Related Themes: Savagery, Thievery, Tracking, Warfare, Heritage
Signature Resource Suggestions: Qi, Ki, Chi
Traits List
Combat: Catch Arrows, Crane Stance, Drunken Master, Finish Them!, Fist of the East Star, Improvised Weapons, Iron Grip, Jiu Jitsu, Judo Chop!,
Exploration: Balance, Centered Breath, Leaping Tiger, Light Feet
Interaction: Enlightenment, Karma, Pacifist, Sensei, Tranquility
Combat
Catch Arrows
[ Martial Arts, Combat, Passive, Defense, Immunity ]
You may freely ignore bad tales from any small, physical, low-velocity ranged attacks. This includes arrows, sling-stones, javelins, etc. It does not include lightning, bullets, boulders, etc.
Note: Your opponents are likely to notice, eventually, that they can’t hit you. They might change tactics or reevaluate their situation altogether.
Describe: grabbing an arrow before it strikes you.
Related Traits: Warfare.Disarm
Crane Stance
[ Martial Arts, Combat, Counter Attack, Opening Move ]
On the very first obstacle of a combat challenge, if someone charges you, prevent their attack and tell a free Good Tale against them.
Describe: Waiting in a defensive stance, giving them a chance to stand down, being passive like the waves.
Drunken Master
[ Martial Arts, Combat, Defense, Bolster ]
You feign drunkenness to set your opponents off-guard.
You have a new resource: sobriety [ ] [ ] .
If you have a drink in your hand while fighting, you may spend bad tales to lose one point of sobriety.
When you have no sobriety left, you gain the condition, “drunk”.
When you first receive the condition drunk, your next attack is bolstered.
Describe: Wobbling in a confusing rhythm, using the alcohol to fuel your energy, hiccuping, ruddy cheeks.
Related Traits: Alchemy.All-cohol, Bardic Lore.Breakfast of Champions
Finish Them!
[ Martial Arts, Combat, Intimidate ]
If you deal the finishing blow to a lieutenant or boss, describe the grim details of your finishing move (or fade to black, depending on your desired tone). All remaining mooks will immediately try and flee.
Describe: Delivering an uppercut, putting them in a sleeper hold, paralyzing them with a special technique.
Fist of the East Star
[ Martial Arts, Combat, Interaction, Stabilize, Interrogate ]
If a creature you damaged in the last several minutes dies, you can have it remain alive but immobile, incapable of fighting, and on the brink of death.
For the next several hours, you have total control over their physiology.
Affect their Biology: They explode, their arm breaks, they fall asleep, they’re permanently paralyzed.
Describe: Hitting a pressure point, striking their sacred chakra points, using a forbidden death technique.
Improvised Weapons
[ Martial Arts, Combat, Deception ]
Every item you hold can be used as an effective melee or thrown weapon.
If you make a combat roll with an improvised weapon but didn’t get a good tale, you can spend 1 point of your signature resource to generate a good tale. Unfortunately, you still take the bad tale.
Describe: Using whatever’s available, clubbing someone with a pitcher, beating someone with their own arm.
Iron Grip
[ Martial Arts, Combat, Passive, Control ]
Once you grab something, nothing can forcibly break your grip except amputation or defeat.
Describe: Grabbing on with an iron grip, using a wrestling move, putting their limbs in a lock, jumping on.
Related Traits: Alchemy.Adamanthesive
Jiu-jitsu
[ Martial Arts, Combat, Control, Submission DoT ]
When you’re engaged in melee combat, you may spend a good tale and go prone in order to apply a joint lock to a humanoid mook or lieutenant. A second good tale will turn that into a submission hold, making that person accept defeat or take a debilitating condition.
Describe: Turning back their momentum, using their size and recklessness against them, tripping them.
Related Traits: Beast.Gorgon’s Gaze, Elements.Frostbite
Judo Chop!
[ Martial Arts, Combat, Sneak Attack, Knockout Blow ]
If a mook or lieutenant is suitably distracted, you may spend a good tale to knock them out immediately.
Collaborate: What does “suitably” mean?
Related Traits: Thievery.Sneak Attack
Exploration
Balance
[ Martial Arts, Exploration, Calm ]
When you witness extreme imbalance, spend a point of your signature resource to return something to its equilibrium state. Spend a good tale to modify its equilibrium state.
Collaborate: can this affect creatures? Is it useful in combat, or only during exploration challenges?
Describe: Pursuing moderation and balance, observing yin and yang, restoring order, seeking true harmony. Quelling the waves in a turbulent river.
Note: In the spirit of Zen Koans, this trait is intentionally vague. Make sure to collaborate with your group and set some expectations which will help prevent later arguments.
Centered Breath
[ Martial Arts, Exploration, Passive ]
As a neutral tale, you can hold your breath for several hours. Spend a point of your signature resource to extend this ability to your nearby allies.
Describe: Meditating quietly, controlling your breathing and pulse, benefiting from harsh training.
Leaping Tiger
[ Martial Arts, Exploration, Mobility, Parkour ]
You can jump much higher and farther than normal. Difficult parkour tricks are easy for you.
Collaborate: Exactly how high can you jump? What are your limits?
Describe: Making great leaps, gliding through the air, jumping from wall to tall, leaping with the wind.
Light Feet
[ Martial Arts, Exploration, Mobility, Feather Fall, Passive ]
You can fall any distance without suffering harm. Difficult balancing tasks are easy for you.
Describe: Balancing on a single blade of grass, leaping with the grace of a cat, falling like a feather.
Interaction
Enlightenment
[ Martial Arts, Interaction, Deception ]
As a neutral tale, you may mask the appearance of any condition you suffer. You still suffer the effect. Difficulty of tasks is not affected unless masking the appearance of the condition would logically aid in overcoming the obstacle at hand.
Describe: Emotions roiling under the calm surface. Appearing unharmed, carefree, beatific.
Related Traits: Martial Arts.Tranquility
Karma
[ Martial Arts, Interaction, Energy Builder ]
When you perform a sacrificial good act that doesn’t benefit you whatsoever, spend a good tale to gain 2 points of your signature resource.
Describe: Balancing the cosmic scales, achieving harmony, completing a karmic cycle, getting a fair reward.
Pacifist
[ Martial Arts, Interaction, Combat, Defense, Narrative Authority ]
Gain the defense “Pacifist [].” Mark it when you suffer a Bad Tale while pursuing nonviolence or showing mercy. When you mark it, you may also spend one point of your signature resource to name an impending threat. Once a threat is named in this manner, it won’t come to pass so long as your pacifist defense remains marked.
Spend a good tale to recover your pacifist defense. Once you recover, the impending threat resumes, if it’s still relevant.
Describe: Extending your hand to an enemy, disarming a foe and leaving them unharmed, seeking peace. Transcending space and time, reaching out to all the universe to prevent future badness. Wearing scars proudly.
Sensei
[ Martial Arts, Interaction, Bolster, Energy Transfer ]
When your party “spends time”, you may, as a neutral tale, give someone in-depth and thoughtful advice. Later, they’re bolstered once to follow your advice. At the moment they follow your advice, you may, as a neutral tale, transfer one point of your signature resource to them. (It becomes their signature resource.)
Describe: Seeing what they cannot, understanding the bigger picture, telling a fable to convey a lesson. Helping focus their energy. The magic was in them all along.
Related Traits: Command.This is not that Day
Tranquility
[ Martial Arts, Interaction, Transfer Condition ]
You have discipline and peace of mind. It’s hard to get a rise out of you. As a neutral tale, spend a point of your signature resource to ignore the effects of any emotional condition.
Once the emotion is quelled, if you received that condition during the current challenge, you may spend a good tale to shift the condition onto your opponent.
Collaborate: What is the source of your inner tranquility?
Describe: Appearing beatific. Their frustrations mount as they can’t get a rise out of you. Emotions roiling just under the calm surface.
Related Traits: Martial Arts.Enlightenment
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