MartialArts/TwinRealmsStyle

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Twin Realms Style

A Celestial Martial Art by DeadManSeven.

Introduction

So, the basis of the style was the way the Charm tree was set up, which isn't normally how I design things. Having two sets of three Charms that are fairly independant from the Form gave an interesting platform to launch from, so the Creation-vs-Underworld theme naturally grew out of that. There's some interesting thematic meshing for someone using this Style and PAoC together - probably some nasty mechanical synergy too, but then, what style doesn't have that with Prismatic Arrangement of Creation Form?

Background

A strange style originally created by an inquisitive Twilight studying the art of necromancy, focusing on the differences and similarities between the essence that flows in Creation and the Underworld. Only fragmentary remains of her actual research survived to the Second Age, but this style has endured from sifu to student among the Chosen of Heaven. The Twin Realms Style has become a subject of sudden interest quite recently among the Sidereals, owing to the appearance of Abyssal Exalted; some in the Bureau of Heaven believe the style should be thoroughly studied and implemented for better observation of this new type of Exalt, while others are of the opinion that all texts documenting its existence should be destroyed, lest the style’s secrets fall into the hands of one of the Underworld’s champions.

Twin Realms Style allow seven-section staves and serpent-sting staves as unarmed attacks. Such weapons are often coloured to have an equal number of sections in vibrantly opposing colours, such as black and white, or red and blue; staves with an odd number of sections invariably have the centre segment coloured a shade created by combining the two primary colours of the weapon. Charms derived from Chiaroscuro Eyes are not compatible with armour.

Charms

          Might       Guard      Purity
         of  the --- of  the --- of the
          Poles /     Chaos       Body
               X           \          \`
              / Twin     Bridge        Life in
Chiaroscuro -- Realms -- Between -- Death,  Death
    Eyes      \ Form     Worlds        in Life
               X           /          /
           Eyes \     Hands      Bounty
          of the --- of  the --- of the
          Corpse      Grave       Dead

(For a non-ASCII Charm tree, click here.)

Chiaroscuro Eyes
Cost: 6 motes
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisites: none

Those who would walk in the twin realms must learn to read the signs of where they are strong, and where they are weak. The martial artist closes her eyes, and when she opens them, the world is drained of colour. Living beings and spirits, as well as places of strong essence (such as manses and demesnes) glow with a pure white light; ghosts, zombies, and other denizens of the Underworld, as well as shadowlands and other sites of dark energy, shine with a malevolent black gleam. The rest of the world is a drab featureless grey, blurring into a singular haze in the absence of either Creation or Underworld essence. This can negate penalties from darkness and cover, depending on the situation; an assassin lying in ambush will appear as a beacon of light through the foliage concealing him, but the character wouldn’t be able to discern the contents of a Guild wagon through thick wooden armour plates.


Might of the Poles
Cost: 3 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisites: none

The pillars that hold Creation in place are the Five Elemental Poles, defining the very shape of the world. The martial artist can draw from their strength, momentarily taking on the mantle of one of the elements. The character gains a single bonus, based on the Elemental Pole she is closest to. The bonuses are as follows:

  • Air: Becoming as swift as the wind, the character adds her Martial Arts rating to her running and sprinting distances.
  • Fire: The character’s blows burn with the heat of a bonfire; she adds her Essence to her raw damage.
  • Earth: Striking the character is like driving a fist through a boulder - she adds her Martial Arts rating to her Stamina for the purposes of soaking.
  • Water: The character’s body flows and shifts as the tides; she adds her Essence to a dodge attempt.
  • Wood: The character’s mastery over her own body improves during her attunement to the Living Pole: she adds her Martial Arts rating to her initiative.

This Charm may only be used in Creation.


Guard of the Chaos
Cost: 5 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisites: Chiaroscuro Eyes, Might of the Poles

Creation and the Wyld are in constant opposition. In order to continue existing, those at the borders of the world must remain constantly vigilant to prevent being swallowed by the encroaching chaos. The martial artist draws a lesson of constant defence from these brave souls, remaining always on guard. She may add her Martial Arts rating in dice to a parry attempt; this may create a pool where there is none. This Charm may only be used in Creation.


Purity of the Body
Cost: 7 motes
Duration: One Turn
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisites: Guard of the Chaos

Drawing from the abundant energy of the living beings in Creation, the martial artist may heal her body from injuries, forcing vibrant essence through herself to knit her wounds together. She may heal a single bashing or lethal level of damage. This Charm may only be used in Creation.


Eyes of the Corpse
Cost: 3 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisites: none

This is no secret that can be hidden from one who has passed into death, for dead eyes are all-seeing, all-knowing. The martial artist’s eyes cloud with dark essence as she takes a momentary glance from the world of the dead back into the world of the living. She may see Creation for an instant from the Underworld, and gains an extra two dice to rolls to detect ambush. This Charm may only be used in the Underworld.


Hands of the Grave
Cost: 5 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisites: Chiaroscuro Eyes, Eyes of the Corpse

Wrapping necrotic energies around her hands, the martial artist plunges them across the boundary of the twin realms like the restless dead rising from the grave. Her image momentarily appears in Creation, silhouetted by a nimbus of malevolent light, fading away after she lands her attack. She may attack enemies in Creation from the Underworld, provided she is aware of their location, and adds +1 to the difficulty of any attempts to parry her attacks.

Enemies being attacked in such a fashion may make a reflexive Perception + Awareness roll to track the dark essence signature the martial artist leaves; the first roll is made a difficulty of the character's Essence, and then is lowered by one (to a minimum of one) each time the character uses Hands of the Grave. Opponents with knowledge of this style, either through instructions from a teacher or first-hand-experience, subtract one from the initial difficulty to sense the character in the Underworld. Once the character has been detected, she may be attacked from Creation while in the Underworld, as the act of striking across the barrier leaves a weak spot surrounding the martial artist. Opponents wishing to strike the character must make a reflexive Perception + Awareness roll while she remains in the Underworld.


Bounty of the Dead
Cost: 1 Willpower
Duration: One Turn
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisites: Hands of the Grave

Ghosts rely on sacrifices to exist within the Underworld; the deceased with nobody to recognise them in the afterlife ekes out a pauper’s existence, while those with a cult of ancestor worship live as princes of the dead. The martial artist employing Bounty of the Dead may reap similar rewards, siphoning the ambient essence of the Underworld directly for herself. She gains 10 motes of peripheral essence; motes beyond her maximum capacity simply dissipate into tendrils of black smoke. This Charm may only be used in the Underworld.


Twin Realms Form
Cost: 7 motes
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisites: Chiaroscuro Eyes, Might of the Poles, Eyes of the Corpse

The martial artist performs a perfectly symmetrical kata, light and dark energy mixing in her anima. She stands with a foot in both Creation and the Underworld, taking her first step upon the path that weaves between the two. While adopting the Twin Realms Form, she may interact with structures that exist in Creation as if they existed in the Underworld, and vice-versa. The buildings and natural landmarks are only real to her (so she could not smash down a wall in Creation and expect the debris to harm her enemies in the Underworld), and she must obey the limitations set by both worlds (so, upon encountering a wall in the Underworld, it would bar her passing it in Creation, despite not existing there).

The character may also choose two Charms from the Twin Realms Style that she has learned to have active for a scene, exemplifying her control over existence in both worlds. She must have one Creation Charm (either Might of the Poles, Guard of the Chaos, or Purity of the Body) and one Underworld Charm (either Eyes of the Corpse, Hands of the Grave, or Bounty of the Dead). The effects of the Charms as part of the Form are as follows:

  • Might of the Poles: If the character is in Creation, she adds the appropriate elemental bonus for the scene. If the character is in the Underworld, she subtracts this bonus instead. No rating may be reduced below zero.
  • Guard of the Chaos: If the character is in Creation, she adds her Martial Arts rating to all her parries, and may used this bonus to create a parry pool. If the character is in the Underworld, she subtracts her Martial Arts rating from all parry attempts.
  • Purity of the Body: If the character is in Creation, she heals a level of bashing or lethal damage each turn. If the character is in the Underworld, she receives a level of lethal or bashing damage (her choice) each turn.
  • Eyes of the Corpse: If the character is in the Underworld, she may view any goings-on in Creation without penalty. If the character is in Creation, she loses two dice from all Awareness rolls.
  • Hands of the Grave: If the character is in the Underworld, she may attack beings in Creation, and may only be struck after a series of successful Perception + Awareness rolls from her opponent. If the character is in Creation, she adds +1 difficulty to any attack she makes, and loses a level of raw damage from her attacks.
  • Bounty of the Dead: If the character is in the Underworld, she regains 3 motes of peripheral essence each turn. If the character is in Creation, she loses 3 motes of peripheral essence each turn, with the expenditure counting towards her anima banner.

This is a Martial Arts Form Charm, and cannot be used with other Martial Arts Form Charms.


Bridge Between Worlds
Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisites: Guard of the Chaos, Hands of the Grave, Twin Realms Form

Further increasing her prowess of dual existence in the Twin Realms, the martial artist learns to skip between them with no more effort than crossing a line drawn in the sand. By spending three motes, she may move from the Underworld to Creation, or back again. Shifting locations is a non-rolled action that can be performed any time after the character's initiative, and may only be used once per turn.


Life in Death, Death in Life
Cost: none
Duration: Permanent
Type: Special
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisites: Purity of the Body, Bounty of the Dead, Bridge Between Worlds

With the ultimate mastery of the Twin Realms, the martial artist combines the essence of the living and the essence of the dead, finally understanding them to be one and the same. Charms of this style that only function in Creation or the Underworld are limited no longer; they may be utilised in both locations. Also, negative effects are no longer incurred while adopting the Twin Realms Form; the first effect listed is used when activating the Charm, regardless of the character’s location.

Comments

Whoa. Funky.
-- Darloth

Seconded. A question, though; is Bridge Between Worlds's effect the reflexive, Willpower-less absolute perfect defence that it appears to be? ...DeathBySurfeit

I would personally say that it's an unrolled dice action to switch, if it were up to me. That would still let you blink in, attack, and blink out, mind you. at a fairly hefty multiple action penalty, of course.
-- Darloth

Danger, Will Robinson. Here's an example. Dead Tree, master of the Twin Realms Style, is facing off against another famed martial artist. Let's call him.. Pasiap. During the round before the fight, where Pasiap assumes his form (Embodiment of the Earth Dragon Form), Dead Tree assumes Bridge Between Worlds, and slips into the Underworld. Some time passes, perhaps rounds, perhaps not. Eventually, on one of those rounds, initiative is rolled. Pasiap, as expected, and with about 80 Jade Artifacts on him, wins. He declares "I'd like to attack Dead Tree". But Dead Tree is in the Underworld right now. Dead Tree, with no initiative booster, has a much much lower init. On his turn, he splits his action 3 ways. He pops in behind Pasiap at some previously unknown moment, surprise attacks Pasiap, and vanishes. Unless Pasiap has a counterattack charm, he can't hit Dead Tree. Because Dead Tree is smart, he held his action as long as he could, so even if Pasiap wanted to hold his action until Dead Tree appeared and fight back, his die pool (in PC) would be way way lower than it should be. For 6 motes, Dead Tree is effectively rattling off a surprise attack whenever he wants, and is totally invulnerable otherwise. Pasiap could have an entire army with him, and the way initiative works, they'd all have to hold actions to get Dead Tree on that single tick, at a surprise, nonetheless. As a Ess 3 charm that allows Dead Tree to break into virtually any location undetected, stab, assasinate, and poision, then vanish, in a nearly unharmable, undetectable way. Now, as a SMA, at around Ess 5, that's kind of cool. Especially if it's got a more solid mechanic for the 'flipping'. (My suggestion is a non-rolled dice action, but you can "slip sideways" at most once per turn, meaning you have to spend half of each turn in each world if you're alternating as fast as possible) -- GregLink
Switching over should be a lot less powerful than it is. GregLink's fix should work pretty well. There should be something else to stop the initiative wonkiness, as well, but I can't really figure out a simple way to do it. Maybe after using Hands of the Grave, something to sense what's going on? Also, while there's difficulties to parry attacks across the Shroud (which is a WoD-ism that doesn't exist in Exalted, but this is development text so it's okay), there's no problems with dodging. There's nothing that actually says it's a surprise attack, either, so there's nothing stopping your opponent from hanging back and going completely defensive until they figure out what's going on. I'll fiddle a bit with the text of the two Charms in question. - DeadManSeven
Switching between worlds effectively removes the character from combat. Even if the scene doesn't end there, I should think that initiative would be invalidated. Even if the combat continues, each time the character shifts back into a combat, he should have to roll a new initiative, and should be vulnerable for a round (because his action is taken up by shifting over). After all, he's been in another plane of existence, and isn't aware of what was happening in the battle while he was gone. - IanPrice

Actually, further reading makes this yet worse. The "Bounty of the Dead" form add-on gives you 3m per turn if you're in the Underworld. The "Hands of the Grave" bonus lets you do exactly what I warn against - hit people from surprise, and they can't attack back. (If you're surprised, you can only take defensive actions). By hitting the ultimate charm, you get toys like healing 1 damage per turn, and gaining 3m per turn. For characters doing a lot of things per day, you don't need a hearthstone. Keep "Bounty of the Dead" and your form up, and anytime you're thirsty, hop to the UD, gain some Essence, and hop back. There's a lot of synergy here (not a bad thing!) that gets complicated, so keep your eyes open, fellow reviewers! -- GregLink

The synergistic stuff isn't by accident - I wanted the essence regen stuff to have been built in originally by someone who spent time in the Underworld, and so needed more juice for working there, but would inadvertantly give Abyssals access to essence regain in Creation. I'm glad people dig the style of the, um, style, too - wanted to do something appropriately-themed for Martial Art #13. - DeadManSeven
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