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Motion: The Vermilion Cavalcade of Moments

A Sidereal Martial Arts style, based on questions of motion arising from Aristotle's Physics. Form weapons are probably fighting chains and seven-section staves, symbolizing the simultaneously discrete and continuous nature of motion. Mostly I don't know what the Charms actually do, but I wrote the sutra in a moment of madness and now I can't not try to make a style to go with it. I want it to be another "typical" SMA, with a power level and power scale similar to CMoS, but a very different feel. CMoS has a godawful number of attack enhancers for every purpose, it being the style of Consumption; this being the style of Motion, I see it as being much more dodge- and movement-oriented, though it certainly must have its share of offensive techniques (see the pinnacle Charm!). It's probably particularly popular among elder Chosen of Journeys.

Things NOT to do with this style: break time. (Savant & Sorcerer says time is inviolable; if Solar Circle Sorcery can't break it, neither can the Blossoming of the Perfected Lotus.) Comments are absolutely welcome - this is my first attempt at designing a Sidereal MA style.

The Student's Sutra of Motion: Once, there was a maiden...

...who stepped through the world as water through stone. (To Measure the Avalanche - some sort of knowledge-of-time effect, I don't really know)

She was hindered by nothing save her own fear; (Principle of Desperation - similar to the spirit Charm Principle of Motion, an EA Charm which works off of Valor in some way. Need to come up with a new name for it.)

she feared nothing save that she be hindered, (Standing Without Stillness - maybe a hopping defense of some kind?)

and so, when she stood upon the sky, (Inverted Principle of Continuity - some kind of dodge enhancer; basically a less-powerful version of IDT, below. Alternately, short-range teleportation.)

there was nothing that did not move her. (Vermilion Cavalcade of Moments Form - I don't want to yoink the fully-independent actions schtick from CMoS, so I really don't know what this would do. Probably plays with initiative and movement in funky ways - hit-and-runs where you can only be attacked on that tick, that kind of thing.)

The Elder Sutra of Motion: The maiden wept, and her tears did not fall, (Bereavement of Time - powerful initiative-based effect)

but the starlight that shone upon her froze at the sight. (Stillness Without Standing - I have no idea about this one)

She said, "Come and join me! (Invocation of Discrete Time - HGD-level perfect dodge by sending yourself Elsewhere for a fixed amount of time. Think GURPS's Timeslip spell.)

It is true I am not moving, (Cycle of Sidereal Dreams - no clue about this one either)

for I have already moved," (Precontinuity Kata - perhaps effects similar to, but more powerful than, the Alchemical combat-simulation-in-your-head Charm?)

Perfection of Singular Motion

Cost: 20 motes, 2 Willpower

Duration: Instant

Type: Simple

Minimum Martial Arts: 7

Minimum Essence: 7

Prerequisite Charms: Precontinuity Kata

and took a single step.

Such is the martial artist's transcendent knowledge of motion that she is able to act in a single moment: as soon as she has resolved to act, she has acted. She may move up to (her Essence x 10) yards, making a single unarmed Martial Arts attack at any point during this movement. This attack is unblockable, undodgeable, and undetectable; only a perfect defense against surprise attacks in combination with a perfect combat defense will enable the target to defend against this attack. This Charm may be activated before the martial artist's initiative, and may not be activated more than once in a turn under any circumstances, including the use of Charms or other effects which grant extra or fully independent actions.

Notes

The idea for Perfection of Singular Motion, mechanically, is from the Autochthonians book. The First and Forsaken Lion has some ungodly awful Melee Charm that allows him to make an unblockable, undodgeable attack for 5m; my guess is that this is an Essence 7 effect. PoSM is of a similar Essence level, but more expensive - both in terms of what you pay for it and how it restricts you - and more powerful.

Comments

For initiative effects, how about rearranging the order in which characters act? Freely exchange the position of two characters in the order of initiative, or even reverse the order in which characters act in a turn, so that the one with lowest init goes first. - Stanoje

For more initiative-based ideas, how about altering the penalties for holding/moving your action in the ordering? Instead of -1 per tick, up it to a ghastly -4 per tick (or even -Essence), as "all things have a time and a place, and escaping such is impossible, even for the Exalted." Of course, our hero, the Master of VermillionCavalcadeofMoments, who initiated the charm, has no such penalty, "as he has come to recognize his place and time in the universe, and through this realization, has come to control his own destiny." You know, or something. - GregLink

Oh heck, while I'm here, I'll throw some more down. If we're looking at Ess5+ anyway, there's some real meta-mechanics you can screw with. Things like preventing you from using Reflexives before your initiative without paying some penalty, or something as drastic as destroying/canceling comboes (think something like SCD) simply because suddenly, one of the charms in it has a longer-than-instant duration, throwing off the user's practiced Essence-shaping. While we're at it, we might also want to give some nice powerful means of turning simples into reflexives, or simply a instant reflexive charm that, when activated "also allows the activation of a reflexive charm with any duration, whose essence need not remain committed while the charm is active". That allows the artist to snap up things like FLB in the blink of an eye, and even place FLB into a combo, as time has no meaning for our master. - GregLink