MartialArts/GodOfCookeryStyle
God of Cookery Style
by RedFox
Background
For years, people have studied to be the masters of their craft. For some, this is merely means to an end. For others, it is an obsession, driving them to create the perfect art form. For rare few, a kind of transcendent quest grips them. A desire to seek a touch the divine in the craft they shape. This is not all that different from those who practice the martial arts. God of Cookery Style was invented by Sekusan Gold Cleaver, head chef of the once mighty Solar Deliberative. Humble but obsessed with the excellence of his craft, he disguised himself as a Terrestrial and sought to serve dishes able to sate the decadent tastes of even those in the corrupt Deliberative. His focus and drive led him to discover the secrets of transcendent cooking, a technique preserved only by a few Gold Faction sifus.
Weapons and Armor
Charms in the God of Cookery Style treat attacks made with common kitchen implements as unarmed attacks. This includes cleavers, (non-throwing) knives, rolling pins (treat as clubs), meat tenderizers (treat as hammers), and even such things as spice shakers, mixing bowls full of boiling stews, hunks of meat, and pans. The Storyteller is the final arbitrator of what does and does not count as a “common kitchen implement”. For purposes of this Martial Arts style, only one Artifact weapon has been created that could be used as unarmed: the Grand Dicer. Treat it exactly as a Reaver Daiklave, stat-wise, though it resembles an oversized meat cleaver made out of one of the five magical materials. Charms in this Martial Arts Style may not be used with armor.
Charms
Baker Chops the Onions Approach
Cost: 2 motes per extra attack Type: Extra Action Duration: Instant Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 1 Prerequisites: None
A skilled chef knows how to make many rapid cuts with a flurry of short, sharp twists of his wrist. For every two motes spent on this Charm, the Exalted gains an additional attack, up to the limit of his permanent Essence rating. Each attack receives bonus dice equal to the permanent Essence rating of the Exalted. However, each attack does a maximum of one health level of damage. Damage dice are counted and rolled as normal, but only one success counts. Apply this after the effects of any other Charm used on the same attack (as in a Combo).
Blazing Fire Chilies Prana
Cost: 1 mote Type: Supplemental Duration: Instant Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 1 Prerequisites: None
In certain stretches of arid land near the deserts of the south, natives cultivate a strange sort of chili. This chili makes an excellent spice for any of the delicious native dishes, however few can digest it properly. Many find themselves revisiting the chili hours later as their stomach disgorges the undigested, acidic juices right back out again. For this reason, only the bravest and foolhardy natives feast regularly on these chilies. Often, they will make contests out of eating them, to see who is brave enough to eat the most chilies. The natives often tempt foreigners into eating the Blazing Fire Chili for their amusement, claiming it to be a rare delicacy. Striking at the gastronomical essence centers of a target, the Exalted lets out an essence-charged belch. Simultaneously, the target belches as well, bringing up a well of searing hot bile into their throat and mouth. The target must make a reflexive Stamina + Resistance roll at a difficulty equal to the Exalt’s permanent Essence or lose their next action retching, coughing, and sputtering.
Cloud of Delicious Vapors
Cost: 3 motes Type: Simple Duration: 1 Scene Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 1 Prerequisites: None
Stirring the essence eddies and whirls of the air, the Exalted brings forth the very essence of delicious aromas. Filling the air in an area equal to 10 x the Exalt’s permanent Essence rating in yards around herself with the irresistible smell, anyone able to smell the fragrance who fails a normal difficulty Temperance check finds himself drawn to the Exalt. They will quickly excuse themselves and wander toward the source of the smell, though they will not put themselves in direct danger or otherwise do anything hazardous to do so. Also, anyone smelling this fragrance will be hungry, suffering a +2 difficulty to any rolls to resist devouring offered or discovered food.
God of Cookery Form
Cost: 5 motes Type: Simple Duration: 1 Scene Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 2 Prerequisites: Baker Chops the Onions Approach, Blazing Fire Chilies Prana, Cloud of Delicious Vapors
Weaving his hands in the manner of one ready to mix and prepare the finest cuisine, the Exalted adopts the stance of the supreme chef; confident, serenely aware, and intent on his craft. Martial art and cooking become one. For the rest of the scene, the Exalt may add his Craft (Cooking) rating to any Martial Arts roll or Dodge attempt. Additionally, he can immediately discern the ingredients and process necessary to create any non-magical food item that he can sense and may add his Martial Arts rating to any Craft (Cooking) rolls. Characters cannot use more than one Martial Arts Form-type Charm at a time.
Durable Carving Board Deflection
Cost: 3 motes Type: Reflexive Duration: Instant Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 1 Prerequisites: Baker Chops the Onions Approach
An expert chef soon realizes that a good cutting board is essential to her craft. Ones that can withstand the supernatural chopping techniques of an Exalted chef are rare indeed. Soon, the martial artist learns to harness the durability of such a carving board for her own defense. So long as the Exalt has a common kitchen implement or flat piece of wood at hand, she may reflexively toss it in front of an incoming blow, adding her Martial Arts rating to her Lethal soak against that attack only. This Charm must be declared before damage is rolled. Common kitchen implements or wood used to deflect damage with Durable Cutting Board Deflection are not destroyed, merely knocked aside if the attack still manages to do harm to the Exalt.
Chef Needs No Cleavers
Cost: 5 motes Type: Simple Duration: 1 Scene Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 1 Prerequisites: Baker Chops the Onions Approach
A superlative chef who combines martial arts techniques and essence channeling into his craft soon learns to transcend the need for tools. His very hands become capable of shaping, chopping, and stirring and creating sumptuous repasts. The Exalted may treat his hands as cooking implements exactly like the Dragon-Blooded Craft Charm Shaping-Hand Style, except that his hands may only become cooking implements and he may switch between any cooking implements at will without the need to re-activate the Charm. Cooking implements include pots, pans, knives, cleavers, whisks, bowls, graters, and utensils of all sorts.
Spice-Flinging Palm
Cost: 1 mote per 2 dice Type: Reflexive Duration: Instant Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 1 Prerequisites: Cloud of Delicious Vapors
So long as the Exalted chef has a supply of powdered spices, liquid, boiling stew, or similar at hand, she may fling it into the face of her attacker. The spice or liquid is specially charged with essence, causing it to burn and distract. The target loses a number of dice on their attack pool equal to twice the motes spent on the Charm. Exalted may not spend more motes on this Charm than their permanent Essence rating. This Charm may reduce an attacker’s dice pool to zero. Additionally, the target must roll Stamina + Resistance at standard difficulty or be at a +1 difficulty to their next action, unless they spend an action cleaning the spice or liquid from their face. Artifacts or Charms that cause a person to be instantly cleansed, such as a Collar of Dawn’s Cleansing Light, negate this latter effect but the dice reducing effect still works as normal. The activation of this Charm must be declared before dice are rolled for the attack.
Supreme Style Chopping
Cost: 7 motes, 1 Willpower Type: Extra Action Duration: Instant Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 2 Prerequisites: God of Cookery Form
A great chef loves and cares for his tools. Those with great technique can carve through clay pots without shattering them, wood blocks in one slice, and still be able to cut vegetables cleanly and effortlessly, faster than the eye can follow. The same techniques can be applied to Martial Arts, allowing the Exalt to whirl about the kitchen or the battlefield with supernatural speed, carving neatly through opponents and ham hocks alike. The Exalt gains a number of extra actions equal to his permanent Essence rating. Additionally, if any of these actions should be used for attacks, they completely ignore soak from armor. Targets may soak only with their Stamina and / or natural armor soak.
Master Flambé Technique
Cost: 6 motes Type: Simple Duration: 1 Scene Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 2 Prerequisites: God of Cookery Form
Many a chef has dreamed of the ability to have his dishes cook instantly and thoroughly. With the techniques of Celestial Martial Arts applied to internal essence manipulation, this is possible. By channeling the essence through his body, he may safely raise his temperature to inhuman levels and focus it only into those areas he wants or needs the heat. For the duration of the Charm, the Exalted may instantly cook any dish merely by touching it or its cooking container and concentrating for one action. Additionally, every attack made by the Exalt sears with unleashed heat energy, causing an additional amount of Lethal damage equal to his permanent Essence rating. Opponents who make bare-handed attacks or otherwise come into unwanted skin-to-skin contact with the Exalt take the Exalt’s permanent Essence rating in Lethal damage.
Kitchen Follows The Cook
Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower Type: Reflexive Duration: Varies Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prerequisites: Supreme Style Chopping, Master Flambé Technique
Slapping his hand down onto any available surface (including the ground), the Exalt causes all loose articles to fly into the air as if in slow motion. All of these objects will arc and twirl beautifully around the Exalt, following him in a spinning corona for a number of rounds equal to twice the Exalt’s permanent Essence. While they are in the air, the Exalt may use any of the items as if they were readied, in-hand weapons, grasping them momentarily for attacks and then tossing them into the spiraling display once more. Additionally, everyone able to witness this event is stunned with awe at the spectacle. They must make a reflexive Willpower roll at a difficulty equal to the Exalt’s Craft (Cooking) rating or be unable to do anything but watch the display. If they succeed, they are still at a -2 dice penalty to all rolls that would directly interfere with the Exalt. Witnesses with a permanent Essence rating higher than the chef's are immune to the dice penalty. Those incapable of seeing the display are not affected.
-- by RedFox
Comments
This was my first attempt at a Martial Art style. I originally posted this on RPG.net (some of the Charm names were inspired by posters' comments there). This is obviously an homage to the great Steven Chow film "God of Cookery". My main concern with it at the moment is whether the pinnacle charm is powerful enough.
An Adobe PDF version of this style is available for download off of my website, and it includes a Charm tree cascade for those who like to look at these things. http://www.crimsonvulpine.com/downloads/godofcookerystyle.pdf
-- RedFox
