MartialArts/OldManoftheDesertStyle

Old Man of the Desert Style

Celestial. No weapons, no armor.

Themes: Defense, dangers of the sand, stealth

“You must fear the Old Man of the Desert, for he is warded against all attacks, and crushes those who oppose him.”

Sand Dune Attitude

4m

MA 2, Essence 1

Duration: Varies; Type: Supplemental

One of the first lessons one learns when surviving in the desert is when to hide, be it from the hot sun during the day, or from predators at night. Through this charm, the stylist sinks into their surroundings, blending in. For as long as they remain motionless, and commit Essence to this charm, the difficulty to spot them is raised by the stylist’s Martial Arts. Any movement on the stylist’s part breaks the effect of the charm.

Protection from the Sun

3m

MA 3, Ess 2

Duration: Instant; Type: Reflexive

Prereqs: Sand Dune Attitude

To protect himself from dangers, the stylist uses the sands as a means of protection. By throwing up a barrier of sand, the stylist is able to divert some of the damage from an attack. This adds the character’s Martial Arts to his Bashing and Lethal Soak.

Sandstorm Waltz

3m

MA 3, Ess 2

Duration: Instant; Type: Simple

Prereqs: Sand Dune Attitude

Sometimes movement is the key to survival. To someone surviving in the desert, this can be even more so. Sandstorm Waltz allows the stylist to instantly move up to Essence X 10 yards. A swirl of sand is created around the stylist, disappears, then reforms at the target location.

Old Man of the Desert Form

8m

MA 4, Ess 3

Duration: Scene; Type: Simple

Prereqs: Protection from the Sun, Sandstorm Waltz

By becoming an embodiment of the desert itself, the Old Man of the Desert uses sand itself as a form of protection. It swirls around him, reacting to attacks and stopping them. As long as the form is active, add the OMotD stylist’s Martial Arts score to the difficulty of any attack against him. He can parry lethal unarmed without a stunt, and, for 2 motes, can attempt to make a clinch counterattack (Wits + MA + Essence) using the sand in response to a close range attack. Only the stylist’s Essence in motes can be spent on the counterattacks per turn, and only one clinch can be maintained this way at any one time.

Sandstorm Overwhelming

5m, 1w; 2m/turn to maintain

MA 5, Ess 3

Duration: Instant; Type: Simple

Prereqs: Old Man of the Desert Form

Using the very sands around him (or those created with the form charm), the Old Man of the Desert attempts to catch his opponent at range, as a sandstorm overruns those out in the desert. The animate sand is used as a weapon, able to reach up to the stylist’s MA x 10 yards. To clinch his opponent, the stylist rolls his Wits + Martial Arts with Permanent Essence extra successes. This is also the roll used to maintain the clinch. This attack is unblockable.

Burial within the Sands

10m, 1w

MA 5, Ess 4

Duration: Instant; Type: Simple

Prereqs: Old Man of the Desert Form

Once a person is captured within the sands, the desert is ruthless. So to is the Old Man of the Desert. Once an opponent has been captured in his sands, either through the Form Charm or Sandstorm Overwhelming, he can demonstrate the ruthlessness of the desert, and attempt to crush his victim. With a pulse of Essence, the sand around his victim constricts, causing MA + Essence in Aggravated damage. The Old Man of the Desert must be in control of the clinch in order to activate this charm.

Armor of Sand

5m

MA 5, Ess 3

Duration: Instant; Type: Reflexive

Prereqs: Old Man of the Desert Form

To the Old Man of the Desert, sand becomes a means of protection. This charm exemplifies that. As an attack hits, the Old Man forms an incredibly strong barrier of sand around himself, and is able to reduce an attack to minimum damage (either the attacker’s Permanent Essence [Power Combat] or 1[Normal]).

The Desert Buries All

20m, 1w, 1HL

MA 5, Ess 5

Duration: Varies; Type: Simple

Prereqs: Armor of Sand, Sandstorm Overwhelming, Burial within the Sands

A true Old Man of the Desert rules the sands. This charm is an expression of the Old Man’s will against any who would oppose him. Functionally, this charm is much the same as Sandstorm Overwhelming, except on a much larger scale. This attack creates a desert anew, as the Old Man crushes all those in his way. The attack is unblockable and undodgeable, and covers an area of up to the Old Man’s Permanent Essence x 100 yards. The attack roll is still Wits + MA with Essence successes. Those trapped within must match those successes on a Strength + Athletics roll to dig themselves out. Suffocation rules apply if victims are unable to free themselves. Finally, the Old Man can use Burial within the Sands at normal cost against all trapped within his desert, crushing the lives from them.

Comments

Once again, any comments are welcome

I like this alot, but it seems a little cheap mote-wise for the results, in my humble opinion. - Han'ya

I have revised costs, making some things (Burial in the Sands, The Desert Buries All, the Form charm's clinch ability) more expensive, and raising the Essence minimum on a few charms. Legion