MartialArts/BlizzardFistStyle
Blizzard Fist Style
By Slim Pick3ns
Description
Developed by the mysterious Air Immaculate exile called "Ice Devil", and taking many of its hand-to-hand combat principles from the mundane aspects of Air Dragon Style, Blizzard Fist Style enables its Essence-weak practitioners to emulate the numbing cold, the cutting wind and the soul-crushing endless winter that is the North.
In-form weapons: javelin, shuriken, knife.
The javelin and the knife are representative of a falling icicle, piercing an enemy's flesh but also numbing his heart with its chill.
The shuriken represents a flurry of snowflakes cascading down onto the frail form of the unwary traveller in the North.
Charms
Cutting Wind Meditation
Cost: 2 motes Type: Supplemental Duration: Instant Minimum Essence: 1 Minimum Martial Arts: 2 Prerequisite Charms: None
Training in the Blizzard Fist style involves gruelling hours spent in gale force winds, pounding hail or freezing snow. By spending two motes of Essence, the martial artist can call upon one of the basic tenets of the style: to endure. Use of this Charm adds the martial artist's permanent Essence to his Stamina + Endurance pool for the purpose of enduring cold or exposure.
Relentless Gale Stance
Cost: 3 motes Type: Reflexive Duration: Instant Minimum Essence: 1 Minimum Martial Arts: 3 Prerequisite Charms: Cutting Wind Meditation
The wind is the most prevalent feature of the North: only the strongest may stand against it. Buoyed by the inspiration of the endless tempest and conditioned by their training, the martial artist using this Charm may ignore any knockback or knockdown effect inflicted upon him, even as a result of losing control of a clinch. As such, this Charm renders the martial artist immune to throws and trips of all kinds.
Black Ice Evasion
Cost: 4 motes Type: Supplemental Duration: Instant Minimum Essence: 1 Minimum Martial Arts: 2 Prerequisite Charms: Cutting Wind Meditation
A Blizzard Fist Style martial artist can turn the treacherous footing offered by ice into an advantage. His unpredictable, slippery footwork allows him to add his Martial Arts ability to any single dodge attempt when he uses this Charm.
Slippery Ice Escape
Cost: 5 motes Type: Reflexive Duration: See below Minimum Essence: 1 Minimum Martial Arts: 3 Prerequisite Charms: Black Ice Evasion
When in disadvantageously close quarters, the practitioner of Blizzard Fist Style often finds it useful to emulate slick, wet ice to elude the grasp of their opponent. Upon activating this Charm, the martial artist rolls his Martial Arts ability, and for a number of turns equal to his Martial Arts ability may add the number of successes achieved on this roll to any clinch checks made. When using this bonus the martial artist must immediately end any clinch he gains control of by releasing their opponent, and may not knock them back or throw them.
Freezing Palm
Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower Type: Simple Duration: One scene Minimum Essence: 1 Minimum Martial Arts: 3 Prerequisite Charms: Cutting Wind Meditation
This quintessential Blizzard Fist Style Charm calls upon the martial artist's understanding of the deep and bitter frosts that rime the North, and transfers that knowledge into his attacks. Unarmed attacks deal lethal damage (and may not deal bashing damage) while this Charm is active, and in addition the chilling cold numbs the target. When damaged by the martial artist, targets vulnerable to cold (most living creatures) must make a Stamina + Resistance roll against a difficulty of the martial artist's Essence or suffer a -1 penalty to his actions on his next turn. This penalty is cumulative over multiple attacks to a maximum of the permanent Essence of the martial artist. This Charm is entirely compatible with the form weapons of Blizzard Fist Style, and it is noted that when used with shuriken it can be spectacularly deadly.
Sun on Snow Attack
Cost: 5 motes Type: Supplemental Duration: Instant Minimum Essence: 1 Minimum Martial Arts: 3 Prerequisite Charms: Freezing Palm
Snow blindness can bring a rapid and untimely demise to the inexperienced traveller in the frozen North. The meditations of the Blizzard Fist Style teach its students the secrets of rendering an opponent sightless and how best to take advantage of their resulting weakness. The martial artist makes a Martial Arts attack at difficulty 3, which may be dodged or parried as normal. If successful, this attack deals no damage, but the flare of Essence created with this Charm combined with its precise direction will blind an opponent should he fail to make a Stamina + Resistance roll with a difficulty equal to 1 + the permanent Essence of the martial artist. Should the target become blinded, the blindness lasts for a number of turns equal to the Martial Arts ability of the martial artist. This charm is incompatible with even Blizzard Fist Style weapons, and may only be used barehanded or barefoot.
Blizzard Form
Cost: 3 motes Type: Supplemental Duration: Instant Minimum Essence: 2 Minimum Martial Arts: 4 Prerequisite Charms: Sun on Snow Attack, Relentless Gale Stance, Slippery Ice Escape
The Blizzard Form is the Blizzard Fist Style's representation of the unforgiving Northern climate. The martial artist takes on the fierce and rapid movements of the winds that blow from the Elemental Pole of Air, and emulates the durability of the hard-packed ice that coats so much of the northlands. Upon invoking Blizzard Form, the martial artist gains a bonus to their Athletics score equal to their permanent Essence, a bonus to their bashing and lethal soak equal to their permanent Essence (giving them a lethal soak even if they were previously unable to soak lethal damage) and adding their Essence to their Stamina + Endurance rolls to endure cold and exposure. The martial artist may also parry lethal attacks barehanded without a stunt. This Charm is incompatible with the use of armour and non-form weapons. This is a Form-type Charm.
Cloak of a Thousand Snowflakes
Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower Type: Simple Duration: One scene Minimum Essence: 2 Minimum Martial Arts: 4 Prerequisite Charms: Blizzard Form
The blizzard shrouds all who dare brave its deadly chill from the sight of their enemies. Martial artists of the Blizzard Fist Style can pass undetected by the senses of even the most alert guards with this Charm. Under the effects of Cloak of a Thousand Snowflakes, the martial artist gains bonus dice to all Stealth rolls equal to their permanent Essence. This bonus is doubled in snowfall any heavier than a light shower.
Crushing Permafrost Approach
Cost: 5 motes Type: Supplemental Duration: Instant Minimum Essence: 2 Minimum Martial Arts: 5 Prerequisite Charms: Cloak of a Thousand Snowflakes
Despite the presence of the Slippery Ice Escape in the teachings of the Blizzard Fist Style, its more experienced practitioners find as often as not that it is advantageous to fight in extremely close quarters. This Charm calls upon the weight and chill of thousand-year-old ice to bind an enemy into silent, unmoving death. Activating this Charm adds the martial artist's permanent Essence to his Strength for the purpose of a single clinch attempt, including any damage dealt by the attack. If the martial artist gains or maintains control of a clinch when using Crushing Permafrost Approach, he may not choose to end the clinch but instead must either deal damage or hold his opponent.
Endless Blizzard Technique
Cost: 6 motes, 1 Willpower Type: Extra Action Duration: Instant Minimum Essence: 3 Minimum Martial Arts: 5 Prerequisite Charms: Crushing Permafrost Approach
The pinnacle of the Blizzard Fist Style's teachings, students who are ready to become masters spend untold hours contemplating the forces of the wind and cold as they stand in the centre of a snowstorm, and so they learn how to lay low all who stand before them in the same way as the blizzard. On the turn that they activate Endless Blizzard Technique, the martial artist makes an attack as normal. Should this attack miss its target, the charm ends. Each time the martial artist successfully hits his target, however, he may make an additional attack at a cumulative -1 penalty, up to a number of attacks equal to his Martial Arts ability.
Comments
Darn, need to print it out and take home ;) - YerMum
Who is the author of this style? They should put their name in at the top. -LiOfOrchid
- It's by Slim Pick3ns. I've added his name to the top. - Quendalon
- Thanks! Your wiki-fu is strong. - Slim_Pick3ns
A couple of revisions to the Charm tree structure and (especially) Crushing Permafrost Approach. I think it needs a few more Charms. Ideas?- Slim_Pick3ns
