MartialArts/ForsakenHopeStyle
Forsaken Hope Style
By haren
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Background
This is a martial art based on the idea of a passage of a soul into the Underworld, and eventually passing into the dissolution of either Lethe or Oblivion. While deathknights are sometimes seen as mindless, heartless killing machines, the practitioners of this art see themselves usually as the angels, both guardians of the dead and mandated to help guide the living into the world of the dead. The artist focuses inward to try and understand the nature of the human souls, hun and po, and also to manipulate them. At times this art appears almost gentle, which is definately a shock to those living seeing it used... a benefit in bringing them to the worship and side of death. Fighting Chains are compatable with this style as they represent the grip and pulls on a soul.
For people using FourWillowsWeeping's MA as a casteless ability option, the abilities this style uses are Brawl, Awareness, and Occult.
Charms
Vision of Dying Light</b>
<b>Cost: 1 mote Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: None
It is said that in the moment of death, one sees the entirety of their life. This Charm let's the martial artist give the feeling and vision of this sort to a target. The target subtracts the user's Martial Art rating from their iniative and subracts another 2 dice from any attempt at multiple actions, due to the distraction of the momentary vision. While effective in combat, deathknights can also use this to help bring a greater understanding of death to the living.
Po's Vengeful Strike</b>
<b>Cost:3 motes Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Vision of Dying Light
With this Charm, the martial artist can channel her animal soul's desire to live and destroy any who would harm their body into a strike of revenge. This manifests as a ghostly dark shrieking beast form surrounding the limb being used to attack, which bites and rends at the closest being. For every health level of damage taken the previous turn the martial artist can add an equal number of dice to the damage of their attack. This attack can not be targeted against a purely inanimate object like a wall, but can be used on an automaton or animated dead.
Wise Hun's Sight</b>
<b>Cost:6 motes Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Vision of Dying Light
Where the Po's existance is split between Creation and the Underworld, the Hun is far more likely to exist solely within the Underworld. This Charm creates a ghostly light blue flame starts to burn over the Exalt's head, glowing with a cold radiance. This flame starts as their caste mark slowly glows to life, then starts on fire, which then seems to crawl from their eyes, ears, nose and mouth to cover their head. This enables the Exalt to see, hear, and smell both Creation and the Underworld at once while in Creation.
Forsaken Hope's Form</b>
<b>Cost:5 motes Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Wise Hun's Sight, Po's Vengeful Strike
The Exalt's shadow takes on a new form and the ability to reach into the world slightly. It shifts and alters into a slightly more beastial sort of shape as the Exalt releases part of their animal soul into it. At the same time, the character seems slightly... muted, as if they were not completely there. The shadow aids in blocking or attacking for the character. The character's attacks can cause lethal damage with bare hands, if they choose. They can add a number of dice equal to their Martial Arts rating to parries and attacks. Lastly, dice penalties for multiple actions are 2 less due to the ability of both shadow and body to act in unison. Only one Form-type charm can be used at one time.
Ravaging Shade Madness Technique</b>
<b>Cost:6 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: 3 x Essence turns Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Forsaken Hope's Form
With a light touch to the face, the Martial Artist can use his knowledge of the lower soul to cause sudden spiritual pain such that it temporarily makes the hun unable to act and infuriates the po into a rampage against all nearby beings to try and stop the cause. The po will not focus on the Exalt who used this charm unless they should attack, but all other animate beings become targets for it's rage. It requires a Dexterity + Martial Arts roll at diff. 3 to touch the face of the target for no damage. In effect, for 3 x Exalt's Essence turns, the target will attack any other being nearby. Should there be no one other than the Exalt, it will destroy everything it can if trapped, or leave to find those it can share it's pain with. One positive side effect of this, if it can be called that, is that the target will suffer no wound penalties while their po rules.
Unbeatable Po Prana</b>
<b>Cost:12 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: One scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Ravaging Shade Madness Technique
While the Exalt has learned to release the po of others, now they know how to harness their own po to become an even greater warrior. Their eyes glow and shimmer with a dark radience. Their body swells with the might and resiliance of the lower spirit unfettered. The Exalt gains a bonus of 2 to all Physical Attributes. They suffer no wound penalties during the scene, and they can not fail a Valor roll... if they could make one. Fact is, the character can no longer do anything but engage in the destruction of their enemy. To use this, the character goes through the movements of the Prana and makes a Willpower roll diff 2. No matter if they succeed or fail, this art will work, the only question is if the hun will have enough strength of will to differentiate between friend and foe. At the end of the scene, the Exalt loses 2 from all Physical Attributes till they have rested for at least half an hour. Power comes at a price.
Ghostly Farmer Gathers the Deadly Fruits</b>
<b>Cost:7 motes Duration: One Turn Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Forsaken Hope's Form
This path of the Forsaken Hope style is one of holds and deflections. The Exalt's body seems to glow, becoming for a short time an ideal version of itself. The character's eyes shine with the hope of one desiring more out of death. The character is capable of blocking lethal damage and can parry all attacks made towards him with his full Dexterity + Martial Arts for one turn. Should the character roll more successes in a parry than needed, they lead the attack on as if they were making it themselves to another person within range. In effect, any extra successes beyond those needed to parry a hand to hand or melee are used as attacking successes on another nearby enemy.\\
Example: Flaying Wind of Retribution is surrounded by four elite soldiers while spying on their talon. One of the soldiers makes an attack with a blade and scores 2 successes. Unfortunately for him, Flaying Wind is a master of Forsaken Hope Style Martial Arts and uses this Charm to protect himself. Flaying Wind scores 5 successes, so now the blade attack becomes a 3 success attack on any one of the other 3 attackers that Flaying Wind chooses.
Dead Ruler Taxing Method</b>
<b>Cost:6 motes Duration: Special Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Ghostly Farmer Gathers the Deadly Fruits
While using this ability, the character can grab one other character and exude a sense of peace into their hun. They move forward with deadly speed, yet to all onlookers it almost seems to be one of ease and leasure. The martial artist must make a Dexterity + Martial Arts roll to initiate a hold on their target. Then the hold becomes one of Essence and virtue rather than one of strength and skill. Both target and martial artist roll their Essence + Conviction against the other. The winner then drains one temporary willpower from the other for each additional success over the other. An additional side effect is that for every 3 willpower drained from the other, the user gains 1 temporary willpower back. Should one of the fighters drop to 0 temporary willpower, they are incapacitated for the rest of the scene, rendered apathetic and unable to summon the will to even save their life. This charm goes on till either party reaches 0 willpower or the Exalt decides to release the hold. At least without outside interference, they can be forcefully seperated or one killed, but the effects are unpredictable since this is more a wrestling of higher spirits and not bodies.
Shadow Disciple Command Strike</b>
<b>Cost:4 motes Duration: Instant Type: Supplementary Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Forsaken Hope's Form
The martial artist reaches out with their animal soul and a pool of shadow forms near an enemy and lashes out in an attack. The character's animal soul creates the pool of darkness, and commands it to lash out, but the Exalt does not need to see where the pool forms or have a way clear of obstructions, just see the target fairly clearly. In effect, the character can make a Martial Arts attack up to their Essence in yards away. There is a weakness to this attack, certain types of lighting (for example Light of Solar Cleansing for one, it's up to the Storyteller) can prevent the pool from ever forming to make the attack.
Nephwhrack's Thousand Warrior Attack</b>
<b>Cost:8 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: Instant Type: Extra Action Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Shadow Disciple Command Strike
The Exalt uses their po to command the shadows again. This time a pool forms at his feet and they rise up in a howling whirlwind around the martial artist and strike out at anyone he approaches. In effect, the character rolls their Martial Arts rating. The successes plus one are the number of attacks or parries the character can make. As a side benefit, the character can also move a small amount (walking speed) between attacks, as the pool of darkness also lightens his steps and speeds them along.
Forgeting the Fallen Warrior</b>
<b>Cost:10 motes, 1 Willpower, 1 health level Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 5 Prereqs: Nepwhrack's Thousand Warrior Attack, Dead Ruler Taxing Method, Unbeatable Po Prana
This is the culmination of the Forsaken Hope Style, but is an attack that is used very sparingly. As all ghosts, be they hungry, normal ghosts, or servants of Oblivion, they all eventually pass into Oblivion or Lethe. This attack is slow but terrible. The martial artist takes a bit of their own Essence, tainted as it is with death and Oblivion, and puts it as a seed into the target's own soul. The strike it self is perfectly silent and painless. The character makes a normal attack and roll damage, and if the damage successes are less than or equal to the Essence of the target, nothing happens. If they should be greater, then the target has been infected with a slow death. For a number of days equal to their Essence, the target suffers no ill effects. Then they make a willpower roll every day. On a success, no effect. On a failure they suffer 1 unsoakable agg and lose a temp willpower. After this has begun they do not heal or regain willpower. Should the affected character reach Incapacitated or run out of willpower, they do not die horribly, they merely fade away. Upon death, the ST can make willpower rolls. Should the first be successful, the hun has held on to death and becomes a ghost. If the second is successful, they immediately pass on into Lethe. Should both fail, the ghost silently falls into the Void. As a mark of complete irony, where the seed often destroys the hun, the po can feed on it's dark power. If the ST wants, the po becomes a hungry ghost as if from an Exalt with the essence of the martial artist or the victim (whichever was higher). There is no sure known cure, but rumors of Wyld barbarians being "immune" to the attack and Solars being able to heal it both exist.
Comments
This is kinda sad, I've just put it up and I'm the first one to comment. I realized I didn't put in that outside interference could break Dead Ruler Taxing Method. Anyway, added in the last line to fix that, Duh. - haren
Awesome style, Haren! I enjoyed reading it, and it was apparent you put some thought into it - the Charms all seem logical and well-matched, and the Style in whole is full of useful tricks that convey a detailed use of the combat system. Good job! - Balthasar (Who would love to see yet more Abyssal Styles - God, the Deathlords've got to have some good ones after lurking in the Underworld for nearly two thousand years)
- Wise Hun's Sight
- This Charm's a good idea. I'd like to see its Ability requirement a point higher, and also maybe allow the user to attack ghosts with either this or its sister Charm. It seems like there's a rather sudden jump in requirements between these and the Form.
- Forsaken Hope's Form
- This is a pretty strong Form. I'll come back to it later after reading the elder Charms.
- Ravaging Shade Madness Technique
- Rather than having this Charm stipulate that the affected target will not attack the user, it seems like you could more elegantly say that someone with a ghostly mien like that of the Forsaken Hope Form (or indeed that of many Underworldly fu styles) is not seen as animate by the target, who therefore ignores them.
- Dead Ruler Taxing Method
- This is interesting. I don't know how strong it might be; I think playtesting needs to bear this burden out.
Overall I think this style's really well put together. I agree with Joel completely. - willows
On review, I agree with Wise Hun's Sight, on requirements. And I see it more as a way of keeping watch/spying. You know if reinforcements are coming from the Underworld, without being there or able to touch. Ravaging Shade... While using Underworld Fu styles as "inanimate" would make it more powerful, I think it's more something you do alone or when you figure your buddies can protect themselves. - haren
