Post by Puck on Feb 13, 2016 9:15:05 GMT
AURA AND MANIFESTATION
As it’s an extension of the concept of the Soul Leak-over Effect, please read the Soul Introduction before this.
While with magus and psychics the leak-over effect is fairly straightforward thanks to elemental affinities and the like, within Ki artists the phenomenon appears more dramatically and intensively in a manner known as ‘Aura’. Aura is the presence of a person’s Ki; which manifests in a range of ways based on their soul’s identity and their own training. Usually the effect is quite subtle, or perhaps just ignored by the user – it’s simply accepted as a part of their fighting style or identity. However, some focus on it and train it specifically, mutating their fighting style around their aura and intensifying its effects. In general, the Ki arts community accepts that aura is a natural occurrence; but often look down on those who focus upon it as it taints the meaning of their martial arts and unbalances their culture – you can’t exactly teach someone else something that is unique to each person.
In subtle cases, aura is simply a part of a person’s presence or identity – people might feel calming to be around, or might feel naturally intimidating, or even more complicated sensations such as grandeur or hope might be associated with their presence. In their martial arts this might just appear as a sense of ‘personality’ behind their blows; or a certain colour surrounding their Ki force in more intense cases. However, some people are very in-tune with their souls or have simply quite complicated concepts to their souls – certain objects or ideas theme their techniques and skills; on both a passive and active level.
An example might be a Ki artist whose Ki energy in their strikes appear akin to calligraphy; with inky trails to their blows. They might favour complicated combination patterns because of this, or ongoing movements; traits that accentuate this relation to calligraphy with the extensive but firm trails of techniques. Perhaps their passive aura would suggest sanctity of some kind, and they are a very disciplined person. In this way, their soul’s concept of ‘calligraphy’ has appeared in their Ki arts as part of their leak-over effect.
In most cases, this is a minor visual cue for their techniques; but in more extreme cases Ki artists can manifest their aura to some degree; similar to the standard Ki art of reinforcement of physical objects. Though compared to magic in its summoning of effects, these techniques are intrinsically linked to their Ki arts and physical movements; making it very different to the conjurations of magic – these manifestations are an extension of one’s body rather than their own creations. An example might be the aforementioned ‘calligraphy’ inspired Ki artist forming physical trails in the air with their strikes’ ‘ink’ to interrupt parries or deflect retaliatory attacks. It is important to note, however, that these manifestations tend to be very weak and simplistic compared to the creations of spells – they are an extension of the body, so they are naturally inferior to actual Ki arts.
In summary, Auras are your own unique presence that is given off from your body. Your own presence may even influence how you perform the techniques you learn. It is through these influences that "manifestations" come to play where your presence takes on an unique visual appearance.
While with magus and psychics the leak-over effect is fairly straightforward thanks to elemental affinities and the like, within Ki artists the phenomenon appears more dramatically and intensively in a manner known as ‘Aura’. Aura is the presence of a person’s Ki; which manifests in a range of ways based on their soul’s identity and their own training. Usually the effect is quite subtle, or perhaps just ignored by the user – it’s simply accepted as a part of their fighting style or identity. However, some focus on it and train it specifically, mutating their fighting style around their aura and intensifying its effects. In general, the Ki arts community accepts that aura is a natural occurrence; but often look down on those who focus upon it as it taints the meaning of their martial arts and unbalances their culture – you can’t exactly teach someone else something that is unique to each person.
In subtle cases, aura is simply a part of a person’s presence or identity – people might feel calming to be around, or might feel naturally intimidating, or even more complicated sensations such as grandeur or hope might be associated with their presence. In their martial arts this might just appear as a sense of ‘personality’ behind their blows; or a certain colour surrounding their Ki force in more intense cases. However, some people are very in-tune with their souls or have simply quite complicated concepts to their souls – certain objects or ideas theme their techniques and skills; on both a passive and active level.
An example might be a Ki artist whose Ki energy in their strikes appear akin to calligraphy; with inky trails to their blows. They might favour complicated combination patterns because of this, or ongoing movements; traits that accentuate this relation to calligraphy with the extensive but firm trails of techniques. Perhaps their passive aura would suggest sanctity of some kind, and they are a very disciplined person. In this way, their soul’s concept of ‘calligraphy’ has appeared in their Ki arts as part of their leak-over effect.
In most cases, this is a minor visual cue for their techniques; but in more extreme cases Ki artists can manifest their aura to some degree; similar to the standard Ki art of reinforcement of physical objects. Though compared to magic in its summoning of effects, these techniques are intrinsically linked to their Ki arts and physical movements; making it very different to the conjurations of magic – these manifestations are an extension of one’s body rather than their own creations. An example might be the aforementioned ‘calligraphy’ inspired Ki artist forming physical trails in the air with their strikes’ ‘ink’ to interrupt parries or deflect retaliatory attacks. It is important to note, however, that these manifestations tend to be very weak and simplistic compared to the creations of spells – they are an extension of the body, so they are naturally inferior to actual Ki arts.
In summary, Auras are your own unique presence that is given off from your body. Your own presence may even influence how you perform the techniques you learn. It is through these influences that "manifestations" come to play where your presence takes on an unique visual appearance.
RULES OF AURAS AND MANIFESTATIONS
- To use an aura, your character must have an Ability that summarises it and its meaning to the character. Explain its relevance to their soul, what the concept is, and how it appears in their basic lifestyle and Ki arts. The passive effects of their aura, if you wish to have them, must be a separate ability.
- Auras are bound by rank like any other Ability and Technique.
- Manifestations of an aura must come from the user’s body, and can only last one minute unless reused to refresh the Ki involved.
- Manifestations of an aura must come from a physical movement; they are not conjured by incantations or at range like spells.
- An aura cannot be a ‘theme’ or a range of items or concepts; it is a single pure concept. Rather than having the aura of ‘clothing’ you would have the aura of ‘shorts’ or ‘stockings of questionable modesty’.
- Be aware that using an aura to manifest weapons is generally pretty terrible since they will always be inferior to actual weapons – aura is not something that can persist in reality, and unless at high levels lacks the structural strength of real objects. Instead, aura is ideal for additional effects for standard Ki techniques or utilities.
- In order to rank up your Aura ability, rank up Ki Manipulation first, it dictates how far your ability can go and the rank of your Aura-based technique. This means you must have Ki Manipulation first if you want an Aura ability.
Name: Aura (<Insert Name>)
Description: An unique ability to become familiar with your own Aura and to be able to "manifest" it. This is usually unlocked by also unlocking your own Ki Center. By doing so, an unique presence becomes perceivable to others. Furthermore, the Ki Artist is able to manifest their aura to influence their own techniques. <Insert what form of Aura you have and what kind of manifestation is made.>
Rank: E
Requirement: Restricted by Ki Manipulation Rank.