MartialArts/IndigoButterflyStyle
This was a style I designed for a Ronin Chosen of Endings. She was a vegan who didn't carry any weapons or wear any armor ( later in the campaign, she gained some Silken Armor ), but she was more than capable of dispatching people ("ending their suffering" as she put it) in a hail of flower petals. However, she also took heavy beatings on several occasions. While I'm very happy with the flavor and concept of this style, it's too weak on defense I feel. Adept beware! But here it is anyway ^_^ Comments welcome as always. -- Xarak
This style is not compatible with the use of armor, or any "man made" weaponry. Practicioners sometimes carry enchanted natural objects, such as feathers, to fight with. The style also includes charms which can turn innocuous objects into weapons. Even if using these to make ranged attacks, the character must use Martial Arts, not Thrown, as her attack Ability.
Relic of Nature's Aid
Cost: 1 mote Type: Reflexive Duration: Instant Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 2 Prerequisites: None
The character takes a single natural, formerly-living object, no heavier than her fist, which must have an 'edge' of some kind, and imbues it with essence. This hardens and sharpens it into a lethal weapon. For the rest of the scene, she may wield it as a weapon equivalent to a throwing dagger.
White and Crimson Circle
Cost: 3 motes Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Relic of Nature's Aid
The character throws a daisy, or other such small circular flower. This counts as an attack with Relic of Nature's Aid. However, if this attack does at least one point of damage, the flower has penetrated the target's body. If the flower does this, it then explodes, the petals flying outwards at high speed in circle of tiny, vicous shards. This causes additional levels of lethal damage equal to the character's Essence. The victim can roll Stamina and each success subtracts one level from the damage taken.
Death Flies on Butterfly Wings
Cost: 5 motes MA: 4 Ess: 2 Type: Simple Duration: Instant Prerequisites: White and Crimson Circle
The character takes out a dead butterfly, kisses it, and sends it flying towards her target, animating it with the power of essence. This counts as an attack with Relic of Nature's Aid. However, the butterfly seeks out its target's anima, swirling and fluttering around any defence as it attacks. The enemy must subtract a number of successes from any defence roll equal to their own Essence, as the more Essence they wield, the more skillfully the butterfly attacks. The enemy's soak is also reduced by their Essence against this attack.
Calming Lotus Eyes
Cost: - MA: 3 Ess: 2 Type: Special Duration: Permanent Prerequisites: None
The character has mastered the art of appearing reassuringly innocent and harmless, even when innocence is the last thing on her mind. She may double her initiative on the first round of combat, because her opponents do not suspect her of such ferocity. This may, depending on circumstances, also have an effect in social or larcenous situations.
Folding Orchid Technique
Cost: 5 motes MA: 5 Ess: 2 Type: Supplemental Duration: Instant Prerequisites: Calming Lotus Eyes
Striking at crucial essence chakras on her target's body, the character closes the victim's mind to the outside world like a flower closes as dusk falls. A target struck by the Folding Orchid Tecqnique loses their ability to sense their surroundings; the world becomes dim and blurry, sounds become distant and pain recedes to a dull ache.
If this attack is successful, it does not cause the loss of health levels. Instead, it removes the opponent's sensory abilities. They gain a dice pool penalty equal to the character's Essence on all rolls which require sensory abilities, unless they can avoid this by making a Wits + Essence roll at a difficulty equal to the character's Essence. This lasts for a number of rounds equal to the number of damage successes. Repeated applications of this charm cause the duration to stack. Extras hit by this charm are automatically rendered helpless for a scene.
Indigo Butterfly Form
Cost: 6 motes MA: 4 Ess: 2 Type: Simple Duration: Scene-length Prerequisites: White and Crimson Circle, Folding Orchid Tecqnique
Weaving a complex kata, the character begins to move as gracefully as a butterfly. Her limbs and weapons slice through air and flesh alike like steel wings as her anima begins to gently flow in a hypnotic fluttering pattern behind her. She attacks from unexpected angles, leaping around defence and striking at vulnerable positions before dancing back out of range.
For the duration of the scene, the character may add her Martial Arts in dice to all attack and damage rolls, and applicable 'natural' objects touched by her are under the effects of Relic of Nature's Aid. A character can only use one Martial Art form type charm at one time.
Feather In The Wind Technique
Cost: 5 motes MA: 4 Ess: 2 Type: Reflexive Duration: Instant Prerequisites: Indigo Butterfly Form
The character leaps up into the air and is swept away as if by a strong wind, her body floating as if as light as a feather. This charm doubles her jumping distance horizontally, and four times as high vertically. The charm remains active as long as the character is in the air, and allows her to fall up to several hundred yards without the risk of damage. In addition, this can be used to augment a dodge : add the character's Martial Arts to the dodge roll.
Tulip-in-Winter Stratagem
Cost: 7 motes Martial Arts: 5
Essence: 3 Type: Reflexive Duration: Special Prerequisites: Feather In The Wind Teqnicque
When she is succesfully hit in combat, the character may choose to pretend the enemy has struck a killing blow. The character rolls her Martial Arts and subtracts the successes from the damage done by the attack, although her wounds appear to be serious. She falls to the floor and appears to all observers to be dead. Her skin grows cold and her lips turn blue. If an attempt is made to determine if she is dead or alive, a Perception + Medicine roll of difficulty 4 is required to find out the truth.
In this dormant state, the character does not regain essence or health levels. Her metabolism has reduced to a tiny trickle; she is immune to poison, drowning, hunger, thirst or exposure. Her Bashing and Lethal soak is increased by her Martial Arts.
The character hears and feels nothing for the remander of the scene after the charm is activated and may not awaken during this time. From the end of the scene, she becomes vaguely, instinctively aware of her surroundings although none of her senses are active. She can detect any presences nearby or imminent danger. She may remain dormant for up to her Martial Arts + Endurance + Essence hours, at which point she awakens quietly.
Falling Wasp Strike
Cost: 2 motes/dice Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Indigo Butterfly Style
Leaping high into the air, the character draws her essence around her before plunging down towards her target, energy blazing around her foot or weapon as she falls in a lethal violet arc. This attack sacrifices accuracy, as the character's descent gives the enemy more time to avoid the attack, but woe to any who fail to get out of the way...
When the character declares this attack she decides how many motes to spend on it. There is no limit on this number. For every 2 motes spent, she loses 1 success on her attack roll but the base damage of the attack is increased by 3, if she hits. This attack can only be used with bare-handed or melee weapon based attacks, not ranged attacks. It requires at least 1 yard of headroom per mote spent upon it, so may be unsuitable for use in cramped locations. It negates any possible "perfect attack" effects; if the character gets 0 successes on her attack roll with this charm, she always misses.
If the character bodges this attack, she takes one level of unsoakable bashing damage, as she slams her hand or foot into the ground very very hard.
Perfect Ending
Cost: 3 motes + 1/dice Duration: Instant Type: Supplementary Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Falling Wasp Strike
In the moment of ending, all things are perfect, as they finally reach the moment they existed so long to meet. By imbueing a once-living object with a kiss of Essence, a character can cause it to become, for a second, perfection realised, greater than it ever was in life. This charm is typically used with Relic of Nature's Aid or its related teqniques, although it could be used in other situations, such as a Performance. It causes a dead leaf, flower or other such object to suddenly become a glowing ( typically purple or deep blue ), ethereal icon of its former living self, breathtakingly and tragically beautiful. After just a few seconds under the influence of this charm, the target object is totally subsumed back into the essence flow of the world and gone forever
This charm can always be used with Relic of Nature's Aid and related charms, without the use of a combo. It cannot be used with bare-handed attacks, and will destroy any weapon it is used with. This charm adds dice to the attack roll equal to the number of additional motes spent upon it. In addition, up to [half the number of motes spent] extra successes count twice for determining the damage of the attack. The maximum number of additional motes that can be spent on this charm is the character's [Dexterity + Martial Arts].
Violet Autumn Storm Style
Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower, 1 Lethal health level Duration: Scene-length Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Perfect Ending, Tulip in Winter Stratagem
Moving with the violence and grace of a feather spiralling in a tornado, the character is surrounded by a roiling purple and red aura filled with circling violet butterflys, which whips around her opponent as she assails them with endless fury like a relentless storm.
As long as the character spends all the actions on attacking one individual, she may split her dice pool into two attacks at -0/-0, three at -1/-1/-1, etc. up to a maximum equal to her (Essence x 2) attacks. Each of these attacks may be used to perform a Relic of Nature's Aid, White and Crimson Circle or Death Flies on Butterfly Wings attack without requiring the use of a Combo, although the full cost of these charms must be paid, and all the attacks must be of the same type if this is done.
In addition, the storm automatically causes [the character's Essence] - [her opponents Essence] + 1 health levels of Lethal damage to her chosen opponent at the end of each round. This effect has a range of 10 yards.
Comments
I like this style. Very cool. About Violet Autumn Storm Style however, I think (and may it be said that my Martial Arts making fu sucks.) that you should be able to use dodges with these actions (besides reflexive ones). - Overshee
