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Harmonic Symphony Style

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Background

The Harmonic Symphony Style was founded by Sallis Yarren, an elder outcaste who grew up travelling across the Threshold with a circus caravan, the son of the circus’s astrologer. Yarren’s Exaltation was a fluke, and he soon became actively involved in the world of martial arts, learning bits and pieces of Charms as he passed through regions, and developing a series of unconventional stances that mixed the Charms he had learned. However, Yarren was also a performer, and he was entranced by the ways in which the harmony of Creation could be reproduced through music. After mastering both Five-Dragon and Crimson Pentacle Blade Styles, he began working on a Style of his own – one that would build on that concept to create a symphony of perfection.

Yarren’s style was a surprising success, but even he did not realize the depths of its capabilities until a student, entranced by the master’s demonstration of his style at an event in which he defeated three other martial arts while playing a flute sonata, asked to be taught. While teaching his student, Yarren discovered that his martial arts had taken more of the concept of a symphony than he had guessed, and that his songs mixed with those of his pupil to lend his Charms greater strength.

In the eighty years since then, the Harmonic Symphony Style has spread across the Threshold. While its unique and strange nature made it less than popular with most martial artists, its co-operative nature ensured that it was learned in groups, and did not fade in the way that one might expect. Yarren himself continues to travel, teaching those whose enthusiasm and love of discovery catches his eye, and his Style spreads in his wake.

Due to the intensive melodic nature of this Martial Art, all Charms of this Style have a Performance requirement in addition to their Martial Arts requirement.

Form Weapons

Harmonic Symphony Style treats attacks made using only sound as form weapons for the style. It may be praticed freely in armour, provided that the armour does not have a Fatigue or Mobility penalty above 1; anything heavier disrupts the elegance of the form's style.

New Keyword: Melody

The 'Melody' keyword applies to many of the Charms in this Style. Theoretically, Charms of other Styles or groups could also have this keyword. The Melody keyword has three special rules that applies to it. First, any Melody Charm can only be activated if the character is making music somehow. The tenor of the music is obvious, but its attached magic is not. Because of this, a given character cannot have more than one Melody Charm active at a time, and if someone magically stops all sound in an area, the Charm's effects end immediately. Characters must have a musical instrument or a brilliant stunt to use a Melody Charm.

In addition, two Charm users cannot share the stage. While mundane sound cannot drown out a Melody Charm, two characters in the same area that each activate a Melody Charm have the two Charms entangle and snarl. Each character rolls Charisma + Performance; if one character receives as many successes as their opponent's successes + Essence, her Charm continues its effect and the other is useless until the winner stops. If neither character receives that many successes, both Charms are useless until one musician stops.

Finally, all Melody Charms are co-operative in nature. Two characters with the same Melody Charm may sing it together, enhancing its effects as listed in an individual Charm. Melody Charms do not stack directly.

Charms

Warrior's March

Cost: 4 motes, sometimes 1 Willpower
Minimums: Martial Arts 3, Performance 2, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Melody, Compulsion
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: None 

The character brings her instrument around, drawing forth a uplifting tempo that calls those who hear it out to do battle. This Charm affects everyone who can hear the character's melody. For the duration of the effect, they gain +1 Valor and must fail a Valor roll to retreat from combat (if they are at a clear or overwhelming disadvantage, they gain +2 dice to the Valor roll). For one Willpower, the character may selectively apply this effect to people who either consider themselves her ally or her enemy, as she chooses.

When multiple players join their tunes together, they find it easier to play. Each additional musician playing the Warrior's March reduces its cost for each user by 1 mote, to a minimum of 1 mote. If five players play the tune, they each pay only 1 mote and can forgo the Willpower cost to apply the song selectively. More than five musicians playing this song have no effect beyond increasing its volume.

Dancer's Madrigal

Cost: 2 or 5 motes
Minimums: Martial Arts 3, Performance 2, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Melody
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: None 

With a joyful lilt, the character lightens the load of those who hear her song, reminding them that the world is a lighter place than they imagine. The song catches at the heels of those who hear it, enticing them to dance. For the duration of the effect, anyone listening to the music has their Move rating increased by 1, and their Jump and Dash ratings increased by 2. For 5 motes, the character may selectively apply this effect to people who either consider themselves her ally or her enemy, as she chooses.

When multiple players join their tunes together, they find it easier to play. Each additional musician playing the Dancer's Madrigal reduces its cost for each user by 1 mote, to a minimum of 1 mote with five musicians. More than five musicians playing this song have no effect beyond increasing its volume.

Lover's Requiem

Cost: 4 motes, sometimes 1 Willpower
Minimums: Martial Arts 3, Performance 2, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Melody, Emotion
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: None 

Opening the hidden chambers of her heart, the character wrings a tearful melody from those around her, and anyone listening can do nothing but weep. Anyone listening to the song takes a -1 internal penalty to all actions for as long as the music persists, as long as they are able to feel sorrow. For one Willpower, the character may selectively apply this effect to people who either consider themselves her ally or her enemy, as she chooses.

When multiple players join their tunes together, they find it easier to play. Each additional musician playing the Lover's Requiem reduces its cost for each user by 1 mote, to a minimum of 1 mote. If five players play the tune, they each pay only 1 mote and can forgo the Willpower cost to apply the song selectively. More than five musicians playing this song have no effect beyond increasing its volume.

Harmonic Symphony Form

Cost: 4 motes
Minimums: Martial Arts 4, Performance 3, Essence 2
Type: Simple (Speed 4, DV –1)
Keywords: Form
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Warrior’s March, Dancer’s Madrigal, Lover’s Requiem 

Settling herself into position, the character begins to play, shifting her posture away from her instruments for scant moments in order to unleash attacks and then return to her melodies. While this Charm is active, the character may activate any Melody-type Charm as a reflexive non-Charm effect. She may not activate more than one Melody per tick, and she still must spend and commit Essence as usual, as well as following all normal Melody rules. If the character is combining her Melodies with others who also have this Charm active, they may reflexively also change their tune or cancel it, as needed.

Mountain’s Waltz

Cost: 4 motes
Minimums: Martial Arts 4, Performance 3, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Melody, Obvious
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Harmonic Symphony Form

The character begins a slow, stately melody whose notes wrap around her like a wall of music. She increases her Bashing and Lethal soak totals by her Essence score for the duration of the Charm.

The Mountain’s Waltz guards only the character, but it increases in power as others nearby join in its song. If two or three musicians within hearing range play the Mountain’s Waltz, all gain an additional +1 to their Bashing and Lethal soak. If four or more musicians play the Waltz, all gain a further +1, for a total of Essence +2.

Wind’s Rhapsody

Cost: 5 motes
Minimums: Martial Arts 4, Performance 3, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Melody, Obvious
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Harmonic Symphony Form

The character begins a flowing and swirling song that radiates out from her like a weapon. The character may make unarmed attacks at a range of up to her (Essence x2) yards. If using a sound-based attack that has a range, she adds (Essence x2) yards to that range instead.

The Wind’s Rhapsody flows around only the character, but it draws strength from the sound of others playing with it. For each additional musician within hearing range playing the Wind’s Rhapsody, increase the range of the character’s attacks by 1 yard. No more than +4 yards may be gained in this manner (from five total musicians playing).

Tidal Fugue

Cost: 6 motes
Minimums: Martial Arts 4, Performance 3, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Melody, Obvious
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Harmonic Symphony Form

The character plays a shifting song, and her music wraps around her, confusing her targets as the music slides through their senses. Anyone fighting the character suffers an internal penalty equal to the character’s Essence on rolls to hit her, and a –1 external penalty to DVs against her attacks. This Charm has no effect against targets that cannot hear.

Multiple musicians playing in harmony further confuse the senses of those fighting them. If there are two or three musicians playing, increase the penalty of attack rolls against the musicians by one, and if there are four or five, increase the penalty by two.

Melody And Counterpoint Rhythm

Cost: None
Minimums: Martial Arts 5, Performance 4, Essence 3
Type: Special
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Mountain’s Waltz, Wind’s Rhapsody, Tidal Fugue

The character now understands the rhythms and refrains that make up Creation. By learning this Charm, she permanently enhances her ability to use Melodies, reflecting her innate understanding of how music can be woven together.

Whenever the character activates a Melody-type Charm, she designates it as either a Primary or Secondary Melody. Primary Melodies behave as normal with other Melodies; however, Secondary Melodies only support or oppose other Secondary Melodies. The character may have both a Primary and Secondary melody active at once, provided they are activated properly. Note that if a character is using Harmonic Symphony Form, she still may only reflexively activate one Melody per tick. Masters of this Style either activate two Melodies, constantly shifting their powers, or use their primary Melody to disrupt their opponents while keeping their secondary Melodies active to empower themselves.

Comments

The conceptual distance of this style from the physical act of beating the crap out of someone gives me slight pause. Looking at the effects of the charms, I don't think they're inappropriate for a Terrestrial level of power. Indeed, the group-oriented nature is brilliant for Terrestrials. However, there's nothing in this style about hitting people except when you attack them with musical notes. In a Terrestrial musician's Martial Arts style, I'd expect at least some kind of charm involving making rhythm by hitting, parrying, and/or being hit. Conceptually, this style is very Celestial in design; in fact, it's extremely similar to Silver-Voiced Nightingale, which is a Celestial style from Scroll of the Monk. - IanPrice