By Trip.
This path was inspired by the work of Colin Chapman.
Chi Cost: 2
Shot Cost: 1
You manifest your chi in a stunning and terrifying yell, shocking your foe and breaking his nerve: your target must make a Willpower check against your Chi and if he fails, suffers the amount by which he failed as impairment for the rest of the sequence. The range of the Kiai is equal to your Chi in meters.
Prerequisite: None
Path: Voice Control
Chi Cost: 1
Shot Cost: 1 (typically)
The next step on the road to mastering the combination of voice and chi is not one with direct martial applications, but the clever pracitioner will no doubt find a myriad of uses for Voice Control. The three standard manifestations of voice control are:
Combining two or more of these manifestions sums the Chi costs, but not usually the shot costs. Continuously producing a sound counts as a continuous action, and adds 1 to the shot cost of any other action performed in the meantime.
GMs are enjoined to look leniently on any other clever, non-damaging tricks that players might want to add to individualize this schtick.
Prerequisite: Kiai
Path: Roar of the Lion
Chi Cost: 3
Shot Cost: 1
The Roar of the Lion is an extension and expansion of the principles involved in the Kiai: you manifest your chi in a terrifying roar, forcing all affected to make a Willpower check against your Chi, and to suffer any amount they fail the check by as impairment for the rest of the sequence. Everyone closer to you than your Chi in meters is affected, but those fighting on your side get a +3 to the Willpower check.
Prerequisite: Voice Control
Path: Breath of the Dragon
Chi Cost: 5
Shot Cost: 3
With a great outrushing of breath and chi, you can bowl someone over and knock them away from you. This is treated as a ranged attack (your Martial Arts vs your target's dodge or active dodge) a range equal to your Chi in meters and a +2 to your Martial Arts AV. If you hit, your target is knocked backward a number of meters equal to your Chi, and must make a Martial Arts (or Agility) check with a difficulty equal to 10 plus your outcome. If the target fails, he is knocked down and disoriented (-4 AV) until he spends a 3-shot action to get up and clear his head; otherwise, he needs only spend 1 shot to spring back to his feet (presuming he hasn't gone over the edge of a cliff).
Prerequisite: Roar of the Lion
Path: The Great Shout
Chi Cost: 3+X
Shot Cost: 3
By focusing your chi, you can emit a shout of such power and precision as to shatter solid objects. The Great Shout is treated as a ranged attack (your Martial Arts vs your target's dodge or active dodge) with a range of twice your Chi in meters and damage equal to your Chi+2X, where X is however much Chi above 3 you spend. Most brittle inanimate objects, even solid stone boulders, will shatter gratifyingly under such treatment, and you can count on every window within range being broken regardless of your target.
Prerequisite: Breath of the Dragon
Path: The Imperial Whisper
Chi Cost: 5
Shot Cost: 3
The pinnacle of the Path of the Master's Word, the Imperial Whisper allows you to give a command which cannot be disobeyed. In practical terms, this means you can can give one simple, non-conditional order to one target at a range of up to your Chi in meters, which that target must immediately obey unless he makes a successful Willpower check against your Chi rating. If you address the target by his real name, the check is made at -3. The target must understand the language you speak, but this is seldom an issue in Feng Shui. Anyone closer to you than the target is will be able to overhear the command, but will not be able to do anything about it.
Prerequisite: The Great Shout
Path: None
Last modified: June 20, 1996; please send comments to durrell@innocence.com.