentices, and claimed victory over Baas many times when they sparred together.
As the Jedi Watchman of Dantooine, Master Baas spends much of his time on the planet and trains multiple apprentices at a time. His strongest apprentice, however, is a young pupil named Exar Kun. Kun's skill with a lightsaber is so great that he claimed victory over his master many times when they sparred together.
- Jedi Academy Training Manual
Kun humbles Crado in a sparring match.
Kun defeats Sylvar in a sparring match.
Kun takes on Vodo-Siosk Baas in a sparring match, losing initially but gaining the upper hand once he begins using dual-blades.
Kun duels as a perfect equal with Ulic Qel-Droma. They could have dueled for hours, and in the end would have ended up stalemating by killing each other.
Exar Kun and Ulic fought, but they were too evenly matched for either to gain the upper hand. Their battle might have gone on for hours but for the macabre manifestation of a host of Sith spirits, led by the shade of Marka Ragnos.
- The Dark Side Sourcebook
While Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma battled, spirits of ancient Sith Lords observed the contest. The Sith spirits saw that the battle would ultimately end with both men dead; therefore, it would be of no use to the Sith if the fight continued. They immediately stopped the battle and declared that Kun and Qel-Droma would be the new Dark Lords of the Sith.
- Power of the Jedi Sourcebook
Among the Krath, Exar Kun came face to face with another fallen Jedi, whose strength matched his own - Ulic Qel-Droma. Qel-Droma had fully embraced the Dark Side, after unsuccessfully trying to infiltrate the Krath and dismantle their cult from within. After a long duel, Qel-Droma and Exar Kun joined forces; Exar Kun as the undisputed Dark Lord of the Sith, Qel-Droma as his apprentice.
- Star Wars: The Old Republic - Timeline - The Exar Kun War
During his time as the Dark Lord of the Sith, Kun created and wielded one of, if not the, first Saberstaff(s), an incredibly dangerous and intricate weapon. He added customised controls to his lightsaber which allowed him to alter the blade's height and intensity in the middle of combat in order to deceive his opponents and leave them open for fatal counter-attacks. These tactics, coupled with Kun's Force abilities, allowed him to predict the actions of his opponents, making Kun virtually unstoppable in combat.
Some unique objects are invariably associated with their remarkable owners. The unusual double-bladed lightsaber of the fallen Jedi Exar Kun is one such artifact. This weapon as distinctive and dangerous as its builder, the Dark Lord of the Sith, who initiated the great Sith War and nearly toppled the Old Republic.
[...]
As the battle against the Jedi escalated, Kun altered his normal lightsaber into a more deadly and dangerous weapon. Kun added a second emitter matrix on the opposite end of the handgrip, allowing him to release two blue-white blades simultaneously. The dark Jedi wielded the saber much as he would a quarterstaff, using one blade to block incoming attacks, then quickly spinning the handgrip to use the second blade to strike a killing blow against his opponent.
Customized controls allowed him to adjust each blade's length from half a meter to one and a half meters. Panels controlled each blade's intensity: at its highest setting, a blade was like any other lightsaber, with the ability to cut through dense materials such as armor plating and durasteel with virtually no resistance. At the lowest power setting, a blade became a simple shaft of light, delivering no damage and providing no resistance against incoming lightsaber attacks. By abruptly shortening a blade or dropping it to the lowest power setting, Kun tricked his opponents into overextending themselves during attacks, giving him an opportunity for a dealy counterstrike. By coupling these tactics with his Force abilities to predict the actions of his opponents, Kun became virtually unstoppable in combat.
- The Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology
Kun faces Vodo-Siosk Baas in a rematch. They duel on even ground initially, but once Kun brandishes his double-bladed lightsaber, he quickly overcomes Vodo. Vodo did not have a chance of winning the fight, and he was no match for Kun after he brought out his saberstaff.
In the process he once more faced his former master, Vodo Siosk Baas, this time armed with a double-bladed lightsaber of his own construction. Master Vodo did not have a chance, and fell to his former student.
- The Dark Side Sourcebook
Ulic’s trial was interrupted by Exar Kun, who met his former Master face to face for the first time since his long descent into darkness. The two fought, and Vodo-Siosk Baas was no match for Exar Kun’s double-bladed lightsaber and deep reserve of dark side power. Vodo-Sioask perished, slain by his former apprentice.
- Power of the Jedi Sourcebook
Force Powers
Accolades
Exar Kun already had the full strength of the Dark Side when he killed the Sith Wyrm.
When Kun destroyed the creature with an ancient Sith amulet, he won the approval of Nadd, the full strength of the dark side, and the worship of the Massassi. Kun set the Massassi to work, expanding the remaining temples.
- The Dark Side Sourcebook (Credit to AncientPower)
Exar Kun as just a Sith adept overcame the powerful Dark Side song of Naga Sadow's focus, resisting it's corruption.
Minor amulets can create protective shields, knit injured flesh, sharpen battle focus, or energize weakened muscles. However, great amulets are priceless and often unique. Users must first overcome the amulet's seductive song. For if they can't, they will be forever lost to dark side insanity. I have acquired many of these prizes for myself, but I remain restless knowing that many more lie locked in the tombs of Korriban.
- Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side (Credit to AncientPower)
Exar Kun was the most powerful Dark Lord of the Sith, from his lineage, up to and of his time. This would place Kun above the likes of Freedon Nadd, Karness Muur, Marka Ragnos, Naga Sadow, Ulic Qel-Droma and many others.
Once the most powerful and dangerous of the Dark Lords of the Sith, he [Exar Kun] was responsible for the deaths of millions four millennia before the rise of the Empire.
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
In the final, climactic issue of this landmark series, two renegade Jedi, Ulic Qel-Droma and Exar Kun, clash in mortal combat. One will be awarded the title of Dark Lord of the Sith, the most feared and powerful force in the galaxy; the other may be awarded a shallow grave.
- Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith #6
Kun is among the most powerful Sith Lords in all of history.
Many of the most powerful, terrifying, and notorious Sith Lords through history have been Human or near-Human, including Exar Kun, Darth Malak, Darth Bane, Darth Sidious, Darth Vader, and Darth Krayt.
- Behind the Threat: The Sith, Part 3: Design
Kun is once again stated to be one of the most powerful Sith Lords.
The most powerful Sith Lords possess a talent for the dark alchemy of the Sith. The Emperor, like Naga Sadow and Exar Kun long before him, became a master of manipulating the genetic building blocks of living creatures through the dark side. Over the millennia, many creatures have been broken, twisted, and rebuilt by this evil power.
- The Dark Side Sourcebook
Exar Kun is extremely powerful.
An extremely powerful figure now, Kun dabbled in dark side alchemy, creating freakish two-headed avians and hulking terentateks that thirsted after Force-rich blood. He invented a glowing golden sphere that trapped the children of the Massassi and allowed him to feed off their energies.
- The New Essential Chronology (Credit to AncientPower)
Exar Kun was far more powerful than any single Jedi of his time, including Thon, Tott Doneeta
She discovers the accounts of the Great Sith War, and learns that though Kun was far more powerful than any one other Jedi of the time, a combined force had defeated him.
- The Jedi Academy Sourcebook (Credit to AncientPower)
Kun throughout history was regarded as having enormous power, and the key to the Jedi defeating him was them being able to combine their strength.
"Though Kun had enormous power, it seems that the key was that the other Jedi combined their might. They fought together as a unit where all the pieces fit together, as components in a much larger machine powered by the Force."
- Star Wars Jedi Academy Trilogy Volume 3 - Champions of the Force
The amassed knowledge of the Ancient Sith and the Dark Side died with Exar Kun, which suggests Sith of future generations very much lacked Kun's breadth of knowledge of the Force.
The dark knowledge of the Sith teachings died with Kun, it is extremely unlikely that any records survive, either on Yavin IV or elsewhere.
- The Jedi Academy Sourcebook (Credit to AncientPower)
As a spirit, Kun was unable to access his wide range of dark powers without drawing on the energies of others. Even with the likes of Kyp Durron and Streen as an energy source, he could not collect enough energy to access all of his power, suggesting superiority to either Jedi in the Force.
Exar Kun himself possessed a great many other dark powers that he was unable to harness without the energy he needed to fuel his disembodied will. Some of these powers he was able to channel through Kyp, Gantoris, and Streen to achieve his ends.
- The Jedi Academy Sourcebook (Credit to AncientPower)
In addition, Kyp Durron, Gantoris and Streen's collective power isn't enough to fuel Kun's return to the physical world.
For a time, he is able to subside by feeding on their residual energy, but soon he will need worshippers if he is to grow more active. With a nucleus of followers to provide him energy-providing anger and fear, Kun will have enough power to escape his exile and take on human form.
- Jedi Academy Sourcebook (Credit to AncientPower)
Luke Skywalker's dozen students, including those mentioned previously, would only be sufficient to fuel Kun's power.
A few scant years later, Kun is brought sharply awake by the arrival of not one or two, but a dozen humans blazing with the power he needed to live again.
- Jedi Academy Sourcebook (Credit to AncientPower)
This reinforces how much more powerful than Kyp Durron Kun would be in physical form. In fact, Kyp even describes his own powers as feeble in comparison to Kun's despite him having already drawn upon the nexus of the ancient Massassi Temples.
“Exar Kun, help me,” Kyp said, closing his eyes.
He reached out with his mind, following the paths of the Force that led to every object in the universe, drawing power from the cosmic focal point of the Massassi temple. He searched, sending his thoughts like a probe deep into the storm systems of the gas giant. Behind him, Kyp felt the black-ice power of Exar Kun arise, tapping into him and reinforcing his abilities. His own feeble exploratory touch suddenly plunged forward like a blaster bolt.
- Jedi Academy Trilogy: Dark Apprentice (Credit to AncientPower)
In addition, Kyp was regarded as potentially being as powerful as Darth Vader by Luke Skywalker at this point in time.
If Kyp had fallen to the dark side, he could become another Darth Vader. Perhaps even worse…
- Jedi Academy Trilogy: Dark Apprentice (Credit to AncientPower)
The combined power of Kyp Durron and Exar Kun is something Luke Skywalker has no chance of prevailing against.
Against the full might of Kyp Durron and the forbidden weapons of the long-dead spirit of Exar Kun, even a Jedi Master such as Luke Skywalker could not prevail.
- Jedi Academy Trilogy: Dark Apprentice (Credit to AncientPower)
Exar Kun and Darth Sidious are two of the greatest focal points of the Dark Side Luke Skywalker has ever had to face.
There in front of him, starkly visible against the blackness of space, he could see the faint images of Emperor Palpatine and Exar Kun, two of the greatest focal points of the dark side he’d ever had to face. They were standing there before him, gazing back at him. And laughing.
- Specter of the Past (Credit to ChaosTheory123)
Luke repeatedly looks back on his most hellish experiences, citing both his encounters with Sidious and Kun.
He thought about Kyp Durron, his own finest student; about Streen and Clighal and the rest of the tiny group in the jungles of Yavin. About Teneniel of Dathomir, and Cray and Nichos, and Jacen and Jaina and Anakin and all he'd gone through; the hellish forge of the dark side, the Emperor's secret fortress on Wayland and all that had happened there...Exar Kun, and the melted Holocron, Gantoris's ashes smoking on the stones of Yavin and the destruction of worlds.
[...]
Ben, he thought, would have had something to say, something healing...Yoda would have known how to deal with the wretched ruin of a friend's heart and life. The mightiest Jedi in the universe, he reflected bitterly--that he knew of, anyway - come the destroyer of the Sun Crusher, the slayer of evil, who'd defeated the recloned Emperor and the Sith Lord Exar Kun. . .
- Children of the Jedi (Credit to ChaosTheory123)
Force Knowledge
Exar Kun had full knowledge of the Dark Holocron, which contained Sith knowledge and lore dating back more than one hundred thousand years.
Locked within it's recesses, accessible only to a Dark Lord of the Sith, are the forgotten histories and lore, dating back a hundred thousand years and more.
- Odan-Urr, Tales of the Jedi (Credit to AncientPower)
Odan-Urr goes to the Force and the darkest power in the galaxy walks away with something that will make him even stronger.
- Tales of the Jedi (Credit to AncientPower)
Exar Kun had obtained knowledge from the Great Library on Ossus, more than he would ever need.
Looking at all the precious artifacts his Massassi have stolen, Exar Kun knows he has more wealth and knowledge than he could ever use.
- Star Wars Omnibus: Tales of the Jedi Volume #2 (Credit to AncientPower)
Exar Kun has the full knowledge of Naga Sadow, who in turn has a vast knowledge of every power detailed in the Jedi Academy Sourcebook, as well as of the Sith.
Exar Kun has unearthed a trove of Sith alchemical lore left behind by the original group who fled here to the fourth moon of Yavin.
- Tales of the Jedi (Credit to AncientPower)
Exar Kun has learned all there is to know of the teachings of Naga Sadow.
- The Jedi Academy Sourcebook (Credit to AncientPower)
Force Sense/Clairvoyance
Exar Kun is inexplicably drawn to two followers of Freedom Nadd, bringing him closer to his journey towards the Dark Side.
Kun senses massassi warriors sneaking up on him.
Kun senses a source of power within Naga Sadow's temple on Yavin IV
Kun senses the spirit of Freedon Nadd reaching across the galaxy to communicate with the Krath sorcerers, and also sensed their intent to succeed Nadd and become the new Sith rulers.
Before Nadd's spirit surrendered to utter annihilation, he reached out to the Krath on the planet Koros Major, and told them to beware of Exar Kun. However, Kun sensed Nadd's communication with the Krath, and became determined to destroy his Sith-influenced rivals.
- Jedi vs Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
Kun senses Ulic Qel-Droma and Aleema beyond walls.
Kun can sense other users of Sith Magic across the galaxy.
With his mind he reached across the galaxy and detected other users of Sith magic in the Empress Teta system.
- The New Essential Chronology
Protection
Kun resists being severed from the Force by Odan-Urr, a master of the technique.
Force Scream
Kun projects a Force Scream which can be felt across the galaxy.
Exar Kun let out a tremendous shriek that echoed across the galaxy, calling in despair upon Master Vodo, whom he had abandoned.
- The New Essential Chronology
Nadd offered Kun a way to live, and to repair his broken body: if he embraced the dark side, he would be healed. The betrayal of light was not an easy one for Kun, but the desire to live was stronger. He accepted the dark side, his screams reaching out across the galaxy and creating ripples in the Force
- The Essential Guide to Characters
Force Blast
After dawning Naga Sadow's Gauntlets, Exar Kun was able to produce blasts capable of killing a gargantuan Sith Wyrm as well as destroy large portions of the Massassi temple.
Kun permanently destroys the spirit of Freedom Nadd.
Kun nonchalantly blasts Aleema Keto into unconsciousness.
Kun's gauntlets provide him with more power than Aleema's skill in Sith magic. Aleema, after a few months of training alone, was capable of reducing a man to a skeleton with one of her magic blasts.
Telekinesis
Exar Kun kills Odan-Urr with Force Wound, attacking and killing him internally.
Kun casually hurls Sylvar.
As a Spirit with a hindered ability to affect the physical realm, Exar Kun easily ragdolls Corran Horn, slamming him into walls hard enough to break a myriad of bones.
Kun flicked a finger at me, sending me whirling across the courtyard. I tried to gather the Force around me to protect myself, but the shock at my error kept me from it. I slammed into an obsidian wall and heard a bone in my right forearm crack. I clutched the limb to my chest, but Kun spun me again, smashing my flank into a low wall. Ribs crunched with that impact and I felt something inside go, as well. Kun was enjoying himself, probably for the first time in millennia, the very thought of which made me vomit.
- I, Jedi
As a Spirit with a hindered ability to affect the physical realm, and without drawing on anyone as a source of power, Exar Kun chokes all twelve of Luke Skywalker's students, including Kirana Ti, Kam Solusar, Tionne, Streen, Cilghal, Dorsk 81, and Jaina and Jacen Solo, simultaneously. He was only stopped by Streen's capabilities with Alter Environment, which he used to push oxygen into all of their lungs.
As his eyes adjusted, Streen saw that all twelve of the Jedi candidates were limned with the faintest sheen of an iridescent blue glow that grew brighter as the new Jedi converged around Exar Kun.
"Even joined together, you are too weak to fight me!" the shadowy man said.
Streen felt his throat constrict, his windpipe close. He choked, unable to breathe. The black silhouette turned, staring at those who resisted him. The Jedi trainees grasped their throats, straining to breathe, their faces darkening with the effort. Kun's shadow expanded, growing darker and more powerful.
He towered over Streen. "Streen, take your lightsaber and finish these weaklings. Then I will allow you to live."
Streen heard the blood sing in his ears as his body strained for oxygen. The rushing sound reminded him of blowing wind, gale-force storms. Wind. Air. He grasped the wind with his Jedi powers, moving the air itself and making it flow into his lungs, past Kun's invisible stranglehold. Cool, sweet oxygen filled him, and Streen exhaled and inhaled again. Reaching out with his power, he did the same for all the other Jedi students, nudging air into their lungs—helping them breathe, helping them grow stronger.
- Star Wars Jedi Academy Trilogy Champions of the Force (Credit to AncientPower)
Gravity Manipulation
Kun softens his landing, presumably through gravity manipulation or some other method of fall-softening, after taking a tremendous fall underground to the depths of Naga Sadow's temple. For a gauge of how large the fall was, the hole was previously inhabited by the massive Sith Wyrm, which was hundreds of feet tall.
Alter Environment
Streen, under Kun's influence, was capable of using Alter Environment to summon a tornado, that would have launched multiple Jedi thousands of feet into the air:
Leia knew that even powerful Jedi could not manipulate large-scale phenomena like the weather; but they could move objects, and she realized that was what Streen did now. Not changing the weather, but simply moving the air, drawing it in from all directions, creating a self-contained but destructive tornado that struck toward Luke's body._
"No!" she shouted into the starving wind. "Streen!"
The cyclone struck Luke, buffeted his body, and lifted it into the air. Leia ran toward her paralyzed brother, feet barely touching the ground as the powerful winds knocked her sideways. The storm wrenched her off balance, and she found herself thrown through the air, flying like an insect toward the stone walls. She spun around and reached out, calming herself enough to use her own abilities with the Force, to nudge her body away.
Instead of being crushed against the stone blocks, she slid softly to the floor. Luke's body continued rising, tugged upward by the hurricane.
Leia suddenly knew what Streen intended to do to them, whether consciously or unconsciously. They would be sucked out of the Great Temple, tossed high into the sky, and then allowed to crash thousands of feet to the spear-pointed branches of the jungle canopy.
The turbolift door opened. Kirana Ti charged out, followed by Tionne and Kam Solusar. She tackled Streen to the flagstoned floor and locked his arms behind his back. Streen cried out, then blinked his eyes open. He looked wildly around in confusion. Instantly the wind stopped blowing. The air fell still.
- Jedi Academy Trilogy: Champions of the Force (Credit to AncientPower)
Force Lightning
Exar Kun knows Force Lightning, and has been depicted as using it in the Jedi Archives.
- The Dark Side Sourcebook
- Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
Sith Sorcery
Exar Kun casts a spell on the entire galactic senate, consisting of thousands, forcing them into stillness and compelling them to watch him. He also stunned an unknown amount of Jedi, with only a few resisting him. He then proceeded to conduct a speech to the entire chamber, using the Grand Chancellor of the Galactic Senate as his vessel.
A full view of three of the four stands of people within the senate, which were all full.
While empowering Kyp Durron and providing him with his ancient techniques, Exar Kun rapidly kills a Luke Skywalker who is seeking only defensive tactics. Luke was left feeling helpless, and "every skillful technique" he employed in response to Kun "failed utterly". Kun displays the technique "Dark Side Tendrils" in his assault, wherein a Sith Sorcerer will produce raw dark side energy manifested as frozen, sharp poisonous tendrils that caused Luke's body to feel like lava was coursing through his veins.
Luke dropped his useless lightsaber and crouched. His every muscle suddenly coiled and tensed. He rallied all the powers of the Force around him, seeking any defensive tactic. With the Sun Crusher looming behind him, Kyp stretched out both hands and blasted Luke with lightning bolts like black cracks in the Force. Dark tendrils rose up from the gaps in the temple flagstones, fanged, illusionary vipers that struck at him from all sides. Luke cried out and tried to strike back, but the shadows of Exar Kun joined the attack, adding more deadly force. The ancient Dark Lord of the Sith lashed out with waves of blackness, driving long icicles of frozen poison into Luke’s body.
He thrashed, but felt helpless. To lose control to anger and desperation would be as great a failure as if he did nothing at all. Luke called upon the powers that Yoda and Obi-Wan had taught him—but everything he did, every skillful technique, failed utterly. Against the full might of Kyp Durron and the forbidden weapons of the long-dead spirit of Exar Kun, even a Jedi Master such as Luke Skywalker could not prevail. The black serpent-like tentacles of evil force struck at him again and again, filling his body with a pain like lava coursing through his veins. As he screamed, his voice was swallowed by a hurricane from the dark side. Luke cried out one last time and crumpled backward to the blessedly cool flagstones of the Great Massassi Temple, as everything turned a smothering, final black around him…
- Jedi Academy Trilogy: Dark Apprentice (Credit to AncientPower)
Sith Alchemy
After studying ancient Sith scrolls, Exar Kun conducts an experiment that successfully transforms the massassi priest into a powerful, alchemy-enhanced dark side monster.
Massassi Abomination
Although the Massassi pledged their loyalty to Exar Kun after he defeated the Sith wyrm, the Dark Jedi was still not satisfied. Filled with bitterness and spite, he swore to himself that he would make an example out of the warriors who had put him through his ordeal in the Temple of Fire. Furthermore, he realized that Naga Sadow had not gone far enough when he altered the Massassi. While they made excellent forest warriors, they were not prepared for the highpowered ordnance they would have to face when fighting the forces of the Republic. Exar Kun rejoiced when he discovered the giant alchemical machine that had belonged to Naga Sadow. At last, he had the means to shape his Massassi servants as he needed them, and he knew just the Massassi on whom he could experiment: Zythmnr, the priest who had ordered Kun to be sacrificed.
The Sith disciple first altered Zythmnr physically, fusing the old priest's skin with metallic bioarmor and enhancing the Massassi's skeletal structure and musculature accordingly. Vicious claws became razored gauntlets, thick hide became hardened plating, and Zythmnr's head was encased in a shelled helmet. The process was excruciating for the Massassi. He not only survived, but also continued to worship Kun, willfully insisting the experiments continue.
Exar Kun was more than happy to comply. He took his next step: infusing his new warrior with the dark side using some of his own physical makeup as a template. When Zythmnr readily took to the treatment-and even showed potential with Force skills-Kun chose several more "volunteers" to continue his work. Before long, he had several dozen living weapons that exuded the raw power and energy of the dark side. Upon feeling their power firsthand, the Jedi called them "abominations." Kun would take many of these bestial servants on his quests for Sith knowledge. In a few cases, he even left a handful of his favorite warriors behind to terrorize any that might oppose him. While the Jedi believed that all of the Massassi abominations died with their people, there may yet be descendants of this hideous species stranded on some remote, forgotten world.
- The Dark Side Sourcebook
Battle Hydra
The battle hydra is an example of Exar Kun's alchemical mastery and Naga Sadow's dark legacy. While no two are identical, each fits the same general description: a large, dragon-like reptile with broad, leathery wings over 2 meters across and a trailing, hook-tipped tail. Most battle hydras have a pair of heads mounted on sinewy necks. (Variations on this theme are common: Luke Skywalker's Jedi academy students reported encounters with a three-headed variety with no forelegs.) The monster also wields a long, leathery tail like a whip, sinking its poisonous tip into foes and prey alike. Four powerful legs tipped in hooked claws easily rip flesh from the hydra's victims. Battle hydras usually only attack with their claws after landing and beginning to feed.
In the four thousand years since Exar Kun's spirit was entombed in the very temples he fortified, the battle hydras regressed into typical predator behavior. A small population survived by lurking in mountain caves and emerging only to hunt. Despite their fearsome appearance, the creatures are actually quite shy and generally hunt alone, only attacking in numbers when commanded.
- The Dark Side Sourcebook
Whether hunting in the jungles of Yavin 4 or attacking a Jedi Master, the battle hydra's first attack usually comes from above. It dives down on its prey and snaps with multiple jaws. After this initial attack staggers its prey, the beast circles, whipping with its poisonous tail as a ranged attack (with a maximum range of 4 meters). When attacking in groups, hydras use their wings to keep out of striking distance, swooping down and hitting their foe with long envenomed tails until it falls helpless. In the wild, this only happens when the hydras are defending a nest against a larger opponent. Once the prey has been incapacitated (either through poison or the dive attack), the battle hydra carries off its prize (if the opponent is Large or smaller) or lands on the fallen body, clawing and biting until it has eaten its fill.
- The Dark Side Sourcebook
Exar Kun's Sith alchemy forever altered these creatures' physiology, giving them many unusual traits. For example, Kun introduced ancient Sith armor alloys into their basic physiology at the molecular level, reducing damage against attacks-even lightsaber attacks. They are also especially susceptible to manipulation through the Force. A trained dark side Force-sensitive may use the Affect Mind skill to command battle hydras in combat
- The Dark Side Sourcebook
Exar Kun combined the natural venom from many different creatures when he mutated his original hydras. When the battle hydra hits with its stinging tail whip, a hooklike stinger injects acidic poison into the victim. This foul toxin is capable of destroying most of the victim's nervous system from the inside out within a matter of minutes.
- The Dark Side Sourcebook
Tuk'ata/Sith Hound
Evil and frighteningly intelligent curs spawned from the depths of an otherworldly hell guard the tombs of the Sith necropolis world of Korriban. In reward for their faithful service, the beasts were taken to sites infused with the dark side, where they mutated into relentless and indefatigable Sith hounds. Exar Kun was especially fond of the creatures and personally brought them to the Massassi temples of Yavin 4.
The ancient Sith Lords alchemically altered the already brutal canines of their world, adding horns, increasing their size, and doubling their brain mass. Some have hypothesized that if Sith hounds had the physical capability and the inclination, they could even speak sentient languages. Sith hounds are unswervingly loyal to darksiders, to whom their senses are especially attuned. They were left on Korriban because the ancient Dark Lords of the Sith wanted trustworthy guardians to protect their remains. A Sith hound's most notable feature is the remarkable intelligence evident behind its yellow eyes.
Sith hounds are one of the most unpredictable "animal" enemies in the galaxy. Sometimes they attack as soon as they feel threatened. More often they sit patiently, waiting for an opening in their opponent's defenses. This is especially true if they believe a foe does not realize their true nature. Packs of Sith hounds can execute complicated hunting and attack maneuvers, guided by their enhanced intelligence and canine ancestry. Never underestimate them.
- The Dark Side Sourcebook
Force Corruption
In order to convert Dark Jedi acolytes, Exar Kun smashes a Sith Holocron containing the spirits of ancient Sith which in turn corrupt the fallen Jedi, turning them to the Dark Side.
Exar Kun's Corruption of Kyp Durron to the dark side was being maintained by his spirit's continued presence in the physical world. As soon as Kun was vanquished once and for all, the Corruption was lifted instantly.
And then the haunting voice of Exar Kun rose to a wail in his mind, an utterly forlorn scream as if he were being torn out of this universe and exiled to another place entirely, where he could torment Kyp Durron no more. Kyp snapped backward in his control seat as if an invisible tow cable had been severed. His arms and head dangled like a puppet with suddenly snipped strings. The cool wind of freedom whistled through his mind and body. He blinked his eyes and shuddered with revulsion at what he had been about to do.
- Jedi Academy: Champions of the Force (Credit to AncientPower)
Force Drain + Essence Transfer
Exar Kun performs a ritual in his temple of power on Yavin IV in response to the Jedi's collective attempt at destroying him. After strapping himself to an apparatus, he siphons the life force of thousands of massassi, binding him to his temple as a spirit and providing him with enough Force reserves to last him four millennia, until the Jedi of Luke Skywalker's New Jedi Order find him.
The Jedi chased Exar Kun to his stronghold on Yavin IV and used their combined power to strike him down and annihilate his Massassi warriors. However, Exar Kun was able to escape death by using Sith sorcery to preserve his spirit in the Massassi temples.
- Jedi vs Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
Force Concealment
Exar Kun conceals his presence in the Force from Odan-Urr and Nomi Sunrider, Odan only becoming aware of his presence when Exar reveals himself.
Force Stun
Exar Kun is proficient in Force Stun.
- Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
- Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
Force Whirlwind
Exar Kun knows Force Whirlwind.
- Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
Force Wound
Exar Kun knows Force Wound.
- Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
Energy Resistance
Exar Kun knows Energy Resistance.
- Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
A likely usage of Energy Resistance, Exar Kun deflects a magic blast from Aleema Keto.
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