River of Time Style

By Insanewizard (inspired by Rooster’s Idea from MAStyleIdeaBank)

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This style was formed by a Sidereal wishing to control the mysterious sixth element of time. A user of this martial art learns to control to ebbs and flows of the River of Time first learning to bend it’s movement into desirable patterns then through to the penultimate technique of stopping time for a short while. Spears and Tridents may be used in conjunction with this Martial art.

Charms

Sensing the river’s flow
Cost:N/A
Duration:Permanent
Type:Special
Min.Martial Arts:2
Min Essence:3
Prereqs:none
Description: The first step in learning mastery over time is being able to sense it’s flow. When this charm is mastered the Martial Artist will always know exactly what date and time it is down to the second and gains a permanent +1 to initiative for his mastery over time's flow.

Quicksilver dodging method
Cost:1 mote/die
Duration:Instant
Type:Reflexive
Min.Martial Arts:2
Min Essence:3
Prereqs:Sensing the River’s Flow
Description: Once the exalt has learned the flow of the River he may slow its flow for various purposes. This charm focuses on the defensive ability of slowing down a single attacker for purposes of a dodge. Each mote spent takes one die away from and attacker's die pool up to the user's permanent Essence.

Timestream Manipulation
Cost:5
Duration:Instant
Type:Reflexive
Min.Martial Arts:3
Min Essence:3
Prereqs:Sensing the River’s Flow
Description: This charm, once activated, causes the Exalt to move faster the normally possible. Once activated the Exalt adds his MA score to his initiative and doubles his movement speed.

Time’s savage vengeance
Cost: 3 motes/ -1 diff
Duration: Instant
Type:Supplemental
Min.Martial Arts:3
Min Essence:3
Prereqs:Quicksilver Dodging Method and Timestream Manipulation
Description: Following the natural progression of slowing time you now learn to speed up your own attacks to surprise and sometimes outright foil an opponents defense. For every 3 motes spent on this charm you lower the difficulty by 1 (up to your permanent essence) on one MA or MA weapon attack.

River of Time’s Flowing Form
Cost: 8 Motes, 1 willpower
Duration:Scene
Type:Simple
Min.Martial Arts:4
Min Essence:4
Prereqs:Time’s Savage Vengeance
Description: Once activated this charm develops a field around the user in which time flows on his terms. Double base Initiative, add MA to attacks and defense, (essence/2) = # of independant actions.

Disturbance Detecting Method
Cost:6 motes, 1 willpower
Duration:Scene
Type:Simple
Min.Martial Arts:4
Min Essence:4
Prereqs:River of Time’s Flowing Form
Description: A student of this style eventually learns to flow with the river instead of fighting it for mastery. This charm grants him the ability to sense the ripples an opponent makes in the time stream. The Martial Artist can not be surprised and any attack against him gets an automatic dodge equal to (dex+MA-essence) + automatic successes equal to essence.

Rock Skips on the River’s Surface
Cost:8 motes
Duration:Instant
Type:Instant
Min.Martial Arts:4
Min Essence:4
Prereqs:River of Time’s Flowing Form
Description: An Exalt using this charm gains the ability to “skip” through time. He seems to pop in and out of our physical reality at will. This charm grants the user a number of extra actions equal to his MA score for that turn.

Time Stops for the Master of the River
Cost:10 Motes, 1 Willpower
Duration:Instant
Type:Supplemental
Min.Martial Arts:4
Min Essence:5
Prereqs:Time Stops for the Master of the River
Description: Upon achieving this level of mastery over time the Exalt halts the River itself to either perform a perfect dodge or add the ability of a perfect attack to a regular attack. This charm is comboable.

Time's Unstoppable Affliction
Cost:15 Motes
Duration:Instant
Type:Simple
Min.Martial Arts:5
Min Essence:5
Prereqs:Rock Skips on the River’s Surface
Description:This charm is the ultimate progression of a Master of Time. Using extreme control over essence and his own will the Master over Time cocoons his victim in a state of suspened hyper-time. The victim may not act or be affected by anythin while in this cocoon. He also ages one decade per second. This charm will quickly kill a mortal but an exalted has a chance to live but he takes attribute damage equal to -1 to all physical attributes and a -1 to appearance for his haggard and old appearance. This is a contested MA vs willpower roll. These effects are permaent.

Comments

Interesting idea, just a few comments. The first Charm is a real speedbump. Maybe include some extra benefit for it, like a permanent +1 to initiative due to being always in tune with time or something? Also, the prereqs are just bizarre. You should keep the MA requirements higher and the Essence requirements lower, for the most part. Maybe Essence 2 for Sensing the River's Flow, Quicksilver Dodging Method and Timestream Manipulation, Essence 3 for Time's Savage Vengeance and the Form Charm, 4 for DDM, RSRM, and TSFTMOFR, and 5 for the pinnacle Charm? Martial Arts starting at 3 and hitting 5 by the ones after the Form Charm. - FrivYeti

This is not a bad start, but I do have some suggestions.

Quicksilver Dodging Method - if it is slowing down an attack, it should be worded that it takes away from the pool. You should be able to take away up to Martial Arts + Essence of dice away from the attack.

Times Savage Vengence - This one is not so good. I would say that a better thing would be to lower the target number. 3 motes/-1 diff. and you can only lower it a number of points equal to your essence.

The Form Style - Your form now is: Initiative += MA, 1 Dodge,Accuracy +=MA,Dodge += MA. The 1 full dodge attempt I do not really care for. I would honestly say change it to: Double Base Iniative,(Essence/2) = # Independent Actions,Offense += MA,Defense += MA

Disturbance Detecting Method - I would say that since they are sensing the flow of time, they can not be surprised. Change in mechanics should work something like this imo - Cannot be supprised, each attack made against the Martial Artist results in dodge equal to ((Dex+MA–Essence) + Automatic Success Equal to Essence)

Rock Skips - I think this one you wanted to come off as Independent Actions instead of Extra Actions. Since I covered that in the Form Style, let this just be regular extra actions. This will definitely up the power of this tree.

-- Savare

I don't have much time before I've got to step out, but I've got to say I'm quite concerned by the power levels shown in this tree, as well as the direct contradiction of canon. In particular, the form seems /quite/ powerful compared to every other form out there, as it gives you a full dodge and +MA to attacks (already equal or better to, in terms of dice, the Air Form, for example, which gives multiple dodges (at MA pool only) as well as +MA to only ranged attacks), as well as affecting init, and also giving +MA to dodges. This puts you in the realm of Dex+MA*2 for dodges, and you start with a full dodge already, so you've got a lot to work through. You're getting +MA to all attacks, and +MA to init. That's a mighty powerful form there. The higher-end charm gives you a perfect attack /or/ defense, and it's supplemental, meaning it can be comboed (explicitly!), and it doesn't require you to be a Solar. Very few ways exist to get perfection if you're not a Solar, and a simple MA tree that's already quite powerful giving you a single charm that does both attacks and defenses (and comboable!) is dangerous, as it steps on the Solar schtick. Finally, you directly contradict canon in the creation of the ultimate charm, as canon specifically notes that there's no way to actually go backwards in time. You can adjust fate so that people think you were never there, but you were. Canon also notes that there's no way to bring back the dead (even with Solar circle sorcery), so your example of bringing your dead friends back not only contradicts time-canon, but also dead-canon. (Things like Sidereal's Duck Fate would allow you to re-write history so you weren't there, but wouldn't change the fact that your friends were dead anyway). So yeah, I'm concerned. - GregLink, with his standard level 4 hurricane raining on someone's parade.

The Form Charm is powerful... it's also an Essence 4 Charm that costs 8 motes and a Willpower, far above any other Form Charm outside of SMA (and even including some of them, thanks to the WP). It's a bit strong, but forms always are. The Perfect Attack/Defense is much more expensive than any other listed one (and, worth mentioning, Accuracy Without Distance is supplemental, and there are non-Solar perfect attacks). Being supplemental, it can't be comboed outside of MA. The pinnacle Charm is against canon, admittedly, although at its immense cost I don't see it being too strong. Forgot about that. Maybe something different for the top? - FrivYeti

Here is a thought for an alternate power at the top of the tree. Granted, the thought of the power is also very powerful. Imagine if you will, the amount of time it takes to wear down a mountain. So if Time equals Force, what if you compress all that time into one moment and strike the victim. The effects I can see as being similar to Rune of Singular Hate. So lets say that the victim loses a number of physical attribute dots equal to 1 + (Essence/2). Thoughts? --Savare

OK, sorry it took me so long to respond I just moved this week. <towelling off the sweat from my brow> So, I went in and changed the different charms per your suggestions. I still like the Idea of resetting a scene, but if it is severly against canon (I am still new to this game so be gentle ;)) I will take Savare's suggestion and go with the new charm above using his idea as inspiration. Insanewizard

MartialArts/RiverofTimeStyle

River of Time Style

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