[FOCI]

Masters Wuxia

^{The Strange—In Translation}
Others may believe you've learned everything about martial arts. They don't understand that yours is the student's path. Wuxia is your teacher, and you've pledged to study it for as long as you live. Each day is another attempt to strive for perfection, though you fully realize the journey is the important part. Whether you were trained in a secret dojo, drank a concoction crafted by an ancient sorcerer, or woke ancestral power in your blood, you are a wuxia hero, and you fight for what you believe is right.

You wear clothing that's both stylish and flexible enough to fight in, sometimes donning a sturdy leather coat to provide a bit of extra protection against the rigors of physical combat.

Wuxia heroes are most likely to be vectors. Connection: If this is your starting focus, choose one of the following connections.

1. Pick one other PC. That character asked for help in defeating a bully, and you obliged.
2. Pick one other PC. You think you saw that character accept a package marked with a symbol of a secret society you have reason to distrust. You have yet to confront her about what you think you saw.
3. Pick one other PC. You call that character "Hawk" as a nickname. It's up to him whether the name is acceptable, but if it's not, sometimes you forget and use it anyway.
4. Pick one other PC. The character expressed interest in your heirloom ring or amulet, so you lent it out. She lost it.

Equipment

Modern clothing, leather trench coat (counts as light armor), hat, two weapons of your choice, an heirloom amulet or ring with an ancient symbol (unless your friend lost it), and $200.

Minor Effect Suggestion

The target's weapon is knocked from its hand. Retrieving it or drawing a new one means the next attack the target performs with the weapon is modified by one step to its detriment.

Major Effect Suggestion

Make an additional attack with your weapon on your turn.

Tier 1

Elemental Fist Enabler

Choose your preferred element: chi, fire, lightning, or shadow. When you attack with a melee weapon, which could be your unarmed attack, it is sheathed with a manifestation of your chosen element, which has the following effect.

• Chi: Chi is not usually visible (unless you wish it). It is the distillation of your spirit rising to the surface of your mind and body. You move with additional grace and skill, adding 3 points to your Speed Pool.
• Fire: When you strike a target, it burns for 1 additional point of damage each round following your initial attack, unless it spends an action putting out the flames. Multiple strikes by you could cause multiple ignition points, but a target can put out all the flames by spending one action.
• Lightning: Either you inflict 1 additional point of damage to the target, or you daze the target for one round, during which time the difficulty of all its tasks is modified by one step to its detriment (your choice). If you daze the target in conjunction with another ability that dazes (such as a vector's Bash), the target is instead stunned, unable to move or act for a round.
• Shadow: The difficulty of your attack with a medium or smaller weapon is reduced by one step.

Tier 2

Flurry (2+ Speed points) Enabler

You make an extra melee attack, but the difficulty of the extra attack is increased by one step. If you choose to apply Effort, each level applied grants you another extra attack that is one step more difficult. For example, if you use Flurry and apply two levels of Effort, you can make four attacks. Roll for the first attack normally. The difficulty of the second attack is increased by one step, the difficulty of the third is increased by two steps, and the difficulty of the fourth is increased by three steps.

Tier 3

Learning the Way Enabler

You can choose from one of two benefits. Either you are trained in using medium and smaller melee weapons in which you are not already trained (including your own body), or you inflict 2 additional points of damage when making melee attacks with Elemental Fist.

Wuxia Leap (5 Speed points) Action

You can leap to a location within short range and make a melee attack at any point along that path as part of the same action. If your preferred element is chi, you can leap within long range.

Tier 4

Elemental Skin (4 Speed points) Action

When you wish it, your body exudes an aura of your chosen element for up to ten minutes, which has the following effect

• Chi. You gain +1 to your Speed Edge.
• Fire. A foe who makes a successful melee attack against you catches on fire and burns as if struck by your fiery Elemental Fist.
• Lightning. Fields of electricity and magnetism absorb a portion of attacks made against you. You gain +1 to Armor.
• Shadow. You're hard to make out. Attacks against you are modified by one step to the attacker's detriment.

Action to initiate.

Tier 5

Mastering the Way (4 Speed points) Enabler

When using Elemental Fist, you can reroll any attack roll you wish and take the better of the two results.

Tier 6

Elemental Ride (5 Speed points) Action

When you use Elemental Skin, you can enhance the manifestation to gain additional mobility. If you manifest fire or lightning, you can fly for ten minutes, moving a long distance each round. If you manifest shadow, you can step between shadows you can see within long range without moving through the space separating them. And if you manifest chi, you can run a long or lower by "free running" over them, and carry one other creature of your size or smaller with you. Action to initiate; Action to move.

GM Intrusions: Three level 3 assassins who have been tracking you appear on the nearby rooftops. Doubt, disruption, or failure causes your elemental connection to falter until you succeed on a difficulty 3 Intellect-based task. Your elemental manifestation threatens, burns, or disrupts an ally. Opponents with weapons have greater reach. An elemental creature opposed to your chosen element appears and attacks.