DigitalSentience/DeadlySpiderStyle
Contents
Deadly Spider Style
Celestial Level, 9 Charms. Not compatible with any weapons.
Deadly Spider Style is a higher-level Celestial style, approaching Sidereal levels near its pinnacle.
Introduction
Queen of Sable Spiders calmly moved from behind her desk. Blocking the large room's only exit were 3 heavy-set ruffians, sent by the local crime-boss Vanas. Queen studied them before speaking.
"I am sorry it has come to this, gentlemen."
Their only response was to leer at her - then, as one, they sprang forward with weapons raised.
Queen of Sable Spiders moved with unnatural grace, weaving an invisible pattern that connected her, the surroundings, and the thugs. Their clumsy club-swings found only air, as Queen was already dodging almost before the attacks began. Periodically, her hand would strike out with a lightning-fast jab - the recipient of this attack would stumble, hesitate, or become momentarily befuddled, interrupting his assault.
Finally, there was stillness in the room. The three thugs stood impotently, dumbfounded, as Queen of Sable Spiders studied them once again. Then, with an almost-contemptuous air, she felled all three with a single, surgically precise strike apiece.
Queen of Sable Spiders left her assailants on the floor, all three staring at the ceiling with unseeing eyes. "When you can move again, please close the door on your way out."
Background
"No one can stand against a Deadly Spider Stylist - they are cunning masters of defense, manipulating the entire battle to suit their whims! Truly, they are untouchable!"
The Deadly Spider style was created as a response to a number of extant Spider Styles that seem to emphasize the venemous and many-legged nature of spiders over their most potent weapon: their webs. I resolved to create a Spider Style that placed more emphasis on defense, gradually wearing down an opponent until they lay helpless before the martial artist, at which point the Spider stylist would deal a single, decisive, and extremely lethal blow.
Deadly Spider Style is based off of DigitalSentience/InvincibleSpiderStyle, which was my first attempt at a defensive Spider Style. szilard made a comment about a style that didn't rely on the idea of the Web (which required the Martial Artist to prepare the battle-site in advance), with the metaphorical "web" of the Spider Stylist instead being part of the Form. This had been my initial conception forDigitalSentience/InvincibleSpiderStyle, so I decided to try again, taking a slightly different tack.
The early Charms focus on defense and avoidance - the Spider does not do battle in situations it does not control. Deadly Spider Style practitioners similarly seek to control the battle at all times, and may be in severe danger if they fail to do so.
The Form Charm is the keystone of the Style, creating the "web" that represents environmental mastery. It also provides solid, persistent defensive benefits.
The "master" Charms take four paths: ranged clinches, for immobilizing and controlling (2 Charms); Strand production and redistribution (2 Charm); environment-manipulation (1 Charm); and Strand-exploitation (1 Charm).
The "ultimate" Charm is a unification of these principles, providing solid benefits in both attack and defense.
Layout:
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Form
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Ultimate
Charms
Style-wide definitions: a "Strand" reduces all of a target's combat-related dice pools (attacking, defending, fleeing) by one die for the purposes of dealing with the Spider-stylist only. A target may not be affected by more Strands than the Deadly Spider Style practitioner's MA + Essence. Strands disappear when their target is killed, or else last for the duration of one scene. Strands may never reduce a target's pool below the target's Essence before wound penalties are calculated.
Eightfold Scrutiny of the Web
Cost: 4 motes Type: Reflexive Duration: Instant Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: None
The spider can defeat even the strongest opponents, but only through patience and careful choosing of the battlefield. This Charm enables even beginning students of the Deadly Spider Style to use virtually any surroundings to their advantage.
To reflect this innate ability of the Spider-stylist to seize advantage from their surroundings, the martial artist may use Eightfold Scrutiny to add MA in dice to all their actions taken in the first round of a battle. Any opponent who attacks the Spider-stylist during this turn receives a Strand before their first attack is resolved.
If the martial artist initiated combat, they may not use this Charm. They may still attack in the first round, but they may not be the first to decide to attack.
If being ambushed, the Storyteller should give the Deadly Spider Stylist the option to activate this Charm, in which case it also applies to the reflexive Perception + Awareness roll to spot the ambush, and if that fails, the Wits + Awareness roll to act normally.
Silk Entrapment Defense
Cost: 3 motes Type: Reflexive Duration: Instant Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Eightfold Scrutiny of the Web
A Spider stylist is a master of controlling the battle, even while on the defensive. With this Charm, a practitioner can use their defense to draw their opponent into increasingly disadvantageous positions.
Upon activation, a Spider stylist adds his MA in dice to a single dodge or parry attempt, and a Strand is applied to the attacker on a successful defense. Note that this Strand will not affect the attack being defended against, but will affect all subsequent actions in the turn.
This Charm may not be used while wearing armor.
Deadly Spider Form
Cost: 6 motes Type: Simple Duration: One Scene Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: ???
(reassign Strands of fallen foes)
(generate X Strands per turn, which can be assigned reflexively) OR (assign a Strand to any attacker, whether the attack was successful or not - combines with Silk Entrapment) AND/OR (assign a Strand to any opponent successfully hit)
(
This is a Form Charm, and is incompatible with any other other Form Charms. This Charm may not be used while wearing armor.
???
Cost: ? motes Type: Reflexive Duration: Instant Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Deadly Spider Form
(environment manipulation)
???
Cost: ? motes Type: Reflexive Duration: Instant Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Deadly Spider Form
(Strand production and redistribution - possibly ranged Strand assignment)
Instantaneous Cocooning Assault
Cost: 5 motes Type: Simple Duration: Instant Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: ???
Gathering the local strands of Essence around his arms and fists, the martial artist stands perfectly still for a moment, then launches a powerful flurry of blows. This attack does no more damage than normal, but as the strikes land, the opponent can almost feel herself being bound by cables stronger than steel and lighter than air.
To use Instantaneous Cocooning Assault, a martial artist makes a Martial Arts attack, which is resolved normally. After a successful attack is resolved, for each die of pre-soak damage, the target is afflicted with one Strand. The target need not be in or under the effects of a Web.
A target may not be affected by more Strands than the Deadly Spider Style practitioner's MA + Essence. Strands disappear when their target is killed, or else last for the duration of one scene. Strands may never reduce a target's pool below the target's Essence before wound penalties are calculated.
This Charm may not be used while wearing armor.
(Strand production and redistribution)
???
Cost: 2 motes Type: Supplemental Duration: Instant Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Deadly Spider Form
(ranged clinches)
???
Cost: 2 motes Type: Supplemental Duration: Instant Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: ???
(ranged clinches - possibly slamming multiple Stranded people into one another)
???
Cost: ??? Type: Simple Duration: One Scene Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Deadly Spider Form
(Strand exploitation - reducing Soak by number of Strands on target)
(idea: if the number of Strands on an enemy targetted by this Charm exceeds their Essence, the attacks' damage is automatically Lethal; if the number of Strands exceeds the target's Strength + Essence, the damage is Piercing)
???
Cost: ??? Type: ??? Duration: ??? Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 5 Prereqs: ???, Instantaneous Cocooning Assault, ???, ???
(perfect attack?)
Rough Ideas
"The more the prey struggles, the weaker they become..."
More Charms that add additional Strands, max of Essence+MA Strands on a single target
An attack Charm ("Speed of 8 Legs Snaring"?) that also inflicts one or more Strands ("Instantaneous Cocooning Assault"?)
Ultimate: Ess 4, MA 5 ("Mastery of the Harmonious Web"?)
Comments
I imagine someone putting up the Form Charm and a web of Essence spreading out around them. I'd also suggest adding some strand-clinches-at-range to this. -szilard
