MartialArts/FifteenMonthsAscendingWater

Ascending Water Style

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Background

Strike water, and you just get wet. Yet when water strikes you, your bones crack, your flesh bruises... and ultimately, it drags you away to drown. Would you fight the ocean? You will lose.

Training

The methods of training for Ascending Water Style are very similar to Terrestrial Hero Style. In fact, this style was developed by a re-examination of the principles of Terrestrial Hero, and for this reason some masters contend that this was the first style proposed of the fifteen "seasonal" styles. Some among this camp claim that this style spurred the idea to create the fifteen styles, while others claim that this style was once known by the name "Palm of Danaa'd Style," and was later incorporated into the Cyclic Styles.

Weapons and Armor

Any clinch aid may be used with this style, and this style specifically allows the use of clinching aids along with its charms with the Touch keyword. There is one exception: razor harnesses and bloodspike harnesses are not allowed. They are superfluous to the principles of grappling used in this style, and the bloodspike harness in particular actually interferes with the motions necessary. Any armor with a mobility penalty no greater than -2 is allowed.

Complementary Abilities

Students of this style develop a minimum Athletics and Dodge of •• as they learn to move with the flow of combat.

Charms

Palm of Danaa'd (or Ascending Water Strike)

Cost: 4m
Minimums: Essence 2, MA 3
Type: Simple (DV -2)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Touch
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

The most basic attack of this style is an attack like a Tsunami: the martial artist reels back, then spins towards her opponent and delivers a mighty blow. Roll (Strength or Dexterity) + Martial Arts, and add one automatic success. If the attack hits, its minimum damage is 1 higher than usual, and it ignores Hardness. This attack may be a strike or a clinch. If it is a strike, the opponent must roll against knockdown; on a failure, he is knocked prone and back (Strength) feet.

Danaa'd Stands Aside

Cost: 3m/hl, 1wp/ahl
Minimums: Essence 2, MA 3
Type: Reflexive (Step 8)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

The basic Water-emulating defense is to allow a blow to push you aside. This minimizes the damage it can do to you; for 3m per level, lethal damage is reduced to bashing. Aggravated damage may also be reduced to Lethal at the cost of 3m and 1wp per level - aggravated damage may not further be reduced to bashing by this charm.

Ascending Water Form (or Palm of Danaa'd Form)

Cost: 7m
Minimums: Essence 3, MA 4
Type: Simple (Speed 3, DV -2)
Keywords: Form-Type
Duration: Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Palm of Danaa'd, Danaa'd Stands Aside

Water is sometimes gentle, sometimes boiling, sometimes hard and sharp as ice. While emulating it with this form, the Exalt may deal Lethal or Bashing damage with any given attack at her leisure. His fists are sometimes ice, sometimes a gentle stream, sometimes a steam-hot geyser - not literally, but in the way the wounds they leave feel.

Furthermore, it is easy to hit the water, but it does not care. Because of the way an Exalt in this form bends and flexes naturally with any blow, it takes a particularly lucky one to harm her grievously. Reduce any damage rolled against the character by one health level after it is rolled. She may spend a Willpower to reduce any given damage roll by one additional level.

Riptide Takedown

Cost: 2m, 1wp
Minimums: Essence 3, MA 4
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Palm of Danaa'd

When the tide recedes, it creates a strong suction which often carries the unwary off their feet. By suddenly pulling back from an opponent in a clinch, this martial artist can have much the same effect. This charm is declared before a contested clinch roll, adding one automatic success to that roll. If this Exalt wins, she must choose to end the clinch with a Takedown, throwing the opponent prone at her feet. In addition to becoming prone, the opponent will also suffer normal damage for the "crush" maneuver.

Currents and Eddies

Cost: 1+m
Minimums: Essence 3, MA 4
Type: Reflexive (step 2)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Danaa'd Stands Aside

Water, in its usual state, is always in motion. A prevailing current creates various eddies, creating a variety of directions even in a greater movement towards just one destination. Each mote spent on this charm may either add 2 yards to the character's reflexive move for this tick, or +1 to her DV against one attack this tick. This charm may provide a hopping defense. No more than Martial Arts (plus specialties) in motes may be spent on this charm in one tick.

Ocean Floor Approach

Cost: 5m, 1wp
Minimums: Essence 3, MA 5
Type: Simple
Keywords: Obvious
Duration: Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Ascending Water Form, Riptide Takedown, Currents and Eddies

At the bottom of the ocean, the weight of the water is oppressive all around. Currents above create even stronger forces beneath. This charm applies the same approach to grappling, after the Exalt takes a moment to suffuse her anima with this deep essence, creating visual effects dependent on the normal appearance of her anima. While using this charm, only the "hold" maneuver may be used on a clinched opponent. Once she establishes control of a clinch, each subsequent clinch roll gains bonus successes equal to the number of previous contested rolls she has won this clinch, adding one for the initial attack if she was the one to initiate the clinch. This process is known as "sinking," and when the Exalt benefits from her Essence in automatic successes from this charm, the opponent has "reached the bottom;" once there, the Exalt using this charm cannot gain any more bonus successes, but the Crush maneuver becomes available to him.

Once at the bottom, the opponent may not break the clinch even if he wins the clinch roll, nor do all of the bonus successes disappear immediately anymore. In fact, he does not even gain control of the clinch. Instead, for each roll the opponent wins from "the bottom" reduces the bonus successes by 1. When no bonus successes remain, the opponent may take control of the clinch again, and end it if he so chooses. If an opponent successfully escapes from "the bottom," this charm ends automatically (it does not end if a clinched opponent escapes before "reaching the bottom").

Deep Currents

Cost: 7m, 1wp
Minimums: Essence 3, MA 5
Type: Simple
Keywords: Obvious
Duration: Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Ocean Floor Approach

The crushing power of water suffuses the character's anima, causing it to damage objects as if she were a Water Aspect terrestrial even if she isn't. With this power, she is murderously effecient at smashing opponents - double her Martial Arts attack roll successes when adding to an attack's raw damage. For 3m1w, she can increase this power for one attack, ending this charm: this doubles the attack roll successes before comparing them to DV instead.

Comments

I decided to go for an esoteric structure here, just because I felt like it. - IanPrice