MartialArts/RighteousDevilStyleEdit
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Righteous Devil Style
Righteous Devils are dispensers of Heaven's divine judgment. Those who walk as Righteous Devils follow a single precept - to burn in celestial flame all who defile those who serve at the feet of unrighteousness!
Righteous Devil Style considers attacks made using Firedust-powered weapons as Unarmed attacks. All Charms in this Style are compatible with armor.
Student Techniques
Lighting Draw Stance
Cost: 1 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial Arts: 2
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite Charms: None
With this Charm, the martial artist need not have her weapon in hand before Initiative is rolled to use it. Vibrant cobalt lightning crackles and coalesces about her forearm, and in one fluid motion, the Devil readies her firewand and fires. Activating this Charm allows the Devil to draw and ready her weapons with one Reflexive movement that requires no thought and no time. She is able to holster her weapons as fast as she can ready them, going from armed to unarmed and to armed again in fluid, impossible movements whenever she uses this Charm -- this movement is so swift that in social situations it might allow the Devil a surprise attack: roll the Adept's Dexterity+Martial Arts against his opponent's Wits+Awareness to establish surprise in plain sight using this Charm.
Twin Phoenix Fist
Cost: 4 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite Charms: Lighting Draw Stance
With this Charm the Devil's hands coruscate with burning Essence like twin beating wings - each movement of one synchronized with and empowered by the other!
For the remainder of the Scene the Devil suffers no "off-hand" penalties and lowers her split-action penalties by half her Essence (rounded up) as long as they are evenly distributed between both hands.
Cloud of Ebon Devils
Cost: 1 mote
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite Charms: Lighting Draw Stance
Despite the superior damage capabilities of Firedust-based weapons, there are certain drawbacks to using them: the low availability and astronomical price of firedust, just to name a couple. Also, their temperamental nature
and need for constant upkeep and repair make them difficult choices for use in the field. But perhaps the biggest difficulty in using firedust-based weapons is that most flamedischarge weapons are single-shot ones -- one must spend time to reload one after each shot. A Righteous Devil can ignore this particular weakness! This Charm allows the Devil to reload his weapon with one Reflexive movement that requires no thought and no time.
Heaven's Kiss Concentration
Cost: 1 mote per +1 acc
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite Charms: Lighting Draw Stance
The character draws a breath and concentrates, extending her senses to feel the flow of Essence that unites her, her weapon and her target. In this perfect moment, the Devil fires her strike and the tongue of flame bursting forth seeks out her intended target with knowing assurance. The Devil must choose an oponent and spend one dice action aiming prior to attacking for this Charm to take effect - this Charm specifically allows the Exalt to co-opt actions of Extra Action Charms to aiming. She may then increase the accuracy of her unarmed martial arts attacks by paying one mote per 2 dice added as long as she does not exceed her weapon's accuracy + her Martial Arts score. This Charm can be used against the opponent she has aimed at as many times as she wishes as long as the opponent remains a constant in its position, speed and surroundings: drastic movement, positioning changes or vanishing from sight make this bonus vanish and require the Devil to spend another action aiming before receiving the benefits of this Charm again.
Blossom of Inevitable Demise
Cost: 2 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Heaven's Kiss Concentration
As with Heaven's Kiss Concentration the character draws a breath and concentrates upon her opponent, but unlike its predecessor the Devil concentrates not on their position and the relationship between their places in the world, but in their opponent's sins against it! During this action of concentration the character recites her opponent's transgressions against Heaven like a mantra before launching that spirals into a blossoming peony of flame. Each violation of Divine or Secular law the Devil recites add their Severity (see Exalted: The Sidereals page 36: secular offenses are disturbances of a kingdom's laws, balance and important Gods) to the raw damage of a single unarmed martial arts attack. The Devil cannot recite more violations than her Conviction score.
The action used to recite the opponent's crimes can be the same one Heaven's Kiss Concentration uses to aim against the opponent - both are the same in their single-minded focus on their target.
The Form
Righteous Devil Form
Cost: 7 motes
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Blossom of Inevitable Demise, Twin Phoenix Fist, Cloud of Ebon Devils
Enacting this Form, the Righteous Devil takes on an executioner's terrible stillness. Shadows seem to darken about his eyes and render his features gaunt, giving him an imposing, dreadful gaze. He is the fatal answer to the depraved and unjust, the retribution all who would defy Heaven knew must someday come. After activating this Charm, all extras who lay eyes on the martial artist will move unassumingly, as not to draw attention to themselves, yet swiftly for cover, pull their children inside and bolt their doors - whereas all targets of the martial artist within her Essence x 10 yards feel a sense foreboding and are compelled to confront the Righteous Devil: up until a target actually makes eye contact with her she must suceed in a successful reflexive Willpower roll each turn with a difficulty equal to the Devil's Permanent Essence rating or her character moves to confront the martial artist. Characters may spend a point of temporary Willpower to stop this compulsion. Once a target has spent a turn engaged in combat or parley with the Devil she is immune to this effect for the remainder of the scene. Combat with the Righteous Devil is a difficult thing, however - all attacks against the Devil by those compelled to come to their executioner have their Difficulty increased by half the martial artist's Conviction, rounded down.
As long as she enacts the Righteous Devil form the character can reload and draw her weapons as with Lighting Draw Stance and Cloud of Ebon Devils reflexively.
This is a Martial Arts Form-type Charm and is incompatible with other Charms of like type; should the martial artist activate another Form, this one immediately ends.
Mastery Techniques
Phoenix Flies on Golden Wings Attack
Cost: 2 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Righteous Devil Form
With this Charm a martial artist can extend the range of his attacks. Upon activating this Charm a halo of gold and cobalt light encircles the tip of the her weapon's barrel. When the character pulls the trigger six golden swan wings, each the length of a woman's forearm, gracefully spiral out of the halo and speed the tongue of flame to its extended target. The player spends 1 mote of Essence to increase the range of her unarmed martial arts attack by (her Essence x5) yards.
Phantom Flamebolt Prana
Cost: 2 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Righteous Devil Form
When invoking this Charm, the Celestial martial artist breathes deeply, tapping her inner reservoir of Essence, like bellows stoking a furnace. With each breath, she channels Essence through her weapon, using it as her
focus. The Exalt can then fire a bolt of gossamer golden flame from his flamewand rather than needing firedust: so long as he has Essence to fuel it, he need never worry about running out of ammunition again.
Blessing of Righteous Spark Meditation
Cost: 2 motes
Duration: Until Dispensed
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Righteous Devil Form
With this Charm, the Righteous Devil can wreathe her weapon in Heaven's righteousness. She meditates and invokes a blessing on her weapon, and when she finishes the evocation gossamer tongues of heatless golden flame writhe along the barrel of her firewand or knuckles, imbuing them with an iridescent cast. The benefits to the weapon are more than merely cosmetic. The player spends 2 motes of Essence for her character to invoke the blessing, which are committed until the Exalt attacks, releasing the charge. Add the Devil's Permanent Essence to the base damage of the firewand or similar weapon when it is next fired and deals Aggravated Damage against a single subset of creatures based on the defining color of the iridescent light upon the barrel of her weapon - Solars leave a Gold light, Chosen of Serenity leave a Blue light, and so on - a Devil starts knowing her own defining color, and can learn other ones at the cost of 1 Experience Point.
- Gold The color of Solars. Damage is Aggravated against Creatures of Darkness and those who have broken the order of a society.
- Silver The color of Lunars. Damage is Aggravated against Mutants and those in the throes of madness.
- Saffron The color of Journeys. Damage is Aggravated against Creatures Outside of Fate and those who disrupt Trade.
- Cerulean The color of Serenity. Damage is Aggravated against Creatures Outside of Fate and those who have sinned against love.
- Crimson The color of Mars. Damage is Aggravated against Creatures Outside of Fate and those who have deserted conflict.
- Viridian The color of Secrets. Damage is Aggravated against Creatures Outside of Fate and those who have revealed that which should have been a state secret.
- Violet The color of Endings. Damage is Aggravated against Creatures Outside of Fate and those who have harmed others to live past their time.
- Azure The color of Air. Damage is Aggravated against Creatures of Earth and who have killed another with ranged weapons.
- Alabaster The color of Earth. Damage is Aggravated against Creatures of Air and those who witnessed injustice and yet did nothing.
- Orange The color of Fire. Damage is Aggravated against Creatures of Water and those who have perverted fire with arsonism.
- Ebon The color of Water. Damage is Aggravated against Creatures of Fire and those who engage in piracy.
- Emerald The color of Wood. Damage is Aggravated against Ghosts, the Undead, and those engaged in drug trade.
Azure Abacus Meditation
Cost: 5 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Phoenix Flies on Golden Wings Attack, Blessing of Righteous Spark Meditation, Phantom Flamebolt Prana
The martial artist using this Charm draws a controlled, deep breath and holds it. She extends her senses to perceive the ebb and flow of Essence that permeates the world around her. As she concentrates, the tenuous connections that tie her and her weapon to her target become glaringly apparent to her. At this point, she can close her eyes, for she need not see her target to strike it. Her Caste Mark flares and pulses with the beating of her own heart. At the same moment, a series of notched rings of silvery azure light encircle her target. They are of varying widths, numbering between three and nine in total, and rotate around the target at odd angles, some
spinning clockwise, while others spin widdershins. This is the Azure Abacus. In the days of the First Age, this Charm was an artful meditation of the most introspective and intimate — and, some considered, prideful — nature, for it measured, some believed, a soul’s nature, existence and importance in the grand scope of Creation. Unfortunately, in this dark Age, the knowledge of how to glean any pertinent information from such a display is completely lost, even to the martial artist invoking this Charm. If there are any alive who remember how to gauge the delicate nuances of the Azure Abacus, they are not sharing the information.
To reach this state the Devil must spend an action aiming in the same manner as Heaven's Kiss Concentration.
Upon reaching this harmonious state, the Exalt invoking this Charm fires her weapon, and her shot zeros in on her target, trailing a brilliant comet's tail of flaming Essence. As the fireball closes in on its target, this ancient accounting begins to solve itself. The rings begin to align, starting with the innermost, and quickly rectify themselves a hairsbreadth moment before the martial artist's attack hits. In this perfect moment just before the Exalt's attack strikes the middle of the Abacus, time slows to an immeasurable halt. The martial artist’s target perceives the rectified rings about him shift their shape. A chorus of aquiline, cobalt cherubim, three to nine risers deep and awash in silver and golden flames begin to sing. The melody resonates at a very intimate level with the target, matching the harmonic frequency of his soul. Such a display can be very unsettling to those not prepared for it, and the players of those subjected must make a successful reflexive Willpower roll, difficulty 2, for their characters to do anything other than stare or scream in shocked terror as inescapable retribution comes calling. So long as the target stays within the firing range of the martial artist’s weapon, the attack cannot miss. Even if the character can move, the attack is Undodgeable and can only be parried with Charms or other sorts of magic.
Dance of Howling Magma Sprites
Cost: 10 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Phoenix Flies on Golden Wings Attack
Martial artists knowledgeable of this Charm are deadly foes, especially in close quarters, with little to hide behind. Upon firing his weapon, the bolt of flame spits from the end of the barrel only to come to a shrieking halt a yard from the barrel-end of the firewand and, with a thunderous clap, explodes into a small winged creature that howls, spiraling toward its target - if she succeeds on a flame-based unarmed Martial Arts attack (using a Firedust-based weapon or Phoenix Flies on Golden Wings Attack to boost a barehanded attack) she can attack again against a different opponent within range (as if the Devil was in the place of his first opponent) and keep doing so as long as the attacks suceed, with a maximum number of ricochets equal to the adept's Permanent Essence rating. Effects held on the strike - such as Blessing of Righteous Spark Meditation - remain as long as it ricochcets. Charms need only be paid once for all ricochets.
Sinner-Marking Torch
Cost: 3 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Blessing of Righteous Spark Meditation
Witnessing a crime a Righteous Devil knows he has had enough! With a shout of reprobation and a blast of angry crimson flame the martial artist brands an opponent with a furious mark that leaves searing pain and bursts into burning-red light whenever the accused finds himself in sight of the authorities. Once an opponent is struck by an unarmed Martial Arts attack enhanced by this Charm the Devil can commit 1 mote to leave the mark upon the sinner: hencefort he will be thought as Guilty - increasing their Difficulty in all actions to stave off legal prosecution by the Devil's Essence - and becomes a natural target of a Righteous Devil. The Devil's Firedust-based weapons will make their own ammunition based on righteous indignation on all attacks against the marked sinner, which never need the aiming turn required for other Charms of this Style - the martial artist already knows the sinner and his violations of Heaven and Man's laws. All that is left is for them to suffer for it.
The Devil cannot commit motes for more sinners than her Permanent Essence rating. The mark will remain as long as the motes are committed, until the Righteous Devil dies, frees the committed motes, or it is wiped by a power at least as powerful as Sapphire Countermagic.
Righteous Burning Eyes
Cost: 10 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Azure Abacus Meditation
For a brief second the martial artist receives the understanding of the Azure Abacus, and on all the people visible to them the notched rings of silvery azure light can be seen, encircling the bodies of all living entities in their different numbers and patterns. Some of those have furious red veils like blood rubies on them, however, marks of crime and guilt that a Righteous Devil can gleam information from. One the turn this Charm is used the character knows all infractions made against the Laws of Heaven by all those he can see. He does not know the details of those infractions, just the generalities - 'killed a Terrestrial Exalted' or 'Disturbed the peace of Heaven', for instance. If the character pays an additional 1 willpower he can see the infractions committed by the characters against the laws of Man. The Martial Artist can see no more than his Essence in infractions on any single creature, going from the highest, and most noticeable, to the lowest, mere veils amidst the rings.
Caress of 1,000 Hells
Cost: 13 motes, 1 willpower, 1 health level
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Righteous Burning Eyes, Sinner-Marking Torch, Dance of Howling Magma Sprites
A master of this style has an acute and profound understanding into the nature of Essence. The invisible matrix of divine energy that tethers all of Creation into one whole, where concepts of space and distance do not exist, becomes evident and accessible to her. When invoking this Charm, the martial artist attunes herself to the ambient lines of Essence, pulling them through her and focusing and filtering these energies through her righteous will. The Martial Artist spends a single action aiming as in Heaven's Kiss Concentration, essence trails seen radiating around her third eye, tongues of Celestial fire and lightning writhing about her head and shoulders. The Exalt then calls out a single sin by her target before she fires her weapon, and an Essence-enriched deluge of cobalt-and gold-flame engulfs her target. Any flammable items within a few yards around the target is incinerated to ash within seconds. This attack increases its damage by the called Sin and the target is engulfed in flames for a number of turns equal to the Exalt's permanent Essence.
After soaking the initial damage, the target's player must then make a reflexive Stamina + Resistance roll with a Difficulty equal to the called sin for his character. If the roll is successful, the target suffers a penalty equal to the Martial Artist's permanent Essence rating to all dice pools. If the roll fails, then the target can do nothing but writhe around on the ground in agony. The victim's player must make a Stamina + Resistance roll as a reflexive action every turn his character remains aflame in order to continue acting. For each turn the target remains on fire, he must soak the base damage of the martial artist's weapon (or Permanent Essence rating it the attack was dealt barehanded). This damage is not aggravated, but lethal, and can be soaked down to 0.
The victim must reroll the Stamina + Resistance roll at an additional +1 difficulty for each turn after the first.
Fire-Aspected Dragon-Blooded can add their Essence to persistent damage of this Charm as long as their Anima Flare touches is victim as their anima stokes the fires!
Sidereal Exalted (and those who learn this as a Sidereal Charm) can use it to enhance the Righteous Devil Form with a script of the Righteous Maiden. It coils about the character's firedust-weapons and glows angry crimson of Heaven's Judgment. While the Prayer Strip survives the weapon cannot be destroyed and the Sidereal can combo Charms of this style (and of all other Styles that have Firedust-based weapons such as Firewands as their signature weapons) with Archery Charms, and use the two Abilities interchangeably when attacking, defending or using their Charms.
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