FrivYeti/StagStyle

Stag Style

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Background

Developed during the First Age, the Stag Style was designed to fight against slower-moving opponents, those who lacked the reach and agility to easily close distance. Its users depend on destroying their opponents at a decent distance, knocking aside blows long before they can close in, and driving their foes back only to close the distance and destroy them at the last moment.

Weapons and Armor

Practitioners of Stag Style use primarily polearms; in fact, the style is designed in such a way that polearms function almost more effectively than battling truly unarmed. Attacks with polearms are treated as unarmed attacks for the purposes of these Charms.

Charms

Forceful Antler Method</b>

<b>Cost: 2 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Min. Martial Arts: 2
Min. Essence: 1
Prereqs: None

The character moves to block an attack, and the force of her attack drives her opponent back. This Charm may be triggers when the character rolls at least one success on an unarmed parry; the character's attacker is knocked back a number of yards equal to the character's Essence. If the attack was not completely blocked, it still affects the character as normal.

Charging Elk Approach</b>

<b>Cost: 3 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Min. Martial Arts: 3
Min. Essence: 1
Prereqs: None

The character charges forwards with the speed and assuredness of the elk. The character may move his full sprint distance and still attack. This Charm cannot be used while armoured.

Startled Fawn Defense</b>

<b>Cost: 3 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Min. Martial Arts: 3
Min. Essence: 2
Prereqs: Charging Elk Approach

The character reacts to an attack by falling back from it. If the character makes an unarmed parry or a dodge attempt, she may also move her Martial Arts x5 yards away. This Charm is explictly permitted to be part of a combo with any Charm that provides a parry or dodge attempt. It is not compatible with the use of armor.

Stag Form</b>

<b>Cost: 5 motes
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 4
Min. Essence: 2
Prereqs: Startled Fawn Defense, Forceful Antler Method

The character settles back into the Stag Form, opening her soul to the fury of the forest. While in Stag Form, the character adds her Martial Arts to her initiative, and adds her Permanent Essence to all Martial Arts parries and to her bashing and lethal soak. If the character has no parry action available, she may parry an attack with a number of dice equal to her Permanent Essence. This is a Form-type Charm. It is incompatible with the use of armor.

Pre-emptive Charge Strike</b>

<b>Cost: 5 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Min. Martial Arts: 4
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: Stag Form

The character attacks with lightning speed, striking his enemy before he can move into range. If the enemy must move at least two yards before striking you, you may immediately trigger this charm to make an unarmed attack against him. This Charm is considered to be a counter-attack charm; however, apply damage to the attacker before he attacks you. It cannot be used if you cannot strike your opponent.

Sweeping Antler Method</b>

<b>Cost: 4 motes per attack
Duration: Instant
Type: Extra Actions
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: Pre-Emptive Charge Strike

The character sweeps through his opponents, attacking any enemy within range of his fists. The character may purchase a number of extra unarmed attacks up to his Essence score; no more than one attack may be applied to a given opponent, and the attacks cannot be split. The character MAY use his primary action for a full parry or dodge, but may not split it if he chooses to attack with it.

Strengthened Hide Method</b>

<b>Cost: 4 motes
Duration: One Scene
Type: Reflexive
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 2
Prereqs: Stag Form

The character strengthens her hide against even the strongest blows. For the duration of the scene, the character’s bashing and lethal soak is increased by her Martial Arts score. This Charm is not compatible with the use of armour.

Twisting Antler Strike</b>

<b>Cost: 4 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 2
Prereqs: Stag Form

The character twists around weapons to strike at her enemy’s unprotected body. This Charm must be triggered when the opponent declares a parry. The parry is at a difficulty penalty equal to your Martial Arts.

Gouging Prong Strike</b>

<b>Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: Twisting Antler Strike

The character twists his weapon as he strikes, gouging out his opponents’ side. This Charm must be activated on an unarmed strike, before the opponent applies soak-boosting Charms, but can be applied after standard soak is determined. Every die of damage on the roll is converted into an automatic success.

Antler-Shedding Defense</b>

<b>Cost: 6 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: Sweeping Antler Method, Hide-Strengthening Defense, Gouging Prong Method

The character uses her weapon as a focal point for damage, enabling her to avoid even the worst of blows. This Charm may be activated after a failed unarmed parry attempt. The character automatically parries the attack; however, in doing so, he loses his weapon, which is knocked back as normal inside of the character. If the character is truly unarmed (as opposed to wielding a polearm), his blocking arm is lost; however, it will regrow over the next week, and no health levels are lost. This is a perfect defense; it can block ANY attack with a physical component. Using a non-Magical Material weapon to parry very strong attacks will likely result in the destruction of the weapon in question.

Comment

Just a thought - Gouging prong says "activated on an unarmed strike, before the opponent applies soak-boosting charms, but can be applied after standard soak is determined." That sounds suspiciously like a choice. Is that charm supposed to be reflexive? Because that would be sweet enough for me to use. You would think that after all this time, I would know this tree pretty damn well. - TheHoverpope

Some supplementals can be used even after the attack roll... Ferocious Jab is the only one I can think off right now, but that's supplemental isn't it? (Unless someone changed it...)
-- Darloth

Yeah, the problem is mostly for comboing. Shitty to use, if its supplemental. - TheHoverpope

Argh. GreenLantern hate perfects in MA trees. It allows Terrestrials, Lunars, and Sidereals to gain Perfects. Then again, now that 2nd allows for non-Solar perfects, maybe I'm wrong - but perhaps a disclaimer should be added, as 1st really hated the idea of non-Solar perfects. -- GreenLantern

Well, there's already a perfect attack in a TMA, of all things. More importantly, unless you have high-scale Solar weapon-claiming, this is a very limited-effect Charm. Also, Lunars and Sidereals both already have perfect defenses; the issue is only really for the Dragon-Blooded. - FrivYeti