MartialArts2/DancingHandOfMercy

The Dancing Hand of Mercy

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Introduction

Kyakuin was delivering a series of sermons in a village, when he and his disciples observed a dancer. When the villagers threw her coins, she would dance beautifully. When they threw her nothing, she would dance poorly. A beggar came to watch her dance, and she stood still, frozen in the midst of a gesture.

"Observe the selfishness of this dancer," a disciple said.

"She is the Buddha," said Kyakuin.

At that moment there was a terrible light, as the dancer was enlightened.

Rules Details

When I say "turn", I mean, "the tick after the Speed of an action, at which point a character's DV refreshes and he has a new action."

Charms

The Lotus of Scriptural Understanding

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Requisites: None

When he uses this Charm, the monk has enough hands to hold up all the writings of his school. He reduces multiple-action penalties by his Essence, and his DV does not refresh normally. Instead, it recovers at a rate of one point per tick.

• The Wise Man Ascends to Heaven and Above: When this Charm is activated while dancing the theme of Transcendent Austerity, motes spent to transform a die action that is part of a flurry into a perfect success transform all actions within that flurry.

Attachment Brings About Suffering

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Requisites: None

This charm adds a number of dice to an unarmed Martial Arts attack equal to the target's temporary Willpower.

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Dancing Hand of Mercy Form

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Requisites: The Lotus of Scriptural Understanding, or name, or name, or name, and one complete kung fu style (every Charm)

The music of enlightenment contains infinities of variation. The school of Kyakuin chose to study four themes of war, and this is what they found within them: a dance so perfect it emits its own heavenly music. The eternal dance of mercy frees souls from their fetters; while within the range of its music (Essence x 10 yards), any sentient being may die at any time simply by deciding to do so. Furthermore, the music turns vision into beauty - any Performance dice in its range are turned into automatic successes. Each turn (see above) the martial artist has automatic successes equal to his Performance which he may distribute to any dice rolls he makes after rolling the dice.

While the adept is performing the dance of mercy, he may only use weapons made of iron or starmetal, or those forged by force of will out of spiritual fire*. These are the form weapons of this style of combat.

When he activates this Charm, the arhat chooses up to one of its four themes. He dances the music of this theme. The adept knows a theme only if he knows its two basis Charms. If this Charm is already active, then the user may reactivate it, selecting a new theme, reflexively. This form of the Charm is Combo-OK.

Stainless Meditation: This theme comes from the lotus of scriptural understanding, and ripens into the perfect incarnation seed. It is a song of the slow rising through waters muddied by turmoil. Its sound turns battle into contemplation. While the saint performs in this theme, add his Valor to the Speed of all actions within the music. This can explicitly increase the Speed of an action to greater than six.

Immovable Happiness: This theme comes from ETC ETC ETC It is a song of the Buddha of Infinite Light clapping his hands in delight.Its sound turns injury into joy. Whenever a being within the music suffers Health Level damage, it may reflexively spend 1 mote to roll the lohan's Conviction and gain as many points of Willpower as successes.

Transcendent Austerity: This theme WHATEVER It is the song of privations performed under waterfalls and on mountaintops; the spiritual crucible that burns away weakness. Its sound turns struggle into accomplishment. Beings within its music may pay (8 - the monk's Temperance) motes to transform a dice action into a perfect success; all its dice are considered to have rolled ordinary successes.

Gazing Down in Compassion: This theme CHARMS It is the song of the Iron Goddess of Mercy looking upon the million worlds and seeing that they are a million illusions. Her heart broke in sorrow while simultaneously bursting with joy. Its sound turns all things into perfection. Beings within the music of this theme have their limitations stripped away. Whenever a character must satisfy a condition in order to use an ability (for instance, the Four Flaws of Perfection; Cascade of Cutting Terror may only be defended against by a defence that is not dodge), that condition is satisfied without any additional effort or obligation. Charm costs can raise doubt with regard to this effect; in all cases, consider them to be intrinsic parts of the action, rather than as a condition upon performing them.

*: For the convenience of the obtuse or alyrical, this means, "Essence weaponry."

Perfect Incarnation Seed

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Requisites: The Lotus of Scriptural Understanding, Dancing Hand of Mercy Form

When you successfully make an attack, you may choose to roll no damage dice. Instead, roll one die. For each success, the target of the attack loses one Attribute dot of your choice. Attribute dots lost in this way may be regained by performing prayers to the appropriate deities. Per each legendary success, regain one dot.

A character with zero dots in an entire Attribute category (Physical, Mental, or Social), or zero dots in its Caste Attributes (for certain types of Exalted) instantly ceases to be alive in this incarnation. It is immediately reborn, its consciousness not swept clean by the dour stewards of Death. It retains its Abilities and its knowledge, although its mystical abilities are shattered with the sudden dismantling and reassignment of its soul. When reborn as humans, such children are often viewed with suspicion or outright horror. Few survive.

This Charm specifically also enforces Attribute minima on Charms. (I don't know the precise rules text regarding when you can learn/use Charms.) A being that has lost Attribute dots as a result of this Charm may not use any Charms for which his Attributes are insufficient.

• Flowers Bloom in Blissful Gardens: When this Charm is activated while dancing the theme of Immovable Happiness, you may channel Virtues on the roll.

Infinite Inspiration Cascade

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The adept draws in a breath that he does not exhale. He replenishes his Essence pool to its full capacity.

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Finally, the adept may engage in battle without disturbing the balance of things; whenever another being loses Health Levels as the result of an attack, the adept may cause another being that can currently speak and dance (Kyakuin once famously declared, "When he has found the Way, the mute will sing the Lotus Sutra.") to gain the same number of Health Levels. A being is considered able to dance only if it may roll more than zero dice on a Dexterity+Performance roll.

 

Thanks for posting those ideas we talked about, pigeon. I think it's possible that you have broken the perfect incarnation seed, but in that idea is something we can use, I'm sure. Just need to tweak it around a little... - willows