Revision as of 11:38, 17 May 2004

Singing Sword Spirit Style

By Falcon

Background

Shining Glory was a First Age Solar performer whose grace at dancing and impeccable voice were legendary across Creation. Although as powerful as one would expect a First Age Solar to be, her Lunar mate worried about her and constantly tried to persuade her to learn to fight, as sometimes his scouting took him far from her side. Finally, Shining Glory gave in and devoted an afternoon to learning how to defend herself. She found a piece of orichalchum that resonated with her voice and sung it into the shape of a sword, then perfected a graceful style that focussed on movement and sound, creating music with blade, voice and soul. When her mate returned that evening, she bested him three times in combat, and he never mentioned the matter again.

Although the style was lost with the Usurpation, it is possible that the reincarnation of Shining Glory may begin to spontaneously remember it. Also, there is every possibility that some other Solar performer/swordsman may hit on the same idea.

Game Info

Although formatted like a martial arts tree, these are all melee charms and function as such. However, they are not compatible with any armour that gives a mobility penalty or any shield, and can only be used with a special kind of sword called a singing sword. A singing sword is a thin-bladed sword with odd fluting and holes in the blade so that it can make a variety of tones as it is swung through the air. It has the stats of an exceptional slashing sword, and each must be custom made for the user (so you can put the exceptional bonuses wherever you like).

As a final note, this is not a subtle style - singing swords make noise when they are swung, and most of the charms in the tree also require the wielder to sing as well.

As a final final note, practicioners of this style often call the charm Excellent Strike by the name 'Blade Sings' and the charm Golden Essence Block by the name 'Blade Dances'.

Charms

Soul Sings</b>

<b>Cost: 3 motes
Duration: Scene
Type: Reflexive
Min. Melee: 1
Min. Essence: 1
Prereqs: None

You are able to make your soul ring like a bell, and channel this purity through your voice. Such a sound is inspiring to those who follow you and anyone on your side who can both see and hear you fight gets +1 die on their attack rolls.

Alternatively, you may use this charm to get your Essence in dice added to any singing-based Performance rolls.

With One Voice</b>

<b>Cost: 3 motes/person
Duration: One turn
Type: Supplemental
Min. Melee: 2
Min. Essence: 1
Prereqs: Excellent Strike, Soul Sings

Like a master performer leading a choir, you can use the harmony of sound between your voice and your sword to lead your allies' attacks to their destination. When you are attacking a target, you may enchant a number of people up to your Essence at a cost of 3 motes each. For this turn, all of their attacks against that target gain a number of dice equal to your Essence. You cannot enchant yourself with this charm.

Soul Dances</b>

<b>Cost: 3 motes
Duration: Scene
Type: Reflexive
Min. Melee: 1
Min. Essence: 1
Prereqs: None

By attuning your essence to the nature of movement you can become preternaturally graceful and sure-footed. If you are knocked down you can regain your feet as a reflexive action, and you will never normally lose your balance due to bad footing, ice underfoot, a rolling ship's deck, etc. You may also make any dodge rolls you are called to make with Dexterity + Performance instead.

Falcon - Note that this charm is explicitly not as good at balancing you as Graceful Crane Stance, although I'm not sure of a game-mechanic way of showing that. Just bear it in mind.

With One Heart</b>

<b>Cost: 3 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Min. Melee: 2
Min. Essence: 2
Prereqs: Golden Essence Block, Soul Dances

As a master dancer, you are able to seamlessly integrate the movements of yourself, your sword and your enemies. Upon activating this charm, you may block any one hand-to-hand attack that you could reasonably expect with your Dexterity + Melee + Performance.

Falcon - Note the italics. If you are surrounded, you are not aware enough of attacks from behind to use Golden Essence Block, say, but you can reasonably expect them. If in doubt, a Wits + Awareness or Wits + Melee roll might be in order.

Rhapsody, The Song Of Battle</b>

<b>Cost: 1 mote
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Min. Melee: 3
Min. Essence: 2
Prereqs: Soul Sings, Soul Dances

You have learned the first song of battle, the seamless merging of blade, voice, body and soul into a perfectly poised locus of swordplay. The rhapsody is an uplifting experience, showing you your harmonious place in the centre of all things and reassuring you of your right to belong there. You regain a number of motes of essence equal to the number of health levels of damage you inflict with any attack enhanced with this charm.

Harmony, The Song Of Passivity</b>

<b>Cost: 4 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: Scene
Type: Simple
Min. Melee: 4
Min. Essence: 2
Prereqs: Rhapsody

By stepping in time with the rhythms of battle, you are able to ensure that you always have space to move and that your sword is always in the right place to punctuate the music with a clashing parry. Once activated, this charm allows you to make a reflexive defence roll (Dexterity + Melee or Dexterity + Dodge) against any hand-to-hand attack directed your way.

However, because you need to be able to read the ebb and flow of a fight, this charm can only be activated while in combat (including the first turn of combat).

Syncopation, The Rhythmn Of Interruption</b>

<b>Cost: 4 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Min. Melee: 5
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: Harmony

Your understanding of the rhythm of strike and counterstrike is such that you can predict your opponent's next blow stage a pre-emptive counterattack to catch them off guard. You may activate this charm in response to being attacked, and make a counterattack against your opponent using your Wits + Melee. This counterattack takes place before your opponent's attack, and they must make a reflexive Stamina + Resistance roll with a difficulty of the number of health levels you inflict or lose their attack entirely.

Other than that, this is a normal counterattack charm and follows all the usual rules thereof.

Staccato, The Rhythmn Of Speed</b>

<b>Cost: 2 motes/attack
Duration: Instant
Type: Extra Action
Min. Melee: 4
Min. Essence: 2
Prereqs: Rhapsody

Drawing on the superior co-ordination and athleticism you have developed as a dancer and swordsman, you unleash a staggering flurry of attacks that leaves no one in doubt that you are a supernatural being. Instead of your normal action for the turn, you may make a normal move and a number of attacks up to the total of your Melee + Performance, paying 2 motes for each one. Each attack gains no damage dice from your strength, as you are moving too quickly to put full force behind any single blow.

Falcon - I see this one as being useful for dicing extras or plinking tanks to death.

Crescendo, The Song Of Climax</b>

<b>Cost: 5 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Min. Melee: 5
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: Staccato

Just as a crescendo builds on what went before to create a dramatic climax, you are able to weave the song of battle in such a way that you naturally capitalise on past successes, building inevitably towards the defeat of your foe. Each attack enhanced with this charm that hits (not necessarily hurts) an opponent gives you +1 dice to any further attacks on that opponent for the rest of the scene.

Dirge, The Song Of Fear</b>

<b>Cost: 6 motes
Duration: Scene
Type: Reflexive
Min. Melee: 4
Min. Essence: 2
Prereqs: Rhapsody

By resonating the sounds of voice and sword, you can inspire a supernatural, gut-churning terror in those who can hear you. Anyone who can hear the sounds of your Dirge must make a Valour roll (diff 1) or suffer -1 dice on all actions due to pervasive fear. This applies to your allies as well, unless they know that you are their ally, and that the Dirge emanates from you.

This effect is not cumulative with itself, but does stack with the Dawn Caste anima power.

Threnody, The Song Of Death</b>

<b>Cost: 10 motes, 2 willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Min. Melee: 5
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: Dirge

With the power of the Threnody, you make good on all the promises of death that flow through the Dirge. You may activate this charm only after you have successfully damaged an opponent. Your own life force flares with power and is channeled through your sword into your opponent as burning light, instantly killing both of you in a blaze of glory. This charm does not work on anything with a life force too big for you to extinguish with your own, although there is no certain way of telling this in advance. Neither you nor your target will rise as a ghost of any kind.

Falcon - I leave the list of 'immune' beings to individual Storytellers, although I would say Primordials, Yozis, Malfeans, and the Celestial Incarnae make good starting points. Base the rest off relative essence, I think, although even if a victim like a Deathlord or Third Circle Demon doesn't die, they will probably be hurt by it.

Requiem, The Song Of Peace</b>

<b>Cost: 2 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Min. Melee: 4
Min. Essence: 2
Prereqs: Rhapsody

Shining Glory never invented or knew this charm, as it exists purely to combat the Deathlords and their minions. Any attack enhanced with this charm does aggravated damage to the undead, including Abyssal Exalts and Deathlords. In addition, it may strike dematerialised ghosts (or other immaterial undead) as if they were material, and anyone slain by an attack enhanced with this charm will not rise as a ghost (hungry or otherwise).

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