Not so much a proper technique as a catch-all term for any series of attacks made in rapid succession, without breaking one’s flow or allowing an opponent time to retreat.
A single, staggeringly powerful open-palmed blow delivered at the end of a combo, aimed at the opponent’s midsection to strike their solar plexus.
Effects: This is an automatic called shot to the abdomen. If it’s blocked, the Stun is halved.
The basis of combos in battle is maintaining one’s momentum, striking one blow before the opponent’s fully recovered from the one before it. In many cases, all one needs is a few seconds to get away from their opponent and catch their breath to escape an otherwise merciless beating. You, however, just love to beat people mercilessly. Though it’s taxing, you can keep your adrenaline up, and keep your blows coming rapidly and rhythmically, even after being forced to chase after your victims.
Effects: So long as you maintain Furious Charge, taking Move actions will not break your combos. Using movement based jutsu (such as Shunshin), however, will.
You use ninja wire and momentum to fly across the battlefield at amazing speeds and prevent your opponent from escaping your offensive.
Effects: You attach ninja wire to your target as you strike, binding the two of you to one another. By default, your opponent’s movement speed is reduced by 30%; you can choose to use more, or less, than the normal 10 yards of wire, to change how far apart your opponent can be while tethered to you, allowing them more or less movement in exchange for a greater or lesser effect. For every two yards of wire more you use, your opponent’s movement speed is reduced by 5% less, to a maximum of 20 yards and only a 5% reduction in movement speed; for every two yards less you use, your opponent’s movement speed is reduced by 5% more (to a maximum of 50% less movement speed, using only two yards of wire; using none, notably, does not have you attached together at all..). X is the number of yards of Ninja Wire you decide to use.
When used as an opener, you and the target you are bound to may no longer hide from one another, and you increase your own movement speed when moving (on its own, or as part of an attack) toward the bound character by 10% more per Combo Counter, to a maximum of +100%.
If your opponent ever manages to get more than X * 2 yards away from you, the speed reduction from this jutsu immediately ends, and any combo you were in is immediately broken. Alternatively, someone bound can attempt to make a Called Shot to cut the wire with any slashing attack; you can choose to defend (you can not ‘parry’ with the wire, but can wiggle the wire to make it ‘dodge’) to keep the wire attached, or simply let them cut it. If the wire is hit, the connection is broken. Cutting the wire doesn’t end your combo, but does remove all effects of this technique from them.
Ideally meant to be used after performing Kage Buyo, this is a series of high-speed punches and kicks.
You get in close to your opponent and begin beating on them! Doing so for a prolonged period of time can easily overwhelm all but the strongest defenses.
A popular way to end the similarly-named combo-assault, the Lion Barrage was is often taught to students along with Lion Combo itself. Advanced taijutsu users, however, have been known to appreciate the flexibility and fluidity that comes from separating the techniques. The Lion Barrage is simply a series of fast, strong fist and knee strikes.
Exploiting a momentary break in your opponent’s attacks, you turn the tables on them! It’s very exciting, and stuff.
Effects: You and your opponent both make Accuracy rolls. If your result is higher, you immediately break their combo and can execute any Opener you know as an Interrupt, with a starting Combo Counter equal to whatever your opponent’s was when you used this technique. If you fail, your opponent may immediately use any combo they know against you as an Interrupt.
Conventional wisdom says that one must prioritize speed or power, having to choose between one or the other. You reject that, striking both quickly and decisively. Of course, that means you have to pay the price elsewhere: fighting like this will rapidly wear a person out.
Effects: While Rakurai Heishi is maintained, any time a combo you are performing would be broken you may choose to increase this technique’s Upkeep by 2; when you do so, your combo is not broken. If your combo is broken, Lightning Warrior’s Upkeep is reset to 0. If you stop maintaining Lightning Warrior, your current combo is automatically broken. Rakurai Heishi cannot be used if your combo is broken because you performed a Finisher or a Move action.
A powerful blow that smashes through defenses. Your attack carries almost concussive force behind it, enough to overcome all but the most resilient of enemies.
Effects: This is applied as an addition to a Basic Unarmed Attack, increasing its Stamina and Speed accordingly and turning it into a Finisher. The ‘d’ in the damage calculation is replaced with ‘*’, dealing the maximum possible damage rather than rolling. The lasting bonus damage from this technique is applied after all reductions (and after the Scorched Chest energy wound, if the opponent has it), but before determining if wounds are suffered from the attack. Multiple Splintering Fists on the same target stack the bonus damage normally.
The user of this technique launches into a sequence of strikes designed to alternately wind, disorient, and daze their opponent, combining those effects to prevent their adversary from fighting back effectively for as long as possible.
Effects: Each time this technique is used consecutively (with no other non-interrupt actions between uses), X increases by 1, and it gives an additional X Combo Counters. X begins at 0, when used for the first time, but has no maximum: The fourth Lotus in a sequence would be Speed (4 + 3 * 2) = 10, Stamina (10 + 3 * 4) = 22 (before Cadence and Combo Counter effects), and give (1 + 3) Combo Counters if it hits.
Additionally, Lotus Combo extends existing stuns: If a target hit by Lotus Combo is Stunned, the duration of that Stun is increased by (X + 1) * 2. Thus, hitting someone with four Lotus Combos in a row would extend their stun by (2+4+6+8) 20.
Delivering a precise, rapid, and powerful series of blows to vital points on an opponent’s body, this causes their blood vessels to spontaneously rupture, resulting in both internal hemorrhaging and dramatic external bleeding, sometimes even resulting in a brief spray of blood immediately after its use.
Effects: Even if Hokuto no Ken is parried, it still inflicts its Bleed.
Rather than waiting for your opponents to give you openings and then capitalizing upon them, you make openings. When that doesn’t work, you break through your opponent’s defenses anyway, attacking even when it seems fruitless, until finally something gives.
Effects: Whenever you hit with a technique that raises your Combo Counter, your Combo Counter increases by 1 more, and Aragami’s Upkeep also increases by 2. When your combo is broken, Aragami’s Upkeep is reset to 0. If you end Aragami, your Combo Counter is immediately set to 0.
You break off your combo with an abrupt transition back into more traditional taijutsu techniques, taking advantages of the momentum and rhythm you’ve built up to deliver one devastating blow.
Effects: This finisher is used by combining it with any Unarmed Taijutsu technique, increasing its Stamina cost appropriately. The Combo Bonuses are applied to that technique, modifying it appropriately.
A technique that requires extreme speed and toughness, and a considerable disregard for one’s own health. Most shinobi learn first-hand in the academy what ‘chakra burns’ are: burns, typically found on the hands (where chakra is typically focused), caused by poorly forcing too much of one’s chakra through their body’s “chakra pores”. This technique takes a common mistake among academy students and weaponizes it, forcibly overwhelming one’s own chakra circulatory system in the arms and hands, superheating their body. That, combined with the high-speed blows delivered by this technique, results in what appear to be literally flaming punches. This can actually be delivered in kicks as well, and the general consensus is that a ‘burning’ leg is more visually impressive. Most ninja, however, prefer punches, because they hate fun.
Effects: If you hit, your target rolls Resistance against your Athletics. On a success, the severity of the Ignite is halved. You suffer Burns with a severity equal to the Ignite you inflict.
For once, the name actually has a basis in reality! This technique is a single, devastating blow to the opponent’s solar plexus, knocking the wind from their lungs and temporarily debilitating them in the aftermath.
Effects: This has an additional feature if used against an opponent who was performing handseals: If the total Stun from Solar Agitation is greater than the Speed of their Perform Handseals action, the victim automatically Aborts their Perform Handseals action (as if they had failed the Chakra Control roll against the attack’s damage dealt), and must make a Chakra Exhaustion roll against the technique aborted.
The greatest of hand-to-hand combatants are able to dispatch enemies one after another in the midst of battle, their momentum never lagging, their blows not showing the slightest hint of hesitation. If you’ve mastered this technique, you are officially one of them! Congratulations!
Effects: This is used alongside a Finisher. Using that Finisher does not end your combo; instead, your Combo Counter is halved, but you may continue your combo, make another finisher, or so forth. If your Finisher missed and you activated Senkagami, your Combo Counter does not decrease at all. After using a finisher with Senkagami applied, you gain an Upkeep of 5 from Senkagami; each subsequent use increases Senkagami’s Upkeep by 5 (10 after the second use, 15 after the third, and so forth). When your combo is broken, Senkagami’s Upkeep ends; similarly, if you end Senkagami’s Upkeep, your combo ends automatically.