In the last several decades, the power of the Kuni family has increased dramatically due to their association with the Jade Champion and Jade Magistrates. With their increased resources, the Kuni family has devised a number of new spells and kiho bent on defeating the minions of the Shadowlands. Several examples of these new forms of magic follow.

New Spells

[d20]

Summon Ally
Transmutation[Language-Dependant] (Water)
Level: Shu 3 (Water)
Components: V, DF
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 10 miles per level
Target: One individual
Duration: 10 minutes (D)
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)

No Crab is strong enough to take on the Horde at once. Even Hida, the mightiest of warriors, fell in battle when he fought alone. The true strength of the Crab comes from brotherhood. This spell incites the water spirits to flow to a known ally, and bring a message of warning, or request for assistance to an ally in the area. Kuni typically use it to call for aid if they find themselves and their unit in a fatal situation.

You may communicate telepathically with any single character you personally know. The communication is instantaneous and may be broken by either you or the target at any time.

This spell was designed to be cast in adverse conditions, so it is much less difficult to cast in the Shadowlands than most other spells are. You gain a +15 circumstance bonus to your Spellcraft check to cast the spell successfully in the Shadowlands.

Jade Form
Transmutation (Earth)
Level: Shu 8 (Earth)
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 minute / level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

With this prayer to the mikokami of jade, you undergo a transformation that turns your body into pure jade. Your appearance takes on a greenish hue while this spell is in effect. You gain SR 35 against maho, and are immune to any effect that would give you the Shadowlands Taint. You inflict 2d6 points damage with your unarmed attacks, and are considered armed. This damage is doubled against any creature with the Shadowlands Taint. Finally, you also gain DR 20/+2, and an additional DR 10/- against any creature with the Shadowlands Taint (these effects overlap).

[d20 end]

[d10]

Summon Ally
Element: Water
Mastery Level: 2
Duration: 10 minutes
Area of Effect: One person
Range: School Rank x 15 miles

No Crab is strong enough to take on the Horde at once. Even Hida, the mightiest of warriors, fell in battle when he fought alone. The true strength of the Crab comes from brotherhood. This spell incites the air spirits to bring a message of warning, or request for assistance to an ally in the area. Kuni typically use it to call for aid if they find themselves and their unit in a fatal situation.

The caster may communicate telepathically with any single character they personally know. The communication is instantaneous and may be broken by either character at any point.

This spell was designed to be cast in adverse conditions, so it is much less difficult to cast in the Shadowlands than most other spells are. The TN to cast a spell is not increased while casting this spell in the Shadowlands.

Jade Form
Element: Earth
Mastery Level: 6
Duration: 20 minutes
Area of Effect: Self
Range: Self

With this prayer to the mikokami of jade, the caster undergoes a transformation that turns his body into pure jade. The character’s appearance takes on a greenish hue while this spell is in effect. Maho attempting to target the caster has its TN tripled, and the jade completely wards off the Shadowlands Taint for the duration. Hand to hand damage is increased to (Earth)k(Earth), with two additional dice rolled and kept on all damage rolls vs. Tainted targets. In addition, the character gains Carapace 4, 8 vs. Tainted attackers.

[d10 end]

Kuni Kiho
The Kuni have developed several unique kiho to assist them in their ultimate goal of destroying the Shadowlands. Nearly every Kuni, whether shugenja or witch hunter, learns some of these kiho. All of the Kuni kiho require the character performing the kiho to have no Shadowlands Taint.

Though the Crab have no particular qualms about teaching these kiho to any who wish to learn, most members of other clans have found that they cannot match the monomania of the Kuni’s loathing of the Shadowlands enough to project their chi in the proper manner. Peaceful individuals have found that they simply cannot learn these kiho at all.

[d20]

Disrupt the Sixth Harmony(Kiho)
You know how to damage Shadowlands creatures by disrupting their negative chi flow.
Prerequisite: Base Attack Bonus +4 or higher, Knowledge(Shadowlands) skill , Cha 13+, Improved Unarmed Strike.
Clan: Crab
Benefit: When you roll damage against a Shadowlands creature that does not also have the Oni or Incorporeal subtype, all dice you roll lower than half the maximum value of the die are increased to half the maximum. For example, if you roll a 3 on a d10, then it is increased to a 5. Apply this modifier before any others.

Sever the Dark Lord’s Touch(Kiho)
You are capable of destroying undead instantly by severing their connection to Jigoku.
Prerequisite: Base Attack Bonus +9 or higher, Knowledge(Shadowlands) skill, Depths of the Void, Improved Unarmed Strike, Spirit Strike, Void Use, any other two kiho feats.
Clan: Crab
Benefit: When you attack an undead creature, you may make a Knowledge(Shadowlands) check as a free action. If the undead creature has equal or fewer hit points than the result of the skill check, it is destroyed instantly. If it has more, roll damage as usual.

Ward Against the Darkness(Kiho)
You have learned to resist the Dark Lord’s touch effectively. The Taint holds no fear for you.
Prerequisite: Knowledge(Shadowlands) skill (5 ranks), Void Use
Clan: Crab
Benefit: Any time you must roll to avoid getting the Shadowlands Taint for any reason, you may roll twice and select which roll you wish to abide by.

White Sense(Kiho)
You have a preternatural sense of the dead. You can sense undead in the area by extending your perceptions.
Prerequisite: Knowledge(Shadowlands) skill, Wis 13+
Clan: Crab
Benefit: You may cast detect undead at will as a standard action, without the need for components. Your effective caster level is your total character level.

[d20 end]

[d10]

Shugenja and Witch Hunters can learn kiho, though not as capably as a monk can. Shugenja may only learn kiho with a Mastery level equal to or less than their appropriate Ring plus one-half their School Rank, rounded up. Witch Hunters may only learn kiho with a Mastery level equal to or less than their appropriate Ring. A character who is both a shugenja and a Witch Hunter may learn kiho equal to or less than his appropriate Ring, plus one-half his total shugenja and Witch Hunter Ranks.

To learn a kiho, the character must have at least one rank in the skills Shintao and Meditation. Learning a new kiho costs a number of experience points equal to twice the Mastery Level.

A character may have only one Aiki and Kharmic kiho active at once, and it takes either a Void point or fifteen minutes of meditation to switch the active kiho. Only one mushin kiho may be used with each attack.

Full rules on kiho can be found in Way of Shinsei.

Disrupt the Sixth Harmony
Type: Mushin
Element: Earth
Mastery Level: 5
This kiho is a recent development, and is the result of centuries of research into the ‘sixth element’ and the anatomy of creatures of the Shadowlands. In much the same way that the five elements flow harmoniously through a living being, Taint flows through a minion of the Shadowlands. Disrupting this flow is just as lethal as the disruption of the harmonies of any other mortal. Unfortunately, this has no effect on spirits from other realms, including oni. Such entities are simply too ‘in tune’ with the Taint to possibly disrupt.

Any creature that normally has the Shadowlands Taint, except spirits(including oni, shuten doji, and kansen), may be affected by this kiho. All dice that roll lower than the character’s Earth ring plus 4 are treated as though they were rolled as such. Dice increased to 10 do not explode, and a die cannot go above 10(except through exploding as normal).

Sever the Dark Lord’s Touch
Type: Mushin
Element: Fire
Mastery Level: 4
This kiho involves fast movements as the character darts in and strikes the undead in precise locations swiftly. If successful, the undead being collapses instantly, its connection to Jigoku broken.

This kiho only works with a bare hand attack, and may not be combined with other techniques or kata(though it can be a single attack of several made in a turn). If the attack is successful, the character must make a contested Fire + Rank roll against the target’s Fire(5 if the target has no Intelligence). If this roll is successful, the undead creature dies instantly.

Ward Against the Darkness
Type: Kharmic
Element: Earth
Mastery Level: 3
This kiho allows the character to fortify his spirit against the Dark Lord’s touch. While this kiho is active, the character is more capable of resisting any effect that would give him the taint, including the natural accumulation that occurs by simply being in the Shadowlands. This provides an effective, if not impenetrable defense against the Shadowlands Taint.

Any time the character’s player must roll to avoid getting the Shadowlands Taint, the player may roll twice and choose which result he prefers. If an effect(such as a maho spell) attempts to give the character the Taint, a second roll must be made, with the player again choosing which roll to abide by.

The Mastery Level of this kiho is 2 for Witch Hunters.

White Sense
Type: Aiki
Element: Air
Mastery Level: 5
With concentration and careful projection of the character’s chi, normal senses are no limit to perception. This kiho extends the character’s senses out much further than normal, and allows him to sense the presence of the dead.

While this kiho is active, the character can identify the living status(living, dead, or undead) of any creature he sees. In addition, with a round of concentration, the character can sense any undead creatures(pennaggolan, zombies) within Air x 10’.

[d10 end]