Bian (Hard Whip)
Skill: Heavy Melee-1d10Damage: Muscle+2d10
Range: Melee
Bian (hard whip)s—yes I will do the parenthetical every time, and also just to upset you I will reverse it in the technique descriptions (which is actually in keeping with the book, compare the order in the weapons table on WHOG page 179 with the order in Crack of the Hard Whip on 111)—are the first Heavy Melee weapon featured in the Emerald Expansion! Welcome, welcome. Heavy Melee weapons tend to be difficult to hit with but land big blows when you do, reflected here in -1d10 accuracy and +2d10 damage. Unfortunately the hard whip gets the short end of the stick (somewhat literally), as both the Ji (Halberd) and Spade of Sun Mai get +3d10 damage for the same -1d10 accuracy, and those have long reach. But, the bian (hard whip) has special properties where those do not. First, targeted strikes made with it—note that's an additional -1d10 to hit on top of the built-in weapon penalty—that score a Total Success stun the target for a round. This is fairly unlikely to trigger, but it's still a very powerful effect, especially since it can stun anyone because it isn't restricted by its user's Qi Rank. Secondly, and more importantly to the direction I took these techniques: it deals Open Damage to objects.
I've
chosen to present the techniques in level order rather than
alphabetically so you get a sense for how skill with the weapon
progresses. Without further ado:
Threat of Violence
Discipline: Waijia
Skill: Muscle against Hardiness, then Command against Resolve
Type: Normal
Qi: 1
You make a show of force with your hard whip (bian) in a demonstration of your controlled anger.
Roll normal damage against the Hardiness of one object within your reach. Then make a Command roll against the Resolve of one target who can understand you, subtracting the amount of Integrity Damage you dealt to the object from their Resolve for that roll only.
Cathartic: On a Cathartic use you deal 1 Extra Wound per Rank of Waijia to the object.
Superior Hold
Discipline: Waijia
Skill: Heavy Melee against Special
Type: Counter
Qi: 2
You hold your hard whip (bian) out to block an attack, severely reducing its impact.
When hit by an attack, roll Heavy Melee against your choice of the Attack Roll, {a melee attacker’s Parry or a ranged attacker’s Evade}, or TN5. On a Success, the attack deals closed damage even if it would have dealt open damage.
Cathartic: Cathartically, in addition to the above, the attack’s damage roll is capped at 6d10 even if it would have exceeded that and it deals no Extra Wounds even if it would have dealt some.
Perfected Boar Strike
Discipline: Waijia
Skill: Heavy Melee against Parry
Type: Normal
Qi: 4
You bear down with your hard whip (bian), crashing through any weapon that tries to stand in your way.
Roll Heavy Melee against one target’s Parry. On a Success do normal damage. Attempts to counter this attack using a weapon that deals 3d10 or more damage are made at -1d10. Counters with a 2d10 weapon are made at -2d10, and counters with a 1d10 or lower weapon are made at -3d10.
Cathartic: On a Cathartic use, if the target’s weapon (or unarmed if they have none) deals 3d10 or more damage, you do 2 Extra Wounds. If it deals 2d10 damage you do 3 Extra Wounds, and if it deals 1d10 or less damage you do 4 Extra Wounds.
Spinal Shiver
Discipline: Dianxue
Skill: Heavy Melee against Parry
Type: Normal
Qi: 5
You step behind your foe and bring your hard whip (bian) upwards, rattling her spine and shocking her system.
Make a Heavy Melee attack roll against one target’s Parry. On a Success, each of her Defense scores is shifted one slot up on the character sheet (her Hardiness becomes what her Parry was, her Parry becomes what her Evade was, and so on). Her Defenses return to normal after 1 round per Rank in Dianxue. This technique CAN be used multiple times on the same target to shift their Defenses up one slot again; if you do so, only keep the newer duration.
Penalties are NOT shifted. If Peng Pei has a base Hardiness of 9 and a Parry of 7 and is suffering -3 Hardiness from Heart Strike, this technique would shift her base Hardiness to 7, which then suffers -3 to become 4.
Cathartic: On a Cathartic hit you do normal damage after the Defenses are shifted.
Diamond Fortress Destroyer
Discipline: Waijia
Skill: Heavy Melee TN9-Waijia
Type: Normal
Qi: 6
You bring down your hard whip (bian) in a single, decisive blow that can reduce stone to dust and topple even the mightiest structure.
Roll Heavy Melee against TN 9 minus 1 per Rank you have in Waijia. On a Success you cause massive, irreparable structural damage to the object struck, potentially bringing down a building or collapsing a cave. Anyone inside is knocked prone and takes your normal weapon damage.
Cathartic: On a Cathartic use those inside take your normal weapon damage twice.
Shattering Slam
Skill: Heavy Melee-1d10 against Parry
Type: Normal
Qi: 7
You slam your hard whip (bian) down directly on your opponent’s weapon, shattering it before his eyes.
Roll Heavy Melee against Parry with a -1d10 targeted strike penalty. On a Success, you destroy any one weapon or item he is holding. Usually one can only destroy mundane items, however this technique can destroy magical, supernatural, or otherwise powerful artifacts. If you destroy a special object you may suffer additional Imbalance, Flaws, Fate, Karma, or other consequences at GM discretion.
Discipline: Waijia
Skill: Muscle against Hardiness, then Command against Resolve
Type: Normal
Qi: 1
You make a show of force with your hard whip (bian) in a demonstration of your controlled anger.
Roll normal damage against the Hardiness of one object within your reach. Then make a Command roll against the Resolve of one target who can understand you, subtracting the amount of Integrity Damage you dealt to the object from their Resolve for that roll only.
Cathartic: On a Cathartic use you deal 1 Extra Wound per Rank of Waijia to the object.
Superior Hold
Discipline: Waijia
Skill: Heavy Melee against Special
Type: Counter
Qi: 2
You hold your hard whip (bian) out to block an attack, severely reducing its impact.
When hit by an attack, roll Heavy Melee against your choice of the Attack Roll, {a melee attacker’s Parry or a ranged attacker’s Evade}, or TN5. On a Success, the attack deals closed damage even if it would have dealt open damage.
Cathartic: Cathartically, in addition to the above, the attack’s damage roll is capped at 6d10 even if it would have exceeded that and it deals no Extra Wounds even if it would have dealt some.
Perfected Boar Strike
Discipline: Waijia
Skill: Heavy Melee against Parry
Type: Normal
Qi: 4
You bear down with your hard whip (bian), crashing through any weapon that tries to stand in your way.
Roll Heavy Melee against one target’s Parry. On a Success do normal damage. Attempts to counter this attack using a weapon that deals 3d10 or more damage are made at -1d10. Counters with a 2d10 weapon are made at -2d10, and counters with a 1d10 or lower weapon are made at -3d10.
Cathartic: On a Cathartic use, if the target’s weapon (or unarmed if they have none) deals 3d10 or more damage, you do 2 Extra Wounds. If it deals 2d10 damage you do 3 Extra Wounds, and if it deals 1d10 or less damage you do 4 Extra Wounds.
Spinal Shiver
Discipline: Dianxue
Skill: Heavy Melee against Parry
Type: Normal
Qi: 5
You step behind your foe and bring your hard whip (bian) upwards, rattling her spine and shocking her system.
Make a Heavy Melee attack roll against one target’s Parry. On a Success, each of her Defense scores is shifted one slot up on the character sheet (her Hardiness becomes what her Parry was, her Parry becomes what her Evade was, and so on). Her Defenses return to normal after 1 round per Rank in Dianxue. This technique CAN be used multiple times on the same target to shift their Defenses up one slot again; if you do so, only keep the newer duration.
Penalties are NOT shifted. If Peng Pei has a base Hardiness of 9 and a Parry of 7 and is suffering -3 Hardiness from Heart Strike, this technique would shift her base Hardiness to 7, which then suffers -3 to become 4.
Cathartic: On a Cathartic hit you do normal damage after the Defenses are shifted.
Diamond Fortress Destroyer
Discipline: Waijia
Skill: Heavy Melee TN9-Waijia
Type: Normal
Qi: 6
You bring down your hard whip (bian) in a single, decisive blow that can reduce stone to dust and topple even the mightiest structure.
Roll Heavy Melee against TN 9 minus 1 per Rank you have in Waijia. On a Success you cause massive, irreparable structural damage to the object struck, potentially bringing down a building or collapsing a cave. Anyone inside is knocked prone and takes your normal weapon damage.
Cathartic: On a Cathartic use those inside take your normal weapon damage twice.
Shattering Slam
Skill: Heavy Melee-1d10 against Parry
Type: Normal
Qi: 7
You slam your hard whip (bian) down directly on your opponent’s weapon, shattering it before his eyes.
Roll Heavy Melee against Parry with a -1d10 targeted strike penalty. On a Success, you destroy any one weapon or item he is holding. Usually one can only destroy mundane items, however this technique can destroy magical, supernatural, or otherwise powerful artifacts. If you destroy a special object you may suffer additional Imbalance, Flaws, Fate, Karma, or other consequences at GM discretion.
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