MartialArts/GrassSpiderStyle
Grass Spider Style
By Thinker
Background
These potent Martial Arts are not a Terrestrial level style at all but a potent Celestial Level path. It is not known what its origins are. Perhaps it is a style developed by the Sidereal left over from the Usurpation, or even an old Solar Style that the Three Elder Fiends found a way to train Dragon-Blooded to wield; whatever its origins the Grass Spiders are potent Martial Artists. Practitioners of the Grass Spider Style may use any form of knife or dagger with the style and treat Martial Arts attacks made with these weapons as though they were bare handed. The Grass Spider Style is incompatible with the use of Armor.
Note: The Grass Spiders know the Charms Spirit Walking and Spirit Sight from Exalted: The Dragon-Blooded and use them as a basis for their Martial Arts learning just as the Immaculate monks do.
Charms
Venom Injecting Bite</b>
<b>Cost: 2 motes Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: None
Investing their assaults with a magically conjured venom the Grass Spider attempts to impair their opponent. Anyone struck by the Grass Spider Bite, must roll their Stamina + Resistance against a difficulty of the Dragon-Blooded's Essence score or suffer a -1 dice penalty to all physical rolls and initiative for the rest of the scene as the poison makes the sluggish. Multiple uses of the Grass Spider Bite are cumulative but the penalty can never exceed the Dragon-Blooded's permanent Essence.
Green Grass Camouflage</b>
<b>Cost:3 motes Duration: Essence Turns Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: None
Like the Grass Spider blending in with its natural environment the character changes the color of their flesh and equipment to perfectly match their environment, making them very difficulty to spot. For the duration of this Charm they may add their Permanent Essence to their Stealth Dice pools and raise the difficulty of all attacks against them by 1, as their blurred form is difficulty to see and target.
Fang Biting Parry</b>
<b>Cost:3 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Venom Injecting Bite
Momentarily hardening their movements and twisting their hands, the Grass Spider Martial Artist attempts to deal an attack of their own against an enemy at the same moment they parry their foes strike. This Charm must be activated in combination with a regular parry. If the parry is successful the character may immediately make a counterattack at their full Dexterity + Martial Arts dice pool with a number of additional attack successes equal to their permanent Essence.
Precise Motion Kata</b>
<b>Cost:5 motes Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: None
Moving in a precise cadence of patterns, like a spider's almost mechanical movements the Dragon-Blooded attempts to evade all harm. They may add their Martial Arts to any dodge dice pool for the rest of the scene, or even use their Martial Arts as a dodge dice pool by itself should they for some reason not have another dodge dice pool.
Grass Spider Form</b>
<b>Cost:6 motes Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Precise Motion Kata, Green Grass Camouflage, Fang Biting Parry
While under the effects of the Grass Spider Form the character moves with the preternatural grace and precision of a spider. Invoking the Grass Spider Form requires a brief kata. This kata is automatic for Celestial Exalted, however Dragon-Blooded must make a Dexterity + Martial Arts roll (difficulty 1) to perform it successfully.
The character using the Grass Spider Form, is as stable as if they walked on eight legs and therefore immune to knock back and knockdown, they double their overland movement rate and may add their Essence in automatic successes to any Martial Arts attack they make. Finally they raise the difficulty of all damage rolls made against them by their Permanent Essence score.
Characters may only use one Form-Type Charm at a time.
Wall Crawling Method</b>
<b>Cost:3 motes Duration: Essence Turns Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Grass Spider Form
Creating powerful adhesive pockets of Essence on their hands and feet the character enables themselves to walk up walls and ceilings as though they were using the Solar Exalted Charm Spider-Foot Style for the duration of the Charm.
Poison Gland Protection</b>
<b>Cost:None Duration: Permanent Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Wall Crawling Method
Like a Spider who's own poison will not harm it, the character gains a natural resistance to poisons of all kinds once they master the Grass Spider Style of Martial Arts to this degree. They may add their Essence score to any roll to resist the effects of poison.
Paralyzing Venom Strike</b>
<b>Cost:5 motes, 1 willpower Duration: One Scene Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Poison Gland Protection
Striking their opponent with a potent spiritual poison the Grass Spider Martial Artist attempts to introduce a nearly lethal rictus into their body. If the attack supplemented by this Charm succeeds the Dragon-Blooded rolls their Strength + Martial Arts against a difficulty of their opponents Stamina. If the roll succeeds then the targets physical dice pools are reduced to 0 for the duration of the Charm, before the effects of Charms, Virtues, etc.
Striking Spider Speed</b>
<b>Cost:3 motes Duration: One Scene Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Grass Spider Form
Calling upon the timing of the Grass Spider as it stalks its prey the character adds their Martial Arts to their Initiative for the rest of the scene.
Pouncing Hunter Attack</b>
<b>Cost:5 motes, 1 willpower Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Wall Crawling Method, Striking Spider Speed
Using this Charm the character attacks with the sudden speed and shocking surprise of the cunning hunting spider the character makes a Martial Arts attack that cannot be parried or dodged. Additionally they may leap up to three times their Martial Arts in yards in conjunction with the attack.
Defensive Spiral</b>
<b>Cost:5 motes Duration: One Turn Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Striking Spider Speed
Bringing all their agility and control to bare against their opponents the character adds their Permanent Essence in automatic successes to any dodge or parry roll they make for the duration of this Charm.
Eight Legs Assault Style</b>
<b>Cost:8 motes, 1 willpower Duration: Instant Type: Extra-Actions Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Defensive Spiral
Lashing out with the stunning speed of a Grass Spider leaping upon its prey the character may make up to eight separate Martial Arts attacks. These attacks may be made out to twice the characters Martial Arts in yards, but no more than two attacks may be made against the same target.
Patterned Arachnid Motion</b>
<b>Cost:16 motes, 2 willpower, 3 Aggravated Health Levels Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 5 Prereqs: Eight Legs Assault Style, Pouncing Hunter Attack, Paralyzing Venom Strike
Moving with the precise separation of thought and action and flawless control that a spider uses to move its eight legs the Character may take two Fully Independent Actions (As defined by March of Charcoal Spiders Form.) each turn while under the effects of this Charm. They may not take any non-reflexive non-combat actions in any turn that they benefit from this effect. The strain of this Charm to mind, body and soul are terrible, and take the form of the aggravated health level cost. This cost is not paid until the Charm ends.
