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Pathfinder
 
PostPosted: Wed, Feb 01 2017, 13:52 PM 

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Joined: 07 Nov 2016
Location: United Kingdom

The Path of Iron

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All of us are taught a 'way', a 'style'. In essence a fundamental foundation. Upon that we build, we raise walls and we find them flawed. We break them down. We rebuild them. Until each wall is stronger than the last, but we are never satisfied. There is always a better way, a superior execution.

Seek oneness with your chosen discipline; find your own way through the maze of flaws and imperfection. Do not chase it, but flow. For to hunt the unattainable is to never catch it; instead learn from the journey. In the journey, we find the truest aspects of the self.

All that matters is the path and the mettle to remain upon it. For flesh grows weak and steel becomes brittle, but will is only eroded by doubt.




OOC: I'm interested in taking 10+ levels of weapon master and treating it like a class rather than a critical hit enhancer. I like the idea of treating the Ki aspects of the class like a Monk would the teachings of his order, but without the pretence that there is one way to find enlightenment. In this way Weapon Masters of different weapons could come together and simply follow a common philosophy and set core values without strictures.

Thought I'd ask for people's thoughts, or if something like this already exists.

_________________
Playing:-

A cabal of miscreants seeking order in a world of chaos.

~~~

I draw derpy MS Paint things, they are all terrible!


Last edited by Pathfinder on Wed, Feb 01 2017, 14:54 PM, edited 1 time in total.

 
      
Pathfinder
 
PostPosted: Wed, Feb 01 2017, 14:54 PM 

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Joined: 07 Nov 2016
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Walking the Path

Walkers are those who have chosen to tread the Path of Iron, they may come from all walks of life. Soldiers, priests, vagabonds. Kings and beggars. All that is irrelevant, instead there is the now. The present. The only time that truly matters. What has brought them together is a desire to live a purer existence, to undertake the Journey. They may walk together or alone, but always upon the Path.

Along the way a Walker will be Tested by the Path, this is a simple truth and cannot be avoided. A foe you cannot defeat, an unforeseen complication or a difficult truth for the Self to come to terms with. Some Tests will be overcome swiftly, whilst others require reflection or a change of tact. If the way is utterly lost, seek another. You may find the destination is the same.

To serve as a guide when lost in the mists of indecision, a walker is armed with some questions. Such must be answered without prejudice and a without the lies one might tell others. There can be no lies to the Self.

The Questions:-

:arrow: Why are you here?

:arrow: What does the Path represent to you?

:arrow: Does being here advance you further along the Path?

:arrow: How might you advance your understanding based upon your last test?

:arrow: Where might you find the answer?

:arrow: What are your obstacles?

:arrow: How might you conquer them?

:arrow: What limits you?

:arrow: Who would you be if you didn’t have that limiting belief?

Seek the Path.

_________________
Playing:-

A cabal of miscreants seeking order in a world of chaos.

~~~

I draw derpy MS Paint things, they are all terrible!


 
      
Pathfinder
 
PostPosted: Thu, Feb 02 2017, 10:45 AM 

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Joined: 07 Nov 2016
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Disciplines

Jay B. McDaniel wrote:
First, one realizes that the deepest level of one’s life -- what in Zen is called the "true self" -- is always here-and-now. And second, one understands that this true self, even though here-and-now, is always changing.


In order to truely centre one's self and understand it's ever-changing and subtle energies, or Ki, a Walker has chosen to focus upon a singular martial discipline. A focus for all energies of the self, a focus for reflection and study. In essence the routines of training and exercise, become meditations in themselves.

The Walker will, over time, learn to expand the self's wellspring of Ki and using this focus be able to expand it's limits beyond what most would think possible. A simple quarterstaff becoming a weapon, which when imbued with Ki does not sunder upon striking granite or steel, but instead sunders it.
This could be expanded to other areas of expertise, the discipline and focus of the Walker's chosen Path seeping into other aspects of one's life. In essence through the extreme focus and meditation on the martial techniques; patience, perseverance, memory and fitness by proxy become second nature in other aspects of one's life.

One must become self-critical and must enforce complete honesty when dealing with the self. Flaws must be faced and integrated into the whole, only then can they be conquered.

Focus upon the now and your place in it, when training. Let the weapon flow and become an extension of the self. Through it's motion hone your own. Let your mind focus only on yourself and the weapon. Feel yourself move over the ground. The air in your lungs. Hear the weapon's motion through the air. The singing blade. The force of the hammer. The crack of the stave. Root yourself in the moment - meditate on this.

_________________
Playing:-

A cabal of miscreants seeking order in a world of chaos.

~~~

I draw derpy MS Paint things, they are all terrible!


 
      
Opustus
 
PostPosted: Fri, Feb 03 2017, 15:32 PM 

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Joined: 18 Jun 2006
Location: Finland

A great concept and a great intro! I like the monastic, disciplined touch. I already signed up for another outfit, otherwise I'd be on board with you on this. I have a non-WM character though who could definitely be a patron of the faction. They seem like real salt of the earth.

As for other attempts to animate the class, I can only recall Uce's sexual greataxe fetischist character 'Stillborn' and Kjetta's earth genasi whose swordsmanship was strictly the teachings of some school or order or somesuch. I assume there have been similar takes on the class before, but I can't remember that a faction ever existed to enshrine WM tradition, so it might be a wholly novel idea for Amia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5zrYie3d0Q Your blurb brought a song to mind by Tom Waits, where it's sung that 'a man must test his mettle in the crooked old world', which sounds very much like 'a man must test his metal'.

_________________
Every time you clock in the morning, I feel you just want to kill
All my innocence while ignoring my purpose to persevere as a better person
I know you heard this and probably in fear
-Kendrick Lamar, good kid


 
      
robbi320
 
PostPosted: Fri, Feb 03 2017, 21:49 PM 



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Joined: 04 Jan 2015

I mirror Opustus. We even have the same reason, I think, why we are blocked. And Draven (my Draven, literally the character I made before the new stuff came up for me) would have loved this. He'd have gotten a scythe as a recognised weapon!


 
      
OpenTheRift
 
PostPosted: Sat, Feb 04 2017, 14:03 PM 

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This is an amazing start up for a single char or group, you could definitely be found as a mentor in game to both individuals master on mountain style or as a combat trainer for armies

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bad man


 
      
Pathfinder
 
PostPosted: Sun, Feb 05 2017, 17:42 PM 

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Cheers for the input guys, I've currently got a level 9 character working by this philosophy and it's been great fun so far.

_________________
Playing:-

A cabal of miscreants seeking order in a world of chaos.

~~~

I draw derpy MS Paint things, they are all terrible!


 
      
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Forum locked This topic is locked, you cannot edit posts or make further replies.  [ 7 posts ] 


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