Village training grounds

[Cadoc]

Seize the Opportunity To Lead a Sheep Away
Rank: "C"
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: With a simple concentration the user may identify the most valuable item to an ally.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: User can make an Observation Check Very Difficult + (5 x Rank of Item) as a movement to locate the item most valuable to an ally (Subject to a Game Master adjudication). Items protected from Divination Chakra are immune to this ability. Items on the user or those of the user's allies are not counted unless the user wants them to be.
Limit: Must be a Venator. Must know Solo Tactics. Must know Observation (15 Ranks). Must know Sense Motive (15 Ranks).

00/10 +1 tp from the training ground

The next stratagem on her shortlist was also from the confrontation section of the textbook. Again it spouted a rather common sense tactic or plan, namely, to allow enough flexibility in your plans so that they were not rigid. In doing so one hoped to be able to adapt to changing circumstances and capitalise on the mistakes of opponents rather than letting them go unpunished.

This seemed to be a rather fundamental idea in combat, one should always be seeking to capitalise on the mistakes of their opponents, should they not? Regardless Yoko pressed on keen to understand the true meaning behind the introduction. She quickly reviewed the technique to highlight why she had shortlisted it in the first place. It seemed that the technique centred around finding the highest value item in an area.

Quite the interesting ability, for rather obvious reasons this did not include items on their person. Nor did it define who was considered an option. Thus, Yoko couldn't help but consider what was considered the definition of valuable, was its monetary value? There would be situations for example where medical equipment or food would hold a higher value for example.

[Deleted]

+10

[Cadoc]

The Strategy of Beautiful Women
Rank: "C"
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: A Venator can transform themselves and gain the many abilities of a Nymph.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Once per day, the user can as a movement transform and gain the most comely appearance imaginable and many of the abilities of a Nymph for 5 minutes per Class Level.
Nymph's Splendor: User gains a +10 enchantment bonus to their Acting, and Disguise Skills.
Blinding Beauty: This ability functions all humanoids within 10 meters. Those who look directly at the user must succeed a Will Save 10 + 2 per Class Level + User's Impeccable Will or be blinded for 2 rounds per Class Level.
Stunning Glance: As a movement, the user can stun a creature within 10 meters with a look. The Target must succeed on a Will Save 10 + 2 per Class Level + User's Impeccable Will or be stunned for 2d4 rounds.
Unearthly Grace: User adds their Enchantment Bonus on all of their Saves, and as a deflection bonus to their Damage Reduction.

Limit: Must be a Venator. Must know Solo Tactics. Must know Disguise (75 Points)

00/10 +1 tp from the training ground

Yoko moved on to the next stratagem this time from a chapter that she had yet to visit, the stratagems for desperate situations, The Strategy of Beautiful Women. The name gave away the meaning of the technique but even so, Yoko read on to see what the description was and to see if it confirmed what she initially believed. Namely, a beautiful woman can cause discord within a camp, the troops and nobles can neglect their duties and the other females can become distressed.

It seemed sound enough in principle but how did the Venators develop that idea into a technique, what did it do? Yoko flicked a few pages until she reached the chapter of the book focused around this. The ability allowed the user to transform their appearance and gain quite a few boons as a result. Yoko quickly read over the abilities that the Venators had recorded in the textbook to see what was so good about it.

It seemed that the technique allowed the user to increase their acting and disguise skills along with a few targeted abilities that could debilitate an opponent. This included blinding onlooking humanoids for a short period of time. Unfortunately, this technique could only be used for a limited time every day, and only in a single instance meaning that Yoko would have to be selective with her application of it.

[Deleted]

+10

[Cadoc]

The Tactic of Combining Tactics
Rank: "C"
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: As an ally connects an attack the user may attack swiftly and justly.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Once per round if an ally successfully performs a TaiJutsu technique against an opponent, you can perform any TaiJutsu technique as a free movement and not provoke an opportunity attack.
Limit: Must be a Venator. Must know Solo Tactics. Must know 2 Teamwork Techniques.

00/10 +1 tp from the training ground

Yoko was starting to tire from her study of stratagems and considered calling it a day, but when she consulted her list there were only a few things left that she wanted to acquire. As such, she decided to continue onwards and gain a deeper understanding of the other stratagems, the next one on her list was called, The Tactic of Combining Tactics. Again it was accompanied by a short introduction of the idea it was based upon.

Yoko quickly read through the description, it centred around the idea that multiple strategies could be used at the same time rather than needing to simply apply one at a time. Again sound logic but how was this applied to the real world? Yoko flicked through the pages until she happened upon the next section of the book that details the various abilities and applications of the technique.

Essentially the technique allowed the Venator to attack alongside their allies, providing certain conditions were met. Again it seemed to be another way to squeeze out some additional damage in a limited period of time, allowing the Venator to out-damage someone that lacked the technique. The, however, did make the technique rather limited but still, it seemed worthwhile learning the technique.

[Deleted]

+10

[Cadoc]

Toss Out A Brick To Attract Jade
Rank: "C"
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: As a Venator fails their ability to Act, they can pick themselves right up and continue with the ability of Acting.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: If the user or an ally fails an Acting check, the user either recovers for themselves or intercede on their behalf without sacrificing a movement rerolling the check. User must take the result of the 2nd roll, even if it is worse. User can use this technique a number of times per day equal to their Impeccable Will.
Limit: Must be a Venator. Must know Solo Tactics. Must know Acting (20 Points).

00/10 +1 tp from the training ground

It was time for the final stratagem for the day, this time it came from the stratagems for attack section of the textbook, Toss Out A Brick To Attract Jade. Yoko turned to the chapter and ran her finger down the page, till she got to the short description of the principles behind the technique. This one seemed rather simple, if you make a trap, bait it with something your opponent will desire to lure them into it.

The technique itself used the trap component as an element of acting, namely, recovering from a failed acting attempt. Upon reading through the technique Yoko was quick to note that the technique could be used a number of times per day which was a great advantage. Hmm, it seemed that being able to double down on a failed acting attempt certainly had a range of advantages that it offered a Venator.

To practise the technique Yoko applied the technique with her companions practising covering for their mistakes and the flaws in their acting. Hopefully, this form of assisting with an acting check could allow Yoko and her companions to avoid some close scrapes. The small group of companions practised the technique quite a few times getting used to the idea that Yoko could help them recover from a momentary blunder.

[Deleted]

+10

[Cadoc]

Stern Gaze
Rank: "B"
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: The Venatores are skilled at sensing deception and intimidating their foes.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: A Fear, Mind-Affecting Technique. Venatores are skilled at sensing deception and intimidating their foes. A Venator receives a moral bonus on Sense Motive checks equal to 10 per Class Level. They say that just by looking into the eyes of a Venator they are able to strike fear into their targets. Those who see the eyes of a Venator and is within 30 meters of the user will have to make a save (10 + 2 per Class Level) or become Frightened for 1d4 rounds. If the user knows Discern Lies, they are also able to sense deception (actions that reveal evasions).
Limit: Must be a Venator.

00/40 +1 tp from the training ground

The next technique that Yoko was working on closely mirrored that of the Uchiha, it was, of course, a gaze-based technique, namely, Stern Gaze. For the gaze of the Venator was something to be feared, there was however a bit of a difference between the other Uchiha techniques that Yoko had previously learned. As the Stern Gaze technique was only really effective when you met eyes with an opponent.

There was however an additional benefit to the technique that did not require the locking of eyes, namely, a bonus to the Venators ability to detect or suspect foul play: sense motive. By looking at an opponent in a certain way the Venator was able to gather additional information about their behaviour, they could notice small patterns in how they were behaving and compare that to the norm.

To establish a norm however one had to gain an understanding of profiling. Profiling was a commonplace way of sensing the motive of an opponent, not limited to the Venator orders but also used by police forces and the like all over the world. The general idea was that you built up an understanding of what your target should do and then looked for things that differed from that predefined norm.

[Cadoc]

00/40 +1 tp from the training ground

To do this Yoko decided to study an array of documents to build up her visualisation and the ease with which she could observe these traits. In doing so she hoped to unlock her own version of the stern gaze, one based on the user's own self-confidence. For when one locked eyes with an individual who possessed a will of steel they often buckled. It was an effect in her mind at least that was not too dissimilar to the fear of a crowd.

When someone was giving a speech or a performance they were often plagued with the idea that they would make a fool of themselves, that there would be an error in their performance. Through the utilisation of a stern gaze the Venator could impart a similar effect, essentially convincing the person they gazed upon that their deception had been undone, that they themselves were undone by their own lies.

That their foolish attempts at deception had already been found out, and in much the same way that a naughty child told their secrets to a parent or a teacher the fool before the Venator would likely break down and repent. Acquiring such an impressive power however required a combination of diligent study and continuous application. Yoko wanted to acquire the knowledge from which she could act with confidence.

[Cadoc]

00/40 +1 tp from the training ground

She also required the look, it was difficult to explain what exactly this meant, other than by describing its effect. Essentially what Yoko meant by the look was a gaze from which you could tell someone had figured you out, the I know you are talking a shit look. How exactly could a small loli girl display this look as part of her gaze? There didn't seem to be a clear way in which would develop it.

There were no instructions in the textbook, just what the technique was and what the end result was. This implied to Yoko that there was no fixed way in which this was achieved, but rather it could be arrived at through many different approaches. Perhaps Yoko could take advantage of her intimidating Sharingan and glowing blue eyes to add to the effect of her intimidation. She began to focus her eyes and look across the training area.

It was time to test the technique out, by focusing her gaze upon others in the training area she could attempt to utilise her newfound powers. The boost to sense motive should have in theory allowed her to better detect the feinting actions of opponents, for the time being however she could make do with observing others in the training area and noting what they were doing. Could Yoko predict the actions of the other people?

[Cadoc]

00/40 +1 tp from the training ground

Yoko watched as a ninja started to cast a ninjutsu technique, by focusing her vision she tried to quickly work out the nature of the technique and how it was going to be used. With the first few attempts, she was unable to accurately predict what the ninjas were going to do from their combination of taijutsu and ninjutsu. However, with time Yoko started to develop a sense for how to predict their actions.

This sense developed into being able to make real predictions. Next Yoko had to test the effect of her gaze out, she quickly looked around for anyone that could have been looking her way hoping to lock eyes with them. It wasn't long before she found someone looking her way, one of her companions. By gazing into the creature's eyes she was able to impart her will upon it causing it to become somewhat nervous. Great success?

[Christoff]

+40 TP

[Cadoc]

To Catch the Bandits First Capture Their Leader
Rank: "C"
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: By taking down an opponent all allies of that opponent become demoralized.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: When the user or one of their allies capture or kill an opponent with the highest Class Level amongst the opponent's allies, those allies suffer a -2 to weapons damage, -1 rank in Chakra Jutsus, -2 in Saves, and a -10 to their Skills until an allied opponent with an equal or greater Class Level appears. If the user is at least "B" Class, the morale penalty is doubled. This is a mind-affecting Cmpulsion effect.
Limit: Must be a Venator. Must know Solo Tactics. Must know Stern Gaze.

00/10 +1 tp from the training ground

This new stratagem builds upon the recently acquired stern gaze ability, the short description in Yoko's book detailed the meaning behind To Catch the Bandits First Capture Their Leader. The idea was rather similar to the cut the snake idiom: the idea that by taking out the leader of a group you could weaken them giving rather specific circumstances. Again it was sound in the idea but how did a Venator build upon this to create something unique?

Yoko read through the ability, it seemed that she would take advantage of the killing an opponent clause with great frequency. The idea was that by taking out stronger opponents the weaker members of the group would be debuffed, providing a powerful decrease in a range of abilities. From weapon damage to the amount of chakra, they could summon forth.

This technique married up well with the sniper-style of combat: if Yoko successfully snipped a high-level opponent she could significantly reduce her opponents' chances of detecting her or replying with any form of attack. The debuff to an opponent also covered mental effects meaning that her genjutsu could take hold with greater effect, allowing her to quickly wipe out any stragglers.

[Deleted]

+10

[Cadoc]

Guileful Lore
Rank: "C"
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: The Infiltrator gain ability bonus to their Acting skill.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: The Infiltrator's will is bent toward subterfuge and deception. User can add 5 x Impeccable Will on their Acting Skill.
Limit: Must be a Venator. Must be a Infiltrator.

00/10 +1 tp from the training ground

With that Yoko had managed to deepen her understanding of the Venator path as a whole that she had been able to unlock a new path for herself, a new set of abilities. There was a lot of different paths and abilities that one could select for themselves, so the decision of what to go for was a rather difficult one that varied wildly depending on the person. After much consideration, however, Yoko had decided upon the Infiltrator path.

The path itself centred around deceiving an opponent into believing lies and the like. Taking a rather more forward approach to blending in than her traditional stealthy approach. Through careful study and diligent application of her skills, Yoko was able to quickly pick up the basic tricks of the infiltrator path, namely their skill with acting, subterfuge, and deception. The benefit that one could derive from the technique differed person to person.

But due to Yoko's strong will, it seemed that she was quickly able to derive a considerable bonus from the technique. She doubled down on this by role-playing various scenes out in the training area keen to work on her craft till it reached a level of perfection. Interestingly enough there were various ticks to this path that other Venators did not typically cover.

[Deleted]

+10

[Cadoc]

Lore of Escape
Rank: "C"
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: The Infiltrator gain a bonus to their Acting and Disguise Skills (Disguise for Blending purposes).
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: The Infiltrator uses every trick they know to escape those now pursuing them. User adds 5 x Impeccable Will on Acting, Disguise and Stealth skill.
Limit: Must be a Infiltrator. Must be a Infiltrator.

00/10 +1 tp from the training ground

Yoko had to wonder why Venators restricted themselves to simply two or three paths, as much of the teachings seemed to be useful for everyone. But there was little that she could do regarding this, with the teaching materials being rather closely guarded and monitored by the leaders of the organisations. Thus, for the time being, at least, Yoko was limited to two paths.

The next technique that she turned her attention to was again based around acting, but rather than just that it focused on escape. A useful technique for someone who had infiltrated an area but needed to make a quick escape? The benefit applied to acting, disguise, and stealth based skills meaning that Yoko would receive a considerable benefit to many of her most frequently used abilities.

Again like the technique before it, Yoko decided to work on this technique through an application of her skill in the training grounds. She elected to have her companions chase her while she attempted to escape, in doing so she realised the various ways in which this technique could be applied, from slipping into the shadows to disguising yourself as someone else. It seemed that the infiltrator path had many tricks up their sleeves.

[Deleted]

+10

[Cadoc]

Exit