Void

Those who are approaching the edge of Enlightenment are said to float slightly above the ground, their pure souls buoying them up toward the Heavens. This Kiho allows you to temporarily attain this rarified state. You must be meditating or in the Center Stance to activate this Kiho. Once it is active, you float a few inches above the ground for as long as it remains active, and can move at your normal speed across any surface (ground, water, molten lava) without touching it.

Unlike other atemi attacks, the Void Fist is a normal unarmed strike that would appear, if observed, to be damaging to its target. This is an illusion, however, as the true purpose is to use the target as a conduit with the great Void. You must make a successful Raise to strike an opponent with Void Fist. A successful strike inflicts no damage, but you immediately regain 2 Void Points. This Kiho can only be used on enemies, and has no effect on allies. It has no effect on targets who do not have Void Points.

With a simple exhalation, a monk can expend his energy to the universe around him, allowing others to partake of it as they wish. Any one selected individual within 20 feet when the Kiho is activated gains a Void Point on their next Turn. No target may benefit from this Kiho more than twice per day.

Certain orders of the Brotherhood are adept at aligning their chi with the dominant Element in the environment around them, drawing strength from the world. While this Kiho is active, one of your Rings and its associated Traits are considered one Rank higher. Which Ring is affected depends upon the environment. Mountains increase Earth, the seashore increases Water, the plains increases Air, the desert or volcanic areas increase Fire, etc.

This rare martial Void Kiho allows you to channel the power of the Void into your unarmed strikes. It is controversial within the more peaceful sects of the Brotherhood, who believe that the Void should not be used as a weapon. When active, this Kiho allows you to spend a Void Point on damage rolls for your unarmed strikes (one Void Point per attack).

Theoretically one of the most powerful Kiho known to exist, Spin the Kharmic Wheel is known only to a handful of reclusive masters within the Brotherhood, and discovered by a new soul perhaps once in a generation. You must deliver this Kiho via an unarmed attack in order to properly harness the forces of destiny that it unleashes. You expend all remaining Void Points when this Kiho is activated. The target of your attack loses one randomly determined Social, Spiritual, or Mental Disadvantage and gains a new randomly determined Social, Spiritual, or Mental Disadvantage of equal value.

By listening to the song of the elements around him, a monk may perceive the universe slightly ahead of all others. You must target an opponent within 50 feet when activating this Kiho, and succeed at a Contested Void Roll against him. If successful, his Initiative Score is reduced by 5 and yours in increased by the same amount.

Proper use of nerve strikes can impede not only the physical, but the spiritual as well. An opponent struck by this Kiho's activating strike must expend two spell slots to cast a single spell. This effect lasts a number of Rounds equal to your Void Ring.

The spiritual balance of individuals can be felt in the flow of their chi. The Air kiho called Harmony of the Mind allows monks to sense a few of another person’s inner secrets, but those who follow the path of Void can do so far more effectively. If you succeed at an atemi strike on your target, you may spend a Void Point to learn the total number of Spiritual Advantages or Disadvantages (one or the other, your choice) which the target possesses.

Your holy authority can cow disruptive spirits and weaken their influence. This Kiho may target any one supernatural creature (an entity not native to Jigoku or Tengoku). It is activated as a Complex Action by performing some gesture of spiritual rebuke, such as chanting a sutra, shaking a ringed staff, or forming a mudra with your hands. (This is in addition to the normal roll to activate a Kiho.) Make a Contested Roll of your Meditation / Void against the creature’s highest Ring - if you succeed, the creature suffers a -xk1 penalty to all rolls, where X is your Monk School Ranks.