MartialArts/HarmonyOfTheThirteenSpiritsStyle
Harmony of the Thirteen Spirits
By Sabis
Background
This martial arts form was created by the Martial Arts masters of the First Age, and build upon other supernatural martial arts. It was made to compliment and supplement the powers of other forms, as well as allowing the seamless integration of all of martial arts into one, supreme martial art, that was more versatile and resilient than any other form.
Characters can freely use Hooked Swords and Wind and Fire Wheels with all charms in the Harmony of the Thirteen Spirits charm cascade.
This is a Celestial Level martial art.
Charms
Reflecting Spirit of the Mind</b>
<b>Cost: 4 motes Duration: Martial Arts in turns Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 1 Prereqs: None
As swift as the wind and calculating as the ancients, the character can execute her actions and predict the actions of other at an incredible pace, allowing her to react with startling speed. The Martial Artist may add her Martial Arts ability to her initiative.
Unnatural Spirit of Deftness</b>
<b>Cost: 5 motes Duration: One scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 1 Prereqs: Reflecting Spirit of the Mind
The character adds her speed of thought to her speed of motion, increasing her mobility and natural athletic potential.
The martial artists may move up to her maximum sprinting distance and still take actions each turn.
Exquisite Spirit of Grace</b>
<b>Cost: 6 motes Duration: Martial Arts in Turns Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 1 Prereqs:None
As the spirits move with sinuous grace and ability, they learn the ebb and flow of the world around them, and gain the uncanny ability to know all that happens around them. As she emulates this, the martial artist gains a supernatural awareness of her soundings.
For the duration of this charm, the Martial Artists is considered aware of all attacks against her, and knows the location of all living beings within a radius of her Essence x 5 yards. This charm does not provide any details about the living beings, merely their location. For purposes of this charm, materialized spirits count as living beings, but non-sentient plant life does not. Ghosts, Deathlords, and Abyssal Exalted cannot be sensed by means of this charm.
Flawless Spirit of Evasion</b>
<b>Cost: 3 motes, 1 willpower Duration: One Scene Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Exquisite Spirit of Grace
Adapting to the flows of essence in the world, the martial artist learns to move out of the way of attacks just before they hit, or softening any blow that cannot be avoided.
The character may add her permanent Essence to all dodge attempts, and may reflexively dodge with her permanent Essence if she wishes.
Slashing Spirit of Claws</b>
<b>Cost: 4 motes Duration: Martial Arts in turns Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 1 Prereqs: None
The martial artists learns very early on that blows from merely mortal hands, while lethal, have little use against heavily armed and armored opponents. Learning to strike unprotected areas and imbuing their blows with essence, they harden their hands into lethal claws.
For the characters Martial Arts in turns, all attacks they make inflict lethal damage, and they add their permanent Essence to their Speed, Accuracy, and Defense for all weapons and unarmed strikes.
Unconquerable Spirit of Daiklaves</b>
<b>Cost: 4 motes, 1 willpower Duration: Instant Type: Extra Action Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Slashing Spirit of Claws
Sharpening her hands and feat with essence, and channeling the power of the mightiest spirit of weapons, the character unleashes a lethal flurry of attacks and defenses of such power that no mortal may stand in their path.
The characters unarmed attacks inflict lethal damage this turn. The character may make a number of extra attacks equal to her permanent Essence. These actions cannot be split, but may be used against multiple opponents within range.
The Martial Artist may instead choose to forfeit any of these extra attacks for a single reflexive parry at their Dexterity + Martial Arts, which can be used only in the round that this charm is activated.
Encompassing Armor of the Spirits</b>
<b>Cost: 4 motes Duration: Martial Arts in turns Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: None
The body of a Martial Artist, even one who is Exalted, is frail compared to the hide of the Celestine’s. Toughening their robes, clothes, and skin into an impenetrable defense is necessary to survive.
The character may add their Essence score to their bashing and lethal soaks for their Martial Arts in turns. This charm is incompatible with armor.
Majestic Claws of the Dragon Spirit</b>
<b>Cost: 3 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: One Scene Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Encompassing Armor of the Spirits
The claws and teeth of Dragons stop deadly blows against their persons. Martial artists who learn to emulate this ability can defend against many attacks.
The character may parry lethal attacks with their bare hands without the need for a stunt, and adds her permanent Essence to all parry attempts. She may also reflexively parry with her Essence.
Form of the Spirits</b>
<b>Cost: 5 motes Duration: One scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Unnatural Spirit of Deftness, Flawless Spirit of Evasion, Unconquerable Spirit of Daiklaves, Majestic Claws of the Dragon Spirit
Drawing on all they have learned of attack, defense, evasion, and speed, the character adopts a flawless martial arts stance, perfect for offence, defense, and any action they require at the time.
The character, upon activating this form, adds her Martial Arts rating to her initiative, and then adds her permanent Essence to her Martial Arts rating.
Also upon activating this charm, the character may choose one of the following effects:
- Add their Martial Arts score to all Dodge attempts you make.
- Add their Martial Arts score to all Parry attempts you make.
- Add their Martial Arts score to your bashing and lethal soaks, and soak lethal with your full Stamina.
Only one effect may be chosen each time the form charm is activated. Additional activations of this charm allow the user to switch the “mode” of this form, but they lose the benefits of the last “mode”. (IE the effects cannot be stacked.)
This is a form charm, and cannot be used with any other form charms. A Dragon Blooded character wishing to use this charm must make a simple Dexterity + Martial Arts roll to activate this charm. This charm is incompatible with armor.
Vast Spirit of Distance</b>
<b>Cost: 6 motes, 1 willpower Duration: One scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Form of the Spirits
The distance between any two points is just a matter of perception; great spirits can merely alter their perceptions to alter the distance. Mastering this technique, the distance from which a Martial Artist can strike is frightful. When this charm is activated, the character immediately displays their anima banner at the bonfire (11-15 motes) level.
The Martial Artist may make hand to hand attacks at a distance equal to their permanent Essence x 2 yards.
Disruptive Spirit of the Surreal</b>
<b>Cost: 10 motes, 1 willpower Duration: One scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs Form of the Spirits
The perceptions and influence of the user of this charm expand and their essence materializes as a tangible radiance around them. When this charm is activated, the character immediately displays their anima banner at the bonfire (11-15 motes) level.
When a character activates this charm, they gain the ability to see and affect dematerialized spirits as if they were materialized. Any attacks against spirits while this charm is in effect inflict aggravated damage, and prevent the spirit from reforming.
Additionally, any physical or magical attack against the Martial Artist by a spirit is at a +1 difficulty, and the user may add their Essence to any contested rolls between them and a spirit. Spirits can sense a charcter who has mastered this technique, and are often disturbed by their presence.
Vengeful Spirit of Rage</b>
<b>Cost: 8 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: Until ended Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts:b> 5 <b>Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Form of the Spirits
The anger of the Elder Spirits is great in range and power, and their rage is most terrifying indeed. The speed and power gained by this charm comes at the price of higher reasoning of the character. When this charm is activated, the character immediately displays their anima banner at the bonfire (11-15 motes) level.
While this charm is active, they character may take two normal actions without penalty each turn, and may divide her dice pools normally to gain additional actions. By taking both actions as movements, they character can walk, run, or sprint at double her normal speed. This action is incompatible with Extra Action type charms.
They character triples her normal movement speed, and triples the distance she can jump. The character adds her permanent essence to her Strength and Athletics scores until the end of this charm.
The character’s awareness of the outside world narrows to little more than a red tunnel with things that must die at the end. The character cannot use ranged weapons, cannot speak coherently, cannot retreat, and cannot choose to fight another foe until the one she is attacking is definitively dead. She may only attack or move towards the nearest opponent via the most direct route. If there is an object in the way of the most direct route, the character will move or destroy this obstruction before continuing on to her target.
If no hostile opponents remain, the character will turn on the nearest sentient being. To end the effects of this charm, the character must accumulate more successes on an extended Willpower roll than her Martial Arts + Essence. This roll can be made once per turn, as a reflexive action.
Harmony of the Thirteen Spirits Technique</b>
<b>Cost: 10 motes, 1 willpower Duration: One scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 5 Prereqs: Vast Spirit of Distance, Disruptive Spirit of the Surreal, Vengeful Spirit of Rage
A character activating this charm may also activate any form charm they know as a reflexive action at no mote cost. The character may then select a different form charm to change to as a reflexive action once each turn. This action can be used to change the “mode” of Form of the Spirits. The character also subtracts one half of their permanent essence (round up) in motes from the cost of any Martial Arts charm they activate. This cannot lower the cost of a charm below one, and is applied after the total cost of a charm is calculated.
For example: A character with an essence of 5 activates this charm on their turn. The next turn, they activate Tornado offence technique. The charm states that the cost is 4 motes per extra attack. If they were to make one additional attack, they would subtract (5/2 = 2.5, round up to 3) 3 from the cost, making the final cost 4 – 3 = 1 mote.
If they were to instead to choose to make 3 attacks, the final cost would be 12 – 3 = 9 motes.
If the same character were to activate Avenging Wind Strike, which has a cost of 3 motes, they would pay (3 – 3 = 0, minimum 1) 1 mote per activation.
