Rotes of the Brotherhood Sword and mind must be united. Technique by itself is insufficient, and spirit alone is not enough. - Yamada Jirokichi


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.]

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