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http://www.mtv.com/games/video_games/images/promoimages/p/playlists/jade_empire.jpg

Plot
Chapter 1: Two Rivers

The game casts you as a martial arts student under the tutelage of Master Li, head of the Two Rivers martial arts school, based in the in-game geographical locale of the Golden Delta.

The player's training is interrupted as the town of Two Rivers comes under attack from an aggressor in a strange ship, who summons ghosts to attack the student. The attacker is defeated by Master Li who comes to the students' rescue, and reveals that the attacker was a member of the Lotus Assassins, a mysterious force serving the Emperor of the Jade Empire. Gao the Lesser, a rival of the student, issues a challenge for a duel and loses. He is expelled from the school after he attempts to use explicitly forbidden magic on the student. Master Li explains that the student is the last of an order of Spirit Monks. He, a brother of the Emperor and leader of the army, had ordered an attack on Dirge, where the Spirt Monks' temple existed, in order to end the drought. He claimed to have opposed the act and to have saved the student and the Dragon's Amulet.

He sends the student down to a cave beneath the school where he finds part of a Spirit Monk amulet and has a vision of the Water Dragon, the entity whose death at the hands of the Emperor ended the decade-long Long Drought but left spirits roaming the land. Dawn Star, one of the students at the school and a friend of the player, is kidnapped by Gao The Lesser. The student rescues her but returns to find the village in flames, and Master Li kidnapped. The student, Dawn Star, and Sagacious Zu, a man whom they had met in the swamps around the village, head off in a borrowed flying machine towards the Imperial City, where Master Li has been taken.

Chapter 2: Tien's Landing

The party crash-lands their machine in Tien's Landing, and set out to find you a new flyer and a wind map that will show them the way to the Imperial City. The flyer, the Magnificent Dragonfly, is taken from the base of Gao the Greater, the father of the dead student of the first chapter. Gao the Greater is working with Grand Inquisitor Jia's elite subordinate, Inquisitor Lim, and is distressed to hear of his son's death. The player tracks down and kills him, and recruits Sky, a rogue, and Kang The Mad, Gao's personal engineer.

The party goes to a recently drained area near Tien's Landing, which flooded when the dam was first constructed. The Lotus Assassins opened the dam in order to search the ruins of the old Tien's Landing, covered by the flood. The student fights Chai Ka, a demon bound in the body of a little girl, and learns that Chai Kai was sent to protect the student and that the Lotus Assassins already have the amulet. The player then can close the dam or destroy the controls, keeping it open forever.

The student then heads to the Great Southern Forest, under the ownership of Lord Yun, and has the option of helping the Forest Shadow defeat a demon known as the Mother, or helping the Mother's cannibalistic demons destroy the Forest Shadow. In either event, the player can convince Lord Yun that the forest is recovering, and get his wind map. Inquisitor Lim will ambushes the player at this point; the player kills him and recovers a piece of the amulet.

Chapter 3: Imperial City

The party lands in Imperial City and meet up with Silk Fox, who is revealed to be Princess Lian the Heavenly Lily, daughter of the Emperor. She is unconvinced that her father is behind the sickness the plagues the land, and believes that Death's Hand, the black armor-clad head of the Lotus Assassins, is responsible. After joining either the Executioners or the Inquisitors, the student's party infiltrates the Lotus Assassin's training ground to recover the last part of the Spirit Monk amulet. Sagacious Zu reveals that he was one of the Lotus Assassins who killed Master Li's family. During their quest, the party helps Master Gang assassinate his superior, Master Shin, making it look like an accident, and puts a corrupted Spirit Shard into a Jade Golem, causing it to go out of control. The golems go out of control, damaging the underground complex. The party kills Master Gang. They also find Grand Inquisitor Jia, who reveals that the Emperor knew about what Death's Hand and the Lotus Assassins were doing, and ordered them to do it. The player kills her, but Death's Hand arrives. Sagacious Zu sacrifices himself to save the student, burying Death's Hand in rubble.

Chapter 4: Imperial Palace

The party fights their way to the Emperor's throne-room where Silk Fox learns of what her father has done. He is aware that the Water Dragon's death is stopping the dead from reaching the underworld but is mad with power. The Emperor knocks down all the people in the throne room with a blast of magic and summons guards to attack the student, who defeats them. The student battles the Emperor, who is able to alternate fighting styles and damage immunities. The student kills the Emperor, but Master Li gets up, takes the Jade Heart for himself, and kills the student.

Chapter 5: Spirit Monk Temple

The student wakes up in the underworld as a spirit. The Water Dragon reveals that Sun Li had planned this all along, as he wished for the Water Dragon's power and needed the amulet and to defeat Emperor Sun Hai. The student meets up with the spirit of Abbot Song, who tells him what truly happened at Dirge. He reveals that Sun Li wore Death's Hand's armor and killed the abbot when he tried to stop him and his brothers. The brothers defiled the fountains with human blood, weakening the Water Dragon, and Emperor Sun Hai killed Sun Kin when he and Sun Li attempted to oppose him. Abbot Song then reveals that one of his order attempted to escape with the student, but Sun Li, who had escaped from Sun Hai, killed the student's guardian and assumed his identity. The player and Abbot Song make their way through Dirge and learn that an evil being has taken control after the fall of the temple. The student reaches the place where the Water Dragon was slain, and defeats aspects of his darker emotions. The student then returns to life, and the rest of the party, who learns about this through Dawn Star, flies to Dirge to reunite with their friend.

Chapter 6: Defending the Temple

While the student was dead, Sun Li realized that action would have to be taken against him, and retrieved Death's Hand from the rubble of the Lotus Assassin headquarters. He then sends the Imperial Army against Dirge. Sky pretends to betray the group, and lures Death's Hand out so that the student can defeat him in single combat. However, this is not enough to defeat him; Death's Hand rises again, but the student uses the force of his will to expel Sun Li's influence. The player may then release Death's Hand, use him as a slave, or convince him to seek redemption.

Chapter 7: Back to the Palace

The party flies back to the palace to confront the Emperor. As they make their way through the palace they discover that the Emperor had stopped the drought by cutting open the Water Dragon's corpse and letting the water that flows from it feed the Empire. The student chooses either to destroy the Water Dragon's body, thus freeing her spirit and allowing the dead to find the underworld, or defiling the water to weaken the Dragon and claim her power after defeating the Emperor.

The student reaches Emperor Sun Li, who first sends Constructs of Bull and Elephant demons, the most powerful in the game, after the player and his companion. Sun Li then encases the student in stone and attempts to defeat the player with the force of his own doubt. However, if the student's companions survived, they will reduce the number of enemies that must be fought in each of the two stages. Sagacious Zu appears and helps free the student from his mind.

Emperor Sun Li offers to help his student live in legend forever, if he dies without fighting. If the player makes this decision, the student is remembered as a hero for knowing his place, as Sun Li looks on and laughs. If the player does not, Sun Li attacks, and the student defeats him.

Cont.

Endings
If the student chooses to free the Water Dragon's spirit, then the end sequence shows the people of the Jade Empire cheering the student and their party. If the student chooses to enslave the Water Dragon, the end sequence shows the Lotus Assassins kneeling at the feet of the student. After this end sequence, there are short text summaries detailing the fate of any characters who survived the adventure. These vary depending upon whether or not the student chose to enslave or free the Water Dragon, and also what romance options the student pursued.

Dawn Star: She either settles down with the student, settles down on her own, rules the empire with the student, or if the student talked her into a Closed Fist philosophy and/or abandoned her, wanders the Jade Empire alone.

Silk Fox: If the student does not romance Silk Fox, she will become Empress of the Jade Empire. If the student does romance Silk Fox and the student is male, the student and Silk Fox will rule the empire fairly, or with an iron fist. If the student is female, Silk Fox will either rule the empire fairly with her 'companion', or will again rule with an iron fist, both the student and Silk Fox dressing up in the Silk Fox costume to silence dissenters.

Sky: Sky will use the Guild for good purposes, or serve as the student's consort or as the new Death's Hand. If the student is female and romances with Sky, they leave the imperial city and live on the outskirts of Tien's Landing.

Black Whirlwind: Black Whirlwind will roam the empire cutting off heads, eventually making his way around the world.

Henpecked Hou: After a series of mishaps, he starts a delivery business, which he immediately uses as a method of escaping his overbearing wife.

Chai Ka: Chai Ka will either return to the heavens, freeing the girl whose body he inhabits to live her life. Or the girl will end up wandering the empire as a raving lunatic.

Ya Zhen: Ya Zhen will either serve the student until he or she passes away (resulting in him moving to bigger plans) or serve the student forever and loyally.

Death's Hand: Death's Hand will either become more evil, mutating so badly that his armor cannot hold his demonic form, or he will spend the rest of his days wandering the empire as a crusader for good, in order to make up for his past misdeeds.

Kang the Mad: Kang will continue to invent machines until an explosion appears to take his life, although strange machines continue to appear every now and then. Or as Lord Lao, Kang's lack of danger affects his imagination in building machines, so as a radical solution, Kang starts arming the mobs that are after him, or he works for the emperor(player), worrying his use will eventually be worn out and he will be disposed of, eventually crafting a portal to another dimension and disappearing in a huge explosion, taking an entire lake with him.

A third, alternate ending is available if the Student agrees to the terms of surrender presented by the main antagonist in the final confrontation. The ending sequence features a statue of the student being praised years later by a class of children with a skin condition similar to that of the Lotus Assassins. One child asks what life was like before the protagonist's honored sacrifice and is quickly shushed by his teacher as a Jade Golem readies an axe to quell such questioning. The sequence ends with the main antagonist laughing evilly.

Cont.
Martial Styles
............................................................................

Leaping Tiger: Medium speed, medium damage. Claws appear from your hands,yet it is not considered a weapons style. Buy it from Zin Bu or Darting Lynx.

Damage: 10HP(fast)/20HP(strong)

Legendary Strike: Medium-speed, medium damage. Classic punches and kicks, balanced no-frills posture. Buy it from Zin Bu or Spear Catches Leaves.

Damage: 10HP/30HP

Thousand Cuts: Fast speed, light hitting. You can hit your opponents so fast, they may not have a chance to attack. Buy it from Sweet Poison Lyn.

Damage: 7HP/32HP

White Demon: Slow speed, hard hitting. Use this style to pound your opponents head-on with no regards of dodging. Buy it from Zin Bu.

Damage: 20HP/30HP

Drunken Master: Slow speed, hardest hitting. Very slowly and clumsily fight your way through enemies. Only available when drinking Henpecked Hou's wine power-ups.

Damage: 30HP/60HP


Weapon Styles
............................................................................

Long Sword: The basic, balanced weapon. With medium range and medium damage it is a perfect weapon for beginners or those who rarely use weapon styles. You get it at the beginning of the game, as a choice between it or the staff/spade.

Types: Fortune's Favorite, Dragon Sword

Damage: 20HP/20HP

Staff: Basically, a staff. It has long range, but does not hit hard. It is for those who decide to use weapons styles more than average. Your first staff is given to you in the beginning of the game. It does not appear in the LE version.

Types: Golden Star, Tien's Justice, Flawless

Damage: 10HP/15HP

Dual Axes: Very strong but slow, short range and lots of focus. You get it if you allow Black Whirlwind to fight Kai Lan in your place at the arena.

Types: Tang's Vengeance

Damage: 20HP/30HP

Dual Swords: Very stylish, quick and medium strength. You win them in the Imperial Tournament if you can defeat Crimson Khana on your first try without poisoning her, and a more powerful set if you warn her about the plot to poison her.

Types: Eyes of the Dragon, Crimson Tears

Damage: 25HP/44HP

Mirabelle: The only long-range weapon in the game. This is a gun taken from the British outlander you'll meet in Chapter 3. It is the most powerful style in the game, but uses lots of focus and is slow. It is a choice among others if you can defeat the British outlander.

Types: Mirabelle

Damage: 80HP/125HP

Improvised Weaponry: Sometimes you may find a piece of a broken object as a weapon during combat. These weapons disappear when the battle is over. They appear like power-up orbs, similar to the wine power-ups that enable Drunken Master.

Types: Hams, Table Legs

Damage: 15HP/20HP




Magic Styles
............................................................................

Ice Shard: Water-elemental magic. It can freeze enemies in place for a short while. You are offered it as a choice between it and Dire Flame from the Water Dragon Goddess in Chapter 1, or buy it from Acoyltye Trainer Guang.

Damage: 10HP/0HP

Dire Flame: Fire-elemental magic. You can shoot fireballs and summon a fire dragon with the area attack. You are offered it as a choice between it and Ice Shard from the Water Dragon Goddess in Chapter 1, or buy it from Kia Jong.

Damage: 10HP/30HP

Tempest: Wind-elemental magic. You can stun and damage foes with its wind attacks. You must impress Jian the Iron Fist in Tien's Landing by being largely influenced by the ways of the Closed Fist to obtain it. It does more damage as your Closed Fist alignment increases.

Damage: 15HP/40HP

Stone Immortal: Earth-elemental magic. You can damage and repel enemies away with its earthquake attack. You must impress Mistress Yo in Tien's Landing by being largely influenced by the ways of the Open Palm to obtain it. It does more damage as your Open Palm alignment increases.

Damage: 15HP/40HP


Transformation Styles
............................................................................

Toad Demon: It moves slowly but hits hard, and can hit multiple enemies at once. It can also poison enemies. Defeat a Toad Demon in the Swamp to obtain it.

Damage: 35HP/55HP

Horse Demon: It movers a bit faster and does not hit as hard, however its attacks are fire-elemental charged. Defeat a Horse Demon in Heaven to obtain it.

Damage: 50HP/60HP

Jade Golem: It is very large, very slow and hits the hardest of the transformation styles. As a Golem you are immune to magic and martial styles. Defeat a Jade Golem in the Lotus Fortress to obtain it.

Damage: 60HP/100HP

Red Minister: It does not hit as hard as a normal transformation, but its attacks drain both Health and Chi from enemies. It is also immune to weapons and support styles. Defeat a Red Minister in Dirge to obtain it.

Damage: 30HP/60HP


Support Styles
............................................................................

Heavenly Wave: Attacks from this style slow down enemies' speed. A harmonic combo with this style creates a Health power-up. You start the game with this.

Spirit Thief: Attacks from this style steal Chi from the enemy and adds it to your's. You automatically get this style at the beginning of Chapter 2 in Tien's Landing from Hui the Brave.

Storm Dragon: Attacks from this style shocks and stuns enemies, including most bosses. Damage is also dealt to shocked enemies over time as if poisoned. Buy it from Storm Catches Leaf.

Paralyzing Palm: Attacks and area attacks from this style can paralyze enemies all around you. Obtain it by siding with Master Radiant in Black Leopard School.

Hidden Fist: Attacks from this style will paralyze and disorient your enemies. Harmonic combos will creat Chi power-ups. Obtain it by siding with Smiling Hawk in Black Leopard School.

Wtf?

That's a student? haermm

Nonetheless, me thinks that guy would wtfpwn Gouki.

In the start of the game, he was a student, so I went with that.

And yes he can beat Gouki.

Some Furious Ming Pics

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2006/131/918890_20060512_screen015.jpg
http://jade.bioware.com/_global/images/gallery/art_corner_furious_ming/jade_art_corner_ming_10_169x224.jpg
http://jade.bioware.com/fighting_styles/images/profile_parapalm.jpg
http://www.mtv.com/games/video_games/images/promoimages/p/playlists/jade_empire.jpg
Larger image of the one above:
http://bioware.vo.llnwd.net/o1/jadeempire/desktops/jade_empire_ming_wallpaper_1600x1200.jpg

I have this pic as my wallpaper.

Bump, show the Jade Empire badass some respect!

Show Gouki some respect!

????

Here's more in-depth look on Furious Ming's abilities:

THOUSAND CUTS -
The fast but low-damaging style. Although it means you have to hit an enemy
more times to knock them over permanently, it has the advantage of being fast
enough that you will generally land the first blow, interrupting your enemy
mid-strike. Being able to do this will save you a lot of pain. It should
also be noted that the Thousand Cut style has pretty poor range even for a
martial style - you have to be right up close to use it.

The animations of this style show lots of quick attacks with your fists.

Available from: the start of the game, Zin Bu, Sweet Poison Lynn


LEGENDARY STRIKE -
The balanced style, offering an equal mixture of power and speed. The range
on this martial style is also quite reasonable. This is a good all-purpose
style to use.

The animations for this style are based on kick attacks - the strong attack
is a jump kick that can send enemies flying!

Available from: the start of the game, Zin Bu


LEAPING TIGER -
This is a fast, low-damaging style, slower but more powerful than Thousand
Cuts Style; weaker but faster than Legendary Strike Style. Users of this
style see three prongs ('claws') grow out of the backs of their hands. The
range of this style is pretty good - you seem to move forward quite a bit
when using this style.

The animations for this style are based around the attacks with those
claws. A strong attack in this style sees a character leap into the air to
deliver a downward blow.

Available from: the start of the game, Zin Bu, the trainer in the Lotus
Assassin's fortress

WHITE DEMON - This is the slow and strong style. Attacks with this style
will do more damage, but your timing has to be good in order to avoid being
hit by opponents. Its range is okay, but not great.

The animations for this style are based around swinging fist attacks.

Available from: the start of the game, Zin Bu


DRUNKEN MASTER -
You can obtain the Drunken Master Style when you get Henpecked Hou as a
follower. By collecting the wine he throws to you in battle situations,
you will automatically start fighting in the Drunken Master style.
Although fun for a change, the Drunken Master martial style doesn't
seem to be that powerful - it's a moderate mix of power and speed. One
downside is that it has a timer - once the Wine timer (in the bottom left
of the screen) hits zero, you'll drop out of Drunken Master and into your
normal style.

The animations are the fun bit - you fight by punching, kicking and even
falling over! But once the novelty wears off, you probably won't use
Drunken Master that much.

Drunken Master style also overrides all your other style options, so
you can't switch from Drunken Master to (say) Dire Flame magic style
until Drunken Master wears off.

Available from: when you get Henpecked Hou as a follower in Chapter 2.
He's at the Inn in the forest.


MARTIAL STYLES YOU CAN'T LEARN -
There are a few martial styles used in "Jade Empire" that you can't
learn. I'm making up the names for these styles, but in short they are:

- a sloppy kicking style that is used by the untrained, eg peasants
and the magic-using cannibals. For sake of simplicity, I may refer to
enemies with this style as having Legendary Strike martial style, but
in reality, it is a much weaker version.

- Poison Snake martial style as used by the Lotus Assassins and people
trained by the Lotus Assassins. It does small amounts of immediate damage
but also poisons who it hits. The range and speed on this style is pretty
good.

- Monkey martial style as used by one of the Sung Brothers. It's a very
quick style that can do a lot of damage if you take all of the hits from
it's normal attack. Fortunately, it's range isn't that good, so use that
to your advantage.

2.5 WEAPON STYLES
-----------------
Weapons use up your focus every time you attack with them (which isn't
the same as every time you hit an enemy with them - if you swing and
miss, you will still lose focus!).


FORTUNE'S FAVOURITE -
The longsword. Out of your two starting selections it does more damage, but
it has a shorter reach and seems a bit slow (well, compared to Golden Star
anyway). It also seems to eat up more focus than Golden Star. Fortune's
Favourite is better than Golden Star for fighting groups, since it attacks
in a circular style and will keep you moving forward (which stops enemies
from sneaking up behind you).

Available from: Weapon Master Goujin - you get to choose either this or
Golden Star / Tien's Justice


GOLDEN STAR -
The staff. Has a longer reach than the alternative, but doesn't do that
much damage. Appears to require less focus than Fortune's Favourite.

This is the weapon I have had the most experience in (and it's successor,
Flawless). Although somewhat useful at first, you'll find that it doesn't
do enough damage to keep using frequently. You'll need a weapon to beat on
Golems, but having to just keep poke poke poking away at them with staffs
can get a bit boring, despite being a bit safer. As such, I recommend you
go with the longsword when you get the choice.

You can also play around with the two weapons by exchanging them at Weapon
Master Goujin's place and using Smiling Mountain's sparring practice
sessions. See which one suits you more.

Available from: Weapon Master Goujin - you get to choose either this or
Fortune's Favourite


TIEN'S JUSTICE -
The monk spade (which, honestly, just sounds dumb. Can you actually
imagine intimidating anyone by going, "I am a master of the monk spade!"?
Didn't think so. Makes you sound like a master of zen digging).

Haven't tried it out yet.

Available from: Weapon Master Goujin - you get to choose either this or
Fortune's Favourite *YOU MUST HAVE THE LIMITED EDITION OF "JADE
EMPIRE" TO GET THIS WEAPON - IT REPLACES GOLDEN STAR*


FLAWLESS -
The upgraded staff (25% increase over Golden Star). It has a longer
apparent reach, but all the flaws of the staff apply (ie less damage).
It also eats up focus more quickly than Golden Star, but by the time
you get it, you'll probably have enough focus that this isn't such a
big concern.

Available from: Merchant Shipeng in Tien's Landing once you've completed
the dam section or the Blacksmith in the Imperial City


DRAGON SWORD -
The upgraded longsword (25% increase over Fortune's Favourite). It does
more damage than Fortune's Favourite while also eating up a bit more
focus, but comes in very handy overall as a basic weapon style.

Available from: the Blacksmith in the Imperial City


EYES OF THE DRAGON -
The basic twin sabre style. It is more damaging than the first set
of weapons you have access to while also consuming more focus (but this
is less of a factor by the time you get it). Overall, it seems that
this weapon style is good versus single targets but poor versus groups,
given that it attacks in a very linear fashion. Also, you are pretty
much fixed to the spot when you attack with Eyes of the Dragon - you
don't move forward, which makes it easy from opponents to move around
behind you and land some attacks.

Available from: Crimson Khanna in the Arena. Just before you fight
her, you will be called in to talk to Lucky Cho and Sweet Poison Lynn.
They will offer to poison Khanna to make your fight easier. If you
decline their offer AND DO NOT tell Khanna about the plot, once you
beat her she will teach you this style.


CRIMSON TEARS -
The upgraded twin sabre style (25% damage increase over basic double
sabres style). Does more damage than the one-handed weapon styles
while also eating up a bit more focus. The speed on it seems pretty
good too - much faster than the one-handed styles. However, it's range
is pretty bad compared to other weapon styles - you don't move forward
much when attacking with Crimon Tears. It is good in attacking a
single target, but is a poor choice for taking on groups.

Available from: Crimson Khanna in the Arena. Just before you fight
her, you will be called in to talk to Lucky Cho and Sweet Poison Lynn.
They will offer to poison Khanna to make your fight easier. If you
decline their offer AND tell Khanna about the plot, once you beat her
she will teach you this style. You'll get Open Palm points for doing
this though, so all you Closed Fist people beware!


TANG'S VENGANCE -
The twin axe style, ala the Black Whirlwind. This style does a stack
of damage, but is slower than Crimson Tears weapon style. If you want
damage over speed, this is the style to go for as far as weapons are
concerned. However, it's range is pretty good - you move forward when
using this weapon style as you attack.

Available from: after defeating the Ravager in the Gold Arena Round.
once you get back in front of Qui the Promoter, you'll be awarded
this style. (Note - this can be before or after your decision to
fight Kai Lan the Serpent. If you choose to fight as the Black
Whirlwind, it will be after the battle.)


MIRABELLE -
The rifle (what the-?) style. The most damaging weapon style as well
as the slowest. It has no area attack and you can't dodge when it is
equipped, so the best idea in using this weapon style is to make sure
you are a good distance away from any enemies before you equip it and
switch to another style to dodge away from any attacks.

Attacking with this weapon makes you a stationary target which can
cause some problems. Also, it really, really eats into your focus.
Overall, I don't believe this weapon style is worth getting - have
Fontlebottom give you a technique that improves your stats instead.

Available from: Lord blah blah blah Fontlebottom in the Scholar's
Garden within the Imperial City. You'll get a quest to stop the
Outlander. If you beat him in a debate then a fight, you can
elect for him to give you his rifle (dubbed Mirabelle).




IMPROVISED WEAPONS -
By destroying certain items in a battle zone by dodging into them or
attacking them, you can reveal improvised weapon orbs. They don't appear
to be that common, but sometimes it can be worthwhile to get these orbs.
Improvised weapons can be quite powerful, but they only last for a short-ish
period. The improvised weapon styles are:

Leg of Ham - You pick up two legs of ham and hit enemies with them. Strong,
but slow and with limited range. Fighting with this weapon is like fighting
with Dual Sabres (ala Crimson Tears).

Leg of Table - You pick up some table legs. Faster than Leg of Ham and with
more range, fighting with this improvised weapon style is like fighting with
Dual Axes (ala Tang's Vengence).

Improvised weapon styles override your other style options, so you can't
switch from (say) Leg of Table to (say) Heavenly Wave until Leg of Table
wears off.

2.6 SUPPORT STYLES
------------------
The support styles do no direct damage (well, not until you've
upgraded them to allow chi attacks and then have Chi Strike on during a
fight) but alter the condition of an enemy, making the fight easier for
you. They can also be used to execute Harmonic Combos, which will leave
you with particular type of orb if you defeat an enemy by hitting them
with an applicable support style attack, then finishing them with a
martial style strong attack.


HEAVENLY WAVE -
The support style you start with. It slows enemies for a short while,
making your job in fighting them easier. As "Jade Empire" progresses,
you'll probably find other Support Styles are better than Heavenly Wave,
but it's fast enough and generally useful enough that you could probably
use it all the way through. The speed of Heavenly Wave is pretty good,
meaning you'll probably beat your opponent to the punch.

However, when it comes to using it for a harmonic combo, this is the worst
support style since enemies can still attack you during the crucial 'green
circle' period.

Strong Attack - you send out an beam of energy that hits enemies from quite
a reasonable distance.

Area Attack - you send out a bubble of energy that slows all enemies around
you that get hit.

Harmonic Combo - hit an enemy with the Heavenly Wave strong attack and then
finish them with a martial style strong attack to make the enemy leave behind
a health orb.

Available from: you start with it.


STORM DRAGON -
My preferred support style. An enemy hit with a Storm Dragon attack is
shocked, spending some time convulsing uncomtrollably. During this time,
there is a great opportunity to cause some pain with a martial style.

Strong Attack - you do a slow double-handed punch.

Area Attack - enemies a short distance away from you are struck by
lightning bolts, which shocks them.

Harmonic Combo - hit an enemy with the Storm Dragon area attack and then
hit them with a martial style strong attack to make them leave behind a
focus orb.

Available from: Spear Catches Leaf at the temple in the Sickened Forest or
Merchant Cheung in Tien's Landing. It's cheaper from the Merchant once you've
retrieved his statue from Tong, but you can only get it from the Merchant
Cheung once you've closed the dam.


PARALYSING PALM -
Enemies hit by this attack are paralysed (well, obviously). This gives
you some time to hit them with other damaging styles.

Strong Attack - You do a two-handed hit, paralysing the enemy.

Area Attack - You send out a circular wave of energy out with a decent
range, paralysing those around you.

Harmonic Combo - hit an enemy with the Paralysing Palm strong attack, then
a martial style strong attack.

Available from: Master Radiant of the Black Leopard School after you defeat
Master Smiling Hawk.


HIDDEN FIST -
Enemies hit by this support style are disorientated, meaning they can't
dodge, attack or block. This is pretty useful as a support style,
particularly since it is the area attack that causes a harmonic combo,
which makes it easier to land.

Strong Attack - You throw out a cloud of dust that covers a medium range.

Area Attack - Beams of energy come up from the ground and disorient
enemies for a reasonable distance around you.

Harmonic Combo - hit an enemy with the Hidden Fist area attack, then a
martial style strong attack to make them leave behind a chi orb.

Available from: Master Smiling Hawk of the Black Leopard School after you
defeat Master Radiant.

points on speed, duration and then chi damage in that order.

2.7 MAGIC STYLES
----------------
Magic styles allow you to perform ranged and area attacks at the cost of some
chi. Although less damaging that martial styles, the fact that you can hit
enemies at range can make them very handy to use. Also, since some enemies are
immune to martial styles and you might run out of focus, you can always use
magic styles (combined with Spirit Thief) to win the fight from this state.


ICE SHARD -
One of the two magic styles you can choose from the Blue Spirit. It sends
bolts of ice towards the enemy, doing moderate damage. Of more use can be
the strong (which freezes an enemy motionless) and area attacks (which slows
enemies in a snow storm, then drops a large chunk on ice on one of them) that
this style possesses. It's chi consumption is okay.

Strong Attack - Freezes an enemy for a short-ish time in a large ice crystal.

Area Attack - Slows all enemies around you in a snow storm, then drops a large
ice block on one of them.

Available from: the Blue Spirit after you get the amulet, Zin Bu, the trainer
in the Lotus Assassin's fortress


DIRE FLAME -
One of the two magic styles you can choose from the Blue Spirit. It sends
bolts of flame towards your enemy, doing moderate damage. The big weakness
of Dire Flame is its area attack - it is too slow to be effective and is
likely to see you have the snot kicked out of you while it goes into effect.

Strong Attack - A large bolt of flame flies at an opponent that explodes on
contact, doing damage to surrounding enemies

Area Attack - A dragon is summoned that breathes fire on enemies in front of
you, immolating (which does damage over time) them. Note: it's s-l-o-w

Available from: the Blue Spirit after you get the amulet, Zin Bu, the trainer
in the Lotus Assassin's fortress


TEMPEST -
One for the Closed Fist path. You use currents of air to attack your enemies.
It's fast and pretty damaging, but can eat up the chi pretty quickly. Most
useful is the area attack, which sees enemies hit by it raise into the air,
helpless as a pinata, ready for you to go in swinging. According to the in-
game information, the more Closed Fist you are, the better this style becomes.

Strong Attack - sends a concentrated missile that raises the target into the
air, leaving them helpless

Area Attack - surrounding enemies will be raised into the air, helpless to
stop your attacks

Harmonic Combo - hit an enemy with the Tempest strong attack, then a martial
style strong attack to make them leave behind a focus orb.

Available from: Jian the Iron Fist in Tien's Landing. Once you are about 75%
Closed Fist, talk to him about training. Once you've beaten him down to about
25% health, he'll give you this style. You can't get this style and Stone
Immortal.


STONE IMMORTAL
One for the Open Palm Path. With this style, you hit enemies with rocks, which
is better than it sounds. It is quite damaging, but also eats up the chi. The
strong attack in this style is very useful (it petrifies enemies) , but it
is questionable how useful the area attack is. According to the in-game
information, the more Open Palm you are, the better this style becomes.

Strong Attack - sends a bolt of stone that petrifies enemies for a short time

Area Attack - the ground surrounding you pulsates, knocking enemies to the
ground. I also assume that this does some damage, but if it does, it isn't
a lot.

Harmonic Combo - hit an enemy with the Stone Immortal strong attack, then
the martial strong attack to make them leave behind a .

Available from: Mistress Vo in Tien's Landing. Once you are about 75% Open
Palm, talk to her about training. Beat her down to about 25% health and
she'll give you this style. You can't get this style and Tempest.

2.8 TRANSFORMATION STYLES
-------------------------
Transformation styles tranform you into a powerful creature within the "Jade
Empire" world. Being in a transformed state drains chi, with the transformation
style lasting as long as you have chi to support it.


TOAD DEMON -
The first transformation style you get. Toad Demons are slow but powerful and
able to poison (some damage over time) the enemies it attacks. You will be
immune to magic and support styles while a Toad Demon. Also, you will be able
to shrug off some enemy attacks when you are attacking.

Strong Attack - You leap forward and lead with your belly. This poisons enemies.

Area Attack - A tongue lash attack that only hits enemies in front of you.

Available from: the caves when you go to rescue Dawn Star from Gao the
Lesser. You'll face a Toad Demon there - defeat it to get this style.


HORSE DEMON -
Horse Demons are quicker than Toad Demons, so that's a plus. Also, they have
a ranged attack as a strong attack that immolates enemies. You'll get the
demon bonuses of being immune to magic and support styles when a Horse Demon.
A neat touch they have is that any enemy who attacks them in melee will take
damage from their fires.

Strong Attack - Sends a fireball that damages and immolates its target.

Area Attack - You stomp the ground, from which a number of spikes emerge.

Available from: When in the Fox Spirit's heaven, when you defeat the Horse
Demons on the way up you'll get this style.


JADE GOLEM -
Big, powerful and slow. It eats up your chi quickly, but is immune to martial,
magic and support styles. As a Jade Golem, you won't get knocked out of
attacks when hit. This transformation style is one you want when you've got
a lot of enemies to clear out, especially if they don't have weapons.

Strong Attack - A big swing of your axe.

Area Attack - More swinging of the axes.

Available from: once you have created a Jade Golem in the Lotus Assassins's
fortress, you will have to fight some. Once they are defeated, you'll get
this tranformation style.


RED MINISTER -
A powerful ghost, the Red Minister is relatively quick and able to suck the
life out of its target from a distance. As a Red Minister, you will be immune
to weapon styles.

What makes Red Minister so powerful is that its normal attacks drain both life
and chi back to your character. This means, with a bit of care, you can
remain in Red Minister style indefinitely, provided you can keep the hits up.

Strong Attack - Sucks a homing ribbon of life energy from the target that
automatically comes to you. You don't need to aim to use this attack.

Area Attack - You spin and purple energy throws enemies away from you.

Available from: in Dirge, you will come across a Red Minister attempting
to get a powerful jewel. Kill him to get this style.




2.9 SPIRIT THIEF
----------------
This is a unique style. It's fast, it's range is pretty good (for a
non-weapon style) and although it deals no damage, it recharges your chi with
every successful hit. Since chi is essential to winning pretty much any fight
(through chi healing) this style almost always comes in useful. Although both
the strong and area attacks of Spirit Thief are useful, the best way to gain
chi is to use its normal attack.

If you use Chi Strike on Spirit Thief, it will do damage, but it won't recharge
your chi.

Strong Attack - You send out a missile that temporarily paralyses its target
and returns a homing ribbon of chi to you. The paralysis doesn't last that
long, however.

Area Attack - All enemies caught in the flash of this attack are thrown back
and release ribbons of chi energy that fly to you.

Available from: Hui the Brave in Tien's Landing. You'll get it once you've
beaten off the sailors that are attacking her.

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