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Azure Ribbon Style

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Background

A rare technique used primarily by performers and assasins, the Azure Ribbon form was an uncommon style even in the first age, its practitioners concerned with the unusual strength of silk, its flexibility and surprising power. With this style, the quiet ribbons of a dancer could become a deadly weapon in moments. The style relies on the appearance of innocence even as killing power is gathered, carefully deflecting blows and responding with overwhelming force.

((Editor's note: I did not originally create this style; the player of Inari in my FrivYetiFrivYeti/AzureRibbonStyle/Zeretan game brought it to me. However, I have made a few changes, because the original had a bit of strange stuff in it. Just wanted to note that, for the most part, the following is not my work. If it's yours, please tell me so. :) ))

Weapons and Armor

Practitioners of Azure Ribbon form traditionally fight with, as the name implies, silk ribbons, and many of the basic charms require the practitioner to have a ribbon to be effective. Whips are also considered a form weapon, and attacks with a whip or ribbon are considered to be unarmed.

Charms

Dancer's Fatal Parade</b>

<b>Cost: 3 motes
Duration: One Turn
Type: Supplemental
Min. Martial Arts: 3
Min. Essence: 1
Prereqs: None

The dancer deftly flicks her ribbon and sends a charge of Essence down its length. Until her first action of the next turn, the dancer's ribbon (or whip) gains +2 to Speed, Accuracy, and Defense, and deals lethal damage if it did not before. A non-weapon ribbon is considered to have Speed, Accuracy, Defense, and damage of +0 to start for this purpose. Under Power Combat, it has Rate 4. This Charm requires the character to be armed with a ribbon or whip.

Antagonist-Toppling Ribbon Array</b>

<b>Cost: 2 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Min. Martial Arts: 3
Min. Essence: 2
Prereqs: Dancer's Fatal Parade

The dancer twirls in a bewildering pattern and strikes, unbalancing her opponent and tripping him to the ground. A single Sweep attack made with a dancer's ribbon adds the attacker's Martial Arts in bonus dice and half the attacker’s Martial Arts (rounded down) to the difficulty of the Dex + Athletics roll to avoid knockdown. See p. 240 of the main book for the rules on Sweeps.

Steel Ribbon Technique</b>

<b>Cost: 4 motes
Duration: One Scene

Type: Reflexive
Min. Martial Arts: 3
Min. Essence: 1
Prereqs: None

The dancer spins in a continuous defensive pattern, redirecting blows with the slightest touch. For the rest of the scene, all attacks aimed at the dancer are at +1 difficulty, and the dancer may parry lethal attacks unarmed. The charm ends if the dancer stops dancing, is knocked down, or is immobilized. It is not compatible with armour.

Fluttering Deflection</b>

<b>Cost: 5 motes
Duration: One Scene
Type: Reflexive
Min. Martial Arts: 3
Min. Essence: 2
Prereqs: Steel Ribbon Technique

The dancer's defensive routine grows more elaborate, confounding attackers in a blur of hypnotic motion. For the rest of the scene, the dancer adds her Permanent Essence in bonus dice to all parry and dodge attempts. The dancer may even use these bonus dice by themselves as a dodge action against any dodgeable attack against which she has no other defense prepared. The charm ends if the dancer stops dancing, is knocked down, or is immobilized. It is not compatible with armour.

Azure Ribbon Form</b>

<b>Cost: 6 motes
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 4
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: Antagonist-Toppling Ribbon Array, Fluttering Deflection

The dancer performs a graceful and elaborate kata, describing arcane signs in the air with her ribbon. Essence suffuses her body and her ribbon, shaping her into an elegant living weapon. For the rest of the scene, the dancer is treated as having Dancer’s Fatal Parade constantly active on any ribbon or whip that she wields. In addition, the dancer soaks lethal damage with her full Stamina, and adds her Permanent Essence to her Dexterity for purposes of calculating movement speeds and jumping distances. This charm is not compatible with the use of armour. It is a Form-type Charm.

Indigo Lance Assault</b>

<b>Cost: 4 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: Azure Ribbon Form

The dancer weaves her ribbon into a pattern of terrible power in the air before her, focusing her essence into an all-out attack. When she attacks, her ribbon crackles with blue and purple lightning, and punches through plate armor as if it were paper. However, what she gains in power, she sacrifices in defense, as her every movement is directed towards empowering the Indigo Lance.
The character's next attack with the ribbon gains +6 to Speed, +4 to Accuracy, +0 to Defense, and deals +12L damage. These bonuses replace, rather than stacking with, bonuses gained from Dancer’s Fatal Parade. After an attack augmented by this Charm, the dancer suffers a -6 penalty to all defensive actions until her first action of the next turn. This Charm requires the character to be armed with a ribbon or whip.

Fortification of Cobalt Trimmings</b>

<b>Cost: 4 motes
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: Azure Ribbon Form

The dancer infuses herself with the suppleness and resilience of silk, improving her resistance to damage. For the rest of the scene, her Martial Arts is added to her bashing and lethal soak values. This Charm is not compatible with the use of armour.

Cerulean Cascade</b>

<b>Cost: 7 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Extra Actions
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: Indigo Lance Assault, Fortification of Cobalt Trimmings

A master of the Azure Ribbon style can direct its energies outward in a flood of essence and cutting silk. The dancer attacks viciously, spinning in a tight pirouette and then lashing out with a flurry of essence-laden blows. She gains a number of extra unarmed attacks equal to her Permanent Essence. Each attack she makes after the first receives a cumulative -1 penalty. For example, at Essence 3, the dancer has four attacks, at -0, -1, -2, and -3 dice. The extra successes of every attack made in the turn are doubled for purposes of determining raw damage. The character may not split these attacks or his primary action, and cannot use his primary action for defense. This Charm is incompatible with the use of armour.

Azure Hurricane Stance</b>

<b>Cost: 6 motes
Duration: One Turn
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: Cerulean Cascade

A secret technique of the Azure Ribbon style, unknown to all but its most adept practitioners. The dancer spins her ribbon in a wide, superhumanly fast vortex, striking down everything in her reach and even swatting incoming arrows out of the air. The dancer may not move more than one yard in any direction during the turn, but she may make a reflexive ribbon attack at full pool against any opponent within three yards, including opponents who approach during the turn. Additionally, she may attempt to parry any ranged attack directed at her during the turn, at +1 difficulty. (Note: Unlike the Abyssal Charm Hundred Razor Circle, a character using Azure Hurricane Stance may choose which targets in range are attacked; she is not required to attack every available target, friend or foe.)

Comments:

This is a really cool style, it's odd noone else noticed/commented on it. My only problem with it is for a style focussed on speed, there are NO initiative boosts. Perhaps the form should do something about this? Possibly adding MA, Performance, or Dex to init for as long as it's up, instead of the full-lethal stamina soak? I'm not sure, the form is already pretty nice.
-- Darloth

Honestly? I think the best fix is to change the flavour text. ^^;; I didn't read it closely when I was copying/pasting it; the tree has three seperate defensive-only Charms, plus defensive effects in the Form Charm. I'm going to just edit the style description. - FrivYeti

Phoo. I quite liked the idea of speed, but I suppose that's an easier fix. I guess someone can always learn Striking Serpent Speed if they need to.
-- Darloth

Should Indigo Lance Assault really be Reflexive? Supplemental would seem more sensible, unless it's reflexive specifically for combo-behavior, and I don't see why it should be. Given the bonuses, it might even fit Simple, but Supplemental certainly seems more appropriate than Reflexive. Anyone else agree? Should we change it?
-- Darloth

Yes, definitely Supplemental. Not powerful enough for a Simple charm (due to its reliance on earlier charms in the style), but just right as a Supplemental one. - IanPrice

I'm just going to blame whomever first wrote this. ;) Supplemental it is. - FrivYeti