MartialArts/KaleidoscopicMasteryofElementsStyle
Kaleidoscopic Mastery of Elements Style
By Thinker
Background
This Martial Arts Style was created by a Bronze Faction Sidereal called Hamori Fisherbird who had spent a long time developing the Immaculate Martial Arts, for the Usurpation and had become fascinated by the power and concepts of the Elements. It is known only to him and to his student Blissful Rain. It treats attacks made with Bows, Hooked Daiklaves, Goremauls, Tiger Claws and Chakrums as unarmed attacks. This style is incompatible with Armor.
Charms
Mastery of Air</b>
<b>Cost: 8 motes, 1 willpower Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: None
Becoming as vaporous as the air itself the Sidereal becomes immaterial for the duration of this Charm. He may not be attacked by any attack that cannot interact with dematerialized objects or beings. Conversly the Sidereal himself is powerless to physically effect things that still exist in the material world, without reflexively spending a mote to momentary become solid for the space of the attack. When he does so, he can be subjected to counterattacks that derive from his own attack normally, but otherwise he does not compromise their protection.
Mastery of Earth</b>
<b>Cost:1 mote Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: None
Striking like the proverbial ton of bricks the Sidereal Exalted brings the true force of the mountain against his opponents. Attacks supplemented by this Charm cannot be blocked only dodged and double their final damage before it is rolled.
Mastery of Fire</b>
<b>Cost:5 motes Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: None
Flashing out with an attack that embodies the pure power of fire to consume and destroy his opponents, the Sidereal Exalted makes an unarmed Martial Arts attack. If this attack is successful the target must roll their Stamina + Resistance against the Sidereal's Essence + Martial Arts or be consumed in white hot flames immediately. If the target is consumed by the flames, he takes a number of unsoakable levels of aggravated damage equal to the total number of Health Levels he has if he is totally unharmed. Even if he succeeds the roll he suffers unsoakable dice of aggravated damage equal to the Sidereal's Essence.
Mastery of Water</b>
<b>Cost:5 motes Duration: One Turn Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: None
Like fists striking the ocean itself, the Sidereal accepts all attacks made against him without harm for the duration of this Charm. This only applies to the physical damage from such attacks, any other properties function normally even if they would normally require a level of damage to be dealt.
Mastery of Wood</b>
<b>Cost:20 motes, 1 willpower Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: None
Embodying the power of Wood to heal and re-grow, the Sidereal makes himself whole again. When this Charm is activated the Sidereal Exalted is instantly healed of all lethal and bashing damage, as well as a number of Aggravated Health levels equal to his Essence score. This Charm can be activated even if the Sidereal is incapacitated or unconscious.
Kaleidoscopic Mastery of Elements Form</b>
<b>Cost:15 motes, 1 willpower Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 5 Prereqs: Mastery of Air, Mastery of Earth, Mastery of Fire, Mastery of Water, Mastery of Wood, one complete martial art (all Charms)
Performing a brief Kata in five parts one for each of the Five Elements the Sidereal Exalted embodies the Elemental Fury of the Immaculate Dragons themselves.
While under the effects of this Charm the Sidereal Exalted gains the benefits of the Form Charms for any of the Immaculate Styles that he knows (Air Dragon Form, Earth Dragon Form, Fire Dragon Form, Water Dragon Form and Wood Dragon Form). The Sidereal halves the raw damage made against him by any attack based on any of the five elements (natural attacks are considered to be based on Wood, swords on Earth, etc). Normally this means he may only be harmed freely by attacks composed of pure Essence. Additionally he gains a powerful benefit associated with each of the five elements as follows;
- Air: The speed of the air Dragon allows the Sidereal to move with unequaled speed. He may double his base initiative (Wits + Dexterity).
- Earth: The strength of Pasiap gives the Sidereal the ability to deal massive damage. He may add his strength to the raw final damage all unarmed martial arts attacks.
- Fire: The fury of fire gives the Sidereal reserves of spirit that lesser beings cannot match. He need only remove a point of temporary virtue every second time he channels it.
- Water: The reflective qualities of the unbroken surface of water allow the Sidereal to make a Martial Arts counterattack every time an attack against him fails.
- Wood: The flexible nature of wood allows the Sidereal to adapt to his opponents. Every time a given Charm is used to attack the Sidereal after he activates this Charm for the rest of the end of the scene, the attack has its difficulty raised by 1.
While under the effects of this Charm the Sidereals shift through the colors of jade associated with the five elements rather than the color of their patron Maidens.
Earth and Wood Method</b>
<b>Cost:12 motes, 1 willpower Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 6 Min. Essence: 6 Prereqs: Kaleidoscopic Mastery of Elements Form
The Sidereal using this Charm implants a small pocket of Essence within his opponent like a pocket of fertile earth and a germinated seed. This is an infectious Martial Arts attack (per Citrine Poxes of Contagion). The victim begins coughing up small seeds and pollen immediately causing him to suffer a dice pool penalty to all actions equal to the Sidereal's permanent Essence. At the beginning of the next turn vines and other plants begin to physically grow from the subjects tear ducts, noise, mouth, ears and other orifices. These vines cause such agony that the character looses his main dice actions for the turn. He can still use any Charms have to create new actions to use. These actions are still penalized per the effects of the first turn manifestation of the Charm. In the third turn the victim's flesh actually begins to turn to wood. The victim halves any dexterity based dice pools before he applies the penalty from the first turn manifestation of this Charm. His wooden flesh also robs him of any natural soak he may possess. The accelerated rate of his wooden flesh's growth causes him to regenerate one bashing health level each turn and one lethal health level every two turns. The effects do not grow any further from this point out but all three turns worth persists as long as the infection continues. Even if the infection is cured or the character recovers, his flesh is still partially converted to wood and the effects of the third turn manifestation (halved dexterity dice pools, no natural soak, and regeneration) continue until something can repair the changes to the character's form. Since this is an infection and not an external attempt to change the characters shape Lunar Exalted are not immune to the effects of this Charm.
Magical Treatment Difficulty: 4\\ Mundane Treatment Difficulty: 10
Water and Air Method</b>
<b>Cost:20 motes, 2 willpower Duration: One Scene Type: Extra-Actions Min. Martial Arts: 6 Min. Essence: 6 Prereqs: Kaleidoscopic Mastery of Elements Form
Taking the fluid power of Water, and flexibility of Air the character splits his Essence into five separate parts, each part embodying a single element. For the duration of this Charm the character may take five Fully Independent Actions (as defined by Charcoal March of Spiders Form) each turn instead of his normal action. The character may not take any non-reflexive, non-combat actions in any turn that he benefits from this Charm.
Fire and Air Method</b>
<b>Cost:20 motes, 1 willpower Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 6 Min. Essence: 6 Prereqs: Kaleidoscopic Mastery of Elements Form
Combining the utter cold of the farthest north with the total heat of the farthest south the Sidereal attempts to shatter his foe's bones and flesh. The attack supplemented by this Charm removes one point of the target's physical attributes for every level of damage that it inflicts, permanently.
Water and Earth Method</b>
<b>Cost:20 motes, 1 willpower Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 6 Min. Essence: 6 Prereqs: Kaleidoscopic Mastery of Elements Form
Absorbing an attack like rain sinking into the earth the Sidereal Exalted attempts to mire his opponent in a mud hole of his Essence. The Sidereal may invoke this Charm in response to being attacked. The defense is treated as a dodge made at the Sidereal's full Dexterity + Dodge dice pool except that he do not move, and circumstances that would prevent a dodge or undodgable attacks do not prevent the use of this Charm or its defensive qualities. His opponent's blow simply seems to sink into him, and trail a fine hair of Essence back out. This trail of Essence mires the target reducing any dice pool he uses to 0 before any Charms or virtues are counted. Additionally like mud absorbing the blood and sweat of those trapped in it, the Sidereal Exalted absorbs 10 motes from his target each turn that the connection remains. The target may spend a Willpower point to prevent the drain of motes for one turn, but the Sidereal gains the Willpower point instead. If the mote drain is prevented for a number of consecutive turns equal to the Sidereal's Essence then the connection is broken, but if the suppression is interrupted for even a turn then it must be started again. This Charm can be used against attacks the target is not aware of.
Earth, Wind and Fire Method</b>
<b>Cost:12 motes, 1 willpower Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 6 Min. Essence: 6 Prereqs: Fire and Air Method, Water and Earth Method
Activating this powerful Charm the Sidereal Exalted attempts to deflect Essence effects directed at her for the rest of the scene. Any time she is targeted by a Charm, Spell or Astrology effect that does not require an attack to transfer to her she may roll her full Dexterity + Martial Arts as a parry against a difficulty of the person targeting her's permanent Essence. If the roll is successful then she may redirect the effect against any target that would have been a valid target of the original attempt. If there is no such target then the attempt is simply snuffed out. Spells canceled in this way shatter with the usual display of Essence.
Water, Wood and Earth Method</b>
<b>Cost:12 motes, 1 willpower Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 6 Min. Essence: 6 Prereqs: Earth and Wood Method, Water and Air Method
Activating this powerful Charm the Sidereal Exalted attempts to deflect Essence effects directed at her for the rest of the scene. Any time she is targeted by a Charm, Spell or Astrology effect that does not require touch to transfer she may roll her full Dexterity + Martial Arts as a parry against a difficulty of the person targeting her's permanent Essence. If the roll is successful then she may redirect the effect against any target that would have been a valid target of the original attempt. If there is no such target then the attempt is simply snuffed out. Spells canceled in this way shatter with the usual display of Essence.
Mastery of the Five Elements</b>
<b>Cost:9 motes, 1 willpower Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 6 Min. Essence: 7 Prereqs: Water, Wood and Earth Method, Earth, Wind and Fire Method
Having achieved true understanding of the nature of the elements the Sidereal now gains the ability to recombine them in any way that she sees fit. She must deliver this burst of elemental energy into her opponents via an unarmed martial arts attack. The effects of this Charm can be based upon one to five of the elements in any combination. Sidereal learn a single application of this Charm when they master it, but can learn additional applications at will for a single experience point. Examples of manifestations of this attack are;
- Earth and Fire: Volcano's Rumble, when delivered in this combination the Essence of the elements attempts to burn the Sidereal's opponents from inside out, if the attack is successful and the target does not use some sort of perfect defense he is instantly slain, consumed by the forces of raw elemental power.
- Wood, Earth and Water: Reeds overrun the river, on opponent successfully struck by this attack looses the ability to channel Essence for the rest of the scene. He may spend a willpower point reflexively to overcome this restriction for a single turn.
- Air, Earth and Wate:; Ice freezes the heart, the target of this attack suffers aggravated damage in place of normal damage, for every health level inflicted he looses a point of temporary virtue of the Sidereal's choice and a temporary Willpower point. Additionally for a number of turns equal to the number of levels of damage inflicted they are frozen and shatter easily loosing all natural soak.
The Sidereal can know no more methods to combine the elements in this fashion than she has points of permanent Essence.
Comments
Edited these a bit. I'm not sure if these charms are as balanced as some of Thinker's others. Earth and Wood Method: "and other orifices"... ouch! I don't think that charm should be able to turn Lunars' flesh to wood, though. -- Raindoll
- The Immaculate Dragon paths should be prerequisites for the initial masteries of this style.
- I agree with Raindoll that Lunars should be immune to Earth and Wood method.
- The 3-element methods are redundant.
- The final charm needs more definition.
- IanPrice
