TonyC/StudentToTheSunAndStars

Student has partial mastery of Prismatic Arrangement of Creation Style. His "trick" is Soul Fire Shaper Form to get his Essence to 10 and then use (Type) Exalt Ways to gain the anima banner and effect of another Exalt type plus adding Essence (10!) automatic success (!) to a favored Ability or Attribute. By picking the right Exalt type and favored ability, Student could guarantee himself at least 10 successes in any one ability or attribute.

Name: Student To The Sun And Stars
Caste: Night
Concept: Kung-fu Master
Nature: Paragon
Anima: Five colored orbs orbiting around a golden sun.
Quote: "Everything has a time and place."

Student To The Sun And Stars as starting character

Student was an Immaculate acolyte in Cherak. He exalted during a bandit raid and while he manages to save his life and his fellow acolytes, now his friends and teachers viewed him as a demon and a beast. His world crashed down around him, but he manages to pull through. Now he wanders around from place to place as an itinerant ghost-hunter while searching for the reason for his exaltation and figuring out just how those letters and treatises on martial arts appear on his knapsack while he wasn't looking.

Attributes

Physical: Strength 2, Dexterity 5, Stamina 4
Social: Charisma 2, Manipulation 3, Appearance 2
Mental: Perception 2, Intelligence 2, Wits 5

Abilities

Dawn: Archery 0, Brawl 0, *Martial Arts 5 (barehanded +2), Melee 0, Thrown 0
Zenith: *Endurance 2, Performance 0, Presence 0, *Resistance 5, Survival 0
Twilight: Craft 0, Investigation 0, Lore 1, Medicine 1, *Occult 1
Night: Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Dodge 5, Larceny 1, Stealth 1
Eclipse: Bureaucracy 0, *Linguistics 1, Ride 0, Sail 0, Socialize 1
Note: * = Favored skill.

Languages spoken: Skytongue & Low Realm.

Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 4, Temperance 5, Valor 1
Backgrounds: Artifact 2, Contact 1, Resources 1, Mentor 3
Willpower: 9, Essence: 2, Essence Pool: 15 personal + 35 peripheral
Virtue Flaw: Ascetic Drive (Temperance)

Charms

• Spirit Sight
• Spirit Walking
• Body-Mending Meditation
• Mastery of Small Manners
• Graceful Crane Stance
• Striking Cobra Technique
• Serpentine Evasion
• Sensory Acuity Prana
• Reed in The Wind
• Shadow Over Water

HL: -0, -1, -1, -2, -2, -4, Incapacitated.

Notes: Anybody who wants to use Student as a starting character is advised to get the best armor he can gets and a serpent-sting staff. Never ever show your caste mark because while you can fight mortals, ghosts, and low-essence spirits, as long as they don't get a chance to gang up on you, even a single properly decked Dragon-Blooded is more than your match.

Student at 500 XP

Total XP: 411. The rest of the XP should be spent on Night things, like maybe those Stealth and Larceny and Athletics. I suggest as many Athletic charms as you feel comfy. Keeing with the ghost-hunter concept, perhaps raise Occult to 5 too.

Attributes

Physical: Strength 2, Dexterity 5, Stamina 4
Social: Charisma 2, Manipulation 3, Appearance 2
Mental: Perception 2, Intelligence 2, Wits 5

Abilities

Dawn: Archery 0, Brawl 0, *Martial Arts 5 (barehanded +3), Melee 0, Thrown 0
Zenith: *Endurance 2, Performance 0, Presence 0, *Resistance 5, Survival 0
Twilight: Craft 0, Investigation 0, Lore 1, Medicine 1, *Occult 1
Night: Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Dodge 5, Larceny 1, Stealth 1
Eclipse: Bureaucracy 0, *Linguistics 1, Ride 0, Sail 0, Socialize 1
Note: * = Favored skill.

Languages spoken: Skytongue & Low Realm.

Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 4, Temperance 5, Valor 2
Backgrounds: No longer applicable. For this fight though, he has a Gem of Perfect Mobility (level 5 hearthstone) and a full Essence-Containing Gem (Artifact 5) whose origin we shan't question.
Willpower: 9, Essence: 5, Essence Pool: 24 personal + 57 peripheral
Virtue Flaw: Ascetic Drive (Temperance)

Charms

• Martial Arts: Spirit Sight, Spirit Walking. Snake Style: Striking Cobra Technique, Serpentine Evasion, Snake Form, Essence Fangs & Scales Technique, Uncoiling Serpent Prana, Snake Strikes The Heel, Armor Penetrating Fang Strike, Striking Serpent Speed, Crippling Pressure Point Strike, Essence Venom Strike. Ebon Shadow Style: Image of Death Technique, Wall Climbing Technique, Distracting Finger Gesture Attack. Violet Bier of Sorrows Style: Secrets of Future Strife, Joy in Adversity Stance. Prismatic Arrangement of Creation Style: Charm Redirection Technique, Sequential Charm Disruption, Spell Shattering Palm, Astrology Interruption Method, Soul Fire Shaper Form, God Ways, Chosen of Endings Sidereal Ways.
• Endurance: Ox-Body Technique (-1, -2, -2) x 2, Essence Gathering Temper.
• Resistance: Durability of Oak Meditation, Iron Skin Concentration, Spirit Strengthens The Skin, Adamant Skin Technique.
• Medicine: Body Mending Meditation.
• Athletics: Graceful Crane Stance.
• Awareness: Sensory Acuity Prana, Surprise Anticipation Method.
• Dodge: Reed in The Wind, Shadow Over Water, Seven-Shadow Evasion, Leaping Dodge Method.
• Socialize: Mastery of Small Manners

Combos:
Three Strikes Chi Disruption Method: Surprise Anticipation Method, Distracting Finger Gesture Attack, Seven Shadow Evasion, Leaping Dodge Method, Essence Gathering Temper, Adamant Skin Technique, Striking Serpent Speed, Snake Strikes The Heel, Sequential Essence Disruption. God-Defeating Palm: Seven Shadow Evasion, Leaping Dodge Method, Essence Venom Strike, Armor Penetrating Fang Strike, Uncoiling Serpent Prana.

Notes: There are four tactics Student can use. One by using Sequential Essence Disruption to disrupt the opponent's charm use. This is powerful, but really really expensive in terms of motes and WP. But if that doesn't work, there's God Ways. Three, there's God Defeating Palm, which, if it hits, should do a number. Last, Striking Serpent Speed and just spam attack someone. All the tactics depend on Soul Fire Shaper Form and Exalt Ways. I'd be a lot happier if I can sneak in Joy in Adversity Stance somehow, but oh well, can't have everything, I guess.

Comments

I really wish I could surprise FrivYeti with my choice of tactics. But after seeing the amount of "is that legal?" debates, I'd rather lose the chance of making everyone's jaws drop rather than risking betting on a tactic only to be told "no, that's not how it actually works." - TonyC

First off, that Simple Charm trick works. If you get multiple actions from something, you CAN use the same Simple Charm multiple times with it. As for Plan #1.... geez, that works. Works really well. Really, really well. I mean, it forces a draw, not a victory, but... this is exactly why 2nd Edition is going to have Integrity. (On the flip side, that's why I was thinking of Compelling Whisper Technique for the Lion).

I really REALLY do suggest sticking with a combination of Firesoul shaper form + chimera's coils and Chosen of Endings way to just nuke Lion... of course, you'll be vulnerable to his SCD... so yeah... ^_^;
~ Haku

If you go for Exalt Ways (and just want buttkicking power), I might suggest Starmetal Alchemical Exalt Ways, my current twinkery favorite. In addition to +10 Dex successes, you can also add +5 dice to attacks, damage and initiative for the duration of the Exalt Ways for just 5 more reflexive motes. - Hapushet

Ummm...Wasn't it the Starmetal alchemicals that got the bonus to several combat dicepools? I thought the Moonsilvers just gave an essence*2 bonus to initive. Although +20 to your initive is nothing to sneeze at.... --BrilliantRain

Uh, yeah. Starmetal Alchemicals. <lightningfast editing> See? That's what I said... <blush> - Hapushet

Another option for the Exalt Ways would be to go Serenity... and then have an Eclipse ally with Song of Spirit Persuasion (Man+Performance vs. targets Essence... but in this case with 10 autosuccesses). Now FaFL (a ghost, therefore a spirit) is an ally. Spend some xp and it is permanent. Whee! -szilard

Based on the reading of that Charm, I think it's only referring to gods, not to demons or ghosts. At least, that would be my interpretation. Ghosts being outside of fate and all. - FrivYeti

Dear Storytellers everywhere, when your Sidereal player starts getting Song of Spirit Persuasion and Soul Fire Shaper both, smack him. Unless of course you have this great plan for showcasing the Sidereal's Great Curse. - TonyC

I aggree with FrivYeti because the charm specificialy states "Spirits and Elementals" that would cover it not working on ghosts. Additionally FaFL is outside of fate and thus immune to Sidereal charm compulsion (E:S p.129) so unless you find a way to make him a spirit inside of creation that will not work. - Blackedout

Regarding the use of God Ways, I'm not convinced you can dematerialise and possess Lion successfully, given that (a) you're in a night-time shadowland, and nothing is immaterial in shadowlands, and (b) he's a spirit, and I doubt they can be possessed. - OrigamiFox