Living Roots is an Earth Element technique. This technique requires that the user be in physical contact with the ground. It renders the user able to sense and interpret vibrations, such as those made by walking, allowing the user to make an Alertness roll even where a target is unavailable to conventional senses, or bonus to the Alertness roll. The target must also be touching the ground, and must be moving. If successful, the user learns (and can thence keep track of) the target’s position.
While the user remains motionless, the technique grants a flat bonus to Alertness equal to 3xEffect. While moving, this bonus is reduced to 1xEffect.
Note that if you are unaware of a target and it is outside the reach of your conventional senses (e.g. silent and in a different room), you will receive the bonus when rolling to detect it, but not the benefit of your normal Alertness dice.
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Gōketsu Hazō learned the technique as part of a reward on completing the Arikada capture mission.