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Latest revision as of 18:03, 1 July 2010

Descending Earth Style

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Background

Show me your stance. What, that's it? Pitiful.

Training

Descending Earth is not an obviously supernatural style. It is practiced in the same way as traditional mortal martial arts - and class sizes are large, because mortal martial arts students and exalted students are trained side by side. Indeed, this is an exceptional style to teach to mortals, since it teaches enlightened combat through training hard in the most basic principles. Of course, as an Earth style, the core principle is stance. Often, classes of hundreds of students will be taught by a single master. They will be required to rise before dawn and stand in their rows, knees bent and feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart. Until well after noon, they stand like this, the master walking among them and correcting tiny flaws in the stance of each one. Irreverent or lazy students often get beaten with the master's cane.

Weapons and Armor

The only weapon used by this style is the cane of the masters; treat as a wooden club. The weapon is only learned along with the form, though it can be used with the pre-form charms after it is learned. No armor is allowed.

Complementary Abilities

Resistance and Athletics •• are requirements of this style, and each charm requires Integrity equal to its Essence requirement.

Charms

Old version of style (with comments) archived.

Superior Stance Accepts Blows
Cost: 3m
Type: Reflexive (step 4)
Essence 1
Martial Arts 2
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: none

A proper martial arts stance prepares the Descending Earth student to defend him/herself, reducing the chance of a lucky hit. Reroll one attack made against this martial artist's DV, using the worse result. This charm's effects are canceled if the attacker uses Essence Resurgent or other offensive reroll charms.

Stand as Stone Poised for Avalanche
Cost: 2m1w
Type: Reflexive (step 9)
Essence 1
Martial Arts 3
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: none

Readiness of stance enables instant reaction to any attack. This charm is a Dexterity + Martial Arts counterattack against any close combat attack. However, the Speed of the weapon used to counterattack is added to the ticks remaining before this character's next DV refresh, each time this charm is used.

Eternal Stone Body Stance
Cost: none
Type: permanent
Essence 1
Martial Arts 4
Keywords: permanent, Obvious
Duration: permanent
Prerequisites: Superior Stance Accepts Blows, Stand as Stone Poised for Avalanche

The rigorous training of a student's body creates a fighting machine without comparison. This charm allows characters to attune to their own body as if it bore the following artifacts of Jade: Smashfists (replaces Punch profile), God-Kicking Boots (replaces Kick profile), and Breastplate (counts as armor and prevents wearing other armor). The attuned areas of the body partially transform into Jade as essence is infused into them. Dragon-Blooded may choose to use their Aspect-specific color of Jade, or the generalized Jade profile. The attunement cost of these pseudo-artifact profiles must come from Personal Essence, and non-Dragon-Blooded must pay the doubled cost to harmonize with the Jade profile. Mortals must learn the ability to attune to artifacts and harmonize with magical materials as an additional prerequisite to this charm.

When attuned, body parts assume the strength and color of jade, though the texture of flesh remains.

Descending Earth Form
Cost: 7m
Type: Simple
Essence 1
Martial Arts 5
Keywords: Combo-Basic, Form-Type
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisites: Eternal Stone Body Stance

Descending Earth masters gain many benefits from their perfected stance, represented by this form. Great speed: add Martial Arts to move distance, and twice that to Dash distance. Readiness in all situations: reduce terrain penalties by one. Spotting weak stance: if an opponent's Martial Arts is less than this character's, treat all attack and defense stunts against that opponent as +1 die, including for mote/willpower regeneration. Pick one of these bonuses when the form is activated; which bonus is used may be switched at any time the character's DV refreshes.

Stone Skips, Seven Ripples Form
Cost: +1w
Type: permanent
Essence 2
Martial Arts 5
Keywords: permanent
Duration: permanent
Prerequisites: Descending Earth Form

By spending an additional willpower when activating Descending Earth Form, the Great Speed benefit is added in addition to allowing one of the other two of the master's choice.

Catapult Stone Flying Assault
Cost: 3m1w
Type: Supplemental
Essence 2
Martial Arts 5
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Descending Earth Form

The master makes a flying attack, moving reflexively as if a leap action were taken, and delivering +1 damage for each yard of movement remaining when the opponent is struck. Opponents with equal or greater martial arts are passed by this leaping attack if they were located in the middle of the movement; opponents with less dots in the ability may (on a successful hit) be carried to the destination of the leap by the master if he/she chooses, including the possibility that the master transfers all momentum to the target, causing the opponent to fly the remaining distance with a Knockback effect.

Stream-Bed Pebble Moves With No Effort
Cost: --
Type: Permanent
Essence 3
Martial Arts 5
Keywords: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: Stone Skips, Seven Ripples Form

As the flow of a stream moves the pebbles in its path, the flow of battle and essence around the master of Descending Earth Style are tools to ease his efforts and see his goals accomplished without exerting himself.

Choose one: Superior Stance Accepts Blows may force a reroll after an attacker chooses to reroll (during the usual step 6 for defense rerolls), forcing the opponent to choose the result of the three rolls which is neither highest nor lowest (the master uses an opponent's luck against her). Stand as Stone Poised for Avalanche no longer costs willpower (masters see weaknesses to exploit in any attack with ease). Eternal Stone Body may now take essence commitment from Peripheral, though that peripheral essence will create an anima flare as if it were being spent every turn, unless the master pays no mote surcharge on Earth aspect charms (masters harmonize more fully with the essence of the world; the texture of flesh disappears as the transformation to jade becomes actual when peripheral essence is used). Stone Skips, Seven Ripples Form now allows all three benefits of Descending Earth Form to be used at once by paying the willpower cost (a master's stance is perfect in all situations). Additional effects from this list may be purchased for 6xp apiece once the charm is learned.

Deceptive Shale Posture: Shard Explosion
Cost: 4m/attack (1st attack is free)
Type: Extra Action
Essence 3
Martial Arts 5
Keywords: Combo-OK, obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Catapult Stone Flying Assault

When the master is attacked on all sides, her stance puts on false rigidity, then collapses in feigned defeat, only to explode from this relaxed posture into devastating returned attacks. This charm may be used to buy extra attacks equal to the number of times the master was attacked since her previous DV refresh; the extra attacks must target the attackers whose actions allowed them. Any opponents in reach who possess fewer dots of martial arts than the master may also be targeted with an extra attack, for the same cost, above and beyond any attacks being returned; the unskilled are too unwary of the deceptive movements of Descending Earth masters.

Core of Iron
Cost: --
Type: Permanent
Essence 4
Martial Arts 5
Keywords: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: Stream-Bed Pebble Moves With No Effort, Deceptive Shale Posture: Shard Explosion

Like Iron, the true master of Descending Earth Style is both rigid and flexible at need. All martial arts attacks compatible with this style gain a +3 bonus as though from an applicable specialty. Opponents defending with no applicable specialty take a -1DV penalty for each die less than 3 they do not have in an appropriate dodge, melee, or martial arts specialty, because their knowledge is not refined enough to counter the true master's precision.

Comments

The new version of the style is now complete, so please, enjoy! - IanPrice