MartialArts/InsultingTrollStyle
Insulting Troll Style
By (un)reason
Background
Based upon emulating the behaviour of the fae, particularly the diplomats of the earth fae, who's mastery of the arts of insults is rarely seen, yet capable of inducing molten fury in even the most stoic, just as it has to be to overcome the calm self-controll of one another. This style is most commonly taught among rebelious young dynasts, who learn it from their schoolfriends.
Since it is not one of the orthodox styles approved by the Immaculate Order, it is frowned upon, yet its usefullness, and relative ease to learn, means it has never quite been stamped out.
The Bronze Faction suspect that it may have been developed and taught by a rogue sidereal master, disguising themself as a schoolkid and creating a new false history every 6 years with destiny manipulation, but they have very little evidence of this, and it could just be an unwillingness to believe that DB's could create and pass on a whole new MA style on their own, without any help.
It its surprisingly common among the political leaders of the dynasty, and more than a few fights in the deliberative can be traced to the covert use of the styles of troll-fu. Since it tends to create enemies, it has few true masters, but those that do, are truly feared and hated, and work together surprisingly well.
Charms
Argument Starting Statement</b>
<b>Cost: 4 motes Duration: Instant Type: reflexive Type: 2 Min. Essence: 1 Prereqs: None
The first thing learnt by students of troll-fu is the subjects, and ways that cause the most irritation to those around. Add their MA score to any social roll intended to insult or offend.
Slippery Goblin Evasion Method</b>
<b>Cost:1 mote per die/dot Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Type: 3 Min. Essence: 1 Prereqs: Argument Starting Statement
While causing offence is a laudable goal, the true troll soon discovers that you must survive, to continue to annoy. This charm allows you to add 1 die per mote spent to dodge attempts, or to your strength or dex rating to determine running speed or jumping height, when trying to escape from attack. If you attack in the same turn, or are not trying to escape from someone, this charm does not work. You cannot add more dice than your MA + Speciality.
Words of Ill Wind</b>
<b>Cost:4 motes, 1 willpower Duration: 1 scene Type: simple Type: 2 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Argument Starting Statement
A troll cannot offend, unless he is seen or heard. However, close proximity renders the troll vulnerable to those that he offends. Safety is found in distance, and obstacles. This charm multiplies the distance at which his voice can be clearly heard, and his gestures seen, by his permanant essence.
Troll Form</b>
<b>Cost:5 motes Duration: 1 scene Type: Simple Type: 4 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Slippery Goblin Evasion Method, Words of Ill Wind
Having gained experience in both the social and physical aspects of the troll, the exalt may now take these lessons into himself. His body becomes slouching and ungainly looking, his face sneering, his very presence an insult to the refined mind. All attempts to ignore him, or focus on any other subjects have their difficulty raised by the characters permanant essence. He can parry or block lethal attacks unarmed, and gains bonus dice to do so equal to his MA. These extra dice are not reflexive, they only enhance actual defence actions.
Debate Sustaining Trickery Technique</b>
<b>Cost:6 motes Duration: MA in minutes Type: reflexive Type: 5 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Troll Form
Having mastered the art of blatant annoyance, the troll now learns the subtle balancing act of causing much offence, while keeping things from spilling over into physical action unless he chooses. Anyone involved in the argument, or listening, who wishes to resort to physical violence against the troll or his allies must roll valor+essence against a difficulty of the users permanant essence. Once fighting has begun, this charm has no further effect.
Incoherent Fury Inducing Insult</b>
<b>Cost:4 motes Duration: Instant Type: reflexive Type: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Troll Form
Great fury impedes rational thought. A well designed insult can manpulate the victim into doing incredibly stupid things. Roll manipulation+presence against the victims wits+temperance. If sucessfull, they may not split their dice pool, and lose a number of dice on their next action equal to the number of sucesses which you exeeded them by. This charm may not be used on someone more than once per turn per individual. Multiple people using it at once may combine it on the same person, however, and the dice penalties in this case are cumulative.
Infalible Riposte</b>
<b>Cost:6 motes, 1 willpower Duration: one turn or one minute Type: Simple Type: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Incoherent Fury Inducing Insult
The troll focuses their essence around them, increasing their awareness of the conflict to the extent that they are now able to react to all actions performed against them, whether physical or social, and deal with them accordingly. If fighting, this charm lasts for one turn, during which they may make one dodge, parry, block or counterattack against each attack upon them. If in a social situation, it lasts one minute, in which they can listen to, and deliver an immediate counterstatement to every argument put against them, at their full charisma/manipulation+socialise, no matter how many people are arguing with them at once. If they are attacked before the duration is up, they gain the defences for the first round, but then the charm is exhausted.
Letters of F.U.R.Y</b>
<b>Cost:Other charms motes, 2 willpower. Duration: 1 scene Type: Simple Type: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Troll Form
Even at a distance, arguing with someone face to face carries risks, both of your own harm, and of being persuaded you are wrong. This charm removes both issues, by allowing you to channel the power of your insults into writing, yet retaining the full effectivness of the direct delivery. The exalt spends the scene writing down what they want to say, and activates any social charms they wish to use to enhance the statement, then roll normaly as if they were delivering the speech, and spend the motes and willpower to seal it in the writing. Anyone who reads the writing is affected as if they had just heard the speech, with the same number of sucesses as the exalt rolled in writing it.
Insensible Argument Repitition Technique</b>
<b>Cost:10 motes, 1 willpower Duration: one turn Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Debate Sustaining Trickery Technique, Infallible Riposte, Letters of F.U.R.Y
The greatest trolls are not merely resistant to swaying by others, but able to utterly ignore any attempt to change their viewpoint. Logic, force, and trickery all bounce off them, as they continue to repeat the same statement over and over again. Eventualy, something has to give. When activated, this causes the troll to perform exactly the same dice actions as the prevous turn, with exactly the same results as before. Any changes in the trolls situation, such as new wound penalties, disarming, mind affecting powers, etc, are completly ignored. Any charm effects performed are also duplicated precisely, without any further spending of motes. If they still have enough motes and willpower left, they may activate it again. Many trolls, when overpowered, will do exactly this, ignoring reality untill utterly exhausted, long beyond when they would normaly be dead.
