Revision as of 00:03, 24 July 2006

Mind over Matter - Itsunari Katsuo

Journal of a tactician - The story of Katsuo's youth and Exaltation.

Katsuo's Character Sheet (Remaining exp: 0)

Attributes

Physical
Strength ●●●
Dexterity ●●●●
Stamina ●●

Social
Charisma ●●●
Manipulation ●●
Appearance ●●●

Mental
Perception ●●●
Intelligence ●●●●
Wits ●●●●

Abilities

Dawn
Archery
Brawl ●●
Martial Arts
Melee* ●●●●
(Specialty: Reaper Daiklaves 3)
Thrown

Zenith
Endurance ●●
Performance
Presence* ●●●
Resistance
Survival

Twilight (Caste)
Craft ●
Investigation ●●
Lore ●●●●●
(Specialty: Tactics 3)
Medecine
Occult ●●●

Night
Athletics
Awareness* ●●●
Dodge* ●●●●
Larceny
Stealth

Eclipse
Bureaucracy
Linguistics* ●●●
Ride
Sail ●
Socialize

(* = favored abilities)

Backgrounds

• Artifact ●●●● (Crimson Sunset)
  
• Artifact ●●● (Sundown Sentinel)
  
• Artifact ●● (Raiment of the Half-Shadowed Strategos)
  
• Manse ●●
  
• Ressources ●●

Charms

Dodge: Reed in the Wind
Dodge: Shadow over Water
Dodge: Seven Shadow Evasion
Lore: Lore Unearthing Method
Lore: Forgotten Secrets Technique
Lore: Observant General's Meditation
Melee: Excellent Strike
Melee: Golden Essence Block
Melee: Dipping Swallow Defense
Melee: Undaunted Weapon Technique
Melee: Sepent Strike Technique
Linguistics: Whirlwind Brush Method

Combos

Ravenous Beak Strikes Unseen (Reed in the Wind, Shadow over Water, Dipping Swallow Defense, Serpent Strike Technique)

This is the Itsunari Family famous Iaijutsu Strike, as adapted by Katsuo to accomodate to the "Left Hand Close to Heart" style he developped with Swordmistress Wynneth after the loss of his right arm. Katsuo sheathes Crimson Sunset and focuses his senses outward, ready to meet any possible threat to his combat meditation with a quick sidestep or a fast-draw parry with his weapon - sometimes both. While thus focused, Katsuo gets a feel for his enemy, his defenses, his style, even his way of breathing. He sees the defenses, and the path of his sword becomes clear to him. Without thought or hesitation, he blurs in a Iaijutsu strike from his left hand, the blade of Crismon Sunset scattering silver feathers in its wake...

Merits and Flaws

Merits:

N/A

Flaws:

Amputee(right arm) ● (See Journal of a tactician for history of the flaw)

Virtues

Compassion ●●
Conviction ●●●
Temperance ●●●
Valor ●●

Essence and Willpower

Essence - ●●●
Willpower - 3 (Conviction) + 3 (Temperance) = ●●●●●●
Personal Essence - 9 (3 x Essence) + 6 (Willpower) = 15
Peripheral Essence - 21 (7 x Essence) + 6 (Willpower) + 10 (sum of Virtues) = 37

Health Levels

-0 x 1
-1 x 2
-2 x 2
-4 x 1
Incapacitated

Equipment

-Artifacts-

Sundown Sentinel, Orichalcum Arm (Artifact ●●●) (Created with the help of Seiraryu! Thanks Manu!)

Katsuo's prosthetic arm is made out of white-gold orichalcum and finely sculpted to the proportions of a normal sized arm. Even though it grants the wearer the normal range of use and movements granted by the original limb, it it still visibly a construct, looking like an elaborate smashfist or a very articulated armor gauntlet. As such, Katsuo usually keeps his orichalcum arm carefully hidden under a glove and an hardened black leather arm cover wrapping five different buckles fastening it in place over the prosthetic limb.

Sundown Sentinel earned its name because as well as granting the user the full use of an otherwise lost limb, it was crafted to be a protective artifact that would help guard the life of its owner. Nestled in the forearm, in an intricate recess carved from the same white-gold as the arm, a single rounded onyx lies. At first glance, the onyx looks pretty much like an ornamental gem, but that is not the case. When the user infuses his own essence into the arm, the gem opens into several fragments, expending into a circle until it becomes a small buckler, grafted unto the forearm. It costs two motes for the wearer of the arm to reflexively activate the shield for one scene, and the buckler increases the difficulty of the attacks directed against the wearer by 2.

Since it was conceived as a defensive appendage, Sundown Sentinel is also easy to use for the sake of parrying, granting the user the ability to parry lethal blows unarmed without a stunt, as long as the blow is parried with Vigilant Sentinel. For the sake of parrying, the arm is considered to use the normal unarmed statistics of the wearer, althought adding +1 each to Accuracy, Defense, and Rate.

The final power of Vigilant Sentinel rests in the strength of grip it possesses. The artifact arm grants the ability to clinch an opponent with only one hand, using the regular rules for clinching, but freeing one hand to hold a weapon or other object, etc.

The arm also posesses a socket for a single Hearthstone, located on the inner forearm.

Comittment Cost: 5

Crimson Sunset, Blade of the Tactician (Artifact ●●●) (Once again created with crazy Seiraryu's help!)

A finely crafted blade who owns its name to the color of its hilt and ornament (including the scabbard), whose orichalcum and fine lacquered wood has been dyed the deep crimson of the setting sun. The four foot long, elegantly curved blade is simple yet nigh perfect, with engravings of falling feathers closer to the bottom where it meets the handle. The guardless, ornate hilt is inlaid with pleasant swirling patterns running around both ends of the handle, deep ebony contrasting with the vivid red. A single, black silken cord is wrapped near the middle of the crimson scabbard, tied elaborately into an elegant knot.

For a Tactician, everything is strategy - and Crimson Sunset is a Tactician's weapon. As such, it allows its user to make use of his of her tactical prowess in regular combat. The attacks made with Crimson Sunset are usually stragetically superior, making it more difficult for opponents to defend against such well-crafted blows. For every 3 successes the wielder of Crimson Sunset rolls on an attack roll, raise the difficulty to parry or dodge this attack by 1.

The sword is fast, precise and suberbly balanced, a gift given to Katsuo after he completed his training with Swordmistress Wynneth of the maidens of Vesperna. Even though Katsuo had to learn to use the weapon with his left hand following the loss of his right arm, he still wears the sword on the left, to honor the tradition he was taught back in Lookshy. This causes Katsuo to draw in a very unusual technique, a fact he has learned to appreciate a lot as it allows him to confuse opponents expecting him to draw with the arm opposite to his sword.

Commitment Cost: 7

Crimson Sunset (Stats include Orichalcum bonus)
Spd: +9
Acc: +5
Dam: +4L
Def: +3
Rate: 5

Raiment of the Half-Shadowed Strategos (Artifact ●●) (Thanks to DarkSirenSally for the name! *smooches his Mieu*)

One of the only remnants of Katsuo's achievement in Lookshy, the Raiment of the Half-Shadowed Strategos has become a blend of old traditions and new direction. The garment was worn when Katsuo acheved the rank of Strategos, trying to honor the Itsunari name despite his meager combat capabilities. After his fall from grace, which eventually led him to Asami, the coat was one of the only things he still possessed that reminded him of his past.

And so Katsuo kept the garment, but decided to have it altered, to commemorate a new life and a new beginning. The dark blue fabric was dyed black, and threads of orichalcum were shot through the overcoat, allowing Katsuo to use the millitary regalia as a protective garment. The name for the artifact was found by Asami, and Katsuo has kept this appellation for it ever since.

Born out of need to conceal one's identity at particular times, the Raiment also includes another power - as long as the user makes a mimimum attempt at concealing the weapons he has on his/her person, the Raiment blurs onlookers' minds as to their presence. For mechanical purposes, as long as the wearer is at least minimally trying to conceal carried weapons, it increases the difficulty to spot said weapons by 2.

Commitment Cost: 3

Raiment of the Half-Shadowed Strategos (Stats include Orichalcum bonus)
Soak (L/B): 9/12
Mobility Penalty: -1
Fatigue Value: 0

-Hearthstone-

Stone of Guarded Sleep (Manse ●●) (Slightly modified from EndlessChase's Secure Sleep Stone, mainly to make the stone a Celestial Hearthstone.)

This clear blue stone is vaguely teardrop shaped. When active, the stone loses it's luster and fades to a matte grey.

The Stone of Guarded Sleep grants its owner complete control over many aspects of their own sleep patterns. The first, and often most welcome aspect of the stone is its ability to let its bearer fall immediately to a peaceful sleep, regardless of position or comfort level of the place the bearer is at, for any pre determined duration. They can let themselves sleep for an hour, or three minutes. The desired time is precisely what they get. This will in no way prevent the sleeper from becoming stiff or sore from sleeping draped over a tree branch or other such uncomfortable position for hours, however. The second ability granted by the stone is to make the sleeper totally immobile and silent while sleeping. Heavy snorers will breath clearly, no rattle escaping their throat, and people that toss frequently through the night will not move a muscle.

The third power of the stone is most likely the most useful for the paranoid. The sleeper is no easier to sneak up on while they are asleep than they are while awake. The bearer of the Secure Sleep Stone is aware to all stimuli that would affect any of her senses while awake (such as sight, even though eyes may be closed) that affects them personally. This effect does not extend to the companions of the bearer.

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