Two Minds

Jing Chi

By deliberately separating the two parts of the soul, the martial artist is able to do two things at the same time. In some circumstances, the character can even be in two places at once! The Two Minds is based on the principle that the soul consists of two parts, the primary and the secondary minds.

The primary is the Hun, "Cloud Soul," which is analytical and contemplative - the human consciousness.

The secondary part is the Po, "Bone Soul," which is the instinctive, animalistic and aggressive aspect that acts on drives and desires rather than of thought.

Split apart, the two pieces are capable of acting independently, just as if the character were suddenly split into two minds.

One of the most common applications of Two Minds is splitting into two parts when in combat. One part (usually the Po) controls the body's combat actions, while the other part (generally the Hun), works on tactical problems, yells out commands, or engages in simultaneous Chi combat. The thing to bear in mind is that the two parts of the soul are anything but equal. Each is a distinct aspect of the character, each with different parts of the character's skills, strengths and weaknesses. Here are the respective abilities, and disabilities, of the Hun and the Po:

Hun Abilities: Speech, analytical thought, deductive reasoning, cunning, compassion, mathematics, map-reading and direction finding, manipulation of Chi, and NWP thinking skills. All the "smarts" of the character usually end up in the Hun.

Hun Inabilities: Combat, martial arts, Chi recharging or gathering, danger sense, artistic sense, taste, and smell. Frankly, the Hun is a clumsy being, barely capable of walking, much less fighting.

Po Abilities: Combat (the Po can fight with all bonuses, from attributes, physical skills and martial arts), Chi generation, and the senses of taste, scent, and esthetics.

Po Inabilities: Speech (in other words, the Po can't talk! It grunts, growls and shrieks like an animal), thinking skills, analytical thought/deduction, mathematics, Chi abilities, and control over emotions (very aggressive, extreme and reactionary, especial regarding feelings of anger, hate, and revenge. Thus the character may find it difficult to stop fighting or to show mercy).

In effect, in any given round while Two Minds is active, a martial artist may have two rounds - one for the combat side of their mind and one for the intellectual side. To initiate Two Minds, the martial artist must make both a Wisdom and a Constitution check. This occurs at the end of the round as it takes all actions for that round to initiate this power. Once intiated, the effect will last as long as half the martial artists levels, rounded down. Additionally, there is a 2% per round (cumulative) chance that the Po becomes enraged and lost. The martial artist will become immedaitly catatonic and is effectively physically dead until Po is returned. The martial artists mind, however, may continue to operate.