Teflonshugenja/MantisStyle2
Armor and Weapons: Mantis Style practitioners wielding tonfa are considered unarmed for the purposes of all Charms in the Style. Mantis Martial Arts charms are incompatible with all forms of armor.
Iron Claw Strike</b>
<b>Cost:1 motes Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1 Type: Supplemental, Obvious Keywords: Combo-OK Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Any Martial Arts Excellency
Through practice and meditation the martial artist has learned to toughen his blows to meet steel with flesh or deliver strikes of such power that their force is unimpeded by physical protections. By supplementing a Martial Arts attack or Parry DV with this Charm, the Mantis practitioner may deal lethal damage with his unarmed attacks or parry lethal attacks with his bare hands. Also, attacks enhanced with this Charm increase the number of post-soak damage rolled by 1 die.
Steel Claw Parry</b>
<b>Cost:2 motes Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1 Type: Reflexive Keywords: Combo-OK Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Iron Claw Strike
The martial artist may imitate the defensive posture of the mantis. This Charm negates all penalties to the character's Martial Arts Parry DV against a single attack.
Mantis Form</b>
<b>Cost:5 motes Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2 Type: Simple Keywords: Form-type, Obvious Duration: One Scene Prerequisite Charms: Steel Claw Parry
The character is able to assume the stance of the mantis, both deadly and defensive; able to watch his adversaries with unnerving calm. This Charm improves the character's Lethal and Bashing soak totals by his Martial Arts score, and his Martial Arts Parry DV by his Essence score.
Blade-Grasping Method</b>
<b>Cost:3 motes Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2 Type: Reflexive (Step 9) Keywords: Combo-OK, Counterattack Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Mantis Form
The student of Mantis Style learns that all things are not equal in combat. Through knowledge of one's own weaknesses, the student gains knowledge of how to strip another of their strengths. Upon successfully applying his Martial Arts Parry DV against a melee attack, the Exalt may make a counterattack that must be used to initiate a clinch.
Merciful Embrace of the Mantis</b>
<b>Cost:3 motes Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2 Type: Supplemental Keywords: Combo-OK, Crippling Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Blade-Grasping Method
This technique allows the mantis practitioner to fight to incapacitate his opponent, rather than to kill him. When using this charm, the martial artist may modify the effects of damage he deals in a clinch. For every HL of damage the martial artist would have dealt, his victim instead suffers a -1 die Crippling penalty for the remainder of the scene. Attacks enhanced by this Charm can be soaked only by the target's Stamina. The effects of multiple applications of this Charm stack, but the total penalty cannot exceed the Exalt's Dexterity + Martial Arts.
Blissful Ignorance Stance</b>
<b>Cost:4 motes Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3 Type: Supplemental Keywords: Combo-OK, Social, Compulsion Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Mantis Form
The martial artist adopts a pose that suggests weakness and vulnerability, encouraging his opponent to attack. The martial artist rolls his Manipulation + Martial Arts with a number of automatic successes equal to his Essence, against his opponent's MDV. If the roll is successful, the target must attack the martial artist at his next opportunity to do so, or spend a Willpower point to suppress the compulsion. This qualifies as unnatural mental influence. After an invidual has resisted this technique twice, s/he is immune to further attempts for the remainder of the scene.
Green Devil Eyes</b>
<b>Cost:4 motes Duration: Instant Type: Simple, Combo-OK, Obvious, Social Minimum Martial Arts: 5 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisite Charms: Blissful Ignorance Stance
By fixing their opponent's gaze, the martial artist can dull the senses and confuse the mind, rooting their opponent to the spot. The martial artist makes a Charisma + Martial Arts roll against the target's MDV with a number of autosuccesses equal to his Essence score. For every success by which the roll exceeds the opponent's MDV, that opponent's next action is delayed 1 tick. The target cannot take Move or Dash actions for a like amount of time.
Essence Contemplation Meditation</b>
<b>Cost:3 motes, 1 Willpower Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3 Type: Simple Keywords: Combo-Basic Duration: One Scene Prerequisite Charms: Merciful Embrace of the Mantis, Green Devil Eyes
Through contemplation of essence flows, a student of Mantis style is able to understand and, sometimes, redirect the flows of essence from other Exalts. Whenever a charm requiring essence expenditure is used against the martial artist, the Exalt may roll a number of dice equal to his permanent Essence score. For every success, the Exalt regains a mote of essence. The essence gained through this charm cannot exceed the amount spent on the opposing charm. This does not affect charms that are already in use, such as a persistant defense. A charm is considered "used against" a character if it would directly hamper them either offensively or defensively - attacks, Charms and Sorceries directed at the Martial Artist or encompassing him in their effect with the intent to harm him qualify; a Charm-enhanced bowshot that cuts the rope suspending a ten-ton boulder above him does not.
Essence-Damming Method</b>
<b>Cost:6 motes, 1 Willpower Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3 Type: Simple Keywords: Combo-OK Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Essence Contemplation Meditation
The master of Mantis style knows the failings of the body and the flows of essence in Creation, and with the knowledge of how to use them comes the knowledge of how to stem their flow. The Mantis practitioner makes a martial arts attack against an opponent within range. This attack does no damage. Instead, the martial artist lightly touches his target in several key chakra points, turning their own essence flows against each other, blocking points of egress, and confouding the streams of energy in his enemy's own body. For every success by which the attack succeeded, the cost of all Charms invoked by the target is increased by 1 mote, to a maximum of the martial artist's permanent Essence score. This penalty persists until the end of the scene, or until the martial artist repairs the damage through another application of this Charm. Due to the very subtle nature of this Charm, masters of Mantis style have been known to dam up their enemy's Essence before a duel, though doing so is considered highly dishonorable by some.
