Muzz/Jokers Obsession

Jokers Obsession

Fluff

Whats the point of standing in one spot and weathering blow after blow from your opponent?

Why be so serious when this very moment could be your last?

Who wants to die with a frown on their face or to let somebody go without a good laugh?

There are people watching somewhere. Why not entertain them?

I know I will.

The Joker is always moving, twisting and turning as he leaps about brandishing his wit as well as any man could wield a weapon. His jibes cut to the wick and hurt more then any other injury. Pride is a fools armour. In an instant the Joker moves from place to place, prancing and frolicking without a care in the world, his limbs contorting in astonishing ways. Then in an instant his muse changes and his face, for just a moment, shows the determination in his eyes. All his subtle words and careful movements fall neatly into place as with one graceful movement he leaves his opponent stretched out on the floor. Applause fills the air as he takes a bow and leaves the stage, able to play another day.

Crunch
So my idea for this style is creating something that would feel like playing a Court Jester. Tumbling, rolling, quick and witty. I would love to play this kind of style when paired with a character that was just out to have a laugh and was seldom serious. Maybe even pushing into some kind of dark morbid stuff towards the end of the MA.

When putting this style together I'm going to keep in mind a few things just to make sure the Style isn't straying too far from the original idea and isn't become too diluted.

1)The style is all about tumbling and moving.

2)The style itself is open to some kind of banter while fighting.

3)No huge attacks, its not that kind of style. But at the same time not overly weak, the joker has to live at the end of it.

4)Some kind of mental influence would be good. The opponent getting increasingly frustrated is just something that makes me smile when thinking about this style.

5)No breaking perfects, but with the exception of a surprise attack that can be responded to with charms that allow it (while keeping with point 3).

Charms

Before you can walk

Cost    : 3m Mins: Martial Arts (2) Essence (2)
Type    : Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prereqs : None

The first thing a Joker needs to learn has nothing to do with offense but concentrates entirely on defense. What good is a Joker that gets hit before they can tumble? After activating this charm, the Joker gets to add their Athletics to their Dodge DV for a single attack in an attempt to dive or tumble out of the way. At the end of the attack the Joker will be up to (Dex + Athletics)/2 yards away from the opponent if the dodge was successful.

I see you

Cost    : 6m Mins: Martial Arts (3) Essence (2)
Type    : Simple
Keywords: 
Duration: One Scene
Prereqs : Before you can walk...

The second thing a Joker needs to learn to live to an old age is to be able to see trouble coming. Upon activating this charm the Jokers scenes get heightened slightly, His eyes penetrate the darkness and his hearing sharpens so that he can dive away at the last moment. For the remainder of the scene the Joker is able to make a (Wits + Awareness) roll when an opponent announces an unexpected attack he would otherwise be able to see or hear. The difficulty for the roll is set at the attackers Essence. An arrow being loosed from the top of a building for example could be plausible depending on how far away the building is and the environment around the Joker. This charm does not work against spirits, charms that do not have the Obvious Keyword or attacks that reduce Dodge DV to zero. On a success the attack is no longer unexpected and the Joker can use his Current DV. (this means that if the Joker was currently under a -2DV penalty his DV is still at -2DV even if he detects the attack)

Oops, messed that up

Cost    : 4m Mins: Martial Arts (3) Essence (2)
Type    : Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prereqs : None

As everybody is different and has different styles of humor, so to do the people teaching Jokers Obsession. Some view attack greater then defense as much as they view Tomfoolery over self preservation. A joke is a joke despite the danger. This charm allows the Joker to make a quick and sudden attack to their opponent while making it look like the Joker has fouled up in some way. Whether it be a fall, tripping or getting someway impeded, the Joker orchestrates it all. Mechanics wise the Joker is able to make a full attack and then move away just out of reach using the lowest of his DV penalties.

Jokers Obsession Form

Cost    : 6m Mins: Martial Arts (3) Essence (2)
Type    : Simple
Keywords: Obvious, Form
Duration: One Scene
Prereqs : Before you can walk, I see you, Oops, messed that up.

Not only is the Joker an Expect on all things Comedic, his training has allowed him to fall, twirl, spin, flip and land safely. Drawing on Essence has made this all easier for the Joker, and where there is essence there is potential for more mischief. When the form is active, all of the gestures the Jokers makes seem to be harder to comprehend and lightened by a small glow. His words seem to carry with it a whimsical melody one moment and an out right rudeness the next. This translates in all of the Jokers attacks carrying with them an additional -1DV penalty to his opponent due to the difficulty to read his movements correctly. The Jokers words also seem to carry more power and credibility, giving the Jokers mental attacks the same reduction in the opponents mental defenses.

Comments

Please keep in mind that the charms/style as it stands is not the final draft and as I am new to making my own MA charms I have not had experience in balancing them in any way. Criticism is welcome as long as its constructive and I will take it all into consideration. Muzz

You suck! ;) Now that we have that out of the way, nice so far, can't wait to see the rest of them. I see you is probably a little over priced, and needs to be reflexive. Assuming this is a Celestial Style, I'd peg it at 2m, maybe even 1m. -nikink

Before you can walk - if you intend for the tumbling dodge to be able to break flurries by moving the Joker out of reach, it needs the Counterattack Keyword. nikink (Probably shouldn't bother averaging the distance like that either, set it fixed or make it a roll maybe.)