Revision as of 05:19, 25 May 2005

Stone Dragon Style

• by Telgar
• back to TerrestrialMartialArts

Background

Practiced by many mortals and Earth-aspected Terrestrials in Lookshy, this Style was the original inspiration for the Earth Dragon Style when the Sidereals were creating the Immaculate Paths. Its fighting style is hard and fast, relying on the strength of the body as weapon and defense. Practitioners of this style often have highly developed forearm and shoulder muscles to catch blows on and their skin has a leathery quality from some of their training. The Earth Dragon practice of physical deprivation and masochism arises from the training of Stone Dragon Style. Breaking stone boulders and driving a fist shoulder-deep into gravel are beginning exercises. In battle Stone Dragons wade in fearlessly, without weapons or armor, using arms and shoulders as shields while their mighty fists send foes flying.

Stone Dragon Style has no signature weapons, the body is its focus.

Charms

Granite Fist Transformation</b>

 <b>Cost: None
 Duration: Permanent
 Type: Special
 Min MA: 3
 Min Essence: 2
 Prerequisites: None

The first training of the Stone Dragon Style is that the body is as lethal as any weapon forged by man. Using his training and physical conditioning the character may now choose to have his unarmed attacks deal lethal damage instead of bashing.

Boulder Arm Strike</b>

 <b>Cost: None
 Duration: Permanent
 Type: Special
 Min MA: 4
 Min Essence: 2
 Prerequisites: Granite Fist Transformation

Having learned to fortify the strength of bone and muscle in their limbs and the correct posture to inflict maximum damage on their opponents, Stone Dragons are able to develop a personal attack using their bodies that inflicts damage comparable to that of a mundane weapon. The martial artist has 12 “points” to distribute amongst the stats of a new unarmed attack that uses the character’s Dexterity + Martial Arts pool. Note that the new attack automatically has a Rate of 1 and that the total stats must add up to 12, negatives can give extra points in other categories. This attack can not be a clinch or other special maneuver.

Flint Muscle Deflection</b>

 <b>Cost: None
 Duration: Permanent
 Type: Special
 Min MA: 3
 Min Essence: 2
 Prerequisites: None

Though bladed weapons can still cut the skin of a Stone Dragon the martial artists are trained from the beginning to tone their muscles and firm their skin to allow deflection of glancing blows without harm. The character may parry lethal attacks unarmed.

Ivory Hide Style</b>

 <b>Cost: None
 Duration: Permanent
 Type: Special
 Min MA: 4
 Min Essence: 2
 Prerequisites: Flint Muscle Deflection

Having learned to deflect attacks, the next step in Stone Dragon training is to accept them. The bodies of Stone Dragon stylists are tough, armored with leathery skin and layer upon layer of hardened muscle. Even lethal wounds are sometimes repelled entirely by their resilient physiques. The martial artist gains Hardness equal to their Stamina rating.

Wonderous Diamond Bones</b>

 <b>Cost: None
 Duration: Permanent
 Type: Special
 Min MA: 4
 Min Essence: 2
 Prerequisites: Ivory Hide Style

At this point in the training, a Stone Dragon has perfected his physical form to the style’s requirements. His body has become armor and shield, as potent a defense coming from muscle and bone as from steel and jade. The character doubles his Stamina-based soak.

Stone Dragon Form</b>

 <b>Cost: 5 motes
 Duration: One scene
 Type: Simple
 Min MA: 4
 Min Essence: 3
 Prerequisites: Boulder Arm Strike, Wonderous Diamond Bones

Taking his first steps into the active techniques of the style the martial artist assumes the stalwart pose of the Stone Dragon and fortifies both his stamina and strength. All martial arts attacks made by the character ignore twice his Martial Arts score in soak and double their damage for the purposes of determining knockback or knockdown. This Charm can not be used when in armor.

Avalanche Shield Technique</b>

 <b>Cost: 3 motes
 Duration: Instant
 Type: Reflexive
 Min MA: 4
 Min Essence: 3
 Prerequisites: Stone Dragon Form

Having learned to rely on his body’s strength, the Stone Dragon is able to turn to his own form for protection when other measures fail. For every success on a partially successful parry or dodge attempt the character may increase his lethal or bashing soak by 2.

World-Shattering Assault</b>

 <b>Cost: 8 motes, 1 willpower
 Duration: Instant
 Type: Simple
 Min MA: 5
 Min Essence: 4
  Prerequisites: Avalanche Shield Technique

The body of a Stone Dragon Master has become a weapon on par with any Daiklave. He has learned the use of fists, arms, shoulders, feet and the whole of his form. By slamming his foe with his steel-hard bulk a Stone Dragon martial artist can inflict serious, if not fatal, damage. Such an attack uses the sum of the character’s physical attributes and Martial Arts scores as its base roll. The damage of a successful World-Shattering Assault is equal to thrice the martial artist’s Strength and is either Lethal or Bashing. This attack can not be dodged and is treated as a tackle attack.

Comments

Questions, actually.
Boulder Arm Strike: When you say the new attack automatically has a Rate of 1, does that mean it MUST have a Rate of 1 or can you use points to increase it?
Stone Dragon Form: This reduces your opponent's soak by twice your MA value, right? The wording was confusing me a little.
Other than that, looks very cool, if not a little on the powerful side for a Terrestrial MA. ;) ~ G

Boulder Arm Strike comes with a Rate of 1. There is no need to buy that first dot of Rate. It's just there. It can be increased, but starts at 1 instead of 0. The Form Charm, yes. You subtrace twice your MA from the opponent's soak. - Telgar

I was actually thinking how powerful it would be if a Lunar got his hands(claws, fins, horns, etc.) on this style. We're talking serious destructive power, especially within that last charm. - grypph

It's equally disturbing to see a Lunar with Five-Dragon Style. Lunars with *good charms* are dangerous in general. - Telgar

I like the style, but it seems celestial level to me, although certainly should remain earth aspected. Maybe it was a first-draft prototype the sidereals made? But, anyway, the effects are too generally useful and too good to be terrestrial. Example 1: The permanant block/parry lethals... terrestrials need supplemental charms to get these effects for a single attack, and they cost motes. Why should it be permanant for a pre-form terrestrial martial art style? Yes, it's in theme, but overpowered for terrestrial. It looks like a very nice celestial one though!
-- Darloth

I do agree with Darloth, the style is nice as its effects... however, the power level of the charms itself seem to indicate that it's a celestial style as opposed to a terresterial style. It is possible for celestial styles to possess elemental surcharges and theme, so I don't see why it isn't a prototype for the Earth Dragon style that some smart martial artist took with him to Lookshy when it was created. It might even be a pre-schism style that was taught to Earth Immaculates. ~ Haku

Actually, having this be the Looksy answer to Immaculate styles is pretty cool... -szilard

Because blocking lethal with bare hands is a stunt. You don't need a Charm to do it and there is no DB Charm, or any Charm at all (except a crappy Lunar one) that provides ONLY that benefit. Because it's just a stunt. So basically you're buying a Charm that does...nothing. You can always have that benefit because any moron can think up a 1-die stunt to do what this Charm allows. The permanent ability to decide between lethal and bashing is pretty nice, but again, not really something that is out-balanced when you consider it in-game. With an improvised weapon or a brawling aid, you can do lethal. This is just a permanent brawling aid. It gives you something you'd have *anyway*. The only DB Charm that serves only the function to B-to-L is Five Dragon Claw, a vastly underpowered Charm. So while the Charms may seem strong on paper, think about how little game impact they really have. This might be strong for a TMA, but by no means at all is it at CMA power level. I'd have to do serious steroids on here to get it to, say, Earth Dragon or Water Dragon power level.

Note: I do think this being a precursor to Earth Dragon that's favored by Lookshy might be cool though! - Telgar

Hmm... names, names. I suggest Ivory Hide Style for Defensive Charm 2, and Wondrous Diamond Bones for Defensive Charm 3.
Yeah, those are cool. I'll go with them. - Telgar
Regarding power - the block and cause lethal stuff is pretty well TMA-level, and even the 'improved unarmed attack' is just a way to replace a Brawling Aid. I'm a little concerned with gaining Stamina-as-Hardness, even though it'll hardly ever apply - were I to use this style, I'd likely give artifact armor higher Hardness. I'd likely make the Form reduce soak by only 1x MA, and make Avalanche Shield Technique give 2B or 1L for each success...
I'd need some playtesting, but I think -MA soak only would not have a significant enough advantage to be worthwhile. I will consider the change to AST though, that would certainly fit the patterns better..yeah, I'll do that. - Telgar

Keep in mind that even -MA alone will usually negate the natural soak of a subject (And then some, for Lethal damage), and that the Charm is internal to a style that already boosts and lethalizes unarmed damage - I'd argue that the potential for the equivalent of +2x MA 'damage' against an opponent in heavy armor is a little out of scale for the benefits of a TMA Form, especially when compared to Five Dragon ('soak bashing with lethal', ha ha), or even Jade Mountain (Which offers, at best, +Ess damage and +Ess soak, and penalizes your combat pool and movement). Hell, against an opponent in anything but the lightest of armors, this Form's benefit is almost superior to damage bonus of the (Celestial) Tiger style Form. ~ BerserkSeraph

This'll help my theory that the Immaculate Paths are the result of Sids combining TMAs into a more comprehensive, 'composite' style... I'll link here when I get around to making a Discussion of that little theory, if you don't mind? ~ BerserkSeraph
Nope. Don't mind at all, tis a nift idea. - Telgar

honestly, i like the name suggestion by BerserkSeraph, but i think (after looking it over again) that GFT and FMD should be rolled into one charm, probably GFT to suggest that the skin hardening accounts for the Lethal damage and a Lethal parry ability. - grypph

I disagree. While you COULD do it that way, this MA is short enough as it is and I'd then have to create another baselevel Charm, which would be a pain. Also, at TMA power I think they need to be seperate Charms, just for balance reasons. - Telgar

ok, i can agree with that. however, a what-if scenario, if it were escalated in power a bit, do you think those two could be combined together without any balance problems, say to a CMA? - grypph

Were this a CMA, yes I'd have combined those two Charms. I'd also have to improve everything else and add 3-4 more Charms. I don't want to. Work bad. - Telgar

If you wished to do that, Grypph, my suggestion would be to not make a new style but to revamp Earth Dragon to include 2-4 of the charms, cycling out one of the internal 'branches' ('stone-based paralysis', 'stone elemental attacks', 'destroying objects') in favor of heavier defense. Seeing as Water Dragon's currently better at soak, it's not a bad idea... ~ BerserkSeraph

actually, i was thinking of revamping some ideas i've found on the wiki for a Lunar style, with mostly permanent charms. the Form would be a killer though. - grypph