MartialArts/SevenNeedleStyle
Seven Needle Style
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This is a Celestial-level style, intended for Exalted Second Edition.
Note: Minimums are expressed as Martial Arts/Essence requirement.
Weapons and Armor
Favored Weapon: Smallsword or its Daiklave equivalent, the Needle Daiklave
Smallsword: a thrusting blade about three feet long, with no edge.
Speed 4 Accuracy 0 Damage +2L Defense +1 Rate 2 MinStr 2 Cost 2 Tags: P
Needle Daiklave
Speed 4 Accuracy +2 Damage: +4L Defense +1 Rate 2 Min Str 2 Cost 2 Tags: P
Seven Needle Style practitioners have +2 Accuracy with such weapons. However, the Seven Needle Style eschews parrying, in favor of a complex defense based on feints. When fighting with Seven Needle Style, the Exalt's Parry DV is always zero, and she must rely on charms and her Dodge DV to avoid damage.
Seven Needle Style is not compatible with the use of armor.
Effects
Needle Threads the String</b>
<b>Cost: 1m/DV Mins: 2/1 Type: Reflexive (Step 3) Keywords: Combo-OK Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: None
The Exalt weaves her sword through her opponent's defenses, emerging undeterred on the other side. She may reduce an opponent's Parry DV by one per mote spent, to a maximum of her (Essence).
One Needle Strike</b>
<b>Cost: 2m Mins: 3/1 Type: Supplemental Keywords: Combo-OK Duration: Until next active tick Prerequisite Charms: Needle Threads the String
The practitioner of Seven Needle Style must learn absolute precision in her attacks. Upon activating this charm, the accuracy of her weapon increases by an additional +2 until her next active tick.
Two Needle Feint</b>
<b>Cost: 3m Mins: 2/2 Type: Reflexive (Step 2) Keywords: Combo-OK, Feint Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Needle Threads the String
Seven Needle Style intentionally blends offense and defense, integrating defensive feints into its attack pattern to force opponents off balance. The Exalt responds to an attack with a pair of quick thrusts towards vital spots, forcing her opponent back onto the defensive. The Exalt's (Martial Arts) is subtracted from her opponent's successes on his attack roll. She and her opponent both suffer -1 DV until their next active tick.
Three Needle Form</b>
<b>Cost: 5m1W Mins: 4/3 Type: Simple Keywords: Form-type, Obvious Duration: One Scene Prerequisite Charms: One Needle Strike, Two Needle Feint
The Seven Needle Style relies on speed, but the Exalt cannot sacrifice precision. She must learn to attack without hesitation and without error, to keep up a murderous onslaught of attacks. When she makes a flurry of attacks while in Three Needle Form, she may ignore up to (Essence) attacks when calculating the multiple action penalty. She remains limited by the weapon's rate, however, her weapon's rate is increased by one. Additionally, the DV penalty of such flurries is reduced by her (Martial Arts).
Four Needle Method</b>
<b>Cost: -- Mins: 3/2 Type: Permanent Keywords: None Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Three Needle Form
Speed is the first and foremost weapon of the Seven Needle Style. Upon learning Four Needle Method, the Exalt comes to visualize her weapon in four places at once, always leaving room for contingencies. She may pay double the usual number of motes to use any Feint charm in the Seven Needle Style as an innate ability, allowing her to use other charms in the same turn without a combo.
Five Needle Thrust</b>
<b>Cost: 2m+/atk Mins: 4/3 Type: Extra Action Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Three Needle Form
The Exalt learns not only to attack quickly, but to attack from several directions at once. Upon resolving a successful attack, she may invoke this charm to immediately make another attack from a different direction. If that attack succeeds, she may invoke this charm again to make another attack, but she must pay two addition motes per attack for each time she has used Five Needle Thrust this tick (thus, 2m for the first attack, 4m for the second, 6m for the third, and so on). Additionally, she may only make (Essence) such attacks per turn. If used during a flurry, the maximums and cost increases extend over the entire flurry, rather than "resetting" for each attack in the flurry.
Six Needle Shield</b>
<b>Cost: 4m Mins: 5/3 Type: Reflexive (Step 2) Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Feint Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Four Needle Method
The Exalt fully integrates her defense into her attack pattern. She uses a complex pattern of feints and thrusts to force her opponent to divert his attack. Using this charm reduces the attacker's successes by her (Dexterity + Martial Arts); additionally, if her (Dexterity + Martial Arts) dice pool (including any Excellencies comboed with this charm) is greater than her opponent's attack pool, the attack automatically fails—this charm acts as a perfect defense. It suffers one of the Four Flaws of Invulnerability, but the flaw is only invoked if the perfect defense is triggered.
Haystack Technique</b>
<b>Cost: 5m Mins: 5/3 Type: Simple (12/-3) Keywords: Obvious Duration: One Scene Prerequisite Charms: Five Needle Thrust
The Seven Needle Style relies on feints and misdirection to avoid attacks. The Haystack Technique takes this one step farther, using the needle to divert attention. Once invoked, the Exalt weaves a magical cloak from strands of pure Essence with her sword or her hands. The thread is black as night, but the woven cloak blends into its surroundings. Once it is woven, the Exalt casts it around herself and seems to vanish from sight. Those who watched her put the cloak on must match the Exalt's (Essence) on a (Wits+Awareness) test to spot her again; those who were not paying attention when she donned the cloak must match her (Essence + Martial Arts) on a (Perception + Awareness) roll to find her. She may attempt to weave the cloak in combat, but if she is hit while weaving, the cloak falls to pieces and evaporates. Similarly, if she is struck while wearing the cloak, it tears open and the effect ends.
Glorious Reflective Aegis</b>
<b>Cost: 6m Mins: 5/4 Type: Reflexive (Step 2) Keywords: Obvious, Feint Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Haystack Technique, Six Needle Shield
The Exalt can defend herself by confounding her opponent's senses. Her weapon shimmers with Essence and, with a complex pattern of carefully placed thrusts, she reflects a barrage of images into her opponent's eyes, tricking him into thinking she is somewhere she is not. He must succeed a (Wits + Awareness) check against her (Essence) or attack in entirely the wrong direction. If he fails, the Exalt may make a (Dexterity + Martial Arts) roll against his (Wits) to deliberately trick her opponent into attacking another target within range.
Seven Needle Strike</b>
<b>Cost: 7m Mins: 5/4 Type: Simple Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Glorious Reflexive Aegis
The true master of the Seven Needle Style learns to transcend speed. As she attacks, her weapon glows with Essence and seems to blur and multiply as she strikes. Her opponent is surrounded by copies of her weapon, thrusting from all directions in unison, leaving him no means of dodging the attack and rendering parrying insufficient. Parry and Dodge DV are reduced to zero, although they may be raised from zero by sufficiently creative stunts or appropriate charms. If the attack hits, its overall damage is doubled.
Comments
Would this style also be compatible with hand needles from SoTM? Seeing as it has the whole needly feel to it. Also, One Needle Strike seems really redundant, because the same effect can be got through the first MA excellency.. I think - Dark-sidhe
