Source From : 9D Official Forum
Learn The Ways of Kung Fu
There are many basic necessities you will require as you travel, among them eating, drinking, lodging, and meditation but perhaps nothing is more essential in this dangerous world then learning some strong Kung Fu. You are urged to find a local trainer and begin your study of Martial Arts as quickly as possible. Mastering Kung Fu is the only way for you to survive the harsh realities of The Land.
Once you have learned some Kung Fu, it is time to join a clan, seek a master, and begin your real training. There are nine major clans in The land, each based on actual historical clans. However, there are only six that new disciples can join, which include: The League of Beggars, Shaolin, Wu-Tang Clan, Heavenly Demon, The Brotherhood of Thieves and Sacred Flower. Disciples who have achieved a certain level of mastery can later seek to join three advanced clans, which include: The Union of Noble Families, The Disciples of Iron Fist and Black Dragon Clan.
Most who enter The Land have no knowledge of Kung Fu whatsoever, but quickly realize that to survive here, they must find a teacher and beg borrow or steal some.
Know that Kung Fu techniques need to be trained before they can be used in the field. Success in such training requires dedication, good timing and ample reaction speed.
To train physical attack Kung Fu, know that you must first find a Sifu (trainer) and have him accept you as a student. He may ask you for favors, or for gold, for his service of teaching you some Vagabond Kung Fu (Combat techniques for beginners). Once he has showed you a move, and you have learned it, you must practice it well upon some training dummies. These are typically available near town Martial Schools and within clan strongholds near their respective trainers.
Chi Kung techniques are forms of Kung Fu that rely on the wielder's channeling of universal energy as a ranged attack, or defense, as opposed to making direct physical contact. To train Chi Kung techniques, clan's provide stone platforms laid out across their training fields, sometimes hidden in a far-off corner of their stronghold.
Before you can learn advanced Kung Fu and Chi Kung techniques, you must first be admitted to a Major Clan. Use the following descriptions of the various starter clans to help you decide which clan may be right for you:
Shaolin monks are famous for their unarmed Praying Mantis Style Kung Fu. Upholding their belief in human goodness, they learn to master defensive techniques and disabling moves, and prefer using unbladed weapons to avoid unnecessary killing. The most physically capable utilize difficult polearm techniques. Shaolin Temple is restricted to male characters only.
Wu-Tang Clan is famous for its Tai Chi style Kung Fu which provides balanced attack and defense through contemplation and mastery over the cosmic energies of Yin and Yang. Their hand-to-hand combat system is known as Boundless Fists, and their legendary Divine Sword techniques are unmatched throughout The Land.
The League of Beggars`martial arts were originally derived from the dog-beating moves of a beggar combined with the showmanship of a street performer. Newer techniques have their origins in catching snakes, filching purses and, perhaps every beggar's favorite pastime, getting drunk. A beggar's physical attacks may utilize a drunken boxing style or flashy staff techniques.
The Brotherhood of Thieves' Kung Fu is based on The Six Harmonies combined with Ji Longfeng?s Divine Spear techniques. It revolves around the correct concentration of one's Chi and one's physical driving force, much like the thrust of a spear. Disciples are taught to reach an opponent as quickly as possible, then drive through them with shocking attacks and direct footwork. While many use spears, others of The Brotherhood prefer to fight with the axe.
Sacred Flower is a clan of deadly female assassins who overcome their male opponents' raw physical power by using illusion, poisons, venoms and long-distance attacks whenever possible. Flying wheels, throwing stars and daggers are preferred weapons over swords, poles and sabers. Summoning Arts and Soul Siphoning arts are two of the more arcane martial arts of Sacred Flower.
Heavenly Demon Clan utilizes Kung Fu techniques that were stolen and perverted from other disciplines, and combines them with occult rituals. Sabers are preferred over swords, and for hand-to-hand combat, disciples master Bloody Hands technique, the most deadly combat system ever conceived.
Learning Kung Fu: There are several ways to learn Kung Fu. Usually you learn through an NPC, either a local or Clan Sifu (trainer), but some Kung Fu can also be learned through a quest or absorbed from reading a Tome. Some Kung Fu requires training to become effective before actual use.
Learn from a Village NPC: Vagabonds can learn Kung Fu from an NPC Sifu who runs a Martial School. Different villages offer different Kung Fu for Vagabonds, and you can still learn these techniques even after you enter a clan. You need to pay some gold to learn each Kung Fu technique, and you need to train to use these techniques properly.
Learn from a Clan NPC: Once you initiate into a Major Clan, you may learn clan-exclusive Kung Fu from each clan's trainer NPCs. These techniques are further classified as Clan Basic Kung Fu and Role-specific Kung Fu. Basic Kung Fu can be learned by any disciple of the clan at any time, but Role-specific Kung Fu can only be learned by those who have chosen a specific Role. Some Kung Fu techniques require mastering another prerequisite Kung Fu first, and leveling it up to certain Cheng. You need to spend Clan Contribution Points instead of gold to learn Kung Fu through clan NPCs. You will also need to train first to use these Kung Fu techniques properly.
Learn through a Quest: Certain quests reward you with a new Kung Fu technique. You do not even need to train first to use them properly. Basic Meditation (used for self-healing) and normal Lightfoot Technique (used for fast running) can be learned through quests.
Learn through a Tome: A tome is a book that can impart secret knowledge of Kung Fu, which can be obtained as a monster drop. All Kung Fu learned through tomes require some prerequisite Kung Fu knowledge, and you cannot understand a tome unless you have developed such prerequisite Kung Fu up to a designated level. You can use your new Kung Fu as soon as you have read and understood a tome. These Kung Fu techniques are usually an improved version of an already known prerequisite Kung Fu technique.
Training Kung Fu: Kung Fu learned from an NPC often requires you to first train to use it properly. Training is simulated as a minigame, of which there are two different types: one for Kung Fu techniques and one for Chi Kung techniques.
Kung Fu Training: When you learn a Kung Fu technique, you start out with Cheng 0 of that Kung Fu technique. Because you cannot use a Kung Fu technique of Cheng 0 in combat, you will need to raise its level through a training minigame, which is the only way to raise it to Cheng 1. You can train your Kung Fu techniques within training grounds located in each Clan's Stronghold or in front of each starter town's Martial Schools.
Chi Kung Training: As in Kung Fu techniques, you need to raise your newly learned Chi Kung technique to Cheng 1 through a training minigame. You can train your Chi Kung techniques within training grounds located in each Clan's Stronghold or in front of each starter town's Martial Schools.
Kung Fu Experience: You earn Kung Fu experience points each time you use the specified Kung Fu technique. With enough experience, you gain a new Cheng (level) of that Kung Fu technique, and you can extend your ability in that technique up to Cheng 10. Theoretically, you can develop a Kung Fu technique up to Cheng 12, exceeding the current growth limit of Cheng 10, by reading a Kung Fu tome.
Categories of Kung Fu: All Kung Fu techniques are classified by how you can use them. The categories are Active Techniques, Smashing Techniques, Charged Techniques, Finishing Techniques, Casting Techniques, Rounding Techniques, Channeling Techniques and Passive Techniques. Warriors and Holists favor Active, Smashing and Finishing Techniques, while Strategists and Chi Kung Artists prefer Casting, Rounding, Channeling and Passive Techniques.
