Difference between revisions of "MoEarthDragonStyle"

Latest revision as of 01:16, 6 April 2010

by Morpheus

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This is a houseruled version of the Immaculate Earth Dragon Style presented in Exalted: The Dragon-Blooded. It is an Earth-Aspected Celestial martial art.

The Earth Dragon Style is part Muy Thai, part sumo, part breaking. Practitioners of this style seek to emulate the resilience and strength of the earth itself, using it in combat to overpower and outlast their foes. To the untrained eye, the Earth Dragon style looks freeform and natural compared to other martial arts, but it is in fact very formal, relying on many strict stances and precise postures to allow the practitioner to better withstand blows. Attacks are short and strong, favoring strikes to holds or throws, and punches, elbows, or headbutts to kicks. This style teaches blocking with the forearm when possible, or calf otherwise, both of which are strengthened until they are hard as stone. The tetsubo is wielded gracefully in two hands in hundreds of different positions designed to allow various strikes at different angles and speeds. The practiced tetsubo fighter with this style can instantly shift between these stances as the battle changes around him. When used for attack, the tetsubo is swung at full speed at a small angle and quickly returned to another position, always at the ready. Many of the attacks of this style strike to the sides and rear to disable multiple opponents surrounding the fighter.

The Earth Dragon Style teaches a philosophy of quiet stillness in harmony with the essence of the universe. They supplement this essence, and draw strength from it, as the earth draws strength from itself to become even stronger. Practicioners learn to overcome obstacles through skillful application of muscle, resolve, and will. Training for the Earth Dragon style consists of endless hours of endurance conditioning, being struck repeatedly to toughen the body, breaking stones with various parts of the body, and hours of meditation in total stillness.

Exalts who wish learn the true strength of the earth and seek to emulate its infinite fortitude can learn to understand the full might the the Earth Dragon Style. They learn charms which allow the martial artist to withstand incredible damage while applying great force. This force is capable of shrugging men aside, but is especially potent against inanimate objects, which crumble or shatter against the unwavering force of the earth. Adepts also learn to expand their perceptions to predict blows from all directions, as the earth knows everything that the earth feels, and is never surrounded. Masters are able to infuse the essence of the earth into others, and eventually into themselves, becoming an avatar of the Earth Dragon: both immovable object and irresistable force.

This style is not compatible with Armor. It is compatible with the tetsubo alone. Earth Aspects with at least 3 dots of Martial Arts, who are trained in this style wielding the tetsubo, increase the weapon's speed by 3 and accuracy and defense by 1. They may also ignore the weapon's Str requirement. Additionally, the difficulty to resist knockdown from the tetsubo increases by 1.

Using my rules, the Martial Artist may consider their Strength 2 higher for determining ability to wield the tetsubo and Wait, but not Damage, and may add 1 to Accuracy, Defense, and the target's difficulty to resist knockdown.

                                      Earth Dragon
                                       Fortitude
                                           |
                ------------------------------------------------------
                |                          |                         |
         Stone Strength            Unmoving Mountain       Mountain-Crumbling
            Technique                 Meditation                  Attack
                |                          |                         |
                ------------------------------------------------------
                                           |
                                      Earth Dragon
                                         Form
                                           |
                ------------------------------------------------------
                |                          |                         |
         Essence of Earth          Shrugging Dragon        Endless Destruction     
              Attack                   Technique                 of Pasiap 
                |                          |                         |
         Ghost-Grounding            Earth Dragon's            Sword-Shattering
              Attack                     Claw                      Parry
                |                          |                         |
                ------------------------------------------------------
                                           |
                                     Body of Stone

Earth Dragon Fortitude</b>

<b>Cost: 2 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Min. Martial Arts: 2
Min Essence: 1
Prereqs: None

The character momentarily fortifies her body with the strength of stone, causing an attack made against her to meet strong resistance. The character adds her Martial Arts to her bashing and lethal soaks against a single attack. This charm must be activated upon being hit, before damage is rolled.

Unmoving Mountain Meditation</b>

<b>Cost: 3
Duration: Martial Arts Minutes
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 3
Min Essence: 2
Prereqs: Earth Dragon Fortitude

The character plants both feet on the ground or floor and becomes one with the still essence of the earth. For her Martial Arts in Minutes, the character receives her Martial Arts in automatic successes to any roll to resist being moved from her spot on the earth, including knockdown rolls or resisted Strength rolls to force the character aside. In addition, the character receives her Martial Arts in dice to Stealth rolls to be still and make no noise. The character must be able to plant her feet upon the ground to use this charm, disabling its use in flight, underwater, while riding beasts, etc.

Stone Strength Technique</b>

<b>Cost: 2 or 3 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Min. Martial Arts: 3
Min Essence: 2
Prereqs: Earth Dragon Fortitude

The character enhances a blow with the essence of the Irresistable Force, adding 1/2 her Martial Arts to the damage of a single attack. This charm costs 2 motes if the character is attacking with his natural weapons, and 3 motes if the character uses a tetsubo or any other weapon. However, this charm is no more compatible with the use of weapons than any other charm of this style.

Mountain Crumbling Attack</b>

<b>Cost: 4 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 3
Min Essence: 2
Prereqs: Fortitude of Earth

Instantly attuning himself to the structure of the inanimate world and forcing her will upon it, the character makes a normal unarmed martial arts attack which is able to deal a crushing blow to an inanimate object. Damage done to such an object is doubled before soak. This charm does not confer any ability to damage worn armor, though it can be targeted on weapons or other objects not surrounding a living being. This charm is applied simultaneously with similar effects which multiply damage, after effects which add to damage, making its use in conjunction with other destructive magics truly devastating.

Earth Dragon Form</b>

<b>Cost: 5 motes
Duration: 1 Scene
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 4
Min Essence: 2
Prereqs: Unmoving Mountain Meditation, Stone Strength Technique, Mountain-Crumbling Attack

The character strikes the earth with her foot or weapon, strikes herself, and settles into a tense stance: centered, resolved, and prepared for anything. For the remainer of the scene, the character may add one half her Martial Arts to her Stamina. In addition, she adds her Martial Arts to her Bashing, Lethal, and Aggravated soaks. Finally, the character is considered aware of attacks made from behind and may defend against them as normal. Stamina gained through the use of this charm is normal Stamina for consideration of the Earth Aspect Anima Power, but is still a charm enhancement for the purposes of determining the maximum number of dice that can be added to a roll.

This is a Celestial-level "form"-type charm.

Essence of Earth Attack</b>

<b>Cost: 4 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min Essence: 3
Prereqs: Earth Dragon Form

The Exalt channels pure elemental essence into an attack, her hands taking on a white glow. A character struck by an attack supplemented by this charm is saturated with calcifying essence. For a number of turns equal to the character's Essence, the target must succeed on a Stamina + Resistance roll versus the character's Strength + Martial Arts, or take a -1 penalty to all Dexterity rolls as he is slowly turned to stone. If this penalty ever exceeds the target's Stamina + Essence, then the target is completely and permanently petrified. The durations of multiple applications of this charm overlap, but no target need roll more than once each round. A target never takes more than one -1 penalty each round from this charm, though the penalties caused by this charm stack over the course of the scene. These penalties last for the remainder of the scene, or until the character is permanently made into stone. Tattooed Lunar Exalted are immune to the permanent petrification.

Ghost-Grounding Attack</b>

<b>Cost: 5 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min Essence: 3
Prereqs: Essence of Earth Attack

The character channels a great amount of solidifying earth essence into a ferocious strike designed to drag a dematerialized spirit into the physical world. The character makes a normal unarmed Martial Arts attack, which is capable of striking dematerialized spirits. If successful, the attack does damage as normal, and the character rolls Strength + Essence versus the spirit's Stamina + Essence. Success on this roll forces the spirit to attempt to materialize, drawing first from its own essence stores, then the character's. If the spirit's essence stores and the character's essence stores together do not add up to the Materialize charm's cost for the spirit, then the spirit does not materialize and the motes are wasted. The spirit must remain material for 1 hour for every net success on this roll.

Shrugging Dragon Technique</b>

<b>Cost: 5 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 4
Min Essence: 3
Prereqs: Earth Dragon Form

The Exalt channels irresistable force into the very earth beneath him with a tremendous stomp. Non-earthen surfaces weaker than stone will almost certainly crumble or shatter, but harder materials or materials of earth transmit this force in a radius equal to the character's Martial Arts x 5 yards, causing the ground to heave and toss. Everyone standing on the ground during this turn must make a reflexive Dexterity + Athletics roll with a difficulty of one half the Immaculate's Martial Arts, -1 for every 10 yards the target is from the character. A failure means that the target is thrown off his feet. Success indicates that the targets manages to stand on the shaking earth, and takes only a -2 penalty to physical actions for the remainder of this turn. This penalty is lessened by 1 for each success achieved above the difficulty. Structures within the area of effect could be damaged by the force of the Earthshaker Attack, as it is comparable to a small-scale earthquake. Floors which are not made or earth, metal, or other such strong stuff will not transmit the force, and will be splintered and broken after one use of this charm, possibly causing the floor to cave in.

Earth Dragon's Claw</b>

<b>Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min Essence: 3
Prereqs: Shrugging Dragon Technique

An Immaculate using this charm strikes the earth with his open palm. The character is momentarily given a sonar-like image of everything within his Martial Arts x 5 yards which is touching the floor or ground, reducing the stealth dice pools of characters touching the ground to 0 (before charms) for the purposes of going undetected by the character.

The character may then use this information to attack others at range. The character receives a dice pool equal to his Strength + Perception + Martial Arts to use as an attack pool against targets within this radius, and may split this pool to make multiple attacks with this charm. Small jets of rippling earth essence speed from the character's palm toward the target(s). This attack may not be parried.

If the attack is successful, the target is caught in the earth as it reaches up and drags him in. This imposes a difficulty penalty to all physical actions equal to the number of successes achieved on the roll. Once each round, characters may take an action to attempt to break free from the earth by rolling Strength + Athletics with a difficulty equal to the penalty suffered. If the character ever takes more of a penalty from this charm than his Strength, then he is dragged under completely, doubling the difficulty to break free. This attack may only be dodged by characters who anticipate the wave of essence; a character may anticipate the wave with a successful Perception + Occult roll, or from previous experience, or from charms such as Surprise Anticipation Method. Multiple uses of this charm do not stack, however they may overlap, in which case the penalty from the most successful attack is applied. If a character is suffering from any penalty from this charm, he may not move his feet from the spot, and cannot dodge any further uses of this attack. This charm is only usable while standing on the ground and on targets touching the ground or a stone floor.

Endless Destruction of Pasiap</b>

<b>Cost: 6 motes
Duration: 1 Scene
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min Essence: 2
Prereqs: Earth Dragon Form

This charm binds the character's body to the essence which makes things strong and holds them together, adding her Martial Arts to damage against any inanimate object for the remainder of the scene.

In addition, objects striking the Exalt tend to break. Any time an object hits the character with force, the Immaculate must roll Martial Arts. The difficulty on this roll is determined by the strength of the object. Wooden or brittle objects are DC 1. Slightly more breakable objects, such as rapiers, are DC 2. Normal weapons, such as longswords, are DC 3. Excellent weapons may be DC 4 or 5. If the Immaculate succeeds on the roll, then the object breaks. Broken weapons still do their normal damage before they break. This aspect of the charm has no effect on objects made of the 5 Magical Materials.

Sword-Shattering Parry</b>

<b>Cost: 5 motes or 5 motes, 1 Willpower

Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min Essence: 3
Prereqs: Endless Destruction of Pasiap

This powerful defensive charm grants the character a reflexive parry against any incoming attack she can perceive, using her normal parry dice pool. In addition, if the parry is successful, the character has the chance to break her opponent's weapon or disarm him. The character rolls Strength + Martial Arts with a difficulty equal to the relative strength of the weapon. Common weapons are difficulty 1. Exceptional weapons are typically 3. Weapons of the 5 Magical Materials are difficulty 5. Success causes the weapon to break. Failure means that the target must still achieve as many successes as the character got on the roll, using Dexterity or Strength + the combat ability used to attack with the weapon, or be disarmed. For the Immaculate to even attempt to break or disarm an attuned weapon, she must spend a temporary Willpower.

Body of Stone</b>

<b>Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: 1 Scene
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min Essence: 4
Prereqs: Ghost-Grounding Attack, Earth Dragon Claw, Sword-Shattering Parry

A great master of the Earth Dragon Style may not only harness the power of stone, but may become one with the living earth itself. The Irresistable Force and the Immovable Object meet in the character as the power of the earth floods through her, visibly turning her flesh to stone. For the remainder of the scene, the character is an avatar of Pasiap -- half man, half rock. This confers many benefits as long as the character is touching the ground or some other solid surface which eventually leads to the ground. If the character is not touching such a surface, this charm cannot be activated, and if he is disconnected from the earth, the charm is temporarily suppressed.

• The character gains a number of automatic successes equal to her Essence to all rolls to resist poison and disease.
• Strength and Stamina both increase by an amount equal to one half the character's Essence.
• Bashing Soak increases by 2 x Essence.
• The character may soak lethal damage with her full Stamina.
• The character may parry lethal attacks unarmed.
• The character's unarmed attacks do +2B damage.
• The character can flawlessly sense the location, size, and general shape of all things within her Essence x 10 yards which also touch the ground. Charms which affect the senses have no effect, while charms which fool the mind work normally.
• Finally, a character who has the Earth Aspect anima power active gains Hardness equal to her modified Stamina.

Comments

Why would a Style based on immitating a very large rock be incompatable with Armor? - Telgar

Probably because almost all MA are incompatible with armor. - EJGRgunner

Well, save for every Immaculate Style save Fire, and Five Dragon Style. Of the non-Sidereal published styles, that's almost half whose forms are compatible with armor -- and of those that are not, only Violet Bier is wholly incompatible with armor. That said, though, I support the thematics of an armorless high-soak style. Rock on. Post it to MartialArts when you do post it. _Jabberwocky

? I thought all the styles in the Caste books weren't compatible, as well as the styles in the Core and E:tA. That's five right there that aren't. Plus two in the DB book, and Violet Bier. -EJGRgunner

You're right, I neglected to count Abyssal's Style. Anyways, though, 12 Celestial and Terrestrial Styles. 5 forms are compatible with armor, 7 are not; however, only one Style is wholly incompatible, which is the Sidereally-oriented Violet Bier of Sorrows Style. Just stating numbers -- I reiterate, though, rock on (No pun intended.), if that's your perrogative. It's plenty thematic to have the limitation, as Ikselam sets up below. _Jabberwocky

Five Dragon Style is armor-compatable. Only Fire Dragon is not. But the majority of Form Charms are not armor-friendly. Still, why Earth Dragon? Armor is totally thematic for it. - Telgar

The stone does not wear armor. To do so would deny the stone's own impervious nature.\\ _Ikselam

Ikselam, you rock my... D'OH! (putters off, head hung low at the shameful pun-age he inadvertantly wrought) - EJGRgunner

Hail, and thank you for the comments. I prefer armorless martial arts. One of my primary ambitions with the elemental dragon styles is to adjust them to be all incompatible with armor. In my ideal world, brawlers use armor, while martial artists are forced to rely on their own strength.

Also, I think I should mention that unless specifically stated otherwise, I always round in the conventional mathematic fasion. .5 rounds up. Less rounds down. - Morpheus

What is going on here? Morpheus, are you posting the actual EDS, or is this your houseruled version? I would like to see something way up at the top of the page stating this explicitly. - willows

Or, to take another tack, is this supposed to be a replacement for the Immaculate Earth Dragon Style in E:tDB, or is it supposed to be a different style which just happens to share the same name? I agree with Willows that you should clarify all this for us confused Exalted junkies. - Quendalon

Oh, this is a massivly House Ruled version of Earth Dragon. Note the missing and renaming of several charms and different mechanics in those that are the same. I like Earth Dragon Form, but you've taken the soak-adder from being cool to being about pointless. Five-Dragon fortitude is now much, much better. - Telgar

Yep, this is my houseruled variant of the immaculate Earth Dragon style in the book. You're right, btw, Telgar, but Five-Dragon Fortitude is overpowered. - Morpheus

Re: Stone Strength Technique -- which one costs 2 motes and which one costs 3 motes?\\ Might be a good idea to specify whether the user must have their feet upon the bare ground for Unmoving Mountain.\\ Shrugging Dragon Technique -- do attacks count as "actions requiring precision"?\\ Earth Dragon's Claw: "Multiple uses of this charm do not stack, but may overlap. If a character is suffering from any penalty from this charm, he may not move his feet from the spot, and cannot dodge this attack." Overlap? How? In terms of duration? But it's Instant. Also, does the Stealth penalty (stealth dice pools reduced to 0) count as "any penalty" for the purposes of the second sentence? (Sorry if I'm being dumb.)\\ Sometimes the pronoun of a charm's user will shift mid-paragraph, or change randomly. It would be easier to read if you would pick a sex for your nameless protagonist for each individual Charm text.\\ ~ Shataina

Stone Strength - weaponless costs 2. weapons cost 1 more\\ Unmoving Mountain - ground or floor works\\ Shrugging Dragon Technique - I can't believe how badly worded this was. - All physical actions\\ Earth Dragon's Claw - The duration is instant, but the effect is permanent. It can only be broken physically. Overlaps means you count only the most successful attack. The stealth thing isn't a real penalty, so no.\\ I'm workin' on the pronouns. Thanks a lot Shataina. Your efforts are more greatly appreciated.\\

- Morpheus 

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