MartialArts/WayofSteel
The Way of Steel
By severus
Background
Unlike most martial artists, the practitioners of the Way of Steel focus their will through the power and grace of a weapon. First Age weapon masters would learn the Charms of the Way of Steel after mastering the conventional melee Charms, but the exalted of the Second Age often begin with this ancient style.
The Way of Steel is inexorably entwined with the melee weapon. When learning the first Charms of the tree, the exalt must choose a signature weapon. This weapon may not be changed without re-learning the Charms. This weapon must be used for any of the Way of Steel Charms to function although an artifact version will suffice.
The Way of Steel is compatible with light armour only. That is to say, the armour’s mobility penalty may be no greater than one and the fatigue value must be two or lower.
Charms
Cold Caress</b>
<b>Cost: 3 motes Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 1 Min. Essence: 1 Prereqs: none
Without the ability to harm one’s opponent, the most competent of defenses is pointless. Practitioners of the Way of Steel learn how to focus Essence through their weapons. Add the practitioner’s Martial Arts score to her dice pool for any one Martial Arts attack roll with her chosen weapon.
Steel Bastion</b>
<b>Cost:3 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 1 Min. Essence: 1 Prereqs: none
Those who do not respect the danger of a weapon quickly perish by its edge. Martial artists use this Charm to ward off the blows of their enemies. The exalt using this Charm gains her Martial Arts score as dice to any parry attempt. This Charm may also buy a parry dice pool from zero; giving the martial artist her Martial Arts score as a reflexive parry pool.
Know the Edge</b>
<b>Cost:3 motes Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Cold Caress, Steel Bastion
Not all weapons strike with the speed of the knife or the surety of the greatsword. A skilled fighter must learn to focus on her weapon’s strengths while minimizing its weaknesses. A moment’s concentration aligns the warrior’s mind with her weapon, allowing her to swing a mace as deftly as one might swing a short sword. For the Charm’s duration, ignore the penalties associated with one of your weapon’s stats, resetting it to plus zero. If a weapon has a stat at zero or better, this Charm may be used to grant a one-die bonus. To affect multiple stats the Charm must be activated multiple times. Not that the bonus may only be applied to speed, accuracy, damage, and defense. The bonus may also affect penalties derived from a poor quality weapon.
Steel Way Form</b>
<b>Cost:5 motes Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Know The Edge
A martial artist attuned to the weight, shape, and soul of her weapon is a terrible foe in battle. Her weapon lashes forth, feather-light and precise only to divert enemy attacks in the same stroke. For the duration of the Charm, the exalt adds her permanent Essence score to her weapon’s speed, accuracy, and defense. Only one form-type Charm may be activated at a time. Activating another form-type Charm immediately ends the effects of any previously activated form-type Charms. Terrestrial exalts must succeed at a Dexterity plus Martial Arts roll at a difficulty of one to assume the Way of Steel Form.
Become the Edge</b>
<b>Cost:varies Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Steel Way Form
To evade the strikes of one who has become the edge requires great skill. The martial artist may add one to the difficulty of dodging or parrying her attack per mote spent. She may spend up to her Martial Arts score in motes in this fashion.
Solace of the Wind</b>
<b>Cost:4 motes Duration: Instant Type: Extra Action Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Become The Edge
Those who invoke the Solace of the Wind find themselves alone on the battlefield, with only the forlorn winds of war for company. The martial artist may make up to her Martial Arts score in attacks with each attack incurring a penalty equal to the total number of attacks made. For example, a martial artist making three attacks would lose three dice from each. Only one attack roll is made, but each requires a separate defense. The attacks may target the same or different targets.
The Clipping of Iron Wings</b>
<b>Cost:2 motes Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Steel Way Form
The weapon of a skilled martial artist’s opponent spends more time on the ground than in its wielder’s hands. An exalt activating the Clipping of Iron Wings gains a number of automatic successes equal to her Essence trait on a single disarm attempt.
The Unmaking Hammer</b>
<b>Cost:5 motes Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: The Clipping Of Iron Wings
The harmonized weapon of a follower of the Way of Steel can be as deadly to an enemy’s weapon as his body. Such is the price for thinking of one’s weapon as little more than a simple piece of sharpened metal. During the First Age exalts were known to slice the head of a sledge in half or cut the armour off of an opponent’s body without damaging the clothing underneath. The exalt makes a normal strike with her weapon. The target of this attack may make a reflexive Perception plus Martial Arts or Awareness at difficulty two to see the attack for what it really is. In this case the parry roll moves her weapon out of harm’s way. Dodging, of course is unaffected. Note that this attack is not a general shatter. The martial artist must specify the target equipment. An attempt to shatter an opponent’s breastplate will not destroy a straight sword that successfully parries it. If the attack is successful, the target equipment may be reduced in effectiveness or even destroyed outright. Armour soaks the attack with its lethal soak value. Damage is rolled as normal with each success eliminating two points of both bashing and lethal soak. If both are reduced to zero, the armour is destroyed. A weapon soaks the damage with its minimum strength rating times two. If no minimum strength rating is listed, assume it to be one. Each damage success scored against a weapon reduces its damage value by one. When half of the damage value has been eliminated the weapon loses any bonus it might possess to accuracy and defense. A weapon reduced to zero damage is destroyed. The Charm does not affect equipment forged with the five magical materials. Against unresisting inanimate objects, this charm doubles the exalt’s raw, pre-soak damage.
The Palest Cut</b>
<b>Cost:3 motes Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Steel Way Form
With sufficient concentration a skilled martial artist may strike at the very soul of her opponent. This attack may be defended against as normal, but the damage is only soaked with the target’s Essence trait. This damage is not rolled, but is taken from the target’s motes. Personal motes are struck first, followed by peripheral motes.
Wrath of Glory</b>
<b>Cost:5 motes Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: The Palest Cut
Building on the principles of the Palest Cut, the martial artist learns to strike at the vortices of essence that surround her magical opponents. Make a normal attack that may be defended against as normal, but may only be soaked by the target’s Essence trait. If successful, the attacker must roll a number of damage successes equal to the target’s Essence trait. If a sufficient number of damage successes are generated any persistent magic affecting the target is dispelled. This Charm targets all such effects, so it may be used to remove harmful magic from an ally. Sorceries of the Third Circle and magics of legendary power may be resistant to the Wrath of Glory.
Trail of Blood</b>
<b>Cost:5 motes, 1 willpower Duration: Instant Type: Extra Action Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Solace Of The Wind, The Unmaking Hammer, Wrath Of Glory
The exalt moves among her foes as a bleak tornado, leaving broken bodies and the moans of the dying in her wake. Upon invoking the Trail Of Blood the martial artist may make a sprint of up to her (Dexterity x3) + 20 yards. She may make a single weapon strike against each opponent who comes into her reach. No opponent may be struck more than once, but against a tightly packed group this attack is devastating.
Unity of the Blade</b>
<b>Cost:10 motes, 1 willpower, 1 health level Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Trail Of Blood
A martial artist who has mastered the Way of Steel is capable of striking a truly perfect blow. The exalt makes an attack as normal with no penalties for visual conditions. Each die available for the attack automatically comes up as a single success. Furthermore a perfect defense brought to bear against this attack does not automatically succeed. In this case both the martial artist and her opponent roll their actions as normal. The attackers rolls her Martial Arts attack while her opponent rolls his normal defense pool. This attack requires the utmost concentration and may not be placed in combos with any other Charm.
