MartialArts/UnconquerableHeroStyle
Unconquerable Hero Style
Unconquerable Hero Style was developed slightly after the Primordial War. It was possibly one of the first successful attempts by Solars to create a Martial Art Style; in many ways, it is a Style version of the 'developed' Charms. Unconquerable Hero Style is compatible with and draws on much of the same themes. Unconquerable Hero Style is an uncompromising, almost brutal style that relies on strength of personality and stubbornness-- the desire of the Hero to break through his opponents no matter what stands in his way. Like Solar Hero Style, cestii, fighting gauntlets, khatars, tiger claws, pankrator's cestii, and improvised weapons are form weapons for this style. Also like Solar Hero Style, Solars may develop Martial Arts Charms that are dependent on this Style but not a part of it; those charms may only be learned by Solars and Moonshadow Caste Abyssals.
Deadly Leverage Grip</b>
<b>Cost:1m; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1; Type: Supplemental Keywords: Combo-OK Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: None
By means of jarring Essence flows and carefully positioned leverage, the Exalt turns his opponent’s armor against itself in a clinch. He is able to force the armor to bend against vulnerable spots in its make up, increasing pressure and forcing the armor to dig into his opponent. Subtract the character’s Martial Arts from his opponent's armor soak after piercing has been applied.
Body-Shielding Hold</b>
<b>Cost:4m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive (Step 9) Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Counterattack Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Deadly Leverage Grip
With rough and forceful twists in a clinch, the Exalt maneuvers her opponent around between her and incoming attacks. In order to use this Charm, the character must have control of the clinch. This Charm is used in response to an attack. It allows the Exalt to ignore all penalties to her Parry DV when resolving that attack; this does not include the 'penalty' of inapplicability. If the attack is unsuccessful, apply the difference between the DV and the attack as successes as though the attacker had originally attacked the person with whom the Exalt is clinching. This Charm acts effectively as a Counterattack, even though it does not target the attacker.
Sunlight Through Branches Technique</b>
<b>Cost:2m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive (Step 2) Keywords: Combo-OK Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: None
A Solar in the heat of battle must not be afraid to get up-close-and-personal with her opponent. By harmonizing the Essence of her body with that of her opponent’s attack, she can move in precise opposition to it, slipping in behind her opponent’s defenses. This charm is activated during Step 2 of an attack. If the attack fails, subtract 1 from the Speed of the action used by the character last. This may not reduce the Speed of an Action to 0, nor may it retroactively make an action simultaneous with the failed attack that allowed Sunlight Through Branches Technique to work.
Become the Anvil</b>
<b>Cost:4m, 2 wp; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive (No later than Step 2) Keywords: None Duration: One Scene Prerequisite Charms: Sunlight Through Branches Technique
The Exalt progresses in his mastery of crowd fighting. Not only can he defend himself against large numbers of opponents, but he has become an expert at turning their mass back upon them. The Solar actually becomes a more efficient fighter when he is faced with longer odds. Until the end of the scene, the Solar gains a discount on all Excellencies in motes equal to the number of opponents within (his permanent Essence x 3) yards. This discount stacks with that of Infinite Martial Arts Mastery, and is similarly incompatible with Martial Arts Essence Flow.
Unconquerable Hero Form</b>
<b>Cost:6m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2; Type: Simple Keywords: Form-Type, Obvious Duration: One Scene Prerequisite Charms: Body-Shielding Hold, Become the Anvil
Reinforced and bolstered by Solar Essence, the Lawgiver becomes an unstoppable juggernaut, the mythical hero who cannot be stopped, no matter the peril. Informal and direct, this style focuses less on agility and speed and more on raw toughness and on being an unstoppable force. While it does not have quite the lineage of Solar Hero Form, it is only slightly less ancient.
This Charm allows the Exalt to suddenly dramatically increase their personal Hardness, by spending one mote during Step Eight as a reflexive, non-Charm Action. Once the character has done so, add (his permanent Essence + Martial Arts) to his largest source of Hardness. If the character has no source of hardness, add this number to 0. The character may also soak Lethal damage with his full Stamina.
Ocean Upswell Attack</b>
<b>Cost:3m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2; Type: Simple (Speed 4) Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Unconquerable Hero Form
The character charges his body with Essence, and strikes the nearest surface with all of his might. A wave of force travels through the ground towards the target, exploding once it reaches her. The character makes an ordinary Martial Arts attack roll, but it may strike at targets as far as (10 x the character's Essence) in yards away. The Ocean Upswell Attack is blocked as a ranged attack, not a hand-to-hand attack. This must travel in a straight line across a surface, so it will have to travel up cliffs and down stairs to reach characters on different elevation. However, there is no requirement for the surface to be hard; while a character could not use this attack underwater (except on the seabed), he could use it on the surface to attack a boat, for example. In general, this will tear up whatever is between the character and his target.
Celestial Thunderclap</b>
<b>Cost:6m, 1 wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2; Type: Simple (Speed 5) Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Crippling, Stackable (Duration) Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Ocean Upswell Attack
The character charges her palms with Essence. When the energies have reached a fever pitch, she brings her hands together to create an eardrum-popping thunderclap. The Solar rolls Strength or Dexterity + Martial Arts + the damage rating of any hand weapons she may have; this is treated as an unblockable, undodgeable attack. No non-perfect defense may be made against this attack; instead, all opponents within the Exalt’s permanent Essence x 2 yards of the character must make a reflexive roll Stamina + Resistance against a difficulty equal to the number of successes rolled by the character, plus or minus any damage modification.
Those who fail will lose a number of dice from all non-reflexive pools equal to the amount by which they failed for a number of actions equal to the character’s permanent Essence; they will also lose half that amount (round as usual) from any DVs for this time. This is a Crippling effect. Multiple applications of this Charm will extend the time effect if the opponents continue to fail, but penalties are noncumulative; only the largest applies. If any of the opponents botch, they suffer the full effects and are Inactive on their next action!
Stone-Crested Wave</b>
<b>Cost:8m, 1 wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple (Speed 5) Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Ocean Upswell Attack
Upon activating this unusual Charm, the character creates a field of Essence in whatever solid surface is in front of his feet, and matches it to similar fields in his hands. With a mighty pull, he tears up the earth or stone or similar substance with his bare hands and ripples it in the direction of his enemies. The character makes a single unarmed Strength + Martial Arts attack roll, doing a base damage equal to twice his permanent Essence added to his strength, which is applied to everyone in a corridor in front of him (Essence) yards wide and (Essence x 10) yards long. Characters suffer 1 yard of knockback for every health level they take, and anyone in the area must make a reflexive Dexterity + Athletics roll to stay standing. This will cause major damage to the surface so used.
Unconquerable Solar Hero Form</b>
<b>Cost:8m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4; Type: Simple (Speed 5) Keywords: Form-Type, Obvious Duration: One Scene Prerequisite Charms: Stone-Crested Wave, Celestial Thunderclap, Shockwave Technique
The Lawgiver has learned to use the primal, complimentary Essence patterns of both Unconquerable Hero and Solar Hero Forms in tandem. She becomes a true paragon of Sol Invictus, laughing aside any attacks and crushing all in his path. Once this Charm is learned, Charms from both Unconquerable Hero and Solar Hero Styles are considered to be in the same Style for all relevant effects where their compliment would be considered positive. This is a permanent effect.
When this Charm is active, the character gains the full effects of both Unconquerable Hero and Solar Hero Styles. Furthermore, every Action the character has, she gains a temporary discount on using the effects so granted in motes equal to her permanent Essence. This discount refreshes every time the character takes an Action, just like her DVs. Although this Charm is learnable by any character capable of learning a Celestial Martial Art, it works better for Solars. Solars do not need to spend any motes to activate the effects of either form; any Lawgiver using this Charm has a bonus to her Hardness equal to (her permanent Essence + Martial Artist), and all unarmed Martial Arts attacks count successes twice for the purposes of determining damage in Step 7 of attack resolution.
Comments
I like this style alot. Personally, I would close it for non solars since the charms of this style are really powerful. The probably should not fall into non-solar hands. Also I woulde do either of these.
1) Add a comlementery skill req of resistance 2. Alot of styles have this in SoTM, and well, given the Form. 2) ad a resistance reqirement for the Form. There are alred cross requirements like that in an SHS par in SoTM.
Also there are a number of things I have trouble getting some of the effects.
Can you explain "Sunlight Through Branches Technique"? "When this Charm is active, the character gains the full effects of both Unconquerable Hero and Solar Hero Styles." You mean Forms, right?
Also, about USHF....I like the out come and the fluff and all....but it has a little of the First ed "later charms are the same, only better"...given how the game is, I guess that is hard to change though.
I Like this. A lot -Azurelight
- Thank you for your compliments! You may have a point, but I already have one Solar-only (heck, Dawn-only) martial art, and I'm not sure I should do that twice.
- I'm not sure I want to add the complimentary skill requirement, even though that seems to be the Thing To Do in 2e. It _is_ a natural development of SHS, not something new.
- Sunlight Through Branches is a "slip" charm. Basically, every time you successfully use it, you drop the place your next action is in battle by 1 tick. You can't go below the next tick though.
- coughs* Yes, changed. >_<
- Well, the point of the style was to merge with Solar Hero Style. It's not the usual technique, no, but ordinarily, you don't use 2 Form-Type charms at the same time anyway.
- Thanks again! -- IsawaBrian
