GrayWatch
2011-06-06, 06:59 PM
Insightful Genius Style
It has long been said that the mind is a weapon beyond all compare. Stemming from this advice this rare celestial martial art is the art of the scholar and the thinker. Practitioners learn to observe even small events, and logically extrapolate the outcomes of far distant chains of events from their smallest beginnings. Those who face this style quickly find their sharp-eyed foes predicting their every move, often times long before there was even a need to conceive of it, let alone execute it.
Complimentary Abilities: Due to the emphasis on prediction of their foes students of this style must have at least 3 dots of Investigation
Form Weapons & Armor: This style does not permit armor, but allows Staves and Improvised Weapons as form weapons.
Understanding the Quarry
Cost:3m ; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Insightful Genius has long since learned to recognize the oncoming signs of battle. This charm may only be activated when an enemy initiates join battle, but before he rolls. The character targets one enemy, and is considered to have rolled an equal number of successes on his Join Battle roll. This charm explicitly cannot be targeted on an ally or neutral party. No combination of effects that includes this charm may raise the number of successes the character is considered to have rolled above the number of successes the target of this charm rolled.
Unassailable Theorem
Cost:-; Mins: Martial Arts 2 Essence 1; Type: Permanent
Keywords: -
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Genius is a scholar before he is a warrior, and the basis of scholarship lies in contemplative study. How then may he understand his foe if he cannot study in safety? Upon learning this charm, the Aim action is permanently upgraded. The Aim action now has a DV penalty of -0, aborting from an Aim into a non-attack action no longer inflicts an internal penalty and the use of reflexive charms is never considered to disrupt an aim action unless explicitly stated to do so.
Maddening Focus
Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3 Essence 2; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Duration: Scene-long
Prerequisite Charms: Understanding the Quarry Method, Unassailable Theorem
The Genius is perceptive, and when he bends his full attention upon a single foe, he cannot help but perceive what others normally would not. Once this charm is activated upon a perceived enemy the Genius becomes aware of the targets current injury penalty and willpower.
Any charm of the target with a duration greater than Instant becomes Obvious to his senses. Finally the target is never considered to be eligible to enter stealth while within (Investigationx10) yards. If another charm contests this one, the Genius adds (Investigation) die to his Essence roll off.
The Genius may only ever maintain one Focus at a time.
Discordant Detail Awareness
Cost: 4m Minimums: Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Obvious, Combo-Ok
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Maddening Focus
To the Genius, even the tiniest detail reveals a wealth of information. The way a single hair lies upon the floor of a crime scene, or the tiniest shift in an opponent’s grip upon his weapon, both tell the Genius how to best resolve whatever matter has captured his attention. This charm allows the Genius to automatically notice small, out of place details, and enhances his capacity to act upon them. In combat, this allows him to add Investigation automatic successes to a called shot or disarm attempt. In more prosaic matters, the Genius adds half that many successes to attempts to reconstruct the event at a crime scene.
Harm's Path Avoidance
Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 3 Essence 3; Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Duration: Special
Prerequisites: Maddening Focus
The Genius is perplexed that any could be baffled or confused due to sheer number of attacks.
After activating this charm the Genius removes any onslaught penalty he suffers. This charm automatically elapses when the Genius’ DV refreshes. Against the subject of Maddening Focus, he not only suffers no penalty, but instead raises his DV by the equivalent of what the (full) Onslaught penalty would be.
Insightful Genius Form
Cost: 9m; Mins: Martial Arts 4 Essence 3; Type: Simple
Keywords: Obvious, Form-Type
Duration: Scene-long
Prerequisite Charms: Harm's Path Avoidance, Discordant Detail Awareness
With a brief kata the Genius settles into a loose, shifting stance. His anima banner, if such exists, dims to one level less than standard, and his eyes glow in a color appropriate to his exaltation.
While in this form the Insightful Genius gains several bonuses. The Aim action becomes Speed 5 and may grant bonuses of up to 5 die (at the standard rate of 1 per tick). Against the subject of Maddening Focus, the Genius may reflexively double the Aim bonus for 3m. The benefits of this form are explicitly incompatible with any charms which alter the Speed of Aim actions, excepted insofar as such charms may be present within this Style. The bonuses conferred from the altered Aim action and doubling do not count as dice added from charms.
Plans Within Plans
Cost: 1m; Mins: Martial Arts 4 Essence 3; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Insightful Genius Form
The Genius would be a poor example of the breed indeed if he could not at the least divide his time and attention many ways. This charm may only be activated when the Genius performs a flurry, and may be activated on multiple actions within the flurry, as a single charm activation (though the cost is paid per action enhanced). Actions supplemented by this charm do not contribute to the user’s multiple action or DV penalties.
Example: Graceful Li performs a 5 action flurry, and activates this charm on the 3rd, 4th and 5th attacks. Her multiple action penalties are -5/-6/-6/-6/-6, and her DV penalty totals to -2. Laughing Mad, who has a rather better understanding of the charm, also performs a 5 action flurry, activating iterations of this charms on the first, second and third actions, resulting In penalties of -0/-0/-0/-5/-6 and a DV of -2
Balancing The Scales
Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 4 Essence 3; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Stackable
Duration: Instant (Scene-long)
Prerequisite Charms: Insightful Genius Form
The genius understands that not even the most inspired plan can avoid all attractions of hostility. His genius however lies in preparing for this eventuality before it is realized. Upon activating this charm, the Insightful Genius prepares a counter-attack against any foe currently subject to Maddening Focus. When and if he is attacked by such a foe within the scene, he may reflexively respond with a counterattack. While the activation of this charm does count as a charm activation, the actual counter-attack itself is not. The Genius may maintain up to (Essence) counterattacks on a marked foe at once, but may only activate one per tick. All counterattacks disperse without benefit if the Genius changes his Focus.
Absolute Understanding
Cost: 6m 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5 Essence 4; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Basic
Duration: Scene-long
Prerequisite Charms: Balancing the Scales
The Genius's brilliance is without limit, but his true glory emerges only when he abandons side-projects to focus utterly upon one task. This charm may be declared upon any target which is currently a subject of Maddening Focus. Once this is done the Insightful Genius discards all other concerns. Against the marked foe the Genius gains a bonus to accuracy and both DVs equal to his Investigation. Furthermore all attacks against said foe are considered Piercing, and upon a successful strike, the foe must roll for knockdown with a difficulty equal to the Genius’ Investigation.
As a corollary however, the extreme attention the Genius bends upon his target leaves him susceptible to other, less interesting problems. Against all other foes the Genius' DV's are considered 1, and no combination of charms or effects may raise them to above half their default value. The defeat or successful escape of the target of this charm immediately ends the charm and all associated penalties and bonuses.
Catastrophic Failure Prediction
Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 5 Essence 4; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Crippling
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Balancing The Scales
The Insightful Genius does not limit himself to taking advantage of mere chinks in the armor of his foes. Rather with a steady eye he casually analyzes the critical flaws in the very design of his foe. Thus with the merest bit of infiltrating essence, it becomes the simplest of tasks to disassemble his foe. This charm supplements an attack. On a successful blow, the attack does no damage. Rather the Genius rolls his (Intelligence + Investigation) at a difficulty of the foes natural Stamina. On failure the foe suffers a -2 die internal penalty on his next action as the mis-aimed strike seizes up muscles, and misfires nerves. On a success, the foe's Stamina, Dexterity or Strength, as chosen by the Genius at the time of this charm's purchase is decreased by one. If the foe reaches 0 Strength he finds he is no longer able to support his own weight and collapses. At 0 Dexterity finds he himself paralyzed and unable to move. At 0 Stamina however the foe becomes incapacitated and breathes his last at scene's end unless he receives medical treatment within the scene. A successful (Intelligence + Medicine) roll at a difficulty equivalent to the number of dots lost will restore the target’s attributes to their normal values.
Mad Genius' Insight
Cost: Special; Mins: Martial Arts 5 Essence 4; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Basic
Duration: Investigation Actions
Prerequisite Charms: Absolute Understanding, Catastrophic Failure Prediction
The Genius performs a short kata, and realizes that he has no need of the limits of sanity. Expanding his mind beyond the rational he perceives all possible actions of his foes. The Genius cannot be struck save by attacks that transcend the possible. Only those attacks supplemented by charms may strike him. Additionally for the duration of this charm, the Genius may receive the maximum bonus from Aim actions in a single tick (which for the purposes of this charm does not count as an action separate from the subsequent attack). Against any subject of Maddening Focus, his successes on accuracy rolls are doubled.
This unnatural competence comes at a price however. In addition to the 6m 2wp to activate this charm, the strain on his mind causes the Genius gains 1 limit per action he spends in this state. This charm cannot drive the Genius into limit break, and as such at limit 9 he either exits this state, or may alternately take 2ahl in place of the standard 1 limit cost. The Genius may release his transcendent brilliance, ending this charm, at any time. In the event the martial artist is a being not in possession of a limit track, storytellers are encouraged to replace this with some other appropriate cost.
It has long been said that the mind is a weapon beyond all compare. Stemming from this advice this rare celestial martial art is the art of the scholar and the thinker. Practitioners learn to observe even small events, and logically extrapolate the outcomes of far distant chains of events from their smallest beginnings. Those who face this style quickly find their sharp-eyed foes predicting their every move, often times long before there was even a need to conceive of it, let alone execute it.
Complimentary Abilities: Due to the emphasis on prediction of their foes students of this style must have at least 3 dots of Investigation
Form Weapons & Armor: This style does not permit armor, but allows Staves and Improvised Weapons as form weapons.
Understanding the Quarry
Cost:3m ; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Insightful Genius has long since learned to recognize the oncoming signs of battle. This charm may only be activated when an enemy initiates join battle, but before he rolls. The character targets one enemy, and is considered to have rolled an equal number of successes on his Join Battle roll. This charm explicitly cannot be targeted on an ally or neutral party. No combination of effects that includes this charm may raise the number of successes the character is considered to have rolled above the number of successes the target of this charm rolled.
Unassailable Theorem
Cost:-; Mins: Martial Arts 2 Essence 1; Type: Permanent
Keywords: -
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Genius is a scholar before he is a warrior, and the basis of scholarship lies in contemplative study. How then may he understand his foe if he cannot study in safety? Upon learning this charm, the Aim action is permanently upgraded. The Aim action now has a DV penalty of -0, aborting from an Aim into a non-attack action no longer inflicts an internal penalty and the use of reflexive charms is never considered to disrupt an aim action unless explicitly stated to do so.
Maddening Focus
Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3 Essence 2; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Duration: Scene-long
Prerequisite Charms: Understanding the Quarry Method, Unassailable Theorem
The Genius is perceptive, and when he bends his full attention upon a single foe, he cannot help but perceive what others normally would not. Once this charm is activated upon a perceived enemy the Genius becomes aware of the targets current injury penalty and willpower.
Any charm of the target with a duration greater than Instant becomes Obvious to his senses. Finally the target is never considered to be eligible to enter stealth while within (Investigationx10) yards. If another charm contests this one, the Genius adds (Investigation) die to his Essence roll off.
The Genius may only ever maintain one Focus at a time.
Discordant Detail Awareness
Cost: 4m Minimums: Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Obvious, Combo-Ok
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Maddening Focus
To the Genius, even the tiniest detail reveals a wealth of information. The way a single hair lies upon the floor of a crime scene, or the tiniest shift in an opponent’s grip upon his weapon, both tell the Genius how to best resolve whatever matter has captured his attention. This charm allows the Genius to automatically notice small, out of place details, and enhances his capacity to act upon them. In combat, this allows him to add Investigation automatic successes to a called shot or disarm attempt. In more prosaic matters, the Genius adds half that many successes to attempts to reconstruct the event at a crime scene.
Harm's Path Avoidance
Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 3 Essence 3; Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Duration: Special
Prerequisites: Maddening Focus
The Genius is perplexed that any could be baffled or confused due to sheer number of attacks.
After activating this charm the Genius removes any onslaught penalty he suffers. This charm automatically elapses when the Genius’ DV refreshes. Against the subject of Maddening Focus, he not only suffers no penalty, but instead raises his DV by the equivalent of what the (full) Onslaught penalty would be.
Insightful Genius Form
Cost: 9m; Mins: Martial Arts 4 Essence 3; Type: Simple
Keywords: Obvious, Form-Type
Duration: Scene-long
Prerequisite Charms: Harm's Path Avoidance, Discordant Detail Awareness
With a brief kata the Genius settles into a loose, shifting stance. His anima banner, if such exists, dims to one level less than standard, and his eyes glow in a color appropriate to his exaltation.
While in this form the Insightful Genius gains several bonuses. The Aim action becomes Speed 5 and may grant bonuses of up to 5 die (at the standard rate of 1 per tick). Against the subject of Maddening Focus, the Genius may reflexively double the Aim bonus for 3m. The benefits of this form are explicitly incompatible with any charms which alter the Speed of Aim actions, excepted insofar as such charms may be present within this Style. The bonuses conferred from the altered Aim action and doubling do not count as dice added from charms.
Plans Within Plans
Cost: 1m; Mins: Martial Arts 4 Essence 3; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Insightful Genius Form
The Genius would be a poor example of the breed indeed if he could not at the least divide his time and attention many ways. This charm may only be activated when the Genius performs a flurry, and may be activated on multiple actions within the flurry, as a single charm activation (though the cost is paid per action enhanced). Actions supplemented by this charm do not contribute to the user’s multiple action or DV penalties.
Example: Graceful Li performs a 5 action flurry, and activates this charm on the 3rd, 4th and 5th attacks. Her multiple action penalties are -5/-6/-6/-6/-6, and her DV penalty totals to -2. Laughing Mad, who has a rather better understanding of the charm, also performs a 5 action flurry, activating iterations of this charms on the first, second and third actions, resulting In penalties of -0/-0/-0/-5/-6 and a DV of -2
Balancing The Scales
Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 4 Essence 3; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Stackable
Duration: Instant (Scene-long)
Prerequisite Charms: Insightful Genius Form
The genius understands that not even the most inspired plan can avoid all attractions of hostility. His genius however lies in preparing for this eventuality before it is realized. Upon activating this charm, the Insightful Genius prepares a counter-attack against any foe currently subject to Maddening Focus. When and if he is attacked by such a foe within the scene, he may reflexively respond with a counterattack. While the activation of this charm does count as a charm activation, the actual counter-attack itself is not. The Genius may maintain up to (Essence) counterattacks on a marked foe at once, but may only activate one per tick. All counterattacks disperse without benefit if the Genius changes his Focus.
Absolute Understanding
Cost: 6m 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5 Essence 4; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Basic
Duration: Scene-long
Prerequisite Charms: Balancing the Scales
The Genius's brilliance is without limit, but his true glory emerges only when he abandons side-projects to focus utterly upon one task. This charm may be declared upon any target which is currently a subject of Maddening Focus. Once this is done the Insightful Genius discards all other concerns. Against the marked foe the Genius gains a bonus to accuracy and both DVs equal to his Investigation. Furthermore all attacks against said foe are considered Piercing, and upon a successful strike, the foe must roll for knockdown with a difficulty equal to the Genius’ Investigation.
As a corollary however, the extreme attention the Genius bends upon his target leaves him susceptible to other, less interesting problems. Against all other foes the Genius' DV's are considered 1, and no combination of charms or effects may raise them to above half their default value. The defeat or successful escape of the target of this charm immediately ends the charm and all associated penalties and bonuses.
Catastrophic Failure Prediction
Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 5 Essence 4; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Crippling
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Balancing The Scales
The Insightful Genius does not limit himself to taking advantage of mere chinks in the armor of his foes. Rather with a steady eye he casually analyzes the critical flaws in the very design of his foe. Thus with the merest bit of infiltrating essence, it becomes the simplest of tasks to disassemble his foe. This charm supplements an attack. On a successful blow, the attack does no damage. Rather the Genius rolls his (Intelligence + Investigation) at a difficulty of the foes natural Stamina. On failure the foe suffers a -2 die internal penalty on his next action as the mis-aimed strike seizes up muscles, and misfires nerves. On a success, the foe's Stamina, Dexterity or Strength, as chosen by the Genius at the time of this charm's purchase is decreased by one. If the foe reaches 0 Strength he finds he is no longer able to support his own weight and collapses. At 0 Dexterity finds he himself paralyzed and unable to move. At 0 Stamina however the foe becomes incapacitated and breathes his last at scene's end unless he receives medical treatment within the scene. A successful (Intelligence + Medicine) roll at a difficulty equivalent to the number of dots lost will restore the target’s attributes to their normal values.
Mad Genius' Insight
Cost: Special; Mins: Martial Arts 5 Essence 4; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Basic
Duration: Investigation Actions
Prerequisite Charms: Absolute Understanding, Catastrophic Failure Prediction
The Genius performs a short kata, and realizes that he has no need of the limits of sanity. Expanding his mind beyond the rational he perceives all possible actions of his foes. The Genius cannot be struck save by attacks that transcend the possible. Only those attacks supplemented by charms may strike him. Additionally for the duration of this charm, the Genius may receive the maximum bonus from Aim actions in a single tick (which for the purposes of this charm does not count as an action separate from the subsequent attack). Against any subject of Maddening Focus, his successes on accuracy rolls are doubled.
This unnatural competence comes at a price however. In addition to the 6m 2wp to activate this charm, the strain on his mind causes the Genius gains 1 limit per action he spends in this state. This charm cannot drive the Genius into limit break, and as such at limit 9 he either exits this state, or may alternately take 2ahl in place of the standard 1 limit cost. The Genius may release his transcendent brilliance, ending this charm, at any time. In the event the martial artist is a being not in possession of a limit track, storytellers are encouraged to replace this with some other appropriate cost.