#Footwork School Collection, 4 Kinds (First New Establishment)

Contents

The core's Footwork skill has no school at all. This expansion establishes 4 kinds for the first time. The core Licensed Gale Step (relocation +1, evasion +1) / secret art Willow-Water Kick (free withdrawal after a counter) is replaced by each school's new maneuver.

#§ Scent — The Hundred Branches of the Foot

A swordsman must master the feet before mastering the hands. If the feet are not good, no blade is of any use. Thus footwork is the deepest foundation of the martial arts — yet places that teach it separately in a dojo are rare.

#§ Law — 4 Schools

#16-01-01. Soft Footwork (柔步) — Famous School · Japan

The orthodox footwork of Sengoku-era warrior houses. Soft and without footsteps — taught together with Swordsmanship.

Bonus: warrior-house tradition — evasion check +1 when holding a Swordsmanship/Spearmanship License.
Restriction: city only — mountain/rough terrain -1.
Licensed: [stance] Soft Foot: Energy 1. during the stance, after relocating, +2 to enemy position-recognition checks (enemy sight -2).
Secret art: [Kata] Willow-Water Evasion: Energy 3. 1 round. immediately after being attacked, automatic evasion + free 1-zone withdrawal.
Approach: warrior-house origin or orthodox-dojo tutelage. Play type: evasion, stealthy relocation.

#16-01-02. Mountain Vigorous Step (山岳豪步) — Self-Taught Style · Japan/Joseon/Ming mountains

Footwork refined firsthand by mountain/rough-terrain-born hunters and mountain warriors. No dojo. True worth only in rough terrain.

Bonus: rough-terrain adaptation — in mountain/rough terrain, relocation -0 (penalty waived) + evasion +1.
Restriction: no flat-ground bonus.
Licensed: [stance] Mountain Stance: Energy 1. during the stance, rough-terrain relocation penalty waived. gripping and leaping are free.
Secret art: [Kata] Vigorous-Step Flight: Energy 3. 1 round. rough-terrain only. 3-zone relocation + pursuer Perception -3. (this expansion §5 Movement-Maneuver Balance — meets the 3 balance conditions of secret art + rough-terrain only + 1 round.)
Approach: Self-Taught Style — at least 5 sessions of mountain residence recommended. Play type: rough-terrain flight, mountain scouting.

#16-01-03. Desert Footstep (沙漠歩) — Foreign Style · Arab/Middle East

Cultural origin: the footwork of desert nomads. A light stride so the feet do not sink into the sand. A tradition of desert marching.

Bonus: desert adaptation — in the desert, relocation +1, Hardiness check waived.
Restriction: cold zone/wetland -1.
Licensed: [aptitude] Foot of Sand: in the desert, relocation +1, footprint traces -3 (hard to detect).
Secret art: [Kata] Desert Flight: Energy 3. 1 round. in the desert, 5-zone relocation + vanish from the pursuer's sight. after use, the next round's single-breath limit -2 (the cumulative fatigue of desert flight — the reinforcing penalty of this expansion §5 Movement-Maneuver Balance).
Approach: Arab/Middle-East-origin background, foreign Adaptation (Arab). Play type: desert marching, flight.

#16-01-04. Misty Mountain Vigorous Step (霧山豪步) — Secret Transmission · origin unknown

A secret footwork transmitted in mist-shrouded places within the mountains. The steps are like the mist and leave no trace.

Bonus: mist/smoke adaptation — in sight-restricted terrain, evasion +2, concealment +2.
Restriction: clear flat ground -1.
Licensed: [stance] Foot of Mist: Energy 2. during the stance, position recognition -3 in sight-restricted terrain.
Secret art: [Kata] Mist Phantom Strike: Energy 4. 1 round. sight-restricted only. after activation, vanish instantly from the enemy's sight (next round's tracking -4).
Approach: secret-transmission tutelage — narrative pursuit. Play type: mist/smoke stealth movement.

#§ Design Perspective

4-school distribution: famous 1 + secret transmission 1 + self-taught 1 + foreign 1 — a trial balance of the 4 types.
New Licensed/secret arts: since the core footwork has no school, new maneuvers are introduced directly. The base effect of the core footwork skill itself is preserved.
Environmental specialization: city, mountain, desert, mist — each of the 4 schools presupposes a different environment.
Coexistence with the core Gale Step/Willow-Water Kick: the core base effects remain as is. The schools are additional options.

"Before the hand grips the sword, the foot must first settle into place."