MartialArts/CentaurStyle
Centaur Style
By Etrangere
Comments
I have put all those charms into Solar Ride (with some slight changes). Do you think we should keep 'em here as well ? -- Etrangere / Stranger
I'd be prone to keep leave them or a link to them here, even if the final version is under the Ride ability. I made a footnote on this on the main MartialArts page, which basically states that if the basic layout of the tree is parallel to a Martial Arts tree, it qualifies as a martial ability for the purposes of posting it; there's at least one tree that uses Melee in this list, so there's plenty of room for a Ride-based one.
As a footnote, I updated the 'By...' portion to reflect your alias on the Wiki -- it seemed like the best way to associate the work to you. ~Jabberwocky
Thanks ! This is the link toward the Ride-based tree. Use which ever version you prefer if you like those charms : Charms/EtrangereSolarRide - Etrangere
Background
This Martial Art was created with the purpose of fighting while riding. Back in the time when it was created, Exalted had worthy partners in the Simhata and other kind of magical steeds, and this Martial Art helped them being a terrifying team on a battlefield.
The Centaur Style emphases the building of a trusting partnership between the Exalted and his mount, allowing them through the flows of Essence running between them to gain advantage of each other abilities. The techniques used are horse acrobatics requiring litheness and balance and aimed at making someone perfectly comfortable on horseback.
This Martial Art doesn’t have any favored weapon as such, because any melee weapon used on horseback is considered as favored (and can be used with the Martial Art rating), however this only works while riding. Most of the time, the weapon used were lances and javelins.
Today this Martial Art has been re-discovered by only few Exalted who lives in the South-East and the Marukani plains.
Charms
Harmonious Balance Technique</b>
<b>Cost: 2 motes Duration: One Scene Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 1 Prereqs: None
The first Charm Martial Artists of the Centaur Style learn teaches them to reach an union of spirit with their steed. This allows them to have a perfect balance while horse riding and to be able to lead them only with their legs, thus keeping their hands free. The main effect of this is that they don’t need to make a Wits + Ride roll while riding in combat not to be dismounted even if the mount control is higher than their Ride ability. Further more, riding bareback and even without bride, doesn’t impede them in the least.
In battle with this charm active, a steed can move as fast as Dexterity + 60 yards by turn while the Martial Artist can concentrate on other actions than guiding his mount. This is subject to the rider’s armor mobility penalty.
Splendid Horseman Stance</b>
<b>Cost:3 mote Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 1 Prereqs: Harmonious Balance Technique
This stance teaches the Martial Artist to fight on horseback smoothly, every actions of attack and defense being enhanced by the movement of his mount. He can add to his combat pool while fighting mounted as many dices as his Ride rating.
Centaur Form</b>
<b>Cost:5 motes Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Splendid Horseman Stance
The character makes his steed respond to his demands with a few short movement exercises, making it aware and wary of the least of his signals, and himself attentive to the mount’s abilities and limits.
While riding this mount, he gains a bonus equal to his Martial Art rating to Initiative. Furthermore, he can, if he wishes so, replace Ride with his Martial Art rating for the purpose of limiting combat abilities. Enemies have a penalty of dices equal to his Permanent Essence Rating to attack them, as their dual awareness and seamless movements help them avoiding blows. This doesn’t work against ranged attack. A little bit of the exalted superhuman toughness passes to his mount who can use its full Stamina to soak lethal if it could already soak lethal, or half its stamina as exalted do if it couldn’t. Characters cannot use more than one Martial Art Form at the same time.
Jumping Down and Back Method</b>
<b>Cost:3 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Centaur Form
With this Charm, the Martial Artist learns how to step down on the ground from his mount for only an instant and jumping back on its back at once, or vice-verca, or doing it with his hands instead of legs. This ability is mainly used to avoid blows, adding his Martial Art rating to a Dodge action. But it can also be used to get on a mount’s back in the flick of an eye if he stands near it, or picking something on the ground while running by it.
Defense of the Terrible Edged Hooves</b>
<b>Cost:4 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Jumping Down and Back
No one should dare attack a horseman without minding his mount, for a true war-horse will defend his rider even when herself can’t parry the blows. This Charm allows the Exalted to guide his mount instinctively to counter-attack the blows he suffers as soon as the attacker is close enough to strike. She can repay an attack that hits with a mount’s Dexterity + the character’s MA score as an attack pool. She adds the attacks extra successes as auto-successes on the attack roll and has a Lethal Damage pool equal to the Strength of the mount or its own claw/hoof/bite attack, whichever does more damage. This Charm cannot be used in a turn more times than the Martial Artist Ride rating. It also can’t be used in answer to another counter-attack charm.
Incomparable Prowess of Horsemanship</b>
<b>Cost:3 motes Duration: One Turn Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Centaur Form
The Martial Artist is now incredibly comfortable with actions regarding horses. He cannot fail a roll regarding riding and is an expert at horse acrobatics. He can add his Martial Art rating as automatic successes to Ride rolls and any Athletics rolls that relates to horses.
Hit-and-run Cavalry Technique</b>
<b>Cost:4 motes Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Incomparable Prowess of Horsemanship
One of the reason that makes light cavalry so efficient in battles, is the strategy of coming in contact with the enemy to strike a blow, then running away before they can counter-attack. With this Charm makes the Martial Artist a master of this type of hit-and-run attack. It must be declared before the Initiative is rolled. Whatever the result, the rider can attack a target up to his horse’s Dexterity + 25 yards. Then, if he had won the Initiative by 3 or more, he races back to where he came from before the stricken foe has time to reciprocate the attack. If the foe can move to reach them still then they may attack and of course counter-attacks still work.
Battle Dancer Style</b>
<b>Cost:5 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Defense of the Terrible Hooves, Hit-and-run Cavalry Technique
With this Charm the Exalt orders his steed to constantly stays on the move, turning around the enemies they are attacking, running back and forth between opponents, so as to make them more difficult to be touched by attacks. This makes to the both mount and the rider a more difficult to be touch. Add the Martial Artist’s Permanent Essence to the difficulty to aim hand-to-hand attack at them, and half his Permanent Essence, rounded up, for ranged attack.
Powerful Charge Stance</b>
<b>Cost:6 motes Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Centaur Form
A skilled rider knows how to use his mount’s strength to empower his blows. With this Charm, the Martial Artist can add his mount’s Strength to the Damage roll he makes when attacking from horseback.
Trampling Sweeping Blow</b>
<b>Cost:3 motes Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Powerful Charge Stance
His steed can be the most wicked weapon of a horseman. With this Charm, the rider learns a technique to run down his opponent and then brings his mount to trample him, causing grievous wounds. The Martial Artist makes a regular attack, if he succeed and the unrolled damage is higher than his opponent’s Stamina + Resistance, then he adds the rider’s Permanent Essence to the difficulty of the roll to resist knockdown. If knockdown is achieved, then the opponent suffers another roll of damage equal to the steed's Strength.
Infinite Rushing Strikes</b>
<b>Cost:7 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: Instant Type: Extra-Action Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Hit-and-run Cavalry Technique, Trampling Sweeping Blow
Cavalry are always useful to break infantry’s rank, but this Charm makes of a mounted warrior a real terror of the battlefield, as he runs and knocks down his foes using the momentum of his mount’s gallop. The Exalted makes a normal charge attack for which he can’t slip his dice pool (he needs to be able to run a distance of at least 12 yard before striking this blow). If he touches and the unrolled damage is higher than his opponent’s Stamina + Resistance, he knocks them down (and dismount them if they are riding) automatically, then moves on his next opponent. As long as he keeps running down his adversaries, he can make another attack up to his full movement.
