Five Elements Style

The Five Elements Style is the native martial arts style of the Zhuang. It originated in the villages of the Zuo river in the distant past. The style is based on the elemental forces revered by the Zhuang, with an emphasis on versatility and adaptability. It teaches hard strikes and firm stances, but also fluid movements. The following skills, techniques, and advantages are open to practitioners of this style:

Required Skills: Acrobatics, Karate.

Weapons Skills: Polearm, Shortsword, Spear, Staff.

Techniques: Acrobatic Stand, Aggressive Parry, Counterattack, Exotic Hand Strike, Feint, Ground Fighting, Spinning Attack, Sweep, Targeted Attack, Trip.

Cinematic Skills: Breaking Blow, Body Control, Immovable Stance, Kiai, Mental Strength, Power Blow, Pressure Points, Pressure Secrets, Sensitivity.

Cinematic Techniques: Eye-poke, Lethal eye-poke, Lethal Strike, Pressure-Point Strike, Roll With Blow (Acrobatics), Springing Attack, Timed Defense.

Required Disadvantages: Sense of Duty (Large Group) (Zhuang)

Optional Traits:

Advantages: Danger Sense, Enhanced Dodge, Enhanced Parry, Extra Attack, Trained by a Master, Weapon Master (Small Class: Five Elements (30 points), or any one weapon in Five Elements (20 points)).

Perks: Iron Body Parts, Sure-Footed, Teamwork (with other Zhuang only)

Any practitioner of the style must take at least one point in each of Acrobatics and Karate prior to learning any other skills, techniques, or obtaining any advantages. Additionally, anyone wishing to access the cinematic techniques within the style must take Style Familiarity (Five Elements) and must put at least one point in at least one of the Weapons Skills. Anyone who masters the entire style is considered a Master of the Five Elements and may teach the style, granting his students the option to take the Trained by a Master advantage. Mastery of the style requires an effective skill of 16 in Acrobatics and Karate plus at least one point spent in all of the techniques, all of the weapons, and having all of the advantages. Anyone who is a Master of the Five Elements and masters all of the techniques and cinematic techniques such that they are at their maximum level is a Grandmaster of the Five Elements and can create new techniques for the style for himself and anyone he teaches personally.

The Five Elements style does not require that a practitioner learn weapons but, for those who do, techniques must be selected for Karate or for each weapon skill individually.

Almost all male Zhuang villagers have at least one point in Karate, representing a basic understanding of the Five Elements Style. Perhaps as many as one in ten female villagers also has this level of understanding of the style. Enhanced Parry, Enhanced Dodge, and Danger Sense are not available to Zhuang people who are not practitioners of the Five Elements style.

Back to Zhuang.