Difference between revisions of "MartialArts/ThousandDragon"

Revision as of 07:41, 14 July 2005

Thousand Dragon Style [version 1.0]
Terresterial Level Martial Arts Style

The Thousand Dragon Style is an ancient and venerable martial arts style of the terresterial level that came into being during the primordial war, or so it is claimed. This style is aged and it does have a number of vulnerabilities that a number of martial arts and fighting styles can seize on and use to defeat the user of this style.

However, it stayed popular with a certain segment of the Exalted troops, mainly the cavalry and various mounted units. The near death-kell of this style occurred during the contagion and fae invasion shortly after as many of this styles practitioners fell in various manner.

Still, there exist masters of this style even in the age of sorrows; the number of which can be counted on a single hand.

The style weapons are swords, spears and lances. The artifact weapons permitted are daiklaves, direlances and various artifact versions of spears, lances and pole-arms.

The Thousand Dragon Style is compatible with armour.

It is typically practiced on mounts of all kind. In the first age, it was not unheard of for entire squadrons of war-bird riders to be practitioners of this style. Valid mounts are all land, water and aerial creatures that can be rode by the martial artist. Artifact mounts such as the war-birds (Ruins of Rathess) and chariots of the infinite heavens (Outcaste) are also permitted.

"A master of the Thousand Dragon Style is swift like the great dragons of the heavens, relentless as the dragons of the seas, deadly as the fiery dragons and graceful as the dragons of the earth. Verily, to fight such a warrior is to face a thousand dragons in battle. Truly, this style is Invincible!"

Brave Dragon Endurance

Cost 1 mote per 2B or 1L
Duration Instant
Type Reflexive
Minimum Martial Arts 2
Minimum Essence 1
Prerequisites None
The brave warrior who charges at his enemies must do so despite the knowledge that this will put him at grave risk. But a true scion of the dragons laughs at such, for such petty fears are as weak as the blows that bounce off his skin.

For every mote spend on this charm, the martial artist gains a soak bonus 2B or 1L against a single attack. The martial artist may not spend more motes powering this charm then he has dots in his essence trait.

Fearsome Dragon Legion

Cost 1 mote per 2 die and 1 mote per subject
Duration Scene
Type Simple
Minimum Martial Arts 3
Minimum Essence 2
Prerequisites Brave Dragon Endurance
The power of the dragons is that they fight with a great host acting as one. A thousand dragons striking as one can bring down even the most dire of foes. And this charm is designed to help that.

The charm enhances one's allies, so that their blades strike truer and deadlier. For every mote spend, one subject is enhanced, to a maximum of the martial artist's essence trait. To enhance those empowered by the charm, additional essence must be spent to improve their martial arts attack die pool. For every mote spent, the subject gains 2 die for their martial arts attack die pool. The martial artist may not add more die to his allies pool then he has dots in martial art, nor may he enhance their attack pool by more then their martial arts. Doing so simply causes the die purchased to be wasted.

The martial artist may enhance his own attack die pool as he is a valid subject to the charm's effect. This charm can ONLY be used on subjects who are fighting unarmed or with a valid style weapon.

Rampaging Dragon Charge

Cost 1 mote
Duration Instant
Type Reflexive
Minimum Martial Arts 2
Minimum Essence 1
Prerequisites Brave Dragon Endurance
Every warrior knows that he who strikes swiftly and surely will surely be the victor. The dragon warrior strikes with the speed of wind, consuming all in his path like flames as the very earth shake under the thunder-like steps of the exalt.

Upon spending 1 mote, the martial artist may instantly move up to double his movement rate as he charges at his opponent and still take his normal actions. This charm provides no bonus to any attacks.

Thousand Dragon Form

Cost 5 motes
Duration Scene
Type Simple
Minimum Martial Arts 3
Minimum Essence 2
Prerequisites Fearsome Dragon Legion, Rampaging Dragon Charge
One an exalt has mastered the basics of Thousand Dragon Style, he may attempt to open forth his essence and strive to emulate the Thousand Dragons in Heavenly Flight. His posture becomes haughty and regal, his movement swift and sublime as he strives to become one with the very elements.

Becoming one with nature also entails becoming one with his mount, as such the martial artist may use his martial arts die pool in place of his ride pool when riding any mount.

As his posture becomes haughty and regal, the martial artist sees things more clearly and thus gains a bonus to striking those beneath him. The martial artist adds his essence trait to his weapon's accuracy for attacks This bonus is not considered a normal die-adding bonus and thus is not part of the exalt's natural die-adder limit.

Characters may not use more then one martial arts form charm at a time. Activation of another form charm instantly deactivates the current form charm.

Dragon-hearted Companion

Cost 6 motes and 1 willpower
Duration until next sunrise
Type Simple
Minimum Martial Arts 3
Minimum Essence 3
Prerequisites Thousand Dragon Form
The advantage of height and mobility afforded to a mounted warrior can not be denied. An exalt who is mounted is even more terrifying. However, for a child of the dragon, finding stout and steward mounts that can survive their elemental powers and the fury of their opponents can prove to be somewhat difficult.

This charm helps alleviate some of that problem by allowing a martial artist to truly become one with his companion. After paying 6 motes and 1 willpower, the mount is not treated as an extra, possess full health levels and soaks lethal damage like an exalt.

But this charm does far more then just that, as the mount is now one with a warrior's essence, the anima flux of a dragonblooded will not harm the mount, in fact... the mount is now accorded full benefits of the anima power as well as any charms on or activated by its master.

This charm lasts until the next sunrise and will not end as long as the essence stays committed, even if master and mount are separated.

Dragon rides the Lightning

Cost 4 motes
Duration Instant
Type Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts 4
Minimum Essence 2
Prerequisites Thousand Dragon Form
Emulating a lightning bolt from heaven, the martial artist leaps high into the heavens above and come crashing down with a blow so swift and certain that it is nigh impossible to defend against the blow.

The martial artist leaps high into the sky, as his weapon (or fists or feet) in a essence charged arc. As he comes down on his opponent, it is impossible to parry the attack without the use of charms (dodges work as normal). Extra successes are counted twice for the purposes of damage.

If mounted and using 'Dragon-hearted Companion', the martial artist may pay the cost of this charm and allow his mount to get an attack in. If used on an aerial mount, consider this charm to create a strafing run.

Thousand Dragon Formation

Cost 10 motes and 1 willpower
Duration Variable
Type Simple
Minimum Martial Arts 5
Minimum Essence 3
Prerequisites Dragon-hearted Companion, Dragon rides the Lightning
Only the greatest of warriors can face the thousand Dragon formation and survive unscathed. The martial artist gathers his companions to his side, paying 10 motes and 1 willpower, and forges the formation into a thunderous charge that flows over the battlefield as a single unit. Survivors of this tactical charm have described the charge seeming to be a legion of phantasmal dragons flying at them, with a roar of thunder underfoot shaking the very earth.

When the formation encounters opposition, weapons break, shields shatter and defenders fall as the formation charges through them unscathed like a hot knife parting warm butter.

While this charm is in effect, the entire formation attacks on the leader's initiative. The attack uses a single roll for the entire formation. The leader of the charge rolls his attack die pool, and that result is used for all of the formation. The defenders resolve their defenses as appropriate. The formation attack is resolved before any other action on the part of the defenders. Any defender who is successfully attacked and survives must immediately make a reflexive Ride or Athletics check to avoid being dismounted or knocked down. Defenders who retain their lives and their feet may then retaliate normally.

This charm is a multiple turn charm, lasting as long as a single charge. The martial artist must be a part of the formation, which can not have more members than (double the sum of the character's Martial Arts score and Essence trait). Any charm activated by any member of the formation applies to the whole group as long as its applicable to the charge. The only requirement for the members of this formation is that they can only wield a style weapon to be a part of the formation and must either be mounted or not like the martial artist.

Peanut Gallery

Any and all comments are welcomed. ~ Haku

• Back to Haku
• Back to Terrestrial Martial Arts