MartialArts/BladeofHeavenStyle
Blade of Heaven Style
By Haku
Background
This charm tree I see as being created in the First Age by a brilliant Solar swordswoman who wanted to beef up her Dragon Blooded followers.
After decades of working it out, the swordswoman came up with a charm tree for use by her followers.
Then came the betrayal, which killed the charm creator... Later on, the Contagion wiped out most of the practioneers of this style of fighting.
This Charm tree would be used by only a very few dragon blooded families (location and families to be determined by storyteller or player), who happen to be the descendents of the most skillful surviving troops of the Solar swordswoman.The amount of families who practice this style can be counted on 1 hand.
This style must be used -with- a -light- and -small- sword or a slashing sword like a saber -or a katana or a wakazashi (smaller version of a katana). The charms are not useable with heavy/large swords or with other types of weapons, it might be possible to use it bare handed for that matter. It is also possible to use it with small weapons like short swords or long knives. If you want to use other martial arts weapon, while not recommended, it IS possible to use some of the charms to enhance the weapons, only bear in mind it has to be a light weight and small weapon.
A katana is a slightly longer and better, depending on who you talk to, slashing sword. Like a slashing sword, the katana has a long and slightly curved single-edged blade about three and a half feet long.
It's primarily used by martial artists,and weapon afficardos. This weapon is swift and sharp and are primarily used for arcing and slashing cuts.
The cavalry also on occassion uses such weapons when they can, but the price range usually restricts usage by most common soldiers or cavalry, unless of course, said person got it from the battlefield looting the dead or bought it off of someone who did so.
The poor-man's Katana - Somewhat Common -> Not so common
Speed +3, Accuracy +1, Damage +2L, Defense +1 Resources 2, Minimum Strength 1
Standard Katana - Rare
Speed +3, Accuracy +2, Damage +3L, Defense +2 Resources 3, Minimum Strength 1, Ability (Melee or MA) 2
Exceptional Katana - Very rare \\ Resources 4, you dump in the 3 bonus points where you want to, just can't add more then 1 point per statistic.
Charms
Crescent Moon Bite</b>
<b>Cost: 2 motes per + 1 to intiative Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: None
This charm is a 'quick draw' charm, enabling the user to gain the edge in a duel or melee/martial combat by increasing the speed of drawing his weapon. To activate this charm -REQUIRES- the user to have his weapon sheathed by his side or held in his hand by his side.
This charm simply increases the weapon drawing speed, giving the character's intiative + 1 per 2 motes. The number of additional initiative added can not be more then double the Perm Essence pool. This charm can only be used once per turn.
Crimson Full Moon </b>
<b>Cost:2 motes Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Crescent Moon Bite
This charm is an outgrowth of the Crescent Moon Bite, the character draws his blade and swirls around in a circle, doing damage to everyone in a circle around him within the radius of his essence charged weapon. A success means that everyone around the character is hit (if they fail to dodge or block), a failure means he automatically missed everyone, a botch means that he missed and is 'off balace' and can not defend himself. This Charm, in essence, treats everyone (friend or foe) in the range of his weapon as a 'single' target in regards to his hitting, the targets may make individual dodges, parrys or blocks to the attack.
The limitations on this charm is the range of the weapon that is being used, which is three feet long and the fact that the weapon is required to be sheathed in his hand or by his side.
Hidden Moon Strike </b>
<b>Cost:3 motes + 1 mote per dice added to attack roll Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Crimson Full Moon
This charm is the ultimate growth of Crescent Moon Bite and Crimson Full Moon, it enhances the character's drawing speed enough that the blade being drawn is unseeable by mortal eyes, a flash of metal is what even the most discerning eyes can see.
The character charges his body with essence as he stands in front of his victim, and draws his blade fast enough that the blow is unseen and resheathing the blade before it can even be seen. This charm increases the weapon drawing speed, giving the character's attack roll + 1 dice per mote after the intial 3 motes. The number of additional dice can not be more then the total Dex score.
Cutting Spring's Blossoms </b>
<b>Cost:Varies Duration: Instant Type: Extra Action Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Crimson Full Moon
The master swordsman can dance amongst spring's falling blossoms without being touched, for the falling petals would have been swept away by the sword he wields. The Exalted character surrounds himself with nimbus of essence, and his movements become as smooth and rapid as a flickering shadow. The character may make as many multiple attacks as he wishes against a single opponent or multiple opponents, so long as his essence holds up against the Charm's cost. Each attack costs motes equal to twice the total number of attacks made that turn. A character making 5 attacks that turn would pay 30 (2 + 4 + 6 + 8 + 10) motes to activate Cutting Spring's Blossom.
The player must declare how many attacks the character is making before the first action. The dice pool can not be split in the turn when this charm is to be used. The defenders must dodge, parry or block each attack seperately.
Rage of Summer's Heat </b>
<b>Cost:4 motes Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Cutting Spring's Blossom
Legends abound of swordsmen whose weapons were swung sure and swift enough that blades of air were formed and used to attack their enemies at a distance. The character charges her body with essence and swings her weapon swiftly to strike a blow at a distant target. An invisible blade of air leaps from the arc of the sword and races towards the target. The character attacks with her Dexterity + Skill dice pool and does a base lethal damage equal to his Strength. The attack is blocked as a ranged attack and not a melee attack. The range of the attack is (5 x essence) yards.
Clearing Autumn's Falling Leaves </b>
<b>Cost:6 motes, 1 willpower Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Rage of Summer's Heat
As the character charges his target in an attack with his sword in hand, the air is filled with hundreds of duplicates of his weapon's blades all surrounding the attacking blade, overwhelming a target with attacks. The attacker doubles his attack pool for a attack, which can not be dodged or parried without the use of Charms, only blocked. This is the -entire- dice pool, including specialties, item bonus, and if 'comboed', charm bonuses as well. The 'clearing' attack only affects a single target. The duplicate blades fade away as soon as the target is hit and it's revealed that the weapon that hit the target is the one that character is wielding. The attacker -must- have some type of weapon in his hand as he makes the attack, obviously.
Dance amongst the Snowflakes </b>
<b>Cost:6 motes Duration: Until next action Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Clearing Autumn's Falling Leaves
Letting essence fill his body and weapon, the character is now one with his weapon, as his anima interacts with the ambient flows of essence. The character now has the ability to parry or block any attack against him, that he can preceive, with his entire Dex + Martial Arts dice pool. The parrying works as long as the attack is physical and is not an 'impossible to block' attack. This is the arrow parrying charm... ^_^
Reduced Earth </b>
<b>Cost:12 motes, 1 willpower, 1 health level Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Dance amongst the Snowflakes
The character's body is so charged with essence, enhancing his reflexes and speed so much that he can appear to teleport while moving. The player rolls his total Dexterity pool, and for every success (10 count as double successes) he gets an extra action with no penalty. The extra action doesn't have to be an attack. With the minimum of 1 success/extra action, the player can also run double his sprinting distance in a single 'action' without becoming winded, as he is relaying on his essence and not his body's human endurance.
If he wishes, the player may keep running for the enture turn, with each 'action' getting him double his sprinting distance. This obviously means that the character is very, VERY mobile.
Strike of Heaven's Blade </b>
<b>Cost:10 motes, 1 willpower Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 5 Prereqs: Reduced Earth
The character focusses all of his essence into the blade of his sword, making his strike as swift and deadly as a lightning bolt. Activating this charm charges the weapon that character is using with essence, so much so that it'll slice through armour as if it wasn't there.
What happens is this, the character makes his normal martial arts attack roll, but adds his essence score to the damage roll after soak.
The attack does unsoakable damage to targets wearing ordinary armour, as it literally destroys the armour or shield that is used to protect the target.
If the target is wearing magical armour, the attack focusses on the armour instead of being 'unsoakable' on the target. Any extra damage done to the magical or living armour, ABOVE what is needed to destroy the armour, is transferred directly to the target, herself.
