Difference between revisions of "Lost in Jianghu/Homebrew"

From RPGnet
Jump to: navigation, search
(Yang Family Spear (Spear, Staff))
(Secret Arts)
 
Line 124: Line 124:
  
 
==Secret Arts==
 
==Secret Arts==
 +
===Expanded Scholar Arts===
 +
(The following is a prior version of [http://wulinlegends.pbworks.com/w/page/59327464/Expanded%20Secret%20Arts%20of%20Prediction these tools and techniques] from the wulin legends wiki.)
 +
 +
In addition to the default manner of creating Predictions, those with access to the Secret Art of Prediction loresheet may purchase the following Toolsets to augment their divinatory practices.
 +
 +
'''The Story of the I Ching''' (3 Destiny)<br>
 +
Skill: Learning<br>
 +
Modifier: -5 to 0<br>
 +
Limitation: You must use some tools to generate trigrams and consult an I Ching Manual.<br>
 +
Description: If you improvise tools -- e.g. coins from the street, twigs taken from a tree -- you have a -5 penalty to your Prediction. Otherwise, see corebook p. 257.
 +
*1 Secret: You have committed the entire Book of Changes to memory, and need not consult an I Ching manual to make your predictions.
 +
*2 Fortune: You have an exceptional set of trigram-generating tools; using them gives you a +5 bonus to making Predictions.
 +
 +
'''The Story of the Three Arts''' (3 Destiny)<br>
 +
Skill: Special; usually Politics, Tactics or Survival.<br>
 +
Modifier: -5 to +5<br>
 +
Limitation: Requires extensive research prior to Prediction, along with specially made tools.
 +
Description: The Three Arts (comprising the distinct-but-related Divine Reckoning, Wondrous Doors, and Great Cycle methods) are the height of metaphysical science in Shen Zhou. Combining Five Element Theory, the I Ching, astrology, and numerology, this approach to Prediction is both the most powerful and most demanding of the Scholar's tools for divination. Divinations made in this manner, when dealing with especially weighty matters, have been known to take as long as a month to arrive at. As with the standard approach to making Predictions, the appropriate Skill is determined by the subject matter; however, a Scholar employing the Three Arts may choose to employ the Learning Skill at a -5 penalty. In addition, the Prediction roll has a modifier based on the amount of time the Scholar spends and the quality of information he has at his disposal; if he spends more than the minimum time or has, say, an Imperial library at his disposal, he gains a +5 bonus. If he attempts to rush his work or is working without access to the proper charts and tomes, he suffers a -5 penalty (in which case, he cannot substitute the Learning Skill for a more appropriate one).
 +
*2 Fortune: You have a quality set of equipment for performing Three Arts divination; using it gives you a +5 bonus to making Predictions in this way.
 +
Three Arts-Specific Extraordinary Scholar Techniques
 +
*Strengthen Destiny's Weight (2 Destiny; Augment/Extended): You may attempt to raise the Recovery number of your own prediction by making a Learning roll. If the result exceeds the Recovery number of the Prediction, you may spend another point of Joss to set the Recovery number at the new result; if the result equals or is exceeded by the original Recovery number, there is no effect and you may not attempt to use this technique again on that Prediction.
 +
*Finding the Loopholes (4 Destiny; Augment/Extended): You may make a Learning roll on your own or another's behalf to Resist the effects of a Prediction. If applied to yourself, this replaces your Wu Wei roll; if on another's behalf, it is in addition to his or her Wu Wei roll, and the higher of the two results is taken. You must be aware of the Prediction to be resisted, at least in broad outlines, and give some plausible reason why you or the target is exempt. If successful, the resistance lasts one chapter.
 +
 +
Some Scholars become experts in one or more of the Three Arts, which gives them added bonuses and access to additional Extraordinary Techniques.
 +
 +
*2 Secret: Divine Reckoning Expertise
 +
**0 Bonus: You have an additional +5 bonus to making Predictions concerning matters of state (war, diplomacy, succession) or similarly large-scale events.
 +
**0 Bonus: You have the equivalent of 3 Status among Scholars who know of your expertise. If you have expertise in two of the three methods, you have the equivalent of 5 Status; if you have expertise in all three, you have the equivalent of 8 Status.
 +
*Divine Reckoning-Specific Extraordinary Scholar Techniques
 +
**Heaven's Final Word (3/5 Destiny; Augment/Extended/Flood) You may Flood a single die from your River while making a Prediction using the Divine Reckoning method of the Three Arts; if you do and your Prediction contradicts an existing Prediction, you have a +10 bonus to your roll solely for the purpose of opposing the contrary Prediction. This bonus also applies if another Scholar makes a Prediction that contradicts yours at a later time. For an additional 2 Destiny, the bonus increases to +15.
 +
 +
*2 Secret: Wondrous Doors Expertise
 +
**0 Bonus: You have an additional +5 bonus to making Predictions concerning the gain or loss of wealth, fame, or social standing.
 +
**0 Bonus: You have the equivalent of 3 Status among Scholars who know of your expertise. If you have expertise in two of the three methods, you have the equivalent of 5 Status; if you have expertise in all three, you have the equivalent of 8 Status.
 +
*Wondrous Doors-Specific Extraordinary Scholar Techniques
 +
**Following Paths to Hidden Doors (4/6 Destiny; Augment/Extended) After being affected by a Prediction or spending a scene interrogating someone else who was, you may make a Hard [30] (if you were affected) or Memorable [40] (if you interrogated someone else affected) Learning roll to learn the details of the Prediction. For an additional 2 Destiny, on a Critical Success you also gain some clues as to who made the Prediction.
 +
 +
*2 Secret: Great Cycle Expertise
 +
**0 Bonus: You have an additional +5 bonus to making Predictions concerning natural phenomena, including agriculture and animal husbandry.
 +
**0 Bonus: You have the equivalent of 3 Status among Scholars who know of your expertise. If you have expertise in two of the three methods, you have the equivalent of 5 Status; if you have expertise in all three, you have the equivalent of 8 Status.
 +
*Great Cycle-Specific Extraordinary Scholar Techniques
 +
**Five Phase Predictions (5 Destiny; Augment/Extended/Flood) You may Flood a single die to create a special type of Prediction. Instead of specifying a single circumstance that will or won't come to pass, you create a sequence of events that will or won't come to pass, following the cycle of Birth, Growth, Maturity, Withering, and Death. You may begin at any stage of the cycle, and may specify a weakness or hyperactivity to be associated with each stage, but each element of the prediction must be plausibly associated with one of the stages, the stages must occur in sequence, and each element must be bounded (i.e. "The Imperial Army will never be defeated" is not OK; "The Imperial Army will suffer no defeats this year" is).
 +
 +
 +
'''The Story of Physiognomy''' (3 Destiny)<br>
 +
Skill: Awareness<br>
 +
Modifier: -5 to 0<br>
 +
Limitation: Requires an examination of the subject of the divination; predictions must be about that individual.<br>
 +
Description: It is said that our destinies are written on our bodies, if only we know the script. Scholars who know the Story of Physiognomy are able to read that script. Through a thorough examination of the body, especially of the face and the hands, a Scholar may divine the fortunes of that individual -- and that individual alone. The examination must be thorough; if it is rushed (less than a scene spent in examination), or if there are limitations on the examination (e.g. only visual examination permitted), the Scholar suffers a -5 penalty.<br>
 +
*0 Bonus: You may choose to give the Prediction a Breath bonus/penalty instead of an Action bonus/penalty.
 +
'''Physiognomy-Specific Extraordinary Scholar Techniques'''
 +
*The Bloom of Health (2 Destiny; Augment/Extended) You may make a Memorable [40] Learning roll to aid in your own or another's recovery from an Injury Condition. The result of this roll is treated exactly as a Doctor's Medicine roll -- i.e., the one attempting a Recovery roll can use the higher result of her Hardiness and the Learning rolls.
 +
*Medical Evidence Approach (3 Destiny; Augment/Extended) You can use your knowledge of an existing Medical Condition as a predictive tool. You extrapolate it in Internal-External fashion, seeing how the imbalance in the subject's body influences her fate. When you make a reasonable reference to this knowledge while making a Prediction using the Story of Physiognomy, you have a +5 (if the Condition is Trivial or Minor) or +10 (if Major) bonus.
 +
*Health and Fortune Intertwined (5 Destiny; Augment/Extended/Flood) You may Flood a single die from your River while making a Prediction using the Story of Physiognomy to Discover a Medical Condition along with your Prediction. For the most part, the difficulty to create the Medical Condition is the same as that of the Prediction, though the Sage may set it higher if the condition you wish to create is only tangentially related to your Prediction, or is otherwise unlikely.
 +
<br>
 +
'''The Story of the Old Ways''' (3 Destiny)<br>
 +
Skill: Wu Wei<br>
 +
Modifier: 0 to +5<br>
 +
Limitation: Requires animal bones or shells to be burnt and shattered<br>
 +
Description: It is said that Fu Xi, the first of the mythical Three Sovereigns who brought civilization to Shen Zhou, taught the people the arts of divination, so that they might not be confused about Heaven's inclinations. What he taught them was to become the basis of all ritual divinatory practice that followed, and brought great blessings to early, heroic Dynasties of the land, but few now know the original ways. Animal bones -- any of sufficient size will do in a pinch, though the method is especially effective when it employs tortoise shells or the shoulder blades of oxen (+5 bonus) -- are inscribed with the question to be answered, and then thrown in a ritually prepared fire. The bone is then struck, and its shards removed from the flame; the way the bone fractures tells the Scholar how Heaven views the question asked.
 +
*0 Bonus: Once per story, you may make a Prediction without spending a Joss.
 +
*2 Fortune: You have been instructed in the Old Ways by one of the few remaining genuine savants; you have an additional +5 bonus to making Predictions in this way.
 +
'''Old Ways-Specific Extraordinary Scholar Techniques'''
 +
*Balancing Fortune's Scales (4 Destiny; Augment/Extended): When making a Prediction, you may opt to spend a second Joss of the opposite type from the first you spent. If you do, you create a second Prediction (with the same Recovery number) with the opposite action modifier (akin to Yin-Yang Technique); anyone attempting to resist either Prediction suffers a -10 penalty. The second Prediction must be described as 'balancing out' the first.
 +
*Blessings of Fu Xi (6 Destiny; Augment/Extended/Flood): You may Flood a single die from your River while making a Prediction using the Story of the Old Ways; if you do, the associated bonus or penalty applies to Chi Aura and Rippling rolls.
 +
<br>
 +
'''Additional Extraordinary Scholar Techniques'''
 +
*Riding Fortune's Wave (5 Destiny; Extended/Wave): Whenever anyone in your presence (roughly: the same zone) gains Joss of either type from Interesting Times, you may make a Memorable [40] Wu Wei roll to accept Interesting Times as well and gain a Xia Joss. In combat, you must make this roll as a Wave on your Initiative roll in the round following the Interesting Times.
 +
 +
*Learned Sage Approach (3 Destiny; Augment): Spend one Joss of either type to ignore Fears penalties and to deny opponents Laughs At penalties. This technique overrides any kung fu techniques; the effect lasts for the length of a combat, or for one scene.
 +
 +
*Scholar's Diffidence (3 Destiny; Extended/Wave): At your option, you may use Learning as the basis of a Resist roll to defend against Discovery of a Medical, Passion/Inspiration, or Curse/Influence condition, or a Doctor's, Priest's, or Courtier's Secret Arts attack. You should act out a pedantic refutation of the would-be discoverer's logic.
 +
 
===Extraordinary Warrior Techniques===
 
===Extraordinary Warrior Techniques===
 
[http://wulinlegends.pbworks.com/w/page/66311203/Additional%20Extraordinary%20Warrior's%20Arts Additional Extraordinary Warrior Techniques]
 
[http://wulinlegends.pbworks.com/w/page/66311203/Additional%20Extraordinary%20Warrior's%20Arts Additional Extraordinary Warrior Techniques]

Latest revision as of 18:11, 26 April 2014

Back to Main Page

External Kung Fu[edit]

Bloodstained Tiger (Paired, Saber, Unarmed)[edit]

(inspired by EwindaleMoss' Bloodstained White Tiger style.)

Qualities: No animal better embodies the combination of ferocity, power, and speed than the mighty tiger. Practitioners of this style are hyper-aggressive, favoring brutal and direct attacks with little concern for defense. It is popular among warriors and those who favor inducing terror and awe in those who stand against them.

Laughs At: The Tiger laughs at victims who give ground or retreat - don't they know the Tiger will never give up? It also laughs at defensive or reactive styles, since they allow the tiger to strike as it pleases.

Fears: The tiger grows nervous in the presence of a skilled hunter; their snares and strikes from range frustrate the great beast. The Tiger also fears confinement, since it is at its most powerful in the open fields.

Speed

Footwork

Strike

Damage

Block

Toughness

+5

+5

+10

+10

+0

+5

Techniques

All the World's a Jungle (5)
The Tiger rules the jungle; it brooks no dissent in its domain. You realize that the jungle is everywhere, and you must rule as the Tiger does.

  • Opponents suffer a -10 penalty to their checks when trying to use the Courtier’s Arts against you. If they fail their check, they suffer a Ripple. This benefit extends even outside of combat, unless there's some reason you wouldn't be subconsciously using your Bloodstained Tiger kung fu.

Lord of the Chase (5)
You move with the grace and power of the beast you emulate; who can hope to outrun you?

  • The Footwork bonus of this style increases to +10.

No Escape for Prey (2)
None can hope to escape the Tiger at hunt. Let the prey try to scurry and flee, for it only brings them under the Tiger's power.

  • You have a +5 bonus to any check to break a Wave.

Revenge of the Masterful Tiger (4)
None can match the deft swipes of the tiger; its claws never fail to find the prey's tender flesh.

  • When you are suffering from an Injury Condition, the Strike bonus of this style increases to +15

Rage of the Rampant Tiger (4)
None can withstand the tiger's powerful talons; they never fail to tear the viscera within.

  • When you are suffering from an Injury Condition, the Damage bonus of this style increases to +15

Yang Family Spear (Spear, Staff)[edit]

(based substantially on Robert Harrison's eponymous style.)

Qualities: The Yang Clan of Thrashing Minister is famous for the great generals and mighty warriors that served the Han Emperors; their prowess with the spear was once just as legendary, but hard times have seen their reputation, and that of their signature style, decrease. Those who have seen the style know it to be formidable: it is direct, powerful, and aggressive, capable of commanding a whole field of battle.

Laughs At: The Yang Family laughs at opponents who try to win by dint of greater numbers; they are accustomed to being outnumbered. Because the Yang Family Spear is imperious and straightforward, it laughs at styles that employ needless motion or add flourishes.

Fears: Because it is so direct, the Yang Family Spear fears styles that are flowing and flexible, or those that are highly reactive. It also fears those who can contest its command by limiting the spear's (or staff's) range of motion.

Speed

Footwork

Strike

Damage

Block

Toughness

+10

+5

+10

+5

+5

+0

Techniques

Battlefield Clearing Sweep (3)
Yang Family Spear rules the battlefield. This is never more apparent than when it is faces great numbers of enemies.

  • All your attacks count as Area attacks for the purpose of damaging groups of Minions. In addition, on a successful strike, the Minions do not benefit from their leader's Tactics next round.

Defanging the Wolf (4)
The Yang Clan has long experience fending off predators; breaking their fangs made them easy to turn away.

  • You may Flood 1 die from the River while you make an attack. If you do, the strike also creates a Disorient or Disrupt condition if it hits.

Lonely Bulwark Stance (5)
When they served the Han Emperors, the Yang were often a lonely bulwark against enemies without and within. This technique reflects their expertise in fighting while outnumbered.

  • The Block bonus of this style increases to +10.

Jade Pendant Command (3)
It is said that the famous spear-maiden Yang Lide hung a jade pendant in the shape of a dragon, a gift from the Emperor himself, from her mighty spear. Those who saw it couldn't help but kneel in submission.

  • You have a +5 bonus to break any Wave, or to oppose any Shaping Marvel.

Yang Family Honor (2 or 5)
Since the glory days of the Han, the Yang Clan has suffered one indignity after another. They have never suffered a one that they did not repay.

  • When hit by a Strike or Marvel, you can flood a die from the River to Reply against your opponent, inflicting 1 Ripple upon her. You can do this only once for any given attack, even if it included multiple elements that hit you.
  • If you pay an additional 3 Destiny, you can have 1 additional slot in your River. This extra slot can only be used to Flood dice for Yang Family Honor. If this slot is ever filled while you change your active style, it automatically Washes empty.

Internal Kung Fu[edit]

Formless Techniques[edit]

Spirit of the Silver Bough, Level 3 Wood Formless
In the haunted forests of the Silver Bough Park, it is said the trees can fascinate and confuse those it deems interlopers. By channeling your chi energy, you can make any trees mimic the eerie patterns of that strange wood.

  • Activate this technique on during your Initiative phase and choose a target; there must be live trees in your current zone for this technique to have an effect.
  • This round, you Laugh At and never Fear your target's attacks and defenses; your target Fears and never Laughs At your attacks and defenses.
  • Your target may ignore this technique's effect on a single action if they make a Minor Action using Wu Wei; the difficulty is based on how wooded your zone is. If sparsely wooded, the difficulty is Hard (30); if heavily wooded, the difficulty is Memorable (40); in the oldest forests, or those with a strong supernatural influence, the difficulty is Fantastic (60).

Secret Arts[edit]

Expanded Scholar Arts[edit]

(The following is a prior version of these tools and techniques from the wulin legends wiki.)

In addition to the default manner of creating Predictions, those with access to the Secret Art of Prediction loresheet may purchase the following Toolsets to augment their divinatory practices.

The Story of the I Ching (3 Destiny)
Skill: Learning
Modifier: -5 to 0
Limitation: You must use some tools to generate trigrams and consult an I Ching Manual.
Description: If you improvise tools -- e.g. coins from the street, twigs taken from a tree -- you have a -5 penalty to your Prediction. Otherwise, see corebook p. 257.

  • 1 Secret: You have committed the entire Book of Changes to memory, and need not consult an I Ching manual to make your predictions.
  • 2 Fortune: You have an exceptional set of trigram-generating tools; using them gives you a +5 bonus to making Predictions.

The Story of the Three Arts (3 Destiny)
Skill: Special; usually Politics, Tactics or Survival.
Modifier: -5 to +5
Limitation: Requires extensive research prior to Prediction, along with specially made tools. Description: The Three Arts (comprising the distinct-but-related Divine Reckoning, Wondrous Doors, and Great Cycle methods) are the height of metaphysical science in Shen Zhou. Combining Five Element Theory, the I Ching, astrology, and numerology, this approach to Prediction is both the most powerful and most demanding of the Scholar's tools for divination. Divinations made in this manner, when dealing with especially weighty matters, have been known to take as long as a month to arrive at. As with the standard approach to making Predictions, the appropriate Skill is determined by the subject matter; however, a Scholar employing the Three Arts may choose to employ the Learning Skill at a -5 penalty. In addition, the Prediction roll has a modifier based on the amount of time the Scholar spends and the quality of information he has at his disposal; if he spends more than the minimum time or has, say, an Imperial library at his disposal, he gains a +5 bonus. If he attempts to rush his work or is working without access to the proper charts and tomes, he suffers a -5 penalty (in which case, he cannot substitute the Learning Skill for a more appropriate one).

  • 2 Fortune: You have a quality set of equipment for performing Three Arts divination; using it gives you a +5 bonus to making Predictions in this way.

Three Arts-Specific Extraordinary Scholar Techniques

  • Strengthen Destiny's Weight (2 Destiny; Augment/Extended): You may attempt to raise the Recovery number of your own prediction by making a Learning roll. If the result exceeds the Recovery number of the Prediction, you may spend another point of Joss to set the Recovery number at the new result; if the result equals or is exceeded by the original Recovery number, there is no effect and you may not attempt to use this technique again on that Prediction.
  • Finding the Loopholes (4 Destiny; Augment/Extended): You may make a Learning roll on your own or another's behalf to Resist the effects of a Prediction. If applied to yourself, this replaces your Wu Wei roll; if on another's behalf, it is in addition to his or her Wu Wei roll, and the higher of the two results is taken. You must be aware of the Prediction to be resisted, at least in broad outlines, and give some plausible reason why you or the target is exempt. If successful, the resistance lasts one chapter.

Some Scholars become experts in one or more of the Three Arts, which gives them added bonuses and access to additional Extraordinary Techniques.

  • 2 Secret: Divine Reckoning Expertise
    • 0 Bonus: You have an additional +5 bonus to making Predictions concerning matters of state (war, diplomacy, succession) or similarly large-scale events.
    • 0 Bonus: You have the equivalent of 3 Status among Scholars who know of your expertise. If you have expertise in two of the three methods, you have the equivalent of 5 Status; if you have expertise in all three, you have the equivalent of 8 Status.
  • Divine Reckoning-Specific Extraordinary Scholar Techniques
    • Heaven's Final Word (3/5 Destiny; Augment/Extended/Flood) You may Flood a single die from your River while making a Prediction using the Divine Reckoning method of the Three Arts; if you do and your Prediction contradicts an existing Prediction, you have a +10 bonus to your roll solely for the purpose of opposing the contrary Prediction. This bonus also applies if another Scholar makes a Prediction that contradicts yours at a later time. For an additional 2 Destiny, the bonus increases to +15.
  • 2 Secret: Wondrous Doors Expertise
    • 0 Bonus: You have an additional +5 bonus to making Predictions concerning the gain or loss of wealth, fame, or social standing.
    • 0 Bonus: You have the equivalent of 3 Status among Scholars who know of your expertise. If you have expertise in two of the three methods, you have the equivalent of 5 Status; if you have expertise in all three, you have the equivalent of 8 Status.
  • Wondrous Doors-Specific Extraordinary Scholar Techniques
    • Following Paths to Hidden Doors (4/6 Destiny; Augment/Extended) After being affected by a Prediction or spending a scene interrogating someone else who was, you may make a Hard [30] (if you were affected) or Memorable [40] (if you interrogated someone else affected) Learning roll to learn the details of the Prediction. For an additional 2 Destiny, on a Critical Success you also gain some clues as to who made the Prediction.
  • 2 Secret: Great Cycle Expertise
    • 0 Bonus: You have an additional +5 bonus to making Predictions concerning natural phenomena, including agriculture and animal husbandry.
    • 0 Bonus: You have the equivalent of 3 Status among Scholars who know of your expertise. If you have expertise in two of the three methods, you have the equivalent of 5 Status; if you have expertise in all three, you have the equivalent of 8 Status.
  • Great Cycle-Specific Extraordinary Scholar Techniques
    • Five Phase Predictions (5 Destiny; Augment/Extended/Flood) You may Flood a single die to create a special type of Prediction. Instead of specifying a single circumstance that will or won't come to pass, you create a sequence of events that will or won't come to pass, following the cycle of Birth, Growth, Maturity, Withering, and Death. You may begin at any stage of the cycle, and may specify a weakness or hyperactivity to be associated with each stage, but each element of the prediction must be plausibly associated with one of the stages, the stages must occur in sequence, and each element must be bounded (i.e. "The Imperial Army will never be defeated" is not OK; "The Imperial Army will suffer no defeats this year" is).


The Story of Physiognomy (3 Destiny)
Skill: Awareness
Modifier: -5 to 0
Limitation: Requires an examination of the subject of the divination; predictions must be about that individual.
Description: It is said that our destinies are written on our bodies, if only we know the script. Scholars who know the Story of Physiognomy are able to read that script. Through a thorough examination of the body, especially of the face and the hands, a Scholar may divine the fortunes of that individual -- and that individual alone. The examination must be thorough; if it is rushed (less than a scene spent in examination), or if there are limitations on the examination (e.g. only visual examination permitted), the Scholar suffers a -5 penalty.

  • 0 Bonus: You may choose to give the Prediction a Breath bonus/penalty instead of an Action bonus/penalty.

Physiognomy-Specific Extraordinary Scholar Techniques

  • The Bloom of Health (2 Destiny; Augment/Extended) You may make a Memorable [40] Learning roll to aid in your own or another's recovery from an Injury Condition. The result of this roll is treated exactly as a Doctor's Medicine roll -- i.e., the one attempting a Recovery roll can use the higher result of her Hardiness and the Learning rolls.
  • Medical Evidence Approach (3 Destiny; Augment/Extended) You can use your knowledge of an existing Medical Condition as a predictive tool. You extrapolate it in Internal-External fashion, seeing how the imbalance in the subject's body influences her fate. When you make a reasonable reference to this knowledge while making a Prediction using the Story of Physiognomy, you have a +5 (if the Condition is Trivial or Minor) or +10 (if Major) bonus.
  • Health and Fortune Intertwined (5 Destiny; Augment/Extended/Flood) You may Flood a single die from your River while making a Prediction using the Story of Physiognomy to Discover a Medical Condition along with your Prediction. For the most part, the difficulty to create the Medical Condition is the same as that of the Prediction, though the Sage may set it higher if the condition you wish to create is only tangentially related to your Prediction, or is otherwise unlikely.


The Story of the Old Ways (3 Destiny)
Skill: Wu Wei
Modifier: 0 to +5
Limitation: Requires animal bones or shells to be burnt and shattered
Description: It is said that Fu Xi, the first of the mythical Three Sovereigns who brought civilization to Shen Zhou, taught the people the arts of divination, so that they might not be confused about Heaven's inclinations. What he taught them was to become the basis of all ritual divinatory practice that followed, and brought great blessings to early, heroic Dynasties of the land, but few now know the original ways. Animal bones -- any of sufficient size will do in a pinch, though the method is especially effective when it employs tortoise shells or the shoulder blades of oxen (+5 bonus) -- are inscribed with the question to be answered, and then thrown in a ritually prepared fire. The bone is then struck, and its shards removed from the flame; the way the bone fractures tells the Scholar how Heaven views the question asked.

  • 0 Bonus: Once per story, you may make a Prediction without spending a Joss.
  • 2 Fortune: You have been instructed in the Old Ways by one of the few remaining genuine savants; you have an additional +5 bonus to making Predictions in this way.

Old Ways-Specific Extraordinary Scholar Techniques

  • Balancing Fortune's Scales (4 Destiny; Augment/Extended): When making a Prediction, you may opt to spend a second Joss of the opposite type from the first you spent. If you do, you create a second Prediction (with the same Recovery number) with the opposite action modifier (akin to Yin-Yang Technique); anyone attempting to resist either Prediction suffers a -10 penalty. The second Prediction must be described as 'balancing out' the first.
  • Blessings of Fu Xi (6 Destiny; Augment/Extended/Flood): You may Flood a single die from your River while making a Prediction using the Story of the Old Ways; if you do, the associated bonus or penalty applies to Chi Aura and Rippling rolls.


Additional Extraordinary Scholar Techniques

  • Riding Fortune's Wave (5 Destiny; Extended/Wave): Whenever anyone in your presence (roughly: the same zone) gains Joss of either type from Interesting Times, you may make a Memorable [40] Wu Wei roll to accept Interesting Times as well and gain a Xia Joss. In combat, you must make this roll as a Wave on your Initiative roll in the round following the Interesting Times.
  • Learned Sage Approach (3 Destiny; Augment): Spend one Joss of either type to ignore Fears penalties and to deny opponents Laughs At penalties. This technique overrides any kung fu techniques; the effect lasts for the length of a combat, or for one scene.
  • Scholar's Diffidence (3 Destiny; Extended/Wave): At your option, you may use Learning as the basis of a Resist roll to defend against Discovery of a Medical, Passion/Inspiration, or Curse/Influence condition, or a Doctor's, Priest's, or Courtier's Secret Arts attack. You should act out a pedantic refutation of the would-be discoverer's logic.

Extraordinary Warrior Techniques[edit]

Additional Extraordinary Warrior Techniques

Uncanny Stylist Technique (3 or 5) (Augment)
Not truly a technique at all, but rather a whole range of moves, tricks, and stratagems, accumulated over decades and centuries of Wulin duels, to make it easier for a Warrior to prevent her opponent from reading the nature and qualities of her style.

  • You may make a Minor Stealth- or Tactics-based Action to oppose efforts to analyze your style based on a single die.
  • For an additional 2 Destiny, this Action also opposes efforts to analyze your Combat Condition.