MartialArts/DarkHunterStyle

• Back to Orphen
• Back to MartialArts

Background

Dark Hunter Style

"For the cunning, to face an enemy in open confrontation would be a fourth rate solution for someone who has already made three serious mistakes: Not knowing the territory, not moving about in secrecy, and not evading a direct attack. It is only when all your strategies and tactics have failed, that you resort to ripping someone’s head off."

Characters who practice this style may use tiger claws or razor claws freely (considering them unarmed Martial Arts attacks) with all of its Charms. This style is incompatible with the use of armor. Additionally, upon mastering the form the stylist permanently gains a die to stealth while not wearing armor. While it is not necessary to possess Tiger Style before mastering Dark Hunter Style, a few charms are useless without it.

History
Senses straining, heightened, drawn taught over the weighted apprehension in the lingering eternity of every moment. Each sound, every color cast in sharp crisp relief, each thundering pulse felt hammering high in the chest, hidden deep in the throat and warm behind the eyes. Still there is nothing, but the terror won't calm. Shivering to the core, shaken unsure and waiting for the tearing pain, the shock of adrenaline. Held by the darkness, by the whisper of movement, frozen in bated anticipation.

Fear wafts through the air, savory, intoxicating. The taste of it drives you forward almost gasping swallowing anticipation writhing. Yet the darkness holds you waiting, prey postures glancing around in desperate false hope, but knowing. The prey stares off hoping, gaze stabs at the darkness this way and that. Movement. Hot and iron-tang'd life flows past fangs, flesh tears and then there is silence.

The Dark Hunter is the cunning predator, the quiet shadow, the ghost waiting just at the edge of perception...to strike. Lurking, stalking, watching through the undergrowth and distraction waiting for the perfect moment.

During the second age of man, creation was the stalking grounds for one of the greatest predators to ever live, an Iron Wolf, one of the chosen of the Sun, Nadia. For an age her name was synonymous with the beast, hunger, dread; she was the Hunter. This style was her manifestation of one aspect of that.

Style

Flight is not Defeat</b>

<b>Cost: 4 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Min. Martial Arts: 2 
Min. Essence: 3 
Prerequisite Charms: None

Retreat is not loss, and to count it as such is the foolish pride of the lie that is honor. Nobility is a weakness; instinct, cunning, will, hunger: these are the tools of the Dark Hunter. Those blinded by civility see flight and begin counting coup. This is when they are weakest. When the Martial Artist aborts an action she may launch an attack at any target within range. This attack either acts as a counterattack during the same action or as an extra full dice attack on the next action she makes.

If this charm is activated while Dark Hunter Form is committed it counts as a non-charm action.

Waiting Dread Instinct</b>

<b>Cost: 3 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: Indefinite
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Min. Martial Arts: 3
Min. Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Flight is not Defeat

Patient and on edge. Drawn taught, ready without knowing it. Stretching her nerves, straining, on the edge of breaking. The Martial Artist sets her instincts before her conscious mind and rides the verge of contradiction: resting apprehension. If while this charm is committed the martial artist is subject to an unexpected attack or attacked from surprise she may release the commitment to launch a counterattack against the aggressor.

Dark Hunter Form</b>

<b>Cost: 7 motes
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Keywords: Form-Type, Obvious
Min. Martial Arts: 4
Min. Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Waiting Dread Instinct

The beast embodies any number of concepts, is made up of any number of aspects, this form is but one. The Dark Hunter is quiet, patient, ready, on edge, calm, it is a contradiction, it is simple need, and it is dread terror. Those who adopt this form understand how to be ready and wait. While in the Dark Hunter Form the Martial Artist is able to exert more control over her own presence in a fight. Add the Stylist's martial arts rating to their Parry and Dodge calculations, additionally the Stylist may choose to have their action be anywhere from a three tick to (Essence + three) tick action.

This charm is a form-type charm and is inapplicable with other form-type charms.

Beast Walker Shintai</b>

<b>Cost: -
Duration: Permanent
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Secret
Min. Martial Arts: 4
Min. Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Dark Hunter Form

The true purpose of this style is hidden within this charm and it’s the rare few indeed who can open that revelation. This Charm is a permanent modification to the Dark Hunter Form that allows it to be activated as a part of Tiger Form. Upon activation of Tiger form the Martial Artist may spend an additional four motes to also include the effects of Dark Hunter Form.

The Endless Moment</b>

<b>Cost: 6 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: Indefinite
Type: Simple
Keywords: Emotion, Combo-Ok
Min. Martial Arts: 4
Min. Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Dark Hunter Form

Imagine the certain knowledge that you are being hunted by some dark and terrible beast. The aching awareness that one is powerless to stop the inevitable. To know the monster is around the corner, across the way, out of sight but near. Terror biting, freezing, shaking. And somewhere deep within the darkling sadism of the psyche it is better to see one's fate coming than to be blind to it. Upon activation the Martial Artist names a target they must current be hunting. As long as the Martial Artist is hunting that target, the target knows she is coming for them and every time she makes a two die stunt while in pursuit the target loses 1 willpower up to MAx2 willpower. As long as the target does not resist this effect they are aware of the martial artist's general direction and distance. It costs four willpower to resist this effect.

The Hunter's Hunger</b>

<b>Cost: -
Duration: Permanent
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Min. Martial Arts: 4
Min. Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms: The Endless Moment

A master of any style of martial arts or battle in general knows it to be better to fight on ones own terms. The Dark Hunter simple posits why. If a Dark Hunter Stylists start a battle, lower the cost of any Dark Hunter charm or Tiger charm by 2 motes minimum 0 motes.

Feral Stride</b>

<b>Cost: 2 motes
Duration: Indefinite
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Dark Hunter Form

Hunting, Stalking, keen and aware. The Dark Hunter is one of the great predators and while their prey may sense the inevitable end, they rarely see it coming. While this charm is committed it modifies Stalking Cat Movement Meditation to be useable for any stealth or awareness action and does not go down until the scene ends. Additionally, add an automatic plus one to both Stealth and Awareness that doesn't count towards the charm's cap while Stalking Movement Meditation is active.

From the Darkness</b>

<b>Cost: -
Duration: Permanent
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms: Feral Stride

Terror is just as good as surprise. This charm permanently modifies the charm Leap from Cloaking Shadows Attack to be always applicable. Specifically, once From the Darkness is purchased the Martial Artist's activations of Leap from Cloaking Shadows Attack are no longer restrained by that charm necessitating Surprise. The attack is "from darkness" which is now considered good enough.

Armour of Quiet Dread</b>

<b>Cost: -
Duration: Permanent
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Dark Hunter Form

Almost pulling the dark apprehension caught by prey as they approach into a tangible coating of fear and shadow, the Dark Hunter walks in an aura of her own invulnerability. This charm permanently increases the effectiveness of the Charm Celestial Tiger Hide to also add (Essence + Presence) Hardness, this Hardness explicitly stacks with other sources of Hardness. This Charm adds the Emotion keywords to Celestial Tiger Hide. The Emotion effect is associated with the addition of (Presence) Hardness, is a Natural Mental Influence and may be resisted for one willpower.

Instinctive Apprehension</b>

<b>Cost: 3+ motes, 2 willpower
Duration: Indefinite
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 5
Prerequisite Charms: Armour of Quiet Dread, From the Darkness, The Hunter's Hunger

Even the greatest fighter or Martial Artist can fall under pressure or in the moment of surprise. It is for this reason that the animal styles exist. A great Martial Artist comes to embody the concept, form and personality of her chosen form. In rough moments where another might freeze, she, as they, loses conscious thought but for a master there is instinct and just as importantly conditioned response. The Dark Hunter Stylist refuses to give any edge to an opponent and have perfected conditioned response. The cost of this charm is a variable number of motes based on that response. As a reflexive non-charm action the martial artist may release this charm, at which point the charms held in place are activated. Those charms commitments end normally from this point. The action this charm is released is a three tick action. This charm may include the commitment of one power-up charm, one join battle charm, one anti-surprise charm, one counterattack charm and one defensive charm of action long or less. Each of the charms held by Instinctive Apprehension must be Essence 3 or less. All the charms released by Instinctive Apprehension as well as any charms used that action must be applicable in a legal combo.

Predator's Patience Vigil</b>

<b>Cost: 6 motes, 2 willpower
Duration: Indefinite
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Secret
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms: The Hunter's Hunger, Feral Stride

Anything can be killed with enough patience, and the Dark Hunter Knows it is only a matter of time before everything makes a mistake: She just needs wait for that perfect moment, or be ready for it when it arrives. If the Martial Artist has this charm committed when they roll join battle she gains as many successes on the join battle roll as the person she is entering battle with or her own. Additionally she may drop successes from the chosen join battle roll for extra accuracy on the first attack she makes, at a one for one rate.