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House of Battles Style

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In addition to being a MartialArts style, this is an essay on how I work, so it is rather a lengthy and verbose effort. If you want, you can just skip down to the Charms.

Beginning

First, I start with a concept. For this Style, that concept is the astrological house of Battles—this Style is one of a set of five I am working on to embody all of the houses. This comes with some added baggage, which I'll deal with later.

From the concept, I brainstorm some sources and images. In this case, these are drawn mainly from the astrological signs of Battles, but they owe something to the gods of Battles that the Sidereals hardback refers to as well. As a reference, I write the images and trappings of the constellations below:

• The Banner: Reputation, story, and awe. Terror as a weapon. Strikingly clad, always among you, fearless, victorious, larger than life. Heraldry, symbols. The Maiden at War.
• The Gauntlet: The choice between bad and worse: the surgeon, judge, unpleasant necessities. Bloodstained, brutal, uniform, cudgel, meaningless demands. Sacrifice of others. The Drowning Maiden.
• The Quiver: Flexibility and fleetness of thought. Bow, map case, clever, witty, education. Strategy, choices, archery, clever ideas. The Clay Maiden.
• The Shield: The ecstatic warrior, courage without regard for consequences, lone predators red in tooth and claw. Shield, leather strap, always armed, always eager for battle, trophies. Fearlessness. The One-Handed Maiden.
• The Spear: Skill and discipline. the arms instructor. Uniform, no rank, nickname, disciplined, brave. The Maiden on the Shelf.

The Heart

Often it helps to write the mastery charms of a style before writing its ultimate technique, but doing the Form first of all can halp give a style cohesiveness and focus. So I'll start there; here is where the baggage of the other House of Heaven styles comes in. In every case, these Styles have Forms that make some fairly explicit reference to the astrological House, most often in the form of some synergy with College ratings or Resplendent effects. Some, like the House of Secrets Form, do this in a very elaborate and dramatic way—the variations of that Form are designed so that a Sidereal initiate can recieve advantage for displaying the trappings of a Constellation—or in a fairly subtle way&mdashthe House of Endings Form allows the user to improvise weaponry out of trappings. In the case of the House of Battles, neither of those strategies seems appropriate; the House of Battles should have an advantage that is explicitly and straightforwardly strategic.

So this will be the astrological "easter egg", the optimization that makes this Style ideal for Sidereal initiates in the Colleges of Battles: While wearing the Resplendent Destiny of a House of Battles, the martial artist may treat the Charms of this Style as Charms of the Ability associated with that House: Presence when under the Banner, Melee when carrying the Spear, and so forth. This permits the Sidereal to make Combos with Charms of those Abilities as well, but these Combos only function when under the appropriate destiny. This permits the exponent to choose his destiny based on what Comboing ability he wants access to—if he plans to be fighting with demons of the dead, then he may choose the Gauntlet, while for more mundane applications, he may wish to wear the Spear so that he may combine this Style's benefits with the Perfection of the Visionary Warrior.

That's a flexible and potent effect, so I probably need to overcost the Form in order to account for it; I'll write a 5/3 Form that should cost 5 motes and cost it at 7 instead. What should the Form do for non-Sidereal practicioners? I don't know yet, but both Mars and Hu Dai Liang's writeups suggest that they are very closely attached to their red-lacquered armour; I think that the Form should have some limited armour compatibility, as a result, and might even focus on the use of armour while performing the art, as its main benefit. They are also described as comprehensively and continually armed, for which reason the Form will permit the user to attack for lethal damage and to activate the Charm before his initiative (but still using his action). This is the finished Form.

The Student's Path

The Violet Bier of Sorrows style sets an interesting precedent for Sidereal-crafted martial arts, with its four student Charms, each reflecting an outlook on a different Maiden. I've repeated this pattern with the House of Heaven styles, but rather than reflecting on a Maiden and her Bureau, these reflect astrological Houses, a subtle but important difference. In this case, I want the associations to be relatively transparent, but I also want to reflect the confrontational attitude of Battles in each Charm. Inspired by the rare words at The Phrontistery, I'm going to go about this by using obscure, antiquated military words in the majority of my Charm names. I often come up with Charm names and rough effects simultaneous, so it's very important that I have the right attitude in their names. This is most essential here in the pre-Form segment of the Style because it is these Charms that will characterize the style's basic combat strategy, and thus, how people other than its user percieve the Style.

Finally it occurs to me that I want this Style to be about imposing one's will forcibly, and about death and dying in a straightforward manner. This counterpoints the other two House styles, which deal with things in a much more manipulative, less direct manner.

At this point I usually consult some people about ideas and brainstorm with them, as I seem to produce better work when I have the opportunity to talk to people about it. Here's what I come up with, after a bit of browsing, discussing, and word-listing:

• Quadrigintireme Fleet: "Quadrigintireme" means "a ship with forty rows of oars", something which is unlikely to have ever existed. But it's exactly the kind of word I'm looking for. This Charm, associated with Journeys and the Shield, probably has some movement effect. (One useful feature of the four-Maidens opening is that it tends to provide a well-rounded set of martial abilities of approached straightforwardly; this is why I've been using it so long.) I think that it will reflect the Shield's disregard for consequences, being a Charm that lets the martial artist run to interpose himself in front of an attack directed toward someone else. (Plan for future charms: Include a counterattack or some other feature that makes it unwise for people to attack the Shieldbearer, effectively making this Charm into an offensive technique.)
• Campanile of Venus: A campanile is a freestanding bell tower, like some churches have. This charm, associated with Venus and the Banner, allows the Exalt to communicate the state of a battle through signals and the tempo of his attacks; this invests him and his unit with increased initiative and allows him to reflexively call out an order to them once per turn.
• Abatis Speculation: Associated with the Gauntlet and Endings, this Charm fools combatants into treating the area around the adept like an abatis—an area where sharpened stakes project from the ground to make it difficult for enemy troops to approach. While under the effects of the Charm, the user can crush a corpse to create an area of abatis made of skeleton fragments.
• Armilustrium Ensuring Victory Associated with the Spear and Secrets, this Charm echoes the Crimson Pentacle Blade Style's ultimate Central technique, the Call-to-the-Blade-of-Righteousness Mantra. Martial arts historians debate over which was the Charm that inspired the other, but as both Styles have deep roots in martial tradition, either could be the case, or they could be a case of convergent design, or both drawing off the concepts of a Charm that is now lost to us. With a shrill battle cry, the Shieldbearer dedicates weapons to Mars. This enables him to lay claim to them and take advantage of them as implements of battle.

Now that I've laid down some ideas for these Charms, I will write them put fully. The finished Charms are here. In many cases the Charms changed significantly from the draft level to the finished-Charm level; this happens to me a lot. At this point I'm basically out of ideas, so I let it sit for a day or two.

The Ultimate

While I was looking for cool words, I came across "kakistocracy": government by the worst. This sounds like a really awesome Gauntlet-themed ultimate Charm, one which makes the leader of a unit just as skilled as the worst among his host. We will call it Kakistocratic Lineage Fist, following the rule that any cool abstract phrase makes an even cooler Charm name with "fist" appended to the end. It will be a Simple charm that weaves a curse into an attack; when it strikes, it reduces the target's score in an Ability of the adept's choice to that of the lowest score any member of the unit has in that Ability. This is the finished ultimate technique. All this work happened while I was doing student Charms.

Mastery

Now, looking at the Style, I see that it doesn't have any of the straightforward elegance I wanted it to have. Holy beans! It doesn't even have basic attacks and defences; a House of Battles adept using these forms is going to spend all his time powering up and none of his time doing anything interesting. At this point I'm going to abandon the intense vocabulary requirement, or relax it a bit, because so far it has only led to deeply abstract and bizarre charms. This isn't precisely what I had wanted.

So first we will work on two attacks. The first, Yellow River Spear, is obviously associated with the constellation of the Spear, and therefore with flexibility and discipline. This uncomplicated Charm simply doubles the stats of whatever weapon the adept is using for the purposes of the relevant action, with the exceptions of Speed and Rate. We will make it more expensive to upgrade Artifact weaponry, with their unusually high base stats. Hm! This Charm is really a lot less subtle and abstract than Armilustrium Ensuring Victory; I exchange them, after coming up with some patter about how Yellow River Spear (not its final name) is associated with Secrets.

So now what I need to think about is a special attack technique. I remember that I wanted there to be a way to make Quadrigintireme Fleet into an attack mode by providing the adept with counterattacks, so I'll build up a counterattack Charm in this next spot. Again this is a Charm of the Shield—courage without fear for consequences. I somehow manage to incorporate the word "enfilade", meaning a troop formation vulnerable to a sweeping arrow volley, into there.

Having finished that branch, I want to think about advanced defences. I've also got the word "echaugnette", which is a kind of guard tower on a fortress, that I might want to use at some point. Hm. I could also use "bartizan", which is the same thing. So, we'll mess with that Charm in just a bit. First, we need to come up with something less intense-sounding, maybe a basic parry-enhancer; this Style needs that, but it certainly shouldn't be dodging. Something relating to the Quiver's fleetness of thought would be appropriate here: perhaps, in a reference to the Clay Maiden, a parry that performs a kind of transformation. Antistrophe Directing the Heart results after a moment's thought.

Finally, Foreboding Tyrant's Bartizan. This Charm instills fear into whoever sees the master, making them painfully aware that they are being watched, could be attacked, at any moment. I'm sure that while writing this Charm, I'll come up with a mechanical effect. Really. After discarding some counterattack ideas, I went with a rendition of the Charm that plays up the "reign of fear" aspect of the Banner.

These are the finished mastery Charms.

[#charms]Charms

[#student]Student Techniques

Quadrigintireme Fleet

Cost: 3 motes

Duration: One Scene

Type: Simple

Min. M.A.: 2

Min. Ess.: 1

Prereq. Charms: None

While this Charm is in effect, the adept may move as quickly as he needs to shield his troop from harm; it is as if his feet are propelled by forty rows of oars. While this Charm is in effect he may reflexively move any distance to protect someone under his command from an attack that he can percieve; he may do this as many times in a turn as he has dots of Essence. For the purposes of this Charm, "command" means someone who receives orders directly from the adept, and not anyone farther down the chain of authority.

Blossoming Deluge Spear

Cost: 3+ motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental (Reflexive)

Min. M.A.: 3

Min. Ess.: 1

Prereq. Charms: Quadrigintireme Fleet

With this Charm, the Sidereal becomes an undisputed master-at-arms by manipulating his weapon naïvely, so that its subtle properties are most apparent; he doubles the Accuracy, Defence, and Damage ratings of a weapon as he wraps it in red-flowering Essence vines, which crash against the warrior's arm like a flood. This causes the weapon's advantages to become staggering and its weaknesses crippling!

This Charm is invoked Supplementally to agument an attack, and Reflexively to augment a parry. Enhancing Artifact weapons adds their dot rating to the mote cost of this Charm. Finally, spending two extra motes makes the action this Charm enhances not count against a weapon's Rate.

Campanile of Venus

Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower

Duration: One Scene

Type: Simple

Min. M.A.: 2

Min. Ess.: 2

Prereq. Charms: None

The Thousand Correct Actions of the Upright Soldier prescribes a system of flag signals for the direction of troops. The House of Battles school of combat combines this signalling methodology with a system of combat, turning the adept's attacks and defences into an effective way to lead his unit. He increases his initiative and that of his unit as a whole by his Martial Arts, and may reflexively issue one troop order per turn. This can affect either a unit the adept leads or a unit the adept is a member of, but not both at once.

Abatis of Speculation

Cost: 2 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Reflexive

Min. M.A.: 3

Min. Ess.: 2

Prereq. Charms: Campanile of Venus

Embedded in the body of every soldier is a body of self-doubt, hidden deep in his bones where it cannot obstruct his duty. Striking at a soldier's corpse, the Exalt can make these bones of worry into a barrier against unfriendly troops. The bones shatter and their sharp fragments litter the ground in a radius of (successes on a Strength + Martial Arts roll) yards, creating a ring of abatis (Exalted pp236-7). The Exalt's unit are unhindered by this barrier.

[#form]The Form

House of Battles Form

Cost: 7 motes

Duration: One Scene

Type: Simple

Min. M.A.: 4

Min. Ess.: 3

Prereq. Charms: Armilustrium Ensuring Victory, Abatis of Speculation

Like the heads of the Division of Battles and a scarlet spiders who preside over universal conflict, the House of Battles adept is always armed and clad in his red-lacquered armour. While under the auspices of this Charm, the martial artist's unarmed attacks inflict Lethal damage. He reduces the mobility penalty of armour he is wearing by half his Essence, rounding up, and may perform any Charms of this Style which are ordinarily incompatible with armour freely, so long as he does not suffer from a mobility penalty. This Charm can be activated before the martial artist's initiative count as though it were Reflexive, but it consumes his action regardless.

Like all astrological Forms, this has a special advantage for Sidereal Exalted—while wearing the Resplendent Destiny of a House of Battles, the martial artist may treat the Charms of this Style as Charms of the Ability associated with that House: Presence when under the Banner, Melee when carrying the Spear, and so forth. This permits the Sidereal to make Combos with Charms of those Abilities as well, but these Combos only function when under the appropriate destiny. Under this effect, replace the phrase "Martial Arts" with the relevant Ability name in all Charms. Similarly, weapons of the associated Ability become form weapons of the Style. Non-Sidereal practicioners may never use weaponry with the House of Battles Style.

[#mastery]Mastery Charms

Armilustrium Ensuring Victory

Cost: 2 motes (5 motes)

Duration: Instant

Type: Reflexive

Min. M.A.: 4

Min. Ess.: 3

Prereq. Charms: House of Battles Form

The adept consecrates a weapon to Mars and lays claim to it as it attacks him by calling out its secret name. He may roll his Martial Arts + Essence as a reflexive opposed test against the attacker's Ability + Essence; if the adept wins, he disarms his attacker after the attack has taken place, and may capture the weapon and fight with it. He may commit the motes for this Charm if his disarm is successful; if he does so, then he may treat an Artifact weapon as though attuned for his Martial Arts + Essence in turns. After this span, the Essence is decommitted automatically and the weapon deattunes; often the adept will have discarded the weapon by this time. The Essence powering this temporary attunement can also be released reflexively as normal. It costs 5 rather than 2 motes to disarm and capture a bow or matched set of Thrown weaponry, which flies obediently into the adept's hands. Note that this Charm does not actually give the adept any expertise in the weapon he has captured, nor does it freely allow the weapon to be used with other Charms of this Style, nor does it enlighten the adept to any special (activated) abilities of a weapon.

Pitiless Enfilade

Cost: 3 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental (Reflexive)

Min. M.A.: 5

Min. Ess.: 3

Prereq. Charms: Armilustrium Ensuring Victory

The adept may perform an unarmed Martial Arts attack against anyone executing a hand-to-hand attack against him. This flurry of blows has its dice pool increased by the Martial Artist's Essence. The victim of the attack may spend 1 Willpower to divert it; in this case it hits several of his allies, as many as the adept's Essence. He may choose these targets as he wishes, provided they are in range of his chosen attack mode. Each of these redirected attacks is rolled separately.

This Charm may explicitly be invoked reflexively, but only to to enhance a counterattack.

Antistrophe Directing the Heart

Cost: 3 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Reflexive

Min. M.A.: 4

Min. Ess.: 3

Prereq. Charms: House of Battles Form

The adept affects a demeanour of confusion and upset as she responds to an attack with a dodge or parry, which this Charm does not provide; she must use it to enhance a preexisting action. Her attacker is puzzled by this charade, and must make a reflexive opposed test of his Wits+Essence against the Shieldbearer's Manipulation+Essence plus any residual successes on the defensive roll. If the attacker loses this roll, then he is convinced that the victim was really on his own side all along, and will not persist in attacking him unless their camaraderie-in-arms is betrayed. This effect overrides the single-target restriction of certain Extra Action Charms, allowing the attacker to choose a new target and expend the remainder of his attacks on this new target. Targets with Essence greater than the adept's Essence will recover from this deception on their own terms; on their initiative they may roll their Essence and shake off the effect with a simple success.

Foreboding Tyrant's Bartizan

Cost: 7 motes, 1 Willpower

Duration: One Scene

Type: Simple

Min. M.A.: 5

Min. Ess.: 3

Prereq. Charms: Antistrophe Directing the Heart

The master using this Charm seems to loom dark over a battlefield, and his opponents know that they are being watched, they are under the watchful eye of the guard-tower that may lash out at any moment. The adept cannot be surprised without the intervention of Charms that unfailingly surprise their subject; in this case, the adept and the ambusher make opposed Essence rolls to determine which effect precedes. In addition, each attack against the adept is a feat of courage; an attacker must succeed at a Valor test to attack the martial artist, and even so, his eternal wariness provides him a dodge action at a base pool of zero dice to defend.

[#ultimate]The Ultimate Technique

Kakistocratic Lineage Fist

Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower, (1 lethal Health Level, 5 XP)

Duration: Instant

Type: Simple

Min. M.A.: 5

Min. Ess.: 4

Prereq. Charms: Pitiless Enfilade

The Shieldbearer rakes his bloody hand or weapon through the earth to cover it in sticky russet mud. With an unarmed Martial Arts attack, he lays the mud on his enemy, the leader of a unit or nation, and curses him to be the worst among his subjects. He chooses one Ability or Virtue; this Trait's rating is reduced to the lowest rating among those under the target's command if the attack lands with any number of successes. To estimate this rating, roll a number of heroic dice equal to the mean Essence rating of the individuals in question, minus one die per dot of Magnitude the unit has—the larger a unit, the higher the chance it contains some incompetents. For supernaturally trained troops such as Tiger Warriors, use the trainer's Essence instead of that of the unit. This effect cannot reduce an Exalt's Virtues below the amounts required for the Great Curse.

This curse persists for one full scene. Subsequent uses of this technique do not cripple additional Traits; instead they extend the duration. Used in this manner, the Charm does not cost a Health Level; its ordinary use does. The units of extension are as follows: One scene, one day, one week, one month. Further uses of the Charm have no additional benefit.

A Sidereal, or someone who has learned this Charm as a Sidereal, may use a prayer strip of the Drowning Maiden; he slits his wrists on the prayerstrip and wraps it around his target's mouth like a gag, spending 5 XP. The target's Trait is reduced permanently. Subsequent uses of the Charm do not cost a , but do cost XP, and extend the curse along the target's bloodline; each additional use of the Charm dooms one generation of the target's progeny to ineptitude or callousness in this respect.