MartialArts/CelestialMonkey2e

Celestial Monkey Style

No charm in this style may be used with any weapons or armor until the pinnacle charm is learned.

Monkey Tail Distraction Strike

Cost: 2m

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-Ok

Minima:MA 2/ Ess 1

Prereq. Charms: None

This enhances an attack, allowing surprise from plain sight even when observed. Opponent rolls Perception + Awareness reflexively with a difficulty of Essence; failure means the attack is unexpected. This charm may not be used in combat.

Flowing Mirror of Opposition Technique

Cost: 1m

Duration: Instant

Type: reflexive

Keywords: Combo-Ok

Minima:MA 2/ Ess 1

Prereq. Charms: Monkey Tail Distraction Strike

By staying inside an opponent's guard, nullify his Accuracy bonus from weapons other than natural weapons until your DV refreshes, and if he attacks you with such a weapon, increase the Speed of that attack by 1. The latter effect does not apply to counterattacks or other attacks made reflexively, this charms effects end after one attack regardless of whether both penalties affected it or not.

Body of War Meditation

Cost: 4m/Strength or Stamina, 6m/Dexterity

Duration: Scene

Type: Simple

Keywords: Obvious

Minima:MA 3/ Ess 2

Prereq. Charms: None

Increase physical attributes by up to Essence dots each for one scene.

Withering Paw Strike

Cost: 4m1w

Duration: Instant

Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Minima:MA 3/ Ess 2

Prereq. Charms: Body of War Meditation

Attack, reducing opponent's DV by Essence. A hit does no damage, instead forcing a reflexive Wits + (Ability for using the opponent's weapon) roll from the opponent. Reduce the attack's successes by the successes on this roll. If any successes remain, the opponent's weapon is knocked away a number of feet = (remaining successes * 10).

Celestial Monkey Form

Cost: 5m

Duration: Scene

Type: Simple

Keywords: Form-Type

Minima:MA 4/ Ess 2

Prereq. Charms: Withering Paw Strike, Flowing Mirror of Opposition Technique

You are immune to Virtue tests for the duration of this form, as well as any social influence with the Emotion keyword. This same enlightened irreverence allows you to channel your passions as you wish. Any virtue may be channeled to any purpose, even if it would normally be inappropriate.

Walking in the Footsteps of Ten Thousand Things

Cost: 10m1w2xp

Duration: Instant

Type: Simple (variable ticks, DV -0)

Keywords: None

Minima:MA 5/ Ess 3

Prereq. Charms: Celestial Monkey Form

By observing an opponent's fighting style, roll Perception + Martial arts at a difficulty of (opponent's Martial Arts). Extra successes = permanent bonus to Martial Arts attacks against that opponent. The Speed of this action is equal to the number of ticks until the targeted opponent has atatcked and refreshed his DV once. You may keep trying up to Essence times on any given target (only motes spent after first turn, no more willpower or xp), with the difficulty dropping by 1 each time, minimum 3. Only the best total applies. May not retry again after this until Essence is raised.

Four Halo Golden Monkey Palm

Cost: 3m1w

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Minima:MA 5/ Ess 3

Prereq. Charms: Walking in the Footsteps of Ten Thousand Things

You may strike at an opponent's Gates of Virtue. Attack at a -3 external penalty. If damage pierces Hardness and one or more damage successes are rolled, add extra health levels = one of target's Virtues, choice of the charm user. This additional damage is Lethal, and automatic without rolling. Temperance sits in the head, compassion in the sternum, conviction in the stomach, and valor in the groin (it is striking these targets which causes the external penalty). The target struck will glow briefly. Temperance glows white, compassion blue, conviction black, and valor red.

Four Halo Golden Monkey Realignment

Cost: 8m1w

Duration: SCENE GORRAMIT

Type: Reflexive

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Minima:MA 5/ Ess 3

Prereq. Charms: Four Halo Golden Monkey Palm

You unleash your Gates of Virtue, and move them through your body at will, manifesting them physically with your Essence. The Gates both protect you effortlessly and add unexpected dimensions and force to your attacks. Your DV suffers no onslaught penalties, and ignores -1 of penalties caused by each action taken, just as per Fivefold Bulwark Stance. Martial Arts attacks add (Essence/2, rounded down) automatic successes.

Celestial Godbody Understanding

Cost: -

Duration: N/A

Type: Permanent

Keywords: None

Minima:MA 5/ Ess 4

Prereq. Charms: Four Halo Golden Monkey Realignment

May use any weapons and armor with this style. Requirements to use weapons are halved, rounded up.

Comments

I foresee the need to explain my choice on three things:

• Monkey Tail Distraction Strike: This charm couldn't be used in combat, but it allowed you to jump somebody without rolling initiative. Therefore, I figured its attack would begin a new battle order and pre-empt JB.
• Flowing Mirror of Opposition Technique: Yes, it increases your opponent's wait time, and that's potent. Especially at MA 2, Ess 1. But hey, it's about the same as what Flight of Mercury does at the same ability and Essence level, and it's the closest reflection I can see to the charm's 1e weapon-nerfing function.
• Five Halo Golden Monkey Realignment: When this was originally published, there was no general MA dice adder. Now that there is, I wished to make the charm more useful by giving something approximately statistically equivalent in successes, which are not capped by dice-adder limits.

So, comment away. - IanPrice

- Flowing Mirror Opposition. A 1st ed init modifier (this includes 1st ed weapon speed) does not necessarily convert to a 2nd ed speed modifier. In 1e, regardless of init, each side will get one action per turn. In 2e, the difference between speed 3 and 4 is one action every 12 ticks. This is too powerful an effect for a 2/1 Reflexive Combo-OK charm costing 1m.
- Body of War Meditation. This is not a mere Simple charm. Simple charms have a default speed of 6 ticks. This is a Simple (Dramatic Action) charm that requires at least twenty minutes (one scene) of ritual (meditation) to activate. Good call on the Obvious keyword.
- Walking in the Footsteps of Ten Thousand Things. Same as above, except the dramatic action have different length and procedure. Good call on not using the Obvious keyword.
- Four Halo Golden Monkey Palm. Suggests wording changed to "difficulty 3", because your attack does not actually increase the target's DV. Also, is that post-soak damage dice that needs to be rolled or automatic extra lethal health level loss?
- TonyC

I disagree on Flowing Mirror, see above. Body of War could be read with the twenty minutes in the text referring to duration rather than length of activation, and that is what I have chosen to read it as. Walking did require a bit more clarification, which I have now added. Palm, I changed it to an additional external penalty; this is in line with the normal rules for called shots. And the levels are automatic. - IanPrice

And I dislike Flight of Mercury's Speed manipulation. But forget that. Look, this charm nullifies weapon Accuracy. This is very nice for 1 mote. You probably should also clarify what is meant by "weapon", by the way. Obviously this applies to artificial weapons like swords and maces, but what about a Lunar's bite attack, a sorcerer's Wood Dragon Claw, or a yeddim's Trample?

This charm also slows down the opponent's Speed, regardless of whether he's Dashing (and how'd that work anyway?) or making a speech (long ticks). This is ultra nice, as generally trying to speed up a Speed 6 Simple Charm is impossible, and somehow this charm can slow it down to Speed 7 for 1 mote. But wait, it does this and the previous effect combined for the same 1 mote. And this is an MA2/Essence 1 charm. I don't know, it feels more like a 5/4 charm to me, probably 5/5, given the very low cost. Being able to somehow confound someone so that he keeps running when he should've stopped (Speed 3 Dash becoming a Speed 4 Dash) sounds like a ninja mind-trick to me, so MA 5. Being able to slow down the essence manipulation in the Shaping of Sorcery, turning a Speed 5 actions into Speed 6 actions is Essence 4, minimum. The incredible efficiency of a 1m Reflexive Combo-OK charm justifies pushing it into 5/5. This charm should've been the pinnacle of the style, not a beginner charm.

I suggest getting rid of the Speed manipulation aspect entirely, but if you absolutely have to, steal an idea from Flight of Mercury and have the charm reduce the speed of one of your MA attack by 1. - TonyC

Changed to reflect the intent better. I realized you're right and no, it shouldn't be able to slow down anything but an armed attack. Nor should it negate the bonus of any natural weapons. I forgot to read the charm by the words, rather than my intention. So yeah, no long dashes, no super-long sorcery, etc. It's just supposed to be harder to recover from that awkward position your grand goremaul got into when trying to squash the annoying monkey who pinched your butt and laughed. - IanPrice

- Monkey Tail Distraction Strike. I suggest changing its type to Supplemental. It enhances a (close combat?) Martial Arts attack, making it unexpected. Roll yaddayadda to notice, etc. The rest is already handled by the rules. Ex:2e page 141. Left column, third paragraph. - TonyC

True, it probably should have been Supplemental to begin with. I just copied what was in the player's guide and didn't think about changing the type. - IanPrice

Looks good. - TonyC

Yay. - IanPrice

Ambisinister pointed out that Four Halo Golden Monkey Realignment incorrectly had a duration of Instant. Four Halo Golden Monkey Palm also was incorrectly listed as Scene length. This has been fixed. - IanPrice

Maybe I'm crazy, but it looks like Realingment still has a duration of instant.-Ambisinister

!!!

...

I think I'm going crazy, because I CHANGED that earlier today... - IanPrice