Trickery, fluid motion and irresistible waves of attacks are the secrets of this path.
All references to a rope in the schtick descriptions also applies to all types of flexible objects, such as pieces of cloth, sheets, whips, scarves, or even very long hair. If you lack any type of rope, you can use your clothes this way, but they will be ruined.
Water Stance
Fu: 1, Shot: 0
This is a combat stance, and is activated at the start of a Sequence, just after initiative is rolled. You can enter a stance as an action during a Sequence, but you can only do so when your shot is coming up. Stances stay in effect for one Sequence. Several stances can be combined. You can enter a stance in response to someone else's stance, so it may take a few moments for everyone to decide upon stances. You should describe how you dramatically shift into your stance, especially if you combine several stances.
You make your body soft and sinuous to overcome any obstruction penalties when lying prone, bound, in water or otherwise unable to move. Quicksand and insecure footing can also be mastered. Ignore such penalties or impairments. If you cannot move your limbs to use weapons, you can still tackle for Strength +0 damage as long as you have any freedom of movement at all.
When you are physically restrained, you take a penalty to most actions. Physical actions are penalized for obvious reasons, most social interaction is penalized because of your obvious disadvantage, and even mental and or technical tasks usually require freedom of movement to complete successfully. The GM may choose not to appy this impariment to certain taks, such as a Seduction stunt based on your state of helplessness.
For each limb that is bound, you take a one point of impariment. This assumes you still have some mobility, such as being handcuffed. If the limb is completely fixed, such as being nailed to the floor, the impariment is two points.
You cannot ignore wound penalties.
Water Stance allows you to use your MartialArts instead of Strength or Agility to escape holds, Web, Slime, Silk Bonds, PassiveWings: Beak of the Crane and similar entanglements. While thus held, you can still make the aforementioned body tackles for Strength damage, and you can start up Water Stance after being entangled.
Steel Cloth
Fu: 1, Shot: 3
A rope in your hands becomes as rigid as steel during this strike. This is a Martial Arts attack that does Strength +4 damage.
Silk Bonds
Fu: 2, Shot: 3
Use a rope to tie up an opponent in combat. A simple success entangles your opponent. Your target loses a number of shots equal to the Outcome. Now you stick together, and only the stronger of you can move, and only at half rate. Any further attacks or appropriate stunts you make against an entangled target get a bonus equal to the attack Outcome. If the Outcome of Silk Bonds matches the target's Agility, he is tied up and cannot move.
Severing the rope (any hit will do) frees your victim. He does not regain lost shots, but all other penalties from Silk Bonds cease. As long as you keep hold of the rope, you can use your MartialArts as the Dodge rating of the rope; you can make a separate Active Defense to protect both yourself and the rope. Shooters lacking CleanShot and attackers using blunt attacks that could not readily cut a rope suffer a -5 penalty in this situation.
Wave Mastery
Fu: 1, Shot: 0
Exercise perfect control over a rope, extending your reach out to your Fu in meters. This works as if you had longer arms, you can punch and do martial arts attacks with Wave Mastery instead of your fists. You cannot wield weapons, nor can you use Fu schticks that can only be used unarmed. You can grapple, snatch objects, tie the rope and do many other stunts. You can also try to hinder people from moving or actively defend anywhere in the area you can reach, just as if you were standing within arm's reach. You must pay the Fu cost for Wave Mastery for each such stunt you wish to make, in addition to the normal Fu and Shot cost of the action.
Maelstrom
Fu: 5, Shot: 3
Spin and twist around with a rope, forming a whirling zone of death. Make an Area Attack against all enemies within an area with a diameter equal to your Fu meters for Strength +4 damage.