Shinzui
Shinzui
In the early days of the First Age, there was once a Chosen of Journeys who saw fit to design a fighting art honed for the destruction of magical beings. For two score years, he wandered Creation in study of Essence as it flowed in all things. When he returned to his companions, the art had been formed.
At the dojo of his former Sifu, the Sidereal taught the Style to a number of Celestial and Dragon-Blooded acolytes. He was slain in the Usurpation, and though his name – and the original name of the Style – have both been lost to time, the martial art now known as Shinzui survives. It is practiced primarily by Sidereals, who retain knowledge of many Styles from the First Age, but can nonetheless be found among other Celestials.
Shinzui is a Celestial-level martial art, incompatible with armour and without any form weapons. Practitioners make frequent use of open-handed and circular techniques.
Dragon Track Meditation
Cost:? Duration:? Type:? Minimum Martial Arts: 2 Minimum Essence: 1 Prerequisite Charms: None
[Fluff text here]
[Mechanics here]
Reading the Tides
Cost: 1m Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Minimum Martial Arts: 3 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisite Charms: Dragon Track Meditation
By attuning himself to the ambient flow of Essence throughout Creation, the Exalt is capable of detecting anomalies in that flow.
Whenever the Exalt is in close proximity to an Essence user (that is, an entity with access to its own Essence pool), this Charm activates itself to provide warning. The warning’s strength varies depending upon the power of the being that triggered it. Essence 1 beings generate a weak pulse, Essence 2 and 3 beings a moderate pulse, Essence 4 and 5 beings a strong pulse. The emanations of creatures with Essence 6 and greater are overpowering in the extreme. God-Bloods and mortals with Essence 1 do not register.
At the Storyteller’s judgement and in appropriate circumstances, a character notified of the presence of an entity with vastly superior Essence may be required to make a Valor check or succumb to fear.
Shinzui Form
Cost: 6m, 1w Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Minimum Martial Arts: 4 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisite Charms: Reading the Tides
Upon achieving Shinzui Form, the Exalt gains advanced knowledge of the magic within his own body and, indeed, all of Creation. He can bring that Essence to the fore with a brief moment of meditation, infusing his form with energy.
The Exalt’s Essence manifests in his eyes and upon any body part as it makes a strike. This is an effect individual to every martial artist; an Abyssal may have black smoke pouring from her eyes and limbs, while a Solar might manifest pale golden ribbons of energy and so on. At their option, characters who lean every Charm in this style can suppress the visual display.
In any case, the mechanical effect is the same. The character gains the benefit of All-Encompassing Sorcerer’s Sight for the Charm’s duration, and his fists apply the magical material bonus appropriate to his Exalt type. If he is not an Exalt, apply the bonus most appropriate – sun-aspected gods would gain Orichalcum, elementals Jade and so forth.
Blows from the Exalt’s infused frame deal lethal damage, and he may parry lethal damage without requiring a stunt. In addition, raw exposure to the Exalt’s Essence deals trauma to the Essence of opponents who do not have this Form active; whenever struck, Essence-user foes lose the martial artist’s permanent Essence score in motes.
Gathering of Strands
Cost: 3m Duration: One Scene Type: Reflexive Minimum Martial Arts: 5 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisite Charms: Shinzui Form
Feeding the Spirit builds upon Shinzui form, infusing the Exalt’s anima with a hunger for magical energy. To those with an Essence-detecting effect such as All-Encompassing Sorcerer’s Sight active, this manifests as a visible part of the martial artist’s anima, coils of energy that snatch strands of magic as they escape the martial artist’s foe.
Whenever Shinzui form steals motes of Essence from an enemy, the Exalt adds those motes to his own Essence pools. Personal recharges after Peripheral, and he may not exceed his normal mote maximum.
The coils generated through this Charm are attuned uniquely to Shinzui Form. They cannot restore to the martial artist motes of Essence stolen through any means other than the theft granted by Shinzui Form. They do not restore motes siphoned by Soulsteel-imbued fists.
[Charm Name]
Cost: 5 motes, 1 health level Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Minimum Martial Arts: 5 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisite Charms: Feeding the Spirit
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Upon using this Charm, Essence-wielding beings within (martial artist’s Essence x 10) yards are struck with a wave of destructive force. The onslaught deals the Exalt’s Martial Arts + Essence in bashing damage that can only be soaked by natural soak, as well as automatically knocking down and stunning those effected.
Disrupting the Flow
Cost: 3 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Minimum Martial Arts: 4 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisite Charms: Shinzui Form
Skilled practitioners of Shinzui Style can impede the magic of their enemies. By tangling strands of Essence about them, the favoured Charms of their foes are hindered and exact greater toll in motes for successful use.
So long as he has Shinzui Form (or another means of perceiving Essence) active, the martial artist may activate this Charm in response to enemy Charm use within (Essence x 10) yards. For the remainder of the scene, future activations of that Charm cost an additional mote. Multiple applications of Disrupting the Flow on the same Charm stack, but the total extra cost cannot exceed the martial artist’s Essence score.
Inhibition of the Atemi
Cost: 4 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Minimum Martial Arts: 5 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisite Charms: Disrupting the Flow
With the execution of a swift, sweeping kata, the Exalt wraps himself in inhibitory Essence, invisible to the naked eye. Magical attacks are slowed and opposed by this shielding, and may move sluggishly or even come to a standstill.
Charm-enhanced or sorcerous attack rolls made against a character with Inhibition of the Atemi active suffer a base difficulty of the martial artist’s Essence score.
Stream-Obstructing Blow
Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: Instant Type: Simple Minimum Martial Arts: 5 Minimum Essence: 4 Prerequisite Charms: Inhibition of the Atemi
Perhaps the most feared technique in the arsenal of a Shinzui practitioner is the Stream-Shattering Blow. By gathering and concentrating Essence in his hand and landing a single strike, the martial artist violently discharges magic into an opponent’s body. It quickly spreads, settling into nexus points of magical energy and blocking the flow of Essence into the afflicted’s system.
If an attack enhanced with this Charm strikes and injures an opponent, the martial artist may chose to immediately commit 5 motes. For so long as the Exalt keeps that Essence committed, his opponent loses the ability to respire Essence. This means that he may not restore motes to his pool from the passing of time, possession of Hearthstones or habitation of an attuned Manse or Demesne. Stunts and Charms that restore Essence function normally.
Comments:
This should go somewhere under MartialArts... Probably MartialArts/Shinzui , and it should also be listed under CelestialMartialArts (the directory page for that level of style) I suspect under unusual, as it's neither animal or concept themed.
-- Darloth
Even with the willpower cost, the form charm strikes me as too powerful... AESS is a nice effect... more to the point, a -solar- effect, and it's at occult 5. I agree this style ought to have some similar effect, but I strongly suggest you downgrade it a little from the solar charm to bring it into line with pre-requisites. Perhaps only granting half-seen impressions of the essence-flows of charms, and nothing else, with a harder difficulty to identify unknown charms? Aside from that, the MM bonus seems okay, as does the lethal/parry lethal, but adding essence-drain on top of that again seems to step outside the power bounds of a celestial form, at least with all of the other effects. Maybe if you raised it to 5/3, it would seem better, but even then, soulsteel MM already grants essence drain on wound (note, on wound, not just on hit) so automatically gaining a superior effect still seems extremely powerful. If you cut out the MM bonuses altogeather, the essence-drain-on-hit + slightly nerfed AESS-type effect would fit, and I would then suggest you drop the willpower cost and up the essence cost to 7 or 8. It's up to you, but I don't think it's quite right as it stands... counteropinions?
-- Darloth
Form's definitely too powerful, especially when you consider that this is perhaps the only style with only one pre-form Charm. What's up with that, anyway? ~ Seiraryu
It has two, he/she/it just hasn't written the first one yet. Check the pre-reqs. The lack of branching is kinda weird, though.
-- Darloth
