Kata

Sometimes called forms or drills, katas are extensions of combos. They are multiple attacks, or other actions, listed in a precise chain. Each attack, parry, et cetera must be listed explicitly. For example, a kata may be: attack with a sword, parry with a sword, attack a second foe with a dagger.

Subsequent moves after the initial action each gain an incremental +1 to initiative, and a further +1 that can be applied to any mechanic: parry, attack, damage, even another initiative bonus. Each action in a kata occurs in its normal initiative order, rather than all at once as with lightning strike or flurry; katas may extend over several rounds.

You cannot do two of the same actions in a row. That is, you cannot stab an opponent twice back-to-back. You have to mix it up with attacking another opponent (and this must be specified), use a different weapon, a parry, or some other action. Combos, such as a grab-attack, can be added into a kata.

Katas can be broken by an opponent who prevents you from completing the subsequent action. For example, if someone knows that you follow up a sword slash with an axe strike, they can break the kata by locking up your axe, or just by getting the Hells away. Taking a defensive action that is not part of the kata also breaks it. Parries, blocks, and dodges break a kata, unless they are built into it, making you have to start over. You can have a 'dead' parry—where you just swing a sword for no reason—if you built a parry into your kata but no one is attacking at that time.

The maximum number of parries (or blocks) in a kata is equal to the total number of parries you may make in a round, even for multi-round katas. Defensive acts must be specified in a combo. There is otherwise no theoretical limit to the maximum size of the kata stack, but you have to start over if it gets broken. You cannot start or resume a kata in the middle, no matter what.

The iterative bonuses can only be used for that action or later. For example, an attack-parry-attack kata can add +2 to the damage on the last attack, but not the first. Or, the bonus could go towards +1 on the parry and +1 on the second attack, but the parry could not instead get a +2 bonus. In other words, no front-loading of bonuses. For kata that carry over into multiple rounds, the initiative bonus can be used for subsequent rounds, provided the combo is still in progress.