The Martial Adept is a disciplined, honourable person. It takes great strength of character to become a Martial Adept. To reflect this, increase the legend cost of each talent by one step (E.g. Develop rank 1 as rank 2, rank 2 as rank 3, and so on.)

Important Attributes: Dexterity, Perception, and Willpower.

Racial Restrictions: None

Karma Ritual: The Martial Adept draws a circle on the ground, 5 yards in diameter. He then spends the next 30 minutes within the circle performing all the martial moves that he knows.

Artisan Skills: Weapon Rune Carving, Philosophy.

 Martial Arts

 Step Number: Rank + Dexterity Step

Action: Yes Skill Use: Yes

Requires Karma: No Strain: None

Discipline Talent Use: Martial Adepts

Martial Arts is a more refined version of Unarmed Combat, it teaches where to strike as well as how to strike. The character makes a martial arts test against the targets Physical Defence. A successful result means the attack hits the target. The Martial Adept adds one half his Martial Arts Talent Step (round up) to the damage step.

 Step Number: Rank + Dexterity Step

Action: No Skill Use: No

Requires Karma: Yes Strain: 1

Discipline Talent Use: Martial Adept

Missile Parry allows the adept to parry any missile attack they can see (or sense). To use missile parry, the adept must make a missile parry test against the attackers attack result and achieve a Good success or better. A failed roll means the attack hits, and damage is applied as normal. A character can parry a number of missiles equal to one half (round up) their missile parry rank.

 Step Number: Rank + Willpower Step

Action: No Skill Use: No

Requires Karma: No Strain: None

Discipline Talent Use: Martial Adept

Centering may be used in place of Willpower to resist fear and spell effects.

 Step Number: Rank + Willpower Step

Action: Yes Skill Use: No

Requires Karma: Yes Strain: 1

Discipline Talent Use: Martial Adept

Distance Strike is used to attack opponents at range. The Adept uses his distance strike talent in place of the Martial Arts test. The range of the attack is (Rank x 5) Yards. Damage is calculated as normal. Do not add ½ Martial Arts Step to damage.

Step Number: Rank + Centering

Action: No Skill Use: No

Requires Karma: Yes Strain: 1

Discipline Talent Use: Martial Adept 

The delay damage talent allows a martial adept to inflict damage in unarmed melee combat that does not take immediate effect. The martial adept declares the use of this talent at the beginning of the round. The Adept makes a normal attack and damage test, if any damage would be taken, the adept makes a delay damage test against the targets spell defence. If the delay damage test is successful, the damage is converted into a ‘charge’ of astral force that lingers in the target’s aura for up to (Rank*2) hours. After a predetermined period, defined by the adept when the attack is made, the damage from the attack takes effect against the target as if the attack had occurred that instant.

Once delay damage has been set in motion, it requires no further attention or effort from the adept. A target can only be under the effects of one delay damage attack at any given time. Anyone who observes the target of a delay damage attack in astral space must make an astral sight test against the Martial Adepts spell defence, or the delay damage will not be seen. If the astral sight test is successful, then the delay damage may be removed by either casting dispel magic on the delay damage (Use the Martial Adept’s circle as the spell circle). Or alternatively the magician may make a half-magic test against the Martial Adept’s spell defence and achieve an excellent success or better.

 Step Number: Rank + Centering

Action: Yes Skill Use: No

Requires Karma: Yes Strain: 1

Discipline Talent Use: Martial Adept

 The adept Makes a heart stop test in place of an attack test against the target’s spell defence, if successful, the target’s heart will stop for a number of rounds equal to the adept’s heart stop rank. During this time, the target may make a willpower test against the result of the heart stop test to restart their heart. Each round that the target’s heart has stopped, the adept makes a damage roll with a step number equal to their rank in heart stop.

 Step Number: Rank + Centering

Action: Yes Skill Use: No

Requires Karma: Yes Strain: 3

Discipline Talent Use: Martial Adept

 The blood stop talent allows the adept to stop the target’s blood flowing into his brain. The adept must make a blood stop test against the target’s spell defence, and achieve an excellent success or better. If successful, the target’s senses become dulled, and he cannot think straight. The target also takes stun damage with a step equal to the adept’s Blood Stop rank. Anyone attempting to affect any of the target’s defences, they receive a bonus equal to the Martial Adept’s Blood Stop Rank.

Step Number: Rank + Dexterity

Action: Yes Skill Use: Yes

Requires Karma: No Strain: 1

Discipline Talent Use: None

 The flexibility talent allows the character to contort his body into impossibly small areas, or to squeeze through small gaps. It does not allow a character to squeeze through a hole that is smaller than his head. Add the characters rank in Flexibility to his or her dex step for such tests.

 Step Number: Rank + Centering

Action: Yes Skill Use: No

Requires Karma: No Strain: None

Discipline Talent Use: None

 The Freefall talent works in the same way as the Wind Catcher Talent (ED p.121)

 Step Number: Special

Action: No Skill Use: No

Requires Karma: No Strain: None

Discipline Talent Use: None

Each rank of improved physical sense grants the adept one of the following abilities:

Direction Sense - Add Improved Physical Senses rank to perception to determine current direction.

Flare Compensation - Negates penalties for sudden light changes.

High Frequency Hearing - Add one half rank (round up) to perception to hear high pitched noises.

Low Frequency Hearing - Add one half rank (round up) to perception to hear low pitched noises.

Low-light - Grants the adept low-light vision, if the adept already has low-light vision, then increase

the range of vision by 50%.

Thermographic Vision - Grants the adept thermographic vision, if the adept already has

thermographic vision, then add +2 to perception tests whilst using it.

Improved Scent - Grants the adept a bonus equal to one-half (round up) his improved physical

senses rank to perception tests involving smell.

Improved Taste - Grants the adept a bonus equal to one-half (round-up) his improved physical

senses rank to perception tests involving taste.

Sound Dampening - Dampens loud noises, this ability gives the adept a bonus equal to one-half

(round down) his improved physical senses rank to perception tests to hear noises

concealed by others. (A conversation in a noisy room).

Time Sense - The adept may make a perception roll and add one-half (round-up) his improved

physical senses rank to the test to tell the time, he does not need to be able to see the

stars, or even see to use this ability.

 Magic Sense

 Step Number: Rank + Perception

Action: Yes Skill Use: None

Requires Karma: No Strain: 1

Discipline Talent Use: None

 Grants the adept a limited form of astral sight which allows him to sense the use of magic within a radius of (Rank*5) Yards. The adept makes a magic sense test against the spell defence of the caster, if successful, he can detect the spell that has been cast, or is being cast, or woven. This also allows detection of magical items, with a target number equal to the spell defence of the item.

 Step Number: Rank + Dexterity

Action: Yes Skill Use: No

Requires Karma: Yes Strain: 1

Discipline Talent Use: Martial Adept

 The nerve strike talent allows the adept to reduce the physical defence of a target. A nerve strike test is made, against the physical defence of the target, the adept must achieve a good success or better on the roll. For every two points of success reduce the target’s physical defence by one. The minimum reduction is one, if the test is successful.

 Step Number: Rank + Perception

Action: No Skill Use: Yes

Requires Karma: No Strain: None

Discipline Talent Use: None

 The adept makes an improved reactions roll in place of a perception roll to avoid being surprised.

 Step Number: Rank + Strength

Action: No Skill Use: Yes

Requires Karma: No Strain: None

Discipline Talent Use: None

 The rooting talent allows the adept to extend the force of his aura to "root" himself to the ground and become an immovable object. The adept uses the rooting talent in place of the strength step when making a knockdown test.

 Sixth Sense

 Step Number: Rank + Perception

Action: No Skill Use: No

Requires Karma: No Strain: None

Discipline Talent Use: Martial Adept

 The sixth sense talent gives an adept the magical ability to sense immediate personal danger. When potential danger threatens, the gamemaster makes a secret Sixth Sense test against a target number based on how obviously the danger stands out. 6 for threats in the adept’s line of sight (such as someone about to draw a sword), 10 for threats beyond line of sight (a concealed archer or trap), and 16 for threats in astral space (such as a spirit). The adept does not learn the nature of the threat, only how near or far away it lies and the relative level of danger. The adept can only sense dangers that threaten personal harm.

 Step Number: Rank

Action: No Skill Use: No

Requires Karma: No Strain: 1

Discipline Talent Use: Martial Adept

 The smashing blow talent allows an adept to break barriers very quickly. The adept makes a normal Martial Arts attack test against a barrier (ED p.209), if successful, the adept adds his rank in smashing blow to the damage test. This talent can only be used with an unarmed attack.

Discipline: Martial Adept Talent: Centering

Rank: 5 Cost: 100

 The body control knack allows the adept to use his centering talent to resist the effects of poisons, and drugs. This costs 2 points of strain to use.

 Discipline: Talent: Centering

Rank: 7 Cost: 100

 Blind fighting allows the adept to negate the effects of blindness, by making a centering test against the spell defence of each person within (Centering rank*5) yards, all those with a spell defence less than the result, have been sensed by the adept, this negates the penalty for blindness against each opponent sensed.

 Discipline: Martial Adept Talent: Centering

Rank: 9 Cost: 200

 The suspended state knack allows the adept to place himself into a form of torpor where his bodily functions are lowered to the bare minimum. If the adept takes damage that is over his death rating, but under his (death rating + Toughness ATTRIBUTE), then he may make a centering roll against a target equal to the amount of damage taken over his death rating, if successful then the adept is not dead, he is merely in torpor. During suspended state, the character requires minimal oxygen, and no nutritional intake. A character may remain in a suspended state for a number of days equal to his rank in centering. A character who has used the suspended state knack may not make a recovery test, they must receive healing from other means (magical, or herbal).