Force cloak must not be confused with the inherent trait found in a Force Blank that produced the phenomenon of a void in the Force. Whereas the former was predominantly a talent or acquired skill among practitioners of the light side of the Force, the latter was an inherent power found only among beings with natural leanings toward the dark side, who gravitated or were naturally drawn to it.
A Force-user avoids detection by employing a cloaking technique.
The technique of cloaking oneself in the Force was one practiced by Force-sensitive individuals since the early days of the Galactic Republic. A rare ability, a Force-user would call upon their mastery of the Force to photo-kinetically bend light and sound waves around themselves, rendering them invisible to visual and audio detection. This skill tends to come to people as more of a natural talent, for it is extremely difficult to learn otherwise; thus, the reason the ability is rarely seen. As the technique physically bent light like a cloaking device, this power could be used to evade being detected not only by living beings, but also beings normally immune to Force-based illusions such as droids and the Yuuzhan Vong. While highly effective when practiced properly, maintaining such a cloak was extremely taxing and the concentration needed to make a convincing shroud could diminish the worth of employing the technique.
Like all Force-based abilities, no single method existed to cloak oneself. An alternate version which did not involve a command over light and sound was an advanced form of mind trick or Force persuasion. In this way, a user affected the minds of those around them, removing all traces of their presence from the mind of observers and allowing them to move completely unnoticed while in plain sight. Unlike other methods of cloaking, droids and other nonliving individuals could not be fooled by a mind trick.
The origin of the cloaking technique is lost to history but study of the rare and seldom used ability can be seen in the teachings of the Jedi Order as early as the Great Sith War in which it is defined as an Alter ability. Accounts within the Order's Great Holocron refer to the Cathar Jedi Knight Juhani, who was said to have possessed a natural talent for the skill. At the same time, Jedi Master-turned-Sith Lord Darth Traya favored the technique, believing that the perception of others was just another tool, a means by which to manipulate them. Through this technique, Traya and her alter-ego Kreia could move about friend and foe alike while cloaking herself.
The Jedi Order maintained knowledge of the technique in the Great Holocron stored within the Archives of the Coruscant Jedi Temple for centuries. Jedi Master Tholme was known to have passed the cloaking technique to his Padawan, Quinlan Vos, who would later impart the knowledge to Aayla Secura. The infamous Knight, and later Dark Lord of the Sith, Anakin Skywalker had learned the technique during the Clone Wars and used it to successfully destroy the cortosis droid factory on the planet Metalorn. In addition, as Darth Vader, he may have used the ability to remain invisible on Bespin before fighting Luke Skywalker, though this did not keep the boy from feeling his presence.
Darth Maul had been trained to keep himself hidden from any quarry, so this technique would have been within his scope of abilities. At one time, he had successfully infiltrated the Kaldani Spires Residential Apartments, where a police investigation was taking place.
When the Jedi Order was disbanded by the Galactic Empire at the end of the Clone Wars, the art lived on in several survivors. Padawan Maris Brood perfected the technique of cloaking herself to a deadly art, using it in conjunction with Force-enhanced speed during her duel with the Sith assassin Starkiller, though she was ultimately defeated. Jedi Jin-Lo Rayce taught the technique to members of his secret group known as the Agents of Ossus to evade detection by the prowling Inquisitorius.
A Disciple of Twilight cloaks himself with shadows.
Members of the reformed Jedi Order would rediscover the Great Holocron and the teaching within, relearning the technique lost several decades before. During the early rebuilding process, Jedi Jaden Korr had some level of mastery in this skill, having the ability to distract others while he sneaked about.
Other groups aside from the Jedi had developed their own techniques that mirrored the Jedi's ability. Former Dathomiri Nightsister Lomi Plo was skilled in the technique, using others doubts and fears to mask her from view during the Dark Nest Crisis. Additionally, over the course of its existence the cult known as the Disciples of Twilight had created several variations of the technique to suit their needs. Calling one such technique Shadow Armor, users of the ability would bend light and shadow around themselves to make their presence indistinguishable from the darkness.
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords: Prima Official Game Guide
- Star Wars Roleplaying Game Saga Edition Core Rulebook
- Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
- Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
- The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide
- The Clone Wars Campaign Guide
- Legacy Era Campaign Guide