BrigandRansom/ScintillantBladeTechnique
Scintillant Blade Technique is an ancient artform that was practiced during the first age by Celestial and Terrestrial Exalted alike. In this age, it is only taught at a single school, the (School Name) in (Place). Unlike other schools like it, only Unexalted mortal Dynasts are accepted for teaching at this school and only if they are under 12 years old. Oftentimes Dragon Blooded will send their mortal children here in the hopes that under the Tutelage of "Gleaming Edge", a mortal Savant, their children will Exalt quickly and with great power. The number of students within the school is never greater than twenty, as it's existence is a well-kept secret within the higher levels of Dynastic house politics.
Gleaming Edge takes the students in for no less than four years, with the understanding that not even Exaltation will break your studies. If you Exalt under his tutelage, you must finish out your training and in addition learn at least up to the form charm of this style. As a Mortal Savant, Gleaming Edge treats his Mortal and Exalted students the same, judging them not upon their essence but how well they learn his teaching of Honor, Respect and Duty. There have been times in the past where students who Exalt feel no need to take orders from a Mortal, but this doesn't last long. Gleaming Edge is skilled enough that no student has ever managed to best him, Exalted or not. Even if they were to beat him, they would be in serious trouble with their parents. Gleaming Edge is the only person left alive who knows this style to it's full level of mastery.
Unbeknownst to anyone save a handful up people, Gleaming Edge is in fact a First-Age Solar with powerful Sidereal magics worked on him to keep his true nature a secret. He is waiting for a specific student, to whom he will reveal the culmination of this powerful Martial Arts Style.
Scintillant Blade Technique is a very adaptable style, and may be comboed with charms from Melee, Dodge, Athletics, Brawl and Presence abilities. It treats Curved, Single edged weapons as unarmed for the purposes of the style, making Reaver Daiklaives or mortal Katana the weapon of choice.
Declaration of Honorable Combat
Cost: 5 Motes Duration: Scenelong Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 1 Min Essence: 2 Prereqs: None
Honor is the primary lesson of Scintillant Blade, for Honor itself is the blade that seperates the Riteous from the weak and base. The Exalt announces his name and intent to engage in an honorable combat with the target. This charm negates environmental penalties up to the User's presence rating, be they from unsure footing or poor visibility. This does not effect wound penalties, nor will it allow the Exalt to see in total darkness. If at any point the user breaks away from the fight the effects of this charm end.
Calm Eye Composure
Cost: 1 Mote Per Die Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min Essence: 2 Prereqs: None
The Purity of Heart that is instilled by Honor shines in the eyes of the Martial Artist and the weight of their gaze stikes at the spirit of their opponent before the blade does. This charm allows the Exalt to purchase additional dice for their attack roll up to their Presence rating.
Mind Body and Blade Unity
Cost: Special Duration: Permanent Type: Special Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min Essence: 2 Prereqs: None
A student of Scinitllant Blade learn that their Spirit is a force upon creation and their blade is an extension of this. But such an incredible power must always be kept in check, lest it come to own you. Upon learning this charm, the Exalt may commit a number of motes equal to (6 - Essence) to a weapon they are attuned to (in addition to the normal attenuation cost)Even if the Exalt gains an essence score above five they musta always at least pay one additional mote. This allows the Exalt to draw and sheathe the weapon instantly, and makes it more difficult to remove it from his hand (add Presence dice to the MA + Wits roll to resist a successful disarm). This charm may be purchased multiple times, limited by the Essence Rating of the Exalt. Each purchase of this charm allows another weapon to be so bound.
Prescision Timing Method
Cost: 2 Per Initiative Tic Duration: 1 Turn Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min Essence: 2 Prereqs: None
When there is Honor in the Heart, the actions of those around you become apparent. This insight allows the Exalt great flexibility in combat, choosing the perfect moment to make his move. Once activated, the charm allows the Exalt to purchase their initative tic up or down as they see fit.
Locked Gazes Method
Cost: 4 Motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min Essence: 2 Prereqs: Calm Eye Composure, Declaration of Honorable Combat
The Eyes that carry Honor have the ability to shame those who look into them, as all pretense at kindness fall away beneath their weight. The student of Scintillant Blade locks eyes with his chosen target, giving them pause as they think of the consequences of their actions. This charm is activated at the beginning of a turn, before initiative is rolled. The Target of Declaration of Honorable Combat and the Scintillant Blade Student lock eyes, and the Student rolls initiative for both of them. Both the Target and the Student use this initiative score. Any charms that change the initiative score of one affects both of them.
Movement Anticipation Practice
Cost: 1 Mote per Health Level Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min Essence: 3 Prereqs: Prescision Timing Method, Mind Body and Blade Unity
The Student of Scintillant Blade learns how to make the most of a stike timed with another's, taking advantage of the enemy as they divide their attention between the student and their action. If the student makes a successful attack roll against a target who acts on the same initiative tic they may purchase additional damage at the rate of one mote per point of damage. This is limited by the Martial Artist's Presence + Essence.
Scintillant Blade Form
Cost: 6 Motes, 1 Willpower Duration: Scenelong Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min Essence: 3 Prereqs: Movement Anticipation Method, Locked Gazes Method
The Student crouches low, legs spread and knees bent to provide a smaller target and low center of gravity as their anima ripples with power. They place their hand just above the handle of their sword, ready to draw, strike and sheathe the blade in a single fluid motion. Activation of Scintillant Blade form raises the Banner Level of the Exalt by one, along with these effects:
- Add Presence to all parry attempts made versus the target of "Declaration of Honorable Combat"
- 1 Free defensive action per round against the target of "Declaration of Honorable Combat"
- Actions taken are considered to be one initiative tic higher than they really are. This does not affect any actions on higher initiative tics and is not effecting time, this merely allows the Artist to act before those whose actions are on the same initiative tic
- Add Martial Arts rating to movement
- Add Martial Arts rating to resist Knockback, Knockdown and Stun
- Anyone attacking the Scintillant Blade Artist who is NOT the target of "Declaration of Honorable Combat" has their Dice Pools reduced by the Martial Artist's Presence Rating. This penalty is treated as an Environmental Penalty.
Gleaming Edge Grip
Cost: Special Duration: Scenelong Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min Essence: 3 Prereqs: Scintillant Blade Form
The Student, now well on his way to mastery of Scintillant Blade learns to focus their honor into their hands, making even a simple carved stick into an incredible weapon for a time. The Martial Artist holds a Wooden sword in their hands, which transforms in a flash of essence into the Magical Material appropriate for the Exalt using the charm. The cost of this charm is equal to the attunement cost of a similar weapon. At the end of the scene the wooden weapon is destroyed, turned into ash by the strength of the Exalt's Will and Essence.
I'm also wondering if there would be a possibility of making this permanent, possibly with the expenditure of xp and requiring a Masterwork wooden weapon made of special wood. This does go against "Cant Create any of the 5MMs", but this would be very limited and the Jade (or Orichalc, or Moonsilver, ect) would be limited to the weapon only. Attempting to reforge a 5MM weapon such as this would destroy the magic and dissapate the effect)
Battlefield Mobility Mastery
Cost: 8 motes Duration: Scenelong Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min Essence: 3 Prereqs: Scintillant Blade Form
The raw power of the Essence of the Exalt who uses this charm weighs down the movements and actions of those who would interfere with his duel. The Exalt shouts a Ki-ai, and their Anima banner flares even higher. Activation of this charm increases the level of the Exalt's Anima Banner, and the display of power is enough to penalize those who look upon them. The Exalt's presence rating is counted as an environmental penalty against anyone attacking the Exalt who is NOT the target of "Declaration of Honorable Combat". This charm is ineffective against those with an Essence Rating higher than the user
Bodyguard's Folly
Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: Scenelong Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min Essence: 3 Prereqs: Scintillant Blade Form
Those who feel that they can avoid an honorable combat with the Scintillant Blade user soon learn that not even large amounts of bodyguards can protect them. The Exalt activates this charm, and for the rest of the scene may make one free attack at full dice pools to anyone who's essence is lower than their own and within a range in yards away from the target of "Declaration of Honorable Combat"'s essence. This does NOT work against the target of "Declaraction of Honorable Combat", merely those around him. (need to re-word this better)
peanut gallery
BrigandRansom/ScintillantBladeOldComments
Well I've got it looking pretty sweet now, but still have yet to lay down the last 2 charms. I'm probably going to tweak the mote costs a bit more and either require a declared opponent for the form charm, or make the cost variable (add the price of Declaration in order to declare your target when you activate the form). ~ BrigandRansom , now with Italicised Post-Sig comments!
- Note on Calm Eye Composure: Terrestrial charms that buy dice are usually more effecient, at 1 mote per 2 dice, so I recommend bringing this down to at least 1 for 1.
- Note on Mind Body and Blade Unity: I think you should be allowed to attune as many weapons as you want this way, with the same limitation as is placed on the Solar Elsewhere-storage charms, such as Summoning the Loyal Steel or Hauberk-Summoning Gesture.
- Note on Movement Anticipation Practice: Again, should probably be more effecient. Should also probably have a cap. Presence, perhaps? Or Presence + Essence?
- Note on pre-pinnacle charm: Except for the form, you have no defensive charms in this style. Pre-pinnacle should probably be defensive. Due to the distaste in most formal Kenjutsu schools for parrying, particularly those that practice Iaijutsu, it should probably allow a dodge (possibly using the Martial Arts ability). A scene-long reflexive defense at your Presence rating might be pretty cool, actually. Literally, as in, "I'm too cool for you to hit me." Something like 5m 1w, roll Presence + Essence and add it to the difficulty to hit you for the scene.
- Note on pinnacle charm: I recommend an unblockable, undodgeable attack. Must be against declared honorable opponent, must be on same initiative tick. Also, if they beat your Presence as the difficulty on a Willpower roll, they can defend normally. Controlling them with your warrior's spirit, you evade their defenses and strike an unprotected spot.
- Note on the author: These comments by IanPrice.
Hmm, I just myself noticed that the effects of Battlefield Mobility Mastery are already built-in to the form charm. I guess THAT charm need another rewrite =). Possibly go back to the original thought, a charm that lets the MAist move freely within a certain range, but include something that makes it ineffective with Dust Devil Advance and other Lunar Charm that would take too much advantage of this.
I was thinking about multiple weapons being bound with MBaBU, but should I lift the Reaver / Katana limitation for that charm? To be honest, I could see this as being perfectly appropriate. In my mind this style is taught to Mortals as well as Exalts, though the mortals don't learn the essence portion of the style. WTF would mortals be in a martial arts school in the first place? Well, even Porkchop Carjack was human once. The point of learning this style is to learn Honor, Dignity and Respect at an early age, not to learn charms. In this respect, the lessons taught should stay with the Exalt (or mortal) though their whole life, the lessons guiding them through existance. And the Weapon-Bond would be one of those reminders of honor. So... yeah, we'll do that =)
As for the efficiency I was pricing these based on some of the comments in the Charm Creation discussions, most notably the comment that MAs should be a bit overpriced pre-form, then a little underpriced post-form. Making Calm Eye Composure a one mote per die charm puts it at the same level as Fire and Stones strike. Hmm... Possibly 3 motes for 2 dice? ~ BrigandRansom ~ Who only just recently found that there is a Zatoichi vs Yojimbo movie
- Remember that this is the Terrestrial version. Fire and Stones Strike is too expensive for a Terrestrial Exalt. This is a martial art for people with puny Essence pools of 25 total as average starting characters (meaning, no bonus point expenditures on Essence, Virtues, or Willpower, let alone Breeding or other Essence-pool additions). Compare this to the Solar average starting pool of 39 total between personal and peripheral, and you see what I mean. Even an average starting Solar can afford to pay a 1:1 rate much more than any starting Dragon Blooded. - IanPrice
Quite true, and I had also forgotten about the Init Tic limitation built into it. Charm cost changed to 1:1. As for a Celestial Version of this style, I'm probably going to make the only difference be the Pinnacle Charm itself. In my mind this is a "Bridge" style, halfway in between Terrestrial and Celestial. I like the idea of an essence weapon as a pinnacle which would be fantastic for terrestrials but redundant for Solars. This is where the style will diverge: Terrestrial Pinnacle will be Essence Weapon, Celestial Pinnacle will be... hmm.
I'm thinking that the Pre-Pinnacle will let you carry additional successes from one strike over to another strike in the same turn instead of counting them as additional damage. Slaughter half a dozen Bodyguard extras, then finish out with a nasty hugenumberofsucesses strike against your chosen =) ~ BrigandRansom , working on this and some more fiction
Aack, forgot about the defense comment. Quite true, this needs more defense. Still cooking up ideas for the specifics of the charm ~ BrigandRansom
- I forgot about my suggestion of an Essence Weapon pinnacle too, so no worries. Though, I've realized now that such a charm would be kind of redundant with Gleaming Edge Grip, which is very much like an Essence Weapon charm. After all, you can pick up a stick, essentially, and turn it into a really good sword.
- As for the carrying over successes, that actually sounds like a great idea for a defense charm. Maybe one that works like this: extra successes on attack, you can convert to dodge dice instead of extra damage (can be used reflexively; must all be used on one dodge). Extra successes on defense (which would normally be wasted) convert to attack dice on the character's next attack. You like maybe? - IanPrice
Yes I do like, I'll figure out the specifics shortly here. Added some fluff to the very top... do you think that's too many abilities for this to be Combo-compatible with? ~ BrigandRansom , having an attack of ADD and working on fiction instead of this
So some major brainstorming took place, and I've got a few ideas. They may not go anywhere, or may later be absorbed into an additional charm(s) for other styles.
- The first 2 charms are in fact Celestial Initiation. The "Pinnacle" as Gleaming Edge teaches it is not the true pinnacle, he's saving that for his "Successor"
- Compare Essence + Artifact rating of duelist's weapons. If the SBT practitioner has the higher number he can break the opponent's weapon
- Staring down an opponent, lowering the level of their anima banner and possibly cutting them off from their essence temporarily.
- I may go so far as to make a mechanicsless pinnacle charm, something that could... revert an abyssal. That would relegate this style to the realm of Plot, and would NEVER be appropriate unless it was a central point of a larger story. It would have to cost both permanent essence and willpower, or maybe even a huge payment required like Rune of Singular Hate (which is Sorcery, not a Charm).
~ BrigandRansom , who forgot to sign his comment
