PassengerPigeon/CinereousFlockofRaptorsStyle

Command: The Cinereous Flock of Raptors

This advanced martial arts style is taught to the up-and-coming captains and generals of the Bureau of Destiny. While powerful in its own right, it also allows them to take the younger Sidereals under their wing and show them the ways of battle.

The form weapons of this style are the military pick (representing the stabbing beak), the pankrator's cestus (representing the grasping talons), and the fighting cloak (representing the buffeting wings). Charms in this style that specify unarmed Martial Arts attacks may be used with clinch attempts or with attempts to control a clinch.

Military Pick: +3 Spd, +2 Acc, Dam +2LP, Def -3, Rate 2, Str **, Cost *

Heartbreaker (artifact military pick): +7 Spd, +3 Acc, Dam +6LP, Def -1, Rate 3, Str **, Cost *

This style is Sidereal Martial Arts.

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The Student's Sutra of Command: Once there was a maiden whose heart rang like a bell:

Adamant Egg-Tooth Approach

Cost: n/a

Duration: n/a

Type: Permanent

Min. MA: 5

Min. Essence: 3

Prereq Charms:None

It sang a piercing song

Every bird awakens with the strength to shatter its ivory prison, for those who cannot die before they are born. Drawing on this knowledge, the adept penetrates the toughest defenses with his pointed blows. Whenever the adept makes an unarmed Martial Arts attack that would deal dice of damage, he may forego that damage to instead reduce his opponent's lethal and bashing soak by 1 for the remainder of the scene.

Crystalline Talon Attitude

Cost: 7m 1hl

Duration: One scene

Type: Simple

Min. MA: 5

Min. Essence: 3

Prereq Charms: None

That called the people to her,

Adopting a defiant stance, the adept's nails lengthen and become hard, glistening and brittle. He raises his hands defensively, and they shatter. The adept gains a number of boons equal to his Charisma + Presence. He may reflexively spend a boon granted by this Charm to reduce the damage of an incoming attack, after soak, by one lethal or bashing level. Each time he spends a boon in this way, everyone within the adept's Essence in yards is showered with multifaceted shrapnel, taking one die of lethal damage. Upon spending the last such boon, this charm ends. If the charm ends before all such boons are spent, they are lost.

Gossamer Wingfeather Adaptation

Cost: 5m

Duration: One scene

Type: Simple

Min. MA: 5

Min. Essence: 3

Prereq Charms: Adamant Egg-Tooth Approach, Crystalline Talon Attitude

and instructed them on how to approach her,

The adept's muscles thin and his bones hollow, sacrificing robustness for speed. The adept subtracts one from his Strength and Stamina and adds one to his Dexterity and Martial Arts. This explicitly affects die adder caps and may take an Attribute below zero. This charm explicitly stacks with itself and may be active no more times on any one individual than his Essence.

Serpent And Eagle Duel

Cost: 4m

Duration: Instant

Type: Reflexive

Min. MA: 5

Min. Essence: 3

Prereq Charms: None

Even from a great distance.

The adept remains aloof, flitting away from his earthbound opponent's attacks. In response to an attack, the adept may move up to Ess yards directly away from his opponent in any direction. He subtracts a number of successes from the attack equal to the number of yards so moved.

Heart-Satiating Coup

Cost: 1m

Duration: Instant

Type: Reflexive

Min. MA: 5

Min. Essence: 3

Prereq Charms: Serpent And Eagle Duel

They were persuaded by the music of the bell,

Raptors do not fight for amusement or advancement; they hunt to eat. With a well-placed blow, the adept applies this philosophy, nourishing himself off of his opponent's weakness. When the adept makes an unarmed Martial Arts attack that would deal dice of damage, he may use this charm in place of dealing damage. He gains motes equal to twice the number of times he has successfully attacked this opponent this turn.

Dizzying Harrier Buffet

Cost: 4m 1wp

Duration: Instant

Type: Reflexive

Min. MA: 5

Min. Essence: 3

Prereq Charms: Serpent And Eagle Duel

And were not responsible for their own actions,

The adept bats his opponents about, dazing and confusing them. Upon making a successful attack, the adept may use this charm to baffle his opponent; he may take no non-defensive actions until he makes a successful Perception + Resistance roll against a difficulty of the adept's Essence as a die action.

Cinereous Flock of Raptors Form

Cost: 10m

Duration: One scene

Type: Simple

Min. MA: 5

Min. Essence: 4

Prereq Charms: Gossamer Wingfeather Adaptation, Heart-Satiating Coup, Dizzying Harrier Buffet, one full Celestial Martial Art

But when they heard the sound, they knew the way.

Assuming a multitudinous stance, the adept is surrounded with himself -- his prowess takes shape in ashen duplicates of his person, hovering about him threateningly. Turning grey himself, the adept is difficult to attack, as even if he can be told apart from his doubles, they do their best to interfere with his opponents. This grants him a reflexive dodge using Manipulation + Stealth (representing the challenge of identifying him) and a reflexive parry using Wits + Presence (representing the maneuvers of his phantasms) against all attacks. These defenses require no motion or awareness on the part of the adept.

Hawk Takes Sparrow In Flight

Cost: 5m 1wp

Duration: Instant

Type: Simple

Min. MA: 5

Min. Essence: 4

Prereq Charms: Cinereous Flock of Raptors Form

The Elder Sutra of Command:They walked with arms extended in a trance,

With a keen eye, the adept seizes his opponent in one mighty talon. The adept makes an unarmed Martial Arts attack, which must be a clinch attempt. This carefully planned grasp cannot be dodged. While the adept is in control of a clinch started by this Charm, he may move freely, carrying his opponent with him, although this does not allow him to take actions.

Diving Falcon Stratagem

Cost: 4m

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Min. MA: 5

Min. Essence: 4

Prereq Charms: Cinereous Flock of Raptors Form

Ignoring all businesses at hand,

The adept swoops to conquer. He may add a number of dice to one unarmed Martial Arts attack equal to the yards he has moved this turn.

Ten Thousand Feathers

Cost: 6m 1wp

Duration: One scene

Type: Simple

Min. MA: 5

Min. Essence: 5

Prereq Charms: Mother Feeds Hatchling, Hawk Takes Sparrow in Flight

Tilting their heads to hear the sound more clearly.

The air around the adept is filled with wings. Upon activating this Charm, the adept defines a spherical area around him with a radius equal to twice his Essence in yards. This area is suddenly occupied by a tumultuous flock of ashen birds of prey, which immediately inflict one attack on any hostile targets within it. Attacks by these birds are equivalent to unarmed Martial Arts attacks made by the adept, except that they have a minimum damage of one die and cannot be clinches. The birds automatically make one attack on any hostile target that enters or leaves the area, once per action per target. In addition, each turn, the adept may reflexively cause the birds to make a number of attacks on targets within the area equal to his Essence. None of these attacks require motion or awareness on the part of the adept.

Unhooded Peregrine Motion

Cost: 8m

Duration: One scene

Type: Simple

Min. MA: 5

Min. Essence: 4

Prereq Charms: Cinereous Flock of Raptors Form

When they encountered those who could not hear the bell,

As a falcon resumes the air when its master releases it, so does the adept step upwards and tread the sky. The adept doubles all his movement, explicitly including movement granted by Charms, and may move three-dimensionally however he wishes, allowing him to soar into the sky as high as he likes. He is perfectly immune to any external effect that would constrain his freedom of movement. He may make fly-by attacks.

Mother Feeds Hatchling

Cost: 3m

Duration: Instant

Type: Reflexive

Min. MA: 5

Min. Essence: 4

Prereq Charms: Cinereous Flock of Raptors Form

The people turned on them as if on command,

With an artful blow, the adept prepares the way for his less capable colleagues. Upon making a successful attack, the adept may use this Charm to provide an opening for an ally of his with less Essence than the adept. That ally may immediately make a reflexive attack on the target of the adept's attack, assuming he is otherwise capable.

Murder of Crows Meditation

Cost: 4m 1wp

Duration: One turn

Type: Independent Action

Min. MA: 5

Min. Essence: 5

Prereq Charms: Diving Falcon Stratagem, Murder of Crows Meditation

And forced them to open their ears to it;

The adept utters a cawing mantra, and his Essence puts forth black fathers, scavenging scattered moments of time. As a simple action, the adept rolls his Essence. He gains a number of additional independent actions this turn equal to his successes on this roll.

Soaring Kite Grasp

Cost: 4m

Duration: Instant

Type: Reflexive

Min. MA: 5

Min. Essence: 5

Prereq Charms: Hawk Takes Sparrow in Flight, Unhooded Peregrine Motion

For its pealing brought happiness,

Dragging his prey to the furthest reaches of the sky, the adept cements his grip through fear, for escape means a fall to one's death. Activating this charm when in control of a clinch, the adept inflicts a paralyzing terror on his opponent -- he must subtract a number of dice from all his attempts to control the clinch equal to the number of yards he is off the ground, until he shakes off the fear. This effect continually refreshes with regards to the opponent's current position. To shake off the fear, the opponent must accumulate a number of successes on an extended Valor roll equal to the adept's Martial Arts. Making such a roll is a simple action that can be taken while clinched. This charm is ineffective on enemies that can fly.

Two Birds Fly Fist

Cost: any number of motes, 1 wp

Duration: Instant

Type: Reflexive

Min. MA: 5

Min. Essence: 5

Prereq Charms: Soaring Kite Grasp

And told the people what they had lacked all along:

When raptors find themselves in conflict, they turn their beaks to the sky and spiral upwards until one of them can go no higher. With this charm, the adept embroils his opponent in a similar contest. Upon making an unarmed Martial Arts attack that would deal dice of damage, the adept may forego dealing damage to use this charm, issuing a challenge and spending any number of motes. The opponent may respond with a similar flourish by spending an equal number of motes. If he does not, he falters; his anima banner is extinguished, all his currently active Charms immediately end, and he loses 1 willpower.

Lord Eagle Directs the Assault

Cost: 7m 1wp

Duration: Until your next initiative

Type: Simple

Min. MA: 5

Min. Essence: 5

Prereq Charms: Soaring Kite Grasp, Two Birds Fly Fist

Organization.

The adept fixes his opponent with a steely gaze, and the cry of a hunting hawk fills the air. Until the adept's next initiative, his predatory wisdom guides his opponent's enemies; whenever the opponent targeted by this Charm is attacked, the adept may choose to make that attack either undodgeable or unblockable, as he sees fit.