The practitioners of Kobo Ichi-Kai, whose primary dojo is located in Clear Water Village, focus on unarmed combat above all other forms of martial conflict. Although sometimes considered a touch bizarre by other Crab warriors, they are nonetheless respected because of their sheer physical power and ability to devastate virtually any opponent in hand-to-hand combat. Pragmatists make fine yojimbo, since they can leave their weapons at the door and suffer only minimal loss of effectiveness when doing so. Even creatures of the Shadowlands can be overcome by a skilled Pragmatist, and indeed the school was originally developed out of the need to adapt jiujitsu to fighting inhuman opponents.
Rank One: The Eternal Stone Unleashed
The Pragmatist is taught to endure terror and humiliation while killing his enemies with anything he can find. You gain a bonus of +1k0 to any roll made to resist Intimidation or Fear effects. You also gain a bonus of +1k0 to the total of your attack and damage rolls when fighting unarmed or with improvised weapons. However, you must always keep high dice with any attack rolls or damage rolls that benefit from this Technique.
Rank Two: Wearing Down the Mountain
At this rank the Pragmatist learns to strike repeatedly at the same point, wounding even powerful opponents. When fighting unarmed or with an improvised weapon, you may make the Extra Attack Maneuver for only 3 Raises instead of 5.
Rank Three: Fury of the Avalanche
At this rank the Pragmatist learns to fight just as well with his bare hands or whatever is available to him as with the traditional weapons of the samurai. You may make attacks as a Simple Action when fighting unarmed or with an improvised weapon, or when wielding a Samurai keyword weapon.
Rank Four: Stone Turns Steel Aside
The Pragmatist is taught he does not need a weapon when he can turn an enemy's weapon back on him. Regardless of your Stance, a number of times per skirmish equal to your Void, immediately after you are attacked with a melee weapon (after damage is rolled, if the attack hit) you may take a Free Action to make a Contested Roll using Jiujutsu / Agility against your enemy's (Weapon Skill) / Agility. If you win the roll, you immediately strike the enemy with his own weapon (thus, you use your own Strength when determining damage rolled with this Technique). You may Raise on this Contested Roll to perform the Increased Damage Maneuver.
This technique cannot be used during an iaijutsu duel.
Rank Five: Fight to the End
The final less of the Pragmatist teaches him to prevail no matter what the odds, killing his enemies no matter how severe his own injuries. At the start of your Turn you may spend a Void Point to allow you to make an attack as a Complex Action that ignores your Wound penalties (including Down and Out) and any restrictions or penalties from Status effects or physical Disadvantages you are currently suffering. You gain a +3k1 bonus to your damage roll with this attack.