Dakkareth/AdamantSerpentStyle

Adamant Serpent Style

This is very much a work in progress - especially the flavor text will need HEAVY revision. As my Word is currently acting weirdly I'm typing this up here, so don't be surprised if stuff looks unfinished. Also it's 4am and I'm not quite in the possession of all my faculties, so ... ;)

Themes: I'm aiming to incorporate the following themes into this style - bending space into defenses, inexorable movement, hypnoticism. As lesser 'theme' this style should eat extras by the dozen just as a draconic monster would squash them beneath its weight.

Order: This is an advanced Celestial Martial Arts. It seems illogical to me, that the only high-essence charms we know are SMA - why shouldn't a Solar master create his own, powerful style? As a result this is supposed to fall firmly into the upper ranks of power, while staying slightly below actual SMA. Also it will have less outlandish effects, because it's it focused on fighting, not on fate-ninjary.

Role

The archetype of the serpent is very old. It might have come into being with the Primordials, some of which could be described as draconic, if they could be described at all. It might also be older still, corresponding to fundamental non-shapes in the Wyld. Whatever the case, the experiences of the First War and the following battles against Fair Folk, whose behemoths often took the form of draconic horrors, inspired a master of the martial arts to create a new style, emulating the terrible size and strength, the logic-defying and often hypnotic movement and the defense of impenetrable scales of these terrible beasts.

Charms

Serpent Scales Meditation

Cost: 1 mote

Duration: One week

Type: Simple

Minimum Martial Arts: 5

Minimum Essence: 3

Prerequisite Techniques: None

As the student takes the first step along the path of the Adamant Serpent he learns to harden his skin by imbuing it with essence. Just like a serpent is never without its scales, the student always retains a measure or protection. He gains the ability to soak lethal damage with his full stamina and gains additional soak of 2L/4B as scales of essence let blows glance off. It takes one hour of meditation to activate this charm and its effects last for a full week until it has to be renewed. Many practitioners chose to end it early though, as the cool and slick touch of scales tends to unnverve other people, resulting in a one die penality to social actions involving touch.

Gliding along the Warped Path

Cost: 4 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Reflexive

Minimum Martial Arts: 5

Minimum Essence: 4

Prerequisite Techniques: None

The structure of three-dimensional space is too small to contain the fullness of a primordial's body. Its movements therefore seem erratic or even impossible to an unlearned observer. A student learning this technique however understands the greater principles of space and distance and can exploit it for his defense. As a reflexive action he can make a dodge attempt at his full dexterity + dodge pool with his MA added in dice. Simultaneously he vanishes in a flicker of colorless fire only to reappear up to (Dexterity + Athletics)x2 yards away. This is a hopping defense.

Sudden Snake-Head Strike

Cost: 3 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Martial Arts: 5

Minimum Essence: 4

Prerequisite Techniques: None

Creatures of draconic bulk are often deceptively fast, when they decide to strike. By using this method of attack a martial artist can add his martial arts score to his initiative and freely move up to half his normal move before attacking. His essence is added to damage after natural and armor soak are applied but before defensive charms.

Sweeping Tail Defense

Cost: 4 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Martial Arts: 5

Minimum Essence: 4

Prerequisite Techniques: Serpent Scales Meditation

With a single move of its tail the terribly behemoths of the Wyld can thwart many attacks of lesser beings. A parry enhanced by this charm can ignore splitting penalties up to the practitioner's essence score. The player rolls the parry as normal, possibly further enhanced by other charms in a combo, but applies the result to a number of attacks as high as his martial arts. As normal this cannot be used to parry the same attack twice.

Adamant Serpent Form

Cost: 8 motes

Duration: Scene

Type: Simple

Minimum Martial Arts: 5

Minimum Essence: 4

Prerequisite Techniques: Gliding along the Warped Path, Sweeping Tail Defense, Sudden Snake-Head Strike, Full Mastery of one CMA

The student adopts the pose of a monstrous serpent from past ages. Despite settling into a low position he seems suddenly possessed of great bulk and strength. Flickers of colorless fire dance around his form as he shifts through a sequence of stances impossible within normal space. This unnerving display is so distracting, that opponents add the practitioners essence to the difficulty of all their attacks. His arms are in perpetual motion, trailing threads of crystaline essence and weaving them into a network of active defenses. He gains a reflexive parry at his MA against any attack, even those he is not aware of. Finally his attacks channel the draconic strength of their inspirator, striking with such force as to break stone and dent metal. In addition to being able parry lethal damage, all the martial artist's attacks deal lethal piercing damage if he desires it.

Adamant Scales Prana

Cost: 7 motes

Duration: Scene

Type: Simple

Minimum Martial Arts: 5

Minimum Essence: 4

Prerequisite Techniques: Adamant Serpent Form

The bodies of the great terrors of old were protected by impenetrable layers of scales that dissipated all but the strongest of hits and their self-scribed destinies deflected even those in part. With a few seconds of concetration and the application of this master technique the practitioner gains protection as if he was wearing superheavy armor made of starmetal. He gains additional soak of 10A/10L/15B, hardness of 4 and ignores the first success of every damage roll against him as per the magic material property of starmetal.

Crushing Tail Technique

Cost: 8 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Martial Arts: 5

Minimum Essence: 4

Prerequisite Techniques: Adamant Scales Prana

With a single strike of its mighty tail the old serpentine horrors could smash numbers of lesser warriors to the ground, never to rise again. A master student of this style can emulate this power by employing this charm - the martial artis makes a normal attack, adding his Essence in successes and applies the result to MA opponents within his movement distance. If the attack hits, they suffer automatic knockdown. Each opponent can only be effected once by any single invocation of this charm.

Hypnotic Strike

Cost: 4 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Martial Arts: 5

Minimum Essence: 4

Prerequisite Techniques: Adamant Serpent Form

Drawing upon the dread fascination evoked by a snake's eyes the martial artist confounds his opponent terribly to strike with impunity. An attack so enhanced can only be defended against by using a charm and even then the victims dice-pools are halved as the attacker seems to strike him from several angles at once, even while drawing his attention into yet another direction. No counterattack is possible against this attack.

Swaying Behemoth Stance

Cost: 6 motes, 1wp

Duration: Scene

Type: Simple

Minimum Martial Arts: 5

Minimum Essence: 4

Prerequisite Techniques: Hypnotic Strike

The martial artist extends the hypnotic quality of a serpent's eyes to all his movements, enthralling all enemies looking upon him in suicidal fascination. None can attack him without spending a point of temporary willpower to overcome the urge to simply stand and watch the intricate dance. Those not wishing to act against him can make a willpower roll against the difficulty of his essence to avert their eyes and carry on with their actions, though they still suffer a -2 penality to their dice pools due to the difficulty of keeping their eyes averted.

Fang and Tail Concentration

Cost: 10 motes, 1wp

Duration: Scene

Type: Simple

Minimum Martial Arts: 5

Minimum Essence: 5

Prerequisite Techniques: Crushing Tail Technique, Swaying Behemoth Stance

The most fearsome of elder serpents can attack with their fangs even while crushing another enemy with their tails. The martial artist gainst two fully independent actions (as defined by the CMoS form) per round and can ignore up to his essence dice of splitting penalities.

Adamant Consumption

Cost: 5 motes, 1wp, 1HL

Duration: Instant

Type: Simple

Minimum Martial Arts: 5

Minimum Essence: 5

Prerequisite Techniques: Fang and Tail Concentration

The final technique of the Adamant Serpent Style this fearsome attack emulates the way in which the behemoths of the Wyld consume their victims to draw nourishment from their pain and finally their death. The martial artist makes a barehanded attack, adding his MA score to accuracy and damage. If it succeeds, the strike deals aggravated damage as the master's hand digs deep into the victim's flesh and essence, drawing forth his energy to feed upon. For each HL of damage he inflicts he regains one point of temporary willpower or alternatively 3 motes of essence. Applied against a helpless target the master draws forth the victim's very soul, devouring it with the adamant teeth of this charm. This refills his essence pool as well as his willpower to the fullest at the price of extinguishing another's soul forever.

Comments

Dakkareth, wow I like it alot. It seems alot like a MA I came up with awhile ago, SunDragon Style. Mine was long and forbidding like the EXTREMELY powerful siddie styles, but this one you seem to have whittled it into an incredibly functional and asthetically cool MA! Kudos!!! As far as number crunching I am not the guy to ask but here are a few things I saw:

' Serpent Scale Meditation - Is this stackable with itself or other soak charms?

' Sudden Snake Head Strike - This just seems awfully cheap for a charm that adds damage post soak, improves initiative, and a movement buff.

' Adamant Serpent Form - I would add a wp in the cost since this is a very powerful form and it is scenelong.

' Adamant Scales Prana - same here I would add a wp or maybe even a HL due to this very powerful scenelong soak buff.

' Adamant Consumption - shouldn't there be some kind of reflexive save against sucking their soul forever? I mean if it were an extra it would be no question but can you use that ability automatically on an exalt? If so you either need a resistance roll or up the price quite a bit.

These are just minor mechanics issues that I would have if I were to let one of my PCs use this style in my game. Nice job. ~ Insanewizard