Latest revision as of 23:32, 8 June 2010

Drunken Master Style

A Celestial Martial Art by DeadManSeven.

Introduction

While I know there's a couple of drunk fighting Charms in the Zenith Castebook, I felt they were a bit lacking, so I expanded a bit on the idea. This style very deliberately tries to replicate the drunken masters of modern myth, rather than any actual relation to real-world drunken boxing. Of course, this being Exalted, both methods of fighting are probably equally effective. :)

Background

When a number of drinks [the drink pool] are referred to in the Drunken Master Style, it is the number of drinks (or equivalent) the character has taken after becoming drunk, not in total. This style has no specific signature weapon, by any object hastily grabbed and used to fight with (barstool, bottle, candlestick, etc.) can be counted as an unarmed attack. All Charms from the Form onwards are incompatible with armour.

Charms

           Hardened
           Drinker
            Method
               |
           Drunkard
           Fortitude
               |
            Drunken
         --- Master ---
        /    Form      \`
       /       |        \`
Stumbling  Bar-Room  Two-Against-One
  Drunk      Weapon     Technique
  Stance   Technique       |
    |          |           |
Essence-    Ten-Pin    Immovable
Sparked   Scattering  Boozehound
 Breath    Technique    Stance
     \         |        /
      \     Tavern-    /
       --- Trashing ---
           Technique

(For a non-ASCII Charm tree, click here.)

<B>Cost: None

Duration: Permanent

Type: Special

Min. Martial Arts: 1

Min. Essence: 1

Prerequisites: None

The character learns to make the alcohol working through her body work for her, instead of against her. All negative penalties for taking combat actions after taking one or more drinks are removed. The character is still drunk, however, and could not use this technique to help her sing a song or write calligraphy - the bonus only applies to combat.

<B>Cost: 5 motes

Duration: Until sober

Type: Simple

Min. Martial Arts: 2

Min. Essence: 1

Prerequisites: Hardened Drinker Method

The character's senses dull, seemingly from the effects of alcohol, so that she may shrug off blows. The character may increase her bashing soak by one for every drink she takes, up to a maximum of her Martial Arts ability. This Charm adjusts the character's lethal soak accordingly. If this Charm is activated, and more drinks are taken that would cause one or both soak values to rise, the effect is automatic.

<B>Cost: 6 motes

Duration: One scene

Type: Simple

Min. Martial Arts: 3

Min. Essence: 2

Prerequisites: Drunkard Fortitude

The character takes on the random swaying stagger of a seasoned drunk, her fists weaving before her face, ready for any attack. She may add a number of dice to any pool used to dodge or parry an attack equal to the number of drinks she has taken, up to her Martial Arts rating. Like Drunkard Fortitude, taking more drinks increases the bonus automatically. The character may also parry lethal attacks unarmed without need for a stunt, although arrows and other fast projectiles still need to be stunted. Finally, the character may reflexively take a drink, regardless of her current action, provided she has access to alcohol in some way. The character must have at least three drinks in her drink pool to activate this form. More than one Martial Art form cannot be active at the same time.

<B>Cost: 4 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Extra Action

Min. Martial Arts: 3

Min. Essence: 2

Prerequisites: Drunken Master Form

The character's sweeping movements allow her to fight on more than one front at a time. She may make an additional attack or parry while taking a combat action. There must be at least one drink in the character's drink pool to use this Charm.

<B>Cost: 10 motes

Duration: Until the character moves

Type: Supplemental

Min. Martial Arts: 4

Min. Essence: 3

Prerequisites: Two-Against-One Technique

The character takes a stand, as if daring all oncomers to try and best her. Provided the Exalt stays more or less in the same place, she can reflexively parry any attack directed at her with her full Dexterity + Martial Arts pool. This does not include area-based attacks, explosions, attacks that cannot be parried, or anything else that could not be physically countered. There must be at least three drinks in the character's drink pool to use this Charm.

<B>Cost: 3 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Reflexive

Min. Martial Arts: 3

Min. Essence: 2

Prerequisites: Drunken Master Form

The character is able to incorporate any object into her fight, no matter how insignificant or unusual. She may grab objects close by, and use them to aid an attack, defence, or for cover. Improvised objects, due to their surprising sudden appearance in the hands of the Drunken Master, gain a +2 bonus to damage or defence, or an extra level of cover. Items used by this Charms, unless especially sturdy, break or shatter at the end of the turn.

The Storyteller can provide a list of objects close by (unless they have already thoroughly detailed the items in the room already), but the player is encouraged to find uses for them.

<B>Cost: 5 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Min. Martial Arts: 4

Min. Essence: 2

Prerequisites: Bar-Room Weapon Technique

Drawing on her improvised weapon mastery, the Exalt now learns how best to use improvised weapons to hamper her opponents. She may use objects to trip, pin, off-balance, and otherwise impair enemies. Upon having an object thrown at them or used on them, provided it hits, the opponent makes a reflexive Dex + Athletics or Martial Arts roll, against a difficulty of the Exalt's Essence. If they succeed, they are tripped, pinned, or stopped in general, and lose their actions for that turn until they can free themselves. If they fail the roll, they take a -1 die penalty to each action during the scene, as a result of injury or impairment. If the roll botches, the opponent suffers both effects.

<B>Cost: 4 motes per +1 difficulty

Duration: One turn

Type: Supplemental

Min. Martial Arts: 4

Min. Essence: 2

Prerequisites: Drunken Master Form

The Exalt staggers and crashes about the room in an unpredictable manner. For every 4 motes spent, the difficulty to attack the character is increased by one. The character must have at least two drinks in her drink pool to use this Charm.

<B>Cost: 6 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Simple

Min. Martial Arts: 4

Min. Essence: 2

Prerequisites: Stumbling Drunk Stance

The Exalt creates a flicker of Essence within her mouth, and uses this to ignite a jet of fire. The fire inflicts Strength aggravated damage, plus extra successes, against anything that has no protection against fire, and will burn, melt, or ignite objects in the same way that fire will. This Charm can be kept in effect by spending 3 motes each subsequent turn to keep the flame going. This Charm requires the character take a drink beforehand, but (obviously) that drink does not go towards her drink pool.

Each subsequent turn this Charm is used removes a drink from her drink pool, and if used enough, can cause Drunken Master Stance and other charms with a minimum drink total requirement to stop working, or cause the character to sober up entirely as she burns off all the alcohol she has consumed. The character can maintain Essence-Sparked Breath for as many turns as she has drinks in her drink pool, plus however drinks she had to take before she became drunk. This Charm also cannot benefit from the reflexive drink provided by Drunken Master Form, unless the character has more than one head, or some other method of taking a drink while breathing fire.

<B>Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower

Duration: One scene

Type: Supplemental

Min. Martial Arts: 5

Min. Essence: 3

Prerequisites: Immovable Boozehound Stance, Ten-Pin Scattering Technique, Essence-Sparked Breath

The character becomes a whirling fury of blows and blocks, flawlessly fending off the advances of a hoard of enemies, despite seeming almost unable to stay on her feet. She may reflexively parry any attack for the duration of the scene. Any attack successfully parried may use the extra successes to either attack another opponent, or used in a disarm attempt if the attacker is using a weapon. In addition, the character's unarmed attacks now deal lethal damage. This Charm requires the character to have at least five drinks in her drink pool. For every turn this Charm is benefited from, the character's drink pool decreases by one.

Comments

Looks very similiar to my MartialArts/DrunkenFistStyle but I like it very much - tobiastobias