Chi Burst* (5GP/3PP/S)
Cinematically: A character with this gimmick can focus his inner power to create devastating, close-ranged blasts of energy. This gimmick is similar to the Blast Attack gimmick, save that it has a range of within reach and relies on the character’s Brawling skill instead of his Firearms skill.

Mechanically: The character activates this gimmick during his turn and rolls a Brawling attack to strike an opponent or object within his reach. Defenders may attempt to dodge the attack, but parrying is totally ineffective unless an energy gimmick (like Barrier, Battle Aura, Blazing Sword, or Shield) currently protects the character.

If the attack is successful, it inflicts an amount of damage based on the Anime Realm and Anime Level. In Shojo series, the damage is six plus the Anime Level. In Shonen series, the damage is eight plus the Anime Level. In Sentai series, the damage is 10 plus the Anime Level. Additional damage from the Luck Die result always applies. An opponent struck by the attack may Resist normally. The character may attack multiple nearby opponents with his Chi Burst (provided that they are all in reach) by suffering the multiple action penalty.

The character may use Chi Burst when he has gained the advantage in a grapple. If the character grabs an opponent and wins the contested Strength check required to crush, pin, or slam him, he may immediately activate this gimmick to automatically strike the opponent with a Chi Burst in place of performing the crush, pin, or slam. The Chi Burst attack inflicts normal damage plus an additional 1d6 damage, rolled as a Luck Die of sorts. When the character uses Chi Burst against a grabbed opponent, he automatically releases the opponent and the two characters are no longer grappling. Refer to Minionomicon (p. 60) for more information about grabbing opponents.

Chi Burst may also be used for defense. Instead of being forced to dodge an incoming energy-based gimmick attack, the character may activate Chi Burst as an instant action and attempt to parry the attack using his Brawling Defense Total. If the parry is successful, the Chi Burst blocks the attack and the character suffers no damage. If the parry fails, the attack penetrates the Chi Burst, strikes the character, and inflicts damage normally. If the character is attacked by multiple energy-based gimmick attacks, he may activate Chi Burst multiple times to defend himself against those attacks. When activated as part of a defensive maneuver, Chi Burst counts against the character’s maximum number of gimmick activations allowed on his next turn.

Unlike Blast Attack and similar ranged, energy-based gimmick attacks (like Blast Attack, Minor Blast, and Variable Blast), Chi Burst may be used to block both energy-based ranged gimmick attacks and brawling and melee energy-based gimmick attacks (like strikes from a Blazing Sword, punches charged with a Battle Aura, and other Chi Bursts). Because Chi Burst is not a ranged attack, however, it can be blocked or parried only by other non-ranged energy-based gimmicks (like Barrier, Blazing Sword, Shield, and characters with active Battle Auras). As with other energy-based gimmicks, the Typed Attack gimmick can be added to Chi Burst, allowing the character to use the minor elemental powers granted by the Typed Attack gimmick.

Mecha: Mecha can purchase and use this gimmick as described above. Instead of inflicting Health Point damage, a mecha’s Chi Burst inflicts Structure Point Damage. The mecha (or the mecha pilot, if the mecha is non-sentient) uses its Mecha Fighting skill when it attacks with this gimmick.