The technique itself is simply a strong upward strike utilizing the weapon’s weight to add more leverage to the attack, either by starting from the ground, or bouncing the weapon off of a different surface (such as a wall, to every jounin teacher’s dismay) in order to bring it back up with speed. For some it’s a true stance they keep whilst utilizing their weapon, and others it’s just following the movements of their opponents as they swing upward toward them. Many a kirigakure genin have been found in the training grounds debating the complexity (or lack thereof) of this technique.
Effects: Any negative accuracy your weapon has for this technique is negated (as though the weapon had no bonus or penalty to Accuracy). If your last attack within 20 IC was using the same weapon you’re using for this technique, and you successfully hit with it, you gain +15% to your PDB for this attack.
The user is able to summon needles from within their mouth and spit them at their opponents with force comparative to have been thrown. It’s useful at point-blank range for catching the opponent by surprise, but becomes predictable with repeated use.
Effects: This jutsu summons Senbon, and thusly does not require (or use) any Senbon you might be equipped with, allowing you to perform a multi-throw with senbon, following normal multi-throw rules, even without the ability which would normally allow you to do so. If you can multi-throw senbon without using this jutsu, it instead becomes a Surprise Attack. Though this jutsu can be used as often as you wish, it may only be used as a Surprise Attack once per battle; after that, it’s just not surprising.
By spinning their weapon rapidly with both hands, the user deflects ranged attacks aimed at them as they close in on their opponents, and can potentially even reflect them back at an enemy.
Effects: When you use this technique, you begin spinning your weapon. So long as you maintain the upkeep, you may choose to Parry or Block as a Speed 2 interrupt. Against ranged attacks, you gain a +3 bonus to parry rolls. Successful parries against melee attacks instead increase the attacker’s Speed by 4, as you throw them off balance with your weapon’s rotation. While you maintain this technique’s upkeep and rotation, you can ignore any inherent accuracy penalty the weapon has when you use it to attack, by adding 3 to that attack’s Stamina cost. Track how many IC you maintain this upkeep every time you use it: for every 10 IC it’s used for in the same fight, its Upkeep increases by 1.
Using the principles of Iaijutsu, the user takes up a neutral stance and, using a surge of chakra, rushes their opponent to take them by surprise, redrawing the weapon and striking in one quick movement.
Effects: Make an Initiative roll, opposed by your opponent’s; they have a cumulative +2 bonus for each time you’ve used this (successfully or not) in this battle. If you fail, you perform a regular sword attack. If you succeed, your attack receives the benefits of the Iaijutsu ability, even if you’ve used it earlier in battle.
Popularized by an Amegakure ANBU who liked to toy with their targets, injuring them quick and then slowly breaking them as they tried to fight back, it is an attack all about deception and timing: Pulling your hidden blade right as they move into a fighting stance, before they can even finish planning how they’re going to kill you.
Effects: You declare this technique in your Initiative roll; after all Initiatives have been rolled, you perform a basic attack with your weapon on IC 0. Multiple people utilizing this technique have them resolved as simultaneous attacks. You are able to draw any applicable weapon you have on you when you use this technique, as part of the attack; in fact, you cannot perform it if your weapon is already drawn, as it relies upon an opponent not being prepared for your attack to work. Additionally, you may, as part of the attack, apply a single dose of a single poison to the weapon you use to attack with.
If you use this against someone who rolled a higher initiative than you, then they do not advance their IC for any defensive interrupt used in response to it; if used against a target whose initiative roll was lower, you gain +0.3 to your damage bonus per point you beat their initiative by, to a maximum of half your PDB.
Because this relies upon the moment shinobi move to strike, it’s of little use if you join a combat already in progress unless you are joining alongside someone else, in which case you could use this technique only against those joining the combat at the same time as you. In such case, it occurs on the current initiative in which you join.
By unfolding their fan only a third of the way, the user creates a small but biting gust of wind that is useful for its capacity to strike at targets far away while wielding a weapon.
Effects: This attack uses your ninjutsu damage bonus, rather than your physical damage bonus. The Chakra cost of this technique is the same as, and replaces, the Fan’s normal Stamina cost. This attack can only be parried by things which state they can parry Ninjutsu.
The user throws multiple Shuriken at the same time, positioning them in such a way that one or more weapons can hide within the shadow of another in flight, making the lower one(s) virtually invisible.
Effects: You throw two of the same weapon, each doing their normal base damage, and using half this technique’s Speed to determine how much they benefit from your damage bonus. If this hits and partial defense does not apply, combine the damage of the two weapons. If it hits and partial defense does apply, one misses entirely and the other does full damage, not reduced by partial defense.
Hoisting your weapon into the perfect position, taking your time to figure out the perfect swing, you bring it across directly into your target, or perhaps from above, with disastrous results! Unfortunately, while this may be perfect for exploding someone’s brains out, it’s pretty obvious you are getting ready to do just that!
Effects: Your weapon gains, or increases its existing Stun, by the Delay provided by this technique, along with +0.5 to your PDB per point of Delay, to a maximum of double your PDB. If you hit your opponent and partial success does not apply, they are automatically knocked prone.
A simple but elegant technique, the user brings their weapon up in a sequence of diagonal slashes. It gets its name from the rising swings and the figure-eight motion which is both efficient and simple to perform.
Effects: Using a two-handed weapon with this technique increases its Stamina cost by an additional +5. Cross Wave has only a single Accuracy, and is treated as one attack. However, if the opponent uses a defense where they roll for a result (such as dodge or parry), they must roll twice.
If their first defensive roll fails, that roll is used to determine how much, if any, Partial Success applies to the attack’s damage. If the second roll also fails (with partial success not applying to its result), your attack’s damage dice are tripled (from, for example, 5d8 to 5d8*3).
If their first defensive roll succeeds, they still make a second defensive roll. If they succeed a second time, they have successfully avoided the attack; if they fail, then this technique deals damage as a regular attack with your weapon (using the final speed of Kousanami for its damage).
If someone blocks against this technique, it does not get its damage dice tripled. If someone elects to not defend against Kousanami, however, it does.
With sufficient practice, the user can throw their chain weapon in such a way that it ricochets to strike their opponent multiple times, hitting and disarming them or tripping them at the same time, tugging on the chain to redirect it.
Effects: This allows you to perform a Trip (E-Rank Unarmed Taijutsu), Disarm (basic weapon action) and/or Grab (E-rank Grapple Taijutsu) at the same time as you attack: X is the number of the above options you choose to perform (with a minimum of one, and therefore a maximum of 3).
The initial, damage-dealing attack is always performed first, but afterward you can perform them in any order you wish.
The target declares a single defense, but makes separate rolls for every option of Chain Serpent utilized, though once they successfully defend against one aspect, all other follow-up aspects fail.
If someone used Dodge at Speed 2, failed against the attack, and then avoided a Disarm attempt with their second roll, any trip or grab that was to come after it would automatically fail (without them having to roll). Similarly, even if you successfully Disarm someone as one of the options, they can still Parry (using their weapon) for other aspects of this technique, as it is all happening at the same time.
The final Speed and Accuracy of the technique is used for every aspect, and is not changed depending on what options are used (i.e., Trip does not modify the technique’s Accuracy).
Using two weapons in conjunction with one another, the user strikes repeatedly, flowing from one strike to the next in a barrage of attacks that can quickly overwhelm most opponents.
Effects: This is a link added onto the Dual-Wield attack action; X is the number of times this technique has been used consecutively (even if it misses!). Both weapons gain +Xd*, to a maximum of double their damage dice. These benefits end if you make a non-Interrupt action other than a dual-wield attack with your weapons, or if you go more than 20 IC without using this jutsu.
Several enemies running at an archer and getting in close could mean the end for an archer, but luckily you can fend them off! Quickly drawing several arrows out, you load them all into your bow and fire them off in different directions. This would be hard for most people, but luckily you’re a ninja.
Effects: This allows you target X additional people with your attack, to a maximum of 3.
Thundering Strike takes it namesake from the sheer quickness of its strikes, as the technique is meant to deliver lightning-quick stabs that are nonlethal individually, but can quickly overwhelm an opponent if allowed to stack up.
Effects: This attack inflicts Bleed 2. If used again while the opponent is still suffering from that status, this instead increases the Bleed’s severity by 2. Thundering Strike has a minimum Speed of 4, after all reductions and modifications.
You connect a thin, nearly invisible wire to shuriken or kunai when throwing them so that you can redirect them mid-air, or even attack people around corners or behind trees!
Effects: The amount of ninja wire utilized for this is equal to the range required to reach your target, multiplied by the number of weapons thrown. This does not need to be prepared in advance; you do it on the spot and use precisely the right amount of wire, via your ninja trickery.
With ninja wire attached to your weapons as you throw them, you can attack a person who you don’t have line of sight on (say, they’re around a corner) if you can somehow accurately perceive them, taking a -2 penalty to your Accuracy to do so.
Alternatively, when you attack someone within line of sight of you (so not using the above option) and miss, this technique allows you to make an Accuracy roll with a +4 bonus to try and hit again, though your damage bonus is then halved for the attack.
A technique which increases the potency of a weapon by running currents of chakra through it to enhance its existing properties or adapt it to a situation. The user must remain in physical contact with the weapon to sustain the flow of chakra, making this only effective with melee weapons.
Effects: While you maintain this technique, your weapons gain the properties of your elemental affinity. When used against ninjutsu-based defenses, the weapon is considered to be of the relevant element to determine how effective the defense is against it. Additionally, it gains an additional effect based on the element chosen (listed below). This technique does receive your bonus to Chakra Exhaustion rolls from the Elemental Affinity ability. If you’re using Dual Weapons, Chakra Flow applies to both of them; otherwise, only one weapon benefits from Chakra Flow at a time. Any weapon you pick up or draw automatically benefits from your Chakra Flow. If holding two non-Dual weapons, you may change which one receives Chakra Flow’s effects as a Speed 0 action. Weapons created through jutsu can only be affected by chakra flow of their creation element.
This is complicated slightly when two weapons augmented by Chakra Flow interact, one parrying or being parried by the other. In these cases, if one of the elements is strong against the other, the weaker element’s Chakra Flow effects are ignored for the purpose of that parry. As a reminder: Fire beats Wind; Wind beats Lightning; Lightning beats Earth; Earth beats Water; and Water beats Fire. This doesn’t apply if the parry fails (if your Water weapon fails to parry their Fire sword, it still does that extra damage to you), but in the case of Earth vs. Water, does allow an Earth weapon to attempt to parry a Water one. If you have an advanced elemental chakra nature (such as a Senju’s Mokuton), you choose which of the two appropriate effects you’re using when you activated Chakra Flow. For example, as a Senju you could receive either Earth’s stunning or Water’s accuracy and parry effects. You cannot change which you’ve chosen without ending and then re-activating Chakra Flow. Despite this, it’s still considered to be the advanced element when put up against ninjutsu defenses.
Whether it be to cut someone’s achilles tendon, or to lop their head off, blades have many ways to disable or execute their wielder’s opponents. Sneaking into your opponents defenses and getting in even one good attack can change a fight, or end a life!
Effects: X has a maximum of your STR/15, and a minimum of 1, increasing your damage for the purpose of wounding by +(X * 15)%. If X is 3 or more, the attack becomes an automatic called shot (without any further Accuracy penalty).
Invariably a swordsman will find themselves at a disadvantage due to range. Most shinobi would simply put down their sword and pick up some shuriken, but someone had a better idea than bothering to change weapons, and thus, Issen was born. It is rather simple in concept, coating their weapon’s blade with chakra and then swinging–slinging, really–their sword in the direction of their enemy, which sends a crescent wave of chakra to slash at them.
Effects: Because you are attacking with a wave of chakra, only things which can parry ninjutsu projectiles (such as Ocean Shield) can be used against it. By default it is non-elemental chakra, but if it is performed with a weapon that has an active Chakra Flow, or by a weapon created by an elemental ninjutsu, the attack is converted to the appropriate element for the purposes of defending against it.
Attaching Ninja Wire to the end of an arrow, the shinobi fires and uses chakra to alter the course of the arrow in mid-flight. This makes the shot extremely hard to avoid, at the cost of leaving a wire leading back to the point of origin.
Effects: Every 10 yards you are from the opponent when firing adds +1 to the Accuracy of this attack. Using this technique expends an amount of ninja wire equal to the distance between you and its target. After this attack is resolved, you are automatically removed from stealth (if you were hidden to begin with).
This technique requires an umbrella and a plethora of needles! Filling them all into tiny spring-loaded compartments, they all fire out as the umbrella is thrown into the air, spinning. The user helps direct the needles with their chakra, though only enough to make sure the needles spread out well or hit their targets.
Effects: Your umbrella is launched into the air, where it remains stationary. When first launched, and every 10 IC afterwards, for 50 IC, the umbrella showers the area with needles. You may selectively choose who’s targeted by this technique with each volley, allowing you to exclude your allies.
Each ‘needle shower’ is a senbon multi-throw, up to the max number of senbon you can multi-throw (which is 1 without the appropriate ability). You must load the full number of senbon this technique will use into it ahead of time; if it runs out of needles early, it stops.
For example, if the umbrella was firing 5 needles per ‘shower’, at 4 targets, you’d need a total of (5 * 4 * 6) = 120 needles loaded in the umbrella to make the full 6 attacks (one inititally, then 5 over the next 50 IC).
Targets may defend against these attacks as if they’re Speed 12, and despite the area, they are considered single-target attacks against each target. For the purpose of damage calculations, however, they multiply your damage bonus by (the Speed you performed Jouro Senbon at)/5, rounded down.
This selectively targets all your enemies in range. The senbon from this technique do 20% more damage for every previous volley from that umbrella the victim was hit by.
Thus, if you hit with the initial rain of needles, then twice more, then missed once, if the volley on IC 40 would deal +60% damage if it hit that same target.
This technique uses your base Accuracy for an C-rank Weapon Taijutsu, unmodified by status, wounds, temporary bonuses, and so on, though penalties from Fatigue do apply.
It uses your physical damage bonus at the time you initially launched the umbrella. You can receive the benefits of your Weapon Focus: Umbrella or Weapon Focus: Senbon, but not both. Because the attacks are made by the umbrella, and not you, you cannot modify them further (such as with Willpower or AP).
After twirling your weapon dramatically over your head to build momentum, you slam it into your opponent and completely daze them. A powerful enough strike put in the right place makes it hard for the enemy to focus on you, or even gives them a bit of double-vision.
Effects: You increase your weapon’s die size by one step for this technique (d4 -> d6 -> d8 -> d10 -> d12, max d12), and gain +3d_. If you hit your target and Partial Success does not apply, they become Dazed by the blow, and take a -2 Immobilization penalty. Unlike other sources of Immobility, the penalty applied by being dazed can stack with itself (but not other sources of Immobility), to a maximum of -6. Someone who is Dazed can clear their entire Dazed status by taking the Rest action.
A technique popularized by a Nara who liked to utilize a black-painted Kusari-Gama to strike from the shadows with a weapon when his opponents waited for them to move, you channel a small amount of chakra within your weapon and temporarily disconnect portions of it in order to extend its range beyond what an opponent would expect, grabbing hold and forcibly pulling them back to you for a follow-up strike.
Effects: Make a melee grab attempt with your weapon; if successful, you then begin a grapple with your opponent and immediately pull them toward you until they are at Range 1 with you. You can put them on any ‘side’ of you, if you wish, as part of this process.
Afterward you make a basic weapon attack: If you’re holding two weapons, this can be with either one, using its normal Speed with a bonus of +Xd*, where X is the number of yards you pulled them toward you, to a maximum of double your weapon’s base dice. If you manage to wound your target with this, they take a -2 to their Grapple rolls against you per severity of the Wound (-2 for Minor, -4 for Major, etc), which lasts until the Grapple is broken.
If something prevents their movement toward you (such as being grappled by someone else who resists their movement, being tied up to a tree, or stuck in an Immobility 10 effect), then this technique has no effect other than establishing a grapple (which might end automatically, if they are beyond your normal grapple range).
The target declares a single defense (and increases their IC only once) against Black Vines, but makes rolls against the initial grab attempt and the follow up attack (if the grab is successful) separately.
AP spent to lower this technique’s speed lowers both the speed you perform it at, Which is used for both the grab and attack to determine valid interrupts, and the speed for the damage of the weapon attack performed. Similarly, other modifiers (such as Sudden Attack, or Surge) apply to both Accuracy’s, and both defensive rolls, of you and your target.
Extending out a polearm, you hold one end with both hands then commence whirling and spinning the polearm around yourself in large circles! If it has a blade of some sort, this is even better!!
Effects: You may attack anyone you choose within Range 4. If you use this technique and attack only one person, you gain +2 to your Accuracy for the attack.
The user lunges forward while turning their wrist, drilling their weapon into the opponent, using chakra to enhance their momentum. It is very effective at breaking an opponent’s guard as you spin the weapon to go around their defense.
Effects: This technique reduces the effectiveness of blocking by an additional 25% (for a total of 50%, for attacking with a weapon).
Opening the fan two-thirds of the way for this attack, the user lets out a strong gust of wind, hopefully blowing their opponents away!
Effects: This uses your ninjutsu damage bonus, plus one-fourth of your physical damage bonus, and knocks your target back (PDB/2) yards on hit. The Chakra cost of this technique is (the Fan’s normal Stamina Cost) + 5. This attack can only be parried by things which state they can parry Ninjutsu.
Taking a large throw weapon, you slap several explosive tags onto it and huck it at your enemies! Pretty simple, and pretty awesome!
Effects: You may attach up to 3 Exploding Tags to the weapon; X is the number of tags you attach. When declaring the attack, you also declare the Delay for the tags to explode as described in the Equipment chapter. This explosion is centered on the location the target was when this attack was made, occurs whether the attack hit or missed, and follows all normal rules (damage, valid defenses, etc) for the class of explosive tags used. The weapon used in this technique is destroyed upon the tag(s) detonation.
Focusing chakra along the edge of their weapons, the user extends and expands their size, usually by about a quarter, using chakra to reinforce the weapons hardness at the same time to allow for more powerful swings at the expense of one’s ability to follow-through fully with their attacks.
Effects: Your weapons deal +Xd*, but their damage is reduced by (5 * X)% for the purpose of determining wounds. X has a maximum of (your Chakra Control skill ranks)/3. Any weapon you pick up or draw automatically benefits from Blade Honing while you maintain its Upkeep.
You deliver an overwhelmingly powerful blow, often an overhead strike, with all the force you can muster behind it; what it gains in force it loses in precision, but its real purpose is to destroy any weapons used by the victim for defense.
Effects: This is used alongside any other attack with the weapon, including other Weapon Taijutsu. If the attack is successfully parried or blocked by a weapon, the defender makes a Stamina roll. The normal +5 bonus to Stamina rolls per level of Fatigue is replaced with a -3 penalty (so someone at Fatigue 3 would have a -9 penalty, instead of a +15 bonus). The result of their roll becomes the X added to your attack’s cost. Thus, if you used Blade Breaker with a Katana (Stamina 12), and your opponent parried your attack and rolled a 14 on their Stamina roll, the total Stamina cost would be (12+14) 26. The weapon used to defend against your attack is destroyed. If your attack is not (successfully) blocked or parried, its Stamina cost is increased by 10 instead. If it is, but the enemy’s weapon cannot be destroyed for any reason, the Stamina cost is increased only by 5. This will destroy weapons created by Water-Cutting Blade and Earth-Smashing Staff, but not Burning Spear. The destruction of the enemy weapon takes place after their defense is resolved (breaking the sword which parried your attack does not prevent your attack from having been parried).
A highly effective maneuver, the user deflects an opponent’s weapon with their blade and then follows through with the motion, using their existing momentum to launch a swift slash or jab at their assailant.
Effects: This is activated after successfully parrying a weapon with your sword. You may immediately make a basic weapon attack against the person whose attack you parried, using your normal Accuracy. This uses a third of your weapon’s normal Speed, rounded down; before AP and similar effects, Retaliation’s Speed may not go below 4.
Due to their speed, Retaliation attacks cannot benefit from the damage bonus multiplication of holding a weapon twohanded. Attempting to parry an attack made with Retaliation has a -4 penalty. You may not move as part of this attack.
Converting one’s chakra to an element other than their affinity is difficult; doing so with chakra flow is even more so, as it requires converting your chakra to the desired element, then reabsorbing it in a continuous stream.
Effects: As the C-rank Chakra Flow, but you may use elements other than your affinity. You may only maintain one element of Chakra Flow at a time, even if you’re holding two weapons. You must be able to use ninjutsu of the appropriate element in order to infuse your weapons with that element of chakra.
This technique expands upon the concepts developed when learning the Chakra Flow technique. Instead of altering the nature of chakra flowing through their weapon, the shinobi changes the shape. This is used to expand the striking or cutting surfaces of the weapon with an invisible chakra blade, point, or blunt end.
Effects: The range at which your melee weapon can be used increases by 1 (in most cases meaning that you can make melee attacks from 1 yard away, instead of 0 yards), and its damage is increased by 2 dice. This does mean that your weapon no longer triggers most on-contact effects. Additionally, you gain a +3 Accuracy bonus with the weapon against anyone who is unable to see chakra (which usually means Hyuuga and Uchiha only). Whenever you strike an opponent, make a Chakra Control skill roll against their Espionage. If they match or beat your roll, the Accuracy bonus is reduced to +1 for the remainder of the fight.
If you’re using Dual Weapons, Flying Swallow applies to both of them; otherwise, only one weapon benefits from Flying Swallow at a time. Any weapon you pick up or draw automatically benefits from Flying Swallow. If holding two non-Dual weapons, you may change which one receives this technique’s effects as a Speed 0 action.
This technique coats the tip of a piercing weapon with a thin layer of chakra which reacts to puncturing a victim’s flesh. When it does so, the chakra immediately forms a number of small thorns which tear the victim’s flesh when the weapon is pulled out. The ‘spikes’ then return to being nothing but formless chakra, ready for the next attack.
Effects: Your weapon inflicts Bleed 1 whenever it deals damage. If the victim has an existing Bleed status, it increases that status by 1. This explicitly stacks with the Crank Thundering Strike (meaning it’s Bleed 3, or +3, if paired with Thundering Strike). If you’re using Dual Weapons, Bloody Thorns applies to both of them; otherwise, only one weapon benefits from Bloody Thorns at a time. Any weapon you pick up or draw automatically benefits from Bloody Thorns. If holding two non-Dual weapons, you may change which one receives this technique’s effects as a Speed 0 action.
The user of this technique throws multiple oversized shuriken in quick succession, pausing just long enough between each throw to correct for their opponent’s movements.
Effects: You throw X Fuuma Shuriken or Large Star Shuriken, up to a maximum of STR/35 (May never exceed 4); all the weapons you throw must be of the same type. If this hits normally, its damage is increased by 5% per point it hits by (if Fuuma Shuriken were used), or 10% per point it hits by (if Large Star Shuriken were used); this is then reduced by partial defense normally.
If Haruichiban misses, lower X by 1, its Speed by an additional 4, and raise its Accuracy by 3. Repeat this until Haruichiban hits or X is 0.
This effect does not alter Haruichiban’s Stamina cost, or what its Speed is for determining when your next action comes (in other words: it lowers the number of dice rolled, and the Speed for damage calculations, only).
Partial defense is less effective than normal against Haruichiban; for each point it hits by, it deals 25% of its full damage.
Every once in a while a shinobi gets it into their head that it would be a good idea to use a bow as their primary method of fighting. This rarely ends well, but the shinobi flair for the dramatic is often powerful enough to override both their good judgement, and any good advice they may receive. This technique was developed by those sorts of shinobi, in an attempt to make their weapon of choice less painfully impractical.
The user concentrates chakra in their arms, speeding up their draw speed and allowing them to subconsciously correct their aim in an instant. The downside is that they sacrifice a great deal of power when doing this–but, as many users of it will assert, the technique is “way too awesome” for that to be a serious concern.
Effects: While you maintain this technique’s Upkeep, your bow’s Accuracy penalty is reduced by X. If X is set higher than the value of your bow’s Accuracy penalty (for example, you set X = 10 and are using a Yumi), consider X to be just enough to eliminate the penalty for this technique’s other effects.
The base Speed of your bow is reduced by X/2, and the number of dice of damage it rolls is reduced by X. Your damage bonus when using your bow, after being multiplied as appropriate for the weapon you’re using, is also reduced by X.
Your damage bonus or number of dice cannot be reduced to 0 or lower; if they would, you are incapable of maintaining Celestial Archer at that level.
A distant derivative of the ubiquitous chakra flow technique, this concentrates chakra around the user’s wrists and forearms. When an arrow is drawn back in a bow that chakra extends to wrap around it, and lingers long enough after being fired to strengthen the impact. More ambitious users can even form arrows out of pure chakra, though doing so rapidly puts a strain on their reserves.
Effects: While this technique is maintained, your arrows deal an extra (CHA/12) dice of damage. For the purposes of ninjutsu-based defenses they are treated as being a ninjutsu attack of your elemental affinity (Upkeep 8) or any element you have the ability to use (Upkeep 12), declared when you activate this technique. If you use your elemental affinity, the Chakra roll does receive the appropriate bonus.
Additionally, you may create arrows out of pure chakra. Attacking with these arrows replaces your bow’s normal Stamina cost with an equivalent Chakra cost +5 (a Daikyu, Stamina 20, would become Chakra 25). These deal (CHA/8) dice of damage, and use (ninjutsu damage bonus + physical damage bonus)/2 in place of your normal physical damage bonus. These arrows use d12 for their damage if used with a Daikyu, or d6 with a Yumi.
These arrows have a faint glow about them until they hit, a result of the chakra enhancing them. This tends to draw attention. When attacking from Stealth with Phantom Ballista (either a normal arrow, or one created from chakra) your Stealth TN is reduced by 7 (rather than 5).
Originally developed in Konoha, the technique has since been imitated and reconstructed in other villages. The user attacks at high speed, using a pair of clones to attack the target’s blind spots; this actually consists of several strikes in quick succession, the user changing location after each and losing themselves among their clones. Understandably, this makes an effective defense against the technique difficult to come up with.
Ideally, this technique is performed using Shadow Clones; other varieties of clones work, though are less effective, and in a pinch a ninja can briefly create the necessary clones as part of the technique, though doing so is draining on their chakra, and the clones disappear immediately afterwards.
Effects: X is the number of Shadow Clones you have armed with weapons which can be used with this technique, up to a maximum of 2. Crescent Moon Dance is always considered a surprise attack, and defending against it must be done as if it was half its actual Speed (if you used 5 AP to reduce it to Speed 15, it would count as Speed 8; this would require a Speed 4 or lower Interrupt to defend against Crescent Moon Dance).
Clones used with this technique must have the same weapon you do and be capable of attacking and dealing damage. If you have two or more such clones that aren’t shadow clones (such a Rock or Water Clones), X is considered to be 1; X cannot go above without using actual Shadow Clones.
Attempting to parry Crescent Moon Dance requires the defender to roll 2d20.takeLowest(1) in place of 1d20. Ninjutsu-based defenses do not suffer from this limitation.
Crescent Moon Dance cannot benefit from Iaijutsu (or, as a result, Flash Blade), and the wounds it deals are reduced by one category.
Crescent Moon Dance may not have its Speed reduced below its Delay.
A simple name for what is, at its heart, a simple technique: the user crosses to their target and strikes a killing blow in less time than it takes for a human to blink. If successful, they’ll strike a vital, unprotected location on their foe’s body, and in an instant seal that person’s fate.
Effects: This may only be used as a Sneak Attack. Performing Ansatsu no Jutsu includes an activation of Shunshin, which must be used to move you into melee range directly behind your target (normal movement as part of an attack is not permitted). This attack bypasses armor and halves damage reduction.
Its damage is multiplied by 5 after all reductions are applied, and it inflicts wounds of one category higher than normal. If partial defense does not apply, it instead inflicts wounds of two categories higher than normal.
Ansatsu no Jutsu’s Speed may not be reduced, and for the purposes of determining damage it uses the base Speed of the weapon it was performed with (rather than the technique’s own Speed). However, for every 2 AP you spend when performing it you may reduce its effective Speed, for the purpose of determining valid defenses, by 1, to a minimum of 4.
Spinning their fan like a staff user would, this doesn’t create an impenetrable defense, instead the fan is twisted to use all that force to create massive wind gusts.
Effects: When this technique is activated, everyone in front of you, in a tunnel-shaped space ten yards wide, can choose to either take damage from this technique. or be knocked back CHA/6 yards. This requires no Accuracy; it cannot be dodged, or parried by ninjutsu. Defenses which work without a roll (such as Earth Shore Return) do function against it.
This effect occurs again every 5 IC so long as you maintain the Upkeep. Each time after the first, the divisor on your CHA for the range (but not the distance knocked back) is reduced by 1 (to a minimum of CHA/1, 25 IC after you begin Vortex Engine), and the Speed is considered 1 higher for the purposes of determining damage.
While this technique’s Upkeep is maintained you may take no other actions, including Interrupts. The Stamina cost is paid only way in it’s initially activated. If you use AP to reduce the Speed of the initial activation, the Speed of the damage dealt every 5 IC afterwards is similarly reduced.
The natural evolution of Phantom Ballista, this technique wreathes any arrows the user fires in elemental chakra, and leaves streamers of light in their wake for several seconds. To the delight of the more pragmatic ninja out there, the increase in power provided by this technique closely mirrors its improved aesthetics.
Effects: This may be used while Phantom Ballista is already active (Chakra 30) or when you use Phantom Ballista (increasing that technique’s Chakra cost by 15). It increases Phantom Ballista’s Upkeep appropriately. Heavenly Arrow adds a different effect to your bow depending on which element you’ve chosen to use, as listed below. This applies both to normal arrows enhanced by Phantom Ballista, and chakra arrows created with that technique. If used on its own (activated separately from Phantom Ballista), Heavenly Arrow’s Chakra roll receives the bonus from your Elemental Affinity ability if you’re using the appropriate element. This technique does have a noticeable downside: the afterglow of chakra left in your arrow’s wake, while quite pretty, gives any enemies a pretty good idea of exactly where you are. If you attack from Stealth while using Heavenly Arrow, your Stealth TN is reduced by 10 (instead of 5). This replaces the similar effect in Phantom Ballista.
If you have an advanced elemental chakra nature (such as a Senju’s Mokuton), you choose which of the two appropriate effects you’re using when you activate Heavenly Arrow. For example, as a Senju you could receive either Earth’s stunning or Water’s accuracy roll. You cannot change which you’ve chosen without ending and then re-activating Heavenly Arrow.
Despite this, it’s still considered to be the advanced element when put up against ninjutsu defenses.
With this technique, three shots are fired in rapid succession. With each arrow fired, the archer takes note of the effects of drag and wind speed, as well as their opponent’s reaction, and compensates before launching the next arrow. In addition to requiring an incredible degree of focus, this technique is quite taxing to perform.
Effects: This attack consists of three separate shots. When you attack make three Accuracy rolls, the first as normal, the second with a +2 bonus, and the third with a +4 bonus. The opponent makes a single defense against this attack, unless they’re parrying (not including ninjutsu-based defenses), in which case they must defend against each one with a separate parry roll and action.
Each arrow multiplies your damage bonus by half of Sanjuu Hayate’s Speed, but rolls its full amount of dice. The damage of these shots is combined when damage reduction is applied and to determine wounds inflicted.