MartialArts/MutsuRoshin
Contents
Mutsu Roshin Style
History
In the Second Age, a Solar by the name of Zion “The Forsaken Lotus Sunrise” Bojenkin was a student in the Immaculate Order. He had not Exalted like he had dreamed he would do and was left cleaning the temples he visited with his Dragon Blooded master rather than his dream of learning martial arts and being one of the faithful monks. That changed one night. The details are now only known to him and him alone, but after that night he was Exalted and a newly convert to the Order of the Illuminated.
He refused all formal training and dedicated himself to one cause. To create an original style that would allow him to fight against the sword and armor wearing Dragon Blooded dogs that have no right ruling creation. This is his style, one with no ultimate end but rather one with many different paths that can be expanded upon by later masters of the style who wish to make their own variations of the style.
This martial art totally rejects the idea of form weapons.
Student Techniques
Hard Hands
Cost: 2 motes Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Min MA: 2 Min Essence: 1 Prereqs: None
The student spends his time hardening his hands and how to balance his Essence. The end result that is that the student can channel his own Essence into the cells reinforcing them. This allows him to deal lethal damage as well as defend against lethal attacks.
Muscle Tightening Exercise
Cost: 3 motes Duration: One Scene Type: Supplemental Min MA: 3 Min Essence: 2 Prereqs: None
The Master teaches his students that at all times Essence is coursing his body like water through a tree. The student is taught to infuse and strengthen the muscles in his arms with his Essence allowing them greater strength. The result is that his strength rating becomes his minimum damage rating rather than Essence.
Painful Strike
Cost: 2 motes Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min MA: 3 Min Essence: 2 Prereqs: Muscle Tightening Exercise
The student is taught that in all things, that it is not how hard you hit your opponent but how hard they think you hit them. Double the number of success before soak is applied.
Awareness Expanding Method
Cost: 3 motes Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Min MA: 3 Min Essence: 2 Prereqs: None
A student of this style is taught that his awareness of his own surroundings is important in a battle. As they are taught, the field of combat is constantly booby-trapped to help in this exercise. Once the student learns how to focus his essence in his senses, he becomes more aware of his opponent and his surroundings. The characters wits is double for purpose of calculating initiative totals.
Side Stepping Technique
Cost: 4 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min MA: 4 Min Essence: 2 Prereqs: None
As the students fight, their masters teach them that they must keep moving in a fight. Not simply to avoid their opponents attack, but to positions themselves so that they can take advantage of their opponent. The character is able to make a full dodge as well as gain a +2 situational bonus to initiative on the next turn.
Form Technique
Mutsu Roshin Form
Cost: 6 motes Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Min MA: 4 Min Essence: 3 Prereqs: Awareness Expanding Method, Hard Hands, Painful Strike, Side Stepping Technique
Once the student has mastered himself and learned how to control his body as well as his spirit, a whole new world opens up to the character. The disciple of this style is capable of doing many things. His mind is sharp and learns how to read their opponents, and gains an initiative bonus equal to his martial arts rating. In addition, any opponent that the disciple is aware of fights a losing battle and therefore has a negative bonus equal to the Mutsu disciple’s martial art score. His body learns how to move within the world and becomes attuned to its own essence, he moves twice as fast and jumps twice as far as he would normally.
Master Techniques
Weapon Grabbing Technique
Cost: 4 motes + 1 willpower Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min MA: 4 Min Essence: 3 Prereqs: Mutsu Roshin Form
The Mutsu Master trains to fight against an opponent who has a weapon in his hands. He realizes that that weapon is a part of his opponent and if you take that away, you are symbolically severing an arm. The opponent will try to regain that arm and that will create many openings that can be taken advantage of. First the Mutsu Master must successful attack to make the grab. The opponent then rolls his wits plus combat ability against the same number of success. If he should fail his sword is thrown a number of yards equal to the masters Essence rating.
Armor Pounding Strike
Cost: 5 motes Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min MA: 4 Min Essence: 2 Prereqs: Weapon Grabbing Technique
A master on the field of battle fought hard against a soldier of the realm. Off in the distance he heard a bell ring from the tower in the town that the soldier was from. The bell was meant to give heart to the soldier, but the moment was the masters as an epiphany came over him. He successfully hit the armor and focused his Essence into the resonating sound to damage the organs of his Dragon Blood opponent. Divide the targets armor soak by the Essence rating of the master. Stamina still fully applies and the attack damage is lethal.
Reverence from Heaven
Cost: 6 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min MA: 5 Min Essence: 3 Prereqs: Mutsu Roshin Form
The master’s secret is defense. From a defensive position, the greatest offense is made. The Reverence techniques are the greatest asset that the master has. From these, he can stay defensive while maintaining a combative approach. The master sees the attack coming and decides that after the attack is made, that the opening will become visible. He leaps backwards high into the air and lands Essence in yards away. From that position he will see where he will be able to strike his opponent. Channeling Essence into his leg muscles allow the master to explode into a fast run towards his opponent to land a devastating attack with a full dice pool.
Reverence from Gaia
Cost: 6 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min MA: 5 Min Essence: 3 Prereqs: Mutsu Roshin Form
The Master knows that countering his opponent is his strength. With this version of the Reverence technique he gracefully moves his body away from the attack and follows the motion into a kick at the very same moment at full dice pools.
Reverence for the Motion
Cost: 6 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min MA: 5 Min Essence: 3 Prereqs: Mutsu Roshin Form
The weapon hand of an opponent is their weak point and can usually be taken advantage of in a fight. The master simple steps aside to let the opponents motion continue its normal path. The master the grabs the weapon arm and the shoulder of his opponent and they enter a clinch.
Locking the Heavens [Perfect Clinch]
Cost: 4 motes + 1 willpower Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min MA: 5 Min Essence: 3 Prereqs: Reverence from Heaven, Reverence from Gaia, Reverence for the Motion
From previous lessons, the master knows that the weapon is the greatest strength that his opponent is going to have. And that by disarming him, he creates a opening. This technique builds on that principle. The master catches the blade of his opponent in his hands and locks them around the weapon. For Essence in turns, the blade is locked in the masters hands unless he chooses to let go.
The Unconquerable Defense [Perfect Dodge]
Cost: 4 motes + 1 willpower Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min MA: 5 Min Essence: 3 Prereqs: Reverence from Heaven, Reverence from Gaia, Reverence for the Motion
A master knows when the fates have destined for a strike to be made and it has become more powerful than his other defenses can handle. He seeks deep with in himself the means to survive and it is through that power that fuels this charm that allows him to vanish from the eyes of his opponent and appear essence in yards away, completely unharmed.
Comments
Hm, lesse... Celestial Style, I assume. I don't know if 'beating people up' qualifies as a uniting concept for a Martial Arts tree, but I'm willing to accept that.
Hard Hands should probably be reflexive. Otherwise it's basically useless.
There's a problem with a couple of your Charms in that the flavour text doesn't match the mechanical text. Painful Strike increases damage by making people think you've hurt them? Huh? Similarly, how does being aware of traps and the like increase your initiative? (Actually, I'd probably cut Awareness Expanding Method altogether. Your style has 13 Charms in it, it doesn't need a speedbump that no one will ever activate).
Side Stepping Technique: A full dodge for 4 motes? Do you maybe mean a dodge at your full diepool?
Mutsu Roshin Form: Wait, huh? What is a 'negative bonus equal to the Mutsu disciple’s martial art score'? Is that a penalty to attack? To defense? To initiative? To everything? Regardless, this Form charm is too powerful. It's giving all of the advantages of Snake Form, plus doubling movement (which generally costs a lot in and of itself), and isn't listed as incompatible with armour. In fact, nothing in the style is listed as incompatible with armour.
Weapon Grabbing Technique: Um. Once you cut through the fluff, this Charm allows a disarm attempt at Difficulty 1 instead of 3. For 4 motes, 1 Willpower, and requiring your full action, that's amazingly weak.
Reverence From Heaven: I honestly have no idea what this Charm does. Is it a counterattack that requires a dodge? A counterattack that provides a dodge? A leaping dodge counterattack?
Reverence From Gaia: Okay, I think this one is a dodge and counterattack.
Reverence For The Motion: Nothing wrong with this, but you should specify whether it is providing a dodge or a parry.
Frankly, I'm not a big fan of this style. First, it doesn't have a style, which is viciously important to Martial Arts. There is no unifying theme here beyong defeating opponents. Secondly, far too many of the Charms either provide or enhance dodges, which I don't think is a great idea. One, maybe two, but not five. Finally, it's too long. Thirteen Charms for a Celestial Martial Art tree is a bit on the long side. Sorry to be critical about this, but those are my thoughts. - FrivYeti
