Rather than aiming for brute force, each strike is executed with a controlled finesse that speaks to a deep understanding of the human anatomy. The blade seems to caress the air as it arcs through a mesmerizing series of loops, spins, and thrusts. With each movement, Machida's eyes remain fixed on his opponent's form, as if reading the very essence of their being.
"Itamae style: Usugiri" draws inspiration from the precision and finesse displayed in the traditional Usugiri cutting technique employed by Itamae. Just as the Itamae utilize their delicate knife skills to create thin, precise cuts in delicate ingredients, Machida applies a similar philosophy to his swordplay, but in a combat context.
The connection becomes evident in the way both techniques emphasize control, accuracy, and respect for the subject. In Usugiri, the goal is to cut ingredients so finely that their natural flavors are preserved, demonstrating the chef's skill in enhancing the essence of the food. Similarly, Machida's approach is not to inflict severe harm but to precisely incapacitate his opponent while minimizing undue suffering.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are engaged in combat with melee weapons.
+2 dice to all rolls with melee weapons. You may Defend against firearm attacks from any range using melee weapons.
You also gain the following effects:
The man is huge - a mountain of physicality, strength, and warmth. His form is perfection manifest: the body of the perfect boxer.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
Your Brawn rating is increased by 1. You may Exert your Mind to automatically gain an Outcome of 5 on any roll that uses Brawn (cannot be used on combat rolls or Effect activations).
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Nightmares.
You also gain the following effects:
Even in human form, the werewolf retains their incredible sense of smell. This helps them track their prey and learn where people and things have been.
To prepare her loyal minion for the eventual transformation that will come in time, she has blessed him with one of the many gifts that will come with being a werewolf. To better prepare him for what will happen and have the more finesse edge of control.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
Your senses are enhanced in the following way.
With an air of likability, Jules, or Beastmeister, seems to glow and draw in people with a magnetic force, as well as understand people on a deeper level.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
Your Charisma rating is increased by 1. You may Exert your Mind to automatically gain an Outcome of 5 on any roll that uses Charisma (Cannot be used on combat rolls or Power activations).
Possession of this Power grants the following Battle Scar: missing fingers and wheezing.
You also gain the following effects:
The user is given enhanced speed while wearing RAZ-II
You gain the following benefits as long as you are in this artifact’s alternate form and you are wearing this Artifact.
You can run at three times your normal movement speed.
You may bring another being along without affecting your Encumbrance, so long as you maintain contact with them for the duration and they consent or are grappled.
After dying thousands of times to the same bullet, Harvey is surrounded by cloned memories of his dead soul.
As he shoulders his rifle, two skeletal hands creep out from under his hair - one forms a blind over his left eye, and one tents its fingers into a scope. The barrel of the rifle is tinged white as the cold steel freezes any condensation.
All of his dead won't let him miss.
You gain the following benefits as long as engaged in combat with assault rifles.
+2 dice to all assault rifles rolls.
You also gain the following effects:
The mutant has grown a long, fuzzy tail resembling one found on a monkey or lemur. Odd as it may be, it certainly comes in handy, and it's got one hell of a grip. If removed, the tail regrows within a week.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You gain an additional limb that functions as a standard human arm and hand.
Each additional limb you posses can take one Quick Action per Round without incurring a -2 dice penalty to your main Action. Any Battle Scars that affect or remove your additional limb will heal in a single week.
Your appendage has a grip that is hard to shake. While grappling a target, when contesting their physical actions, you may roll your full dice pool, but it only counts as a Quick Action.
Your Extra Appendage is incapable of fine object manipulation.
This device is a piece of chrome the size and shape of the back of a spoon. When placed against the skin, small hypodermic needles sprout from the device and attach it to the user's bloodstream. There, it filters and releases lifesaving drugs into the bloodstream, granting complete immunity from contracting new diseases and added resiliency in all other cases.
WARNING: The immunizing drugs have been shown to reduce inhibitions in test subjects.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are wearing this Artifact.
You get +2 dice to any Body resistance rolls you make. You also gain the following effects:
You never know whether or not the musician's death is merely part of the performance.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
If you would take an Injury that would kill you, you don’t die. Instead, you survive in an Incapacitated state. This state lasts for the next hour, at which point you fully return to life.
If, while you are unconscious, your wound level rises above your rating in Body + Charisma, or if you take an Injury with Severity greater than your rating in Charisma, you die. After you return, the Injury that would have killed you, as well as any Injuries sustained while Incapacitated, are healed. Battle scars obtained during this time remain.
The Android's skin is extremely pale, their eyes are yellow, and their body stays at room temperature. They do not bleed, and traditional medicine is ineffective at treating them. Furthermore, they may be hacked by any supernatural effect that could hack a computer.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You are permanently and visibly transformed: you are an android, with pale skin and yellow eyes. You are considered to be a Sapient, Non-Living Computer when targeted..
You are immune to damage from cold. If cold is a substantial component of other damage you would take (e.g. falling from a great distance into a vat of liquid nitrogen), that damage is reduced by 2 (in addition to Armor)
You no longer age naturally, and supernatural attempts to age you fail.
Your Injuries no longer degrade with time.
The Severity of any Injury caused by electricity is increased by 2.
This is a doctor who exists on the front lines. They're most at home working under stressful conditions when the stakes couldn't be higher.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
All Stabilizations you attempt are considered Proper Stabilizations.
You also gain the following effects: