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View Full Version : The Many Hollow Hearts (Exalted 2E Project, WIP) [Completed: 1 3rd Circle, 1 TMA]



Mr.Bookworm
2011-05-16, 07:39 PM
http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs11/i/2006/223/9/7/Strange_Love_by_GraySapphire.jpg
Picture by Grey Sapphire. (http://browse.deviantart.com/digitalart/?order=9&offset=48#/dmj0m0).

Azymus, the Crippled yet Unbroken Sifu
Motivation: Find redemption for the Ebon Dragon. Intimacies include all demons (purest love), the Yozis (hope), martial arts (prideful joy), the Unconquered Sun (bashful love), Ligier (sisterly affection), the Exalted (acceptance of necessity), and freedom (desire).
Attributes: All at 5.
Virtues: Compassion 5, Conviction 5, Temperance 5, Valor 5
Abilities: All at 5. Specialties include Martial Arts (Teaching +3), Survival (Demon City +3), Integrity (Resisting Villainy +3), and any others the Storyteller feels are appropriate.
Essence: 5
Essence Pool: 100 (also see Unbowed Heart)
Willpower: 10 (also see Unbowed Heart)
DDV: , PDV: , MMDV: , PMDV:
Join Battle/Debate: 10
Soak: 15B/10L/5A
Hardness: 10B/5L
Health Levels: 0x26/Inc
Notes: Azymus was removed from the rolls of creatures of darkness by the Unconquered Sun after he heard her plea. She is not a creature of darkness, and she may learn and use Holy Charms.

Charms

Light Wanes Inside the Hollow Dragon - Although the light of Azymus is pure, she is not unconquerable. The Ebon Dragon's darkness may touch her, as she knows all too well. Azymus is incapable of learning spirit Charms, including unique panoply Charms, only possessing the ability to expand through the enlightenment of martial arts, up to the Celestial level.

Martial Arts - Azymus is without a doubt the greatest demon martial artist ever, having pursued its mysteries since before the Primordial War. She knows all published martial art styles of the Terrestrial and Celestial levels, and has developed a vast number of styles, such as Mirrored Sapling, Fleshtaking Courtesan, Inevitable Green Sun, Sky-Twisting Catastrophe, Broken Chains, Blood-Soaked Erymanthoi, Capering Metody, . She teaches these freely to those she finds worthy in virtue or if the prospective student knows and teaches her a style she does not know. In battle, she favors Arms of the Unconquered Sun, Solar Hero, and the four Virtue styles. She has also developed several unique Celestial martial arts Charms, as detailed below. All require Light Wanes Inside the Hollow Dragon and one complete Celestial Martial Art style.

Unbowed Heart - The only thing that can break Azymus is death. She gains an additional pool of 50 motes, and an additional pool of 5 temporary Willpower, that may not be regained by any normal means. Whenever she channels a Virtue, she may choose to regain 10 motes or 1 temporary Willpower from these pools. If both are full, she gains nothing.

Dragon's Victory Approach - Azymus may Combo any valid combination of Martial Arts Charms that bear the Combo-OK keyword without needing to place them in a Combo. She must pay all normal costs for this pseudo-Combo.

Soaring Mended Crane - Azymus loses all -1, -2, and -4 health levels. She gains additional -0 health levels equal to (Martial Arts x5). She gains bashing soak equal to (Essence x3), lethal soak equal to (Essence x2) and aggravated soak equal (Essence). She also gains Bashing Hardness equal to (Essence x2) and Lethal Hardness equal to (Essence).

Light-Forming Weapon Kata - Azymus may, as a Speed 3, DV -0 action that costs one mote, perform a quick flowing kata that seems to draw in the ambient light around her. At the end, a weapon of light colored in a similar way to the component light that went into it is formed in her hands. It may be any non-Artifact, normal-quality weapon that she is capable of using as a Form weapon for a style she knows. This Charm lasts for one scene and only one weapon may be created at a time.

Backgrounds: As a fetich and 3rd Circle Demon, even if by far the weakest of their number, Azymus boasts access to enormous resources. Storytellers may assume that she has or may acquire any Background she could possibly possess at the five-dot level.

Fleshtaking Courtesan Style

Weapons and Armor: Fleshtaking Courtesan may be practiced with needles, knives, war fans, and their artifact equivalents. It may not be practiced in any kind of armor.

Complementary Abilities: Fleshtaking Courtesan requires extremely precise knowledge of the body. The martial artist must have at least 3 dots of Medicine or Craft (Flesh) to learn this style. Also, a practitioner who is not a Neomah may learn their unique form of body language as a normal language upon learning the Form charm of this style. Although it is not strictly required, almost all practitioners of this style have at least 3 dots of Appearance as well.

Seductive Ripper Method
Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive (Step 9)
Keywords: Counterattack, Crippling, Stackable
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: None

Much work can be done while your foe is distracted. The martial artist may activate this Charm as a counterattack made with an unarmed weapon. If even a single die of damage is left over in Step 10 of the counterattack, the victim takes no damage, but suffers a -1 internal penalty to all actions for the rest of the scene. The foe must make a (Wits+Awareness) roll to notice that they have been damaged.

Needle from the Bed
Cost: 2m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

A courtesan cannot carry a sword or an ax around. She must use more subtle tools, and must strike with swiftness and without warning. This Charm enhances a Join Battle roll, adding a single success. In addition, the martial artist may reflexively draw and ready a form weapon.

Fleshtaking Courtesan Form
Cost: 6m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2; Type: Simple
Keywords: Form-type
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Seductive Ripper Method, Needle from the Bed

The martial artist sinks into a low, seductive pose that hints of pleasures to come, concealing the knives hidden behind her back. These subtle moves distract her opponents, allowing the martial artist to add half of her Appearance (maximum 3) to her final Dodge DV. In addition, the martial artist may activate Seductive Ripper Method as an innate power.

Dynamic Form Transitions: - If the practitioner lands an unarmed Fleshtaking Courtesan style strike which inflicts at least one health level of damage or one point of penalties.
- If the practitioner is currently using any other Martial Arts Form and inflicts at least one health level of damage with that style’s unarmed attack.
- If the practitioner has sex or successfully seduces someone.

Accept the Thrust
Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive (Step 9)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Counterattack
Duration: One action
Prerequisite Charms: Fleshtaking Courtesan Form

Blood as Money
Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive (Step 9)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Counterattack
Duration: One action
Prerequisite Charms: Flesh-Taking Courtesan Form

Payment Fairly Earned
Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive (Step 9)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Crippling
Duration:
Prerequisite Charms: Blood as Money,

Primal Fury
2011-05-16, 11:56 PM
I would very much like to see Flesh-Taking Courtesan Style. The other styles would be nice too, but I want to see that one the most. Neomahs are my favorite demon. :smallwink:

What exactly was she to begin with? A 2nd Circle Deva?

Mr.Bookworm
2011-05-17, 10:44 AM
I would very much like to see Flesh-Taking Courtesan Style. The other styles would be nice too, but I want to see that one the most. Neomahs are my favorite demon. :smallwink:

What exactly was she to begin with? A 2nd Circle Deva?

Mmm. Not quite. She's a potential fetich of the Ebon Dragon, combining about three or four different fan ideas, my own personal stuff, and that one sidebar in RotSE. There's a couple more possible fetiches coming.

Since I figured, hey, why not? The only way I'll ever get better at writing Exalted stuff is writing Exalted stuff and getting criticism.

And I'll think about doing Fleshtaking Courtesan style.

Primal Fury
2011-05-17, 04:42 PM
So you're starting with... Sky-Twisting Catastrophe Style? That doesn't sound like a style wielded by a particularly pure-hearted creature. :smalltongue:

What's your design philosophy behind Light Wanes Inside the Hollow Dragon?

I've got a fair number of questions about her to (which you will likely answer as she nears completion). How do other demons (specifically the Ebon Dragon himself), feel about Azymus? Where does the Ebon Dragon hide her? Why is she this weak?

Mr.Bookworm
2011-05-17, 05:28 PM
So you're starting with... Sky-Twisting Catastrophe Style? That doesn't sound like a style wielded by a particularly pure-hearted creature. :smalltongue:

Because when you're Mother Teresa in the Demon Realm, you really need the ability to stomp someone's face in.


What's your design philosophy behind Light Wanes Inside the Hollow Dragon?

It represents her inherent weakness as a reflection of the hollow nature of the Ebon Dragon, and also represents the torments the Ebon Dragon inflicted on her until she threatened to kill him. She's crippled fairly thoroughly, in mind and spirit.


I've got a fair number of questions about her to (which you will likely answer as she nears completion). How do other demons (specifically the Ebon Dragon himself), feel about Azymus? Where does the Ebon Dragon hide her? Why is she this weak?

In order:

Many of the 1st Circles she meets love her. She's one of the rare few unquestioningly kind beings in the Demon City, and she doesn't treat them like little insect slaves. Almost all 2nd Circles are at least polite to her, because she is one of the unquestionable. Most of the 3rd Circles are pretty snobby to her, if not outright hostile, but she does have semi-allies among them, most notably Ligier (she makes him martial arts). Also, any demon who wants to retain a chance of learning from her is nice to her. The Ebon Dragon hates her with his entire being. She is everything he wishes to spite, and it galls him that this is his heart.

She's hidden in a redoubt within the Demon City, though she could basically waltz out if she wanted to (and does, on occasion). Anyone caught carrying information out of Malfeas about her would suffer the full displeasure of the Ebon Dragon, so she's still not all that well known in Creation.

She is weak because she is the embodiment of the Ebon Dragon's hidden heart, hollow and insubstantial. She's forged herself into something greater then that, but she's still fundamentally (relatively) weak.

Primal Fury
2011-05-17, 05:43 PM
Because when you're Mother Teresa in the Demon Realm, you really need the ability to stomp someone's face in.
Just how powerful is this style going to be?

Mr.Bookworm
2011-05-17, 05:52 PM
Just how powerful is this style going to be?

Upper-end CMA tier. It'll look more powerful then it actually is, because it starts at Essence 5, the cap for CMAs.

It should be noted that Azymus is pretty much the embodiment of the philosophy Ayns Syn preaches. You really can solve anything by making a martial art for it.

Primal Fury
2011-05-17, 06:00 PM
Upper-end CMA tier. It'll look more powerful then it actually is, because it starts at Essence 5, the cap for CMAs.
How, pray tell, are you going to pull that off?

EDIT: By the by. Thank you for answering my questions so quickly and concisely. :smallsmile:

Mr.Bookworm
2011-05-17, 06:16 PM
How, pray tell, are you going to pull that off?

Waving my magic homebrewer wand and saying "Yon Martial Arts style shall starteth at Essence most high!"


EDIT: By the by. Thank you for answering my questions so quickly and concisely. :smallsmile:

Sure. I like responding to comments. Helps me actually think about what I'm trying to do with my creations.

Primal Fury
2011-05-17, 07:06 PM
Waving my magic homebrewer wand and saying "Yon Martial Arts style shall starteth at Essence most high!"
You know what I mean. :smalltongue: How are you going to crank up the power for each charm without spilling over into E6 territory?

Mr.Bookworm
2011-05-17, 07:10 PM
You know what I mean. :smalltongue: How are you going to crank up the power for each charm without spilling over into E6 territory?

They do different things, and they do get more powerful, as they rise in tier. It's a fuzzy line, though. We'll see how well it works. If it doesn't, I can always dial it back.

Primal Fury
2011-05-17, 07:17 PM
Excellent. I look forward to ripping it to shreds. :smallamused:

Just kidding of course.

But not really.

Xefas
2011-05-17, 08:04 PM
I do believe the Alchemical book mentions that Alchemicals have created Essence 6+ Celestial Martial Arts for use by the Colossi. I can go try to find a page number, if you want...

EDIT: Nevermind, it only says that they developed Celestial Martial Arts capped at Essence 5 that were somehow stronger than typical Celestial Martial Arts, balanced by other constraints, such as requiring they be used with Warstrider-sized equipment.

Mr.Bookworm
2011-05-17, 08:13 PM
Yep, there's a hard cap of E5 for all CMAs.

Making CMAs that start at that cap (or take advantage of things like Colossus weaponry) seems like a fairly logical progression for anyone who can't tap into SMAs.

Mainly I'm writing it up because I would feel guilty just name-dropping a bunch of martial arts I will never actually do. *shakes fist at Thousand-Faceted Nelumbo*

Primal Fury
2011-05-20, 10:47 AM
Bumping because I'd like to see more.

The Rose Dragon
2011-05-20, 10:57 AM
I'll just note that the title of the greatest demon martial artist ever was already taken by Suntarankal, the Fifteenth Soul of Malfeas. Also, Ebon Dragon's write-up states that his fetich has Essence 10 (though indirectly).

Mr.Bookworm
2011-05-20, 02:34 PM
I'll just note that the title of the greatest demon martial artist ever was already taken by Suntarankal, the Fifteenth Soul of Malfeas. Also, Ebon Dragon's write-up states that his fetich has Essence 10 (though indirectly).

Suntarankal is stated to be one of the greatest martial artists ever to exist (which seems pretty blatantly false to me). It doesn't actually say he's the greatest demon martial artist alive.

Also, where does it imply that his fetich has Essence 10? One of the options suggested in the sidebar on the subject is that his fetich might be a pathetic weakling that barely qualifies as a Second Circle, which is where I got the idea for Azymus.

Also, working on Fleshtaking Courtesan and Sky-Twisting Catastrophe.

The other two fetiches I'm going to stat up might take a bit longer, because they're more proper 3rd circles.

The Rose Dragon
2011-05-20, 02:38 PM
Well, he spends 100 motes per dot of permanent Essence of the soul to create one. He spends 1000 motes to create his fetich, which implies that the Fetich has 10 dots of permanent Essence.

Of course, permanent Essence rating does not mean as much if you don't have the high Essence Charms to go with it.

((Why does it seem blatantly false that Suntarankal is the greatest demon martial artist?))

Xefas
2011-05-20, 02:45 PM
If anything, you could just add a clause onto Light Wanes Inside The Hollow Dragon that it halves Permanent Essence. The Ebon Dragon wanted a strong fetich, but its intrinsic nature (represented by its panoply) of being withered and weak keeps it from being so.

Primal Fury
2011-05-20, 02:45 PM
Also, working on Fleshtaking Courtesan and Sky-Twisting Catastrophe.
Smooches! :smallbiggrin:

Mr.Bookworm
2011-05-20, 02:58 PM
Well, he spends 100 motes per dot of permanent Essence of the soul to create one. He spends 1000 motes to create his fetich, which implies that the Fetich has 10 dots of permanent Essence.

He can spend up to 1000 motes on his fetich. The note is that his fetich is allowed to break the normal Essence 9 cap on 3rd Circles.


Of course, permanent Essence rating does not mean as much if you don't have the high Essence Charms to go with it.

True, true...


((Why does it seem blatantly false that Suntarankal is the greatest demon martial artist?))

Because it doesn't say he's one of the greatest demon martial artists, which is certainly true, it says he's one of the greatest martial artists in existence.

Though I did misread that to mean "that has ever existed", but still.


If anything, you could just add a clause onto Light Wanes Inside The Hollow Dragon that it halves Permanent Essence. The Ebon Dragon wanted a strong fetich, but its intrinsic nature (represented by its panoply) of being withered and weak keeps it from being so.

Hm. True. Kind of like it like it is now, though. I'll think about it.


Smooches! :smallbiggrin:

You're welcome. It's a TMA, though, so don't expect it to be huuuuuge.

Primal Fury
2011-05-20, 03:03 PM
You're welcome. It's a TMA, though, so don't expect it to be huuuuuge.
Wh-... What? :smalleek:

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! :smallfrown:

Mr.Bookworm
2011-05-20, 03:20 PM
Wh-... What? :smalleek:

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! :smallfrown:

She builds the ones that emulate 1st Circles as TMAs so she can teach them to 1st Circles.

Also, less of a headache for me.

Primal Fury
2011-05-20, 03:26 PM
She builds the ones that emulate 1st Circles as TMAs so she can teach them to 1st Circles.
I... was under the impression that 1CDs could learn CMA. I don't know where that came from. :smallconfused:

Carry on then.

The Rose Dragon
2011-05-20, 03:27 PM
I... was under the impression that 1CDs could learn CMA. I don't know where that came from. :smallconfused:

Carry on then.

They can, if they somehow reach Essence 6.