MartialArts/GloriousPhoenixStyle
Glorious Phoenix Style
Background
The Glorious Phoenix Style is one of the earliest martial arts schools, dating back to the First Age and the war against the Primordials. It deals with the use of Essence, likening it to the fire and light of the Unconquered Sun as manifested through one of His greatest servants, the Great Garda. It is said the Sun Himself taught this style to the Garda, who in turn brought it to the Chosen. While Lunars, Sidereals, and even Terrestrials (particularly Fire Chosen) would learn it, Solars would make up the bulk of the style's students.
After the triumph of the Chosen, the Glorious Phoenix Style became something of a training school for Solars, particularly those wanting greater understanding of the Essence within them. Though many Dawn Caste preferred the more combative Snake and Tiger Styles, Glorious Phoenix was very popular with other Castes, particularly Zenith and Twilight Solars.
When the Dragon-Blooded revolted, the Glorious Phoenix style enjoyed a very brief surge in popularity, as masters of the style were able to fight on when their brethren had fallen. But the style all but died with the Solars, as even the power of the Phoenix could not save them once the Unconquered Sun's favor was lost.
The Glorious Phoenix style was kept alive by a tiny handful of Lunars who had shared the technique with their mates and several Sidereals who found the style to be particularly useful. It is now undergoing a renaissance with the return of the Solar Exalted, as many of them (including, ironically, at least one prominent Dawn Exalt) are remembering the style from their previous lives. Practitioners of this fast, Essence-rich school often unnerve Exalted opponents, particularly the Dragon-Blooded.
Charms
Rapid Dive Technique</b>
<b>Cost: 3 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 1 Prereqs: None
The character leaps and strikes with a raptor's speed. During the turn when this Charm is activated, the character adds her Martial Arts score to her initiative total. This Charm may be used only once per turn.
Dancing Raptor Stance</b>
<b>Cost:1 mote per +1 difficulty Duration: One turn Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 1 Prereqs: Rapid Dive Technique
The character's form flickers, as if the light around her were moving of its own accord. For the remainder of the turn, all attempts to physically attack her are at +1 difficulty per mote of Essence spent. A character cannot spend more motes in a turn than her permanent Essence.
Stunning Essence Blow</b>
<b>Cost:3 motes Duration: One turn Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: None
Though the Stunning Essence Blow does not cause any more damage than a normal strike, its effect on an opponent can be crippling. The Exalt focuses on the target's Essence and, with a successful attack, disrupts its natural flow. Figure damage as normal for the attack. A target that takes damage from a Stunning Essence Blow suffers a -1 penalty to his dice rolls for the rest of the scene. The attack must do damage to the target to inflict the penalty. The effect of multiple Stunning Essence Blows is cumulative.
Double-Wing Strike</b>
<b>Cost:2 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Stunning Essence Blow
After the Exalt attacks, but before a defense roll is made, the player may choose to reroll the attack and pick the preferred result. A character may only use this Charm once on any given attack.
Glorious Phoenix Form</b>
<b>Cost:5 motes Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Dancing Raptor Stance, Double-Wing Strike
The Exalt's eyes glow brightly with her anima's color as she earns the favor of the Unconquered Sun himself. By properly executing the stance and katas of the Glorious Phoenix, the character's movements are attuned to her surroundings, and she can follow trails of Essence to and from every person on the battlefield. This Charm requires a successful Dexterity + Martial Arts roll. If the roll fails, no Essence points are spent, but the Exalt does not gain the benefits of the form.
If the Glorious Phoenix Form is executed successfully, the character may add her Martial Arts to her ranged attacks and dodge attempts for the rest of the scene. This can no more than double her Dexterity + Ability in the dice pools in question, after all active Charms are taken into account. The bonus is applied before any penalties for splitting her dice pools. If she wishes, the Exalt may reflexively dodge attacks with her permanent Essence + Martial Arts score (do not add Dexterity). The above benefits are specifically cumulative with and independent of any other Charms or anima powers invoked by the character, but this Form is only compatible with armor that has a 0 or -1 penalty to its fatigue and mobility modifiers. Attuned armor is counted at its active penalty ratings (if the armor has a penalty of -2 when unattuned and 0 when attuned, it can explicitly be used with this Form while the armor is attuned). Should the armor attunement end during the scene for some reason, increasing the penalty to unacceptable levels, this Form's effects automatically cease.
Only one Form-type Charm can be used at a time yada yada yada.
Flickering Essence Stance</b>
<b>Cost:4 motes Duration: Until abandoned Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Glorious Phoenix Form
By concentrating on the flows of Essence around her, the Exalt can disrupt attempts to attack her and those around her. Any being deliberately attacking the character must subtract her Martial Arts rating from their dice pools while doing so. Additionally, anyone trying to attack any of the Exalt's allies within sight of her subtracts half that number of dice (rounded down).
While maintaining the Stance, the character can defend herself, move at half normal speed, and take normal actions, but she may not make any attacks or activate other Charms. (Any Charms, explicitly including Glorious Phoenix Form, that are active when this Charm is activated may still be used, as long as no attacks are attempted.) If the Exalt is struck and suffers any health levels of damage, the stance ends instantly. If the character ceases using the Flickering Essence Stance deliberately, the effect lingers on for one turn after the Charm is dropped.
Lingering Essence Blow</b>
<b>Cost:4 motes Duration: Varies Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Flickering Essence Stance
This Charm uses the opponent's very Essence to strike out at him moments after a successful blow. At the beginning of the turn following the one in which a Lingering Essence Blow was successfully applied, the victim suffers the same post-soak damage done by the original attack. Soak does not apply to this damage, but damage dice are rolled normally.
Phoenix-to-Ashes Strike</b>
<b>Cost:5 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Lingering Essence Blow
Instead of using the target's Essence indirectly, the Exalt causes the victim's very life Essence to burn as paper does when sunlight is focused perfectly on it through a lens. The character makes a normal Martial Arts attack, but the blow itself does no damage. Instead, the character "charges" a number of temporary Essence points equal to her Essence + Martial Arts, or the victim's remaining Essence pool (mortals begin with 10 Essence), whichever is less. Each of these charged points of Essence is used as a lethal damage dice pool, which ignores armor but can be soaked normally with Stamina and other non-armor defenses. The Essence points are not lost; the energy simply reacts briefly and dramatically, soon returning to its normal state.
Whirling Talon Technique</b>
<b>Cost:4 motes per attack Duration: Instant Type: Extra Actions Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Glorious Phoenix Form
The Exalt moves with the speed and power of an enraged phoenix, becoming a blazing whirlwind of destruction. For every 4 motes the character invests in this charm, she may make an additional martial arts or ranged attack without penalty. The maximum number of attacks a character may make in a turn is equal to her Martial Arts rating.
Striking Essence Thrust</b>
<b>Cost:3 motes Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Whirling Talon Technique
By infusing her body or weapon with Essence, an Exalt can cause those struck by the Striking Essence Thrust to fly back as if hammered by the fist of the Unconquered Sun himself. An attack boosted by the Thrust is rolled as a normal attack, and damage is figured normally — with one extra effect. After being hit, the target's player must immediately make a reflexive Strength + Athletics roll. The target is thrown back for the Exalted's Martial Arts x 10 in yards, -5 yards per success on the Athletics roll. This effect occurs whether the blow actually does any damage or not. Additional damage can easily ensue depending on what is behind the victim...
This Charm can be used with martial arts or ranged attacks, which can be an unpleasant surprise for those who underestimate the "lowly" chakram...
Supreme Rising Phoenix Method</b>
<b>Cost:8 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: One Scene Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Phoenix-to-Ashes Strike, Striking Essence Thrust
The Exalt becomes a whirling, fiery, living explosion embodying the Unconquered Sun's wrath. At will, the character can spend one mote for an extra action (though this is considered use of an Extra Action Charm for Charm use purposes), with a maximum number of actions equal to her permanent Essence minus one. Further, a winged anima banner of fire and light surrounds her, which doubles the damage of all attacks she performs. This damage is considered aggravated to creatures of the night, undead, and Abyssal Exalted. In addition, her leaping distance and running speed are multiplied by her permanent Essence rating. Finally, for the duration of the Method, the Essence costs of all other Charms are halved (round up). This bonus does not affect the cost of Sorcery spells of any Circle.
