MartialArts/InevitableFate

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Inevitable Fate

Inevitable Fate of Iron was originally created here by many people for Second Edition. This is my attempt at translating it to First Edition.

Inevitable Fate of Iron is a Martial Art created to enhance First and Forsaken Lion's crusade against the metal forces of Autochton. It focuses on the concept of rust, eroding away at the most insurmountable barriers and most untouchable ideals. It has no form weapon, and cannot be used whilst wearing armour.

Student Techniques

Corrosive Palm Strike
Cost: 2 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 2
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Corrosive Palm Strike
Poorly-maintained armour is the bane of the soldier, given time even the smallest speck of rust can spread to render a breastplate brittle. This Charm mimics that effect by flooding the Exalt's hands with entropic Essence aspected towards the Autochthonian element of Metal. If the character's opponent is wearing all- or mostly-metal armour then reduce its Bashing and Lethal soak by 2 on a succesful strike (that need not cause damage). This effect lingers for the remainder of the scene and is cumulative with itself; if the armour's soaks are reduced to zero then it is permanently ruined, otherwise Corrosive Palm Strike's effects can be negated by polishing and scraping the affected item for 10-15 minutes. This Charm does not affect armour made of the Five Magical Materials.

Corrosive Sweat
Cost: 2 motes
Duration: One Turn
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Corrosive Palm Strike
As its descriptive name implies, this makes the Exalt's sweat highly corrosive. His own equipment is immune to this effect, but anything else touching him will begin to bubble an release acrid gas as it is corroded. On any successful hit by this character, reduce the effectiveness of the opponent's armor soak by 1B/1L, unless that armor is an Artifact. Any weapon which touches this character (through a hit or a parry) loses a point of damage bonus. When the damage reaches 0 or less, accuracy degrades instead. Defense follows Accuracy, and Rate follows Defense. When the weapon's Rate becomes 0, it is useless. These effects will not help against Magical Materials weapons. Even against an opponent clad in artifacts, this charm will still make all clinch damage Lethal. Worse, if the opponent is an Automata (including Alchemical Exalted), the damage becomes Aggravated. This Charm can be placed on Combos despite its non-instant duration.

The Form

Inevitable Fate of Iron Form
Cost: 5 motes
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Corrosive Sweat
When he enacts this form, the martial artist's skin begins to crumble away into red powder as he moves, as though flakes of rust were being broken from its surface. They crunch distinctly on the ground. The martial artist receives all the benefits of Corrosive Sweat for the scene, cumulative with uses of Corrosive Sweat(reducing armor soak by 2B/2L in a turn both are active, for instance) and all Charms in this Style which stipulate that they do not affect the Five Magical Materials or Artifacts are able to do so while this Charm is active.

Mystical objects so affected are not destroyed irreversibly; they are simply weighted down and immobilised by outlandish growths of verdigris. A scene of work in which the character forces Essence through his object while polishing it firmly, along with a simple difficulty Craft roll, will restore the item to good condition.

Mastery Techniques

Essence Withering Palm
Cost: 4 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Inevitable Fate of Iron Form
With the knowledge of how to erode divinity, the Martial Artist strikes an oponent with a gentle, open palm, applying the principles of corrosion to his Essence, eroding the flow of motes within his form. Foes struck by the Essence Withering Palm receive a surcharge in the cost of all Charms they activate equal to the levels of damage dealt in the attack, for a number of their actions equal to the Martial Artist's Essence. This surcharge is doubled against Alchemical Charms and those of Automata and Machine-Gods. If their anima banner flares during this period, it appears withered, as sunlight seen through rusted lens. As it interferes with the very principles that animate them, this attack deals aggravated damage against Automata (including Alchemical Exalted). Automatons destroyed by this Charm do not break, but instead rust solid into a verdigris-covered statue.

Untarnished Opposition Calculation
Cost: 7 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Inevitable Fate of Iron Form
The character jars the machinery of his spirit, shaking off the rust that has settled there. He defends himself with perfect, mechanical precision, untarnished by the flaws of the human heart. No inhuman opponent may attack him!

Any being that simulates human psychology has difficulty attacking the wielder. For beings with traits analogous to Divergence or Clarity, apply their current Divergence or Clarity as Difficulty to attacks against the martial artist. For beings with conditions analogous to Bedlam, which arise from the exhaustion of psychological trait, apply the Virtue (or other Trait) from which the Bedlam depends as Difficulty to attacks against the martial artist.

Beings that do not have, but do not simulate, human psychology, such as gods, elementals, and demons, are unaffected by this Charm.

Nine Centuries Blade
Cost: 8 motes, 1 willpower, 1 health level
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Essence Withering Palm, Untarnished Opposition Calculation
As a sword rots away with the passage of time, so do skills and stances not employed become forgotten. With a lingering gesture, the adept thrusts the decay of years upon his opponents. Foes of the adept within his Essence in yards find their Charms rusting over! To use one, they must spend (one of the following:) a miscellaneous action in advance to polish it, a Willpower point to urge it, or an aggravated health level to force it. This effect does not apply to Charms that have been used in the last two turns.

Ultimate Technique

Whirlwind of Iron Finality
Cost: 10 motes, 1 willpower, 1 health level
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms: Nine Centuries Blade
As he finishes the Inevitable Fate of Iron style, the Martial Artist achieves such a transcendant understanding in the nature of rust and decay that he becomes it, after a fashion. Adopting the stance of the lost god of rust, the character's essence explodes in a whirlwind of decay, covering the ground in flakes of verdigris and corroding any equipment within the character's Permanent Essence in yards. His own equipment is unnaffected - he is at the eye of the storm.

The character rolls his Strength+Essence, and any equipment in this area with a resources cost lower than the success threshold becomes useless until properly polished, as with Corrosive Palm Strike. The character can increase the difficulty of this roll as much as he desires, and each 1 difficulty added increases the range of the Charm by his Permanent Essence in yards. This Charm has no effect in items made of the Five Magical Materials, but if used while the Inevitable Fate of Iron Form is active it affects items made of the Five Magical Materials as if they had an effective resources cost equal to twice their artifact rating.

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