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Self Sufficient Engine of Massacre Style

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Background

The Self Sufficient Engine of Massacre is a style that was developed in Autocthonia. The style is based upon tactics, precepts and techniques taught to Moonsilver caste saboteurs and assassins. Insidious Subroutine, the founder of the style, took these methodologies, codified them into a unified system, and packaged them as a martial arts style which would easily be stored in a Perfected Lotus Matrix thus leaving his sub-ordinates with valuable space to install the variety of Charms necessary to perform their tasks well. Designed to complement the tasks and objectives of an infiltrator, the style focuses upon brief and often unexpected bursts of intense violence, designed to overwhelm and quickly eliminate obstacles or targets. The style saw a marked degree of success and was quickly adopted by Soulsteel caste enforcers and vigilantes as a means to quickly deal with subversive elements.

This is a Second Edition Style.

Weapons and Armor

The Self Sufficient Engine of Massacre style was not designed to function with any weaponry, as practitioners often needed to get into locations where bearing arms would complicate matters. For a similar reason, the style is incompatible with anything heavier than light armor.

It is important to note that practitioners who have mastered the charm Accessing the Inner Armory may use any charm generated armor or armament as in style equipment.

Ancillary Abilities

Students of this style must have their Athletics and Stealth ratings at 2 before they may learn any charms. Students are also encouraged to improve their Dodge and Larceny ratings, although this is not required.

Charms

Violent Expectations</b>

<b>Cost: 3 motes
Duration: One Scene
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-basic
Minimum Martial Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms:: None

Conflict is inevitable. When behind enemy lines an agent must always anticipate that the situation will come to blows. The next time the character makes a Join Battle roll, add his Perception as charm dice. This ends the effects of Violent Expectations. This charm must be active before the roll is made and may not be activated in the same action as a Join Battle roll.

Premeditated Assault Routine</b>

<b>Cost: 5 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms:: Violent Expectations

Those who do not expect conflict can be taken advantage of by an agent who understands that conflict is inevitable. Premeditated Assault Routine may only supplement an attack from ambush. If the target is unaware of the attack, add the number of successes the martial artist beat his (wits + awareness) roll by as bonus successes to the attack. This bonus cannot exceed the character’s stealth. If the attack is noticed, reduce the defender’s DVs by 2.

Death Moves with Swift Strides</b>

<b>Cost: 2 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK
Minimum Martial Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms:: none

Often times circumstances prevent an agent from closing with his target unnoticed. In these situations he must make the best of the brief time it takes for his opponents to register his presence and quickly reach his target. The character’s movement and leaping distances are tripled on his first action when emerging from ambush or after Joining Battle.

Adaptive Evasive Pattern</b>

<b>Cost: 3 motes
Duration: Special
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK
Minimum Martial Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms:: Death Moves with Swift Strides

An agent’s primary focus should be his objective. Obstacles should be avoided if at all possible. This charm may only be activated while the character is dashing, leaping, or a combination of the two. No other actions are permitted. Ignore all onslaught and coordinated attack penalties to the martial artist’s dodge DV. In addition factor his athletics into his Dodge DV calculation against melee attacks, and as external penalty against ranged attacks.

Self Sufficient Engine of Massacre Form</b>

<b>Cost: 6 motes
Duration: One Scene 
Type: Simple (4/-2)
Keywords: Form, Obvious
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms:: Premeditated Assault Routine, Adaptive Evasive Pattern

Targets must be eliminated with speed and alacrity. Every moment of delay increases an agent’s chance of failure. Adepts of this style are taught a darting, vicious posture, hands eager for violence, body toned for execution. Reduce the speed of all the character’s attack and leap actions by 1 to a minimum of 3. For every attack the character makes in a flurry, add 2 dice of damage to all attacks within said flurry. Finally, if wielding two weapons, attacks with the off hand weapon do not suffer the normal -1 penalty, and if wielding two weapons that are a matched pair (such as fists) increase the accuracy of both weapons by 1.

Accessing the Inner Armory</b>

<b>Cost:  -
Duration: Permanent
Type: Permanent
Keywords: -
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms:: Self Sufficient Engine of Massacre Form

The arms and armor generated by an agent are simply extensions of his being, not separate components. For the expenditure of 1 willpower any weapons or armor generated by charms are considered in form for this style for the scene. If the character possesses no such weaponry, then he may instead pay 1 willpower to enable his unarmed strikes to inflict lethal damage and parry lethal and ranged attacks without a stunt for the scene.

Alacrity Begets Havoc</b>

<b>Cost: 1 mote
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms:: Self Sufficient Engine of Massacre Form

An agent with his objective clear in his mind strikes with a confident surety and overwhelming speed. Double the onslaught penalties, if any, accompanying the attack this charm supplements.

Havoc Begets Aegis </b>

<b>Cost: 4 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms:: Alacrity Begets Havoc 

Adepts of this style learn special patterns of rapid strikes. Each strike is thrown in such a way as to cover the opening left by its predecessor, and with such speed that it is difficult for opponents to penetrate. For each attack that hits beyond the first in a flurry, reduce the DV penalty of the flurry by 1.

Carnage Perpetuates the Dynamo</b>

<b>Cost:3 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: One scene
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo OK, Obvious
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms:: Self Sufficient Engine of Massacre Form 

At times an agent is forced to overcome lesser foes on the way to their objective. Such opponents delay an agent and sap his resources. As each foe falls, the agent is one step closer to his objective. Adepts who master this charm are able to tap into a frenetic energy as they overcome such obstacles and near their target. Whenever the martial artist neutralizes an opponent, either by killing, incapacitating or some other means, he regains a number of motes equal to the opponent’s permanent essence x3. If the opponent has an essence of 2 or higher, then the martial artist may instead regain 1 point of willpower.

Murderous Retroaction</b>

<b>Cost:3 or 5 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive (step 9)
Keywords: Combo OK, Counterattack
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms:: Carnage Perpetuates the Dynamo 

Trained in the ways of haste and efficient use of time, adept agents are ready to exploit any advantage given by their foes if it will get them closer to their objective. Often times when foes attack, they leave themselves open for a fraction of a second or more, an oportunity any agent will capitolize on with bloody results. Murderous Retroaction provides a counterattack at the martial artist's full pool. Compare the speed of the martial artist's attack to the speed of his opponent's action. If the opponent's speed is higher, then add the difference of the two values to the accuracy of the martial artist's counterattack. If the martial artist is wielding paired weapons (a true pair, not the virtual pairing as granted by the form) then he may instead counterattack with a flurry, one strike from each weapon. In this instance he recieves no benefit from a lower speed then his foe.

Practiced Mayhem Routine</b>

<b>Cost: 5 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo OK, Crippling
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms:: Self Sufficient Engine of Massacre Form

Adept agents are capable of striking with surgical precision, crippling their foes to insure easy execution. When supplementing an attack with this charm, choose a target and increase the difficulty of the attack to 3.
Eye- A quick strike to the eye renders it useless and disorients the target. Victims suffer a -2 internal penalty to vision based rolls on the maimed side as well as a -1 external penalty to ranged attacks. If both eyes have been hit, the victim becomes blind suffering a -4 external penalty to all attacks and tasks requiring vision. Attacks beyond 100 yards become impossible.
Throat- A strike to the throat wounds the windpipe, rendering the character unable to speak or scream, and inflicting an internal penalty of -2 to all breathing related rolls.
Wrist-Shocking the tendons with a precise strike triggers an immediate disarm attempt, with the attacker receiving a number of bonus dice equal to his post soak damage. In addition, the victim is at a -1 internal penalty for all actions concerning the afflicted hand.
Knee-A strike to the knee hobbles the opponent, reducing their base speed and jumping distance by ½, and adding a -1 internal penalty to his Dodge DV. Striking both knees reduces the victim’s base speed to 1, makes leaping impossible without a stunt or charm, and even then at 1/4 distance, and inflicts a -2 internal penalty to his dodge DV.

Attack supplemented by this charm cannot inflict more than 1 level of damage and must be capable of inflicting lethal damage. If this charm is used against an inanimate object, instead of the above effects, triple the character’s raw damage.

Clarity of Execution</b>

<b>Cost: 6 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo OK
Minimum Martial Arts:5 
Minimum Essence: 4 
Prerequisite Charms:: Practiced Mayhem Routine  

The skilled agent is intimately familiar with strikes and can predict, even as they hit, if they will be enough to complete his objective. If the strike is true, then the agent drives it home with penetrating force. If off target, the agent is able to pull out of the blow and quickly recover. An attack supplemented by this charm gains the piercing tag, adds the character’s essence in automatic successes to hit, and doubles its raw damage. If that attack is unable to inflict enough damage to bring its target down to incapacitated or lower, then the attack inflicts no damage. In this case reduce its DV penalty by 1 and its speed by 2. If this charm is used in a flurry or Combo, it may only supplement the last attack in the sequence, this supercedes the normal timing rules for supplemental charms.

Multifarious Precipitate Homicide</b>

<b>Cost: 3 motes per attack, 1 willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Extra Action
Keywords: Combo Ok, Obvious
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 5
Prerequisite Charms: Clarity of Execution, Havoc Begets Aegis, Murderous Retroaction

It is said that master agents can dispatch a foe faster than he is able to register their presence. The existence of this technique certainly lends some credence to the stories. Agents of this level strike with the precision of scalpel and the wanton destruction of a threshing machine. The martial artist unleashes a dizzying succession of blows, each attack taking consumate advantage of the increasing gap left in an opponent's defenses by its predecessor and causing horrific wounds. This charm is a magical flurry of two or more attacks. Each attack costs three motes and the Exalt may buy up to (his permenant essence) attacks. As this is a magical flurry, the character receives no multiple action penalty and a DV penalty equal to the highest penalty for any single attack. Finally each attack in this flurry has its accuracy and damage increased by the number of successful attacks which preceded it and the overall speed of the flurry is reduced by 1. If this charm is placed in a Combo with Alacrity Begets Havoc, then the cost of Alacrity Begets Havoc need only be paid once to benefit all of the attacks in the flurry. It shares a similar synergy with Premeditated Assualt Routine, reducing the cost of that charm to 2 motes per attack in the flurry.

Metadata

Name: Self Sufficient Engine of Massacre

Author: Ambisinister

Type: celestial

Subtype: metaphoric

Rules: E2

Form Weapons: eventually any charm generated

Armor Allowed: eventually any charm generated

Shield Allowed: eventually any charm generated

Essence Range: 3-5

MA Range: 2-5

Total Charms: 13

Forms: 1

Comboable Charms: 11

Reflexive Charms: 6

Persistent Charms: 5

Comments

DeathBySurfeit's reposting of his recalibrative martial arts inspired me to pull this old style I've been workin on off of the shelf and to complete it. Lemme know what you guys think both thematically and mechanically, wouldja?-Ambisinister

One of my favorite Celestial styles of all time, personally. I really like a lot of the mechanics, though worry that the pre-form charms are too focused on the initial strike, or getting to it, rather than doing anything. (Just a flavor thing, I don't have hard evidence, as I'm rushing). Post form, I love most of them, save the pinnacle charm - it just doesn't seem "fast" or "precise" or anything - it seems repeated, which isn't really something this style has done yet. It starts with quick strikes initially, and fast starts to fights, then moves into mad flurries, and finally hits something about 'repeating'. Mechanically, I can see why you like the charm - it's quite cool to have. At the same time, I can't help but imagine that it doesn't fit the flavor you've really grown up - once you've built such a consistent pedestal, why take two steps to the left? -- GreenLantern

Well, I'm glad you like it. You are, of course, correct about the pinnacle charm. It was a holdover from the older version of the style that I had put on the back burner. Since it seemed the most potent of all the charms in the style, I decided to slap it at the top of the tree for lack of anywhere else to put it. I have since come up with a more appropriate pinnacle in Multifarious Precipitate Homicide. I've also added a charm, Murderous Retroaction, and have modified the flow of the style slightly to accomodate it. If you have the time to apply your potent perception of crunch to my numbers, it'd be totally appreciated. -Ambisinister

Briefly, and becuase I must run, in relation to Murderous Retroaction, I ask "not the virtual pairing granted by the form"? I see no such virtual pairing in the form. I see a bonus if you're wielding paired weapons, but that's about it. -- GreenLantern

I feel it's best to illustrate with examples: Alfred Alchemical has an axe and a sword, if he wields both, the one in his offhand suffers a -1 penalty. Alfred Alchemical has a pair of hookswords, if he wields both there is no penalty because they are paired weapons. Alfred activates the form, and using crazy alchie charms sprouts an axe and a sword from his hands. These weapons behave as if paired as a result of the form, which negates the offhand penalty. Alfred grows a pair of hookswords, as these are already paired, they instead recieve a +1 accuracy bonus from the form. Murderous Retroaction will not permit Alfred to counterattack with a flurry if he is wielding a sword and axe, regardless of whether or not the form is active, but it will permit such a flurry with hookswords. Perhaps I should clarify the form some? -A.