Monks, Monks, Monks!

[Kyrrae L'minia]

See this is where I think people undercomplicate TP. I don't see TP as a 'well, we need some mechanic to control non-mages, so have a tp bar.' I see TP lore wise as physical exertion, or stamina. It makes sense. Use more powerful attacks? Use more TP. Running out of TP? Use Inivigorate. (not that I'm saying Invigorate itself is a lore skill, but rather just the idea of someone drawing on some source to invigorate themselves).

It seems to me that everything we're shown and taught lore wise seems to indicate that Chakra is used to distribute energy through your body to perform extraordinary feats of power. So 'to me' it seems like Chakra is not expended like mage spells, but rather just moving around power throughout your body, similar to the Eastern concept of Chi. Think of it as, if you could for an instant, transfer the power of your legs into your fist, and combine it with the energy there. Now just imagine if you had 7 seats of power in your body, how much power you could pack into that punch.

 

As to Chakra and opening it through pure discipline, so far we're not given a time frame, but remember, the point of the 2.0 questline is Widargelt trying to find ancient batttlefields so he can achieve the 'legendary' 7th Chakra. So if activating all 7 chakra through discipline alone is 'legendary' then, it stands to reason that it must usually take quite a long time to open even one Chakra. Unless of course the more Chakra you open, the more difficult it gets?

 

Anyway, I wouldn't get *too* set on our ideas besides the basics we know (that Chakra are points within the body that release power) we're about to get another questline for each job, each detailing more lore! Who knows that this could change/adjust how we see it! Ex. Forbidden Chakra, what is this?

 

EDIT: I just saw that the post above me more eloquently put what I was meaning to say, as in cycling the energy through the body. Looks like we're all on the same page.

[OttoVann]

I use invigorate as a skill because Otto draws aether from the ground. It works

[Sounsyy]

I'm looking at you Sounsyy, Berrod!

 

You all handled all the lore I would've thrown at you already. ^^ This was a very interesting discussion to read though. Think it all sounds pretty sound and in keeping with the limited amount of chakra lore. Perhaps we'll get more lore on the topic in 3.0 during the new job questlines. As I said, most of the following lore has already been put down and discussed but someone else had recently asked me about Chakra lore so I figured I'd post what MNK lore I had cited for him incase something was missed.

 

MNK and Chakra Lore

 

I assume the latter as Monk skills don't require MP to use... unless im' just not reading it right.

 

In regards to mechanics and MP use... I do just wanna throw in this tiny mindfeck. MNK abilities used to consume MP...

 

1.0

Converts your attacks into earth attacks and grants a bonus to physical defense. Effect fades upon reuse. MP is consumed while effect is active.

Converts your attacks into fire attacks and grants a bonus to attack power. Effect fades upon reuse. MP is consumed while effect is active.

Converts your attacks into wind attacks and grants a bonus to movement speed and weaponskill recast times. Effect ends upon reuse. MP is consumed while effect is active.

 

2.0 Beta - 2.1

 

 

dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnnnn WHAT DOES IT MEAAAN

lol

[Melkire]

That monks, by lore, use aether, even if the gameplay mechanics no longer reflect that? Akin to how conjurers should still be able to manipulate all elements including fire, ice, lightning, etc.

[Kellach Woods]

dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnnnn WHAT DOES IT MEAAAN

lol

 

That MP usage does not equate Aether usage and vice-versa.

 

C'mon Soun you should know this.

 

Also, wouldn't Silvertear Lake be a great place for Aether by virtue of it being the greatest battlefield around right after Carteneau (and even then - Louisoix's spell would have consumed some of it) regardless of its status as the recognized cradle of life - the site of Midgardsormr's defeat/the Agrias' final flight?

 

It'd be a sufficient battlefield to yield the 7th chakra.

[Kyrrae L'minia]

Aye, but once a source is used, then it cannot be used by any other for quite a long time. Do you really want to have *that* argument with another RP'er? 'I used it!' 'No I used it first!'

[Raelas]

So. Much. Info!

 

This is great! I think we've effectively hammered out every question I had.

 

My only real question left is how easy / difficult it is to open up your first chakra and what the effects of doing that might be on someone trained and someone untrained talented. Where this swell of aether might be and the difference it would have on a person who's never encountered it before.

 

I know it grants them additional power but how exactly? How does that translate outside of combat and training? How easy is it to put the lid back on it for everyday life? I saw a very interesting video about the Monk relic weapon Sphairai and its nods towards actually curbing their immense power and learning to strike with enough force needed and not obliterate their foes simply because they can.

 

I'm reminded of that one scene in DBZ where Goku and Gohan keep breaking glasses while holding them because they're constantly super saiyan.

[CrimsonMars]

Is there any lore on the whole Grease Lightning thing? Or is it just a game mechanic?

[Viola]

Is there any lore on the whole Grease Lightning thing? Or is it just a game mechanic?

 

I can't even remember, it's been that long since I played PGL, lol.

 

Chances are, greased lightning is both a mechanic and a way of the PGL/MNK getting "warmed up".

[Melkire]

Is there any lore on the whole Grease Lightning thing? Or is it just a game mechanic?

 

I can't even remember, it's been that long since I played PGL, lol.

 

Chances are, greased lightning is both a mechanic and a way of the PGL/MNK getting "warmed up".

 

There's lore. Hamon Holyfist actually refers to it by name in the PGL questline.

 

http://xivdb.com/?quest/66234/Burning-Up-the-Quarter-Malm

 

Lead in with a swift Bootshine combo! Keep your foe off balance with a True Strike! Then bring it home with a blistering Snap Punch! If you pull this off, you'll attain a heightened state of awareness called Greased Lightning. In this state, we pugilists can unleash more combinations, more swiftly.

 

...

 

Eh!? Y-You've already experienced Greased Lightning!? Crikey, , you're a natural at it, just like I was!

 

Not to brag, but I happen to be a veritable storm under Greased Lightning. I'd treat you to a demonstration here and now, except...

 

Then Chuchuto speaks up and interrupts.

[Kellach Woods]

It's one of the many reasons I hate that they translated it into that silly name, but y'know.

[Viola]

Is there any lore on the whole Grease Lightning thing? Or is it just a game mechanic?

 

I can't even remember, it's been that long since I played PGL, lol.

 

Chances are, greased lightning is both a mechanic and a way of the PGL/MNK getting "warmed up".

 

There's lore. Hamon Holyfist actually refers to it by name in the PGL questline.

 

Well, thanks for that.

 

It's still basically a MNK/PGL getting warmed up tho'

[Caspar]

It's a funny and goofy name probably because that's what Hamon calls it.

Still, I would probably be fine with people referring to it in more vague terms.

 

I've seen characters IC who have either opened their chakra unintentionally or were born with some limited control over one, so I figure it would be hard to train to open all of your chakra, but given the right circumstances a person with the necessary aptitude (prodigal skill, perhaps) would be able to do at least a little without training, on pure instinct, if they were in the right location at the right time. It seems to me like being able to fully release your innate potential, which is a pretty common motif for "internal techniques" in fiction.

 

As for how easy it is to put the lid back on, I say it's probably a matter of training and self-control.

 

Wiedargelt seemed to go power mad from all the force suddenly at his fingertips, and who could say how much of that was from the overwhelming force flowing through his fully-opened chakra? But he did not have the proper guidance of a master who'd already experienced this awakening. I personally interpret that as a personality problem rather than the chakras magically adjusting your personality; some people don't behave responsibly when given a ton of force. The chakras themselves, uh, presumably don't think... So it's up to the mentor to weed out people who don't deserve this sort of fully unlocked physical potential.

 

 

A lot of what I do with the monk-based aether is not that based in the lore though. My approach is heavily influenced by wuxia novels. I mean, I'm not going to go quite as wacky as some of them, where abstinence or becoming a eunuch boosts one's control of their chi, or reading a martial arts manual backwards causes incurable insanity. Were my character a Fist of Rhalgr, I'd follow it much more closely.

 

If Monks in the context of Eorzea are only those who learned the Fist of Rhalgr, then my character, for instance, is a Pugilist, but she fights totally differently and with much more blatantly supernatural power than the in-game Pugilist is portrayed as being capable of. If it's defined in membership, then she could be considered a Puglist as she trained there briefly. It really depends on how the actual Job/Class is considered to be perceived in game vs IC. I feel like Monk is a vague term that could apply to many different professions, even ignoring the obvious question of what monastic fighting style it could be applied to.

[Viola]

Unlike normal Monks (let's face, Memenu isn't "normal" by any means), Memenu's chakra points have been open since being summoned as a side-effect of both her aether and her conciousness taking control of her follower's body.

 

The problem with this amount of aether is that no matter how much the body is trained, it cannot contain it. It's too frail for the amount of aether needed to fight exceptionally powerful foes. I've been actually evolving this lately with tidbits around the forums about Memenu's current status, and no matter how "in-tune" her chakra is with her body's aether, the amount of aether already "under the hood" is far too much for the mortal flesh of a lalafell.

[Raelas]

Hm. So Greased Lightning is a lore thing. That'll be fun to play around with and there seem to be lots of ways to open up the first chakra so that's good also.

 

I suppose its all down to my approach now.

 

Hmmm... is there anything else? Hmmm...

 

-thinks-

[TheLastCandle]

It's one of the many reasons I hate that they translated it into that silly name, but y'know.

 

What was the original name in Japanese? I just assumed it to be a nod to Yuffie's Limit Break in FF7.

 

[Raelas]

It's one of the many reasons I hate that they translated it into that silly name, but y'know.

 

What was the original name in Japanese? I just assumed it to be a nod to Yuffie's Limit Break in FF7.

 

 

Wooooow! I forgot all about that Limit Break.