Developer Journal : Fighting Styles of the Black Clans

Lu-Lin  ( The Brotherhood of Thieves )

Lu-lin is the clan of mountain bandits. Since life was so dangerous in ancient China, becoming a bandit was a lifestyle that many took to. While it was not glamorous, it did offer the poorer people a chance of survival. The great fighting skills that were developed here came from much experience of mountain fighting. These are straightforward fighting skills. They did not believe in embellishing their skills with decoration. Lu-Lin is a hard and direct fighting style. The Lu-Lin believe in winning at all costs. They prefer to use raw power and savagery.

As you might expect in a mountain range, the weapons that the Lu-Lin favor are axes and spears. These developed out of the mountain man's standard working tools. Axes that started as simple tools for chopping wood soon became double edged weapons of great beauty and power. Spears that were simple hunting tools now became strengthened and developed for fighting at a safe distance from the enemy.

In 9Dragons, there are four classes of Lu-Lin - the warrior bandits, brigands, gold-rogues and Taishan bandits. Each of these has its own strengths and weaknesses.

i. Warrior bandits - These are some of the toughest men you will ever meet. They are skilled with the spear and the axe, and they use their physical strength and training to take the enemy down in a combat situation. They learn all the spear skills of Lu-Lin, and some of them develop skills for confusing their opponents, especially when they are in their home territory and can use local knowledge of the terrain to their advantage.

ii. Brigands - Brigands do not like to get too close to their enemies. They prefer to strike from a distance, particularly using the height of the mountains to their advantage. They are good at avoiding or absorbing enemy attacks and then striking back with long-range counter-attacks. As a fighting style, this requires patience and tenacity. The brigand does not seek to win with one clever strike, but will wear down his opponent and then finish him off with a killer blow.

iii. Gold-rogues - Rogues are often credited as being the only intelligent class in the Lu-Lin - especially by other rogues! This does not mean that they are weak, but they prefer to use their skills in a group situation. If the Lu-Lin are mounting an attack, they need to take rogues with them in the group. Rogues can heal and help other classes by improving their stats. They also get many skills that help them to protect themselves; a gold-rogue's first job is to look after himself!

iv. Taishan bandits - These are the all-rounders of the Lu-Lin. They excel at scouting off by themselves for long periods of time. They are the loners of the bandit clan. Even for a Lu-Lin, they are very untrusting of others, even though they know how to look after themselves. They use axes for close-range combat and can concentrate their chi for long-range. Being essentially loners, they have also learned to heal themselves.

Mi-Gong  (Sacred Flower)

The Mi-Gong were a race of warrior women. They trained in the deadly arts of assassination, using their beauty and femininity to get close to their targets. They use their skills for evil, and because they were, in history, an exclusively female clan, anyone wishing to play this clan must take a female character. Once again, this shows the attention to detail that has gone into creating 9Dragons. 

Storm demons - These are masters of inner spirit skills. They use 'Iron demon' protective skills and 'Gold demon' long-range chi attacks. They are relatively weak in close combat, but never plan to get in that close anyway!

Mi-Gong fighting skills are based on the concept of "circles" and "changes". They have cunning minds, and are willing to be patient in a fight. This gives them an advantage against weak-minded or impatient opponents. Overall, their skills require less internal chi strength to generate power than other styles. Mi-Gong can use special mind controlling skills such as seduction. Daggers and flying wheels are the main weapons of the Mi-Gong. As assassins, they prefer weapons that can be hidden or disguised as harmless everyday objects. Players can train their skills in accordance with the weapons they choose.

There are four types of Mi-Gong assassin - Mistress of war, Mistress of spirit, Mistress of heaven and Mistress of cloud... beautiful names hiding a very deadly intent.

i. Mistress of war - As you would expect from the name, Mistress of war is a very belligerent class! They like to get very up close and personal. They prefer to use flying wheels from a very close range to literally slice up their opponents. Not only are they deadly in close range combat, but they can also use a few mind control skills as disciples of Mi-Gong.

ii. Mistress of spirit - Watch out for these ladies because they're great at mind control skills. They can use their chi powers to deal long-range attacks. But in contrast to their high inner strength, they are physically relatively weak. Not that that stops them from dominating all around them!

iii. Mistress of heaven - They're the most intelligent and considerate disciples of Mi-Gong. They use their skills to help other disciples. They are adept at healing and increasing other people's attacks. But don't mistake gentleness for weakness! Their dagger skills are legendary, and many an opponent, thinking the battle won, has found a black dagger sticking out of his heart!

iv. Mistress of cloud - The Mistresses of cloud tend to be the scouts of the Mi-Gong. Their skills cover all aspects of Mi-Gong fighting skills, and this generalist nature allows them to explore strange environments by themselves. While not as individually skilled as any of the other types, they can learn dagger fighting, healing, mind controlling and long-range skills. However, they need to choose their skills carefully because they are seeking to balance the entire spectrum of Mi-Gong abilities.

Mo-Jiao (Heavenly Demon)

These are the counterparts of the Wu-Tang; both have chosen to be weapons masters. The Mo-Jiao are also called the Disciples of Evil. They prefer to use the brutal broadsword, with its heavy blade and razor sharp edge. Their style is fast, simple and fatal. The Mo-Jiao believe in the motto that the best form of defense is attack. In fact, they don't care much about defense. They prefer to rely on a strong and brutal attack. As they develop their skills, even normal broadsword fighting skills can have evil chi effects, adding to the potency of their attacks.

There are four types of Mo-Jiao - Blood demons, Storm demons, Phantom demons and Flame demons.

i. Blood demons - These are the spearhead of the Mo-Jiao fighting force. They are truly fearless, and will attack without hesitation. They are masters of the broadsword and gain special skills such as 'Heavenly demon sword' and 'Infernal sword'.

ii. Storm demons - These are masters of inner spirit skills. They use 'Iron demon' protective skills and 'Gold demon' long-range chi attacks. They are relatively weak in close combat, but never plan to get in that close anyway!

iii. Phantom demons - They have unique evil skills that can absorb opponents' inner power or chi. They are also trained in 'Blood demon' fist fighting skills.

iv. Flame demons - They learn all Mo-Jiao clan skills including sword fighting, but as generalists, they can never attain the same level of mastery as the other types.