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Using ki gives the user numerous advantages over average fighters, and equal grounds against heavily armed and greatly skilled warriors. Deity will not go into detail on special techniques. A specific style of ki-use is up to you. The very basic abilities which can be found in mostly any ki style worth its salt will be listed.

<>BUILDING KI<>
Ki can be categorized almost as another muscle in a living being's body. Just like many other muscles, if used and exercised enough, it can grow larger. The human body can only become so large, and so strong. Once (or if) this physical limit is met, ki comes in. Ki, for one, has no actual limit ceiling. Many beings - such as most humans - find it is terribly difficult to become stronger once they've reached a certain point. Other beings, like demons and battle-friendly species, can build their ki much more easily, especially if they have a more durable form. Others seem to have bottomless wells of potential, and are constantly growing stronger. However, one must realize that strengthening ki is several times harder than strengthening one's physical body, which is tough enough on its own. One can't train for twelve hours and quadruple their strength.

Before one can train ki, they must learn ki control. Ki control is a way to say they have a fluid access to all of their ki. It takes hours and hours of intensive training and concentration to learn how to access one's ki energy. Once one gets the hang of it, it's very simple, but beginners may find it quite challenging. Perfect control takes many years of practice, and is well worth the effort. Once this level of ki control is reached, using ki becomes as simple as moving one's arm or blinking their eyes. They won't notice they're doing it.

<>MEDITATION<>
Obviously meditation isn't an original ki style method of training, but it is essential to a well-rounded and skilled warrior. Meditation for a ki-user can serve numerous methods of practice, the following being a few.

Reliving past battles is a great way to not only scout opponents for possible future rematches, but to find and overcome one's own flaws. Searching the memory of one's mind, aura and body allows one to play through a battle like a videotape countless times in a relatively short period of training.

If one has significant control over their ki - and one knows someone else who does as well - they can intertwine eachother's energies and have a training spar in a psychic-reality zone. While this can be relatively harmless, very skilled warriors can make the effects of such battles very real, and will appear exhausted or even wounded once it is over.

Similar to the method of meditation above, though solo. With a thorough knowledge of a certain fighter's style and movements and such, one can visualize and have a bout with this being, to possibly scout their opponent or see how well they would fair against them. As with the previous method, greatly skilled warriors can make this battle real to their mind and body, making it a most gratifying - if not very dangerous - way to practice.

Ki control is the most basic yet most important of all training exercises. It is mandatory to learn and understand if one desires great power in this sort of style. Without ki control, one can barely reach the peak of normal human boundaries, much less smash through them effortlessly. Exercising one's ki and allowing it to flow freely through their body is an important ability that can lead to victory in battle.

<>FLIGHT<>
An interesting yet common ability in a ki style is flight. It takes a great deal of concentration, and is impossible without decent control of the user's ki. Once mastered, the fighter can take flight at any time. They can do this even underwater, to make moving through it much easier. They don't need wings or lift to do this. At first it is difficult to move very quickly, but training this - and the ability to keep one's eyes open in direct wind - can gradually increase speed. Some fighters - like Deity, for example - use flight not only to float, but to swiftly increase and decrease velocity.

<>STRENGTH AND SPEED<>
A great factor in a ki-based fighting style is that it grants overwhelming physical power to the fighter. Overwhelming is not an understatement, either. With even four times the ki strength of a normal human being, one can lift up an automobile with little effort. Unlike most styles, as ki does not increase one's physical mass, it doesn't slow one down. As a matter of fact, it speeds the fighter up. If one's legs are stronger but not heavier, they can take them faster in any given direction. A combination of speed and power is very useful in battle.

<>ENDURANCE<>
No matter what one's race or species, a thorough knowledge of ki gives one's body a great deal of endurance. Someone with a high enough ki level can let enemies shoot firearms at them without worry, as their body can withstand it easily. Once one has reached a phenomenal power, even weapons as great as modern-day explosives won't affect them. This also means this protects against some of the techniques of other fighters. Even if your character has extreme strength, if his sword is just a normal blade it won't cut anything except the ki-user's clothing, and will probably break. For instance, what would you rather use to cut bread: a bread knife or a toothpick? You would have a much better shot at getting through that bread in one slice with the knife. The same goes in this situation; using even a very sharp sword to impale a powerful ki style fighter is like stabbing at a titanium wall with a butterknife if neither you nor your weapon have any special qualities. Another interesting trait with powerful ki strengths is the ability to resist poisons, gases, and other such hazards. The controlled ki flow seems to counteract the danger, and eliminate it. It takes a great amount of strength to do this, however.

Despite this great durability, ki-users can lower their defenses by simply powering down (suppressing their ki) and not using their energy. In this case, they may as well be normal fighters. More skilled ki style fighters can lower their defenses, but raise their strength, or vice versa. Also, there is a point at which the body cannot withstand a certain amount of ki. Imagine, if you can, that every voluntary muscle in your body suddenly increased its size four times. You'd be durable and strong, sure, but you certainly wouldn't be used to all that bulk. While one's body can never be too weak for one's own natural power, a sudden boost of energy can very easily overwhelm them. If one grows far too powerful in too short a time, their body can actually become too unstable, and the ki inside them will explode. Likewise, they would pop, too.

<>KI SUPPRESSION<>
Once one reaches a certain level of skill, they can also suppress their ki entirely, to mask their life force from enemies. This technique masks varying forms of life energy that show signs of animation. However, if it is an over-abundant energy - mana, or the Force for example, which exude from everything, unlike ki/chi which comes only from living things - then there would appear to just be a big gap where there should be energy. This technique would be less useful against these sorts of styles. Combining the technique with other forms of energy or style could prove very effective.

All this technique does is suppress the energy - it doesn't leave entirely, it just compacts. Perfecting this technique allows one to appear to erase it entirely, or even lower their power in a powered-up state. This is even more difficult. The important fact is that lowering ones' ki takes a decent amount of concentration and effort. With practice, it becomes very simple.

<>KI DETECTION<>
Most people tend to call this the sixth sense, though they don't know it. Though it cannot all be attributed to ki, part of the reason you sometimes grow uneasy or more aware when being watched is because you can subconsciously feel the life force of the beings around you, even if they are dead silent. Training one's ki makes this feeling much, much stronger, as will be explained further down. The stronger one becomes, the more easily one can sense ki signatures, and how well-defined one's power is.

For instance, at first, one can tell that their neighbours house is full of people, but they don't know who they are or how many of them there are. A ki expert can give you a rough estimate of how many people are in a city on the other side of Earth, and whether it has more males or females. Masters can do the same with faraway planets. One thing to take note is that it can be very difficult to separate one ki from another if they are very close to eachother. This is why amateurs can believe they're sensing a colossal monster with a strength of 3 million...when all it is is a nearby town. This can also lead to mistakes in judging the strength of energy attacks, which we'll get to later. Honing this skill after a very long time removes this disadvantage. Masters of this technique learn to trace other forms of energy as well, not limited to just ki.

Another powerful asset to detecting ki is that it allows ki masters to sense emotion as well. While the source of said emotions can only be truly analyzed via telepathy or other sorts of mind searching, a being's life energy gives away their primeval emotions. This includes malice. To attack successfully, one needs malice, no matter how kind-hearted or pure they may be. Sensing no malice in the soul of the fighter proves he or she will not attack, and tells the ki-user to prepare for some sort of trick. This can be very useful to avoid feint strikes.

<>"TELEKINESIS"<>
In all actuality, this is not telekinesis. Telekinesis is a psi (parapsychological) ability, and is sometimes referred to as psychokinesis. However, using ki to manipulate other objects is possible. One can either 'stretch' their own ki and use it to move inanimate objects, or even manipulate the ki flow of other living beings, to control their movements. Another variation of this move - which is utilized in even advanced special techniques - exhibits the ability to numb the nerves of the opponent, rendering them unable to move. While this is a powerful technique, it is much more easily done on a weaker opponent. Just as strong-minded people aren't susceptible to telekinesis or telepathy, strong ki style fighters are immune to having their honed ki toyed with.

<>READING THOUGHTS<>
This is another psychic ability with a counterpart made possible via ki knowledge. Amateurs need some sort of contact, while masters don't, but the result is the same in either case. Just as one can manipulate the force of energy around an opponent to control their movements and read their emotions, they can also read their past. This is a trickier technique to use, and even some skilled veterans cannot perform it. So far, there aren't many true ways to prevent someone from reading one's thoughts via ki energy, aside from suppressing one's ki, or resisting it if one is stronger.

<>ALTERING METABOLISM<>
This is rare, even in a style of purely ki-based techniques. This is the ability to alter one's own ki aura - or the ki aura of another - to accelerate or decelerate their metabolism, the latter being tougher and somewhat dangerous if toyed around with too much. The more extreme the range of usage, the greater a toll it takes on the user. The uses of this ability vary widely; anything from something as simple as recovering from a hangover quickly to healing a possible fatal wound of a friend or loved one. As mentioned, this is quite the rare ability, and isn't seen often without the use of magic or mental power. It's incredibly hard to learn. In fact, the few who can use it seem to be born with the ability, and need only discover it, which is part of the reason it's so uncommon.

<>POTENTIAL ENERGY<>
While this is something that comes naturally, and accidentally in nearly all cases, Potential Energy is the amount of latent power one has within oneself. Every living being has tons of different types of energy. The vast majority of them cannot harness it all at once. Even supposed 'masters' of their style can't get to it all, and most of the time training and practice aren't enough to do so.

Potential power is the power that one can't reach, but can naturally use in emergencies. Adrenaline takes over and they enter a single-track minded state when this power is released. It's a not a special form that can be controlled, it's a rush of intensity and strength. Keep in mind that potential energy is generally much stronger - all by itself - than as high as the energy within whom it resides can peak. Latent power can be found in many ways, but most of the time it is through a powerful surge of emotion. Growing emotionally frustrated will draw out this power, almost as a survival instinct. Normal humans have been known to lift automobiles in times of stress. To someone who can do that in their sleep, an emotional rush of Potential Energy gives them a freakish amount of power at their disposal.

This strength typically seems to vanish shortly after its use, but never empties. Some characters have vast amounts of potential energy, some of them up to two and a half times their normal strength. [Ex: If one's strength was 2, with a Potential Energy surge their strength would be 7. If it is 40,000, one's strength would be 140,000.] Some beings can draw out this power from fighters, either by mental or other means. Techniques like this are sometimes magical, but very hard to learn, and more than likely impossible to duplicate on sight. These types of people are very useful to those without the means to access any of their latent ki at all, in any situation.

A "Touched" Phoenixsoul must be broken down into several parts as far as knowing what one is.

Firstly, we have the concept of one being "Touched." This has several implications, but generally means that a subject has been touched by the influence of a god. In Torment's case it was through conception. In the case of another character of mine it was through an Avatar being recreated and instilled into the form of a Chosen humanoid. This humanoid gained several attributes from a god basically reaching out and touching his soul.

The exact abilities granted differ from deity to deity, god to god, usually imparting a basis of their own portfolio within the subject. An example here is Torment's suppresable immunity to temporal based effects and time magic which he cannot access. He is the son of Aetas, God of Time. Tacitus, aka Jordan Daize, on the other hand, gained many of the abilities the Avatar Tacitus had in his previous incarnation, such as very limited time based magic and a limited precognition, coming from Aetas, God of Time as a chosen Avatar.

Other effects can include the implanting of angelic or demonic traits, holy, unholy, chaos based, and law based magic, as well as other portfolio specific abilities and simple basic strengths. Such basic strengths would be relatable to Heracles with superhuman strength, but for a single aspect of the many physical and mental attributes.

~~~~~

A Phoenixsoul is a being that has a true phoenix, or a piece of a phoenix's soul bound within their own. This can be done in several ways. Being a reincarnation of a phoenix that no longer wished to takle the form of a bird, or having the trait implanted within one's self by a higher being. Torment gained this template by swearing his life to the divine spark within his mother. After her long wait to rejoin with Tacitus she had attained an affinity for nature, becoming a deity of lesser power with ties to nature's bipolar attitudes. Wrath and peace. She carries with her forever a small phoenix egg, Torment's next incarnation. She placed the seeds of his next form within him so he could watch over her in his next life.

A Phoenixsoul gains several abilities. The soul of the subject literally burns with an eternal flame that can be stoked by several events, and must be drawn forth before it can be experienced for the first time, unlocked, if you will. Passion, anger, anything of the like in any extreme can bring forth the everlasting flame. In Torment this manifests as an extreme resistance to flame, a slight spell resistance, and most notably, in combination with the Soul Forge, The Inferno Within. The Inferno Within was the predesessor of the Soul Forge, and was honed into the Soul Forge once Torment's Brother of Soul was joined with him. The Inferno Within grants him wings of flame as well as a certain control over his very soul.

Other manifestations of such ability relate to physical attributes related to a bird, ability to become a phoenix for short times, affinity for fire magic, healing properties, and even an ability to ressurect one's self.

Torment uses the most basic forms of perception. There is nothing more powerful than perception, once you think about it. Entire cities have gone missing because people simply forgot they were there, they stopped existing because they were no longer perceived.

It is true that he deals with mana, but does it in such a way that the mana itself is only the means to another means to an end, a stopgap to fill in what his willpower cannot yet acheive, the complete alteration of perception itself. The mana he utilizes comes from any number of sources, needed no particular one to attain his goals, he can even call upon Aetas, his father, if he has to. I cannot say he is totally excluded from the Mana thread because he does still employ it, simply that his usages of it and the ways he manipulates himself beyond it create a unique experience.

Combining basic psionics with the studies of a sorcerer and the abilities he is granted through the use of the Soul Forge, Torment alters reality to conform to his perceptions. If he perceives a fireball, then so it shall be. Mana merely acts as a sort of catalyst to the reaction, otherwise it would take much more time and effort to force these effects into being. As a psion might force their will upon the world and use mental fortitude to produce effects, Torment does this as well, but on the most basic of level, barely above that of a human.

This limits him in several ways. If he cannot perceive something happening, he cannot bring it about. This means that in most instances, creating new spells or casting ones he never has before is difficult, the same being true in those he has not cast in quite some time. During the night when he would otherwise be sleeping he generally runs through the basics of his spell list and refreshes them in his mind, but does not use mana to catalyze the reaction. During the course of each day he can only channel so much mana, but this is allieviated in several ways, as noted below.

The fact that he does not actually utilize the mana itself means that even in low magic zones his magic has an overwhelming effect, but not the full effect. He can surpass many spellcasters of his type in the sheer speed and power of his spells due to the fact that when he adds soul based energies to the spell, it further catalyzes the reaction, literally pouring himself into it to force his perceptions upon the world that much more.

It boils down to this.



He combines the use of his willpower as a psion (psychic), which is too limited to utilize for any real purpose, and mixes it with mana and his very life force to alter reality based on his perceptions.

Yes and no. While he does do it differently, he can use just about any mana source, setting him apart from most spellcasters which have to focus on a single type. As mentioned, he forces his perceptions upon reality by basic psychic abilities that, while above average for a human, can't do anything, not even bend a spoon. His power comes from his mind and his soul, using whatever type of mana is around in any amount to catalyze the reaction. While he can cast more spells fasterwith more strength, he has difficulty with spells he does not know, does not use often, and when his mind is jumbled to any degree.