Diverting the Blow (Forces or )
This rote has a long history among the Orange Robes, for whom it forms a
basic element of their philosophy. It redirects the energy of an attack,
often returning it upon the attacker, who can be made to strike herself.
(With Forces 2, the force of the blow is diverted, while with Forces
3, it is returned against the attacker. Each success will counter 2 levels
of damage. If the higher level of the rote is used and the damage is completely
cancelled, the damage will be done to the attacker.)
Yielding Grasp (Forces Prime
)
By utilizing the principle of yielding force, the doist can turn a target's
force against him when grappling, thus increasing her own
strength in relationship to his.
(Each success effectively boosts the doist's Strength by 1 during
grapples and throws. This can be used to immobilize, disarm, or throw a
target, but not to do damage.)
Running Trance (Correspondence
Life Mind )
The Blue Skins of Tibet long ago perfected the technique of lung gom, or
the running trance, which they used to cross extreme
distances in short periods.
(By entering a trance, the mage enables his body to perform impressive
feats. Each success halves the time it takes to cross a given distance.
The rote is always coincidental, no matter the distance covered, but the
terrain covered must be such that a person could physically cross it. For
example, bodies of water larger than shallow rivers cannot be crossed with
this effect.)
Divine Army (Correspondence ,
Life , Mind )
This rote was first used by the Akashic monk Parandasambahava during the
Himalayan Wars, when he found himself surrounded by a half-dozen Euthanatos
assailants. By co-locating himself, he was able fight them all simultaneously.
(Each success scored after the first creates a second version of the
mage, able to function indepentantly of the others by virtue of the Mind
sphere. However, because they are all the same person, each one suffers
the wounds inflicted on any of them, and only one magic effect can be cast
per round, no matter how many of them there are. This effect is almost always
vulgar.)
Redirect Emotion (Mind )
Employing the principle that a straight line attack is best met with a circular
defense, and applying that principle to the 'direction' of emotions, the
Dragon Scale Minxing Yuan learned to avoid conflicts by redirecting the
emotions that cause them onto other targets.
(This rote shifts the target of an emotion from one thing to another.
For example, if a Progenitor has decided to attack Min for putting an end
to his experiments on people, she could shift his anger from herself to
his lab partner, causing him to attack his comrade instead of her. Strong,
unfocused emotions require fewer successes, perhaps 2 to 3, to redirect
while subtle feelings or emotions strongly focused on a particular target
require 4, 5 or more.)
Belly Talking (Mind , Life )
Minxing Yuan realized that the principle of devastating one's opponent if
one could not avoid combat was facilitated if she had some idea of how dangerous
a potential opponent was before she fought him. With this in mind, Min learned
how to estimate a person's fighting ability by watching how they moved and
how their thoughts flowed, and thus was able to avoid many fights that she
could not have won.
(This rote gives the doist information on the targets score in Str,
Dex, Stam, Do, Brawl, and Melee. A single success tells her if the target
has those attributes and abilities. Two successes give the general level
[low, medium, high]. Three gives them in terms of the doist's own ratings(lower,
higher, the same), while four or more gives the exact level.)
Thoughts Like Water (Mind )
This common rote has existed for millenia, although its origins are unknown.
By assuming a relaxed state of mind in which all things flow naturally,
the Brother's mind becomes extremely elusive.
(This rote makes it harder for others to detect the Brother's thoughts.
All attempts to detect, read, or manipulate his thought have their difficulty
increased by 1 per success scored by the Brother.)
Elude Senses (Mind Entropy
)
The young Dragon Scale Little Thunder spent a great deal of time watching
martial arts movies about ninjas. Although his mentor chided him for such
a frivolous pursuit, Little Thunder was inspired to develop rotes that reproduced
some of the abilities of the cinematic ninjas. The most useful such rote
involves identifying the weak spots in a security system and them using
them. Guards are encouraged to overlook the intruder's presence.
(Each success adds one to the difficulty of people to spot the Brother,
as long as the Brother is attempting to be inconspicuous.)
Defense of the Yielding Mind (Mind )
The Orange Robes built this rote off of the principle of the preceding one,
and developed a useful form of mental defense. By
falling back from a mental assault, the doist pulls her attacker mentally
off balance and gains the upper hand in the psychic battle.
(This is a form of Countermagic against Mind magics. The defender
must score at least one more success than the attacker on their magic roles,
in which case the attacker is overextended and cannot take another action
the next round until the defender has done so.)
Enlightening Word (Mind )
The Akashic Brotherhood normally uses koans, or riddles, to guide Sleepers
to Awakening and the Awakened to Ascension. These koans traditionally take
the form of a peculiar question or statement that the subject ponders and
learns spiritual truths from. The most famous, of course, is "What
is the sound of one hand clapping?" but there are many others. The
Blue Skin scholar Li Chao Wu, however, discovered a different use for the
koan when he was being stalked by a Euthanatos assassin. Since Li had vowed
never to stain himself with combat, he chose a different method to defend
himself, and when the assassin approached him, he uttered a koan so powerful
that the assassin was forced to ponder it for several minutes, allowing
Li to make his escape.
(The monk must have an Enigmas score at least equal to the target's
Meditation score in order to know a koan of sufficient complexity. If successfully
cast, the target is effectively stunned for a number of turned equal to
his Meditation score, as he attempts to work out the puzzle involved. Note
that this rote is most effective against those who are conditioned to such
puzzles, and is virtually useless against thugs with no Meditation skill.
The effects dissapate if the target is attacked.)
Spirit Fist (Spirit )
This rote was created by the Yogis, many of whom use some variant of it
in their struggles with hostile Umbrood.
(This allows the doist to use do strikes on spirits.)
Tracing the Path of the Dharmic Wheel (Spirit
Time )
A rote first perfected by the Blue Skin Putila Khan, who pursued his Ascension
across his own past lives. Putila used this rote to learn more about the
way he had lived in order to guide his present life. Eventually though,
he became careless and lost himself in his own past.
(This enables the mage to read a target's past lives, and extract
information from them. The difficulty is lowered by 1 for each point of
Dream the mage has, while it is raised depending on how far back the mage
is going. Mind 2 is sometimes added to allow the mage to directly experience
these past lives. A botch causes the mage to be lost in one of the past
lives, a state not unlike a Quiet realm.)
Tree Falling Alone (Matter
Prime , sometimes Mind Time )
The pious Dragon Scale River Willow once needed to search an office of the
New World Order but wished to make certain that she left no evidence that
she had done so. She employed the principle that an action unobserved has
essentially not happened, and thus ensured that they never realized that
she had learned their plans.
(This rote is actived before a covert action is attempted. If the
action is successfully completed without being observed, then no accidental
sign of its occurance will be left. The Akashic will leave no finger or
foot prints or any other similar evidence. With Mind 1, the mage will leave
no psychic residue, and with Time 2 she will not register on Postcognitive
effects. The mage may employ other effects to ensure that she is not detected,
such as invisibility or a field of silence. This rote is almost always coincidental.)
Stance of the Perfect Defender (Correspondence
Entropy Mind )
This rote is very common among Dragon Scales, who use it to considerable
effect when they are attacked by multiple opponents. By keeping track of
the location of all their assailants and maneuvering accordingly, the Scale
can prevent them from using their numerical superiority to their advantage.
(Each success negates 1 pt of a multiple attacker bonus per success.
While this can only be employed when a single mage is being attacked by
multiple opponents, if the mage scores well enough, this rote can actual
increase the difficulty for multiple attackers, as they get in each other's
way.)
The Well-Targeted Blow (Entropy Life
)
Another common rote of the Dragon Scales, this expands the concept of Dim
Mak and specially intends to cause severe damage by striking the body's
weak points.
(Each success lowers the difficulty of the damage role by 1, although
it can never drop below 3.)
Analyze Fighting Style (Entropy ,
Mind )
By watching how someone fights, the doist is able to identify weaknesses
in the target's fighting style, weaknesses which can be used against the
target in combat.
(Each success can be used to increase the difficulties of the target's
roll to hit the doist, or to decrease the roll to hit the target. In order
to be able to adequately make use of what he has learned, the doist must
have a do of at least 3)
Flycatcher (Entropy Correspondence
Mind )
Little Thunder realized that by concentrating on the precision of his body
movements and identifying the most effective use of energy and space, he
could acchive considerable success in his attacks.
(This rote reduces the difficulty of physical actions that require
precision by 1 plus 1 per two successes.)
The Touch of Peace (Life
Entropy )
Many Blue Skins employ this rote to defend themselves without harming their
attackers. By striking the target's nerve centers, she can be paralyzed
and thus rendered less dangerous.
(Each success will physically immobilize the target for 1 turn.)
Clip the Raven's Wings (Life ,
Entropy )
This rote employs the Dragon Scale principle of defeating your enemies as
quickly as possible, in this case by disabling the target's limbs.
(Entropy determines the target's weak points, such as joints, nerve
clusters, and so on, and allows the doist to strike to disable. It does
one level of damage per success. 1 success will temporarily disable a digit
or sensory organ, 2 to 3 successes will render an arm, leg, or internal
organ useless, and 4 to 5 successes will paralyze the target or leave them
dazed.)
Unify Mind and Body (Life ,
Mind )
By unifying the process by mind and body operate, the doist becomes capable
of reacting without conscious thought.
(All reflexive actions, including initiative rolls, have their difficulties
reduced by 1 by each success after the first. Difficulties may never drop
below 3.)
See the Astral World (Spirit Mind )
To actually project into Astral Space is hard and requires hard training and
immense strength of will. However, to just see what's in there requires much
less preparations. Akashic brothers cleanse themselves and meditate on the
mental world, while Dreamspeakers watch how the contents of the medicine
pouch fall.
Fishing in the Well of Dreams (Mind Spirit )
A rote the Akashic Brotherhood sometimes use. They summon their own dreams,
fantasies, fears and illusions into the waking world so they can speak with
them, hoping to understand them or banish them if needed. The Brother
ceremonially washes himself and then starts to meditate on the part of his
mind he wants to meet. He brings it slowly closer to the surface, step by
step, until it appears clearly to him. This rote is quite hazardous, since it
can release dangerous aspects of the mage into the light, and they might not
always be content to return to their old places. It has happened that
fantasies not only has refused to return, but that they have stayed in the
world in physical form (so called Tulpas). [ Using Mind 2 or 3 the mage can
summon fragments of another present person. Some mages have even sent away
their own fragments into the minds of others. ]
Double Pain (Mind )
The mage increases the susceptibility to pain of a victim. A small cut will
feel like a deep gash, and a greater wound will paralyse the victim in agony.
This is sometimes used by mages in the Akashic Brotherhood on themselves to
train their resistance to pain and their willpower. They just sit down in Do
meditation and concentrate of the pain of existence. [ The wound penalties
are doubled for the victim. A Hurt or Injured will give a -2 penalty, Wounded
-4 and Crippled -10.]
Read the Akashic Records(Mind Correspondence )
The mage expands his mind into the Subconscious of the vicinity, seeking the
answer on a specific question or the solution of a problem. The mage can
coordinate information from all minds around himself, and find the solution
even if no individual can solve the problem. Masters of the Akashic
Brotherhood sometimes use it on their disciples to gain insight themselves.
Some Choristers expand their minds enormously, so that the encompass millions
of minds, as a form of meditation. This is a bit risky, since they risk
loosing themselves in the mass and let horrors from the Collective
Unconscious possess them. [ Each success will work as one point dream during
the scene. ]
Breaking the Bonds of Blood (Mind )
While any Mage with even the most minimal of understanding in the Sphere of
Mind is able to resist the effects of Vampiric Blood Bonding. Mages without
an understanding of the Sphere of Mind are as vulnerable as any sleeper to
Vampiric Blood Bonding. This Rote was a gift freely given by the Akashic
Brotherhood to all of the Traditions shortly before the beginnings of the
Twentieth century and is taught to all Adepts of Mind. [Depending on the
length of time which the subject has been Bound, the depth of control the
Vampire exercises and the raw power the Vampire has available to her, this
can be relatively easy or extremely difficult. Divide the generation of the
binding Vampire by two and round upwards, then subtract the result from ten
to find the difficulty. {For example a fifth generation Vampire equals 3
(generation of 5 divided by 2 equals 2.5) minus ten equals a difficulty of
seven.} This is then modified by the Storyteller to account for the amount of
control the Vampire exercises over the subject and how long the subject has
been Blood Bound to the Vampire. If the subject is a Mage then subtract two
from the difficulty at the Storyteller's discretion.]
Stepping through the Gauntlet with the third Foot(Spirit )
This is the basic Rote taught to all Akashic Brothers to master the art of
stepping through the Gauntlet into the Near Umbra. Other Traditions teach
variations on this Rote to their members of course and without the use of
some misdirection it is extremely vulgar. The usual method to turn this into
Coincidental Magick is to use a door, often one letting into a closet or
other area where sleeper witness are not present. [Number of successes
required varies depending on the area in which the attempt is made.
Concentrated urban areas are the most difficult, primeval or pristine
wilderness the easiest. What sets this Rote apart from those of other
Traditions is that if an Akashic Brother has left behind the need to use the
Do as a foci for this rote, performing the do as part of the rote effectively
allows the Akashic Brother to use Arete rather that the Sphere of Spirit.]
Blade of the Hydra(Correspondence )
[You throw a knife. A foot from hitting the target you co-locate the knife
five times around the target - the target is now hit by 5 knifes, not one! Or
you spray a target with automatic fire, as above, co-locate the bullets
making several copies that surround the target - so the target can be hit by
literally dozens of bullets. This can be explained by either saying you have
incredible control over automatic weapons, or your shots riccochet (rebound?)
and just so happen to hit the target.]
Reorder (Correspondence Entropy )
A mage of the Akashic Brotherhood had a dark period just after he assumed his
sensei to have been brutally murdered. It is then that he raised his entropy
sphere to 4 and combined this with his Corr 4 for a rather spectacular effect
which is now his "calling card". [This rote is just as vulgar as the above
but much more graphic. Take the volume of space taken up by an object (or
person or area). Now there exists order to the parts in this area/volume. Now
randomly reorder every particle in that area. With 2 or more successes on a
mortal (sleeper) the effect you get is a homogenization of every part of
thier body. For just a part of this effect you could take the femur and
divide it up into thousands of particles, now relocated those particles all
over the body. The net result is the person turns into a red featureless mass
which falls to the ground with a jello like consistency.]
1000 Paper Cranes (Life Prime )
Japanese folklore tells that if 1000 paper cranes are made for a person, his
life will be saved in return. One clever Akashic Brother expanded on this
idea. Well-wishers who visit a person are asked to make a paper crane for
their sake, often being told of the legend. [This rote causes the cranes
(actually minor talismans)to heal the patient. As a rule, each crane heals
one level of damage (1/2 level aggravated), though degenerative diseases like
AIDS and cancer continually eat away and diminish health levels. 1000 cranes
or more will cure any mortal, no matter how sick. Because the effect is
rooted in faith and folklore, it is still considered coincidental, no matter
how miraculous a recovery. (The Technocracy will just chalk it up to
"superior medical technology") Euthanatos, though, despise this rote
(Cheating the Good Death--the very idea!) and may even drain the origami of
their power (there is a tiny amount of tass in each crane).]
The Cutting edge (Matter )
[By combining two matter effects on a bladed weapon, one can obtain the
useful ability to cut through solid objects. The first effect uses Matter 3:
Sculpture to hone the blades' edge to a mono-molecular point and makes the
surface of the blade almost frictionless, thereby allowing the blade itself
to cut through just about anything easily. The second effect uses Matter 3:
Destroy Structure to rend the pattern of the object just ahead of the blade's
edge. Without this second effect, the monomolecular blade would dull almost
instantly and become useless. This effect is vulgar or coincidental depending
on the substance being cut. Most people would not believe granite can be cut
by mere metal, but haven't we all heard about the legendary sharpness of the
old samurai swords?]
Roots of the Tree (Forces : Correspondence : )
[By setting themselves in a deep trance the Akashic Brothers can make
themselves virtually impossable to move physicaly. They make great anchors
for ropes and as human ladders.]
Smell the Traitors Heart( Mind )
The Akashics developed this Rote to alert themselves to hostile minds, and
avoid ambushes. The mages keeps a light telepathic contact with all the minds
in her immediate area. If a sentient being in the Akashic's sensory range
becomes hostile, the Akashics empathic senses will be alerted, and the mage
can defend herself. The Akashic need not even see the ambusher to "scent" the
hostile intent. However, this Rote does nothing to protect the mage from
inanimate threats or accidents.
Bronze Body (Life Mind Prime )
The Dragon Scale Master Li T'eih practiced many forms of body strengthening
and weapon deflection. Early in his Awakened state, Li learned how to avoid
damage from attacks by angling his body and tensing certain muscles. Li
trained for years before the ultimate state of this form was achieved. [The
Doist increases the density of her skin while concentrating on and reacting
to the actions of her attackers. Specify the number of successes for duration
of Bronze Body before rolling for the magick Effect itself. Remember that
such improvement (i.e., the duration of the Effect) is only temporary. Bronze
Body increases the difficulty of a single opponent's attack rolls by one per
success. The Doist can apply this effect against multiple targets by dividing
the successes between each attacker (two against the first and one against
the second, for example).]
Four-Headed Defender (Correspondence Life Prime Mind )
Ancient writings in the Akashic Record tell of a horde of Nephandi that
threatened to fight its way through the Gauntlet to destroy the Temple of
Inner Truth. Rivhaya, a Dragon Scale, set himself in the center of the
Xiudaoyuan's Node and initiated this rote. Rivhaya sprouted three additional
heads, two extra arms and two additional legs. Each head looked toward a
cardinal point of the compass. The four hands took turns passing Rivhaya's
weapon back and forth about his body. Rivhaya's face also contorted to give
the Nephandi a false sense of security. Large fangs sprouted from his mouths,
from both upper and lower jaws. His skin turned a bright red and his tongues
a brilliant blue. Smoke rolled from his eight nostrils in thunderous clouds.
In battle, Rivhaya scuttled about in a whirling manner, his four weapons
attacking his most deadly opponents. His four heads kept him constantly alert
so that no one was ever able to approach him unawares. [Prime and Life modify
the mage's body, fueling the larger Pattern with Quintessence. Mind and
Correspondence allow all heads to coordinate the body's actions. Four
successes enable the Stylist to concentrate on information gained through
four sets of eyes.]
Summoning Walk of the Enlightenment (Prime )
While crossing the forested mountains of Tibet for days without food or
water, Blue Skin Brother Chang Ming came upon an Oracle performing a walking
meditation. Silently, Ming stepped behind the Oracle and traced his
footsteps; Chang Ming's mind was quick enough to make a mental map of the
path for future record. The resulting Tome and those copied from it teach the
way of the Summoning Walk of Enlightenment. By studying the record, the Doist
learns to link his Avatar to the fast-sweeping currents of the Prime.
However, Chang Ming was not ready for the depth of power that his newfound
Style brought him. Ho Chow Fan, a Euthanatos mage, crumpled him to a mass of
quivering flesh with the Bone Twisting Palm. Fortunately, with Chang Ming's
last act of magick, he destroyed his copy of the Tome and kept it from
falling into the hands of the Euthanatos. [The Doist's Avatar fills with
Quintessence, recharging his supply. The mage gains Quintessence at a rate of
one per success.]
Walk through walls(Life Matter Mind )
Oracles of the Blue Skins have long held meetings in secret chambers and have
used this rote to enter those sacred and holy shrines. Legend has it that the
greatest and most powerful Node points accessed by the Brotherhood Xiudaoyuan
(Chantries) are also hidden. Many of these sites are long lost, given the
Brotherhood's wish to keep them secret but to a chosen few. This rote is
rarely taught and only to the most trusted of students. [This rote allows the
Stylist to walk through walls by disassociating her body from the physical
relation of a wall or other solid object. When this process is complete, the
Doist can walk through walls without leaving a trace. The Doist calls upon
the amazing concentration of the mind to keep her alert to situations that
are just beyond barriers passed through.]
Weightless Walk(Mind Correspondence Matter )
Chu Kwei, an Orange Robe, developed a Light Body technique to walk over
surfaces with concealed weak points. Kwei was unable to make himself
weightless, but could locate areas with good traction that would support his
weight. [Divide the number of successes achieved between multitasking and
range of perception. Correspondence and Matter perception detect and
determine the structural integrity and traction of surfaces. The mage
memorizes the locations of "safe spots" within the range of his senses.]