[REIGN] Combat secrets for people that like thunderbolts and stormy skies
Chris Cooper
Thunderous Spears of the Glorious Sky
The warrior-priests from the Monks of the Sky revere the sky full of weather and storms. They see the sun, moon and stars, the rain and clouds and lightning as sacred features and events. Because of this devotion their holy symbol is a lightning bolt and their weapon is the spear.
Because the Sky Monks must display all the many features of the Sky - exuberance, glee, stoicism and wrath - they travel to many lands helping farmers, tending to the sick, slaying the wicked and teaching any willing acolytes they pick up along the way.
A Sky Monk makes his own spears and often customise them with decorations and carvings until they are unsuited for fighting amd are laid to rest in temples. This is why the Sky Monks usually travel with bundles of spears.
Since these combat secrets have travelled so far, anyone using them is dubbed a Sky Monk regardless.
They use Coordination + Spear, long or short, in close combat and thrown.
The Longed-For Reach (One point)
When thrown or jabbed the spear’s timing is increased by +1W and their range is also increased to medium when thrown.
The Wind’s Playful Flit (Two points)
The sports used as exercise in training are used later on. The Sky Monk can combine up to any two of Body+Athletics, Body+Endurance or Body+Run skill with Coordination + Spear multiple action with no penalty.
The Javelin’s Cold Tongue (Three points)
The spear seems to bend and twist in the sky with its own secret thirst for blood. All spear attacks are timed at +2W or have do combat damage when thrown.
Like the Raptor’s Dive (Four points)
Like blur in the sky, the spear is gone. All spear attacks are either timed at +4W or have long range when thrown.
The Rising Thunderbolt (Five points)
The spear literally gains the power of a thunderbolt - indeed some say it sometimes evens sounds like one. When used with Slow 1, the spear gains the Charge manoeuvre (See REIGN 209) when used. Yes, it stacks with all the other techniques.
The Slow 1 can be pretty crappy when facing close combat unless you have some one else parrying for you or you can handle multiple actions.