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Ki is the energy of life. Often equated with the soul, the effect of Ki on people is usually rather subtle. However, all living things have ki. Martial artists can harness their ki to do amazing things, and in this roleplay, those heights are so profound that proper training can practically make a demigod out of a man.

Ki amplifies the all around physical characteristics of a person, from strength, to speed, to durability, without the requirement of having incredibly huge muscles, making them very adaptable and robust combatants. Ki fighters, as they're called, can also launch bursts of their own life force on command, called ki blasts and ki streams. They can also sense other bodies of ki in their vicinity, and even use their ki to fly at incredible speeds. In emergencies, they can cause their aura of ki to explode about them, making for effective air brakes and pushing away objects that come too close for comfort.

Characters who posess supernormal Ki powers cannot also have a Physical power level.

Statistics and Details

In a single post in combat, a ki fighter can choose between one of the following option brackets:

EITHER:

• One ki aura explosion (one per fight only, see the aura explosion section)

OR:

• Charging / releasing an attack or technique (see the charging section)

OR:

Any combination of the following, up to 30% (0.3x) his/her Ki PL in damage worth:

• Movement (dodging, running, flying)
• Melee (normal punching, kicking, blocking, etc.)
• Ki Attacks (normal blasts and streams)
• Temporarily reduce or recharge ki power

Ki fighters have a general movement rate of 50% (0.5x) of their Ki PLs, meaning that their limbs, bodies, and even the projectiles they launch all move at this speed PL.

Also, they are permitted 200% (2x) of their PL in durability. Ki durability blends in with the body, bolstering it's strength, and so as durability is worn away by attacks, this is shown as bodily injuries, which grow greater as the damage continues, just as any normal person might against another.

Damage dealt by ki fighters drains that damage amount from their stamina pool, which begins each fight with 400% (4x) KiPL. If a ki fighter runs out of stamina, they are likely to pass out.

It is NOT a requirement for ki fighters to have studied martial arts, but some kind of logical explanation should be given in the character app of a character who has not studied martial arts. Great ki power almost never comes naturally in the major races.

Aura Explosions

Ki fighters may choose to release the powerful ki energy stored within them in a generic, all-encompassing fashion, resulting in a short-distance shockwave that often comes in handy as a panic button, or a surprise attack.

The attack expands from the user for approximately 10 feet, at 50% of the user's KiPL, and strikes for 100% KiPL in concussive force. Concussive force does not cause any direct damage -- it simply pushes targets it strikes. However, being propelled by concussive force into a solid object can cause up to a third of its force in damage, depending on distance and the victim's ability.

Charging

Ki fighters have the capability of building additional power to their melee strikes, ki attacks, and certain techniques. This is called charging. A character must focus on a chargeable action for an entire post to achieve one charge. While charging, a character can only either continue to charge, get rid of the charge, force pause the charge, or make use of the charge.

Half charges are not counted. Charge amount is based on the last post of full charge you were able to achieve. You have the option of getting rid of the charge or putting it to use (in the action you were originally charging) at any time during charge, except for techniques that specifically prevent you from pulling it off prior to a certain charged amount. Forcing a pause on a charge takes a full post of time, which is not applied toward your charge amount and is therefore not useful in close combat. A character may not make a second charge after pausing the first charge. Once a charge is paused, it can be released without need for additional charging (as long as tech definitions agree) at any time. Releasing a charge takes no time and may even occur at the end of your most recent post of charging without interfering with it.

While charging, if a character is struck by a significant attack, the charging concentration is considered broken and the entire charge built so far is lost. This does not apply while a charge has been paused.

Basic ki charging begins with the single natural charge (30% (0.3x) KiPL of damage), and this is considered your first post of charging. After that, each consecutive post of charging adds 10% (0.1x) KiPL to the damage. A character may not charge a basic attack beyond 70% (0.7x) KiPL. Speed is not affected by charging.

Temporary Power Reduction

Ki fighters have the option of reducing their effective power level temporarily. This is usually done to either reduce their tendency to be sensed and noticed, or to level the playing field for a weaker opponent. A ki fighter can quickly reduce as much PL in a post as desired, up until the 10% mark is reached. For a ki fighter to bring his/her PL below 10% of normal requires a technique.

Once lowered, in order to raise power again, the character must recharge, or "power up". Unlike powering down, ki fighters may only recharge up to 25% of their KiPL per post, and doing so consumes their action for the turn -- recharging a full 25% consumes the entire turn, to the exclusion of all other actions. Much like charging a ki attack, the ki fighter must be stationary in order to recharge, and being attacked can cause an interruption in the recharging process, losing the entire post's worth of energy. Recharging and lowering power does not cost stamina.

It should be noted that power lowering, or temporary power reduction, is not the same thing as power hiding, which is where the ki fighter maintains a normal effective power level but senses to others at a lower level. This requires a technique -- it is not a gimme of Ki power.

The Realm of Ki

Techs created with ki generally deal with life, death, and similar concepts, aside from simple extensions of what ki fighters have already. Ki techs can enhance or degrade almost any existing aspect of a person's battle ability, from durability to sense detection. Of the three types, ki has the easiest time creating, increasing, healing, or spawning life, and that which is produced tends to stay longest or be permanent, whereas other powers might not be able to or might require a very long time to research similar things. Ki also specializes in explosions, fire, and transfer of energies, as well as optimization of power in general. Ki fighters can develop "transformations" or "modes" where their power becomes several times stronger without harm or disadvantage for a short while, whereas psions and mages have a much greater difficulty with it and may require the assistance of natural (racial) transformations and modes to augment what they wish. One often overlooked quality of ki technique potential is that ki fighters can be very proficient in decay and disruption attacks aimed at penetrating strong defenses and prohibitive obstacles quickly.

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