MartialArts/FiveDragonsBoundasOne

Five Dragons Bound as One version 2.0
Celestial Martial Arts

'Five Dragons Bound as One' is an ancient martial art style crafted by a solar in the First Age, whose name is lost to the dusts of time. It was rarely employed in the First Age as it was seen to be crass for a Prince of the Earth needing to subdue Elemental beings without need. Heaven itself carefully watched those with knowledge of this style for it could affect even spirits, as long as they were elementally aligned.

This style is decried by the Immaculate Faith as the greatest of heresies and those who practice this style are slain before they have a chance to gain full mastery of the style. Due to its nature, it is a style that is quite popular with the Exalted affliated with the Yozi Princes and Neverborn who have a need for subduing the elemental beings of Creation.

This style has several requirements, one of which is valid targets. A number of the charms will only work on those with an elementally aligned essence; this includes Elementals, Spirits and Demons affliated with one of the five Elements, elementally aligned godblooded, Dragonblooded, their half-castes, Fair Folk who have taken on form, Faeblooded, as well as any martial artists employing the form charms of the Five Immaculate Dragon Styles.

Another requirement for this style is that the charms in this entire style simply will not function while the martial artist is wearing armour. As such, it is advisable for the martial artist to diverse in other styles or have defensive charms from other abilities.

The last requirement would be the style's signature weapons, which are chains, fighting grantlets and staves of all kind. Magical variants are allowed, with serpent sting staves as well as other artifact staves. Artifact fighting chains are also allowed, one of which can be found in the Dawn caste book. Artifact equivilant of fighting grauntlets would be shock grantlets, smashfists and crushfists.

"The martial artist who practices 'Five Dragon Bound as one' can never be defeated, for the very elements bow to him in supplication and do his bidding. Truly, this martial art style is invincible!"

Chaining the Air Dragon

Costs 3 motes
Type Supplemental
Duration Instant
Minimum Martial Arts 2
Minimum Essence 1
Requires None

The grace of the children of the air is well-known. They dart about swift and striking with inpunity. One who seeks to master the children of the air must learn to stifle their nature.

This charm enables the martial artist to shackle the movement of his airy opponents with a successful strike. After said blow lands on the target, the very air around her will seem to be stale and harder to move in. This results in a initative penalty for the next turn equal to the character's martial arts score. This charm's effect is cumulative. If the target's init is reduced to zero or lower, she may not act that turn. The charm also prevents the target from splitting her die pool the next turn without the use of charms, spells or hearthstones.

Please note that, a successful strike must occur for this charm to work, and it must be activated before the attack roll.

Dousing the Fire Dragon

Costs 1 motes per die
Type Supplemental
Duration instant
Minimum Martial Arts 3
Minimum Essence 2
Requires Chaining the Air Dragon

The children of fire are fearsome foes when they rage, for their fury is such that they would burn down all of Creaion around them. One who seeks to dominate fire must learn to douse its passion if it can not be channeled to burn in a way that is pleasing.

This charm is devastating, as it allows the martial artist to strike at the inner flames of his target. Upon a successful unarmed attack enhanced with this charn, the target finds his body less graceful. For every mote invested in the charm, the target takes a penalty of 1 die to his next dexterity-based action in the scene. The total amount of die that can be reduced for the target in this manner is equal to the martial arts score of the character.

Please note that, a successful strike must occur for this charm to work, and it must be activated before the attack roll.

Shattering the Earth Dragon

Costs 5 motes
Type Simple
Duration Scene
Minimum Martial Arts 3
Minimum Essence 2
Requires None

The element of earth endures and is stable. To control the children of the earth, one must be able to shatter and destroy their nature. For in the ability to destroy lies the ability to control.

For the rest of the scene after activation of this charm, the martial artist does lethal damage with barehanded attacks. Against inanimate and non-magical objects of earth, stone and metal, the martial artist gains a bonus to his damage equal to his essence trait after soak.

Diverting the Water Dragon

Costs 4 motes and 1 willpower
Type Reflexive
Duration Scene
Minimum Martial Arts 3
Minimum Essence 2
Requires None

Water flows and is hard to chain and pin down. It is, however, not impossible to harness the fluidity of water and thus gain great power. Those who seek to harness and divert the children of water must understand the flow of attacks heading their way.

To this end for the rest of the scene after activation, the charm enhances the martial artist's parries with bonus die equal to his martial arts score. This bonus is added after any die penalties and is applicable to all parries, even from other abilities. If the martial artist does not have a parry available, he can reflexively parry the attack with his martial arts score. He can also parry lethal attacks unarmed without the need for a stunt.

The die gained with this charm counts towards the martial artist natural die-adder limit.

Felling the Wood Dragon

Costs 2 motes
Type Supplemental
Duration Instant
Minimum Martial Arts 4
Minimum Essence 2
Requires Diverting the Water Dragon

The domain of wood is the very domain of life itself. To fight the children of the wood dragon is to fight the very force of life itself. It is hard to kill such beings, but possible. However, it is much easier and cost-effective to simply knock them down and out than to slay them.

This charm doubles the extra successes of an attack for the purpose of damage calculation. Upon a successful strike, irregardless of whether damage is done or not, the target must make a reflexive dexterity + athletics roll at a difficulty equal to the martial artist's essence trait to avoid being knocked down. Failure means that the target has been knocked down and suffers all attending penalties as per the Exalted core book on pages 234 and 235. This charm must be activated before the attack is rolled.

Vegetation, such as trees and such, are automatically knocked down. Certain charms, spells and hearthstones that prevent knockdowns will automatically trump this charm's secondary effect of knocking people down.

Five Dragons Bound as One Form

Costs 5 motes
Type Simplet
Duration Scene
Minimum Martial Arts 4
Minimum Essence 2
Requires Dousing the Fire Dragon, Shattering the Earth Dragon, Felling the Wood Dragon

At the heart of this style is the knowledge gained from the summoning and binding of demons and elementals, as well as observations on the inner natures of those affliated with the five elements.

Mastery of the five preceding charms give an insight into how the elements behave, as well as how those who possess essence aligned to the elements would behave. With that knowledge, the martial artist is a being to be feared, for the very elements bow in supplication to him.

The martial artist takes on the demeanor of one who has mastery over the elements, haughty and arrogant, his movements swift, graceful and yet languid as his divine essence unfolds and blossoms outwards. Once, this charm is activated, all beings who possess elemental essence take a die penalty (equal to the exalt's martial arts ability score) to all actions enhanced by their charms. The radius of this effect is equal to (the martial artist's essence X 10) yards.

This effect is considered a 'perfect' effect and cumulative with other die penalties and may reduce a die pool to zero, in which case their actions automatically fails. This has no effect on beings who are not elementally aligned. Against beings using an Immaculate Dragon form charm, this effect works on all their actions.

When striking a being who possess an elemental alignment (as listed in the introduction text), the martial artist's blow lands harder as he instinctively seeks their weak spots. The martial artist always rolls a bare minimum for damage equal to his martial arts for such beings. Martial Artists with the form charm of one of the Immaculate Dragon Styles is always considered 'elementally aligned' and is a valid target to this effect.

Ignoring the Dragon's Claws

Costs 5 motes and 1 willpower
Type Simple
Duration Scene
Minimum Martial Arts 4
Minimum Essence 3
Requires Five Dragons Bound as One Form

As one who masters and dominates the elements, it is laughable to be wounded by the weak blows of those being dominated. This charm allows the martial artist to simply shrug off the blows from weapons crafted of jade.

For the rest of the scene after this charm has been activated, all damage done by jade or elemental weapons to the martial artist are reduced by his martial arts score after soak. This can result in no damage being rolled if the damage pool is reduced to zero. This has no effect on attacks done by mundane weapons or weapons crafted of the other five magical metals.

Returning the Dragon's Gaze

Costs 5 motes and 1 willpower
Type Simple
Duration Instant
Minimum Martial Arts 5
Minimum Essence 4
Requires Ignoring the Dragon's Claws

It is known that certain dragons have fearsome gazes that can turn the greatest of men into mewling cowards. This charm allows the martial artist to gaze with the authority of one given domion over the elemental dragons.

When employed, thie charm allows the martial artist to cow a single opponent with a fearsome gaze. Against mortals and beings with an essence trait lower then the martial artist, they require a successful willpower roll against a difficulty equal to the martial artist's essence trait to do ANYTHING beyond shivering in absolute fear; this includes running away. This effect lasts for the rest of the scene. This is a perfect effect and there is no way to escape its effect once affected.

This charm has no effect against beings with an essence trait equal to or greater then the exalt, unless they are beings with an elemental essence. They get to resist this effect with a willpower roll against a difficulty equal to the martial artist's essence trait. Failure means that they are helplessly thralled to the fearsome aura of the martial artist in the same way those with an essence trait lower then martial artist. However, a single willpower roll over the essence trait of the martial artist will break this being free of the martial artist's fearsome gaze. This applies when the being attempts to do anything.

The target may channel his virtues when defending against this effect. This effect only works on those who can meet the gaze of the martial artist and possesses an essence trait. The blind, automatons as well as zombies are immune to this charm.

Piercing the Dragon's Hide

Costs 6 motes
Type Supplemental
Duration Instant
Minimum Martial Arts 5
Minimum Essence 2
Requires Five Dragons Bound as One Form

With greater mastery of those who call upon the elements, the martial artist laughs as he effortlessly pierces the hide of even the mightiest of dragons. Empowered by this charm, the martial artist's blow ignores the protective soak of the target's armour IF it is crafted of jade. This charm has no effect on mundane armour or armour crafted of the other five magical metals.

Devouring the Dragon's Wealth

Costs 5 motes
Type Supplemental
Duration Instant
Minimum Martial Arts 5
Minimum Essence 4
Requires Piercing the Dragon's Hide

The greatest of elemental beings possess essence capacity that can not be easily matched by a mortal, even one empowered by a celestial exaltation. This charm even things out by consuming the hoarded wealth of essence in those elemental beings.

A blow enhanced with the power of this charm against beings with an essence aligned to the elements does its normal damage. It also does something much worse, it drains away essence from the target. The victim loses essence equal to the damage before soak. The essence thus freed are partially absorbed into the martial artist's own pool of essence. There is only so much essence that an exalt may safely absorb and thus they can not gain more motes of essence than double their essence trait. Motes that would take the martial artist above her maximum limit to her essence pool, are simply not absorbed.

Should the target run out of essence while this charm is employed, the charm strikes at the willpower of the target, converting each dot of temporary willpower for 5 motes of essence. Once that runs out, this charm cannibalizes the target's permenent willpower at a going rate of 10 motes of essence per dot of willpower. Should the target's permenent willpower be reduced to zero, she will obey any and all commands. The victim's permenent willpower is recovered at a rate of 1 dot per day.

This charm is explictly allowed in combos with charms of other abilities as long as the style's signature weapons are used and no armour is worn. Elementals and Spirits slain by this charm take twice as long to reform, but they DO reform.

The essence used to power this charm may not be recovered by this effect in the same turn it was used. In short, this charm does NOT pay for itself.

Fivefold Aegis

Costs 10 motes and 1 willpower
Type Simple
Duration Until next sunset or Sunrise
Minimum Martial Arts 5
Minimum Essence 3
Requires Five Dragons Bound as One Form

The domiance of those elemental essence can take place far from civilization and in the harshest of enviroments. A true Prince of the Earth need not suffer as he strives to subdue the most fearsome of elementals in their home element.

While this charm is active, the martial artist need not worry, for he can survive in extreme enviroments. He can swim in molten lava, walk across the floor of the ocean with no ill effects whatsoever. He can survive in nothing, but his bare skin at the elemental pole of air.

While this charm is in effect, the martial artist also adds his martial arts to his soak when taking damage from elemental sources, be they natural or produced by essence. This includes elementally enhanced attacks.

Chains that bind the Great Dragons

Costs 20 motes and 1 willpower
Type Simple
Duration Instant
Minimum Martial Arts 5
Minimum Essence 5
Requires Returning the Dragon's Gaze, Devouring the Dragon's Wealth, Fivefold Aegis

Even in the most ancient of days in that long gone First Age, this charm seldom saw use, at least openly. Usage of this charm was decried by the Elemental Dragons and those with knowledge of this charm was watched most closely by the Celestial Gods in Heaven for misuse of this charm.

This charm is simple in its utility and potent in its might, for the solar who developed this charm was much steeped in the arts of summoning demons and elementals. His knowledge of how the minds and souls of those possessing the trace of elemental essence within them was peerless. And when this pinacle charm was crafted, he created it to subdue those with the weakness of the elements within them, in the same manner that the Unconquered Sun and the Celestial Incarna subdued rebellious Elementals who occassionally raged out of control in the aftermath of the Primordial war.

With but a touch (or a successful unarmed attack), the martial artist unlocks the divine essence within himself, so that he may strike at the heart and soul of his opponent. With chains of pure willpower and essence, the martial artist attempts to bind the elemental essence at the core of his opponent. This is an epic contest of wills that takes as many turns as is necessary for one of the two to win. While this contest is going on, the pair are lost to the outside world as their wills do battle on a spiritual level.

The contest of wills is reflected by opposed Willpower + Essence rolls. The martial artist has a bonus of automatic successes for his rolls equal to his essence trait. This titanic struggle of wills continue with a roll on every turn, until one of the two gains five successes more than the other.

The loser of this spiritual battle is enthralled to the winner, bound to obey him in all his wishes. Resistance to any and all commands is impossible. The loser will strive to obey the winner to the best of his or her capabilities. This loyalty is of indefinate duration. However, it is possible for someone else to subborn control of the loser with charms, spells and other supernatural effects.

This charm is not without its perils as it is very possible for the target of this charm to win the contest. This charm may be activated in a clinch or hold.

Peanut Gallery

Opinions, please? Any and all C & C would be welcomed.
~ Haku

Excellent Flavor Haku, I really enjoyed reading it. The idea behind this style are well founded because, in my opinion, the First Age Solars thought they were so completely perfect as to just expect complete subservience by all others in creation. I could believe a Solar who wished to dominate DBs or Elementals would come up with something like this. I am currently working up a style similar to this only it is solar only and works WITH the elements instead of making them bow in subservience. (kind of like the cartoon Avatar the last airbender). And I really like the final charm by the way. ~ Insanewizard

Thank you, Insanewizard. And yeah... the flavor text helped determine what the charms would and should do. Hmmm, works with the elements? Element control? I would suggest that it be a pure Celestial Style, with the caveat that until your complete the style, you have to pay a 1 mote surchage for 'out of element' kind of like the 5 IO dragon styles. And yeah, the pinacle charm is comparable to the soul falling off technique that the wood dragon style has. ~ haku

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