Qiao of the Shih

The following documents some edited or generated rules for Qiao – the paths of magical talents that only the Shih are trained to use.

Qiao of the I Shen

** Divine Bindings
An entrapped shen can break free with either the listed Strength check or a Dexterity+Athletics check (difficulty 8, 10 accumulated successes needed). (Escape Artist instead of Athletics reduces the difficulty to 6.) Either way, struggling to escape comprises a turn of action.

***** Heaven’s Thunder
The book states that there is no defense of any sort against this prayer. That’s just twinky. Heaven’s Thunder may be dodged (albeit at difficulty 9), and it can be countered with the appropriate types of magical counters (mages’ Sphere vs. Sphere countermagick, for one). However, it cannot be soaked, not even by Iron Mountain or Fortitude.

Qiao of the Mo Kung

* Steel Skin
Anytime the Shih increases his Stamina with Qiao of any sort, he may soak lethal (not aggravated) damage with his Stamina dicepool.

**** Celestial Eyes
With this magically enhanced Perception, the Shih can attempt to peer through illusions or magical powers of invisibility like Obfuscate and Yin Prana’s Shrouded Moon effects. The level vs. level restrictions apply, and even if the Shih’s Qiao of the Mo Kung outranks his target’s abilities, he must still make a roll. That roll is Perception straight (difficulty 7).

Qiao of the Yu An

* Opened Eyes
Once activated, the Shih automatically shreds past talents like Arcane and Pakua, but only if the demon hunter is staring right at the shen in question. Creatures like hsien and hengeyokai are revealed to the Shih with vague outlines of their bestial nature (the Crinos or Wani forms) around their more normal appearances (whether that be human or animal).

Qiao of the Feng

With the sacrifice of a permanent point of Willpower, a Shih may use all of these abilities except Flames of the Phoenix on another (living) being.

Qiao of the Shi

**** Steel Body
The two extra soak dice are like armor. They cumulate with the Shih’s Stamina pool, and as with Steel Skin, the hunter may soak lethal (but not aggravated) damage with his full dicepool.

Qiao of the Chien

***** Bite of the Mu
The Shih may avoid the Humanity loss with a successful Conscience roll (difficulty 8).

Qiao of the Long Ling

Enacting or activating any of these powers does count as a full turn’s action.

***** Divine Ordinance
This power affects everyone that can see the Shih, including fellow mortals and any spirits, even if they’re on the other side of the Wall. All viewers may make Wits+Occult rolls (difficulty 7) to move their effective Willpower up the Delirium chart, reducing the effects the Shih may inspire. However, for each success after the first that the Shih makes on this Qiao’s activating roll (Willpower, difficulty 7), each victim’s effective Willpower is reduced by 1 for the purposes of determining the effects Divine Ordinance inspires. So, if the Shih scored 5 successes on this roll, even a hardened (Willpower 10) shen will quail. But that supernatural being may rise back up the chart with a Wits+Occult roll, and if it scores 5 successes, it will not be affected at all.

Qiao of the Meng

With the sacrifice of a permanent point of Willpower, a Shih may use all of these abilities except Mental Dominion on another (living) being.

Qiao of the Zhu Mao

***** Celestial Wind
Pairing two Abilities together as a dicepool is silly and too 1st-editionish. The roll for this Bridge is now Strength+Medicine (difficulty 8).