Revision as of 08:07, 5 April 2010

Chromatic Elements of Dragons Style

By Fifth

Background

Created by a Sidereal who wished to continue in his mastery of the Five Dragon Paths, Chromatic Elements of Dragons Style is a Sidereal Martial Arts. It is geared somewhat toward younger Sidereals, as it has no elder level effects. Chromatic Elements of Dragons Style is not compatible with armor, and does not treat any attacks with martial arts weapons as unarmed attacks. This style was created in deliberate imitation of Prismatic Arrangement of Creation Style; the original creator wished to have greater flexibility in his use of the Five Elemental Styles.

Note: Unlike standard Sidereal Martial Arts, this style can be learned by Dragon-Blooded; due to their elemental attunement, they are capable of learning it, albeit at greatly increased cost. Dragon-Blooded always require mentor to learn this style; they pay 30 experience for each charm in the style, and each charm takes one year of training. Furthermore, a Sidereal would have to develop a training regimen to train a Dragon-Blooded in each charm.

Charms

Foe-Trapping Air Sentinel</b>

<b>Cost: 10 motes
Duration: Varies
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 4
Prereqs: None

The Student Sutra: Once there was a dragon...

Striking his opponent with a charge of elemental power, the character catches him in a trap of air. The martial artist makes a normal attack that inflicts no damage. If he hits, then for the martial artist’s essence in turns, his opponent can only move at half speed. Furthermore, any hand-to-hand attacks the martial artist makes against others are also applied to this opponent, as the air around them focuses and applies his blows; even attacks that he aims at the air, or at trees or rocks will be applied. This will never make an attack apply twice to the same target.

<b>Cost: 4 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 4
Prereqs: None

...who outsmarted everyone and everything, until he realized he was outsmarting himself. So...

The martial artist throws his weapon to the winds and trust it to strike. He makes a normal ranged attack that must be used with the thrown ability. The weapon dissipates into air, reforming just as it would normally strike its target. This attack gains no extra bonuses, but it can only be defended against by charms that specifically state they work against attacks that the Exalt is unaware of. This charm is explicitly allowed to be comboed with Thrown charms.

<b>Cost: 10 motes 
Duration: 1 Scene
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 5
Prereqs: One Elemental Martial Arts Style, Foe-Trapping Air Sentinel, Invisible Wind Spirit

...he cut off his head and was dumb for a while.

Dropping into the universal currents of Air, the martial artist becomes the complete embodiment of the element. For the duration of this charm, the martial artist may make martial arts actions with a range of his essence yards and adds his martial arts to his iniative. Furthermore, in response to any attack either against him or that he makes, he may reflexively move up to his essence yards in any direction he chooses. If he moves enough that his opponent would have to move to hit him, then the opponent suffers a difficulty penalty on his attack equal to the martial artist’s essence. In addition to the above benefits, the user of this charm can move freely on air as if it was the ground.

<b>Cost: 6 motes
Duration: 1 Turn
Type: Reflexive
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 4
Prereqs: None

Once there was a dragon...

Becoming one with the element of Earth, the martial artist centers himself; he becomes unmovable and unstoppable. For this turn, the martial artist’s attacks are unblockable; furthermore, all knockback, sweeps, and throws automatically fail. This is not a perfect effect.

<b>Cost: 8 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 4
Prereqs: None

...who was so tough he couldn't move. So he thought about it...

Focusing on the tougher parts of earth, such as stone, metal, and the like, the martial artist focuses on his opponent and treats him as being of those elements. For one martial arts attack, treat the target as being an object for all effects and purposes.

<b>Cost: 10 motes 
Duration: 1 Scene
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 5
Prereqs: One Elemental Martial Arts Style, Earth-Centering Stance, Flesh to Stone Discipline

...and decided to take a break from being tough and write some poetry, or maybe paint a little.

The character pulls the element of earth into him, making himself into its champion. For the duration of the charm, the character’s soak is perfect; no charm, sorcery, or effect can negate it. His soak also is considered hardness; if the character has a lethal soak of 14, he also has a hardness of 14. Finally, the characters attunement to earth grants him incredible strength and power; while in contact with the ground, the character has no limit to his lifting capacity. Anything not in his normal lifting capacity is considered only for him to instead be in his highest lifting capacity. This power is charm-based, and is not subject to normal laws of reality; the character’s connection the earth provides him with any necessary leverage or balance that he needs.

<b>Cost: 6 motes
Duration: 1 Turn
Type: Reflexive
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 4
Prereqs: None

Once there was a dragon...

Moving so fast that he appears to be everywhere, the martial artist strikes from all directions at once. All attacks he makes this turn are undodgeable, and any attempts to restrain the character automatically fail. This is not a perfect effect.

<b>Cost: 12 motes
Duration: Scene
Type: Reflexive
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 4
Prereqs: None

...who was so bright that no one could see him. One day, though, he realized he couldn't even see himself. So...

Feeling the pulse of the element of fire, the martial artists joins with the element, affecting all his actions. For the remainder of the scene, the martial artist rolls all martial arts attacks, martial arts parries, and dodges twice, and uses the better of the two results.

<b>Cost: 10 motes 
Duration: 1 Scene
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 5
Prereqs: One Elemental Martial Arts Style, All-Present Fire Stance, Fire Feeding Stance

...he put himself out.

Feeding the flame within himself, the martial artist drops into this stance and emulates the element of Fire. For the duration of this charm, the martial artist triples all of his movement distances; in addition, all his athletics dice on any roll are considered automatic successes. On any successful dodge, he may make a reflexive jump with his full pool dexterity + athletics pool. Finally, each turn the martial artist takes, he gains a number of reflexive dodges equal to his martial arts score. These are each at his full dodge+dex+specialty pool.

color = black
<b>Cost: 8 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 4
Prereqs: None

Once there was a dragon...

Emulating the flowing nature of Water, the character moves parts of his body without actual moving himself. The character perfectly dodges any one attack that is not undodgeable and is not area effect. The character does not have to be able to move to do this.

<b>Cost: 8 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 4
Prereqs: None

...who flowed everywhere. But all the other dragons complained about the mess, and they wouldn't let him play their dragon games. So then...

The character strikes with the unpredictability and fury of a storm on the fringes of the West. This charm explicitely may be declared before initiative; however, the character must declare a martial arts attack that this charm is applicable too. He automatically wins initiative this round against anyone not using a perfect initiative charm or an initiative negater such as Prismatic Arrangement of Creation Form. In addition, double his martial arts + dexterity + specialty pool for this attack. This explicitely is not limited by normal dice pool limits, and does not count towards them.

color = black
<b>Cost: 10 motes 
Duration: 1 Scene
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 5
Prereqs: One Elemental Martial Arts Style, Movement Without Movement Defense, Ocean’s Strike

...he dried himself up. He would have eventually, anyway.

The character pulls the idea of the element of water into himself, and becomes its ideal. The character flows like water and splits into two identical versions of himself. Mechanically, the character has two independent actions each turn, one for each version of himself. Each version is completely independent, and for the duration of this charm, should be treated as seperate entities. The character does not gain any extra health levels, motes, or willpower from this charm; the two versions share a pool, and any effects on one are mirrored on the other (including positive and negative charms, sorcery, and the like). However, the two versions gain a myriad of benefits. Primarily, if both versions are within 3 yards of eachother, they may parry attacks for each other (assuming they have actions available). For example, if the character has a persistant parry effect active and the versions are within 3 yards of eachother, he may parry all attacks against either version twice. The character may also roll twice to resist any negative effects, and to make any Perception + Awareness checks. Finally, if the character is ever dealt enough damage to bring him to incapacitated, the version that is hit sacrifices itself. The struck self dissolves into water as this charm ends, but the character takes no damage from that attack. If the charm ends this way, it may not be reactivated in the same scene.

<b>Cost: 10 motes + 1 per die
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 4
Prereqs: None

Once there was a dragon...

Accepting an opponents attack onto himself, the Martial Artist uses the nature of Wood and mirrors the attack back on his opponent. After being attacked, the character makes a standard martial arts attack, adding 1 dice per 2 motes additional spent (with normal dice caps for the Exalt using this charm). If the counterattack is successful, this attack does no damage; instead, the opponent takes exactly the same damage and negative effects that the martial artist took. This damage is not dealt normally, and thus, soak and other defenses do not apply; the opponent simply applies levels of health damage and negative effects. Any effects the Martial Artist uses to negate effects or damage also work for the target of this charm.

<b>Cost:
Duration:
Type:
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 4
Prereqs:

...who never died. He just overflowed with life, and death never found him. Then one day...

Charm Text

<b>Cost: 10 motes 
Duration: 1 Scene
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 5
Prereqs: One Elemental Martial Arts Style, Wooden Mirror Counter, (14)

...he got bored. So he killed himself and tried death for a change.

The character becomes the true embodiement at life and, at the same time, becomes perfectly aware of how to begin and end it. For every unarmed attack the martial artist makes, he has two choices; he may either change his base damage to aggravated, or he may instead choose to have his attack do no normal damage; instead, he may roll his essence, and for every success, heal one level of bashing, lethal, or aggravated damage. The character can not heal any one target more than his essence x 2 levels of damage in a day. In addition, the character’s perceptions of life make him aware of his impending death; he is automatically aware of any attacks of any sort made against him by any living being. This is a perfect effect. Finally, the character’s body under this charm is practically unkillable; the character does not suffer any would penalties, and does not fall unconscious upon being rendered incapacitated. The character does die if taken beyond his stamina levels past Incapacitated.

<b>Cost: 12 motes 
Duration: 1 Scene
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 5
Prereqs: Ethereal Mind of the Dragon Form, Diamond Hide of the Dragon Form, Raging Breath of the Dragon Form, Flowing Motion of the Dragon Form, Living Body of the Dragon Form

The Elder Sutra: Once there was the dragon, and her name was...

Reaching the pinnacle of this style, the Elementalist transcends elemental boundaries and becomes able to utilize all of the elements effectively. While this charm is active, the martial artist does not pay any elemental surcharges for elementally aligned charms. In addition, the Elementalist can activate up to 5 charms as sub-forms of this charm. This form is not as inclusive as Prismatic Arrangement of Creation Form, and does not include all forms as part of itself; only elementally aligned forms can be activated as sub-forms of this charm (namely all other forms in this style and all five Elemental Dragon Forms). The character gains access to unexpected weaponry while under the effects of this charm, just as with PAoC; in addition, the character gains signature weapon abilities.

Comments

Water Form: Too powerful, because it essitialy gives you a fully independant action, and then doubles your mote and willpower pool, and gives you some really cool stunting material, and let's you flank your opponent, and gives you silly, silly combo's.... tho it's a little less powerful in that you can't interweive charm use nad acitons of your self, as you are yourselves.... i'd say that it should cost 3 or 4 more motes and a willpower.

Final Form: All sidreal level MA's are incompatible with any armor. They should not be allowed to use armor at all in them... that's a balancing factor.

~Sabis

Water Form: I tried to balance this with Charcoal March of Spiders Form. In comparision, you get: 1 less Independent action (significant disadvantage) No interweaving of actions(significant disadvantage) The penalties to attacks against you or defenses, can't run on air, etc(significant disadvantage) double motes and willpower(huge advantage) Is it powerful? Yes... but I don't think it's unbalanced. It might be... and I have problems judgeing my own charms, since I tend to make assumptions that I don't type out and don't even think of consciously. Let me look at it more.

Final Form: Yes, you can use armor with it.. but only if you use none of the forms in this tree or Fire Dragon Form. Given the benefits of this tree, I'd say you'd be limiting yourself more by using armor than by not using it.

-Fifth