Ok. I've got a level 2 Tao, and I wanted to get some feedback, since I'm not wholly familiar with optimizing as I'm sure this forum would be.

Class: Tao
Age: 16
Level: 2
Race: Human
Hair, Eyes: Gold/Purple
Devl. Points: 700

XP: = 100

Agi: 10
Con: 9
Dex: 10
Str: 8
Int: 5
Per: 9
Pow: 10
Wp: 9
App: 10

HP: 130 - 15 = 122
Presence: 35

Initiative: 20 + 30 + 10 + 20 = 80

Advantages/Disadvantages
Severe Phobia (Cats) : +1
Reduce Intelligence by 2: +1
Exclusive Weapon (Hand to Hand): +1
Ki Recovery: -2 (2nd dot at 2nd level)
Martial Mastery: -3
Aptitude (Athletics): -2
Ancient Blood (Free for story)

Attack: 80 (Base) + 15 (Dex) = 95
Dodge: 80 (base) + 15 (Agi) + 10 (Akido) + 20 (Velez) = 125

Martial Arts: Akido(10) + Kung Fu (20) + Tai Chi (20) + Velez (20)
MK: 250 (120 (martial training) + 70 (MA) + 60 (level))

Use of Ki (-40)
Ki Control (-30)
Weight Elimination (-10)
Flight(-20)
Presence Extrusion (-10)
Ki Transmission (-10)
Ki Healing (-10)
Physical Dominion (-10)
Physical Shield (-10)
Aura Extension (-10)
Increased Damage (-10)
Superior Healing (-10)

Ki Techniques:
Le Tige, The Stem (-20)
Les Feuilles, The Leaves (-30)

Total: (-250)

Ki: (30 DP on Ki)
(Ability) (Accu.) (Ki) (Actual)
Str: 8 1 8 8
Agi: 10 2 10 15
Dex: 10 2 10 15
Con: 9 1 9 9
Wp: 9 1 9 9
Pow: 10 2 10 15

Secondary Abilities:
Athletics:
Acrobatics (agi): 120 (base) + 15 (agi) + 30(Natural) = 165
Athleticism (Agi): 10(base) + 15 (agi) = 25
Climb (Agi): 10(base) + 15(Agi) = 25
Jump (Agi): 10(base) + 15 (agi) = 25
Swim (Agi): 10 (base) + 15 (Agi) = 25

Social:
Style (Pow): 20 (Base) + 15 (Pow) = 35

Creative:
Slight of Hand (Dex): 40(base) + 15(Dex) = 55

Weapon (HTH): Damage: 20, x2 POW Bonus: 30, Aura Extension: 10, Increased Damage: 10 Final Damage: 70

Armor:
Armored Longcoat: For: 10, Pres: 25, Sp: , Req: 0
Cut: 1, Imp: 0, Thr: 2, Heat: 1, Ele: 2, Cold: 2, Ene: 0

Circlet: For: 8, Pres: 15, Sp:, Req: 0
Cut: 2, Imp: 2, Thr: 1, Heat: 1, Ele: 1, Cold: 1, Ene: 0

Sorry, MK should be 230 out of 250. Saving up so I can pick up Les Epines (The Thorns), and Kempo next level.

Then pumping points to raise Ki in applicable stats for the next two levels, with a +1 pump into Power, and then ki accumulation where necessary. Ki multiplier costs are prohibitive at 15x point increase per stat.

you cannot take "Exclusive Weapon: Unarmed" if you want exclusive weapon for unarmed, it must be a single Martial Arts.

The person running the game felt that was a stupid interpretation, and so it doesn't work like that in the game. It defines longsword, or unarmed, or longbow, or one weapon. Yea. Not that canon interpretation.

in that case it makes it an unfair disadvantage for taos, kind of a free CP, because being unarmed means you cannot be disarmed, so it doesnt make it a disadvantage at all, unlike having a weapon as an exclusive weapon which can be disarmed or broken or stolen.

No, you misunderstand. They can just get another one, of the same type. It's not 'that' weapon. By the same interpritation, my characters hands could be cut off, grown anew, and not work. Only more so. And if they're that worried about getting disarmed, they can pick up the ki power to create a weapon from scratch of that type.

And by that I meant how it's being worked in the game, not canon ruling.

Also, any comment on this character riding POW up with every new CP? Or is there a better alternative?

just a question, are you only using the Core Book, or do you have access to any supplements like dominus exxet?

I have the Core book, the GM Toolkit, Gaia: Beyond Dreams part 1, Those That Walked Amonst Us part 1, and Dominus Exxet. Wasn't aware anything else had found its way into english.

so im guessing you are using the martial arts from the core book, because if you were using DE, some of the MA you have arent available at expert with your combat values (aikido expert requires 100 in attack and defense, while your attack is at 95) and kung fu expert requires 120 in attack and defense.

Yea. I'm not going to let an expansion set of rules that provide zero benefit, mug me for DP, and just set me further behind wizards. In my mind all the magic types should be equal, if focused on different areas. But really there's no reason to use those rules. They're just a hindrance until such a high level, that any added benefit is nominal at best. They shouldn't really be used under any circumstances, by anyone, for any reason. They were a waste of word count by the publishers. Dominus Exxet had value in the new maintenance rules, Ki and Nemesis abilities, and frankly any material that added to the playability of the game. The timetables for learning martial arts in it are worth ignoring, as are the time tables for learning techniques based on MK. As best I can tell they were placed in there so people would stop asking the writers about the time scales, and do what they should have done, and let them be acquired at whatever rate fits the story. From what I can tell they'd slow down a game dramatically, and the MA rules would basically cripple any MA user. The higher levels (which were the only benefits added) don't even come into availability until like level 14 to 20. As most games I've seen don't even go that long, this is about as bad a use of design space as I've seen since Exalted.

The book most strongly benefits technicians, but providing some cheaply maintainable effects for other classes that feel the need to invest in Ki (non-magic users) get some increased playability compared to people sporting The Gift and godlike super powers. The Ars Magnus seem fun, but for their cost they're a fairly straight forward balancing act between DP/MK invested and benefit received. So most gains are less mechanical than aesthetic, which is really what Anima is about. I mean it sells on its artwork alone before anyone even looks at the system.

As supplements go It's a fair purchase, and provides a lot of very useful ideas for ki techniques and their thematic position in the game. It also avoids massive power creep, which is good, since it mostly just better describes design space for the players and GM who wish to draft their own material.

well i understand you quite well, that's why my GM house ruled MA. he said to use Core book equivalent (expert level with basic requirements) and he allowed us to train Supreme.