By Jacob Williamson (theslin@mail.utexas.edu)
However, the executives at White Wolf should be ashamed of themselves for leaving out so many absolutely necessary schools of war....
The art of Átsé Haské Áhéébitiin (pronounced [ahtseh hahskeh ahaybihteen], from the Navajo, "Coyote's circular path") is...very old. It incorporates elements of the "Drunken Monkey" style (after all, what else is Monkey but an incarna of the Trickster?) and many maneuvers that the Garou would find dishonorable. Since the smaller, weaker Nuwisha lost favor with Luna, Coyote himself taught them a few of his tricks to keep his favorite children safe. His teachings may be summed up in two basic rules: Use your opponent's strengths against him, and put him in the worst position possible. Throws and dodges are the central elements of the Nuwisha fighting style.
Note: The Nuwisha are cut off from Luna. As such, they cannot gain Rage as their cousins the Garou do, though they do not take aggravated damage from Silver. Shapeshifting maneuvers, central to Garou warfare, are beyond their capabilities. The art of Áhéébitiin is a last resort, when a trick backfires, the opponent has not learned the folly of his ways and grown closer to Gaia, and escape is impossible.
Schools: There are less than a hundred of Gaia's fools left on the planet; most having fled the Tellurian long ago. Coyote's wisdom is available to all who look within themselves (and aren't afraid of fighting dirty).
Members: Ragabash of any stripe, highly enlightened Stargazers...and the Nuwisha.
Quote: "Dirty fighting? You only say that because you are lying on the ground, staining the grass red, and will never have children. It seems that it is your fault for attacking me -- 'of the Wyrm,' indeed!"
Maneuvers
Roundabout
(Dodge -- Evasion Maneuver)
Prerequisites: Dodge 3, Athletics 1, Subterfuge 1
Power Points: 3
Description: The Nuwisha feints and dodges around his opponent, staying just close enough to take advantage of a vulnerable spot. The neck, abdomen, groin and rear are all favorite targets -- the last for the exceedingly inglorious scars that result.
System: Anybody performing a Roundabout may add his Dodge + Dexterity to soak damage. The Nuwisha may not attack during the turn in which he runs circles around his opponent, but if he makes a successful Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty equals his opponent's Dexterity + Dodge) he receives a +2 bonus to both Initiative and Accuracy, and a +1 bonus to inflicted damage (the werecoyote has slipped beneath his opponent's defenses, and is positioned to attack some vulnerable portion of anatomy).
Initiative: +1
Accuracy: None
Damage: None
Move: -1 (And the Nuwisha must stay within a hex of target)
Kadai's school of combat is nothing if not flashy. He and his followers eschew "basic" maneuvers in favor of dramatic, showy and above all terrifying feats. Let the karateka have their strikes and blocks -- what's the point of learning the Spinning Thrust Kick of the North Dragon if you don't use it?
The standard code of dress for the Bakuhatsubutsutouka is a touch minimalist. Many practitioners wear nothing but loose pants and a headband. Female students of Bakuhatsubutsutou-Do have a strong tendency toward tight-fitting clothing and spiked boots (and a headband). Rank within the school is indicated by headband color. Kadai himself wears a red band, and is widely imitated.
Schools: As with the Akashic Brothers from which they descend, the masters of Bakuhatsubutsutou-Do are difficult to find. They favor the gritty urban dojo more than the secluded mountainside, but nonetheless do not advertise themselves. A tip: watch for the exploding heads.
Members: The most violent bunch of paradox-magnets you could ever expect this side of Japan.
Quote: "Fifty to one? Bring 'em on!"
Maneuvers
Being disenfranchised students of Do, the practitioners of the Way of the Exploding Head have access to the full range of combat techniques. They only use the flashy ones, though....
Fist of the Dawn Nova (Do Maneuver)
Prerequisite: Do 4, Prime 3, Forces 3
Power Points: 5
Description: The trademark of the Bakuhatsubutsutouka, this very distinctive maneuver projects the warrior's ch'i energy into -- and through -- his opponent. A variety of carpet cleansers may be used to dispose of the results.
System: A successful Forces 3, Prime 3 effect and a successful punching attack are both required to strike with Fist of the Dawn Nova. The victim suffers one Health Level of damage for every success scored on the mage's Arete roll -- this damage may be soaked and the attack may be blocked, but armor offers no protection. The poor schlep who dies from the Fist of the Dawn Nova experiences the momentary thrill of having his head explode, which, oddly enough, is a coincidental effect if the Bakuhatsubutsutouka made enough of a production beforehand.
Cost: Technically none, but practitioners tend to channel in lots of Quintessence and Willpower.
Initiative: +1
Accuracy: +0
Damage: + Lots
Move: +0
Traditional Kawaiido-fu is learned with the short sword, a weapon befitting the pookas' honor and stature, though some practitioners have adopted the katana and basic butcher's knife for speed and sheer terror. Students of Kawaiido-fu learn to make their opponents' lives absolutely miserable. Nine-tails developed many combat maneuvers designed to kill his enemies not with steel, but with fatal embarrassment. Thankfully, these have been lost behind the dusty sofas of time. Much of the rest of the student's training goes to learning to blind and confuse the opponent, as the pooka cannot change form when observed. The fighting style of Kawaiido-fu often incorporates dance steps, particularly those of the Macarena and Charleston.
The Shi Ke-bukai Kawaiido-fuisto who graciously agreed to an interview swore on his grandmother's ears that the traditional outfit for basic training in the art of Kawaiido-fu consisted of light blue boxers and a Hawaiian shirt, whilst the "working garb" of the student was prescribed in the Scrolls of Nine-tails as "a sort of leisure-suit made of loose-fitting floral print linen," and the ceremonial garb of the student was to be "a helm made of straw painted pink and very little else." He added that the truly wise one, the enlightened, he who has attained perfection in the Hard Path Of Cute Furry Death, has earned the right to wear a purple terrycloth bathrobe and fuzzy bunny slippers. As the individual in question wore light blue boxers and a Hawaiian shirt outside the dojo, we are inclined to disbelieve him.
Schools: Shi Ke-bukai Kawaiido-fu may be studied in training halls which blossom inexplicably near the largest Sidhe courts. Learn fast; they are often subject to purges by fire.
Members: Kawaiido-fu is the traditional study of the Pooka. Few others have the mindset to grasp its subtlety and silent grandeur. The shape-changing prankster fae have been known to extend their teachings to the occasional Protean-savvy Malkavian.
Quote: "Got your nose! No, really!"
Maneuvers
Blindside and Backbite (Shapechanging Maneuver)
Prerequisites: Shapechanging ability, bite, Athletics 2
Power Points: 3
Description: The fighter feints and attempts to slip behind his opponent, quickly change shape and bite him in the seat of the pants. Of course, the pooka doesn't have a hope of this unless his opponent is dazed, blindfighting or fairly slow to begin with.
Cost: 1 Rage or Glamour
Initiative: -3
Accuracy: +0
Damage: +1
Move: -1
Belt Strike (Weapon Maneuver)
Prerequisites: Melee 3
Power Points: 4
Description: The fighter deftly cuts through belts, snaps, and whatever other all-important items are used to hold up his opponent's pants.
System: Use the modifiers listed below. These modifiers assume the fighter is trying to avoid causing damage, only intending to embarrass his opponent. If he's not aiming for finesse, use the second set of modifiers. Either way, Belt Strike is a highly specialized called shot.
An opponent who is the victim of a Belt Strike must choose to either fight one handed, using his free hand to hold up his pants, or make a Dexterity + Athletics roll every round (difficulty 6) to keep his trousers up. If his pants slip down, he suffers a -3 Accuracy/-1 Move penalty every round until he can attend to his attire. Creatures who do not wear clothing are, obviously, less than inconvenienced by this maneuver.
Cost: None/None
Initiative: +1/+1
Accuracy: -4/-2
Damage: None/+0
Move: +0
An ancient martial style, one of the "inward " arts, is a purely defensive style that unites the mind and the body into one creation. The master of Ti Kwan Leep transcends the physical, using paths of meditation and physical purification to attain the balance man lost in becoming a creature of the earthly realm. Patience, endless patience, inner calm and tranquillity, and a penchant for mysticism are all very useful traits in those who would follow this road to wisdom. As the exalted master would say, "Ti Kwan Leep is the meeting of the mind and the heavens. We must lose ourselves entirely to attain true wisdom."
Right.
Everybody knows that the really cool thing about studying a martial art is learning to boot head and seriously beat people up. That new-age crap isn't really worth all the time it takes.
This is the last thing the novice says before the Master shows him a thing or two about the value of enlightenment. And his own voice is the last thing the novice hears without a vague ringing in his ears for many, many weeks to come....
Schools: The path to wisdom is open to all who have the virtue of patience. The master of Ti Kwan Leep bars no one, lest he miss his own opportunity to hear their insights. Schools of this martial style are peppered across the United States and Europe.
Members: Typically of three sorts; the Old, Enlightened master, the Young, Impetuous Student, and the Young, Cautious Student with a Splitting Headache.
Quote: "To begin to walk the path of the Master, the Student must learn three things. First, mastery of the body leads to freedom of the mind. Second, mastery of the mind must come from an understanding of the limits of freedom. Lastly, get in the first shot...."
Maneuvers
Boot to the Head (kick maneuver)
Prerequisites: Roundhouse Kick, Brawl 4
Power Points: 5
Description: A high kick which nobody ever sees coming.
System: Use the modifiers listed below.
Initiative: +5!
Accuracy: +1
Damage: +1
Move: -1