Gen Kuei Do, the Way of the Sai Ghost, is an ancient martial art taught in the mountains of China. Bao Chan, an ancient master of martial arts, retreated to the mountains in order to develop his skills in peace. One such skill involved the use of gen, or sai as they are more commonly known. After a dozen years he developed the precursor to Gen Kuei Do, at that time a purely physical martial art. During this time many students had sought him out after hearing of his prowess. One student was An Yu, an already accomplished martial artist who knew Tien-Hsueh Touch Mastery. He concealed these abilities from Bao Chan, and after mastering Gen Kuei Do, killed Bao Chan in combat. He took over the dojo and turned it into a school for assassins.

With his control over the dojo, An Yu combined his knowledge of subterfuge, the Arts of Invisibility, and Chi Mastery with the physical martial art which Bao Chan had already created. The result is the current incarnation of Gen Kuei Do. He began training assassins and made quite a good living by killing. His descendents have continued in the tradition of assassination and the Gen Kuei are still alive today. Due to their small numbers, however, they are neither as powerful nor infamous as the ninja of Japan, but they should be no less feared.

Note: This martial art was created in China for use with the Gen, more commonly known as the Sai (its Japanese equivalent). Due to the fact that people are more familiar with the term Sai, I will use that throughout this martial art.

Entrance Requirements: None
Skill Cost: 8 years (5 as a secondary martial art form)
Costume: Anything outside the dojo, but training is conducted in a traditional silk kung fu outfit.
Stance: Low stance with the back foot perpendicular, the front foot resting lightly on the ball of the foot pointing forwards. The hands hold sai in various positions outlined the section on W.P. Sai, below.
Character Bonuses:
+1 to P.P.
+1 to P.S.
+1 to P.E.
+1 to M.E.
+5 to Spd
+10 to S.D.C.
+10 to Chi
Combat Skills:
Attacks Per Melee: 3
Escape Moves: Roll with impact, maintain balance, backflip
Attack Moves: Leap
Basic Defensive Moves: Dodge, parry, automatic parry
Advanced Defenses: Multiple dodge, backflip, entangle, disarm
Hand Attacks: Strike, knife hand, fingertip attack
Basic Foot Attacks: Kick attack, tripping / leg hook, roundhouse kick, wheel kick
Jumping Foot Attacks: Jump kick
Special Attacks: Elbow, body flip/throw, leap attack
Holds/Locks: None
Weapon Katas: W.P. Sai (Paired), at 2 levels higher than the character's current level (1st level martial artist would start at level 3).
Modifiers to Attacks: Pull punch, critical strike, critical strike from behind

Note on W.P. Sai: What follows is an expanded version of W.P. Forked. Sai are very versatile weapons which were originally farming implements, like many Oriental weapons. There are three general ways to hold a sai: open, closed, and extended. Holding them open is simply grasping them by the hilt with either your index finger and thumb bracing the prongs or with your index finger and thumb on the center of the crossguard. Holding them closed is when the center prong is held against the forearm and the pommel is pointing forwards. Note that the tip of the sai should extend roughly 1 or 2 inches past the elbow. Extended is grasping the sai roughly near the tip, hilt outstretched. This position is used to hook targets with the prongs. A note on sai: Sai used in combat have a sharpened tip, unlike most sai used today in practice. This makes them extremely deadly because of the relatively large holes they make in people rather than narrow gashes associated with most knives.

Bonuses: +1 to strike at levels 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, and 15. +1 to parry at levels 1, 4, 7, 10, and 13. +1 to throw at levels 3, 8, 13, and 15. +1 to entangle at levels 1, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 14

Special Strikes: A variety of special strikes are listed below that can be used to flesh out combat. Anyone who knows W.P. Sai can use all of the following moves with the GM's permission.

Thrust: A simple stabbing motion with the sai, generally angling up under the breastbone. Does 1D8 S.D.C. plus P.S. bonuses.

Pommel Strike: Striking using the pommel in a closed position. Does 1D4 S.D.C. plus P.S. bonuses.

Hook: Hooking a part of the opponent's body, generally the back of the neck, and pulling them towards you. This can be used in the following ways - a) Pulling an opponent from combat to grappling range. b) Body Flip/Throw: Does 2D6 S.D.C. damage total (1D6 from the hook, 1D6 from the throw). c) If two sai are used, you can pull an opponent into a thrust, doing 2D6+4 S.D.C. damage. Roll to strike to see if you've hooked your opponent and then roll to strike to see if you've stabbed them. The second roll is +4 to strike. This takes two attacks per melee and can only be used once per melee. d) Disarming an opponent as a defensive move. Gives +3 to disarm with sai only.

Side Strike: Striking your opponent with the side of the center prong. Does 1D4+1 S.D.C. damage plus P.S. bonuses.

Elbow Strike: Due to the prong projecting past the elbow, sai add +4 S.D.C. damage to elbow strikes.

Skills Included in Training
Martial Art Powers: Select one powers from Arts of Invisibility, and one power from Chi Master abilities. If desired, any number of powers can be traded, one-for-one, for any basic skill program (excluding physical).
Languages: Chinese
Skills: W.P. Sai (Paired)
Philosophical Training: Buddhist

If this is your primary martial art form than the following other forms can be learned in a shorter time: Zanji Shinjinken-Ryu (4 years), Gui Long (5 years), T'ang Su Karate (4 years), Shao-Lin Kung Fu (6 years).

Level Advancement Bonuses

Why Study Gen Kuei Do?