MartialArts

Martial arts are immutably a part of the Eastern influences from which Exalted takes inspiration. As one of the few types of cross-type Charms that may be wielded by the Exalted, built in a directed, semi-standardized format intended to evoke specific strategies and thematics, many martial arts trees have been penned by contributors looking to expand the resources available to Exalted players and Storytellers.

This section includes fan-made Styles of all power levels, and page references to those Styles published in canon. Many may bend standard rules slightly, and each should be taken in the context it presents itself in; some may require weapons, or even use a different ability to determine minimums for martial arts-style Charms. Many authors are active on the Wiki, and would doubtlessly be happy to see comments on their Styles, whether praise or advice. Feel free to contribute your own work, or the work of others, so long as authors receive proper credit.

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Format Standards

• Charm formatting standards
  • specific standards.
• A formatting request: Wordman/MartialArtsRequest

Other Martial Arts Indices

Please update these as well as the by-rank indices when you post new styles!

• A list of Styles by contributor.
• A list of Styles by favored weapon.
• MartialArtsMatrix - suitable for copying into a spreadsheet

Other Martial Arts Links

• MartialArts/MartialArtsGeneralRules explains how Martial Arts work in Creation.
• MartialArtsRelay, a part of CrunchRelay
• MAStyleIdeaBank: A list of names for martial arts styles. Use to spice up martial artists without having to make them Martial Artists!
• Martial Arts Quick Reference Sheets containing one-page summaries of all twenty canon styles printed through June 2004.
• Design Guidelines
  • By Balthasar
  • By Clebo, et al
  • By Rebecca Borgstrom
  • DaveFayram/PrismStyle
• MartialArts/BestOf - Please vote for your favorite martial arts. - Voidstate
• For Martial Arts houserules that don't have to do with Charms, please consult Abilities/MartialArts
• Martial arts - A system for making martial arts tied to other abilities.
• Dmccoy1693/MA - Schools, sifus, etc.
• GoldenH/MartialArts
• JesseLowe/MartialArts
• FightingSchools
• Ialdabaoth/ICAbilities
• GregLink/CelestialTerrestrialMA
• Orphen/Combatants
• MartialArts/KataSystem - An alternate Martial Arts system that separates it from the basic Ability and makes it operate like Sorcery or Necromancy.
• VarazesMortalMartialArts
• Jimcrimson/2e_mortal_martial_arts I know I shouldn't love MMA's but I do! Here is why.

Styles By Rank

TerrestrialMartialArts

Terrestrial level martial arts are the purview of the Dragon-Blooded. Although any Exalt may learn or create a Terrestrial Style at normal cost, many are elementally aligned, incurring a 1-mote cost-per-turn to emulate the elemental Essence of a style's Charm, and many take advantage of a Terrestrial's ability to use multiple Reflexive Charms in a turn. Though not as potent as Celestial styles, these martial arts may often be more efficient than their Celestial counterparts. There are generally believed to be thousands of Terrestrial styles, ephemeral as the leaves of a tree, here one generation and gone the next.

CelestialMartialArts

All Celestial Exalted may create and learn Celestial styles, although some styles may generally require specific regimes to learn them. The weaker Essence of the Terrestrial Exalted makes Celestial styles less accessible to them: a supernatural initiation is needed for Terrestrials to learn Celestial styles, and they cannot create them normally.

SiderealMartialArts

Sidereal martial arts are among the most potent Charms in Creation, perhaps matching the power of Solar and Abyssal foes in their specific aptitudes. These secret styles are the aptitude of their Sidereal progenitors, and it is they who most readily benefit from them. Solars may learn such Charms at increased cost, and cannot benefit from the Sutras that further empower Sidereal wielders, and will find making a style at this level difficult, or even impossible. Other Exalts are wholly unable to grasp the nature of such Styles' Essence.

UnusualMartialArts

These Styles are those which do not correspond to the three martial levels of canon, or are otherwise limited to a specific group, that rely on the Essence or innate powers of a specific Exalted type, such as Solar Melee Styles or exclusive Martial Arts, a tree requiring Lunar shapeshifting, or one which mortals might learn. Their power levels vary as much as the characters that might wield them.

MartialArtsInitiations

In Exalted: The Dragon-Blooded and the Exalted Players' Guide, we find the first three Martial Arts cascades that are not incorporated into a full Style. These three "initiations" extend the learner's understanding of the Martial Arts; in particular, they allow Terrestrial Exalted to learn Celestial Martial Arts, and thereby reach the full development of their potential.