MartialArts/SixSpiderStyle

Six Spider Martial Arts</b>

Spiders all they came
From the nest
Each to walk a path

The style of the Six Spiders was developed by Harvest Thoughtful, a young Sidereal martial artist with great ambitions for one who hadn’t yet reached two centuries of age. Considered a rogue by many, his dealings with the Solars of creation gave him a prominent, though unwanted position in the Gold Faction. It wasn’t the Solar influence though that brought about this style, rather the questing of a single Dragonblood who wished to understand the Sidereal ways of martial arts. He knew that many experienced dragonbloods had died in the Sidereal attempts to teach them the ways of the Advanced Styles of Heavenly Discipline, and yet this one had such a drive and potential that the very question touched Harvest to his soul. He created the style in hopes of bringing the essence types usages of the celestial style to raise a Dragonblood to the beginning levels of discipline required to reach those Heavenly aspirations.
The style is based in progressing both in martial art prowess from lower levels of base understanding into the highest reaches of requirements and ability. Unlike other martial arts styles, the basics of this style revolve around the use of weapons, and within its form they are a requirement, not an option. Considering that the focus of the style needed to be more external in nature, the style is designed to compliment the Charcoal March of Spiders Sidereal Level Martial Arts Style.
The style is based around movement and athletic ability with defensive more than offensive capability. At mastery level the final charm is powerful, though it does have a high cost and requirement.

Allowed Weapons: Seven Section Staves and Daggers
Allowed Armor: The entire style is not compatable with armor

<B>Charm Listing</b>

<B>Many Legs Standing</b>

<B>Cost: 2m

Duration: Instant

Type: Reflexive

Min Martial Arts: 2

Min Essence: 2

“The road is long”, one said
This charm allows the Martial Artist to subtract their Martial Arts ability from the difficulty for any knockdown or trip attack to a minimum of one. If used against a “perfect” knockdown charm or effect, the martial artist may resist the effect at a difficulty of the attacker’s permanent Essence score. This doesn’t mean the character can’t be knocked back, only that forcing them to the ground is much more difficult. If downed, the charm allows them to rise without using an action.

Deft Eyes of Eight</b>

<B>Cost: 5m

Duration: 8 turns

Type: Reflexive

Min MA: 3

Min Essence: 2

Prerequisite: Many Legs Standing

“And I know the way”, said another
Spiders are aware of their surroundings, and this charm allows the martial artist to gain that same sense of awareness that makes a spider such a capable and efficient creature. By spending the required motes the martial artist may add their Essence to any Awareness related ability test. Charms such as Mental Invisibility Technique do not affect the senses; rather the mind of the creature and this charm does not grant any special immunity to such charms.

Pouncing Spider Practice</b>

<B>Cost: 4m + 1 WP

Duration: Instant

Type: Simple

Min MA: 3

Min Essence: 2

Prerequisite: Deft Eyes of Eight

And the next was hungered from the journey…
By dropping from a vantage point above their target, the martial artist gains surprise on their unaware opponent. If exalted, the difficulty to avoid surprise is raised by the martial artist’s permanent Essence score.
This charm is expressly allowed to be in combo with charms of other abilities.

Hiding Spider Technique</b>

<B>Cost: 2m + 1m per Target

Min MA: 3

Min Essence: 2

Type: Supplemental

Duration: Turn

Prerequisite: Deft Eyes of Eight

So they laid in wait for the time to come…
Stealth and camouflage is the way of the Hiding Spider, and this charm allows the martial artist to add their permanent Essence to a single stealth attempt against a number of known targets. The martial artist must be aware of the threats however, and those hidden from the martial artist are not affected by this charm nor can the martial artist pay for unknown targets. During the duration of this charm the martial artist may move normally with no movement penalties for attempting stealth.

Eight Feet and Two Fang Form</b>

<B>Cost: 8m

Duration: Scene

Type: Simple

Min MA: 4

Min Essence: 4

Prerequisite: Pouncing Spider Practice, Hiding Spider Technique

“I will dance.” Said the first in a box. “I will kill.” Said the youngest on the house. The first bit deep and the youngest ran away…
This form is specialized, depending on the weapon the martial artist wields it grants different bonuses. These bonuses can change in the middle of combat if the martial artist changes weapons, and may change as often as their weapon selection does though no more than once a round.
For the seven section staff the Charm is called, Eight Feet Form and allows the martial artist to add their permanent essence score to all defensive rolls, be they parries or dodges. This does not grant a dice pool, and counts as total allowable bonuses to such pools. Lastly the form allows them to move, attack, parry, or dodge even if there is little room to do so providing the martial artist isn’t physically bound.
For the wielder of the Dagger the charm is called Two Fang Form and offers a much different set of abilities. The martial artist’s attacks gain the piercing modifier and inflict a one-die penalty for each successful hit that damages their target that lasts a number of turns equal to the martial artist’s permanent essence in addition to the normal damage inflicted. Penalties so incurred are considered Wound Penalties. This penalty can reduce a pool to zero. Lastly the form allows the martial artist to add their martial arts ability score to their initiative rolls with the dagger.
The only ability shared by both forms is the ability to ready either a dagger or a seven-section staff as a reflexive action while the form is active. Weapons can only be switched a maximum of once per round.
Special: The martial artist must fight with either a seven section staff or a dagger to activate this form, and if ever disarmed, the form immediately ends.

Falling Spider Discipline</b>

<B>Cost: 1m per 10 yards canceled

Duration: Varied

Type: Reflexive (Special)

Min MA: 4

Min Essence: 4

Prerequisite: Eight Feet and Two Fang Form

And fell down a well to the water below…
By riding the winds of chance and along the web of fates the martial artist can slow falling damage by spending essence. This charm will activate even if the surprised. If the martial artist is unconscious they must succeed at a Conviction test for the charm to activate automatically. A gracious narrator may allow stunts to allow a character to glide or influence direction while falling.

Climbing Spider Technique</b>

<B>Cost: 5m

Duration: Scene

Type: Simple

Min MA: 4

Min Essence: 4

Prerequisite: Eight Feet and Two Fang Form

So he took to the sky…
The charm allows the martial artist to move perfectly up vertical or horizontal surfaces with no penalties to movement or chance of misstep. During the charm’s effect, the user suffers no movement penalties due to injury or environmental condition. Glass is the only exception, and on such the martial artist is reduced to Dexterity in yards per round alone. Unlike Graceful Crane Stance, the martial artist must rely on those things able to hold them and gains no weight bearing abilities.
In conjunction with the Weaving Spider Practice, the character may move with perfect agility along a strand of their making.

Weaving Spider Practice</b>

<B>Cost: 5m

Duration: Scene

Type: Reflexive

Min MA: 5

Min Essence: 4

Prerequisite: Falling Spider Discipline

And wove them all a home…
By pulling on strands of essence, the martial artist may create a single thread of essence that shines as dawn upon quicksilver. This strand will obey the weaver and can perform tricks and movements according to the desires of the martial artist. It is very durable, though fire immediately destroys the filament. It can reach to a maximum length of the martial artist’s essence times 5 yards. Attacking with the filament is very risky, as commanding a strand takes an action, though it does have a speed and accuracy of the weaver’s martial arts score, a damage and defense rating of zero, and a rate 4 with as many health levels and Soak rating equal to the creator’s permanent essence. The strands receive no Soak for fire attacks. For purposes of strength only the weaver’s abilities or its anchor limits it.
Multiple strands may be created, though each counts as a separate use of this charm.

Jumping Spider Prana</b>

<B>Cost: 4m per Action

Duration: Instant

Type: Extra Action

Min MA: 5

Min Essence: 4

Prerequisite: Climbing Spider Technique

For all to reach in heaven…
The speed and agility of the Jumping Spider is a wonderful thing to behold and this charm endears the subtle magnificent quality of the spider within its application. Walking along the strands of essence that cascade in the world the martial artist may gain a number of actions no greater than their permanent essence score that may be used for any action including movement. Each counts as a full action, though dice pools may not be split or a cascading defense used when using this charm. Actions may be “saved” in the round allowing the expenditure of an action for a defensive maneuver, though any actions not used by the end of the round are lost.

Six Spider Wisdom</B>

<B>Cost: NA

Duration: Permanent

Type: NA

Min MA: 5

Min Essence: 4

Prerequisite: Climbing Spider Technique, Jumping Spider Prana

Touching the prey of thoughts where six spiders walk the path.
The culmination of training the mastery charm of this path is the stepping-stone to the secrets of the Sidereal Charcoal March of Spiders Style. This charm is considered a Secret Charm and must be trained, though it still exists as part of the Celestial Style and thus is not paid for with higher experience costs. Learning this charm alters the martial artist physically. Their hands and feet are hardened with essence permanently, and from that day forward their natural attacks are considered lethal attacks. This is both a blessing and a curse, as evermore without using charms they must accept the higher difficulty for attempting to subdue an opponent with bashing damage. This charm alters the flows of essence within the body as well, and with this alteration the martial artists may activate any of the six spider charms, paying for the charm normally, and not count as a charm use for the martial artist. Only one may be Spider Charm may be active at any one time, and activating a new Spider Charm ends the previous one, unless activated normally not using the enhanced nature of this Wisdom.

Story Possibility
Learning this Martial Arts Style can allow a Dragonblood, or even a Lunar, to Progress into the Forbidden Arts of the Sidereal Level arts, albeit limitedly. By mastery of an Elemental Celestial Style, and by learning this Style to its mastery level the initiate might be able to learn up to the Form of the Sidereal Martial Arts Charcoal March of Spiders. It is recommended that the minimums for such Sidereal level martial ability and essence requirement have an addition +1 added to them to represent the severe training and dedication they require.

Comments

Six Spider Wisdom seems to be too strong - it allows you to use an Extra Action Charm without counting as your Charm use for the turn? Eek. What does that last sentence mean?

Finally, both this Style and CMoSS create strands of Essence silk. Are they meant to be compatible form weaponry across styles? - willows