Air

The raging force of a hurricane is nothing compared to the strength of a properly prepared spirit, or so the Tao of Shinsei says. Certainly there are many among the Brotherhood who seem able to prove such a point true. By externalizing their chi, certain monks are able to hurl away their foes, even those prepared for such an impact. After making a successful unarmed strike, you spend one Void Point. Your strike inflicts only half normal damage (rounded down), but it knocks your opponent back a number of feet equal to twice your Air Ring, after which he falls Prone.

A gift often possessed by members of the Brotherhood is the ability to quickly and accurately gauge the strength of others, a useful ability both in assessing new applicants to the order and in determing how best to overcome obstacles. By making a Contested Air Roll against a target within your line of sight, you may learn one of the following pieces of information: their highest or lowest Ring, their highest Skill Rank, or their highest cost Spiritual Advantage or Disadvantage. For every successful Raise made on this roll, you can gain an additional piece of information.

This peculiar technique allows a monk to use a precise attack to disrupt the flow of an individual's chi in such a way that they are unable to speak. This Kiho must be delivered by an atemi attack. If successful, the target of this attack is unable to speak for a number of rounds equal to your Air Ring.

A member of the Brotherhood is taught the fundamental lesson of keeping his spirit free from the darkness that can envelop all men. When this Kiho is activated, you become immune to the influence of the Shadowlands Taint (or other supernatural ailments, such as the influence of the Lying Darkness) for a number of rounds equal to your Air Ring. This immunity both prevents you from acquiring the Taint while the Kiho is active, and allows you to ignore all penalties (and benefits) associated with any Taint you already possess while the Kiho is active.

The power of the wind can carry messages and information well beyond the boundaries of human weakness. Some natural creatures with an affinity for Air already possess remarkable abilities that go unnoticed and unappreciated, and certain monks can mimic these abilities. While this Kiho is active, you may as a Complex Action focus your chi by remaining utterly still and unmoving. Once this is done, so long as you maintain concentration and do not move from your current position, you can see a number of miles equal to your School Rank.

The power of Thunder is not something that can be dismissed by any adherent of the Brotherhood, even those who favor the teachings of the Tao over the precepts of Fortunism. The Thunder Dragon, regardless of its dispensation, favors the bold and the heroic in all things, and those brothers who choose to face armed opponents with an empty hand are well within their rights to call upon its favor with this powerful Kiho.

The East Wind is generally considered exotic and fraught with mystery, most likely because it blows from the sea and the strange lands that exist somewhere far across its waters. This Kiho calls on that same wind to buoy the monk into the air and carry him to his opponent, delivering not an exotic or mysterious magical effect but rather simply a violent attack. When this Kiho is activated, you make a single unarmed kick attack. As part of this attack, you may leap through the air a significant distance, up to a maximum equal to your Air Ring x 10 feet.

Perhaps the most basic of all Kiho, Air Fist allows a monk to channel the energy of the wind and lend its speed to his strikes. While this Kiho is active, as long as the only attacks you make are unarmed attacks, your Initiative Score is increased by +5. If you make any other type of attack, the effect is immediately canceled. The damage of all unarmed strikes made while this Kiho is active is reduced by an amount equal to your Air Ring. This effect ends after a maximum of one day.