HOLY F*CKING CRAP!!! I just saw last weekend that the "Heaven's Sword" Martial Arts style DID make it into the standard Magic and Martial Arts rulebook. So anyone who got my earlier email with it can please ignore the fact that I said it was retired, IT'S RIGHT THERE!!! Page 76.
So, whenever you've played Dardunah long enough to decide to quit being a big wussy-baby, have your feeble, non magical ninja destroyer character get killed-off in a careless fashion so you can IMMEDIATELY make a new character designed around this style and be the ultimate, Demon-God Slaying Bad*ss on the face of the planet!
Let me tell you , true believers, that if you have the legendary, supreme, invincible HEAVEN'S SWORD style swordplay, combined with the DEMON STORM School's ultimate undefeatable sword techniques, I can't imagine how anything less than a Talon of Kramah could possibly ever defeat you in single combat!
Here's how it works kids:
Of course there's the Wind Strike + Passing the Dead combo for which the Demon Storm Style became feared throughout the civilized world, bringing great fame and acclaim to Sustrümi Swordsmen.
Duh. I mean, I'm sure that anyone who purchased this style saw that right away. Try to make sure you're sitting on at LEAST 8 dice of this martial art before you try this on anyone better than a peasant though or you'll look like an ass as you fail, Fail, FAIL!
One of the mostly unseen sweetnesses of the Heaven's Sword style is this little manuever I like to call "Sucks to be You", which sounds much more poetic when said in Sustrümese. What you do is rack up a stupid amount of actions in one round, say a solid 8 or 10. Put 4 in actions and 4 in reactions, then win initiative because you had the foresight to buy your fast reflexes talent up to like 6 or 8 dice like I always do, then this is your strategy:
Begin moving away from the enemy and sending 'Spirit Blade' attacks at them as you reach your max range for the attack. They will probably try to use a half move to close so they can try to hit you. react to their movement action by moving away as they approach and then let 'em have it with 'Spirit Blade' again. If they have somehow survived what has likely been damage equall to 18 to 24 stamina levels given out in one round, just keep doing it! You've put enough actions and reactions aside to do this 4 freakin' times!!! For most practitioners that's like a MINIMUM of 40 stamina levels without once even coming within striking range of the enemy! PLUS, some opponents will THINK that because your back is near a wall or something , you'll eventually get cornered so they can wail on you with that war-hammer. NOT SO!!! because you have 'Balance of the Duhama' which allows you to RUN BACKWARDS STRAIGHT UP A WALL OR TREE OR WHATEVER, while still shuckin' 'Spirit Blade' attacks off on em like love letters. Top the ol' run-up-the-wall act with 'Leap of Faith' to spring off the wall, land behind then and "Broken Harmony' (Demon Storm Style) their ass into the Big Sleep, and you have the admiration and jealousy of all your fellow players without ONCE having ever been in harms way.
And if the enemy should wise-up early and start chucking discs and spikes at you, you always have 'Four Winds Defense' to totally ignore their two or three thrown weapon attacks with only 2 of your reactions, then evade the last thrown weapon with 'Leap of Faith', allowing you to spring at them while evading their hurling disc, make sure they've run out of actions and simply 'Blossom Cut' their head right off when they have no attacks or reactions left. Yay!
Speaking of 'Blossom Cut' those of you who know me will have allready guessed that the maneuver was totally designed as a last-action-of-the-round, "trick attack". Here's how it's meant to work. You and two buddy PCs gang up on "big, badass enemy number one", you know, the Elephant with 45 stamina levels, 8 points of armor between thick hide and crystal plate, and a martial arts skill of 10 or 12 dice. your two buddies and you just lay on the attacks, as many as you dare to attempt while saving reactions for defense against this buggernaut, then after your sucked up all his reactions with a crapload of piddling attacks you simply 'Blossom Cut' his defenseless ass and it DOESN'T MATTER that it's a negative five attack, all you need is two successes! Hell, you may not have gotten a single level of damage in on him all round, he could still be laughing with a full 45 levels left at the last action. But guess what, decapitated is decapitated no matter HOW MUCH stamina you had. Game over! Move to the next opponent who, if he has any sense, will see what just happened and run like hell.
Oh there's more, but I'm tired and worn out from gloating over how sweet these martial styles are.
So, whenever you've played Dardunah long enough to decide to quit being a big wussy-baby, have your feeble, non magical ninja destroyer character get killed-off in a careless fashion so you can IMMEDIATELY make a new character designed around this style and be the ultimate, Demon-God Slaying Bad*ss on the face of the planet!
Let me tell you , true believers, that if you have the legendary, supreme, invincible HEAVEN'S SWORD style swordplay, combined with the DEMON STORM School's ultimate undefeatable sword techniques, I can't imagine how anything less than a Talon of Kramah could possibly ever defeat you in single combat!
Here's how it works kids:
Of course there's the Wind Strike + Passing the Dead combo for which the Demon Storm Style became feared throughout the civilized world, bringing great fame and acclaim to Sustrümi Swordsmen.
Duh. I mean, I'm sure that anyone who purchased this style saw that right away. Try to make sure you're sitting on at LEAST 8 dice of this martial art before you try this on anyone better than a peasant though or you'll look like an ass as you fail, Fail, FAIL!
One of the mostly unseen sweetnesses of the Heaven's Sword style is this little manuever I like to call "Sucks to be You", which sounds much more poetic when said in Sustrümese. What you do is rack up a stupid amount of actions in one round, say a solid 8 or 10. Put 4 in actions and 4 in reactions, then win initiative because you had the foresight to buy your fast reflexes talent up to like 6 or 8 dice like I always do, then this is your strategy:
Begin moving away from the enemy and sending 'Spirit Blade' attacks at them as you reach your max range for the attack. They will probably try to use a half move to close so they can try to hit you. react to their movement action by moving away as they approach and then let 'em have it with 'Spirit Blade' again. If they have somehow survived what has likely been damage equall to 18 to 24 stamina levels given out in one round, just keep doing it! You've put enough actions and reactions aside to do this 4 freakin' times!!! For most practitioners that's like a MINIMUM of 40 stamina levels without once even coming within striking range of the enemy! PLUS, some opponents will THINK that because your back is near a wall or something , you'll eventually get cornered so they can wail on you with that war-hammer. NOT SO!!! because you have 'Balance of the Duhama' which allows you to RUN BACKWARDS STRAIGHT UP A WALL OR TREE OR WHATEVER, while still shuckin' 'Spirit Blade' attacks off on em like love letters. Top the ol' run-up-the-wall act with 'Leap of Faith' to spring off the wall, land behind then and "Broken Harmony' (Demon Storm Style) their ass into the Big Sleep, and you have the admiration and jealousy of all your fellow players without ONCE having ever been in harms way.
And if the enemy should wise-up early and start chucking discs and spikes at you, you always have 'Four Winds Defense' to totally ignore their two or three thrown weapon attacks with only 2 of your reactions, then evade the last thrown weapon with 'Leap of Faith', allowing you to spring at them while evading their hurling disc, make sure they've run out of actions and simply 'Blossom Cut' their head right off when they have no attacks or reactions left. Yay!
Speaking of 'Blossom Cut' those of you who know me will have allready guessed that the maneuver was totally designed as a last-action-of-the-round, "trick attack". Here's how it's meant to work. You and two buddy PCs gang up on "big, badass enemy number one", you know, the Elephant with 45 stamina levels, 8 points of armor between thick hide and crystal plate, and a martial arts skill of 10 or 12 dice. your two buddies and you just lay on the attacks, as many as you dare to attempt while saving reactions for defense against this buggernaut, then after your sucked up all his reactions with a crapload of piddling attacks you simply 'Blossom Cut' his defenseless ass and it DOESN'T MATTER that it's a negative five attack, all you need is two successes! Hell, you may not have gotten a single level of damage in on him all round, he could still be laughing with a full 45 levels left at the last action. But guess what, decapitated is decapitated no matter HOW MUCH stamina you had. Game over! Move to the next opponent who, if he has any sense, will see what just happened and run like hell.
Oh there's more, but I'm tired and worn out from gloating over how sweet these martial styles are.
"Daggra" means "Enemy" in Tibetan.
"Chora" means "Thief" in Sanskrit.
