SolarMelee/FifthChild
Glorious Fan Style
By FifthChild
Background
This is an entire new Melee tree, developed mostly by me, with a great deal of help from Joe Kull and a contribution by Matt Conlon. If you're the visual type, you can find a picture of this Charm tree on my campaign web page: Many Threads Are One.
Charms
Unfolding Fan Strike
Cost: 1 mote per die Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Melee: 2 Min. Essence: 2
By use of this Charm, the Exalt may make a normal melee attack while his sword is sheathed; the character whips the blade out with supernatural speed and attacks in the same motion. Each mote spent to fuel this charm adds an additional die to an attack but can no more than double his regular Dexterity + Melee dice pool. After this attack the character's blade is in his hand, ready to use. Note that this Charm may only be used when the character's blade is sheathed.
Fan-Folding Gesture
Cost: 3 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Melee: 3 Min. Essence: 2 Prerequisite Charms: Unfolding Fan Strike
Using this Charm, the character can either parry with a naked weapon, sheathing it immediately after, or parry with a sheathed weapon (which normally requires a stunt) by unsheathing, parrying, and returning the blade to the sheath with dizzying speed. This Charm allows the character to parry any incoming hand-to-hand attack that he is aware of, using his full Dexterity + Melee dice pool. Whether or not the blade started out sheathed, it always ends up sheathed after using this Charm.
Glorious Fan Style
Cost: 5 motes Duration: One scene Type: Simple Min. Melee: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prerequisite Charms: Fan-Folding Gesture Defense
Using this Charm, the Exalt adopts a peculiar stance; he sheathes his blade and takes up a ready posture. For the duration of this Charm, the character automatically sheathes his blade after each blow and may attack while drawing his blade without penalty, as if through the use of Unfolding Fan Strike.
The character may abort to a cascading parry, which may be used to block multiple attacks. The dice pool of a cascading parry is reduced by 1 per successive parry attempt, as per a full dodge.
Additionally, the character adds his melee score to his initiative total each round.
Swiftly Fading Parry Technique
Cost: 2 motes per die Duration: Until next action Type: Supplemental Min. Melee: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prerequisite Charms: Glorious Fan Style
Through intense training, the Exalt learns how to dodge even as he parries; this allows him to parry blows more effectively, as well as outmaneuvering his enemy. Using this Charm, the Exalt can spin away with dizzying speed after parrying an enemy’s blow, leaving the enemy disoriented. Every 2 motes spent on this Charm adds one die to the character’s parry dice pool, and also adds one to the difficulty to hit him until the next turn. While using this Charm, the Exalt may move a number of yards equal to his Melee score. The Exalt cannot gain more dice through the use of this Charm than he has dots in the Melee Ability. The increased difficulty to be hit applies only to the character whose blow the Exalt parried.
Furious Driving Blow
Cost: 3 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Melee: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prerequisite Charms: Swiftly Fading Parry Technique
The Exalt has learned to use his overwhelming speed to throw opponents off balance and create openings for himself. By charging forward at an opponent who is about to attack, he can strike the opponent's weapon and prevent them from attacking for a turn. Additionally, the strong vibrations sent down an enemy's weapon after it has been struck numb the opponent's arms, leaving him less effective for a short period of time afterward. The Exalt must make a melee attack against the target. This attack may not be blocked (but can be dodged), does bashing damage, and, if successful the opponent cannot make any attacks for the rest of this turn (neither against the character who used this charm nor anyone else). This precludes attacks of all sorts, even counterattacks granted by Charms. Additionally, the victim suffers a -1 penalty to all Melee dice pools for a number of turns equal to the Exalt's permanent Essence. If the opponent is unarmed, this attack does damage as a normal strike but has no further effect.
Vicious Thunderbolt Prana
Cost: 4 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Melee: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prerequisite Charms: Glorious Fan Style
Using this Charm, the Exalt may dash forward with blinding speed, drawing his weapon and striking in a single motion. The character suffers no penalty for drawing a sheathed weapon and strikes whenever he wishes without regard for initiative. Although this action must be a melee attack, the character may split his dice pool normally and take other actions; all these other actions take place in normal initiative order. Additionally, the character may move a number of yards equal to his melee score x2 during the execution of this attack. A character can only use Vicious Thunderbolt Prana once per turn, and in order to use it, his weapon must be sheathed.
Thousand-Blade Circle
Cost: 5 motes Duration: Special Type: Reflexive Min. Melee: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prerequisite Charms: Vicious Thunderbolt Prana
The character traces a lightning-fast pattern of strikes and cuts in the air around him, then sheathes his sword. For the rest of the duration, any foe approaching or currently within the character’s permanent Essence in yards is subject to an automatic attack at the Exalt’s full Dexterity + Melee dice pool. The character must choose whether or not to attack someone at the time that the Charm is used (if they are already within the area), or at the time that they enter the affected area (if they move in later). The effects of this Charm end if the character actively moves, dodges, or attacks, or if he unsheathes his sword.
Unsheathed Fury Meditation
Cost: 4 motes Duration: Special Type: Reflexive Min. Melee: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prerequisite Charms: Glorious Fan Style
Although the Exalt’s weapon may be sheathed, his will is not; with this Charm, any attempting to attack the character while his weapon is sheathed will have a difficult (if not impossible) time doing so. In order to use this Charm, the character’s weapon must be sheathed; the character then plants himself in a defensive posture, hand on his hilt, and concentrates his will, usually with a shouted phrase. A noticeable shockwave spreads out from the character’s feet out to a distance equal to his Essence in yards. This shockwave will disturb any loose dust or other light items lying on the ground. All other characters in this area must make a Willpower roll difficulty equal to the Exalt’s permanent Essence), or stumble backwards until they are out of the area. The same roll is required to force entry into the area, and anyone attacking the Exalt from within the affected area faces an increased difficulty equal to the Exalt's permanent essence. This Charm does not affect attacks made from outside the affected area.
This Charm lasts until any one of a number of factors comes to pass. First, the Exalt may choose to end the duration at any time. Second, if the Exalt unsheathes his sword, or attacks in any way, the duration immediately ends. Third, if the Exalt’s concentration is broken (such as by taking a number of Health Levels of damage greater than his Stamina) the Charm ends immediately.
Weapon-Shattering Counterstroke
Cost: Special, 1 Willpower Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Melee: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prerequisite Charms: Unsheathed Fury Meditation
Using this Charm, the Exalt attacks his enemy’s weapon directly, rather than parrying. This Charm allows the character to parry any incoming hand-to-hand attack that he is aware of, using his full Dexterity + Melee pool. Immediately after, the Exalt makes a reflexive Strength + Melee roll; the difficulty of the roll is 1 for normal weapons, 3 for weapons of exceptional quality, and 5 for weapons forged of the Five Magical Materials. If this roll succeeds, the weapon the character was attacked with is broken, shattered, or otherwise rendered useless. Even if the weapon is not broken, its owner must succeed in an opposed reflexive Strength + Athletics roll or be immediately disarmed.
Additionally, if the attacking character's weapon was broken, the Exalt may immediately make a counterattack at his full Dexterity + Melee dice pool, as the Exalt’s sword cleaves right through his enemy's attack and into him, along with shards of his own broken blade. This counterstrike cannot be blocked or dodged without magic. A character may not use Weapon Shattering Counterstroke in response to other counterattack Charms. The counterattack effect of this Charm is not applied if the attacker’s weapon is not broken.
The cost of this Charm is a number of motes equal to the difficulty to break the attacker’s weapon, plus 2. For example, the cost to use Weapon-Shattering Counterstroke against a weapon of exceptional quality is 5 motes. Weapons affected by this Charm are not totally destroyed, just rendered immediately useless. They can typically be repaired or re-forged given the time and skill.
Immitigable Hummingbird Assassin Slash
Cost: 8 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: Special Type: Simple Min. Melee: 5 Min. Essence: 5 Prerequesite Charms: Weapon-Shattering Counterstroke, Thousand-Blade Circle, Furious Driving Blow
The Exalt sends Essence careening through his body in a visible flash of tightening muscles and tendons, allowing him to attack with truly superhuman speed. Guided by expertly-trained precision and the Essence infusing his muscles, the character draws his blade and slashes so quickly that the opponent will almost certainly not realize that he is dead for long moments after being struck. The character's weapon must start out sheathed in order to use this Charm.
Nearby witnesses to the Charm feel a slight breeze, but only by succeeding on a Perception + Awareness roll (difficulty equal to the Exalt's permanent Essence) may they perceive the strike itself in any way. This includes the victim. This roll replaces the normal roll to perceive ambushes and such.
The character using this Charm makes a normal attack roll, adding his permanent Essence to his Accuracy. Upon being struck, the target must make a reflexive Stamina + Willpower roll against a difficulty equal to the Exalt's Essence. If he succeeds, the blow does normal damage, but this damage is not applied until a number of Turns later equal to the attacker's permanent Essence.
If the target fails his Stamina + Willpower roll, at the end of the duration, he dies, as the two seperate pieces of his body slide slowly to the ground.
During the elapsed duration, a Perception + Medicine roll (difficulty equal to the attacker's permanent Essence) will reveal that the target is, in fact, injured. Only magical healing has a hope of preventing the damage before the duration has elapsed, however. If the victim had failed his Stamina + Willpower roll, but magical healing is applied, then at the end of the duration he is brought automatically to Incapacitated, but stable. If the victim had succeeded, merely subtract the effects of the healing magic from the damage when it is dealt at the end of the duration.
The attacking Exalt may pay an additional Willpower to have the duration end earlier than normal (although this cannot be done during the same Turn that the Charm was used). This is usually accompanied by something like a snide comment or a snap of the fingers.
Author's Note: I know that the last Charm seems quite powerful... my group of players and I are still discussing it, so it may be changed a little. However, it is supposed to be at least somewhat comparable to the high-end Sidereal Martial Arts Charms, considering all its requirements.
Comments
Furious Driving Blade seems awfully weak for its prerequisites. The attack is made at increased difficulty, it only does bashing, and it only shuts down offense. The unblockable aspect is appealing, but I'm not sure it justifies the Essence 4 prereq. I'm also curious how this Charm interacts with reflexive counterattacks.
Five-Pronged Lightning Bolt Method seems like it would more properly be an Athletics Charm, following Leaping Tiger Attack.
Glorious Fan Style feels kind of weird. I guess the notion of a samurai rapidly pumping his sword in and out of its sheath in order to more effectively parry incoming attacks is just a little too loony for me.
I think Swiftly Fading Parry should require Golden Essence Block, as well as Fan-Folding Gesture. I think FFG is a pretty good idea, by the way. Unsheathed Fury Meditation was also a good idea, with a very neat visual.
Immitigable Hummingbird Assassin Slash seems okay. I personally would have made it Essence 5, and Simple.
Overall, nice work. It is ( obviously) not quite the way I'd have constructed an iaijutsu tree (looking at the diagram, you built it like it was a martial art, a?) but I can't cast too many stones because you were clearly thinking along many of the same lines as I.\\ _Ikselam
Thanks for taking the time to critique.
Furious Driving Blade: This actually struck me as a fairly powerful Charm -- as long as the character wins initiative. The major effect of the Charm (causing the opponent to become so off-balance he can no longer attack) merely requires the attack roll to succeed -- there is no opposed Stamina roll or some such as so many Charms have. And the Bashing is meant to indicate the strong reverberations that vibrate down the blade due to the force of the blow. Also, it is meant to stop attacks of all kinds -- whether actual attacks or counterattacks.
Five Pronged Lightning Bolt: I'll just admit straight up that this was taken from Rurouni Kenshin. I like the idea of a Melee Extra Action Charm that doesn't have some kind of retarded formula to figure out how much it costs for how many attacks.
For an indication of what Glorious Fan Style might look like, check out the character Shitan, from Xenogears (later in the game, once he gets a sword), or the young man with the white hair from Bushido Blade 2. From a design standpoint, the Charm was meant to allow the rest of the tree to be used more easily, as almost every single Charm requires that the sword start out sheathed.
I toyed with the idea of having this tree intertwine with the offensive and defensive Melee trees from the core book, but in the end decided I didn't want to make Solar Melee look like Lunar Melee Combat I.
Are you sure about Immitigable etc. Slash being changed to Essence 5? I've actually been quite worried that it's a bit too powerful. I can definitely see where you're coming from with the change to Simple, however.
Anyway, I'm dead tired right now. I'll think it over and post any changes I decide on tomorrow.
-FifthChild
Well, it's not quite "tomorrow," but hey...
I decided to change Furious Driving Blow a bit. It's a bit more up-to-speed now. Also, I decided to get rid of Five-Pronged Lightning Bolt Prana completely; it was just unnecessary, and bogged the tree down too much. I changed Immitigable Hummingbird Assassin Slash to Simple and Essence 5, and moved it down a slot to replace Five-Pronged Lightning Bolt Prana.
-FifthChild
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