View source for MartialArts/PertinaciousAutomatonStyle

''This style reworks [[Argent]]'s [[MartialArts/UnrelentingAutomatonStyle|Unrelenting Automaton]] style, modifying it to better fit with the sensibilities of the campaign I run. It remains a First Edition style. I love the idea of the style, but it had a number of things I wanted to change before introducing it into my own campaign. The issues I had with the style as written were:''

* ''A number of the effects essentially made prerequisite charms mostly useless. As an example, once you learned the form, you had almost no use for the initial charm. This violates the "no speedbumps" rule of charm design.''
* ''Some of the charms were a bit to powerful for my tastes. Based on comments made by Argent, the style seems to have been conceived as an NPC only style, which is not the purpose to which I wanted to put it.''
* ''At 14 charms, it's a bit long for a celestial style. Canonical styles are usually around ten charms, and almost never more than 12.''
* ''I wanted to make the style slightly more in tune with the [[Alchemicals|Alchemical exalted]].''
* ''Least significantly, I didn't like some of the charm names. In particular, I didn't like the use of "protocol", as protocols mean something much different in the Autochthonians book. Also, the use of "panzer" seemed anachronistic.''

''- [[Wordman]]''

This [[CelestialMartialArts|celestial martial art]] developed over the millennia in [[Autochthonia]], for use by the alchemical exalted. Most popular with younger Jade caste exalted, it remains evenly practiced by elder alchemicals of all castes. Some masters exist even in Creation, though how knowledge of it reached them remains a mystery. Most stories told of it in Creation intersect with mentions of the [[EyeOfAutochthon|Eye of Autochthon]], so the Eye remains the most likely conduit.

The style focusses on eumlation of the machine, becoming relentless, sturdy and forceful. It focuses primarily on armor, both enhancing the martial artists and penetrating his opponent, but also on speed and endurance.

This style is intended for First Edition, but not power combat. It does, however, use the concept of Hardness in places, using it as a convenient shorthand for the cumbersome phrasing of the 1E lunar soak rules (where charm enhancement beyond 12 points adds to Hardness instead), the Invulnerable Skin of Bronze and several other places. This style allows armor, including shields, but uses no form weapons of any kind.

== Charms ==

http://rpg.divnull.com/wiki/images/f/f8/PertinaciousAutomaton.png

=== Iron Sheath Posture ===

{{:Wordman/IronSheathPosture}}

=== Hydraulic Body Configuration ===

{{:Wordman/HydraulicBodyConfiguration}}

=== Vibrating Hammer Palm ===

{{:Wordman/VibratingHammerPalm}}

=== Pertinacious Automaton Form ===

{{:Wordman/PertinaciousAutomatonForm}}

=== Automated Defense Adjustment ===

{{:Wordman/AutomatedDefenseAdjustment}}

=== Accelerated Prescience Gearing ===

{{:Wordman/AcceleratedPrescienceGearing}}

=== Merciless Iron Assault ===

{{:Wordman/MercilessIronAssault}}

=== Perforating Piston Offensive ===

{{:Wordman/PerforatingPistonOffensive}}

=== Reactive Armor Reinforcement ===

{{:Wordman/ReactiveArmorReinforcement}}

=== Invincible Avatar Cocoon ===

{{:Wordman/InvincibleAvatarCocoon}}

=== Divine Machine Realization ===

{{:Wordman/DivineMachineRealization}}

== Metadata ==

:Name: Pertinacious Automaton
:Author: [[Wordman]]
:Description: Soak manipulation and speed, through emulation of the Machine God.
:Type: celestial
:Rules: E1
:Form Weapons: none
:Armor Allowed: all
:Shield Allowed: yes
:Essence Range: 2-4
:MA Range: 2-5
:Total Charms: 11
:Forms: 1
:Comboable Charms: 5
:Reflexive Charms: 4
:Persistent Charms: 6

== Comments ==

Some preemptive comments about what changes I made from the original. One observation that didn't seem obviously made in the original is that adding to damage and reducing soak are ''nearly'' identical mechanically (reducing soak is slightly weaker because, when soak is zero, it provides no benefit, while adding to damage would).

* ''Iron Sheath Posture'': Made the effect slightly more variable. This should really only matter at low levels, or when using warstriders.
* ''Hydraulic Body Configuration'': Combined Argent's  Automated Overdrive Offense and Hydraulic Body Configuration together to make a more flexible, but slightly more expensive charm. Also, reduces charm count. Note that, as a reflexive, it could be cast multiple times per turn with different effects each time, without needing a combo.
* ''Vibrating Hammer Palm'': Increased the cost and the limit. This is largely done to compensate for changes to the form.  As written, Argent's version is similar to Striking Fury Claws Attack from Tiger style (actually, his is a bit weaker, since it doesn't do lethal damage).
* ''Pertinacious Automaton Form'': Changed a lot, mostly to avoid making speedbumps out of earlier charms. Also, adds the concept of protection from environmental effects (more useful to an alchemical than most). Note also that the Hardness effect is less important in 1E that it would be in 2E or with Power Combat, as vanilla 1E doesn't have that many Hardness effects. Also, the original essentially added Essence to damage twice: once by raising Strength, once by reducing soak. This seemed odd to me. It also seemed weird that the form didn't allow parrying of lethal. I'm not sure if this was intentional, but seemed out of theme to me, so I added it. On balance, the form now seems slightly weaker to me. If used in 2E, though, the hardness reduction would make it stronger than the original.
* ''Automated Defense Adjustment'': Changed the name a bit, but that's about it. Instant charms should have instant sounding names.
* ''Accelerated Prescience Gearing'': Again, name changed (originally Hypergear Acceleration Protocol), but not much else.
* ''Merciless Iron Offense'': Changed significantly after comparing the original with Life-Severing Blow ([[VBoS]]). The original cost the same, but was supplemental (so you had to choose how many successes to convert before the attack roll), while LSB is reflexive so can be purchased after soak is applied. Also, LSB allowed buying ''extra'' successes, not conversion of dice. And, it allowed comboing with Brawl charms. My change keeps the supplemental part, so you have to guess ahead of time. Cost based on 2E's second excellency. Also gives the style a way to cope with dodge-monkeys.
* ''Perforating Piston Offensive'': A bit of a merger of the original's Steel-puncturing Piston Offense and Merciless Metal Hunter Configuration Protocol. I agree with the comment that MMHCP was a bit to uber, especially compared to Armor Penetrating Fang Strike. Also, given the nature of the pinnacle charm, if anything the "protocol" charms should be a little ''weaker'' than usual. I tried to keep the scene-long bit and the possibility of full armor penetration, without being overpowered. I also didn't see the point of having a piercing attack charm if the very next charm allowed you to ignore armor all together. Plus, mixing them together reduces the charm count.
* ''Reactive Armor Reinforcement'': A mix of Armor-Plated Behemoth Defensive Stance and Iron-sheathed Demon Activation Procedure. Again, a charm that increases Hardness, followed immediately by one that makes Hardness basically irrelevant didn't make much sense to me. Even so, added as one of the manipulations available. Also, hated the names of both of these charms. As with Hydraulic Body Configuration, reflexive structure of charm allows this to be activated multiple times per instant with different effects.
* ''Invincible Avatar Cocoon'': Using Essence for ping reduction in 1E without Power Combat is a bit odd, but protects against things like [[VBoS]] form. Otherwise, similar to the original.
* ''Divine Machine Realization'': Other than the name and phrasing, mostly unchanged.

- [[Wordman]]