MartialArts/5BForbiddingManseOfIvyStyle

Forbidding Manse of Ivy Style

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This style is incompatible with armor. It treats attacks made with staves and with knives of all sorts as unarmed attacks.

Joy in Betrayal Attitude
Cost: 5 motes
Type: Reflexive
Duration: One Scene
Minimum MA:  2
Minimum Ess: 1
Prereqs:     None

The Martial Artist leans to embrace betrayal and surprise, and draw sustenance from such activities. For the remainder of the scene, whenever he attacks an enemy from behind, or when he attacks someone who does not consider the martial artist an enemy, he rolls his permanent Essence. He gains a number of motes of Essence equal to the number of successes on that roll.

The Hidden Path
Cost: 4 motes
Type: Supplemental
Duration: Instant
Minimum MA:  2
Minimum Ess: 1
Prereqs: Joy in Betrayal Attitude

The martial artist moves along the secret ways of Mercury. He moves as normal (modified by any other Charms, if applicable) but any observers cannot tell that he has moved until their initiative comes up. They can still defend themselves against his attacks, but this hidden movement allows him to attack from behind, or simply rush past enemies before they have a chance to react.

Secrets of Future Strife
Cost: None
Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
Minimum MA:  2
Minimum Ess: 1
Prereqs: Joy in Betrayal Attitude

As per Exalted: The Sidereals, pg 179

Dictate of Mars
Cost: 2 motes per difficulty modifier
Type: Reflexive
Duration: One Scene
Minimum MA:  3
Minimum Ess: 2
Prereqs: Joy in Betrayal Attitude

Mars determines the time and place for all battles to occur. The martial artist speaks with her authority, gaining a supernatural insight into the secret of the battle's beginning. For every two motes he spends, raise the difficulty of rolls to spot an ambush he sets or for others to ambush him by one. This difficulty penalty cannot exceed his permanent Essence.

Forbidding Manse of Ivy Form
Cost: 6 motes
Type: Simple
Duration: One Scene
Minimum MA:  4
Minimum Ess: 2
Prereqs: The Hidden Path, Secets of Future Strife, Dictate of Mars

The martial artist is cloaked in secrets, as he assumes the attitude and posture of the Maiden of Secrets, when she makes her Sign Against the World. It holds the promise of dread truths, and although these truths are never revealed to his enemies, the promise is enough. Anyone who attacks the martial artist subtract a number of dice from their attack pool equal to the martial artist's permanant Essence. This is NOT a visual penalty, but specifically does not affect automatons. In addition, the Martial Artist is assured total anonymity while he is under the auspice of the House of Secrets. He suffers from the Arcane Fate. This martial art was the first known instance of the Arcane Fate, though now it is all too common. If the martial artist already suffers from the Arcane Fate, increase the difficulty of the roll to remember him to his permanant Essence. This form is utterly incompatible with any resplendent destinies save those of the Mask, though effect points may be spent as normal for other destinies.

Knowledgeable Attack Strategem
Cost: 2 motes per success
Type: Reflexive
Duration: Instant
Minimum MA:  5
Minimum Ess: 3
Prereqs: Forbidding Manse of Ivy Form

The martial artist peers into the immediate future and sees the secrets of his enemy's defenses, written into the Loom of Fate. He may then act, knowing the truth of his enemy's intentions. This charm adds one automatic success to an attack made by the martial artist for every two motes spent (up to a number of successes equal to the martial artist's permanant Essence), and may even be activated after an opponent's defense is rolled, allowing an attack that might otherwise have missed to strike true.

Secret of Avoidance Technique
Cost: 2 motes per difficulty modifier
Type: Reflexive
Duration: Instant
Minimum MA:  5
Minimum Ess: 2
Prereqs: Forbidding Manse of Ivy Form

The martial artist peers into the immediate future and sees the secret of one attack, written into the Loom of Fate. He may then act, knowing the truth of his enemy's desire. This charm adds one to the difficulty to strike the martial artist for every two motes spent, and may even be activated after the martial artist's defense actions have failed or succeeded.

Being Non-Being Approach
Cost: 1 WP, 4 motes
Type: Reflexive
Duration: Instant
Minimum MA:  5
Minimum Ess: 3
Prereqs: Knowledgeable Attack Strategem

The Exalt forces all foes whom he can see to immediately suffer the impinging touch of Secrets, not as a lack of knowledge, but as a force of its own. All of them must immediately roll to try to hold onto the memory of the martial artist as if he had left their presence, as if he were under the effect of Arcane Fate. Any who fail will view the martial artist as an innocent bystander as they search for the target of their rage. This charm can even make Sidereal Exalted forget about the character, but unlike all other beings, he does not suffer from the three-dice penalty to his Wits + Occult roll.

Stolen Secrets Sutra
Cost: 1 WP, 10 motes, 1 HL
Type: Simple
Duration: One Scene
Minimum MA:  5
Minimum Ess: 4
Prereqs: Being Non-Being Approach, Secret of Avoidance Technique

The martial artist who invokes this Charm may, at any point later in the scene, target any Charm he can see someone in line of sight using. He rolls his essence plus his martial arts, at a difficulty of the ability score requirement of the target charm. If he suceeds, he gains the ability to use that Charm for its listed price, regardless of type or Charm pre-requisites, for the remainder of the scene. This locks the target Charm into the Stolen Secrets Sutra and he cannot choose another unless he pays the cost of this charm again, which cancels the first effect. A Sidereal, or someone who learns this as a Sidereal Charm, may enhance it with a prayer strip with the Scripture of the Expectant Maiden. If he does so, the prayer strip rises above his head, and curls into a unique shape for each and every charm in existence, shining a shimering emerald. For as long as the prayer strip persists, the victim must spend three times the cost of the stolen charm, in motes, HL, and in WP or he is unable to use it.

Comments

Stolen Secrets Sutra is now my favorite example of a charm-stealing charm. Kudos. Also, isn't there already a charm called Being/Non-Being Approach? That name seems awfully familiar. - IanPrice

There is. It's a raksha charm. - Stormsinger