Legend of the Five Rings

4th Edition Kiho Guide

Kata
Air......................................................................................1
Air Air Fist.......................................................................1
Riding the Clouds...........................................................1
Stain Upon the Soul.......................................................1
Soul of the Four Winds...................................................1
The Great Silence..........................................................1
The Wind's Vision...........................................................1
Calling the East Wind.....................................................1
Eye of the Eagle.............................................................2
Harmony of the Mind......................................................2
Strike through the Wind..................................................2
Way of the Willow...........................................................2
Flee the Darkness..........................................................2
Thunder's Word..............................................................2
Touch of the Storm.........................................................3
Censure of Thunder.......................................................3
Hurricane Palm..............................................................3
Steal the Air Dragon.......................................................3
Inari's Wrath...................................................................3
Earth..................................................................................3
Earth Needs No Eyes.....................................................3
Earthen Fist....................................................................4
Cleansing Spirit..............................................................4
Depths of the World........................................................4
Speed of the Mountains.................................................4
Way of the Earth.............................................................4
Embrace the Stone.........................................................4
Grasp of the Earth Dragon.............................................4
Rest, My Brother............................................................4
Root the Mountain..........................................................5
The Rolling Avalanche...................................................5
Earth Palm......................................................................5
Harmony in Earth...........................................................5
Rising Mountain.............................................................5
Shadowed Mountain......................................................6
Wholeness in All.............................................................6
Bishamon's Grasp..........................................................6
Fire....................................................................................6
Breaking Flow................................................................6
Flame Fist.......................................................................6
Destiny's Strike...............................................................7
Fire's Fleeting Speed.....................................................7
The Body is an Anvil.......................................................7
Unbalance the Mind.......................................................7
Channel the Fire Dragon................................................7
Dance of the Flames......................................................7
Falling Star Strike...........................................................7
Void...................................................................................7
Song of the World...........................................................7
To the Last Breath..........................................................7
Banish All Shadows........................................................8
Touch the Void Dragon..................................................8
Void Fist.........................................................................8
Eight Directions Awareness...........................................8
Silent Solace..................................................................8
Death Touch...................................................................8
Spin the Kharmic Wheel.................................................8
Water.................................................................................8
Buoyed by the Kami.......................................................8
Ride the Water Dragon...................................................9
Chi Protection.................................................................9
Waves in All Things........................................................9
As the Breakers..............................................................9
Partaking the Waves......................................................9
Freezing the Lifeblood....................................................9
Slap the Wave................................................................9

Air
Air Air Fist
Ring: Air
Mastery: 3
Type: Internal
Perhaps the most basic of all Kiho, Air Fist allows a monk to
channel the energy of the wind an lend its speed to his stries.
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.
Riding the Clouds
Ring: Air
Mastery: 3
Type: Mystical
By aligning his chi with that of the wind, a monk can make
his body light and buoyant, dramatically increasing the
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 x10. This effect lasts until you have
made such a leap once, and then is expended.
Stain Upon the Soul
Ring: Air
Mastery: 3
Type: Martial
This is a basic martial 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 from
a number of Wound Ranks equal to your Air Ring. This lasts
for a number of rounds equal to your Insight Rank plus your
Air Ring. This effect cannot afflict a target multiple times, and
is superceded by actual Wounds, not cumulative with them.
Soul of the Four Winds
Ring: Air
Mastery: 4
Type: Internal
By bringing their chi in alignment with that of the wind. monks
may dramatically increase their reaction time and ability to
evade the blows of others. While this Kiho is active, your
Armor TN is increased by an amount equal to your Insight
Rank plus your Air Ring.
The Great Silence
Ring: Air
Mastery: 4
Type: Mystical
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.
The Wind's Vision
Ring: Air
Mastery: 4
Type: Internal
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. You must know the target
exists and its approximate location within 30 feet of its actual
location.
Calling the East Wind
Ring: Air
Mastery: 5
Type: Martial
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. The power of this sudden
movement adds an additional +1k0 damage to any
successful attack landed as a result of this Kiho, and you
gain one Free Raise toward use of the Knockdown
Maneuver on this attack.
1
Eye of the Eagle
Ring: Air
Mastery: 5
Type: Internal
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 level of detail is sufficient to notice
things like the physical characteristics of individuals, but not
so acute as to allow for extremely fine detail, such as
reading.
Harmony of the Mind
Ring: Air
Mastery: 5
Type: Mystical
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 determining 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 one additional piece of information. You
may use this Kiho a number of times per day equal to your
Air Ring.
Strike through the Wind
Ring: Air
Mastery: 5
Type: Mystical
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. While this Kiho is active, you make unarmed melee
attacks as a Complex Action, and your melee attacks may
target opponents as far away as your School Rank x 25 feet.
2
Way of the Willow
Ring: Air
Mastery: 5
Type: Internal
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 Kiho is
rendered inactive if not used within one day of its activation.
Flee the Darkness
Ring: Air
Mastery: 6
Type: Kharmic
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. If you take any deliberate action that
would normally result in the acquisition of the Taint, such as
casting a maho spell, the effect ends immediately and you
gain the Taint as normal.
Thunder's Word
Ring: Air
Mastery: 6
Type: Mystical
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.This Kiho invokes the power of the Thunder Dragon, a
patron of the Mantis Clan, and fills the lungs with the power
of Thunder. As a Complex Action you draw a deep breath
and shout a single word of power, a command filled with the
essence of the Thunder Dragon itself. All living beings
capable of hearing your shout must make a Contested Air
Roll against you (each of them rolls separately and
compares to a single roll by you). Those who fail the roll are
Dazed for a number of rounds equal to your Air Ring.
Touch of the Storm
Ring: Air
Mastery: 6
Type: Martial [Atemi]
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.
Censure of Thunder
Ring: Air
Mastery: 7
Type: Martial [Atemi]
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. If you deliver a successful unarmed
atemi strike while using this Kiho, your target immediately
suffers 1k1 Wounds from the minor electrical shock that
accompanies your touch. He also automatically drops his
weapon as if suffering from a successful Disarm Maneuver,
as your strike interrupts the flow of chi through his body. The
target may spend two Void Points to negate the Disarm, but
if he does so he suffers an additional 2k2 Wounds from the
more severe electrical shock.The damage caused by this
Kiho bypasses Reduction conferred by armor.
Hurricane Palm
Ring: Air
Mastery: 7
Type: Martial
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. Any
opponent successfully struck by this attack is moved by the
Kiho's effect, even if they do not suffer any Wounds from the
blow.
Steal the Air Dragon
Ring: Air
Mastery: 7
Type: Kharmic
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.
Inari's Wrath
Ring: Air
Mastery: 8
Type: Mystical
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. It creates a cone of freezing air extending a number
of feet equal to your School Rank x 5, as broad at the end as
your School Rank x 2 in feet. Any living creature caught
within the area of effect suffers cold damage with a DR equal
to your Air Ring. At the GM's discretion, certain physical
materials may suffer damage as well.
Earth
Earth Needs No Eyes
Ring: Earth
Mastery: 3
Type: Internal
You can attune yourself to minute vibrations in the earth and
use them to detect the movement of others. While this Kiho
is active you can detect the approach of any creature or
individual that moves across the ground within a distance
equal to your Insight Rank x50 in feet. You only know the
location of moving things in contact with the ground. If this
Kiho is active when a skirmish begins, you cannot be
ambushed or surprised by any land-bound opponent. This
effect lasts a number of minutes equal to your Earth Ring.
3
Earthen Fist
Ring: Earth
Mastery: 3
Type: Internal
Although part of the elemental fist set of Kiho, this particular
technique is more defensive than offensive. While Earthen
Fist is active, you may only adopt the Defense or Full
Defense Stances. If an opponent makes a melee attack
against you and misses, on your next Turn you may attempt
the Disarm Maneuver against that opponent (assuming they
are within range) for no Raises and regardless of the normal
restrictions of your stance, ending the Kiho's effect. This Kiho
is rendered inactive if not used within one day of its
activation.
Cleansing Spirit
Ring: Earth
Mastery: 4
Type: Internal
Rain and time wash the mountain, leaving it free from
impurities. While this Kiho is active, you roll a number of
additional dice equal to half your Earth Ring (rounded down)
on any roll made to resist the effects of poison or disease.
Depths of the World
Ring: Earth
Mastery: 4
Type: Internal
Earth and Water are similar in that they have
seeminglyendless depths to their power and influence.
However,where Water is relentless in its strength and power,
theEarth knows no bounds in its purity and focus. Thisbasic
Earth Kiho is taught to monks of all aspects of the
Brotherhood, as it helps them re-focus and center their chi in
stressful or dangerous situations.When this Kiho is activated,
you may immediately rollto recover from a non-permanent
Condition or other effect that allows rolls for recovery, such
as Dazed. This Kiho can only be activated as a Complex
Action, but may be activated (spending the Void point) even
when you are not allowed to perform actions, such as when
you are Stunned.
Speed of the Mountains
Ring: Earth
Mastery: 4
Type: Kharmic
Earth is many things, but fleet is not among them. By
delivering an atemi attack against an opponent and
activating this Kiho, you cause their earthen chi to become
ascendant. The opponent's Water Ring is considered to be
two ranks lower for the purposes of determining how far they
can move as part of a Move Action. This effect lasts for a
number of rounds equal to twice your Earth Ring.
4
Way of the Earth
Ring: Earth
Mastery: 4
Type: Martial
The grip of a monk can be like stone, crushing those who
find themselves trapped in his grasp. Opponents engaged in
a Grapple with you while this Kiho is active suffer a number
of additional Wounds per Round equal to your Earth Ring,
regardless of who is winning the Grapple. This damage is
inflicted during the Reactions Stage. This effect lasts a
number of minutes equal to your Earth Ring.
Embrace the Stone
Ring: Earth
Mastery: 5
Type: Mystical
By focusing their chi like that of the mountain, monks may
become like stone themselves, turning aside blows and
ignoring damage. When you activate this Kiho, you gain a
Reduction Rating equal to twice your Earth Ring. This stacks
with any other Reduction you have from other sources (such
as spells or armor). This effect lasts for a number of rounds
equal to your Earth Ring.
Grasp of the Earth Dragon
Ring: Earth
Mastery: 5
Type: Internal
Embracing the essence of stone grants a monk incredible
powers of resilience. When this Kiho is active, your TN
penalties at all Wound Ranks are reduced by an amount
equal to your Earth Ring. You may also continue to take
Simple Actions when at the Down Wound Rank. This effect
lasts a number of rounds equal to your Earth Ring.
Rest, My Brother
Ring: Earth
Mastery: 5
Type: Martial
Easily among the most difficult and most sacred of all Kiho,
this technique is restricted to a handful of orders within the
Brotherhood. It functions by reversing the chi flow of a
Tainted individual, causing them excruciating pain and
temporarily restoring clarity of thought. This Kiho requires an
atemi attack to be activated. The attack deals normal
unarmed damage (despite being an atemi attack), plus an
additional number of unkept damage dice equal to the
opponent's Shadowlands Taint Rank. If the target is a human
or other formerly uncorrupted creature (as opposed to an oni
or other inherently Tainted creature), he loses all benefits of
the Shadowlands Taint for a number of Rounds equal to your
Earth Ring. During this time, he is free from the madness
and mental instability normally brought on by the Taint.
Root the Mountain
Ring: Earth
Mastery: 5
Type: Internal
As the Crab say, the mountain does not move, and neither
does one who shares its strength. While this Kiho is active,
attempts to use the Knockdown Maneuver against you
require two extra Raises to he successful. Any attempt to
force you to move against your will, including Knockdown
Maneuvers, requires a Contested Earth Roll in addition to
any other costs or Contested Rolls. You may not make Move
Actions without dispelling this effect.
The Rolling Avalanche
Ring: Earth
Mastery: 5
Type: Martial [Atemi]
The principles and strengths of Earth usually deal withthe
Element when it is at rest, but the fury of movingEarth can be
a terrible thing. Sohei who focus on a study of Earth find this
Kiho extremely useful, as it channels the usually benign
Element into devastating power.This Kiho is delivered via an
atemi attack that dealsnormal unarmed damage. However, if
the strike issuccessful, your damage roll is increased by
+Xk0, whereX is your Earth Ring.
Earth Palm
Ring: Earth
Mastery: 6
Type: Martial [Atemi]
While the Elements of Fire and Water are highlyimportant for
the success of a warrior (or an army) inbattle, without a
proper harmony with Earth, both of them crumble. This rare
Kiho assaults the victim’s very Earth, disrupting its harmony
with the other Elements, and it is not widely taught amongst
the Brotherhood. Those who master it are greatly feared in
combat, as they can reduce the most stalwart combatant to a
helpless, stumbling wreck in just a few strikes.This Kiho is
activated with an atemi strike. If the strike is successful, you
must declare whether you are attacking your target’s Fire or
Water. If you attack the target’s Water, he suffers a -4k0
penalty to all damage rolls. If you attack the target’s Fire, he
is forced thereafter to make two Raises with no benefit on
every attack roll. (However, these Raises do not count
against the maximum number of Raises the target can make
for the roll.)These effects may be combined through
multipleapplications of the Kiho, and both last a number of
Rounds equal to your Earth Ring, ending on the Reactions
stage of the final Round. Each re-application of the Kiho
resets the duration for the chosen effect. However, you
cannot use this Kiho more than once per Turn.
Harmony in Earth
Ring: Earth
Mastery: 6
Type: Internal
More of a meditative art than many Kiho, Harmony inEarth is
often used as a lesson in how to understand purity and
harmony in the Realm of Mortals and the Celestial Order.
This Kiho is a favorite of orders and sects that delve into the
mysteries of the supernatural and mystical lore, though it is
also known among several orders that face such threats in
battle. By aligning his Earth with the natural world, the Monk
gains the ability to perceive with an additional sense.When
this Kiho is activated, you must remain perfectlystill for a
number of Turns equal to ten minus your Earth Ring. Once
this is accomplished, you are immediately able to detect any
spiritual and physical impurities within a range of fifty feet
times your Earth for one Round. (“Impurity” in this sense is
not confined to things such as the Taint, but encompasses
anything that the GM judges to be out of place either
physically or spiritually.) You learn the direction of the
impurity, its general nature (Shadowlands Taint, poison,
disease, things not native to Ningen-do), and its relative
strength compared to others in the area. The GM may
choose to allow you to make an appropriate Lore Skill roll for
the subject in question to learn one more piece of useful
information of his choice. You will only sense a total number
of impurities equal to your Void, detecting the strongest ones
first.This Kiho is not precise in pinpointing the location ofthe
impurity. You will know a general direction but not a specific
location.Intelligent beings who could be detected by this
Kiho(such as the Lost) can attempt to defeat the Kiho’s
power by making a Contested Earth Roll against you. (The
GM may substitute a different type of Contested Roll if the
specific circumstance seems in his judgment to require it.)
Rising Mountain
Ring: Earth
Mastery: 6
Type: Kharmic
One of the greatest lessons of Earth is not its endurance, but
its resilience. As a man chips away at a stone, he finds
harder and harder stone beneath. The strength of one who
would break a mountain stone by stone will fail long before
the strongest layers are even seen. So, too, does a master of
this Kiho become more and more difficult to harm as an
attacker tries harder and harder to do so.Once activated, this
Kiho lasts a number of Roundsequal to your Insight Rank +1.
While this Kiho is active, every time an attacker makes a
Raise when attacking or otherwise taking an offensive
combat action against you (not including spells), you gain
Reduction equal to twice the number of Raises made. (This
effect does not trigger from Free Raises.) The Reduction is
gained the moment the Raises are declared; the enemy
attack does not have to be successful.These increases in
Reduction are cumulative,but the total Reduction gained
cannot exceedyour Earth x 5. The Reduction lasts untilthe
Kiho is deactivated or the skirmish ends,whichever comes
first.
5
Shadowed Mountain
Ring: Earth
Mastery: 6
Type: Internal
Many sohei orders are considered reckless and wild by
outsiders, and to some extent this is true. The Temple of
Osano-Wo and the fierce warrior monks of the Spider Clan
are brutal fighters who focus far more on offense than on
protecting themselves. Many of them simply rely on their
physical endurance to carry them through the fight, while
others master the Shadowed Mountain Kiho to surprise and
confuse their enemies.When this Kiho is activate, you may
choose to enter theFull Defense Stance immediately before
you are attacked.This does not have to be the first time you
are attackedafter activating this Kiho, but it may only be done
onceper activation. After you activate this kiho, you
cannotchange Stances during your next opportunity to do so
(during your normal chance on your Turn or due to another
effect). This Kiho lasts for the remainder of the day or until
used.
Wholeness in All
Ring: Earth
Mastery: 6
Type: Kharmic
An extremely rare Kiho only taught among some of the older
Orders, this remarkable ability destroys toxin, disease, and
other impurities in the body of the Monk.The focus and calm
required to master this Kiho is rare, and the Brotherhood
knows it could lead to reckless behavior in the wrong
hands.This Kiho can only be activated after two hours
ofuninterrupted meditation. After the time has passed,
youmay activate the Kiho as a Complex Action (it can
onlyactivate in this manner). You must call a Raise on
theactivation roll for every mundane poison, disease,
orsimilar non-supernatural effect affecting you. If the roll is
successful, your body is purged of a number of such
impurities equal to the number of Void Points you have at the
time (not counting the Void Point spent to activate the Kiho).
All of these remaining Void Points are then spent as part of
the Kiho’s effect.This Kiho does not work on most
supernaturalafflictions, such as the Shadowlands Taint or
magicalplagues, but the GM has discretion on whether
unusual orsemi-magical conditions may be cleansed by it.
6
Bishamon's Grasp
Ring: Earth
Mastery: 7
Type: Kharmic
Rokugani history is full of tales about quiet and unassuming
monks fending off multiple attackers, all thewhile never
striking them down. The monk instead waits for his many
opponents to wear themselves out in the futility of their fury.
Patient members of the Brotherhood tend to prefer this style
of combat, though it often earns them the undying ire of their
humiliated foes. This Kiho is common among monks who
understand the need to defend oneself but prefer not to beat
someone senseless.This Kiho can only be activated when
you are in theDefense or Full Defense Stance. While the
Kiho is active, on your Turn you may make Grappling attack
rolls as Free Actions against opponents who have attacked
yousince your last Turn. (You may make one such Free
Actionattack against each qualifying opponent, and this
ability overturns the normal rulebook constraint on attacking
while in these Stances.) Opponents in a Grapple which you
control while using this Kiho may be Thrown as a Free Action
rather than a Complex Action; however, if the GM allows
Throws in Grapples to cause damage, the damage roll
suffers a -1k1 penalty. While this Kiho is active, you may
remain in the Defense or Full Defense Stances while
maintaining a Grapple.
Fire
Breaking Flow
Ring: Fire
Mastery: 3
Type: Martial
Fire destroys all it touches, and a monk harnessing his Fire
chi can achieve similar effects. While this Kiho is active, your
unarmed strikes inflict full damage to all non-metal
substances, including wood and stone, without inflicting any
ill effects on you as a result of punching such objects. This
effect lasts a number of minutes equal to your Fire Ring. The
GM is the ultimate judge of how much damage a particular
inanimate object can withstand before being destroyed.
Flame Fist
Ring: Fire
Mastery: 3
Type: Martial
By mingling your chi with another's while Fire is ascendant
within your body, you can disonent and confuse an
opponent, inhibiting their actions. An opponent struck by this
Kiho's activating atemi strike suffers a TN penalty to all
actions equal to three times your Fire Ring. This effect lasts
a number of rounds equal to your Fire Ring.
Destiny's Strike
Ring: Fire
Mastery: 4
Type: Martial
The force of destiny is powerful, and can be harnessed by
those who truly understand their place in the universe. While
this Kiho is active, whenever you are struck by a melee
attack from an opponent, you may immediately make a
counterattack in the form of a single unarmed attack. If you
have not taken your Turn yet this round, this counts as your
Turn. If you have taken your Turn, this is a Free Action
instead. This counterattack ignores any Wound Penalties
suffered as a resuIt of the attack to which it is responding.
This Kiho lasts until the end of the skirmish.
Fire's Fleeting Speed
Ring: Fire
Mastery: 4
Type: Kharmic
Fire darts and surges, as do those who carry it in their souls.
While this Kiho is active, increase the distance you may
move when using any Move Action by +5'. This effect lasts a
number of Rounds equal to your Fire Ring.
The Body is an Anvil
Ring: Fire
Mastery: 4
Type: Mystical
A master of the ways of Fire can channel his chi outward,
granting him a measure of protection and repelling attackers.
While this Kiho is active, your skin becomes extremely hot to
the touch, and anyone who touches you, including those who
target you with unarmed attacks or those you strike with an
unarmed attack, suffer Wounds equal to your Fire Ring. This
effect lasts a number of rounds equal to twice your Fire Ring.
Unbalance the Mind
Ring: Fire
Mastery: 5
Type: Mystical
A momentary disruption of the Fire chi within a target can
leave them addled and confused. The target of this Kiho's
activating afen;i strike is Dazed.
Channel the Fire Dragon
Ring: Fire
Mastery: 6
Type: Internal
Fire cannot be extinguished by more fire, nor can it be
quelled with cold. While this Kiho is active, any damage you
suffer as a result of heat or cold is reduced by -2k2. This
includes effects that generate fire, such as spells and other
Kiho. This effect lasts for one day.
Dance of the Flames
Ring: Fire
Mastery: 6
Type: Martial
Filling one's chi with the power of Fire has considerable
effects on one's speed as well as ones temperament. While
this Kiho is in effect, you may make unarmed attacks as a
Simple Action rather than a Complex Action. You must make
an unarmed attack against an opponent (rather than an ally
or inanimate object) every Round while this Kiho is active, or
its effects end immediately.
Falling Star Strike
Ring: Fire
Mastery: 7
Type: Martial
One of the most blatant and powerful of all Kiho, the Falling
Star Strike is a devastating martial attack that can cripple
opponents permanently if not used with restraint. When
employed, the fists of the monk using it arc wreathed in
flame, and his eyes burn like fiery embers. This Kiho may
only be activated by spending a Void Point, and may not he
activated by making a Void / Meditation Skill Roll. It also
requires two Raises on an unarmed attack to activate. The
unarmed attack inflicts normal damage, plus an additional
amount of damage with a DR equal to your Fire Ring in
rolled and kept dice. Additionally, you and the target must
make a Contested Fire Roll. If you are successful, the target
is struck Blind for a number of hours equal to your Fire Ring.
Void
Song of the World
Ring: Void
Mastery: 3
Type: Kharmic
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 fifty 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 is
increased by the same amount.
To the Last Breath
Ring: Void
Mastery: 3
Type: Kharmic
With a simple exhalation, a monk can expend his energy into
the universe around him, allowing others to partake of it as
they wish. Any one selected individual within twenty feet
when this Kiho is activated gains a Void Point on their next
Turn. No target may benefit from this Kiho more than twice
per day.
7
Banish All Shadows
Ring: Void
Mastery: 4
Type: Kharmic
One of the most powerful effects of ones chi upon another is
the clarity it brings, which can allow one to overcome
shortcomings for a short time. The target of this Kiho's
activating strike may, for a number of Rounds equal to your
Void Ring, ignore the effects of his highest-point
Disadvantage. This effect does not target Spiritual or Social
Disadvantages.
Touch the Void Dragon
Ring: Void
Mastery: 4
Type: Internal
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 increase Air, the
desert or volcanic areas increase Fire, etc.
Void Fist
Ring: Void
Mastery: 4
Type: Martial
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 its 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 two 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.
Eight Directions Awareness
Ring: Void
Mastery: 5
Type: Mystical
Some monks are at a state of harmony with the world to such
extent that they are aware of everything around them. While
this Kiho is active, you become aware of all living things
within a distance equal to your Void Ring x 10 feet. You are
also aware of any object or individual within that range that
has been deliberately concealed, including secret doors,
hidden compartments, buried objects, etc.
Silent Solace
Ring: Void
Mastery: 5
Type: Kharmic
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.
8
Death Touch
Ring: Void
Mastery: 7
Type: Mystical
The death touch, also known as dim mak, is perhaps the
rarest and most reviled use of a monk's understanding of the
flow of chi. It involves a series of aremi strikes that disrupt
and corrupt the flow of chi through an opponent's body,
leading to debilitating pain and possibly death. You must
successfully strike an opponent with three atemi strikes on
three consecutive Rounds immediately after activating this
Kiho, and you must spend an additional Void Point after the
third and final strike (in addition to any Void Points spent to
activate the Kiho). Your opponent suffers increasing
weakness broken up by bouts of agonizing pain. All of the
target's Rings are reduced by 1 each hour. The maximum
penalty is an amount equal to your insight Rank. If any Ring
reaches 0 due to these penalties, the target falls into a
catatonic state and must make three Contested Void Rolls
against you (these rolls use the target's full Void, without
penalties). If the target loses all three rolls by at least 5 or
more, he dies. (This Kiho does not automatically kill the
victim if his Earth is reduced to 0.) Use of this technique can
be grounds for excommunication from the Brotherhood of
Shinsei.
Spin the Kharmic Wheel
Ring: Void
Mastery: 8
Type: Kharmic
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. The GM may opt to choose the Disadvantages
instead of selecting randomly, if that seems to produce a
more interesting (or believeable) result.
Water
Buoyed by the Kami
Ring: Water
Mastery: 3
Type: Mystical
A monk whose Water chi is ascendant can resist the siren
call of the depths. While this Kiho is active, you may move
across the surface of water as if it were basic terrain. This
effect only continues as long as you are taking Simple Move
Actions each round, and lasts for a maximum of fIve minutes.
at which time you may reactivate this Kiho if necessary.
Ride the Water Dragon Partaking the Waves

Ring: Water Ring: Water

Mastery: 3
Type: Kharmic
To walk with the Water Dragon's power is to harness the
incredible restorative abilities of the ocean. While this Kiho is
active, for a number of Rounds equal to your Insight Rank,
you recover Wounds equal to your Water Ring during the
Reactions Stage of the Round.
Chi Protection
Ring: Water
Mastery: 4
Type: Martial
Perhaps the strangest application of the atemi technique,
this Kiho permits a monk to restore or enhance the flow of
chi through another's body, hastening the healing of wounds
or other ailments. You must spend a Void Point to activate
this Kiho (as opposed to the normal allowance to activate by
a Void / Meditation Skill Roll), which is done immediately
after successfully striking a target (either an opponent or a
willing ally) with an alemi strike. The individual targeted by
the strike regains a number of Wounds equal to your Water
Ring, immediately and then at the start of your Turn every
subsequent Round for a number of Rounds equal to your
Insight Rank, You may not use this Kiho on yourself.
Waves in All Things
Ring: Water
Mastery: 4
Type: Mystical
Water flows through all things. including the earth. You may
make an unarmed attack by striking a body of standing water
or the earth. The effects of this strike are felt by one
opponent who is in contact with either the water or earth
(whichever one was struck) and who is within a number of
feet equal to your Water Ring x10. The effect of the strike is
quite obvious, and may not be performed discreetly. If you
are concealed at the time this Kiho is activated, your position
is immediately revealed to the target and those in his
immediate vicinity.
Mastery: 6
Type: Internal
Certain monks may channel the power of the ocean into their
bodies, moving and Ilowing away from attacks like the sea
itself. While this Kiho is active, you gain Reduction equal to
your Water Ring. This stacks with Reduction from other
sources such as spells and armor. This effect lasts a number
of Rounds equal to twice your Water Ring.
Freezing the Lifeblood
Ring: Water
Mastery: 7
Type: Martial
This attack disrupts the flow of chi through an opponent's
body, paralyzing them for a short time. The individual struck
by the atemi attack is paralyzed, effectively Stunned and
unable to take Move Actions, and may not move tinder his
own power for a number of Rounds equal to your lnsigh
Rank.
Slap the Wave
Ring: Water
Mastery: 7
Type: Mystical
A powerful expression of inner strength, this Kiho channels
the monk's chi outward in an explosive wave that carries the
power of a tsunami. You must spend a Void point to activate
this Kiho (Void / Meditation Skill Rolls are not possible). You
must strike your hands together and release a powerful kiai
shout. Everyone in your forward facing arc and within a
(Itstance of your Water Ring x5 feet must succeed at a
Contested Water Roll against you, or become Dazed.

As the Breakers

Ring: Water
Mastery: 5
Type: Kharmic
By disrupting the flow of chi through others, you can inhibit
them without harm. With a successful atemi strike, the target
of your strike loses one Simple Action this Round. You may
only target opponents who have not yet acted in the present
Round, and an opponent may not be affected by this Kiho
more than once per skirmish.