Brightfires/DreamingPearl

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Dreaming Pearl Courtesan Style (House-ruled v.2)
Type: Celestial

NOTE: This isn't mine. This version of the Dreaming Pearl style was the result of a conversation on RPGNet's Gaming Open messageboard. (I only *wish* I had the patience to come up with new martial arts styles like this myself-) Several of my PCs use this form, though (Rain and Suyu), so I've included it here for reference.

Retiring Peach-Blossom Feint
Cost: 5 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial Arts: 2
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite Charms: None

The character begins the fan dance by unfurling her fan, causing it to ripple and spin in distracting fashion. The Exalt’s movement becomes as graceful and unpredictable as peach blossoms caught in a strong gust of wind. Those opposing the Exalt who are trying to strike her must add her Charisma score to the difficulty when making an attack.

Pearlescent Filigree Defense
Cost: 1 mote per 1L/2B soak
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite Charms: None

The Exalt channels her Essence into her robes, fortifying them against damage. Her clothing and accoutrements take on an iridescent sheen and shimmering golden motes of Essence waft and rise off of her person. The character cannot spend more motes of Essence to fuel this Charm than she has in her permanent Essence rating. Each mote spent adds 1L/2B to the character’s soak. This bonus does not count as armor, but is, instead, a form of natural soak.

Lethal Paper Fan Attack
Cost: 5 motes
Duration: Scene
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite Charms: None

With this Charm, the Exalt imbues her props with lethal Essence. In the hands of a martial artist, a delicate paper fan can cut like a mighty scimitar. Despite the Charm’s name, these benefits can also be applied to other items as well. The character can treat all paper fans and similar props such as brushes and mirrors as wind-fire wheels. All sashes, long hems, sleeves, and so on can be treated as seven-section staves. The damage inflicted with these weapons is lethal. This does not change the appearance of the item thus imbued, just its damage potential. The sash will remain its flowing silken self, and a fan will still look like a fan.

In addition, if the character is using a fan or other accoutrement properly-constructed for use in the martial arts, upon activating this charm, the character may increase the accuracy, defense, speed or damage bonus of her weapon (pick any one at activation) by her permanent Essence score.

Dreaming Pearl Courtesan Form
Cost: 5 motes
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Retiring Peach-Blossom Feint, Pearlescent Filigree Defense, Lethal Paper Fan Attack

As the martial artist affects the demure and sensual dance of the Pearl Courtesan, her accoutrements and robes take on a life of their own, enhancing and complimenting her movements. At her command, her fans unfurl and ripple enticingly about her body. Her sashes swirl in a coy serpentine dance, and her flowing sleeves and gossamer robes unfold and gather at her whim. The Exalt does not have to manually control these props in order to allow for this effect. They do so automatically, leaving her hands free. These props are treated as if they were under the influence of the Lethal Paper Fan Attack for as long as the Form is in effect, gaining a bonus to Defense.

Upon activating this Charm, the martial artist can control one prop per dot in her permanent Essence score. For example, an Exalt with an Essence score of 4 can control one fan, one sash, one of her flowing sleeves and the hem of her cloak, or she could control four fans at once. Which props the Exalt intends to command must be decided before the activation of this Charm. If the martial artist wishes to add or change a prop, she must drop the present invocation of this form and reactive it at the beginning of the next turn.

Objects the martial artist wishes to command must be on her person. Also, she cannot make an attack with these props while they are under the influence of the Form without also invoking the Flurry of August Leaves Concentration Charm.

While this Charm is active, the Exalt reflexively adds her Charisma to parries. In addition, the martial artist may add her Martial Arts to all Presence and Socialize rolls while in form. This Charm does include the ability to add Essence bonus to well-constructed MA weapons.

Flurry of August Leaves Concentration
Cost: 2 motes per weapon
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Dreaming Pearl Courtesan Form

At this level, the fan dancer has an acute understanding of spatial awareness and how the supple flows of air currents can affect the “play” of lighter materials such as silk and paper. Armed with this knowledge, the martial artist can use her props to surprising effect at range. The Exalt casts her fan or sash into the air. At her command it flicks and swoops towards its intended target before spinning obediently back to her. If this Charm is activated while the martial artist is using the Dreaming Pearl Courtesan Form, she can command up to the number of props allowed by that Charm to make multiple attacks against one target. This Charm allows the martial artist to strike up to (Martial Arts x 5) yards away.

The Exalt makes a single attack with her Martial Arts pool, as usual, regardless of how many weapons she is controlling. Successes from the roll are applied to all weapons, and the damage is determined using her Strength as if it were a normal Martial Arts attack. This attack can be parried or dodged like a normal Martial Arts attack, and the target’s player need only make one roll for his character to parry or dodge this effect. Botched attacks can result in broken or lost props or injury to the martial artist who cast them. She must pay the cost of this Charm for each prop she wishes to command.

In addition, if one or more of the weapons used for this attack are attached to the martial artist's body, as sleeves, capes, and scarves are, this Charm may be used to initiate a clinch. To maintain a prop clinch, this Charm must be used each turn that the clinch continues. If the martial artist is in form, she need not spend the extra motes of reactivating the Charm to maintain the clinch.

Vindictive Concubine’s Pillow Book Understanding
Cost: 3 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Dreaming Pearl Courtesan Form

There is saying that the most vicious fights are the ones between siblings and lovers. The person who knows someone the most intimately can circumvent his defenses and hurt him the most deeply. It is in the spirit of this aphorism that this technique was developed.

Most armor only covers the vital areas of the body, leaving the hardier or less lethal areas uncovered. Even super heavy plate is donned and removed in pieces: the helm, the back and shoulder guards, the breastplate, the greaves and leggings, etc. It is a testament to the smith’s craft if the seams between the different pieces are too narrow for an arrow or blade to pierce. Paper and silk, however, are thinner then even the sharpest blade, and in the hands of a martial artist using this charm, can be used to deadly effect. Upon activating this Charm, the Exalt negates points of her opponent’s armor’s soak equal to her Essence + Martial Arts. This does not negate her target’s natural soak or any bonuses gained through the use of charms, merely his armor.

If the martial artist possesses the Solar Charm Motive Discerning Technique, her Socialize is added to her Essence + Martial Arts to determine how many points of her opponent’s armor is negated.

Fragrant Petal Fascination Kata
Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: Until disturbed
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Flurry of August Leaves Concentration

As the Exalt performs the fluid and languid moves of the Fragrant Petal Fascination Kata, hundreds of glowing flower petals flows out of her sleeves and the folds of her robes and spiral about her. The players of all those within the Exalt’s Essence in yards must succeed in a Willpower roll with a difficulty equal to their own Compassion (is usually appropriate to channel Temperance for this roll). If they fail, they are transfixed in place, enraptured by the beauty of the kata and perfume of the petals. Even those whose players succeed in the roll find themselves subject to a hallucinogenic vertigo, as if in a waking dream, and suffer a penalty to all dice pools equal to the Exalt’s Essence while in the range of the Charm.

Those entranced by this Charm are highly susceptible to suggestion and will believe whatever the Exalt tells them to be truthful. Also, the Exalt can issue commands to those enraptured and, unless the orders are suicidal, expect them to be followed. These suggestive effects, however, do not affect those with a higher permanent Essence rating than the martial artist. If for any reason the Exalt halts her kata, or the scene ends, the fascination begins to wear off. The effects linger for a number of turns equal to the martial artist’s Presence rating. During this period of reduced effects, the victims suffer a dice-pool penalty equal to the Exalt’s Essence. Those thus enraptured will have vague memories of what transpired while under the effects of this Charm and will suffer a strange melancholia, adding +1 difficulty to Conviction rolls made for them for a number of days equal to the Exalt’s Essence.

Furtive Untied Sash Approach
Cost: 10 motes
Type: Extra Actions
Duration: Instant
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisites Charm: Vindictive Concubine's Pillow Book Understanding

With this Charm, the courtesan need no longer know the most intimate secrets of her target, because she is versed in the universal laws of desire which all must obey. Her player rolls Manipulation + Martial Arts. She may make as many Martial Arts attacks as her unmodified Charisma against a single target; that target has a dice penalty on all interactions with the courtesan this turn equal to half the number of successes on the manipulation roll, as she enacts certain gestures and postures to fog his mind with desire. These interactions explicitly include defensive rolls against the attacks, as well as counterattacks.

Distracting Flourish Exeunt
Cost: 8 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequiste Charms: Fragrant Petal Fascination Kata

With this charm, the Exalt vanishes in a whorl of blooming vines, floating petals, fragrant raindrops or something else distractingly pretty which swirl in every direction. She chooses as many locations within Essence x 5 yards as she has dots in Essence. Effects such as All-Encompassing Sorcerer's Sight can discern these locations.

Until the resolution of the round in which she activated this Charm, she is effectively Elsewhere and can take no actions, including activating other Charms. At the start of the next round, the player rolls the character’s Appearance + Presence and adds the number of successes to her initiative and she chooses one of the previously chosen points and reappears there. This Charm is not a method of teleportation; it cannot bypass barriers.

Reflections of the Awakened Pearl Stance
Cost: 12 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms: Furtive Untied Sash Approach, Distracting Flourish Exeunt

The Pearl is the centerpiece of her court, yet this Charm allows her to realize the world outside of her social circle. Awakened to her role in the greater court of Creation, the martial artist has achieved the pinnacle of courtesanship. This transcendence reveals the collected similarities in the desires of those around her. Mirrors of wants, needs, and desires are revealed in those around her. Studying the reflections cast by these mirrors helps the martial artist to understand the ultimate truth of herself; that she is but a reflection.

Through the mastery of this style, the martial artist has become acutely aware of her own Essence and how it interacts with the rest of Creation. She utilizes this knowledge to allow herself to better interact with those around her. This adds the martial artist’s Essence rating to all of her Social Attributes.

Exploiting her heightened perception of the social arena allows her to channel her Essence into a number of copies of herself equal to her permanent Essence rating. These simulacrums can only exist in an area equal of (the Exalt’s Essence x 20) yards from the exact location where the Charm was activated. Since each of the reflections is fueled by the same pearl of Essence, the character is constantly aware of what all of her reflections are doing. This allows her to reflexively change her perspective to any of her reflections once per round, regardless of their location.

Each of these reflections are real and tangible, possessing the same Traits as the martial artist. Each reflection is part of a communal pool of Essence, therefore only one can cast a spell or activate a Charm per round. The reflection through which the player is acting is the one that benefits from persistent Charms. These benefits transfer from reflection to reflection as the focus of the player shifts, however, they do not remain after the focus departs.

The Essence fueling each reflection allows it to have one action per round, acting on the same initiative. These are full actions, and may be divided into multiple actions. Extra Action Charms do not function when using this Charm as they require a more concentrated pattern of Essence. This includes the reflection through which the player is focusing.

The drawback of Reflections of the Awakened Pearl Stance, however, is that the greater division of Essence allows for greater attacks on the character. Damage sustained by any reflection is shared by all reflections. The death of any reflection terminates this Charm and focuses the character back into one body. The shock of narrowed perspective is enough to keep the character conscious in their Incapacitated state, suffering a -5 penalty to all actions. One more Health Level will slay the martial artist.