MartialArts/WildRoseStyle
Wild-Rose On The Wind Style
This style focuses on precision and agility. It is named after its creator, a barbarian born crow-totem changing-moon from the East-Southeast. It is marked by its lightness of physicality and speed of movement. The only weapons compatable with the style are daggers and knives, but in all variants including maine gauche. It is favored by Lunars with fast, dextrous totems (birds in particular), Exalts with no desire to dominate a fight as much as survive it taking minimal damage, and those that prefer less conspicuous weapons. It is suited to those who live by their wits, from assassins to vagabonds.
All of the charms in this style are incompatable with physical armor that has either a fatigue or mobility penalty. All charms after Wild-Rose on the Wind Form are incompatable with any worn armor, regardless of fatigue or mobility penalty.
Some "alpha version" charms that didn't make the cut.
Charms
Dandelion Meditation
Cost: 3 motes Duration: (Martial Arts) Rounds Type: Simple Minimum Dexterity: 3 Minimum Martial Arts: 2 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisites: None
- The Exalt's body becomes light and agile, like dandelion seeds wafting on the breeze. The Exalt performs a delicate kata freeing her body of unnecessary weight, and beginning the turn after this charm is activated the Exalt's jumping distances are doubled, and she gains an extra success on all Dex+Athletics rolls for a number of turns equal to her Martial Arts ability. Because of the Exalt's reduced weight, knock-down checks are automatically changed to knock-back checks.
Hummingbird's Grace Prana
Cost: 1 mote Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Minimum Dexterity: 3 Minimum Martial Arts: 3 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisites: Dandelion Meditation
- The user of this charm is sure of foot and thought, moving with the swiftness and deftness of a hummingbird reaching the nectar of a plant. During the turn that this charm is activated, add the Exalt's Dexterity to their initiative total. This charm may only be used once per turn.
- Example: Frost-Eyes has found himself in a bit of trouble at a local bar. He wants to be sure he gets the drop on this guy though, so he activates Hummingbird's Grace Prana. He has 4 Dexterity and 4 Wits, and he rolls a 2 making his unmodified initiative 10. He then adds his 4 Dexterity for using Hummingbird's Grace Prana, making his total initiative for the turn 14.
Falling Petal Evasion
Cost: 2 motes Duration: 1 Turn Type: Extra Action Minimum Dexterity: 3 Minimum Martial Arts: 4 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisites: Dandelion Meditation
- Attacks made against an Exalt using this charm are as effective as swinging a sword through a shower of petals. Until the end of the turn after this charm is activated, the Exalt may make a number of dodges not greater than her permanent essence with a dice-pool equal to their Dexterity in addition to any declared actions (which suffer the normal multiple-action penalty). Any dodges not used by the end of the turn are lost. The Exalt may only use these dodges against attacks she can anticipate. Falling Petal Evasion may be activated reflexively, and may only be activated once per turn.
- Example: Frost-Eyes has decided to throw two shuriken at the archer shooting at him this turn. He has a Dex+Thrown pool of 6, so these attacks will be made with 4 and 3 dice respectively. However after making his first attack (a solid hit), he notices an Immaculate Monk charging him and activates Falling Petal Evasion with 3 Permanent Essence. The Immaculate jabs at Frost-Eyes, who dodges with his 4 Dexterity and is successful (barely). Now Frost-Eyes makes his second attack on the archer; a glancing blow. No one attacks Frost-Eyes for the rest of the turn, so his other two dodges are lost.
Wild-Rose On The Wind Form
Cost: 6 motes Duration: Scene Type: Simple Minimum Dexterity: 4 Minimum Martial Arts: 4 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisites: Hummingbird's Grace Prana, Falling Petal Evasion
- The user of this charm adopts the attitude of a bird in flight, striking swiftly and cleanly, rolling with what blows are landed on them. The rustling of feathers or spring leaves accompanies all her movements, and it is said that masters of this style also exude the scent of wildflowers when they adopt this posture. For the remainder of the scene or until the Exalt terminates the form, add her permanent Essence to initiative and her Dexterity to lethal and bashing soak. She may convert dice to automatic successes when striking or parrying unarmed or with daggers; 2 motes per die converted to a success. The Exalt may not buy more automatic successes than their Dexterity on any one strike or parry attempt. This die-conversion counts as using an instant, supplemental charm. Comboes are made using the requirements of Wild-Rose on the Wind Form.
Oak Seed's Blessing
Cost: 4 motes, 1 WP Duration: 1 turn Type: Extra Action Minimum Dexterity: 5 Minimum Martial Arts: 4 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisites: Wild-Rose On The Wind Form
- There is a story of Evad'rikali being attacked by a storm serpent. It is said that she floated like an oak seed on the beast's violent winds, meeting no harm. Just so, the Exalt who uses this charm rides the currents of battle, avoiding blows with a crane's grace. The Exalt dodges all attacks with a physical component made on her this round with a full Dex+Dodge pool. This includes attacks that the Exalt would not normally anticipate.
Felling the Ash
Cost: 4 motes, 1WP (+3 motes/die) Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Minimum Dexterity: 5 Minimum Martial Arts: 4 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisites: Oak Seed's Blessing
- The story of Evad'rikali and the storm serpent is just that, a story. She was beaten and bruised by the end; no one never gets hit. Which is why she developed this charm, named after an expression of her people for screwing oneself over. After being hit by an attack, the Exalt may activate this charm and make a counter-attack. The Exalt receives extra successes on the attack roll equal to the extra successes scored by their attacker. If the counter-attack is made bare-handed, the damage done is lethal. They may also convert damage dice to automatic successes, 3 motes per die converted to a success. The number of successes bought in this fashion cannot exceed the Exalt's Strength. The total cost of this charm must be paid before the attack roll is made.
Strike of the Spread Wing
Cost: 3 motes Duration: Instant Type: Simple Minimum Dexterity: 5 Minimum Martial Arts: 4 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisites: Wild-Rose on the Wind Form
- An Exalt with this charm strikes with the speed and accuracy of a diving hawk, carried on wings of essence. The Exalt jumps, springs, let's go of the ledge their hanging from or otherwise makes themself airborne in the direction of the target. The Exalt makes a Dex+MA roll where she would normally make a Dex+Athletics roll for jumping. The Exalt may jump or push off from anything (a brick wall, an arrow in flight or a hanging rope). Jumping distances are tripled. The successes on the Dex+MA roll also count as extra successes on the attack roll. This attack may only be made bare-handed or with a style-compatable weapon. If made bare-handed the attack does lethal damage.
Cardinal's Wisdom
Cost: 5 motes (+variable motes) Duration: Instant Type: Simple Minimum Dexterity: 5 Minimum Martial Arts: 4 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisites: Strike of the Spread Wing
- Birds know that the best meat is often hidden under shells, whether seeds or sea animals. The only way to get at this meat is to break the shell. An Exalt with this charm imitates these keen hunters, cracking an opponent's shell to get at the soft meat that lies beneath. This charm is activated while already grappling or being grappled. If it isn't, the Exalt may make a grapple attack on their target using their martial arts score instead of brawl. If the attempt is successful or the Exalt is already in a grapple, the Exalt jumps into the air carrying their opponent with them a maximum of ten feet for every point of permanent essence they have. On the way down the Exalt folds their anima around the armor of their passenger, picking at the straps, buckles and other fasteners. At this time, if the armor is attuned to the wearer, the Exalt using this charm must pay additional motes equal to the standard commitment cost of the armor for the charm to work. Upon landing, the armor blasts off of the wearer in a burst of essence and an eagle's cry. The armor is undamaged and can be worn again. Any magical armor is still attuned. The former wearer of the armor is unharmed as the force of landing is concentrated into removing the armor. Any grapples are broken at the end of the charm. The pieces of armor and user of the charm land unharmed (Essence) yards away from the target of the charm. If used against an opponent not wearing armor, the charm works the same way except that the target takes damage of an amount and type appropriate to the fall, and all references to armor are ignored. This includes targets equipped with "natural" armor; armor that is somehow a part of their being, whether body or anima.
Elegant Raptor Exercise
Cost: 4 motes Duration: 1 round Type: Supplemental Minimum Dexterity: 4 Minimum Martial Arts: 5 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisites: Wild-Rose on the Wind Form
- Like a hawk on a head-wind, an Exalt using this charm floats on the currents of ambient essence around them. Incredible feets of precision and speed are capable by trusting to the thermals of essence. The Exalt using this charm reduces the mulitple-action penalty on physical actions for this round by their permanent essence. Note that they must still have a base dice pool to reduce the penalty to.
Heavenly Rose Stance
Cost: 8 motes, 1 WP (+4 motes/turn) Duration: (variable) Type: Simple Minimum Dexterity: 5 Minimum Martial Arts: 5 Minimum Essence: 4 Prerequisites: Felling the Ash, Cardinal's Wisdom, Elegant Raptor Exercise
- The movements of this charm are based on a moving meditation used by Evad'rikali's people, traditionally performed in flowing water. An Exalt performing the movements of this charm extends vines of essence from themself which trail rose petals of essence as they move and pull the Exalt around attacks, biting into their opponents like thorns on a rose blossom. The user of this charm automatically parries every attack made on them this turn that has a physical component with the vines; this is considered a perfect defense against physical attacks only. If the attacker is within (DexterityXEssence) yards, the vines make an attack on them with the Dex+Essence pool of the Exalt using Heavenly Rose Stance and a base damage pool of (Essence)L, with automatic successes on the attack roll and damage equal to the user's Essence. Individuals that did not attack the user of this charm this turn, even if they did last turn or are attacking someone else cannot be targets of attacks made with Heavenly Rose Stance. This charm must be used bare-handed. Heavenly Rose Stance may be maintained by paying 4 motes every turn after the first at the beginning of the turn. Maintaining Heavenly Rose Stance counts as using a simple charm.
Comments
I recognize that not everything in this form is original. I'm borrowing from Luna's Favored Style and Heron Style in particular.
Hope no one minds.
Also, it hasn't been play-tested yet so values and specifics are still iffy, but I really tried to make them make sense.
~*~Braydz~*~
Ok, these comments are getting pretty long, so I moved 'em to a subpage here. - SilverMeerKat
Falling Petal Evasion has to be the weirdest EA Charm ever, even considering Castle of Many Hills. It somehow grants one unrestricted, splittable action, as well as a series of dodges with exceptionally small dice pools. While this is nice, I would have preferred to see a Reflexive in its type slot and an Instant in its duration; the multiple dodges makes for a nice counterpoint to the full-pool reflex dodge that most Exalted have in their Dodge tree.
The Form Charm is also odd, though interesting, having a built-in die converter that acts as a Charm. I'm not sure this is necessary; the effect is steeply costly, and even without counting it as a Charm it seems to be a balanced effect. The Style's emphasis on defence only makes this oddity more pronounced.
Oak Seed's blessing is another EA that I would have liked to see in a different, less limiting form, though its dodge effect is very nice. Since when do oak seeds (acorns) fly?
Cardinal's Wisdom seems cheap for its potentially intense effect. How does it interact with such things as the Ivory Blossom Carapace?
Elegant Raptor Exercise is another potentially severe Charm, and is comparatively easy to attain.
Are the parries of Heavenly Rose Stance automatic, perfect, what? The counterattacking capability is extreme as well, though the limitation of "using a simple Charm" each turn is pretty extreme too.
The parries from HRS are perfect for attacks that have a physical component. It's a big effect; it makes the character invulnerable to most attacks and gives a hell of a punch with its counter-attacks, so I think maintaining it should cost.
I wanted the possibility of using the die-conversion of the Form in a combo, so I just included "stats" for it. If it didn't count as a Charm you could use it in the same turn as other charms to make said attacks REALLY nasty for minimal cost, which would be broken. Only activating the Form and the die-conversion count as using a Charm.
I don't know what Ivory Blossom Carapace is, but it sounds like an Abyssal "grow armor" Charm. I addressed "natural" armor in my errata; thanks for pointing out that over-sight.
Why a Reflexive/Instant for Falling Petal Evasion?
Aren't "whirly-gigs" oak seeds? I've also heard them called "propellers." Funny little green things with two blades pointing the same direction that don't spin very well 'til you split them.
~*Braydz*~
