Air

This Kiho was developed early on by the more martial sects of the Brotherhood, but was rarely learned or used until the Wind’s Grace Order adopted it for use in its training. By focusing on the omnipresence of Air and letting go of mundane perception, you are able to fire an arrow at a target that is out of sight but may be in range. The arrow must still be able to travel in a straight line to the target—it will not suddenly pierce stone or turn corners, for example, but firing through a paper screen, amid total darkness, or through heavy smoke are all possible.

The wind is all around us, and by focusing his chi, a monk may see as the wind does, dramatically increasing his ability to perceive threats and preemptively counteract them. While this Kiho is active, if you have not yet taken your Turn during the current combat Round, you may spend a Void Point to immediately interrupt any opponent who declares a melee attack against you. As part of this interruption, you may either make a Move Action away from the opponent, or you may instead make an unarmed attack against them. Once you have done so, the effect of this Kiho ends.

This strange Kiho was allegedly developed by the monks who adhere to teachings inspired by the founder of the Mantis Clan, Kaimetsu-Uo. The sect’s name causes an obvious association with the Mantis Clan, which in turn leads many samurai to misinterpret its philosophies; in truth, the monks of Kaimetsu-Uo are generally rather introspective and are devoted primarily to the Fortunes. Which, truthfully, makes their development of this Kiho even stranger than its effect.

By drawing on the essence of the Elements themselves, a Brotherhood monk is capable of pulling the fury of the air from his surroundings and unleashing it upon an opponent. This Kiho requires a successful atemi strike. When such an attack is landed successfully, you make a Contested Air Roll against your opponent. If you are successful, your opponent suffers damage (with a DR equal to your Air Ring) in the form of a violent electrical discharge from the air around him. The damage from this Kiho ignores all forms of Reduction unless it specifically mentions electrical damage.

Most mortal souls never give a moment’s consideration to the air they breathe and move through almost every second of their physical existence. The notion that Air can contain force or become as hard as steel is something they never even consider. Some monks, however, are able to transmit force through the Air as if it were an extension of their body. You channel the force of your blows through the air, striking targets at range as if they were at arm’s length. You must spend a Void Point as a Free Action to activate this Kiho.

This Kiho borders upon the Mystical, but is not quite as overt as those slivers of enlightenment. By drawing his chi inward, a monk can make himself less noticeable and more prone to being easily overlooked. While this Kiho is active, you gain additional rolled and kept dice equal to your Air Ring on all Stealth Skill Rolls. This effect lasts a number of minutes equal to your Insight Rank.

This is a basic marital technique known to many sects of the Brotherhood, but one that is decried by several orders as impure and wicked. Its ease of use and its terrible effect on others are the reasons most often cited for this. You must make a successful atemi attack against a target. This disrupts the flow of the target's chi and causes crippling pain throughout the body, distracting them from everything else. The target suffers a penalty to all TNs as if he suffered a number of Wound Ranks equal to your Air Ring.

By bringing their chi in alignment with that of the wind, monks may dramatically increase their reaction time and ability to evade the blow of others. While this Kiho is active, your Armor TN is increased by an amount equal to your Insight plus your Air Ring.

By aligning his chi with that of the wind, a monk can make his body light and buoyant, dramatically increasing his distance he can leap. While this Kiho is active, you may make a Simple Move action to leap a maximum distance equal to your Air Ring x 10. This effect lasts until you have made such a leap once, then is expended.

It is in the Air that the essence of the seasons is contained. The warm humid air is what most people remember about summer, and the biting frigid wind is the most severe memory of winter. A true master of the paths of Air can draw it into his own body and use his chi to cool it, then exhale it and strike with all the wrath of Inari, the Fortune of Rice, whose wrathful aspect is the Frost Dragon. You must spend a Void Point as a Free Action to activate this Kiho, then as a Complex Action you take a deep breath and hold it. You unleash the breath on the following Round as a Complex Action.