Kale Fangblade
2010-11-07, 01:05 AM
About a year ago now I was introduced to the various games produced by White Wolf, I quickly devoured a lot of the lore for its game lines. When I was introduced to Exalted it was the supernatural martial arts in particular that captured my imagination. Inspired in part by a particular scene from the webcomic Keychain of Creation, (as well as various other sources including another martial art created by Thundaka) and also by the desire to keep myself (relatively) sane during the long summer I decided to write my own Sidereal Martial Art. Its theme was the manipulation of Time and Space.
After a friend of mine looked over it and made a few corrections and gave me some advice, he suggested that I put it up here. So I the community this in tribute of everything and everyone that has inspired me so far, and in hopes of getting some feedback / suggestions for improvement.
Design Notes: I've specifically refrained from creating any charms that offer any capability of actual travel in time because actually time travel is far too complicated and painful to translate into mechanics and near impossible to apply any form of balance to.
Shifting Sands of Reality Style
Shifting Sands of Reality Style
Shifting Sands of Reality Style is a rare and almost forgotten Sidereal Martial Art; unlike its sister Martial Arts, Shifting Sands of Reality focuses on bending and manipulating the elements of space and time to its user’s whims. The style was believed to have been developed in the untold years of the Primordial War by the Sidereal Sa’vor, the so called ‘The Bloody Hand of Mars’. Its techniques and training regime are so exacting and rigorous even by the standards of Sidereal Martial arts that its practice was rare during the first age, but one mistake in the flow of essence, positioning, or katas and the user can suffer horrific backlash as time and space snap back into place. As such its charms were known only to a handful of Sidereals during that golden period, and perhaps a mere tenth of that number ever truly mastered the style.
In the Age of Sorrows, this Martial Art is all but gone, as few of the newer generations of sidereal possess the raw potential, experience or discipline required to master the art. Further, those few remaining individuals jealously guard its secrets and teachings, lest it be used against them. Two particularly well known practitioners are Nemen Yi and Koshi Takhata.
Form Weapons - The Katas and Sutras of Shifting Sands of Reality style use fast, elegant slashing movements that pierce and shape the strands of time and fate, slipping between the gaps of its weave. As such, this martial art can be performed when using single edged bladed weapons, the lighter the better; as such the following weapons are considered unarmed attacks when used with this form: Slashing Swords, Hooked Swords and Knives as well as their artefact equivalents. There also exists an unconventional school of the style that utilises Scythes with the motions of this style due to their symbolic nature with regards to the finality of time and its passage.
This style and its charms may not be performed in armour.
The Students Sutra of Prescience - Once, there were two Maidens …
Broken Perspective Strike
Cost: 5m, Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5
Type: Simple (speed 3)
Keywords: Combo-Ok,
Duration: Instantaneous
Prerequisite Charms: None
… Ones touch could reach the horizon …
The first thing the Martial Artist learns is that space itself is an illusion, as such, by bending it to his whim he makes distance irrelevant, meaning that no foe is out of his reach.
By supplementing an attack with this charm, the user may target and strike any opponent that he can perceive within ((Essence + Martial Arts) x2) yard without appearing to move at all. To the target, it seems as if they are being struck by an invisible adversary as the attacks ripple through the air before them. The target must succeed on a (Wits + Awareness) roll or treat the attacks as unexpected.
Phase Shift Practice
Cost: 10m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5
Type: Reflexive (Step 1 or 2)
Keywords: Combo Ok, Obvious
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Broken Perspective Strike
… but those who reached for her….
Performing a shifting, distorted series of movements the Martial Artist allows himself to step between the boundaries of physical reality and the immaterial as easily as a mortal would step through a door way. This Charm allows the Sidereal to dematerialise and dematerialise at will for the rest of the scene, as if he were a spirit, though each shift costs only one mote. It also allows her to detect immaterial beings with all senses for the duration even while material.
Further, she may reflexively dematerialise in step 2 of attack resolution, if the attack (or the attacker) cannot affect immaterial beings the attack (or attacks) automatically fail.
At Essence 6, the Sidereal may take this understanding further, by spending two motes she may materialise only a part of he body (or her weapon) allowing her to make an unarmed attack that damages her opponent from the inside. Without the ability to perceive immaterial beings, such attacks are automatically unexpected and can only be parried with a weapon or charm that defends against immaterial attacks, further, they ignore armour completely (unless it is made of a magical material, in which case the attack is only piercing).
She gains the same benefit against dematerialised beings while material, except that they remain aware of the attack.
Spatial Redirection Prana
Cost: 5m, 1wp Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5,
Type: Reflexive (Step 1 or 2)
Keywords: Obvious, Combo-Ok
Duration: Instantaneous
Prerequisite Charms: Phase Shift Practice
… found they only touched themselves.
At this level of understanding, The Martial Artist may apply their understanding of the fallacy that is space and location not only to the practice of offence but also to their defence. By bending the space around them and blending it with that of another opponent, the user may redirect attacks meant for him and turn his enemy’s strength against them.
This charm functions as a Perfect Parry with the normal restrictions and flaws of invulnerability, except rather than completely diffusing the attack against him; the user instead redirects it towards another opponent (or ally) he chooses (which may even be the originator of the attack). Afterwards the attack is resolved as normal.
Time Stands Still Approach
Cost: 10m+, 1wp, Mins: Martial Arts 6, Essence 6
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Obvious
Duration: (Martial Arts) Actions
Pre-requisite Charms: none
The other could move beyond the sands …
The Martial Artist learns that Time is a matter of perception, this perception may be altered through the application of the correct forms and essence flows. Performing a series of rapid, ephemeral motions, the users may aid and ease his passage through the flow of time, accelerating his movements while appearing to slow the rest of the world.
For the rest of the Charm, the speeds of the Martial Artists actions are reduced by one (to a minimum of three). The Martial Artist may also reflexively spend motes to increase his dodge and parry DV’s on a one for one basis.
Temporal Shift Kata
Cost: 10m, Mins: Martial Arts 6, Essence 6
Type: Reflexive (Step 1 or 2)
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Obvious
… outrunning her own shadow
Upon learning this Kata, the Martial Artist learns that time is something of a river, flowing inexorably forwards, he learns that by altering his flow of essence he can allow the currents of this river to buoy him forwards or even take slight steps backwards and as such escape harm completely.
This charm is activated in response to an attack, causing the user to flicker forward or backwards in time briefly, this functions as a Perfect Dodge, except that the dodge lasts for a single tick, however, if the effect that would have struck the Sidereal continues longer than one tick the Sidereal may still be effected upon reappearing, this functions as its own special flaw of invulnerability.
Precognisant Retaliation
Cost: 12m, 1wp, Mins: Martial arts 6, Essence 6
Type: Reflexive, Counter Attack
Keywords: Combo-ok, Obvious
Duration: Instantaneous
Prerequisite charms: Temporal Shift Kata, Spatial Redirection Prana,
… and striking before it knew she was there.
By opening her eyes to the illusion of time, and the flexibility of its passage, the student begins to hear the whispering thrum of the threads of fate and catch glimpses of her opponent’s actions mere moments before they happen. Acting upon this insight, The Sidereal may take advantage of the most infinitesimal openings in her opponent’s defences and strike a devastating pre-emptive blow.
This Charm functions exactly like a normal counter attack, except, that it is resolve before the opponents attack and is considered undodgeable, unblockable and unexpected.
Through the Looking Glass
Cost: 15m, 1wp, Mins: Martial Arts 7, Essence 7
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Precognisant Retaliation, Spatial Redirection Prana
The Maidens met between the moments and the horizon…
The Sidereal has learned to pierce the veils of space and time, instead seeing the underlying patterns that link and bind them. She learns now how to perceive creation in a similar manner to the maidens.
By activating this Charm, the Sidereal becomes aware of the presence of all beings within (Essence) miles of her. By following the vibration of these threads, she may locate specific individuals familiar to her in that range through a successful (Perception + Awareness) roll, at a difficulty equal to the total Magnitude of the population within that range. If the target is an Essence-Wielder, add their Essence in automatic successes to the roll. As a benefit of this state, attacks made against her are never unexpected.
Shifting Sands of Reality Form
Cost: 20m, 1wp Mins: Martial Arts 7, Essence 7
Type: Simple
Keywords: Form-type, Obvious
Duration: One Scene
Pre-requisite Charms: Through the Looking Glass
…and realised they were one and the same.
The Sidereal’s mastery of Space and Time are expressed through the shifting, ephemeral grace of the form. Performing a quick series of Kata’s and shaping her essence, the Sidereal begins to flicker in and out of perception, her movements absurdly fast and almost impossible to predict.
For the rest of the Scene, the Sidereal adds half her essence to her Dodge and Parry DV’s, her body simply disappearing from assaults and her weapons parrying at impossible angles. She also reduces the speed of all her actions by one (this stacks with Time Stands Still Approach and similar effects) to a minimum of 3, and multiplies her movement and dash speed by half her essence. Activations of Spatial Redirection Prana, Phase Shift Practice and Temporal Shift Kata become natural and by reflexively spending 1 mote she teleport up to her dash speed multiplied by her (Essence) in yards so long as she can see the destination. By instead spending 5 motes, she may teleport anywhere she can effectively perceive.
Spatial Ripple Strike
Cost: 10m, 1wp, Mins: Martial Arts 7, Essence 7
Type: Reflexive (step 1)
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Obvious
Duration: Instantaneous
Pre-requisite Charms: Shifting Sands of Reality Form
The Elder Sutra of Awakening - The Twofold Maiden realised her fate …
The Sidereal learns to bend, twist and manipulate space beyond her previous limitations, the breaking of position and distance can now be wielded against multiple opponents simultaneously as she rises above their petty artificial constraints. The Sidereal is able to be everywhere, and yet nowhere for a brief second.
This Charm supplements the Sidereals unarmed attack, causing it to target everyone within (Martial Arts x 5) Yards that the Sidereal specifies. She makes a single attack roll against all opponents, and may flurry her attacks as usual. The actual visual nature of the effect depends on the Martial Artist in question, some appear to actually attack each of them individually in the blink of an eye and usually at the same time, making it unclear whether she actually is everywhere at once or simply moves too fast for the eye to follow. Others simply seem to strike the air before them, or place their hands in their pockets, their opponents struck by invisible blows. As a side effect, the Sidereal may reappear anywhere within that range as a move ation.
The Sidereal may be attacked on the tick she makes an attack, and remains vulnerable to contact damage and counterattacks as normal, but she may otherwise avoid any avoid any attacks that do not affect the entire area by beginning the tick with a move action.
When used in conjunction with an attack with the Touch keyword, the charm still can only target one individual at a time.
Unrelenting Passage of Years Approach
Cost: 12m Mins: Martial Arts 7, Essence 8
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Duration: (Martial Arts) Actions
Pre-requisite Charms: Shifting Sands of Reality Form
… she could not stall the march of time …
With advancing understanding of the ability to manipulate the flow of time, the Sidereal now learns to turn these manipulations against her foes by supplementing her blows and attacks with temporal essence. With each strike, temporal essence flows into the target, causing her form to become wracked with age or even cause it to progress backwards in time into adolescence and infancy.
This Charm supplements the Sidereal’s Martial Arts attacks, for it to take effect she only needs to brush or touch her opponent (so long as the attack hits), causing the withering curse to take effect. The Sidereal rolls (Martial Arts) + (Essence) opposed by the subjects (Stamina) + (Essence), if the subject fails they suffers a cumulative -1 internal penalty on all physical and mental actions, as the passage of time unnatural robs even the exalted of their youth and nigh-immortality. Spirits, Demons, Undead and Ghosts are immune to these effects, as either their forms don’t age, they have none or ageing will have no effect.
This penalty is reduced and healed at the same rate as ability and virtue damage, as the Loom of Fate and its tireless legions works to reassert the proper nature of things.
Unlike many Sidereal Charms, this particular charm has a tendency to cause snarls and tears in the loom of fate. As such, the Bureau of Destiny (and the Pattern Spiders in particular) tends to frown on individuals who use this charm frivolously and Sidereals who fail to heed this warning have been known to face Celestial Audits.
Thousand Fold Legion Riposte
Cost: 17m 1wp, Mins: Martial Arts 8, Essence 8
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Flurry
Duration: Instantaneous
Pre-requisite Charms: Spatial Ripple Strike, Unrelenting Passage of Years Approach
and fell beneath the passing years ..
Combining advanced Spatial manipulation with Temporal acceleration the Sidereal may unleash a near invisible storm of attacks that outpace an entire legion of soldiers, and leave similar devastation in their wake.
This charm counts as a magical flurry, granting (Essence + Martial Arts) Attacks that ignore the usual restrictions on rate, suffer no multiple action penalty to their pools and further inflict an onslaught penalty equal to the number of attacks that hit +2 to the opponents DVs, the draw back however is that the user suffers a penalty to her own DVs equal to half the number of attacks she unleashed. These attacks may be divided among multiple targets as normal.
Ashes to Ashes
Cost: 20m, 1wp, Mins: Martial Arts 8, Essence 9
Type: Simple
Keywords: Shaping
Duration: (Martial Arts) Actions
Prerequisite Charms: Thousand Fold Legion Riposte
With her final breath …
The Sidereal rapidly strikes the air about their opponent, this spatial attack twists and shapes reality causing the opponent to occupy the same position in space as the most lethal locations that the sidereal can imagine: The white hot flames of the elemental pole of fire that vaporise metals, a howling wasteland in the north where the very air freezes solid, the darkest depths of the ocean, crushing vortexes of essence etc.
For the duration, the opponent must make a (Stamina) + (Resistance) roll against an environmental danger that deals unsoakable lethal damage equal to the Sidereal’s essence, a trauma of half that number (rounded down) and an interval of each action, each success beyond the first reduces the die of damage dealt by one.
Dust to Dust
Cost: 20m, 1wp Mins: Martial Arts 8, Essence 9
Type: Simple
Keywords: Shaping, Combo Ok
Duration: (Martial Arts) Actions
Prerequisite Charms: Thousand Fold Legion Riposte
…. she said to her shadow…
With a series of rapid gestures the Sidereal cuts and warps time and imbues it with her essence and vicious will, concentrating it into the palm of his hand. Upon striking an opponent, or even so much as brushing their skin, the Sidereal may unleash this pent up energy upon her opponent in a deadly backlash that sends ripples across time in the area. Before her very eyes, her opponent ages decades and even centuries every moment, flesh, bone and equipment aging, rotting, degrading and eventually disintegrating into a fine grey dust.
This charm supplements a normal unarmed attack so long as the attack hits the Sidereal may release the curse, from the duration, the subject rolls (Stamina) + (Essence) against the Sidereals (Martial Arts) + (Essence). For each success that the Sidereal scores above her opponent, the opponent suffers a point of unsoakable bashing damage. The duration of this charm may only be ended by the Sidereal releasing the curse, or another Sidereal who knows this charm decides to intervene.
Wrath of Kronus
Cost: 25m, 2wp Mins: Martial Arts 9, Essence 9
Type: Simple
Keywords: Shaping
Duration: Instantaneous
Pre-requisite Charms: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust
… ‘all things must come to an end’.
The Sidereal makes the lesser signs of each Maiden in apology for what she is about to do, before engaging in a series of impossibly fast strikes seemingly against thin air. In actuality, she strikes the very fabric of time and space around her and sends a combination of anomaly and paradox rippling outward in an area of (Martial Arts + Essence) yards. Then, making the greater sign of Saturn, the ripples suddenly flow back towards the Sidereal with a rush of air, resolving the paradox and restoring the functions of time and space.
The results for those caught in the radius of the paradox however are devastating, time and space temporarily cease to have meaning as individuals becoming horrifyingly fused with one another, aged into dust, cut to ribbons, burned by the fires of natural disasters of creations birth or their forms travel backwards along their time line until they vanish and many other horrifying fates before being snapped back into their original state. The effect this has on the body, mind and soul of the individual is catastrophic, everyone caught in the radius of this attack suffers the users (Martial Arts) + (Essence) in raw Aggravated damage, this attack cannot be parried and can only be dodged if the effect takes them out of the range of attack.
Further, those affected must roll a (Willpower + Essence) against a difficulty equal to half the users Martial Arts score or suffer from a number of permanent madness’s equal to the number of successes they failed by. The insanity may be derangements, or the equivalent of uncontrolled Exalt virtue flaws that can only be controlled by expending 2 willpower and making a (Willpower + Essence) roll equal to the original target difficulty.
Similar to Unending Passage of Years Approach, this charm has been known to disrupt and destabilise not only creation but the Loom of Fate, merely the use of the charm in creation causes an inquest and review by a convention of Sidereal’s and Gods. Even if the user, the Pattern Spiders have been known to express their extreme displeasure on the User afterwards and as added incentive not to do it again.
After a friend of mine looked over it and made a few corrections and gave me some advice, he suggested that I put it up here. So I the community this in tribute of everything and everyone that has inspired me so far, and in hopes of getting some feedback / suggestions for improvement.
Design Notes: I've specifically refrained from creating any charms that offer any capability of actual travel in time because actually time travel is far too complicated and painful to translate into mechanics and near impossible to apply any form of balance to.
Shifting Sands of Reality Style
Shifting Sands of Reality Style
Shifting Sands of Reality Style is a rare and almost forgotten Sidereal Martial Art; unlike its sister Martial Arts, Shifting Sands of Reality focuses on bending and manipulating the elements of space and time to its user’s whims. The style was believed to have been developed in the untold years of the Primordial War by the Sidereal Sa’vor, the so called ‘The Bloody Hand of Mars’. Its techniques and training regime are so exacting and rigorous even by the standards of Sidereal Martial arts that its practice was rare during the first age, but one mistake in the flow of essence, positioning, or katas and the user can suffer horrific backlash as time and space snap back into place. As such its charms were known only to a handful of Sidereals during that golden period, and perhaps a mere tenth of that number ever truly mastered the style.
In the Age of Sorrows, this Martial Art is all but gone, as few of the newer generations of sidereal possess the raw potential, experience or discipline required to master the art. Further, those few remaining individuals jealously guard its secrets and teachings, lest it be used against them. Two particularly well known practitioners are Nemen Yi and Koshi Takhata.
Form Weapons - The Katas and Sutras of Shifting Sands of Reality style use fast, elegant slashing movements that pierce and shape the strands of time and fate, slipping between the gaps of its weave. As such, this martial art can be performed when using single edged bladed weapons, the lighter the better; as such the following weapons are considered unarmed attacks when used with this form: Slashing Swords, Hooked Swords and Knives as well as their artefact equivalents. There also exists an unconventional school of the style that utilises Scythes with the motions of this style due to their symbolic nature with regards to the finality of time and its passage.
This style and its charms may not be performed in armour.
The Students Sutra of Prescience - Once, there were two Maidens …
Broken Perspective Strike
Cost: 5m, Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5
Type: Simple (speed 3)
Keywords: Combo-Ok,
Duration: Instantaneous
Prerequisite Charms: None
… Ones touch could reach the horizon …
The first thing the Martial Artist learns is that space itself is an illusion, as such, by bending it to his whim he makes distance irrelevant, meaning that no foe is out of his reach.
By supplementing an attack with this charm, the user may target and strike any opponent that he can perceive within ((Essence + Martial Arts) x2) yard without appearing to move at all. To the target, it seems as if they are being struck by an invisible adversary as the attacks ripple through the air before them. The target must succeed on a (Wits + Awareness) roll or treat the attacks as unexpected.
Phase Shift Practice
Cost: 10m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5
Type: Reflexive (Step 1 or 2)
Keywords: Combo Ok, Obvious
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Broken Perspective Strike
… but those who reached for her….
Performing a shifting, distorted series of movements the Martial Artist allows himself to step between the boundaries of physical reality and the immaterial as easily as a mortal would step through a door way. This Charm allows the Sidereal to dematerialise and dematerialise at will for the rest of the scene, as if he were a spirit, though each shift costs only one mote. It also allows her to detect immaterial beings with all senses for the duration even while material.
Further, she may reflexively dematerialise in step 2 of attack resolution, if the attack (or the attacker) cannot affect immaterial beings the attack (or attacks) automatically fail.
At Essence 6, the Sidereal may take this understanding further, by spending two motes she may materialise only a part of he body (or her weapon) allowing her to make an unarmed attack that damages her opponent from the inside. Without the ability to perceive immaterial beings, such attacks are automatically unexpected and can only be parried with a weapon or charm that defends against immaterial attacks, further, they ignore armour completely (unless it is made of a magical material, in which case the attack is only piercing).
She gains the same benefit against dematerialised beings while material, except that they remain aware of the attack.
Spatial Redirection Prana
Cost: 5m, 1wp Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5,
Type: Reflexive (Step 1 or 2)
Keywords: Obvious, Combo-Ok
Duration: Instantaneous
Prerequisite Charms: Phase Shift Practice
… found they only touched themselves.
At this level of understanding, The Martial Artist may apply their understanding of the fallacy that is space and location not only to the practice of offence but also to their defence. By bending the space around them and blending it with that of another opponent, the user may redirect attacks meant for him and turn his enemy’s strength against them.
This charm functions as a Perfect Parry with the normal restrictions and flaws of invulnerability, except rather than completely diffusing the attack against him; the user instead redirects it towards another opponent (or ally) he chooses (which may even be the originator of the attack). Afterwards the attack is resolved as normal.
Time Stands Still Approach
Cost: 10m+, 1wp, Mins: Martial Arts 6, Essence 6
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Obvious
Duration: (Martial Arts) Actions
Pre-requisite Charms: none
The other could move beyond the sands …
The Martial Artist learns that Time is a matter of perception, this perception may be altered through the application of the correct forms and essence flows. Performing a series of rapid, ephemeral motions, the users may aid and ease his passage through the flow of time, accelerating his movements while appearing to slow the rest of the world.
For the rest of the Charm, the speeds of the Martial Artists actions are reduced by one (to a minimum of three). The Martial Artist may also reflexively spend motes to increase his dodge and parry DV’s on a one for one basis.
Temporal Shift Kata
Cost: 10m, Mins: Martial Arts 6, Essence 6
Type: Reflexive (Step 1 or 2)
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Obvious
… outrunning her own shadow
Upon learning this Kata, the Martial Artist learns that time is something of a river, flowing inexorably forwards, he learns that by altering his flow of essence he can allow the currents of this river to buoy him forwards or even take slight steps backwards and as such escape harm completely.
This charm is activated in response to an attack, causing the user to flicker forward or backwards in time briefly, this functions as a Perfect Dodge, except that the dodge lasts for a single tick, however, if the effect that would have struck the Sidereal continues longer than one tick the Sidereal may still be effected upon reappearing, this functions as its own special flaw of invulnerability.
Precognisant Retaliation
Cost: 12m, 1wp, Mins: Martial arts 6, Essence 6
Type: Reflexive, Counter Attack
Keywords: Combo-ok, Obvious
Duration: Instantaneous
Prerequisite charms: Temporal Shift Kata, Spatial Redirection Prana,
… and striking before it knew she was there.
By opening her eyes to the illusion of time, and the flexibility of its passage, the student begins to hear the whispering thrum of the threads of fate and catch glimpses of her opponent’s actions mere moments before they happen. Acting upon this insight, The Sidereal may take advantage of the most infinitesimal openings in her opponent’s defences and strike a devastating pre-emptive blow.
This Charm functions exactly like a normal counter attack, except, that it is resolve before the opponents attack and is considered undodgeable, unblockable and unexpected.
Through the Looking Glass
Cost: 15m, 1wp, Mins: Martial Arts 7, Essence 7
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Precognisant Retaliation, Spatial Redirection Prana
The Maidens met between the moments and the horizon…
The Sidereal has learned to pierce the veils of space and time, instead seeing the underlying patterns that link and bind them. She learns now how to perceive creation in a similar manner to the maidens.
By activating this Charm, the Sidereal becomes aware of the presence of all beings within (Essence) miles of her. By following the vibration of these threads, she may locate specific individuals familiar to her in that range through a successful (Perception + Awareness) roll, at a difficulty equal to the total Magnitude of the population within that range. If the target is an Essence-Wielder, add their Essence in automatic successes to the roll. As a benefit of this state, attacks made against her are never unexpected.
Shifting Sands of Reality Form
Cost: 20m, 1wp Mins: Martial Arts 7, Essence 7
Type: Simple
Keywords: Form-type, Obvious
Duration: One Scene
Pre-requisite Charms: Through the Looking Glass
…and realised they were one and the same.
The Sidereal’s mastery of Space and Time are expressed through the shifting, ephemeral grace of the form. Performing a quick series of Kata’s and shaping her essence, the Sidereal begins to flicker in and out of perception, her movements absurdly fast and almost impossible to predict.
For the rest of the Scene, the Sidereal adds half her essence to her Dodge and Parry DV’s, her body simply disappearing from assaults and her weapons parrying at impossible angles. She also reduces the speed of all her actions by one (this stacks with Time Stands Still Approach and similar effects) to a minimum of 3, and multiplies her movement and dash speed by half her essence. Activations of Spatial Redirection Prana, Phase Shift Practice and Temporal Shift Kata become natural and by reflexively spending 1 mote she teleport up to her dash speed multiplied by her (Essence) in yards so long as she can see the destination. By instead spending 5 motes, she may teleport anywhere she can effectively perceive.
Spatial Ripple Strike
Cost: 10m, 1wp, Mins: Martial Arts 7, Essence 7
Type: Reflexive (step 1)
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Obvious
Duration: Instantaneous
Pre-requisite Charms: Shifting Sands of Reality Form
The Elder Sutra of Awakening - The Twofold Maiden realised her fate …
The Sidereal learns to bend, twist and manipulate space beyond her previous limitations, the breaking of position and distance can now be wielded against multiple opponents simultaneously as she rises above their petty artificial constraints. The Sidereal is able to be everywhere, and yet nowhere for a brief second.
This Charm supplements the Sidereals unarmed attack, causing it to target everyone within (Martial Arts x 5) Yards that the Sidereal specifies. She makes a single attack roll against all opponents, and may flurry her attacks as usual. The actual visual nature of the effect depends on the Martial Artist in question, some appear to actually attack each of them individually in the blink of an eye and usually at the same time, making it unclear whether she actually is everywhere at once or simply moves too fast for the eye to follow. Others simply seem to strike the air before them, or place their hands in their pockets, their opponents struck by invisible blows. As a side effect, the Sidereal may reappear anywhere within that range as a move ation.
The Sidereal may be attacked on the tick she makes an attack, and remains vulnerable to contact damage and counterattacks as normal, but she may otherwise avoid any avoid any attacks that do not affect the entire area by beginning the tick with a move action.
When used in conjunction with an attack with the Touch keyword, the charm still can only target one individual at a time.
Unrelenting Passage of Years Approach
Cost: 12m Mins: Martial Arts 7, Essence 8
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Duration: (Martial Arts) Actions
Pre-requisite Charms: Shifting Sands of Reality Form
… she could not stall the march of time …
With advancing understanding of the ability to manipulate the flow of time, the Sidereal now learns to turn these manipulations against her foes by supplementing her blows and attacks with temporal essence. With each strike, temporal essence flows into the target, causing her form to become wracked with age or even cause it to progress backwards in time into adolescence and infancy.
This Charm supplements the Sidereal’s Martial Arts attacks, for it to take effect she only needs to brush or touch her opponent (so long as the attack hits), causing the withering curse to take effect. The Sidereal rolls (Martial Arts) + (Essence) opposed by the subjects (Stamina) + (Essence), if the subject fails they suffers a cumulative -1 internal penalty on all physical and mental actions, as the passage of time unnatural robs even the exalted of their youth and nigh-immortality. Spirits, Demons, Undead and Ghosts are immune to these effects, as either their forms don’t age, they have none or ageing will have no effect.
This penalty is reduced and healed at the same rate as ability and virtue damage, as the Loom of Fate and its tireless legions works to reassert the proper nature of things.
Unlike many Sidereal Charms, this particular charm has a tendency to cause snarls and tears in the loom of fate. As such, the Bureau of Destiny (and the Pattern Spiders in particular) tends to frown on individuals who use this charm frivolously and Sidereals who fail to heed this warning have been known to face Celestial Audits.
Thousand Fold Legion Riposte
Cost: 17m 1wp, Mins: Martial Arts 8, Essence 8
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Flurry
Duration: Instantaneous
Pre-requisite Charms: Spatial Ripple Strike, Unrelenting Passage of Years Approach
and fell beneath the passing years ..
Combining advanced Spatial manipulation with Temporal acceleration the Sidereal may unleash a near invisible storm of attacks that outpace an entire legion of soldiers, and leave similar devastation in their wake.
This charm counts as a magical flurry, granting (Essence + Martial Arts) Attacks that ignore the usual restrictions on rate, suffer no multiple action penalty to their pools and further inflict an onslaught penalty equal to the number of attacks that hit +2 to the opponents DVs, the draw back however is that the user suffers a penalty to her own DVs equal to half the number of attacks she unleashed. These attacks may be divided among multiple targets as normal.
Ashes to Ashes
Cost: 20m, 1wp, Mins: Martial Arts 8, Essence 9
Type: Simple
Keywords: Shaping
Duration: (Martial Arts) Actions
Prerequisite Charms: Thousand Fold Legion Riposte
With her final breath …
The Sidereal rapidly strikes the air about their opponent, this spatial attack twists and shapes reality causing the opponent to occupy the same position in space as the most lethal locations that the sidereal can imagine: The white hot flames of the elemental pole of fire that vaporise metals, a howling wasteland in the north where the very air freezes solid, the darkest depths of the ocean, crushing vortexes of essence etc.
For the duration, the opponent must make a (Stamina) + (Resistance) roll against an environmental danger that deals unsoakable lethal damage equal to the Sidereal’s essence, a trauma of half that number (rounded down) and an interval of each action, each success beyond the first reduces the die of damage dealt by one.
Dust to Dust
Cost: 20m, 1wp Mins: Martial Arts 8, Essence 9
Type: Simple
Keywords: Shaping, Combo Ok
Duration: (Martial Arts) Actions
Prerequisite Charms: Thousand Fold Legion Riposte
…. she said to her shadow…
With a series of rapid gestures the Sidereal cuts and warps time and imbues it with her essence and vicious will, concentrating it into the palm of his hand. Upon striking an opponent, or even so much as brushing their skin, the Sidereal may unleash this pent up energy upon her opponent in a deadly backlash that sends ripples across time in the area. Before her very eyes, her opponent ages decades and even centuries every moment, flesh, bone and equipment aging, rotting, degrading and eventually disintegrating into a fine grey dust.
This charm supplements a normal unarmed attack so long as the attack hits the Sidereal may release the curse, from the duration, the subject rolls (Stamina) + (Essence) against the Sidereals (Martial Arts) + (Essence). For each success that the Sidereal scores above her opponent, the opponent suffers a point of unsoakable bashing damage. The duration of this charm may only be ended by the Sidereal releasing the curse, or another Sidereal who knows this charm decides to intervene.
Wrath of Kronus
Cost: 25m, 2wp Mins: Martial Arts 9, Essence 9
Type: Simple
Keywords: Shaping
Duration: Instantaneous
Pre-requisite Charms: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust
… ‘all things must come to an end’.
The Sidereal makes the lesser signs of each Maiden in apology for what she is about to do, before engaging in a series of impossibly fast strikes seemingly against thin air. In actuality, she strikes the very fabric of time and space around her and sends a combination of anomaly and paradox rippling outward in an area of (Martial Arts + Essence) yards. Then, making the greater sign of Saturn, the ripples suddenly flow back towards the Sidereal with a rush of air, resolving the paradox and restoring the functions of time and space.
The results for those caught in the radius of the paradox however are devastating, time and space temporarily cease to have meaning as individuals becoming horrifyingly fused with one another, aged into dust, cut to ribbons, burned by the fires of natural disasters of creations birth or their forms travel backwards along their time line until they vanish and many other horrifying fates before being snapped back into their original state. The effect this has on the body, mind and soul of the individual is catastrophic, everyone caught in the radius of this attack suffers the users (Martial Arts) + (Essence) in raw Aggravated damage, this attack cannot be parried and can only be dodged if the effect takes them out of the range of attack.
Further, those affected must roll a (Willpower + Essence) against a difficulty equal to half the users Martial Arts score or suffer from a number of permanent madness’s equal to the number of successes they failed by. The insanity may be derangements, or the equivalent of uncontrolled Exalt virtue flaws that can only be controlled by expending 2 willpower and making a (Willpower + Essence) roll equal to the original target difficulty.
Similar to Unending Passage of Years Approach, this charm has been known to disrupt and destabilise not only creation but the Loom of Fate, merely the use of the charm in creation causes an inquest and review by a convention of Sidereal’s and Gods. Even if the user, the Pattern Spiders have been known to express their extreme displeasure on the User afterwards and as added incentive not to do it again.