MartialArts/ThunderousSwordsmanStyle
A style developed in the High First Age by a Reckoner who viewed combat like she viewed how fate should be handled. Single acts that should resolve the matter instead of a dozen minor complex things hopefully all building to the result you wanted. Too many places for such a thing to mess up just as with combat. Combat should not be some long complex affair that just exposes yourself to danger for longer times. No blows in combat should be able to end matters with but one strike. While in Exalted combat perfect parries make such ideas rather difficult nonetheless this style allows deadly decisive blows and makes defending against them a serious challange. This style allows all sword types and their artifact equivilants to be used with it but does not permit armor. This is a Celestial Martial Art
Stance of the Thunderous Swordsman
Cost: -; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: None
As any trained swordsman will tell you the first few moments in combat can often decide how the whole battle will play out. Trained to press their advantage this charm lets the character switch places in the initiative order with any one person within one tick of themselves at the start of combat.
Lightning Thrust Assault
Cost: 2m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1; Type: Supplemental(Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
To end a fight you must first be able to strike your foe. By lending essence to this principal the characters strikes attain preternatural accuracy. Add the characters MA in dice to the attack roll so long as she does not flurry her attack. Charms which grant full attacks can be comboed with this charm.
Thunderous Swordsman Form
Cost: 6m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2; Type: Simple(Speed 3, DV -1)
Keywords: Form-type, Obvious
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Lightning Thrust Assault, Stance of the Thunderous Swordsman
The character assumes the fighting form of the Thunderous Swordsman. They appear on the verge of attacking. They hold their sword with the practiced grace of the masters. Their eyes see only places to strike and vulnerabilities to be exploited. The characters unarmed attacks do lethal damage and can block lethal attacks. The character is granted a pool equal to their Martial Arts score in points that can be used to upgrade your attacks. Points can go into speed(can not reduce your speed below 3), accuracy or damage but not into rate or defense. Points spent increasing damage also increase a weapons minimum damage by one.
Rolling Thunder Strike
Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Thunderous Swordsman Form
With one deft move there is now only one swordsman on the field. The martial artists foe is left unarmed and at his mercy. Add Strength to the attack roll to disarm someone and the roll does not suffer the usual -2 internal penalty. If you do disarm them you may make a reflexive Dex+MA roll at difficulty of their Wits to catch their sword before it flies off as per normal disarm rules.
Movement Before Movement Technique
Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Rolling Thunder Strike
Before the Thunderous Swordsman learned to use his strength to leave a foe unarmed. Now he learns to harness his speed. Tilting his weapon just so and focusing his essence he can for a moment move before the world catches up with what he is doing. The character rolls Dexterity + Martial Arts against an opponents Mental Dodge DV. If this roll is successful the attack counts as an unexpected and all the normal rules for opposing such things come into play. Charms of course that let one defend against unexpected attacks or to prevent them defeat this charm of course.
Water on the Wind Assault
Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Thunderous Swordsman Form
When you stand by the shore and the waves crash open the rocks their is no way to block the spray around you. Your only hope is to move back and away. This principal in mind the Thunderous Swordsman blade becomes like the ocean spray. Only through retreat can you escape it and should it find a home it will find all the cracks in your armor just as the spray will invariably find exposed skin to chill. The characters attack is unblockable and you add your permanent Essence score to the raw damage of the attack. It can not be used with Wind on the Water Assault.
Wind on the Water Assault
Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Stackable, Crippling
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Thunderous Swordsman Style
You can not outrun the wind but you can hide from it. The same can be said for the blade of the Thunderous Swordsman. Unless you hide from a strong wind you will find yourself buffetted and unbalanced. The characters attack is undodgeable. On a successful damage roll reduce the damaged characters Parry and Dodge DV by 1 for the rest of the scene. This effect can stack. May not be comboed with Water on the Wind Assault.
One Cut Assault
Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4; Type: Extra-Action
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Wind on the Water Assault, Water on the Wind Assault, Movement Before Movement Technique
With one swing the Swordsman's sword is in a dozen places all cutting at once. His blade glints with his power, the air moves so it does not slow down his hand and he finds the essence of one in the many. The character gets to make Essence attacks at full dice pool regardless of her weapons Rate. Only one roll is made however and the results of that roll count for each attack. He only suffers a DV penalty equal to the highest penalty for one attack. Any charms used to grant successes or additional dice to an attack roll need only be used once to apply to every attack.
Spirit of the Thunderous Swordsman
Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4; Type: Simple(Speed 4, DV -1)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: One Cut Assault
One Strike, one cut and then the fight is over. That is the spirit of the Thunderous Swordsman and this philosophy and charm has brought many people who thought themselves great low. The character makes a Martial Arts attack. If it hits the player rolls Essence + Martial Arts contested by an Essence + Resistance roll from the one hit. If the character using the charm wins wins reduce the opponent to Incapacited in Lethal damage. The the player fails to beat their roll they still inflicts unsoakable dice of lethal damage equal to twice the players permanent Essence score.
