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Preamble

During the shogunate, a lunar exalt had planned to design a martial art based on the sinuous grace of the great cats of the south. He wished to see the creature fight, study it in detail, and mimic its power; and he planned to use the style against man and exalt. So who else to better watch the cat battle? He led the creature to the edges of a small village, took the form of a nightengale, and awaited the carnage. A single, elderly man walked from the village, and with careful blows, delicate movements and darting footwork, killed the creature singlehanded. The lunar, surprised at the impudence of the mortal, brought a mospid to town the next day, and the mortal struck it down with the least movement possible, drove it away with his fists and his skill. Then a sand swimmer, and then a claw strider, and finally on the fifth day the lunar led several rapace to the town; the old martial artist, tired and wounded, could no longer fight and fell to their claws. The lunar thought on this, and realised the error of his ways; the ways of nature presented much power, but skill lay with man. This martial arts tree was is based off of that long-forgotten martial artist, modelled after the mortal martial arts master's precision and delicacy.
The Sifu's hand style focuses on precision and efficiency, as well as taking advantages of weak points. It is inimical to weapons and armor; none of its charms function in armor, and many of its attacks feature the Touch keyword. What makes the style odd is the manner in which it may be learned. While being taught any style, the student may instead learn one of these charms from their sifu - in effect, learning different lessons then those intended by their master. Once the form charm is learned, this no longer functions. Charms higher in this tree may be learned while the student teaches another a charm he does not yet know- in effect, tutoring oneself through the act of tutoring another. It can, of course, also be learned the boring way from a master of this style; there are some to be found in unexpected places, given the possiblity of self-training.

Form Weapons and Armor: This form is incompatible with all armor. The form weapons are technically short swords, sabres, and hook swords and their artifact equivalents, but not without restriction - many charms in this tree reject them due to their imprecision and weakness compared to the perfected body of a true martial arts master.

Charms

Student's Understanding

Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The student forces himself, through obedience and through patience, to accept the teachings of the master who is his greater, that one day he will be the master. This charm supplements a guard action; add essence to both DVs for the duration of the action.

Moving the Spirit Evasion

Cost: 1m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive (step 2)
Keywords: combo-ok
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Student's Understanding
The student of the Sifu's Hand style understands that less movement, not more, is always preferable. By seeming to shift slightly, to put oneself out of the expected place, the student avoids blows with uncanny precision and throws off his attackers. The DV penalty for an attack against the martial artist is increased by 1.

One Hundred and Eight Points Strike

Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2; Type: supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Stackable, Touch, Obvious, Crippling
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Moving the Spirit Evasion
The exalt strikes precisely and perfectly, striking one of the 108 points on a target where their essence flows, crippling the site of the strike. Instead of dealing damage, the exalt delivers a charge of essence that disfigures the internal geomancy of their target, crippling the struck limb. This normally incurs significant penalties to the victim, determined by the storyteller.

Sifu's Hand Form

Cost: 7m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2; Type: Simple (Speed 5, DV -1)
Keywords: Form-Type
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: One Hundred and Eight Points Strike
The martial artist now understands and has fully internalized the basic principles of form and style, moving with efficiency and grace. Reduce the speed of the martial artist's unarmed attacks by 1, to a minimum of 3. The martial artist strikes with uncanny precision, and his blows ignore hardness.

Spirit Crippling Strike

Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: combo-OK, Obvious, Crippling, touch
Duration: Varies
Prerequisite Charms: Sifu's Hand Style
The martial artist strikes with all his cunning at the points through which essence flows, disfiguring not the flesh but the spirit. If the attack strikes, regardless of whether damage is inflicted, increase the cost of combo activation by 1 willpower for the target's next five actions.

Talent Swallowing Admonition

Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4; Type: Reflexive (step 10)
Keywords: combo-OK, Obvious, Crippling
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Spirit Crippling Strike

The martial artist watches the essence flows of his enemies, watches as they channel essence, watches their movements, and understands their magics and the synonimity between the two. As they strike, his parry sends a perfectly calibrated charge of essence back along their limb, sending a countervailing essence flow through their chakras and blocks the precise flows they have just used.

After a successful martial arts parry, the martial artist chooses one instant duration reflexive, supplemental, or simple charm that enhanced the attack they have just parried. The target loses the use of that charm for the duration of that charm. They may activate combos containing that charm as if it were not there, and may use charms for which it is a prerequisite; they simply cannot activate the charm that they so impudently threatened the master with.

Cunning Lithe Counterstrike

Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Reflexive (step 9)
Keywords: combo-OK, touch, counterattack
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Crutch-Disregarding Movement
The martial artist feels the attacks of his opponents pass him by like a breeze, evades them with a touch of a finger or shrug of a shoulder , and then counterattacks with a lightning quick strike. This charm grants a single Martial-Arts based counterattack in step 9. The cost is reduced by 1 mote, to a minimum of 0, for each attack beyond the first if it is activated in response to a flurry; however, if used against a flurry, it may only be activated in response to the last attack of that flurry.

This charm gains the Flow keyword during a guard action.

Exploding Heart Technique

Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4; Type: Simple (Speed 4, -1 DV)
Keywords: combo-OK, touch, obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Cunning Lithe Counterstrike
The exalt strikes a blow so deadly that it tears through the victim's body, shattering bones and rupturing organs. This attack does dice of aggravated damage equal to essence, disregarding all soak. This damage cannot be increased by charms. Any mortal struck by it dies instantly if they take even a single level of damage. Any other being suffers from a -4 wound penalty due to massive internal injury for the duration of the scene.

Master's Understanding

Cost: ---; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5; Type: Permanent
Keywords: none
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Exploding Heart Technique, Talent Swallowing Admonition
The master has at last perfected his wisdom as he has reached the peak of this tree; he now understands the meaning of all of his lessons and may apply new ones as he sees fit. The martial artist may now develop charms branching off of this tree at their own type's power level; be it solar, terrestrial, divine or anything else. Furthermore, the martial artist has attained a mastery beyond possibility with this style; whenever he uses a charm with the touch keyword that is in the charm cascade leading to this charm, add two automatic successes to the attack roll. This is a success bonus from charms.