Technique synergies

[BowelEvacuation 5]

I have a highly tactical group (they also enjoy roleplaying) that loves tough combat encounters and working together to overcome enemies. I'm going to start a list of techniques that have inherent synergies with other techniques so for example, techniques that are stronger against prone targets ill link with techniques that make your target prone ect. I'm wondering if anyone has a few that they have noticed that they could share? I'll post a work in progress soon.

[Magnus Grendel 11,673]

From the core book:

• Rushing Avalanche and Way of the Earthquake are for Prone targets
• Spinning Blades is for Dazed targets
• Veiled Menace is for Disoriented targets
• Rising Blade and Path of Shadows are for Compromised targets

 

As non-technique specific:

Anything which can impose immobilized with a weapon with a longer reach than your opponent - Ji or Trident, for example.

Striking-as-fire with a non-razor-edged weapon to duplicate the razor-edged effect.

Edited July 8, 2019 by Magnus Grendel

[MonCalamariAgainstDrunkDriving 133]

Here are a few ideas I've been throwing around. Some are definitely better than others.

• Knock a target prone with Iron in the Mountains Style and then do bonus damage with Rushing Avalanche Style.
• Use Breath of Wind Style to Disorient a target and then critical strike with Veiled Menace Style.
• Use Disappearing World Style to Daze a target and then do bonus damage with Spinning Blades Style.
• Open Hand Style can pair with any technique that cares about the opponent's stance because you can force the target into a stance with a higher Resist check.
• Similarly, Coiling Serpent Style lets you immobilize a target, which prevents them from switching stances, which could matter for Resist checks.
• Thunderclap Strike might encourage your opponent to enter Water stance (so they can move back in range and still attack), which means it might pair well with Crimson Leaves Strike or Iron in the Mountains Style.
• Iron Forest Style makes it hard for opponents to approach you. This could pair with Thunderclap Strike, so you can push back the opponents who do reach you. This might encourage opponents to switch to ranged attacks, but you're using Air stance (because of Thunderclap Strike), which lets you spend opportunity to bump up your TN vs. Martial Arts [Ranged] attacks.
• Alternatively, you could pair Iron Forest Style (which makes it harder for opponents to attack you) with Stonewall Tactics (which makes it harder for them to attack anyone else).

[Magnus Grendel 11,673]

41 minutes ago, MonCalamariAgainstDrunkDriving said:

Alternatively, you could pair Iron Forest Style (which makes it harder for opponents to attack you) with Stonewall Tactics (which makes it harder for them to attack anyone else).

There's a generic fire stance  which does that too.

Iron Forest makes all terrain within reach of your spear Dangerous, which is good for more than just stopping opponents attacking you.

 

Similarly Crescent Moon Style guard action plus fire stance can work well. Fire stance should give you many bonus successes (upping the TN to hit you) and the  ups the TN to hit anyone else instead. If they do take the swing, you get a free strike action afterwards (be sure to have a weapon whose range matches theirs).

Crescent Moon Style guard action plus air stance is useful too just because you're ****ing impossible to hit - TN+1 for guard, TN+1 for air stance, and easily accessible further TN increases from bonus successes or  (against ranged attacks) and keep getting free attacks at people.

 

Coiling Serpent is nice, but any snaring weapon can immobilise an opponent. For that matter, the generic snaring effect is better against compromised opponents than the 'improved' one with Coiling Serpent (because the former costs  equal to your vigilance whilst the latter costs  regardless of the target's vigilance). It's real value is 'pinning' weapons so you can't attack with them for a turn. Pair it up with Crimson Leaves or Breaking Blow and your opponent can run out of sharp things really fast.

 

Edited July 8, 2019 by Magnus Grendel

[JBento 229]

Against most opponents, Stonewall Tactics is generally paired to great effect with Striking as Earth - take all Opps instead of successes, dump 2 in each. Suddenly it's base TN4 to hit anyone but you, you have 6+ physical resistance, and are immune to conditions from opp spends. If you want to be REALLY mean, do that with the hit from Crescent Moon Style, so now nothing hits anyone, because you've guarded.

Edited July 9, 2019 by JBento

[Scrivener Spills 122]

not exactly techniques , but we have a Scorpion infiltrator who's passion is provocation.  He's getting good at using shuji and checks to increase strife in other characters, leading to compromising his targets, both reducing his strife, and activating the school ability to increase damage and deadliness.  

 

Sadly, the Unicorn's idea of carrying dead mice and tossing them to his opponents, causing them to catch the object, then get strife when realizing they were holding a dead mammal body, was seen as... dishonorable.  

[Magnus Grendel 11,673]

On ‎7‎/‎9‎/‎2019 at 6:17 PM, Scrivener Spills said:

Sadly, the Unicorn's idea of carrying dead mice and tossing them to his opponents, causing them to catch the object, then get strife when realizing they were holding a dead mammal body, was seen as... dishonorable.  

Well...yes. Either it's dishonourable enough to matter (in which case you lose honour) or it's not (in which case no strife).

I suspect if you're going to throw things at opponents, sticking to sharpened bits of metal is generally the more efficient option....

[JBento 229]

2 hours ago, Magnus Grendel said:

Well...yes. Either it's dishonourable enough to matter (in which case you lose honour) or it's not (in which case no strife).

I suspect if you're going to throw things at opponents, sticking to sharpened bits of metal is generally the more efficient option....

Try cats, straight to their face. I assure you, there's going to be a LOT of strife going on.

[Magnus Grendel 11,673]

1 hour ago, JBento said:

Try cats, straight to their face. I assure you, there's going to be a LOT of strife going on.

Or crabs and lobsters. Using an irritated crustacean as a substitute shuriken feels like something that could be suitably distracting mid-skirmish.

(Now picturing an obscure Hida shinobi school)

[UnitOmega 2,818]

A yes, the Flying Crab Dojo.

The flying part is not the samurai, but the crustaceans they throw like shuriken. 

[Tonbo Karasu 2,606]

56 minutes ago, UnitOmega said:

A yes, the Flying Crab Dojo.

Wasn't that in Rokugan 2000?

[Scrivener Spills 122]

:dies laughing:   

 

WOOSHWOOSHWOOSH CRACK SPLINTER GURGLE.

Camera pans past the now startled samurai to the bright blue and purple crab, embedded claw first into a wooden pillar, bare inches from the head of the sitting Daiymo. 

He whispers, almost to himself.  "It is a message.  The Blue Crab Tong has come."

He rises, grabbing his daisho from it's stand.  "Come! Tell the servants to put several large pots on the fire.  We're going to have a crab boil tonight."