TrialBySchmendrick/TigerVsMoonlightWeaver

Trial started: {2/24/07}
Trial completed: {date}

Home: Tiger Style (Overshee) "Entrei"

Entrei hails from the East, from a small village that both deifies and is frightened of tigers. When he exalted as a light of the sun, his mind was filled with the heretical knowledge of the Tiger Style. Fearful, he made his way to heaven with only the brief scraps of knowledge given to him by his previous exaltations. He entered through Rathess, bravely entering the overgrown city to find out what had happened to him.

Now he is in Yu Shan, armed with only the knowledge in his head, the tribal clothes on his back, and the artifacts he found in the lost city; a pair of Orichalcum Razor Claws, carved with the attacking tigers that represent his attacks, and a pair of hearthstone bracers, carved with graceful leaping tigers that emphasize his strong defenses.

Out of style charms:

• Second Dodge Excellency
• Reflex Sidestep Technique
• Dodge Essence Flow
• Shadow Over Water
• Seven Shadow Evasion

Combos: Dancing Tiger Flies: A tiger's grace is so much that not even the unseen will touch. Before the blow has landed, the user of this combo moves out of the way so flowingly it seems that nothing could ever touch this master. This combo contains Reflex Sidestep Technique and Seven Shadow Evasion.

Tiger Strikes Linen: Nothing can withstand the might of the ferocious tiger. With this attack the practitioner waits untill just the right moment, and then springs! Flying towards the enemy, claws outstretched, only a rock could remain on its feet. Raging Tiger Pounce and Sping-Shattering Bite make up this combo.

Away: Moonlight Weaver Style (Hapushet) "Weaver"

Hapushet will be running Weaver, a practitioner of the Moonlight Weaver Style. Weaver is a rare Solar follower of the Moonlight Weaver doctrine, and his arrogant demeanor marks him as one who intends to establish his own destiny.

In addition to Moonlight Weaver Style, Weaver knows the following five Charms: First Martial Arts Excellency, Third Martial Arts Excellency, Reflex Sidestep Technique, Durability of Oak Meditation, Iron Skin Concentration. From these Charms he has built the following two Combos:

• Inevitable Resolution Strike: Silver threads appear from nowhere, looping around Weaver, his weapon and his target. As he strikes, those threads pulse with energy, drawing the weapon directly to the target, even as the threads still surrounding him shield him from any harm. This Combo utilizes the First Martial Arts Excellency, My Hand on the Shuttle, and Iron Skin Concentration. It costs 1+m and 1wp, with rerolls costing 6m and the soak bonus costing 2m.

• I See the World's Edge: When Weaver is about to be attacked, even if he does not expect the assault, he is suddenly surrounded by a cocoon of moonsilver Essence, every strand vibrating in warning and protection. Reading his fated suffering in the web, Weaver may reach out and twist those webs away, shielding himself from the effects of whatever might have befallen. This Combo includes Reflex Sidestep Technique, Yesterday is Tomorrow Practice, and Shimmers of the Weaving. Activating it costs 1wp; becoming aware of an unexpected attack costs 1m, preventing damage and Crippling effects costs 5m, 1wp, and activating Shimmers of the Weaving costs 1m, 1wp.

Weaver carries with him his traditional panoply: the breastplate of beaten orichalcum called Balidan's Blood, named for the heroic mortal who, in the First Age, gave his life for his Twilight Mistress and whose spirit is still said to watch over the wearer of his namesake (soak +8L/+6B, Hardness +3L/+3B); and a pair of starmetal hearthstone bracers set with an orichalcum Fivefold Harmonic Adapter, won from Plentimon in a single throw of the dice and thus called Gambler's Foes (+1 Accuracy, +1 Defense to all attacks).

Signs

• Musician: This combat will take place under 2nd Edition rules.
• The Ship's Wheel: Both combatants are assumed to be Solar Exalts of nonspecific Caste. Each has 5 Charms beyond those of their chosen style.
• The Sorcerer: Each combatant is allowed two Combos of up to three Charms each.
• The Guardians and the Spear: Each combatant is allowed a total of 4 dots of artifacts. These may include both weapons and armor, as allowed by the styles.
• The Quiver: The battle will take place within an art museum in Yu-Shan. Works of art, statuary, cases, columns, and terrified minor gods are among the possible pieces of scenery the two warriors will include in their stunting.

Transcript

Moonlight Weaver has the highest requirements for a pinnacle charm, giving both fighters a Martial Arts of 5 and an Essence of 5.

Combatant: damage, willpower, essence (remaining/committed/total), DV penalty (including wounds, but not mobility), soak (bashing/lethal/aggravated), channels (compassion/conviction/temperance/valor)

W: --|-----|----|-|-, wp: 8/8, psnl: 23/0/23, prph: 51/6/57, DV plty: -0, Soak: 10L/10B/8A, Ch: 3/4/3/4

Setup

The low rustle of voices and the murmurs of rich fabrics blend together as Entrei steps into the museum. The party of the gods is in full swing, goblets of ambrosia and snatches of beautiful music mingling togeher to overwhelm his senses. Despite the crush of bodies elsewhere, Entrei finds himself with plenty of room to move - the other party guests seem fearful of the Prince of the Earth who wanders among them.

He is not really sure why he is here. Prodded by snatches of memory he could not quite pin down, he found himself entering this museum without any clear purpose or reason, and now he searches for some hint as to what drove him to this place and this time.

"You look lost," says a voice from behind him. Entrei turns to see a tall man in white silks and dark leather boots moving into the gap that separates Entrei from the other guests. A gold breastplate and metallic bracers mark him as a warrior. Seeing the two of them together, the partygoers become even more unnerved, if such a thing is possible. "My name is Weaver," the man says, and a golden caste mark glitters into existence on his forehead. "I can help you find your path... if you prove yourself worthy." Abruptly a moonsilver cloak swirls into existence about Weaver's shoulders and settles there; as it does, his hair, skin and eyes take on the same liquid-silver sheen. Around him, the air lights with golden fire, and the bystanding gods let out a chorus of terrified gasps.

Weaver activates Take Up the Weaver's Mantle.

Leaping up, Entrei eyes the man. "Who are you?" he asks cautiously. Letting his caste mark flare as well, his eyes transform into slitted pupils as he lets out a snarl. He backs onto the table, ignoring terrified stares as he brandishes his razor claws. "What do you want with me?"

Entrei activates Tiger Form.

That's also a Move action for the table - it's good for a +1 to your DV and -1 to mine if we stay in our current arrangement during battle.

Resolution: Both Charms activate. Weaver has +2 to all his Physical Attributes that do not count as Charm enhanced, activates Shimmers of the Weaving automatically, soaks Lethal damage with his full Stamina, can produce Essence weaponry, and has conditional success and DV bonuses that are lost when his opponent stunts. Entrei adds his Essence to his Bashing and Lethal soaks, his Martial Arts rating to his unarmed or razor claw damage, and suffers no penalties for fighting prone.

W: --|-----|----|-|-, wp: 6/8, psnl: 23/0/23, prph: 36/21/57, DV plty: -2, Soak: 14L/12B/8A, Ch: 3/4/3/4

Weaver shakes his head. "What I want from you is to liberate you from the needless path you are following," he says. "You wander aimlessly, hoping for a sign, when the signs you need are all around you." The moonsilver sheen in his eyes glints ominously. "But, as I said, I will not reveal my secrets to one who has not proven himself worthy of them." Essence flares again, and for a brief moment, a gold-white image of a shattered loom surrounds Weaver's head.

Weaver activates Moonlight Weaver Form out of peripheral Essence. This causes his anima to go iconic, where I assume it will be pretty much continuously for the rest of the scene.

Entrei stares at this man who was threatening him. He slashed his claws down through the air, and as he did so, bands of shining gold essence seeped through his skin hardening it against all damage.

Entrei activating Celestial Tiger hide. Its 1:45, and I don't feel up to making one of those charts. I'll do it tomorrow, though I will check the fight in a bit.

I just copy/pasted mine from another fight and tweaked for whatever changes needed to be made. I recommend starting with the one I began with up top, since our Essence pools are the same.

Resolution: Both Charms activate. Weaver adds his Compassion to his Bashing and Lethal soaks and his Conviction to the Accuracy of his Martial Arts attacks. He may also use the 3rd Martial Arts excellency once per tick without it counting as a Charm activation. Entrei adds his Martial Arts score to his Bashing and Lethal soaks for the rest of the scene.

W: --|-----|----|-|-, wp: 6/8, psnl: 23/0/23, prph: 29/28/57, DV plty: -1, Soak: 17L/15B/8A, Ch: 3/4/3/4

E: --|-----|----|-|-, wp: 7/8, psnl: 12/0/23, prph: 47/10/57, DV plty: 0, Soak: 12L/14B/0A, Ch: 3/4/3/4

Weaver smiles. "Good. We are both prepared. Defeat me, and I will tell you all I know of your destiny, wandering one. Lose, and... well, just don't lose."

Weaver Joins Battle. (Wits + Awareness) = 6 dice. (1, 1, 3, 4, 6, 9) = 1 sx. (Ouch.)

Entrei Joins Battle. (Wits + Awareness) = 6 dice. (2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) = 3 sx. (Yay.)

Resolution: Battle is Joined. Entrei gets the first action on Tick 0; Weaver's first action will be on Tick 2.

I'm just using Omnihedron - we're on the honor sysem here unless you really aren't comfortable with that.

Fine with me.

Tick 0: Entrei

Entrei looks at the other solar, then prepares himself to fight. Dropping to his knees he punches his claws right at his enemy's knee, rumpling the silken tablecloth below him. Grabbing the tablecloth with his free arm, he pushes himself upwards and while his weight is on one arm, throws the heavy silk at the other Prince of the Earth. Landing prone with a heavy thump he rolls down the now plain wooden table, not caring if he spilled a guest's glass or toppled some food onto the floor.

The arrogant sneer on the face of Weaver only grows as he watches Entrei's knee-strike approach. With almost casual ease, he produces an Essence javelin from the quicksilver shroud around him, slams it into the floor with enough force to make the artworks on the walls shake, then uses it to brace himself as he kicks high into the air, believing himself well clear of the punch. The smirk disappears entirely, though, as he is startled to see the tablecloth arcing toward him, and the graceful kick becomes a desperate midair twist to avoid being ensnared.

Attacking once, then using the tablecloth as an improvised net, hoping to entrap Weaver. I'm thinking stats should be Speed 6, Acc +2 (the usual has Acc +4), rate 1, range 3. Waiting for approval and stunt before I do anything else.

On the one hand, both pgs. 242 and 127 of the 2E core say that the maximum Accuracy of an improvised weapon is -3, and I don't know why an improvised net should be any different. (The solid tablecloth won't fly nearly as well as the mostly-empty net, after all.) On the other hand, I'm going to give you a three die stunt for both excellent use of the surroundings and catching me so completely off guard; I thought I had some ideas about what you might try - that was not among them.

Heh, thanks for the 3 die :), I'm gonna have to be different if I'm gonna win.

You've got 1 too many dice on your first attack - the multiple action penalty should be -2. And do I get a stunt award?

O.o, how'd I do that? LOL, -1 on first -3 on second? I was more tired than I thought. I'll reroll after school. You get a +2 stunt, sorry.

Weaver will dodge both strikes. I think dropping to knee-level negates your height advantage; the three-die stunt negates the DV bonus from Shimmers of the Weave entirely. I'm still suffering the -1 DV penalty from activating Moonlight Weaver Form too, I believe.

2 dice it is then. Take Up the Weaver's Mantle converts them straight into successes.

1. 2 Attacks, one at 14 dice (4 Dex+ 5 MA + 4 Acc + 3 Stunt - 2 Multiple Action), one at 6 (4 Dex + 5 MA -3 Acc +3 Stunt -3 Multiple Actions).
2. 2 Dodges: 1st: (6 Dex + Dodge 5 + Essence 5 + Bracers 3)/2 = 10 - 1 previous action + 2 stunt = DV 11, 2nd: (6 Dex + Dodge 5 + Essence 5 + Bracers 3)/2 = 10 - 1 previous action - 1 onslaught + 2 stunt = DV 10
3. 1st Attack 7 suxx, (1, 2, 2, 2, 4, 4, 4, 5, 8, 8, 8, 10, 10), 2nd 5 suxx (2, 4, 5, 7, 10, 10)
4. Attack reroll: None and none.
5. External penalties: 11 DV reduces 7 sx to 0, 10 DV reduces 5 sx to 0.
6. Defense reroll: None
7. Base damage: None
8. Soak:
9. Counterattacks: None
10. Result: Both attacks miss. Weaver regains 1 WP from successful stunt.

W: --|-----|----|-|-, wp: 7/8, psnl: 23/0/23, prph: 29/28/57, DV plty: -1, Soak: 17L/15B/8A, Ch: 3/4/3/4

E: --|-----|----|-|-, wp: 7/8, psnl: 12/0/23, prph: 47/10/57, DV plty: -2, Soak: 12L/14B/0A, Ch: 3/4/3/4

Tick 2: Weaver

Weaver pulls his javelin from the ground as he completes his twist, the razor edges of the Essence blade slicing neatly through the tablecloth as though it were the air itself. He completes the jump by landing on an opposite table, javelin pointed directly at Entrei's heart. "Wonderful!" he laughs. "Already you begin to seize your destiny for your own!" Before the two halves of the tablecloth can hit the floor, a second javelin appears in his other hand, and both are hurled like moonsilver lightning, each catching a fluttering piece of white fabric and whipping them along, victory flags on the tips of brutal lances.

Weaver makes two javelin attacks. Seeing as you are reserving your Charm use for defensive purposes, I'll wait to unleash my Combo as well.

Hmmm, I really don't know what to give this, stuntwise. It's right between a 1 and 2. 2 I suppose! ~Overshee

Still on his knees, Entrei lets himself simply topple over, the so called 'moonsilver lightning' passing over him, it's silk veils each passing over his face. When they had passed, Entrei felt like a bride revealed, except male. And the 'groom' was death. 'He attacked me,' Entrei pondered. 'Such an attack cannot be taken without face being lost. Now I am committed.'

Still floating through the air in slow motion, Entrei knows the location of everything in the room with his feline intuition. Spreading his arms out like a reverse swan dive, Entrei cared not for the golden goblets and silver plates knocked high into the air. Then, he disappeared.

The stealthy tiger waits, hidden below the foliage if he is threatened. Like his style's totem, Entrei had 'fallen' below the table, rolling under it to get out of the way of any more projectiles.

"Get ready to seize your destiny," he calls from under his cover, "Can it protect you from me seizing your throat?"

Two dodges, I'm not actually rolling stealth, I just like cover, especially when the odds are against me.

Two dice - I'm particularly fond of that "and the groom was death" bit.  : ) I can't tell if you're intending to gain a cover bonus for this attack with that stunt or not, but I'd be willing to give you 50% hard cover (+2 DV vs. ranged attacks) for it.

Owwie, this is going to hurt.

1. First Attack (6 Dex+ 5 MA + 4 Acc + 1 Bracers + 4 Moonlight Weaver Form - 2 Multiple Action) = 18 dice.
2. Defense: (4 Dex + 5 Dodge + 5 Essence + 3 Bracers)/2 = 9 - 2 previous attacks + 2 cover = 9 DV + 2 stunt = 11 DV
3. Attack roll: (1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 7, 8, 8, 9, 10, 10, 10, 10) = 13 sx + 2 stunt + 1 Shimmers of the Weaving = 16 sx
4. Attack reroll: None
5. External penalties: 11 DV reduces 16 sx to 5.
6. Defense reroll: None
7. Base damage: 10L + 5 sx = 15L. The javelin's damage is piercing, but that's irrelevant since all Entrei's soak is natural.
8. Soak: 12L soak reduces 15L to 3L, but Essence minimum bumps that up to 5L.
9. Counterattacks: None
10. Result: (4, 7, 8, 9, 9) = 4 levels damage. Weaver gains 1wp from successful stunt.

1. Second Attack (6 Dex+ 5 MA + 4 Acc + 1 Bracers + 4 Moonlight Weaver Form - 3 Multiple Action) = 17 dice.
2. Defense: Seven Shadow Evasion!
3. Attack roll: None
4. Attack reroll: None
5. External penalties: None
6. Defense reroll: None
7. Base damage: None
8. Soak: None
9. Counterattacks: None
10. Result: Attack misses.

W: --|-----|----|-|-, wp: 8/8, psnl: 23/0/23, prph: 29/28/57, DV plty: -2, Soak: 17L/15B/8A, Ch: 3/4/3/4

E: xx|xx---|----|-|-, wp: 7/8, psnl: 9/0/23, prph: 47/10/57, DV plty: 0, Soak: 12L/14B/0A, Ch: 3/4/3/4

Tick 6: Entrei and Weaver

"My throat is my problem," replies Weaver, studying the occasional glimpses of his opponent beneath the table. "Yours..."

Weaver begins to Aim.

Entrei waits under the table, looking for the perfect time to strike.

Entrei aims as well.

W: --|-----|----|-|-, wp: 8/8, psnl: 23/0/23, prph: 29/28/57, DV plty: -1, Soak: 17L/15B/8A, Ch: 3/4/3/4

E: xx|xx---|----|-|-, wp: 7/8, psnl: 9/0/23, prph: 47/10/57, DV plty: -1, Soak: 12L/14B/0A, Ch: 3/4/3/4

Conclusions

A section for what was learned

Home player

Honestly, I doubt I'll win this. This style seems on the verge of Sidereal MA, and I don't think Tiger Style can compete. There are many odd effects of this style I can't really combat, and if I do win, I think it'll be because Hap underestimated me or made a crucial mistake. ~Overshee

I also should have put Shadow Over Water in my defensive combo and Seven Shadow Evasion in my offensive one. Don't know why I didn't O.o ~Overshee

Oh my, the stunt dice as autosuxx are killer. I'm also misjudging his dice pools. They are quite large, the +2 to dex and the form bonus go a long way. ~Overshee

Away player

Picking Charms for the Combos was headache-inducing. Playing Solars means I have to have defenses in my Combos, doubly so since Moonlight Weaver isn't exactly overrun with defensive buffs. That made it harder to put offensive Charms into the Combos. I guess we'll see what happens. Hopefully having access to the 3rd Ex without it being in a Combo will help keep my defenses up where needed... - Hapushet

I think that Take Up the Weaver's Mantle does about 1.5 things too many, and Shimmers of the Weaving probably needs a cost increase as well. I'll probably wind up yanking out the weapon creation and automatic activation of Shimmers of the Weaving for the Mantle, and raise the cost of Shimmers to 4m, 1wp. - Hapushet

Initial Negotiations

TigerVsMoonlightWeaverTrialBySchmendrick/TigerVsMoonlightWeaver/Negotiations - Archived for Space.

Player Chat

Question: first health, then WP, but is it spent/left/total for mote pools? and what is Ch?

It's remaining/committed/total. "Ch" is remaining Virtue channels: Compassion/Conviction/Temperance/Valor. The explanation of the method is at the beginning of the "Transcript" section. - Hapushet

Am I missing something? Why aren't you rolling for 2nd attack?

Observer Comments

I think he's giving you the chance to make yourself not die by buying some DV with your second dodge excellency - IanPrice

I already declared defenses. Don't you have to do it beforehand? ~Overshee

It's on a per-attack basis, which is why I split the resolution up into two lists in the first place. You could even declare 7SE if you want to. - Hapushet

I think I will :).

Sorry, I've been extremely busy with school and WoW. Damn them! Hopefully I will post within the next few days! ~Overshee