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| − | * <b><i>Note:</i></b> In these rules, the Ability named 'Martial Arts' has been renamed 'Brawl'. In these rules, 'Brawl' refers to an Ability focussing on unarmed hand-to-hand attacks and parries. 'Martial Art' refers to a cohesively designed and dedicated style of fighting, regardless of what Abilities that style utilizes.
| + | #REDIRECT [[MartialArtsKatas]] |
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| − | = Martial Arts: The Kata System =
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| − | Sorcery and Necromancy are what is known as 'Formal Magics' - magics which rely on the formal manipulation of Essence into understood patterns, rather than the supernatural exploitation of Essence that any Spirit or Exalted shard can perform through Charms, or even the purely natural interactions of Essence that lead to the laws of Creation itself. Like the Arts of Sorcery and Necromancy, the Martial Arts are formal manipulations of Essence. Unlike the exotic forms of Spells, which manipulate the raw Essence of Creation to create an external effect, the esoteric forms of Martial Arts - called <b>Katas</b> - manipulate the Essence flows <i>within</i> the practitioner to affect his interaction with Creation.
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| − | Like Sorcery and Necromancy, performing supernatural Martial Arts requires an Initiation. Purely 'natural' Martial Arts are, of course, possible - and operate identically to the purely 'natural' Arts of Thaumaturgy, Warding, and such. But in order to truly command one's internal Essential Form, one must be Initiated into the Ways of Essence.
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| − | = Initiation =
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| − | The Sidereals have long used the metaphor of the Lotus bloom to describe this initiation. The first, or root form, of initiation is the Terrestrial Style - this the easiest for most Exalted to learn, since on the surface it operates almost identically to their normal style of Charm usage. However, a Kata is no more a Charm than a Sorcery Spell is, and the pupil who forgets this will never transcend to the higher Styles.
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| − | The Celestial Style Initiation is a much more profound realization - one which the Celestial Exalted are well-equipped for, but which the lesser Essences of the Dragon-Blooded have great difficulty wrapping their natures around. While a Terrestrial practitioner can perform a Kata because he <i>commands</i> Essence, the Celestial practitioner performs the Kata with the perfected understanding that she <i>is</i> Essence - and that the Essence that she is can be commanded as easily as the Essence that she uses. While the Terrestrial forms are usually based around techniques and weapons, The Celestial forms most often take on an animal or phenomenal motif. This is not coincidence: The key to Celestial Initiation is learning to mold one's internal Essence into a perfect image of the Form, commanding the Essential powers of an Exalted Tiger or Tiger-God because in that moment she <i>is</i> an Exalted Tiger or Tiger-God.
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| − | The Sidereal Style Initiation is the final pinnacle of understanding. These Katas require a profound intuition of the inner workings of Fate, Destiny and Essence, and how Creation itself manifests from the Essence poured through the Loom of Fate. Thus, Sidereals have a natural advantage over the other Exalted, working as closely as they do with Fate and Destiny on a daily basis. Moreso, their very Essences are naturally designed to walk along the strands of Fate, a practice that only Solars can emulate with great difficulty, and only in very specific and well-defined circumstances.
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| − | While Katas and Spells are both Formal Magics, the internal nature of Katas means that simple memorization of Essence patterns is insufficient. Thus, Katas must be taught piece-by-piece, with each lesser Kata building the foundation of understanding for the greater Katas. Only once all Katas in a given Form are understood, is the Form understood in its entirety, and the practitioner may rightly be called a Master of that Martial Arts Form.
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| − | While the specifics of Initiation vary from Exalted to Exalted, the following guidelines can be used to build the Initiation charms for each Exalted or Spirit type:
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| − | Solars (see MartialArtsKatas/SolarInitiation):
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| − | * Terrestrial - Brawl 1, Resistance 1, Lore 1, or Athletics 1, Essence 1 -or- Bureaucracy 2, Essence 2
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| − | * Celestial - Brawl 1, Resistance 2, Lore 3 or Athletics 1, Essence 1 -or- Bureaucracy 3, Essence 3
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| − | * Sidereal - Brawl 5 and Essence 4, Resistance 5 and Essence 4, Lore 5 and Essence 3, Athletics 5 and Essence 4, or Bureaucracy 5 and Essence 4
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| − | Lunars (see MartialArtsKatas/LunarInitiation):
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| − | * Terrestrial - Dexteriy 1, Essence 1
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| − | * Celestial - Dexterity 2, Essence 1
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| − | Sidereals (see MartialArtsKatas/SiderealInitiation):
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| − | * Terrestial - Brawl, War, Dodge, Resistance or Lore 1, Essence 1
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| − | * Celestial - Brawl, War, Dodge, Resistance or Lore 1, Essence 1
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| − | * Sidereal - Brawl, War, Dodge, Resistance or Lore 2, Essence 2
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| − | Dragon Blooded (see MartialArtsKatas/DBInitiation):
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| − | * Terrestrial - (Varies depending on Initiation style) 1 to 3, Essence 1 or 2
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| − | * Celestial - (Varies depending on Initiation style) 3 to 5, Essence 3
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| − | Gods, Elementals, and Demons (see MartialArtsKatas/SpiritInitiation):
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| − | * Terrestrial - Essence 1
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| − | * Celestial - Essence 2
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| − | Mortals (see MartialArtsKatas/MortalInitiation):
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| − | * Terrestrial - Brawl 5, Athletics 5, Resistance 5 and Lore 5, Essence 3
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| − | = Styles, Forms and Katas =
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| − | Once a level of Initiation is met, a character may begin to learn the specific Katas that lead to mastery of a Style. Katas are purchased exactly as spells for Sorcery or Necromancy; they are considered Favored or Caste if the prerequisite Initiation charm is considered Favored or Caste. The Form Charm of a Style is the ultimate distillation of its Essence: when a Form Charm is invoked, the character's Essence is actively committed to the pattern of the Style. This conveys many bonuses. First and foremost, the Form conveys its own bonuses, often augmenting the character's combat abilities considerably. Secondly, for as long as the Form is active, any Katas within the same Style as the Form may be activated naturally, without the need of a Combo. They do not count as the character's Charm use for the turn, and do not interfere with other non-Martial Arts Katas. However, using this natural attunement prevents the character from using Martial Arts Katas from other Styles for the remainder of the action, and this cannot be done if any other Martial Arts Katas from other Styles have already been used in this character's action.
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| − | Each specific Martial Arts Kata itself has prerequisites, based on what the Kata does and how complicated it is to execute. Unless specified, the system for executing the Kata is not changed from the standard Charm, except that the listed required Ability replaces the Martial Arts ability in any dice pool rolled. Many Martial Arts styles focus on a particular Ability (often Brawl, occasionally Melee or Athletics, more rarely Thrown or Archery), while others jaunt merrily throughout the full range of Abilities available to denizens of Creation. A Martial Artist must draw on a wide array of knowledge to sufficiently master his Art.
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| − | == Terrestrial Forms ==
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| − | === Five-Dragon Style (E:DB, pg. 198 - 199) ===
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| − | [[MartialArtsKatas/FiveDragonStyle]] - Principle Ability: Brawl | |
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| − | * Abilities required to reach Form: Resistance 3, Brawl 3, Athletics 4
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| − | * Abilities required to reach Mastery: Brawl 5, Resistance 5, Athletics 4
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| − | === Crimson Pentacle Blade Style (PG, pg. 198 - 199) ===
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| − | [[MartialArtsKatas/CrimsonPentacleBladeStyle]] - Principle Ability: War
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| − | * Abilities required to reach Form: Resistance 3, Melee 3, Awareness 3
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| − | * Abilities required to reach Mastery: War 5, Melee 4, Resistance 4, Lore 3, Awareness 3, Presence 3
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| − | == Celestial Forms ==
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| − | === Snake Style (E, pg. 160 - 162) ===
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| − | [[MartialArtsKatas/SnakeStyle]] - Principle Ability: Brawl
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| − | * Abilities required to reach Form: Athletics 3, Dodge 3, Brawl 2
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| − | * Abilities required to reach Mastery: Brawl 5, Athletics 3, Dodge 3
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| − | === Tiger Style (CB:D, pg. 160 - 162) ===
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| − | [[MartialArtsKatas/TigerStyle]] - Principle Ability: Brawl
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| − | * Abilities required to reach Form: Brawl 4, Athletics 2
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| − | * Abilities required to reach Mastery: Brawl 5, Athletics 3, Resistance 3, Setalth 3
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| − | === Air Dragon Style (E:DB, pg. 243-247) ===
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| − | [[MartialArtsKatas/AirDragonStyle]] - Principle Abilities: Stealth, Thrown
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| − | === Earth Dragon Style (E:DB, pg. 247-252) ===
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| − | [[MartialArtsKatas/EarthDragonStyle]] - Principle Abilities: Resistance, Awareness
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| − | === Fire Dragon Style (E:DB, pg. 252-255) ===
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| − | [[MartialArtsKatas/FireDragonStyle]] - Principle Abilities: Dodge, Melee
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| − | === Water Dragon Style (E:DB, pg. 255-259) ===
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| − | [[MartialArtsKatas/WaterDragonStyle]] - Principle Abilities: Brawl, Larceny
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| − | === Wood Dragon Style (E:DB, pg. 259-263) ===
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| − | [[MartialArtsKatas/WoodDragonStyle]] - Principle Abilities: Archery, Medicine
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| − | === Celestial Monkey Style (PG, pg. 246 - 249) ===
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| − | [[MartialArtsKatas/CelestialMonkeyStyle]] - Principle Abilities: Athletics & Awareness
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| − | * Abilities required to reach Form: Integrity 4, Athletics 3, Brawl 3
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| − | * Abilities required to reach Mastery: Awareness 4, Lore 4, Brawl 3, Melee 3, Athletics 3,
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| − | === Dreaming Pearl Courtesan Style (PG, pg. 250 - 252) ===
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| − | [[MartialArtsKatas/DreamingPearlCourtesanStyle]] - Principle Ability: Brawl
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| − | * Abilities required to reach Form: Brawl 4, Dodge 2, Melee 2, Resistance 2
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| − | * Abilities required to reach Mastery: Brawl 5, Dodge 4, Lore 4, Awareness 3, Presence 3, Thrown 3, Melee 2, Resistance 2
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| − | === Righteous Devil Style (PG, pg. 250 - 252) ===
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| − | [[MartialArtsKatas/RighteousDevilStyle]] - Principle Ability: Archery
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| − | * Abilities required to reach Form: Archery 3, Presence 3
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| − | * Abilities required to reach Mastery: Archery 5, Presence 3, Awareness 3
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| − | === Violet Bier of Sorrows Style (E:Sid, pg. 179-181) ===
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| − | [[MartialArtsKatas/VioletBierofSorrowsStyle]] - Principle Ability: Brawl or Melee
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| − | * Abilities required to reach Form: Integrity 4, Brawl or Melee 3, Athletics 2, Dodge 2, Awareness 1
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| − | * Abilities required to reach Mastery: Brawl or Melee 5, Athletics 5, Integrity 4, Dodge 2, Awareness 1
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| − | == Sidereal Forms ==
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| − | === Charcoal March of Spiders Style (E:Sid, pg. 184 - 189) ===
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| − | [[MartialArtsKatas/CharcoalMarchofSpidersStyle]] - Principle Ability: Athletics
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| − | === Prismatic Arrangement of Creation Style (E:Sid, pg. 189 - 195) ===
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| − | [[MartialArtsKatas/PrismaticArrangementofCreationStyle]] - Principle Ability: Occult
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| − | === Citrine Poxes of Contagion Style (E:Sid, pg. 195 - 201) ===
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| − | [[MartialArtsKatas/CitrinePoxesofContagionStyle]] - Principle Ability: Medicine
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| − | === Comments ===
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| − | If anyone would like to continue in this vein to map out all the Martial Arts Katas' Requirements, it would be appreciated. I'll continue to try to add one or two a week.
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| − | - [[Ialdabaoth]]
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| − | A pretty solid system, and well thought out. The only issue I don't like is the reliance on 'war' as the initiation. I can easily imagine master martial artists that cannot command armies, nor master the intracacies of seige warfare. In fact, I'm inclined to say that most martial artists ''won't'' be such master war-mongers, and thus, I'm against the idea of 'war' being one's initiation. Perhaps something a bit more fundamental, such as Athletics, Endurance, and Brawl, representing the fundamental training most martial artists endure at the beginning of their career? Something along the lines of "To become initiated in the Terrestrial Martial Arts, a Solar Exalt must first train in the fundamentals of his body for hours on end, and thus must have a minimum Athletics, Endurance, and Brawl of 1 each. Upon mastering these basics, he may continue to train yet further, becoming able to learn the initiating charm in the Celestial Martial Arts when at least one of those abilities is 3 or higher, and the remaining two are at least two or higher. Finally, to master the Sidereal Martial Arts, one must truly understand their own body and how to control it - thus, at least one of the three abilities must be at 4 or higher, while the other two must be at 3 or higher." Something like that gives some freedom in your martial artist, and yet fits the mold of most martial artist types fairly well. In addition, even without using your supernatural martial arts, you'll be pretty cool and useful (as one would expect from someone who's trained that much), whereas the current system merely means that you're good at Chess and playing wargames. -- GreenLantern
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| − | : Thanks for the suggestions. I think I'll use Brawl, Athletics and Lore - while Resitance makes sense, I think I'll reserve that for Mortals - Exalts are already naturally "tough enough" to deal with the rigors of Martial Arts. Thanks for the input; I'll work up the actual Charms soonish. -- [[Ialdabaoth]]
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| − | Update: I've pretty much decided ANY Ability can act as the Initiation into MA, so I've created several 'default paths' for each splat. Thanks again for the recommendation. -- [[Ialdabaoth]]
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