MartialArts/GentleFistStyle
Gentle Fist Style
By *FallenAngel*
Background
To be able to learn and use Gentle Fist you need to have both Spirit Sight and Spirit Walking (All Encompassing Sorcerer's Sight works too, altough you'll get a -3 penalty on any dicepools using Gentle Fist charms). You actually need to activate these charms to be able to use any Gentle Fist charms. This is due to the fact that Gentle Fist Style rquires you to be able to see and interact with the Spirit world. AESS only allows you too SEE the Spirit World and therefore isn't entirely suited to this Martial Art.
As a side note: That means you'll spend both motes and Willpower before you even get to use a single charm of this Martial Art. It also takes time, so make sure you have a safe spot for powering up. The general theme is blocking and essence manipulation
Charms
Graceful Guided Hand</b>
<b>Cost: 3 motes Duration: Scene Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 1 Prereqs: None
Infusing his hands with Essence, the Exalts movements become supernaturally smooth. Incoming Weapons seem to glide over his intercepting hands like water over polished Jade. This enables the Exalt to block lethal attacks with his hands for the rest of the scene.
Empowering Essence Redirection</b>
<b>Cost:3 motes + the amount of transfered essence Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: None
By channeling his internal energies through his hands the Martial Artist is able to transfer his Essence to a target he is touching. The essence transfered must be personal, but otherwise there is no limit as to how much Essence can be transfered by this charm other than the offering Martial Artist's own limit.
Essence Analysation Technique</b>
<b>Cost:5 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: Scene Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: None
The Martial Artist's vision becomes true as his eyes see the attacks of his offenders for what they really are. It is impossible to use "feint" style attacks (like Blow Concealing Gesture Technique and Distracting Finger Gesture attack) on a character using this charm, as long as he can see them coming. If he can't see them coming (for example by getting attacked from behind) they work normally against him. This also adds a number of dice equal to the Martial Artists Essence to any attempt of spotting a Lunar's Tell.
Gentle Fist Form</b>
<b>Cost:5 motes Duration: Scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Graceful Guided Hand, Empowering Essence Redirection, Essence Analysation Technique
The Martial Artist drops into a slight crouching stance. The right hand held high above his head and folded down like that of a Mantis the left hand hanging low at his side, slightly bent as if holding a cup. This form provides the users Martial Arts score in automatic successes on any parry roll. Terrestrials who want to activate a form charm have to make the usual Dex+MA roll. There can be only one form charm active at any time.
Masterful Life-Flow Correction Technique</b>
<b>Cost:6 motes Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Gentle Fist Form
By seeing the essence flows in the circulatory system of a being, the Martial Artist is able to flush out any impurities by touching his target and channeling the impurities into the enviroment, where they dissipate harmlessly. This will heal any illness, normal or magical. It isn't strong enough to heal the Great Contagion though. Additionally a being treated with this charm can ignore all the wound penalties he may have at the moment. If he gets attacked after having this charm used on him, further injuries inflict penalties normally.
Merciful Martyr Method</b>
<b>Cost:10 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Masterful Life-Flow Correction Technique
By touching the target and opening himself completely to it the Martial Artist is able to accept any suffering the being may have to endure as his own. This allows you to transfer everything that may plaque a certain individual to yourself. This includes Wounds, mental impairments, damage to the Soul and even the Great Contagion. The various inflictions are not healed, just transfered to the user.
Blurring Distraction Block</b>
<b>Cost:4 motes + 1 mote per +1 difficulty Duration: Martial Arts in Turns Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Gentle Fist Form
Through sinunous hand movements and clouding the surrounding air with Essence the Martial Artist makes it extremely difficult for enemies to make out his real position. The difficulty of any attacks against is raised by the amount of motes spent powring this charm. The maximal amount of motes that can be spent activating this charm is equal the the Martial Artist's Essence.
Gentle Rejection Prana</b>
<b>Cost:6 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: Scene Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Blurring Distraction Block
The Martial Artist's movements become much more clear and refined, leaving no useless gestures or fancy quirks. As a result his hands intercept incoming blows with the minimum amount of movement neccessary, making it possible to parry several attacks at once. This charm provides a free Cascading parry each round. By reflexively spending 5 motes, the pool of the Cascading parry gets fully refreshed.
Calmness of the Inner Storm</b>
<b>Cost:12 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: Scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 5 Prereqs: Merciful Martyr Method, Gentle Rejection Prana
Having mastered both the art of blocking and redirecting Essence, the masters of the Gentle Fist Style show frightening skill in combining the two methods. The activation of this charm fastens the flow of essence throught the inner coil systems, transforming the inside of the Martial Artist into a raging Cyclone of Essence. Whenever the Martial Artist gets at least one success at a parry against a blow from a Weapon out of the 5 Magical Materials, he reflexively rolls his Essence + Martial Arts versus his opponents Essence + (the combat ability used to wiled the weapon). Success means the attunement of the weapon is shattered and with 5 successes the weapon is broken (although it can be repaired or reforged. Normal weapons blocked this way, perish instantly. Blocking the characters attacks with a weapon has exactly the same effect. Blocking his attacks with bare hands is equally unwise and will result in getting automatically hit if done unprotected. If the defender has means to strenghten his hands to the degree that he can parry lethal damage with them he adds one to his soak versus these attacks. The attacks of the Martial Artist no longer rely on Strenght and physical damage, but instead on violently pushing essence in the target. They do Willpower + Essence in lethal damage or alternatively Essence in Aggravated damage. This damage can only be soaked with Essence (I.E. an Essence of 5 provides 5 soak). A perfect parry (through HGD for example) will parry these attacks and in case of a weapon of the 5 Magical Materials will protect it (for the duration of the perfect parry only)from the negative consequences of this charm. As a last effect the character need not fully hit his enemies to inflict damage, as essence roils like a nimbus around his hands. This effect effectively substracts 1 success from dodge rolls made against these attacks.
Comments
Here's jsut some comments: Specific:
"Whenever the Martial Artist gets at least one success at a parry against a blow from a Weapon out of the 5 Magical Materials, he reflexively rolls his Essence + Martial Arts versus his opponents Essence + (the combat ability used to wiled the weapon). Success means the attunement of the weapon is shattered and with 5 successes the weapon is broken (although it can be repaired or reforged. Normal weapons blocked this way, perish instantly."
Ok, so, if you do not botch or fail the parry roll, you get to attempt to unnatune the weapon? (which is automatic if hte form charm is up). The unatune roll is fair. How can you block normal weapons this way if the sentance starts out "at a parry agianst a blow from a weapon [made] out of the 5 magical materials"?
"Blocking the characters attacks with a weapon has exactly the same effect."
So you are a mad unatuning machine. gotcha. =)
"Blocking his attacks with bare hands is equally unwise and will result in getting automatically hit if done unprotected. If the defender has means to strenghten his hands to the degree that he can parry lethal damage with them he adds one to his soak versus these attacks."
Ok, so if they are unarmed, you auto hit... making this MA absolutely devistating aiganst other MA userse who don't use weapons... and mostly devistating if they do have weapons, as they will be shortly destroyed. Why add 1 to their soak, instead of a dependant like their MA or their essence?
"The attacks of the Martial Artist no longer rely on Strenght and physical damage, but instead on violently pushing essence in the target. They do Willpower + Essence in lethal damage or alternatively Essence in Aggravated damage. This damage can only be soaked with Essence (I.E. an Essence of 5 provides 5 soak)."
Do you choose this on a per blow basis, at the start of the round, or when you activate the charm?
" A perfect parry (through HGD for example) will parry these attacks and in case of a weapon of the 5 Magical Materials will protect it (for the duration of the perfect parry only)from the negative consequences of this charm. As a last effect the character need not fully hit his enemies to inflict damage, as essence roils like a nimbus around his hands. This effect effectively substracts 1 success from dodge rolls made against these attacks."
So, basically, go defensive w/ the cascading parry charm from earlier, till their weapon shatters, then make your +1 difficulty to dodge attacks. if they opt to parry, they are auto hits. Agian, why is the dodge difficulty not a dependant variable?
General:
I like the style, but it seems like you were making the rest of the style a little weak to make up for the ultimate charm. I'd suggest on the cascading parry charm to reduce the eszsence cost to 3 to refresh the pool. This is cool stuff, i liek it a lot. =)
