MartialArts/ForsakenHopeStyle2E
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.
Charms
Vision of Dying Light
Cost: 1 mote Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Keywords: Combo-Basic 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. With a glance (roll Manipulation+Martial Arts against MDV), this Charm let's the martial artist give the feeling and vision of this sort to a target. The target adds half their Martial Arts rating (rounded up) in ticks to the victim's last action's speed and has an internal penalty 2 dice from any attempt at multiple actions for actions after the first for their next action, 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. This ability has a range of 10 x the Exalt's Essence in yards.
Po's Vengeful Strike
Cost: 3 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive (step 9) Keywords: Combo-OK, Counterattack Min. Martial Arts: 3 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 from the attack being countered, the martial artist can add an equal number of successes to the damage of their attack. This attack can not be targeted against a purely inanimate object like a wall or trap, but can be used on an automaton or animated dead.
Wise Hun's Sight
Cost: 6 motes Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Keywords: Obvious 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 Form
Cost: 5 motes Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Keywords: Form-type 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 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
Cost: 6 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: 3 x Essence turns Type: Simple Keywords: Combo-Ok Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Forsaken Hope's Form
With a light brushing touch, 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 against MDV to enact this charm. In effect, for 15 x Exalt's Essence ticks, 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
Cost: 12 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: One scene Type: Simple Keywords: Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 3 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, can not fall unconcious from bashing damage, 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
Cost: 7 motes Duration: One Action Type: Reflexive Keywords: Combo-Ok, Counterattack 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 PDV without penalties for actions taken or onslaughts for one turn. Should the character successfully parry, they lead the attack on as if they were making it themselves to another person within range. In effect, the difference between the successes of a melee or Martial Arts attack and PDV are used as attacking successes on another nearby enemy. This does not allow them to parry unblockable attacks without the effects of another charm.
Example: Should someone attack with a melee attack Seven Glories while she uses this charm, they gain 3 successes against her PDV of 7. This means she redirects the attack at another attacker in range with 4 automatic successes. With a ranged attack, she doesn't add the successes.
Dead Ruler Taxing Method
Cost: 6 motes Duration: Special Type: Simple Keywords: Combo-OK, Emotion 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's MDV. The winner then drains one temporary willpower. An additional side effect is that on a threshold of success of 3+ the willpower drained from the other restores 1 temporary willpower back to the user. 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
Cost: 4 motes Duration: Instant Type: Supplementary Keywords: Combo-OK 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 x 5 in yards away. There is a weakness to this attack, certain types of lighting (any produced with the Holy Keyword) can prevent the pool from ever forming to make the attack.</i>
Nephwhrack's Thousand Warrior Attack
Cost: 8 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: Instant Type: Extra Action Keywords: Combo-OK Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 3 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 the character can make. As a side benefit, the character can also move (running speed) between attacks, as the pool of darkness also lightens his steps and speeds them along.
Forgeting the Fallen Warrior
Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower, 1 lethal health level Duration: Instant Type: Simple Keywords: Combo-Basic, Shaping 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). This can be prevented or cured as normal for shaping effects.
