MartialArts/SwordHandsKata
Sword Hands Kata
By Purefire
Charms
Knife Hand Meditation</b>
<b>Cost: 2 motes Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: None
First in a line of hard martial arts charms that focus on the strength and speed of darting steel rather that the forms and behaviours of animals, the martial artist can wrap their hand in a concentrated nimbus of essence that give the hand edges the sharpness of a knife. The next attack causes lethal damage.
Speed of the Dueling Sabre</b>
<b>Cost: 2 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Knife Hand Meditation
Riding the flows of essence, the Exalted can move her body in combat with the speed of a sabre. Adds martial arts to initiative for the one coming round
Hands of the Adamant Blades</b>
<b>Cost: 4 motes Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Speed of the Dueling Sabre
By focusing essence around her hands, the exalt can lend the lethality of a sword's edge to her attacks. Once spending the motes of essence for am attack, the exalt can add her essence to the damage of her next attack
Sword Hands Kata</b>
<b>Cost: 6 motes Duration: One scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Hands of the Adamant Blades
By performing a series of movments, the exalt takes on the demeanor of a swordfighter; no longer acting as though she is fighting unarmed, but as though she has a blade in each hand (this is still an unarmed attack). The martial artist adds her dots in martial arts to her initiative and to her defence (for the purpose of blocking only). Attacks do lethal damage.
Double Feint Razor Strike</b>
<b>Cost: 3 motes Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 1 Prereqs: Sword Hands Kata
With the speed of a straight razor, the martial artist makes her attack, feigning one way then another. The exalt's opponant subtracts the exalt's essence from the next attack
Death By a Thousand Cuts</b>
<b>Cost: 6 motes, 1 willpower Duration: Instant Type: Extra Action Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Double Feint Razor Strike
The exalt player rolls Dex. + Martial arts the number of successes equals the number of attacks.
Way of the Flesh Blade</b>
<b>Cost: 5 motes Duration: One scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Sword Hands Kata
From studying the qualities of a sword, the exalt learns it's secrets. The exalt adds 1/2 permanent essence to the speed, accuracy, damage, and defence of all her unarmed attacks. This Charm is incompatible with the use of weapons.
Stiletto's Strike Method</b>
<b>Cost: 5 motes Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Way of the Flesh Blade
From studying the principles of the piercing quality of the blade, the exalt understands how useless armour realy is. The exalt's next attack ignores armour as she finds the weakest spot to hit. This Charm is incompatible with the use of weapons.
Coup de Grace Strike</b>
<b>Cost: 7 motes, 1 willpower Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Stiletto's Strike Method, Death By a Thousand Cuts
Gaining the insight to the secret of steel, the martial artist delivers a strike that is the very definition of perfection in combat. So perfect and demoralizing is the attack that the Exalt can add 1/2 essence to any intimidation rolls against any who observe the attack for the current scene.
Summoning the essence and focusing it in this manner is taxing, so no splitting dice pools (charms for extra actions in a combo are fine though, but the cost of this charm has to be paied for every attack). The manner of the strike is always dramatic, and very noisy as the essence is focused with a final scream upon attacking.
This attack is aggravated, and the victim is at double wound penalties, caused by this attack, for the duration of combat. As with other charms in this set -- no weapon can be used nor can brawling aids.
