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Ash Dragon Style

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Background

Centuries ago, when the Deathlords had not yet gathered Solar Essences to their cause, three of them gathered together to form new martial arts styles, styles that would allow them to seduce Outcaste Dragon-Blooded into their services. The three - the First and Forsaken Lion, Eye and Seven Despairs, and the Walker In Darkness, collaborated for over eighty years to design and perfect their Five Blasphemous Dragon Styles.

Ash Dragon Style was one of the two styles ultimately designed by the Walker in Darkness. The Walker designed the form on the Understanding of Ash, the principles of sacrifice and connection. Subtle, low, ash drifts down until it smothers the living, drawing their power out to fuel death. The Ash Dragon Style is deceptively slow, before coming together in a suffocating cloud to steal the power and life of the living and use it to fuel the dead.

Ash Dragon Style is elemental in nature and follows the same elemental surcharge rules as Air Dragon Style; it furthermore modifies the natures of Dragon-Blooded who learn it to align them to the Underworld. Dragon-Blooded who learn any Charms of this Style may respire in the Underworld at a rate of 1 mote per hour; mastering the Style increases this rate by 1 mote per hour. These recovery rates stack with those gained from the other Underworld Dragon Styles, up to a maximum of normal respiration rates. However, for every two motes per hour that the character recovers in the Underworld, she recovers one less mote per hour maximum in Creation (to a minimum of one mote per hour).

Form Weapons

Ash Dragon Style is a ranged style, mimicking the drifting patterns of ash to turn apparently harmless weapons into deadly projectiles. It treats slings and their artifact equivalents as form weapons. Ash Dragon Style may be used in armor normally.

Charms

Ash Dragon's Breath

Cost: 3 motes
Minimums: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Basic
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: None 

The first nature of the Ash Dragon is to dull the minds and slow the reflexes of those who surround her. Once this Charm is activated, any enemies within (Essence x10) yards of the character suffer a -1 external penalty to all Awareness rolls made, as waves of ash catch in their eyes.

Settling Ash Method

Cost: 2 motes
Minimums: Martial Arts 2, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: One Action
Prerequisite Charms: Ash Dragon's Breath 

Whenever attacks are pressed against the Ash Dragon, their power ebbs and their movements slow. This Charm may be activated in response to any attack made against the character. It increases the Speed of that attack by one.

Burnt Incense Invocation</b>

<b>Cost: 1 mote
Minimums: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Special
Prerequisite Charms: Ash Dragon's Breath 

Reaching into the breath of the Abyss, the character draws a fragment of the power of the Underworld into herself, trading a measure of her potential for immediate recovery. Upon activation of this Charm, the character will recover one mote per action, for (Martial Arts) actions. However, the mote spent to activate this Charm remains committed for the duration of the scene. This Charm may be activated repeatedly, but the total number of motes gained may not exceed one per action, and each invocation requires the commitment of an additional mote for the scene.

Ash-Shrouded Soul</b>

<b>Cost: 3 motes
Minimums: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Ash Dragon's Breath 

As ash catches in the eye of the living, and memory tugs at their hearts, so does the Ash Dragon hide momentarily from the sight of those who seek her out. This Charm may only be activated on the character's action. It allows her to make an attempt to re-establish surprise reflexively.

Ash Dragon Form</b>

<b>Cost: 4 motes
Minimums: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Type: Simple (Speed 5)
Keywords: Form-Type
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Settling Ash Method, Burnt Incense Invocation, Ash-Shrouded Soul 

Pushing her limbs through a series of slow gestures, the character takes on an aspect of Ash, feeling the power of sacrifice welling up inside her. After successfully activating the form, a character may reduce the die pool of all attacks against her by her Essence, as enemies find their movements slow and difficult to judge. Furthermore, the character's own unarmed attacks become Piercing; her hands and sling pass easily through armor to strike at unprotected flesh.

Five Prayers Strike</b>

<b>Cost: 2 motes
Minimums: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Ash Dragon Form 

Ash appears slow and unwieldy, but it settles onto a target until they find that they cannot move. Attacks supplemented by this Charm apply a -1 Onslaught penalty to the target's DV until her next action, instead of vanishing at the end of the flurry. A character may supplement multiple attacks in a flurry with this Charm, applying multiple Onslaught penalties.

Consuming Ashen Blow</b>

<b>Cost: 4 motes
Minimums: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Five Prayers Strike

When ash drifts towards the unwary, they soon find that it takes more than a simple sidestep to avoid its all-encompassing strike; only true prayer and sacrifice can prevent it. This Charm creates an unarmed attack of the character's choice. The attack is unblockable and undodgeable unless the target spends either one Willpower or 5 motes of Essence. Willpower or Essence spent by the target is given to the character.

Choking Field Encompassing</b>

<b>Cost: 4 motes, 1 Willpower
Minimums: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Shaping
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Consuming Ashen Blow

The martial artist opens her hands wide, and ash rises from them, surrounding the field and causing coughing fits in all those around. The ash settles into the minds of everyone present, drawing fragments of power from everyone who chooses to remain near the character. The character rolls (Perception + Martial Arts), and everyone present rolls their (Stamina + Resistance). Anyone who fails the roll is connected to the character by lines of prayer. If they wish to spend Essence, they must choose to either spend an additional mote or allow the character to regain one mote. Mortals with no access to their Essence pools must do the same with their Willpower pools.

Empty Northern Wind</b>

<b>Cost: 3 motes
Minimums: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: (Martial Arts) Actions
Prerequisite Charms: Ash Dragon Form

Ash settles hard on the ground, but it also drifts and floats unpredictably. By activating this Charm, the character takes on the nature of ash, and floats and drifts around as needed, slipping around her opponents as needed. For the duration of the effect, the character is pushed by attacks, moving an automatic (Essence /2) yards away from any attack made against her. This can break flurries if the attacker cannot close the distance.

Regret-Forming Cry</b>

<b>Cost: 5 motes
Minimums: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Basic, Emotion
Duration: (Martial Arts) Actions
Prerequisite Charms: Empty Northern Wind

The nature of prayer is to remember loss and pain, and the Ashen Dragons best know how to call on that loss. The character lets out a howl of misery that extends (Essence x10) yards in all directions. The character rolls (Martial Arts + Essence), and this Charm affects everyone whose MDVs are lower than the successes rolled. For every point that they are lower, they suffer a -1 internal penalty to all actions as they feel doubt and sorrow overwhelming them. If their penalties are greater than their Compassion rating, they are unable to take active actions, and can only defend themselves and suffer quietly.

Whispered Strike Prana</b>

<b>Cost: 3 motes
Minimums: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Emotion
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Regret-Forming Cry

The character suffuses her weapon with power, reminding everyone who feels its power that there is a world of pain that they have forgotten. If the attack strikes home, it does not deal damage as usual. Instead, the character deals (Strength + Essence) dice of damage that the target can soak only with her Essence rating. Post-soak levels of damage are dealt to the target's Willpower instead of her health levels; a character reduced to Willpower 0 takes further damage from Virtue channels of her choice. A character reduced to no Willpower or Virtue channels takes no further damage.

Stolen Breath, Stolen Hope</b>

<b>Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower, 1 ahl
Minimums: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: (Martial Arts) actions
Prerequisite Charms: Choking Field Encompassing, Whispered Strike Prana

All life exists to die, and the ultimate principle of Ash states that the blood of the living is meant to be shed on behalf of the dead. This Charm affects all living beings within (Essence x10) yards of the character. On every one of the character's actions, all other living beings within range suffer a level of unsoakable lethal damage. This cost may be prevented by spending 5 motes or 1 Willpower; if it is, the character recovers 1 mote. Five motes gained from this Charm at the same moment may be converted into a Willpower instead. The cost of this Charm keeps most Ashen Dragons from using it often, but it can tear through opponents if properly directed.

Comments

Hope you don't mind a comment. I think that on the whole this is an excellent style, but Whispered Strike Prana seems somewhat over-powered. - Han'ya

Whispered Strike is one I'm a little vague on, honestly. As it stands, against an equal-Essenced opponent, it's Strength dice of damage dealt to an opponent's Willpower instead of her health levels. Against most opponents, that's only 1-2 Willpower. That said, I'm debating bumping the cost up to 4 motes. - FrivYeti

This is a very interesting and cool martial arts style. I like the point of what it is, so nice job on that. I was curious about something, you mention that Terrestrials who gain learn this martial arts are able to respire Essence in the Underworld. Would that include Celestial and Solars who learn the charms in this style. - Heru

As it stands, no. The idea was that these Martial Arts mimic the elemental weapon bonuses from the Glorious Dragon Paths, by aligning the elemental nature of the Dragon-Blooded with the elements of the Underworld. Since Celestials have no such connection, they wouldn't get the advantage. - FrivYeti

I have a question as well.

"Ash Dragon Style is elemental in nature and follows the same elemental surcharge rules as Air Dragon Style; it furthermore modifies the natures of Dragon-Blooded who learn it to align them to the Underworld. Dragon-Blooded who learn any Charms of this Style may respire in the Underworld at a rate of 1 mote per hour; mastering the Style increases this rate by 1 mote per hour, up to a maximum of normal respiration rates."

er...do you mean 1 mote per hour per charm of the style? otherwise...how would they ever reach normal respiration rate? Azurelight

Each Underworld Dragon Path is going to have the same advantage. Someone who mastered three styles would have a six-mote per hour recovery rate, and so on. That's not actually clear with this Style, so I should probably note it somewhere. - FrivYeti