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The Demented One
2009-08-09, 10:21 PM
Five-Direction Style

In the First Age, scholars of martial arts were puzzled by what the called the Enigma of the Compass Styles. Five styles of Celestial martial arts, each one seemingly incomplete, had been independently created by five Exalts, each one a master of martial arts who had spent their entire life in a single direction. By all accounts, the styles were completely unique, independent of each other–but when the techniques were examined by the motonic sciences of the Twilights, or the astrological calculus of the Sidereals, the Charms of each style were found to be almost identical in their essence flows. A puzzling conundrum, but one that was abandoned by necessity as Creation fell into the chaos of the Usurpation.

It was not for a hundred years more that the enigma would be solved, and at the hands of a young Sidereal Exalt. He had mastered the five directional styles, not for any academic curiosity, but out of sheer pragmatism, mastering the techniques in an attempt at gaining an edge over his lover-rival with archaic and forgotten martial styles. As the two Sidereal lovers dueled, the Vizier had a flash of insight, as pure as starlight on his lover’s breasts. In a flare of blinding essence, he united the five styles in a single form, completing the Five-Direction Style of Celestial Martial Arts. He bested his lover, and the two of them founded a school to teach the newly-perfected style.

The Five-Direction Style treats all swords as form weapons, counting attacks made with them as unarmed. This includes all artifact versions of such weapons, such as the daiklave. The Five-Direction Style is fully compatible with armor.

Unyielding Mountain Stance
Cost: 1m
Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive (Step 10)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

When the mightiest winds blow from all four corners of Creation, do they sway the Imperial Mountain the least whit? Of course not! It’s tremendous! Centering his essence and assuming a low, wide stance, the martial artist becomes just as unmoving in the face of his foes. This Charm negates any effect that would cause knockback, knockdown, or that would otherwise move the martial artist (for example, being thrown by an enemy whose has successfully clinched them). This Charm is just as efficacious against Charms or other magical means that would cause such movement.

Helpless-Before-The-Avalanche Kata
Cost: 3m
Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive (Step 9)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Counterattack, Knockback
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Unyielding Mountain Stance

The foolish explorer’s footfalls loosen stone and upset elegant balances, calling down the doom of the mountain upon himself. As he falls beneath a cascade of boulders, who can he curse but himself? The martial artist invokes this kata after defending against a Melee or Martial Arts attack with his Parry DV. He makes an unarmed counterattack, but does not deal damage if his attack is successful–instead, he turns his foe’s force against him, throwing him (Strength + Martial Arts) yards away, plus one yard for each extra success. The enemy’s attack still resolves normally, but he is thrown back before he can make any more.

Center Mountain Form
Cost: 4m
Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Form-type, Obvious
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Helpless-Before-The-Avalanche Kata

With a supernally deep breath, the martial artist draws his living essence into his body’s core, causing the weakness of his flesh to recede from his skin and muscles. They become as living stone, as mighty and indestructible as the Imperial Mountain itself! The martial artist’s unarmed attacks deal lethal damage, and he may parry lethal attacks unarmed without a stunt. He adds an amount equal to his Martial Arts to his bashing and lethal soak. He also gains bashing and lethal hardness equal to his Martial Arts, which does not stack with hardness from armor.

Wind-Riding Meditation
Cost: 2m
Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: One action
Prerequisite Charms: None

The Northern winds fly above the earth, for they have no weight to drag down their essence. With a light step and a serene mind, the martial artist becomes feather-light, treading on the currents of the air. Until his next action, the martial artist may walk on air as if it were solid ground, moving across it with ease. However, he cannot dash or jump through the air–he glides through the air only as fast as he may walk. If he does not re-invoke this Charm on his next action, he falls to the ground.

When two martial artists use this Charm while fighting each other, the resonant essence allows both to tread on air effortlessly. As long as both martial artists actively fight each other and invoke this Charm, they may both maintain it indefinitely without having to re-invoke it or commit any motes. Mid-air duels between rivals or sworn enemies are a specialty of this style.

Thousand-Zephyr Prowess
Cost: 2m
Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive (Step 1)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Wind-Riding Meditation

The driving wind blows back all opposition, unhindered in its course. The breeze defies the leaf, the hurricane defies the fortress–and the martial artist defies all foes. Letting his essence surge through his body like the zephyr blowing down from the mountains of the North, he leaps forth in a whirling storm of steel. The martial artist ignores the DV penalty of his action, including the DV penalties from multiple actions if he chooses to flurry. In addition, if the martial artist flurries multiple unarmed attacks, he gains a +1 bonus to his Parry DV for every two unarmed attacks he makes, to a maximum bonus of (Martial Arts), until the next time his DV refreshes.

Northern Blizzard Form
Cost: 5m
Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Form-type
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Thousand-Zephyr Prowess

Breathing in and exhaling simultaneously, the martial artist stirs his essence into a whirling maelstrom. His every motion becomes a blur, essence inspiring supernal speed within his limbs. The martial artist’s unarmed attacks deal lethal damage, and he may parry lethal attacks unarmed without a stunt. He adds a value equal to half his Martial Arts to his Dodge DV.

Rising Cedars Leap
Cost: 1m
Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

In a hundred years, the giant cedars of the East grow from the smallest sprouts to towering trees, their boughs brushing against the sky. Channeling all of his essence into his right foot as he leaps, the martial artist bounds upward, rising up as if borne by a century-old cedar that sprung up in an instant. The martial artist may multiply the distance of a single jump by his Martial Arts, and cannot take any falling damage from the jump. The martial artist may also invoke this Charm while falling, to protect himself from harm.

Thorns-and-Ivy Blossoming
Cost: 6m
Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Crippling
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Rising Cedars Leap

In the Eastern jungles, wood essence is cultivated into ten thousand thousand poisons, flowing abundantly from leaf and root, thorn and ivy. Each one creeps insidiously through the veins of its victims, subverting the flows of their essence and crippling their bodies. With diligent study of these countless poisons, the martial artist may strike with his sword to maim his foe’s essence, mimicking the East’s venoms with the tip of his sword. This Charm enhances an unarmed Martial Arts attack, causing it to cripple its victim’s essence if it damages him. For the next (Martial Arts) actions, all Charms and spells the victim uses cost an additional mote of essence. The motes spent on this surcharge go towards the victim’s anima banner as if it were peripheral essence, regardless of which mote pool the victim pays it from.

Eastern Jungle Form
Cost: 5m
Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Form-type
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Thorns-and-Ivy Blossoming

With a frightful battle-shout whose reverberation resonates with the twenty-five major pressure points, the martial artist fractures his essence, severing the flow between the right half of his body and his left. This essential imbalance draws in motes as a tree’s roots draw in water, seeking to right the imbalance. The martial artist’s unarmed attacks deal lethal damage, and he may parry lethal attacks unarmed without a stunt. In addition, whenever a character within (Essence + Martial Arts) yards spends motes to invoke a Charm or cast a spell, the martial artist may reflexively reclaim one mote, breathing in the residual essence of the magic. The mote is added to his peripheral pool. The martial artist can never reclaim more than half his Essence in motes in a single action, and can never regain more than 20 motes in one action with any combination of Charms.

Crimson Flash Step
Cost: 5m
Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

Ceasing all breath, as if he were overcome by the heat of the Southern deserts, the martial artist forces his essence downward into his lowermost extremities. Down, down, down until it weighs on him like iron chains–and then, as he breathes in, his essence rebounds back into its rightful state, unleashing a burst of potent speed. The martial artist increases the distance he may cover by moving or dashing by (Martial Arts) yards. In addition, if he dashes, he moves so fast he seems to flicker and disappear. He may reflexively roll (Dexterity + Stealth) to establish surprise. Doing so requires no cover.

Hell-Graveyard Slash
Cost: 2m
Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 3
Type: Reflexive (Step 10)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Crippling, Stackable
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Crimson Flash Step

In the furthest wastelands of the South, men have fallen dead in the heat, their very blood boiling within their veins. This technique kills men with a method almost indistinguishable from such a death, striking so fast that the wound they deal cauterizes itself in seconds from the heat of their blow. Whenever the martial artist successfully inflicts lethal damage with an unarmed attack, he may invoke this Charm in Step 10 of attack resolution, inflicting a crippling effect called an artful wound. The artful wound causes the victim’s wound penalties to be increased by one in a specific context of the martial artist’s choice, in much the same way that a specialty adds a bonus to an Ability in a specific context. The artful wound’s scope is limited–it cannot apply to “attacks” or “dodging,” but an artful wound could impede “attacks with swords” or “dodging while in armor.” The artful wound lasts until the victim heals all their lethal wounds, although any effect that can heal a crippling effect can remove all artful wounds a character suffers from. The martial artist may inflict up to (Martial Arts) artful wounds on a foe at a time, and the penalties from each artful wound are cumulative.

Southern Desert Form
Cost: 5m
Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Form-type, Obvious
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Hell-Graveyard Slash

As the sun’s rays fall upon the Southern sands, they refract and rebound, casting a blinding glare across the whole of the desert. So to does a martial artist assuming this form refract and reflect his own essence outwards, causing rays of light to burst forth from his skin. When he strikes, the light shimmers across his blade, letting it slip through armor as if it were no more than a sunbeam itself. The martial artist’s unarmed attacks deal lethal damage, and he may parry lethal attacks unarmed without a stunt. Any unarmed attack he makes deals additional post-soak damage equal to half his Martial Arts.

Wave-Cresting Poise
Cost: 1m
Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: (Martial Arts) actions
Prerequisite Charms: None

Water flows. If it is poured into a vessel, it abandons its shape, fitting whatever it is placed into. If it is poured out upon the ground, it flows downward with the slope of the earth, without resistance or impediment. Embodying this, the martial artist attunes their essence to whatever they stand upon, causing it to perfectly match the motic nature of whatever they stride across. Thus it is that they may walk across anything–a loose scattering of leaves across a pit, quicksand, a tree’s boughs, a flowing river–with perfect balance, as if it were solid ground beneath their feet. They retain this perfect balance for (Martial Arts) actions, at the end of which they must re-invoke the Charm or lose its benefits.

When two martial artists use this Charm while fighting each other, the resonant essence allows both to maintain their balance effortlessly. As long as both martial artists actively fight each other and invoke this Charm, they may both maintain it indefinitely without having to re-invoke it or commit any motes. Rival Five-Direction masters have been known to duel on the boughs of cherry blossom trees, atop waves, or atop of armies.

Buried-Beneath-The-Waves Grip
Cost: 6m
Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive (Step 7)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Wave-Cresting Poise

Channeling the whole of his essence into the fingers of his left hand, the martial artist grips his blade with overwhelming force, causing it to strike a devastating-hammer blow. Whenever a martial artist successfully hits a foe with an unarmed attack, he may invoke this Charm to double the raw pre-soak damage of the attack. However, the extra damage is all bashing damage. The bashing damage is soaked separately from the attack's base damage, by the enemy's full bashing soak. Any tags that applied to the original attack, such as piercing or overwhelming, do not apply to the bashing damage.

Western Ocean Form
Cost: 6m
Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Form-type, Obvious
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Buried-Beneath-The-Waves Grip

Where all the waters of the West to be drawn up from the ocean and held aloft, as if by some all-mighty titan, the sheer weight of them would excel that of the Imperial Mountain, a force unstoppable by any thing in this world. Drawing his left arm back as if it were a wave receding, the martial artist suffuses it with essence, causing it to turn as dark as black jade. The martial artist’s unarmed attacks deal lethal damage, and he may parry lethal attacks unarmed without a stunt. In addition, whenever the martial artist rolls damage for an unarmed attack, he may count 10’s as two successes.

Five-Direction Form
Cost: 5m, 1wp
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Form-type, Obvious
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Center Mountain Form, Northern Blizzard Form, Eastern Jungle Form, Southern Desert Form, Western Ocean Form

Before the Primordials first wrought Creation from the inchoate chaos of the Wyld, they crafted the Compass of Terrestrial Directions, an artifact of unimaginable power. By the swaying, five-metal needle of the compass, they drew up a map of flawless accuracy and measure in a supreme act of cartography. So perfect was the aim of the Compass, so puissant its creators, that the map they drew became the thing mapped, birthing Creation from its five cardinal directions. When the martial artist enters the Five-Direction Form, displaying his ultimate mastery of the style, the flow of his essence throughout his body is not unlike the sway of the Compass’s needle–it traces out North, East, South, and West, before returning to the Center. The martial artist is perfectly aware of his location as long as he is within Creation, knowing exactly where he is in relation to its five elemental poles.

Invoking this form, the martial artist may choose any of this style’s other forms–Center Mountain, Northern Blizzard, Eastern Jungle, Southern Desert, or Western Ocean–and gain its benefits. The martial artist may reflexively spend two motes to change which form he gains the benefit of. He may do this no more than (Essence/2) times per action–for instance, an Essence 5 martial artist might spend two motes in Step 8 of attack resolution to enter the Southern Desert Form, making his attack piercing. In Step 10 of the same attack, he might enter Western Ocean Form, to gain its benefits on his damage roll. If he were attacked before his next action, he might change to Northern Blizzard Style in Step 2 to increase his Dodge DV. However, he could not then enter Center Mountain Form in Step 8 to boost his soak.

Finally, mastery of this style confers superior understanding of its lesser arts. While in this Form, the martial artist may invoke the Unyielding Mountain Stance, Wind-Riding Meditation, Rising Cedars Leap, Crimson Flash Step, or Wave-Cresting Poise Charms without it counting as Charm activation. He may only invoke one such Charm freely each action.

The Demented One
2009-08-10, 01:07 PM
Made a few edits.

All the forms: They're now just Simple actions at Speed 5, rather than Speed 3.

Wind-Riding Meditation and Wave-Cresting Poise: Gave them additional wuxia duel clauses.

Thousand-Zephyr Prowess: Added back in a DV boost.

Northern Blizzard Form: Halved the DV bonus.

Thorns-and-Ivy Blossoming: Took out the cumulative surcharge clause.

Crimson Flash Step: Made the concealment roll Stealth-based, rather than on MA.

Hell-Graveyard Slash: Upped the cost to 2m.

Southern Desert Form: Made it add post-soak damage, rather than the piercing tag.

Five-Direction Form: Upped cost of changing forms to 2m and restricted it to (Essence/2) times per action, only one free Charm invocation per action.

Justyn
2009-08-10, 02:43 PM
Five-Direction Form: Upped cost of changing forms to 2m and restricted it to (Essence/2) times per action, only one free Charm invocation per action.

I thought that that charm was a little powerful for what looks to be a Terrestrial Martial Arts style, even for a capstone charm.

The Demented One
2009-08-10, 03:01 PM
I thought that that charm was a little powerful for what looks to be a Terrestrial Martial Arts style, even for a capstone charm.
It's a Celestial Style.