Kushou-Ryu Soujutsu, or spear techniques, are a collection of Taijutsu techniques focussed around the use of polearms. The techniques can be used interchangeably for users of spears, staves, glaives and similar weapons. These techniques were developed by the military of the Holy City of Towers, rumoured to have been passed from the Holy Mother herself to the males of her land centuries ago. Those who wish to learn the secret techniques of the style must travel there and convince them to teach them. The style itself revolves around keeping the user’s weapon and body moving in order to manoeuvre around an opponent’s guard, or beat their way through it. Requires: [Hafted Weapons] and [Deft Hands].
D-rank:[color=darkolivegreen][b]* Kushou・The Viper Flicks its Tongue[/color][/b]
D-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
This simple technique involves thrusting quickly with the user’s long weapon from a distance before quickly pulling back their polearm to prevent counters. This techniques most useful aspect is that it can be used while in motion without affecting speed or momentum.
[color=darkolivegreen][b]* Kushou・The Courtier Taps his Fan[/color][/b]
D-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
This simple technique involves proper use of the pole of the user’s weapon to deflect blows. By properly angling and manoeuvring their spear or staff they can deflect other like weapons, hand to hand blows or even sword blows by striking the right place at the right time, even while in motion.
[color=darkolivegreen][b]* Kushou・Parting the Silk[/color][/b]
D-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite: * Kushou・Low Wind Rising
This simple technique involves engaging an opponent’s weapon or one of their arms and moving it slightly to one side with the user’s weapon. This creates a very small opening which the user then exploits by kicking the opponent, keeping their weapon guarding the opponent’s arms.
[color=darkolivegreen][b]* Kushou・Low Wind Rising[/color][/b]
D-Ranked Taijutsu Stance
The foundational stance of the Kushou style, Low Wind Rising involves the spinning of the user’s spear or polearm around their body constantly whilst remaining in motion. While in this stance, the user will be able to deflect projectiles with less strength than their own, while also making unpredictable movements of their spear.
[color=darkolivegreen][b]* Kushou・The Swallow Takes Flight[/color][/b]
D-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
The user will vault themselves into the air using their polearm and then unleash a powerful blow from above. This technique is used to disorient and surprise foes as well as overpower them as it strikes with all of the user’s body weight and momentum from the spin they perform in the air in order to strike with the spear that was touching the ground moments before.
C-rank:[color=darkolivegreen][b]* Kushou・Folding the Fan[/color][/b]
C-Ranked Taijutsu Stance
Prerequisite: [Sword Weapons] concentration
A supplementary stance of the Kushou style, Folding the fan involves pulling back the user’s polarm and using only a portion of its length in order to engage briefly in shorter range with opponents. This sacrifices the user’s range advantage, but also allows them to more properly deal with those who get inside their range. This allows the use of a polearm weapon like a sword weapon.
[color=darkolivegreen][b]* Kushou・Twisting the Wind[/color][/b]
C-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite: * Kushou・Low Wind Rising
This is the core technique of the Kushou Style. The user will begin in the Low Wind Rising stance and then approaches their opponent. They will begin with a wide arcing blow to begin this combination of blows. Following this they will spin their polearm and their body as they follow their opponent across the battlefield, chasing them down as they block and evade. This technique takes the user’s entire post, and can strike a number of times equal to half their speed. Those who block more than one blow will suffer a -3 to Strength for 3 posts as the weapon’s momentum and force jars their body.
[color=darkolivegreen][b]* Kushou・The Swallow Rides the Wind[/color][/b]
C-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite: * Kushou・The Swallow Takes Flight
The user of this technique must first launch themselves high into the air as if with The Swallow Takes Flight. They will then begin to spin and unleash a flurry of blows from above. The user is capable of performing up to three strikes in the air, each of them prolonging the user’s airtime. The Swallow Rides the Wind is useful as it maintains the advantageous high ground and all of the forward momentum toward the opponent throughout all of its blows, giving the user an effective +6 Strength and -6 Control for the three blows.
[color=darkolivegreen][b]* Kushou・Bundling Straw[/color][/b]
C-Ranked Taijutsu Discipline
This technique is a kind of mental preparation for the constant movement and spinning involved in the Kushou style. This enables the user to gather snippets of vision, sounds and tactile sensory information in order to be properly aware of the battlefield around them whether standing still or in rapid circular motion. The user is effectively aware of their surroundings within 25m of their person, able to recognize when attacks are coming and the body positions of opponents.
[color=darkolivegreen][b]* Kushou・Unfolding the Fan[/color][/b]
C-Ranked Taijutsu Discipline
While rare for a practitioner of Kushou-ryu to be on the defensive, this technique is designed to facilitate effective defence against other close ranged opponents. The user of this technique is constantly aware of distancing between the opponent and themselves, and therefore will aim all of their strikes to prevent the opponent from closing the gap using their long weapon. This will make it extremely difficult for those with less skill than them to get close to the user safely without somehow neutralizing the user’s weapon.
B-rank:[color=darkolivegreen][b]* Kushou・The River Undercuts the Bank[/color][/b]
B-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
The user of this technique will first block an incoming strike. Then, they will almost immediately cease resisting, causing the opponent to fall forward slightly and lose their balance provided they do not possess a Perception technique of equal or greater rank. This successfully created opening allows the user to raise the lower end of their weapon to strike from inside the opponent’s guard, typically at either the groin or the chin with full strength.
[color=darkolivegreen][b]* Kushou・Watered Silk[/color][/b]
B-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
The user of this technique will strike the ground with one end of their weapon hard, dragging it in a line. This will fling a cloud of dirt, rock and dust up into their opponent’s eyes as if the user had thrown it. The use of one end of their weapon in this enables the immediate return of the opposite end for a follow up strike at either a blinded opponent or an opponent that is quite predictably dodging the debris.
[color=darkolivegreen][b]* Kushou・Threading the Needle[/color][/b]
B-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
After either blocking an opponent’s strike or having one of their strikes blocked, the user will flick their weapon. Using their great leverage and range to their advantage, the user is able to skilfully dart their weapon around the opponent’s existing guard for a series of quick thrusts aimed at their torso.
A-Rank:[color=darkolivegreen][b]* Kushou・Kingfisher Circles the Pond[/color][/b]
A-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite: 30 Speed
The user of this technique will take a moment to prepare themselves before dashing full speed around an opponent in order to strike them from behind. The strength of this technique comes from the extreme acceleration used in it, causing those without a Perception Technique equal to or greater the user’s speed to be unable to follow the user’s movement at all. The user will then make a powerful thrust at the opponent from their new position.
[color=darkolivegreen][b]* Kushou・The Lion on the Hill[/color][/b]
A-Ranked Taijutsu Stance
The user will balance the tip of their weapon toward the ground before them while facing the opponent side on and rising the rear end of the weapon into the air. This stance concentrates a lot of the user’s power and agility into their legs, enabling them to dash short distances (5m max) at maximum speed without acceleration time after a moment’s preparation. This is extremely taxing on the user’s Endurance however, and costs them 1 Endurance each time they dash.
[color=darkolivegreen][b]* Kushou・Whirlwind on the Mountain[/color][/b]
A-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
Prerquisite: * Kushou・Twisting the Wind
The user of this technique begins a relentless onslaught upon an opponent. They take a moment to prepare their legs before dashing forward. This technique is used to pursue opponents and wear them down with repeated spinning attacks. Opponents with a speed lower than the user’s will find it difficult to safely move away from the user while they pursue them. Those that block or are hit by two or more blows will have their Strength reduced by 6 because of the jarring nature of the blows for 6 posts.
S-rank:[color=darkolivegreen][b]* Kushou・Ougi: Gae Bolg[/color][/b]
S-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite: 35 Speed, Must be Learned from the Holy City of Towers
The user will begin by thrusting at an opponent. If the blow is blocked or evaded, the user is able to perform this maneuver. The practitioner pulls back their spear at an incredible speed and strikes again. Those without a Perception Technique equal to or greater the user’s speed will be unable to detect the second blow and will see an afterimage of the first strike remaining in the place where it had struck before. If the opponent does not have a Perception technique, they will be able to strike a third time in the same manner.