MartialArts/DiamondWeaveStyle
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Diamond Weave Style
The Sutra of the Diamond Maiden
Once, there was a tiny maiden...
Who watched the world upon a throne in the night sky,
Far beyond the reach of mortals.
She shone like a diamond,
And all who saw her wondered at her nature.
One night, a traveler walked a dark path.
Seeking all he held dear.
Though he was lost in the darkness,
He saw her brilliance hanging overhead
And offered her his humblest thanks,
As her brightness guided him to his destination.
This Style involves using Destiny as a weapon. Unless otherwise specified, the Charms of this Style have no effect upon targets that exist outside of fate, nor may they be employed while the character is outside of fate.
The Charms of this style treat attacks with the fighting chain and the whip as unarmed attacks; these represent the threads of Destiny upon the Loom of Fate.
Student Charms
Sensing the Tapestry
Cost: 6 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 2
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: None
With a touch to the forehead, the character opens her third eye to the weave of Destiny, seeing the shimmering patterns of the tapestry of Fate as it overlays all things. She becomes aware of the Destiny and Essence ratings of everything within her field of vision. She may focus this Charm instead on one thing and roll Perception+Craft(Fate) at a difficulty equal to its Essence Rating. Success gives the Sidereal a rough idea of who the being is, what exactly is its Destiny, and shows any Astrological Effects and Backgrounds she may possess. For the purpose of this and all other other Diamond Weave Charms, Dark Fate counts as Destiny and Celestial Exalted and Celestial Deities are always at least Destiny *** by virtue of their own existence.
The Blade's Destiny Denied
Cost: 2 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Sensing the Tapestry
The blade does not strike true because of the sharpness of its edge or the skill of its wielder. The blade strikes true because it is destined to. With this Charm, the character reorders the threads of fate around her, weaving an impenetrable mesh against which all lesser destinies blunt themselves without effect. To reach her, her enemies must struggle through a vortex of ill fortune; whether it be a slippery floor, a gust of wind, a sudden glare, or a tremor in the earth, nothing can go right for those who would do her harm. Against one enemy attack, increase the difficulty to strike the character by her permanent Essence.
Diamond Shards Assault
Cost: 2 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Sensing the Tapestry
The knowledge of anothr's Destiny allows the Sidereal to strike others at their most vulnerable points, where Destiny has writ weakness upon their bodies. When making an attack roll against a being that she has seen the Destiny of through Sensing the Tapestry, she may use this Charm to add a number of dice to the attack equal to the target’s Destiny score or permanent Essence rating, whichever is higher.
The Form
Diamond Weave Form
Cost: 5 motes
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: The Blade's Destiny Denied, Diamond Shards Assault
Assuming the Diamond Weave of Destiny Form, the character becomes the master of her own fate and all others! For the remainder of the scene, she receives the benefits of Sensing the Tapestry, gazing upon all beings as if she had suceeded on the Perception+Craft(Fate) roll with a number of successes equal to her Permanent Essence and enhancing all of her attacks and defenses during the scene with a number of automatic successes equal to her opponent's Destiny rating. Activating this Form Charm automatically brings the character inside of fate, and the character may not be brought outside of fate by any means for so long as she maintains the Form.
This is a Celestial-level Martial Arts Form-type Charm. This Charm is incompatible with armor.
Mastery Charms
Fate-Knitting Power
Cost: 4 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Diamond Weave Form
With a touch to the three chakras which bind a creature’s Essence to the Weave of Destiny, the character becomes able to knot strands to bind them within the Tapestry, or sever them from it! To activate this power, the character must touch his target(which may require a success in a hand-to-hand attack, against unwilling targets). Those severed from the Tapestry suffer the usual effects of being outside of fate. These include immunity to certain Sidereal Charm effects, as listed on page 129 of Exalted: the Sidereals, and immunity to ascending and descending Sidereal Astrology effects. In addition, the target cannot draw upon the benefits of the Destiny Merit while outside of fate, and may die with his Destiny still unfulfilled. The target remains outside of fate for the rest of the story. Those outside of fate knotted within the tapestry become vulnerable to the effects of other Diamond Weave Style, Sidereal Charms, and Astrological Effects. The target remains inside or outside of fate for the rest of the Scene.
Weft-Gripping Movement
Cost: 10 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: One Story
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Diamond Weave Form
The character reaches into the tapestry of Fate, drawing the interconnected threads of Destiny into closer alignment. Suave motions knot her threads even further with moments of her life, Entangling her threads with that of one of her Backgrounds after a scene of handling, the touch of certain pressure points, and the commitment of 10 motes. After this ritual is observed and for the remainder of the story, she may pay 2 motes as a Reflexive action to transport herself to the location of any person, place or thing that is a part of the Entangled Background. If she has a Manse, she may choose to appear within its walls or in the place where she cached its Hearthstone; if she has Contacts, she can travel to any one of the associates and acquaintances she relies on for information. The exact extent of this Charm’s flexibility is left up to the Storyteller to adjudicate.
Alternatively, she may draw upon the weave of Fate to summon a person or thing that is part of the Entangled Background to herself for the same cost. This may be used to summon a weapon in the middle of an attack or a parry, reducing the opponent’s attack or defense dice pools by her permanent Essence. If this Charm is used to summon a sentient being, that being immediately realizes the nature of the summons and may attempt to resist it; this requires a Willpower roll against a difficulty of the character's permanent Essence.
Pattern Spider Assault
Cost: 5 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Diamond Weave Form
The pattern spiders that labor upon the Loom of Fate have little patience for the destiny-twisting tricks of the Sidereal Exalted. When they grow irritated with Sidereal manipulations, they mark the thread of the Sidereal’s destiny with the tally of their displeasure. With this Charm, the character strikes in such a way that he entangles the pattern of his foe, making him a knot in the tapestry and attracting the wrath of the Pattern Spiders upon this foe! If the character makes a successful unarmed attack, he rolls his Permanent Essence, in addition to damage or any other effects. Add the successes in this Essence roll to a character’s Paradox tally. Sidereals and non-Sidereals are equally vulnerable to this effect, although non-Sidereals will have a harder time understanding their predicament(a Perception+Occult roll difficulty 5) and how to lower this tally(a Intelligence+Occult roll difficulty 5). If one such strike makes the target suffer Pattern Spider Bite, successes past the breaking point are lost. This Charm may be used in a Clinch.
Star-Guided Strike
Cost: 8+ motes, 1 willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms: Pattern Spider Assault
Destiny gathers around the character’s hand in the form of the constellation of the Sword, guiding her attack. An unarmed attack supplemented with this Charm is unparriable and undodgeable.
A Sidereal Exalted may lower the Target Number on the damage roll of an attack enhanced by Star-Guided Strike; This costs 1 mote per Target Number reduction, up to the Sidereal’s rating in the College his opponent falls upon(for example, when facing a thug, a Sidereal with 2 dots in The Gauntlet may lower his Target Number for the damage roll by 2).
Star-Guided Strike may specifically be comboed with Charms of other Abilities.
Innocent Victim Defense
Cost: 3 motes, 1 willpower, 1 Paradox
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms: Pattern Spider Assault
The character uses martial arts to snarl the threads of Destiny around a moment of peril! After an attack has struck the character and damage has been rolled, the character may activate this Charm and ignore all of the effects of the attack; this applies even against creatures outside of fate. However, some other person, place or thing suffers the damage in her stead, causing untold grief for the unwitting recipient and irritating the pattern spiders. The character immediately accrues one point of Paradox.
Another Destiny Atemi
Cost: 15 motes, 1 willpower, 1 health level
Duration: One Story
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 5
Prerequisite Charms: Weft-Gripping Movement, Fate-Knitting Power, Star-Guided Strike, Innocent Victim Defense
The threads of Destiny shuttle back and forth across the Loom of Fate, guiding each and every thing in Creation to its proper place. The initiate of the Diamond Weave learns how to rearrange these threads with her art. With a successful unarmed strike that inflicts no damage, the character may shunt the target to a new location somewhere within(her Permanent Essence in miles) where, as far as anyone can discern, he had been all along, performing some act or business appropriate to the new destiny that the character has chosen for him.
The Sidereal must touch her target to rearrange his destiny; This requires an attack for unwilling targets. Once touched, the Sidereal rolls her Essence+Craft(Fate) against her opponent’s Willpower(If the destiny does not fit the target’s nature well, the Sidereal’s Essence+Craft(Fate) roll receives a difficulty equal to the highest of the target’s most relevant Virtues. A celibate monk given a destiny of carnal pleasure would set the difficulty to his Temperance, for example; an attempt to impose an unreasonable or impossible destiny, such as assigning an illiterate peasant or a horse to design a Manse, fails outright). Success shunts the target to his new location and activity within the precincts of a College of the Maiden associated with her Caste.(For example, a destiny associated with the Messenger might involve bearing a message, training a hawk, or journeying to a new city. Other Exalted using this use their Caste's assossiated Maiden. Sidereals with the appropriate Colleges may choose the exact College and receive bonus dice to her roll equal to her rating in the College, not restricted by being in her Maiden's House anymore.) It seems to all involved that the target was always there. Treat this effect in the manner of the Arcane Fate. If the target is deeply invested in his current activities, he may pay as many points of willpower as he lost the roll by to remain where he stands.
Note that the new destiny does not create a new identity or rewrite the target’s history. Much like the Avoidance Kata Charm, it simply involves changing a recent choice on the target’s part. For instance, if one gets rid of a guard by assigning the destiny of bearing a message, the message is most likely that of the arrival of intruders. Also note that the new destiny is never guaranteed to lead to the victim’s death, no matter how dangerous the destiny may prove to be. As long as the motes remain committed, the target will grapple with the destiny imposed upon him. He may ignore this destiny and resume his business, but that gives him an environmental penalty to all actions equal to the Sidereal’s Permanent Essence. If the character frees the motes, the target will be free of this, and may, if he wishes, appear again at the same point in space where he left. He will have a vague idea of what will be waiting for him, however.
This Charm may be comboed despite its non-Instant Duration, and may be used during a Clinch.
Sidereal Exalted, and those who learn this as a Sidereal Charm may use of a Prayer Strip marked with the sutra of the Diamond Maiden to enhance the use of Diamond Weave Form - the Prayer Strip coalesces around the character in the shape of a Constellation's Resplendent Trappings wrought in diamond! When using the Charm in this way the character must choose a single Constellation. As she assumes the Form, the character rolls her Essence+Craft(Fate), gaining as many Effect Points to use with a newly-done Resplendent Destiny on that constellation as she has successes in this roll and adding a number of dice to all rolls related to the Constellation’s related ability as her Permanent Essence. If the Sidereal has any dots in the Constellation's College, she adds them as Automatic Successes to this roll. Those are special types of Resplendent Destiny, the character may still be recognizable as herself if she so wishes, and displaying an Anima Banner will not destroy it. The choice of constellation cannot be changed afterwards, but a Sidereal may also enact any College she possesses through the Form.
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