MartialArts/CrowStyle
Crow Style
Crow Style is a mobile style with offensive and defensive abilities focusing on the martial artist's ability to befuddle and out-manuever his opponent, though unlike some other similar styles it is not without a strong attack and defense. Unlike most other celestial martial arts, Crow style is somewhat co-operative. Groups of Crow-stylists working in concert, called "murders," were relatively common in first age martial artist circles. Murders often included solar, lunar, and sidereal martial artists. Masters of this style were sometimes employed to deal with particularly troublesome spirits and ghosts. Their combined powers and distinctive co-operative moves made them forces to be reckoned with.
Crow style had a multiplicity of themes among the various exalts who studied it. Among Solars, for example, it was most common among Dawn-caste solars, who appreciated both its subtlety and the opportunity to use their abilities as leaders and martial artists simultaneously. Oddly enough, it was also prefered by Zenith solars, who, as psychopomps, found a resonance with the Crow's symbolic role in the transmigration of souls. Few Twilight solars practiced Crow Style, for though they were wise and spirit-crafty, like the Crow, they found its powers did little to enhance their fondness for sorcery. Sidereals chosen of Secrets and Endings were both fond of Crow Style, followed closely by chosen of Battles. Lunars of all castes followed this style, especially No Moons and Waning Moons, who felt a connection with the Crow's wisdom and trickery, respectively.
Appropriatly, this style is one rife with secrets. Both the charms that allow flight and the charms involved with interacting with ghosts and spirits are "secret" branches of this style, not seen in Creation for generations. Even those who know this style and have agreed to teach it will need their students to show a great deal of intelligence and dedication before passing those charms on. In the first age, Crow sifus would often require that their students master all the more mundane charms, but in this fallen age, most would probably be willing to compromise. In all cases that a student shows that he might have the potential to use the secret branches of this style, the flight charms are taught first, followed by the spirit charms.
Crow Style uses spears (symbolizing the Crow's beak) and paired daggers (symbolizing the Crow's talons or wings) as martial arts weapons. Crow style is totally incompatible with the use of armor. Traditionaly, practicioners of this style wore flowing black clothing - sometimes enchanted as silken armor - and decorated their clothes and hair with Crow feathers.
Crow Stance
Cost: 4 motes Duration: One Scene Type: Reflexive Minimum Martial Arts: 2 Minimum Essence: 1 Prerequesites: None
The martial artist fills his bones and muscles with essence, becoming unnaturaly light and limber. For the rest of the scene the his ballance and speed are enhanced. He may now add his permanent Essence to his Strength and Dexterity for the purposes of running and leaping.
Fading with the Dusk
Cost: 5 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Minimum Martial Arts: 3 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequesites: Crow Stance
As the Crow flutters away from those who seek to harm it, so does the martial artist slip away from his attacker. The power of his essence and preternatural awareness allow him to add his martial arts in dice to any one dodge (not parry) attempt. Furthermore, if the dodge is successful, the martial artist may leap in any direction up to as many yards as he rolled successes on his dodge, plus one yard for each point of his permanent Essence. As with any reflexive dice-adder, this charm allows the martial artist to reflexively dodge an attack with his martial arts score. This charm benefits from all other dodge bonuses the martial artist has active.
Flying Before the Storm
Cost: 5 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Minimum Martial Arts: 3 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequesites: Crow Stance
As an attack sweeps towards him, the martial artist simultaneously channels his essence into his defense and into further lightening his body. When the attack strikes, he may add his permanent Essence to his parry (not dodge) roll. If the parry is successful, the martial artist may leap away from his opponent up to as many yards as he rolled successes on his parry, plus one yard for each point of his permanent Essence. As with any reflexive dice-adder, this charm allows the martial artist to reflexively parry an attack with his permanent Essence plus the defense bonus of his weapon. This charm benefits from all appropriate parry benefits the character has active.
If Exalted Power Combat rules are used, this charm explicity allows the martial artist to use his weapon's defense bonus as part of his parry.
Crow Form
Cost: 5 motes Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Minimum Martial Arts: 4 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequesites: Fading with the Dusk, Flying Before the Storm
With this form, the martial artist learns the secret of ballance that Crows know. None may attempt to harm the martial artist without putting herself in danger. Should the character parry or dodge an opponent's attack, that opponent must make a Dexterity + Athletics check against a difficulty of the character's Martial Arts or be knocked off-balance for a number of turns to the character's Essence, suffering a -1 die penalty to all physical actions and to initiative. This penalty is cumulative.
As a secondary benefit, the martial artist's hands and forearms become as hard as a Crow's scaly talons. His unarmed attacks deal lethal damage and he may parry lethal attacks unarmed without a stunt.
This is a martial arts form-style charm; only one form-style charm can be used at a time.
Black Feather Dive Technique
Cost: 4 motes Duration: Instant Type: Simple Minimum Martial Arts: 4 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequesites: Crow Leap
The martial artist leaps into the air with a burst of essence and phantasmagoric black feathers. The martial artist may move up to ten times his Strength in yards in any direction. He may attack as he lands if he wishes, gaining his Martial Arts as a bonus to intiative and his permanent Essence as a bonus to damage. If the martial artist has the ability to fly he may still use this charm. The attack becomes a dive and requires that the martial artist be higher in altitude than his opponent.
Crow Greets the Dawn
Cost: 8 motes, 1 willpower Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Minimum Martial Arts: 5 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequesites: Black Feather Dive Technique
The martial artist leaps into the air... and does not come down again. He has learned one of the highest secrets of Crow Style, the secret of true flight. The martial artist can move aerially at five times his base running speed (80 miles per hour outside of combat). While flying, the martial artist can only be attacked in hand-to-hand combat during the intiative tick when they attack a foe in hand-to-hand combat. If flying characters choose to linger outside of hand-to-hand range and characters can not leap to them or otherwise come to grips, the caster has control of the situation. A target of the martial artist's attack may attack (or counterattack) without penalty. Characters other than the target who wish to attack must be able to move into hand-to-hand range reflexively and suffer a –3 penalty. Characters who have long weapons, such as spears, suffer only a –1 penalty. A flying character may be attacked in ranged combat normally.
Black-Winged Harbinger
Cost: 6 motes Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Minimum Martial Arts: 4 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequesites: Crow Form
The martial artist spreads his arms and draws the essence of endings into his body. Shadows about him lengthen and deepen, his vioce becomes deep and echoing, and even his anima banner becomes dim and strange. For the rest of the scene, those who would strike him must either succeed on a valor roll. If they fail, they must either spend a point of willpower or attack a different foe.
Righteous Psychopomp
Cost: 8 motes, 1 willpower Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Minimum Martial Arts: 5 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequesites: Black-Winged Harbinger
The martial artist executes a complex and utterly silent set of katas, aligning himself even more fully with the essence of endings. When he is finished, his hands and eyes flicker with the violet of the maiden of endings and he is constantly surrounded by a fall of phantasmagorical black feathers. His attacks against spirits, ghost, and creatures of the abyss - including Abyssal Exalted - are now aggravated. No creature dealt its death blow by this charm can return to life in any fashion. Spirits are permanently destroyed and ghosts, mortals, and exalts, even those damned to Oblivion, enter lethe and reincarnation. In the case of ghosts, mortals, and exalts, this is a perfect effect. Only similarly perfect effects, such as the immortality protecting the Deathlords, can prevent lethe and reincarnation.
Carrion Call
Cost: 5 motes, 1 willpower + 3 motes/attack Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Minimum Martial Arts: 5 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequesites: Crow Form
This charm is the one through which murders of Crow-style martial artist were feared in the old realm. Once this charm is active, the martial artist becomes a cunning opportunist. Whenever an opponent whithin the martial artist's Dexterity + Athletics + permanent Essence is knocked down, knocked back, or knocked off ballance, the martial artist may reflexively spend 3 motes of essence to move towards that opponent and deliver an attack. Activating this charm is a charm and a dice action, but the reflexive attack is not a charm and it does not count against the number of charms the martial artist may use in a round. In fact, the martial artist may supplement this attack with any appropriate reflexive or supplemental charms he knows, at ordinary cost. The martial artist may use this charm's effects more than once per round, but only once per opponent. Furthermore, the martial artist may not, at this level of expertese attack those he himself put off balance.
Ten Thousand Blackened Feathers
Cost: 4 motes, 1 willpower Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Minimum Martial Arts: 5 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequesites: Carrion Call
Whenever the martial artist successfuly knocks a target down, knocks a target back, or knocks a target off ballance he may activate this charm to attack again with the same number of dice. If that attack successfuly knocks its target down, knocks its target back, or knocks its target off ballance, the martial arist may activate this charm again. The martial artist may use this charm no more than once per opponent per point of his permanent Essence. If his opponent is knocked back, the martial artist may follow her; there is no limit to the number of yards he may move to chase his opponent while under the influence of this charm.
