MartialArts/FifteenMonthsDescendingFire

Descending Fire Style

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Background

You understand nothing of conflict until you understand fire. Without understanding, your fire either burns out of control, or dies out. Truly, he who understands his fire is invincible.

Training

Zen is the best word to describe Descending Fire Style training. Students learn to infer the techniques from simple tasks their masters assign them day in and day out, or they give up in disgust. Early on, simple tasks include carrying firewood and water, cooking dinner, washing floors, sweeping ashes... etc. Later, students learn to roast single grains of rice. They are required to perform calligraphy with burning sticks. The tasks then become even more esoteric, but by this time the students have learned not to question when their masters tell them to catch a particular burning cinder from the air on one finger without snuffing it out.

Students realize their knowledge the first time they are required to fight. The charm abilities of this style have become instinctive once learned, and when forced to use them students of this style automatically understand what they are able to do. Masters only allow students to perform combat drills once a real life-or-death situation has arisen outside of training, believing this is a necessary step to understand the fire of battle as it really is.

Weapons and Armor

Weapons and armor are not an issue for this style. None of the techniques depend on them, nor are they hindered by them, save for those charms with the Touch keyword.

Complementary Abilities

Students of this style develop a minimum Athletics of •• through their early training. Later training often develops other abilities, including Linguistics, Lore, Resistance, Awareness, and Investigation. However, none of these are technically requirements, merely products of the way and philosophy of the masters who teach the style.

Charms

First Spark

Cost: 1m or 4m
Minimums: Essence 3, MA 4
Type: Reflexive (step 1, step 2, or step 8)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

A fire begins with a spark. This charm may be activated in one of three situations: when declaring an attack, when declaring the use of Parry DV against an attack, or when soaking damage from an attack which will inflict at least 1 die of damage after soak. This first activation counts as a charm use and costs 1m; the 4m cost is paid later, and does not count as a charm use.

• If activated when declaring an attack, the First Spark is delivered if the attack is either parried completely (but not Perfectly) or if it hits.
• If activated when declaring a Parry, the First Spark is delivered if the attack is fully parried, or if the third activation option becomes valid.
• If activated when soaking an attack which will roll at least 1 die of damage after soak, the First Spark is automatically delivered.

Once the First Spark has been delivered somehow, a variety of effects become available to the Descending Fire student. The most basic of these effects is built into this charm: any time the student is about to resolve a successful attack against an opponent who carries a First Spark, she may spend 4m reflexively to double the number of damage dice to be rolled after soak. This uses up the First Spark, and so another one must be delivered to use its advantages again.

An opponent may only be the subject of a single First Spark. The First Spark lasts for a number of ticks equal to [Essence + Willpower + Martial Arts]. Any Descending Fire stylist may take advantage of the First Spark delivered by any other artist of the same style.

Fire Burns Out Fire

Cost: None
Minimums: Essence 3, MA 5
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: First Spark

If a fire meets another fire, both stop, quickly running out of fuel. This understanding allows a student of Descending Fire to use up a First Spark carried by an opponent to block an attack. For 3m1w, roll Dexterity + Martial Arts at a difficulty of the opponent's Essence. If this roll is successful, the attack is parried fully. This may not stop unblockable attacks.

Descending Fire Form

Cost: 6m
Minimums: Essence 3, MA 5
Type: Simple (Speed 8, DV -0)
Keywords: Form-Type
Duration: Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Fire Burns Out Fire

With a passive stance and relaxed attitude, the student of Descending Fire comes to understand the fires raging within himself and his opponent, and stand apart from them.