MartialArtsRelay/LocustStyle
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Locust Style
This is a Celestial Style in which multiple practitioners harmonise in more efficient and powerful ways than an individual can. There are 4 Charms prior to the Form and 7 Charms after.
I suggest that the post-form Charms go in three branches: a "swarm" branch, a "plague" branch, and a "famine" branch, before culminating in the ultimate technique.
1. Acrididae Swarm Formation</b> - Wohksworth
<b>Cost: 3 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 1 Prereqs: None
The character tenses her muscles, tautness drawing Essence from the air and the allies around her. Add one to her initiative for each ally within (permanent Essence x 3) yards who has invoked a Martial Arts Form, to a limit of the Exalt's Essence, or the Essence of a character within range using Locust Form, whichever is higher. Add two for every other character in range (allies, enemies, and spectators alike) who activates this Charm in the same Initiative phase; this is not limited by the above restriction.
4. Hive-Brother Protection Maneuver</b> - Sparrowhawk
<b>Cost: 3 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Acrididae Swarm Formation
The exalt who knows this charm senses when her comrades-in-arms are in danger, and can spring into action instantly to protect them. This charm lets the character make a parry against an attack aimed at an ally in range. The parry has a dice pool of the character's Dexterity + Martial Arts + the number of allies within (Essence x 2) yards that also know Hive-Brother Protection Maneuver, plus other modifiers (weapon and specialty bonusus, etc.) This charm can only be used to defend others; it has no effect on attacks aimed at the character.
5. Swarming Fire Ant Attack</b> - Quendalon
<b>Cost: 1 mote Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 1 Prereqs: None
As swarms of insects engulf their enemies, overwhelming them with sheer numbers, so do the practitioners of this style overwhelm their foes. This Charm may be used in conjunction with any unarmed attack. Whether the attack succeeds or not, until the start of this character's next turn, all other attackers gain an automatic success when attacking that target. Any given character may only use this Charm once per turn against a single target, but any number of practitioners may use it in the same turn against a given target.
7. Hungry Moth Strike</b> - Sparrowhawk
<b>Cost: 4 motes Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 1 Prereqs: Swarming Fire Ant Attack
The character strikes not to hurt, but to dislodge and move the armor worn by his target, making it less effective. The attack always does bashing damage, even if it is made with a weapon, and this damage is halved after it is rolled. However, for the duration of the scene, the target of the attack has his armor soak bonus reduced by the character's Essence. This cannot reduce a target's armor soak below 1L/1B, nor does the soak reduction apply to the attack that caused it. Multiple applications of Hungry Moth Strike are not applicable. If multiple characters use Hungry Moth Strike against a single target, the one with the highest Essence takes precedence.
6. Locust Form - FourWillowsWeeping
- Cost: 5 motes
- Duration: One Scene
- Type: Simple
- Min. Martial Arts: 4
- Min Essence: 3
- Prerequisite Charms: Hive-Brother Protection Maneuver, Hungry Moth Strike
While enacting the Locust Form, the adept resembles a sky-darkening plague that brings famine to the earth. He may make lethal attacks unarmed, and his hazy, undefined motions increase the difficulty to dodge his attacks by his Essence.
In addition, he may heal his wounds by feeding on the earth; as a dice action, he may roll Survival + Essence no more than once per turn. For each success on this roll, he may pay 2 motes to convert 1 Health Level of Lethal damage to bashing. When he first uses this ability, he creates a circle of clean-picked desolation around him, 1 yard in radius per HL converted. Subsequent uses in the same area increase the radius of the circle rather than creating new desolations. In areas of cultivated crops that are ready to harvest, the radius is measured in feet instead.
Finally. the four Charms prerequisite to this Form may be used parasitically; if someone within (permanent Essence x 3) yards uses one of these, then the adept enacting this Form may do so later in the same turn without it counting as his Charm for the turn.
3. Hiding Amongst the Many (Moxiane)
Cost: 5 motes Type: Simple Duration: One Scene Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prerequisites: Locust Form
Just as singling out one locust from a whole swarm of them is almost impossible, so does the use of this Charm (particularly in groups) render the character extremely difficult to strike. Whilst Hiding Amongst the Many is active all attempts to attack the character suffer a penalty equal to his permanent Essence. Furthermore, when multiple Exalted use this Charm in unison they execute a distracting dance, passing between and in front of one another, increasing the penalty to attack each character by one for every other Exalt who has this Charm active within his permanent Essence in yards.
8. Hive Wisdom Dance (TedPro)
- Cost: 6 motes
- Duration: One Scene
- Type: Simple
- Min. Martial Arts: 4
- Min Essence: 3
- Prerequisite Charms: Hiding Amongst the Many
The Exalt who enacts this form moves in a manner that abandons individuality, accepting a group consciousness above personal thought. For every ally within (Essence X 3) yards, the Martial Artist gains a +1 bonus to Dodge, to a maximum of the Exalt's Essence. If called upon to make any Virtue roll, the Exalt can instead take the results of any ally within (Essence X 3) yards who is making the same roll for the same reason.
More importantly, the motions of the Hive Wisdom Dance put the Exalt into an instinctive form of communication. Anyone using Hive Wisdom Dance will automatically know the position, health, actions and tactical goals of all allies who are using the Hive Wisdom Dance within (Essence X 3) yards, regardless of visibility, obstacles, or other logistical concerns.
10. Earth-Devouring Locust Fist (FourWillowsWeeping)
- Cost: Varies
- Duration: Instant
- Type: Supplemental
- Min. Martial Arts: 4
- Min Essence: 3
- Prerequisite Charms: Locust Form
In the Southeast, on the savannahs of Immu-Tlar, there is a swarm of locusts so hungry that they eat deep into the earth, leaving ravines and valleys and lake beds in their wake, where there were none before. With this Charm, the adept does the same! He strikes a glancing attack, a kick that ends with his foot deep in the soil. He may subtract any number of successes from an unarmed Martial Arts attack roll and roll Survival + Essence, with a bonus equal to the number of successes subtracted. For each success on this roll, he may pay 2 motes to heal 1 Health Level of bashing damage. This ability creates small craters, with a radius equal to the successes of the Survival roll, in yards. As with the Locust Form, in areas of heavily cultivated crops that are ready to harvest, this radius is measured in feet instead.
If the adept rolls no successes on the Survival roll, the Charm fails; it costs zero motes and does not count as a Charm use.
9. Ever-Hungry Swarm Touch (Moxiane)
Cost: 4 motes Type: Supplemental Duration: Instant Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 3 Prerequisites: Earth-Devouring Locust Fist
The damage to crops that is inflicted by a single insect is negligible and the farmer is unlikely to even notice. The damage that can be caused by millions of the creatures, however, can be immeasurable, inflicting hunger and misery upon entire countries as their food supply is consumed by creatures no bigger than a child’s hand. A character struck by this Charm becomes as the crops beneath a swarm of insects, their Essence rapidly consumed as the number of assailants increases.
The Exalted makes an unarmed Martial Arts attack and upon a successful strike (that need inflict no damage) the target immediately loses a number of motes equal to the permanent Essence of the attacker – half (round down) of that amount is returned to the Exalted. For the remainder of the turn, every time that one of the Exalted’s allies within (his permanent Essence x 3) yards, or the Exalted himself, uses the Ever-Hungry Swarm Touch the effect triggers again, exactly as if the character had just used the Charm. A single target can be the victim of multiple uses of this Charm, and any single Exalted can use this Charm as many times per turn as he can pay the motes for it, but no Exalted can afflict the same target more than once per turn.
11. Ever-Spreading Plague - TedPro
- Cost: 5 motes
- Duration: Instant
- Type: Simple
- Min. Martial Arts: 5
- Min Essence: 3
- Prerequisite Charms: Locust Form
One of the cruelest truths of a plague is that it leaves its victims vulnerable to further plague; the body is made weak, the village loses healers, the nation becomes too poor to resist the next disease. The Exalt emulates this resolve-weakening assault by making an unarmed attack which creates a disease which continues to spread on the victim. If the attack hits, whether or not it does damage, a stain of plague touches the victim, and the victim must make a Stamina + Resistance roll at standard difficulty or lose a point of Stamina. Worse, the plague endures, and any other unarmed attack against the same victim weakens the body further, whether by the Martial Artist or anyone else, until the next turn. Whenever the victim is struck on the same turn, whether or not damage is inflicted, the victim must make another Stamina resistance roll or lose another point of Stamina.
Stamina lost is regained quickly - one point is gained at the start of each turn. However, if the victim reaches zero Stamina, he instead lapses into a plague-ridden coma for five days, overwhelmed with fever-induced nightmares. The disease is otherwise not contagious, but abilities that protect against disease will protect against this attack. (For Medicine rolls or Charms, 3 successes are needed.)
12. End of Hope Infection - FourWillowsWeeping
- Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower
- Duration: Instant
- Type: Simple
- Min. Martial Arts: 5
- Min Essence: 4
- Prerequisite Charms: Ever-Spreading Plague
The greatest infirmity of plague is not the physical weakness it causes, but the feelings of despair, lassitude, and ennui that make it so difficult to escape. A target struck by the End of Hope Infection with an unarmed Martial Arts attack may not spend any Willpower for the remainder of the turn. If he is subsequently struck by another character using the Locust Form this turn, this prohibition increases by one turn, to a maximum number of turns equal to the highest Essence of people striking the victim.
2. Blackening Horizon Call - FourWillowsWeeping
- Cost: 7 motes, 1 Willpower
- Duration: Instant
- Type: Extra Actions
- Min. Martial Arts: 5
- Min Essence: 4
- Prerequisite Charms: Hive Wisdom Dance, Ever-Hungry Swarm Touch, End of Hope Infection
The adept rasps his hands or (weapons) against one another, making a distinctive chirping sound. Those who hear it are roused to action, and warriors within (permanent Essence) yards may immediately invoke the Blackening Horizon Call or a Combo containing it, provided that they also know the Charm. Users taking advantage of this chirp need not devote their action for the turn to this Charm, but they may not benefit from it and also from another Extra Actions or Independent Actions effect. Hoewver, unless they do devote their action for the turn, their use of the Charm does not create the chirp that stirs to action.
Soon the chorus of chirps becomes a shrill drone, and this sound puts Locust stylists into a trance where they move with eerie, angular, scuttling speed. The Exalts using this Charm make as many unarmed Martial Arts attacks as their Dexterity, or the Dexterity of a character within range using Locust Form, whichever is higher.
Comments
Er. Why does Nikink have dibs? He didn't write any charms for the last style? - Telgar
- 'Cause he didn't set the last theme, which he technically had precedent for. In the ideal situation, I would have done the last charm of Cloud-Palm Style, which theme I suggested, and so it would have worked out the theme kink.
- As it stands, I'm going to leave this here for a day (being self-declared relay proctor) and then clear his dibs. - willows
Ok. Theme chosen. For this theme, I envision multiple practitioners harmonising in more efficient and powerful ways than an individual can, also stuff like the Ninja Hive Mind effect where they know exactly what each other are thinking / doing with but a nod in their direction. I guess it's more likely to be Terrestrial (since the DBs have an affinity for working together anyway) but I can see a similar style being built by Alchemicals and thus Celestial in level) due to the whole Insects Similar To Machines idea. And of course, Sidereals could make this style quite bizarre. Lets say 12 Charms long. Seem ok? - Nikink
- I would like to plead Celestials on this, as we already have a group-combat Terrestrial Style, the last two things we did were Terrestrial, and I was totally thinking about a Celestial group-combat style earlier today. Rock on! - willows
- Cool. Celestial it is! B-) - Nikink
Added a Charm. Also, a name suggestion: Locust Style - Moxiane
Added a Charm. It might need a better name; I couldn't figure out a name that fit with the "locust" theme. That said, not every charm in the tree needs to reference the theme in its title. There are examples of this in published supplements (Violet Bier of Sorrows comes to mind.) - Sparrowhawk
- I don't like the precedent of multiple Charms being used in a turn without a specific limiter. I was hoping that the Form might allow characters to activate any of the pre-Form Charms whenever they wished, but I don't think singular Charms should have that exception built in. All in all, though, I like how this tree is developing. _Wohksworth
- Which Charm are you talking about here? - q
- Ah, right right right. Sparrowhawk's Charm -- Harmonious Protection. I should have been more clear with which effect I was concerned. _JW
- I agree with that "without a specific limiter" idea—what if you can, optionally, use the Charm as the beneficiary's Charm for the turn, provided that they know it and allow you to do so? I had a Charm idea almost precistly identical to Swarming Fire Ant Formation earlier. I'm glad I didn't post it now. - willows
- Which Charm are you talking about here? - q
- I don't agree with the sentiment that Harmonious Protection is overpowered, especially since I went out of my way to make it underpowered compared to the charms I based it on (Dipping Swaloow Defense and Virtuous Negation Defense.) However, the last ability of Locust Form is cool enough to convince me to change my charm. For what it's worth, I actually like this version better.
- P.S. I still think it needs a better name. Anyone got any ideas? - Sparrowhawk
Very cool revision. - w
I just couldn't resist adding another charm. I was inspired. :p - Sparrowhawk
I get a feeling my Charm needs a revision. Suggestions? -TedPro
Added a nasty "famine" attack Charm, although I am unsure whether or not it is too powerful for its current position (it could probably be the second Charm of the famine branch just as easily). - Moxiane
- I'm thinking that that needs a higher Essence prereq; it's extensively nasty when used by a group in concert (and imagine the terror of this Style and Crimson Pentacle Blade in one!) and even used alone, it's a good enough benefit for an Essence 4 practitioner that it's worth using frequently. To make room for stuff like this, I'm raising the Essence prereq of the pinnacle. (I also made it more scary.) - willows
- Yeah. As I said I wasn't sure if it was too powerful. For a 5/3 Charm it seems about right, though - although I did try to hamstring it a little with the one use per character per target per turn thing - but it's still vicious in an EA Combo and lots of targets around. Also, I'm liking Earth-Devouring Locust Fist, but have difficulty calling a potentially multi-yard radius crater "small". :) - Moxiane
Moxiane, I like the famine attack, but I'm not sure I understand the mechanics of the "effect triggers again" part. Does that mean that I punch thug A with Ever-Hungry Swarm Touch, I get Essence from thug A, and then if I punch thug B, I get Essence from thugs A and B both? And then if my buddy punches thug A, I get Essence from thugs A and B again? I want to make sure I understand this right. -TedPro
- Basically, yeah. If your Locust Stylist punches the three DBs Arrow, Blade and Caudron once each, in alphabetical order, each time using Ever-Hungry Swarm Touch, then the events go something like this (assuming minimum requirements are met):
- Locust stylist attacks Arrow & spends 4 motes to activate EHST. He gets 1 mote back.
- Locust stylist attacks Blade & spends 4 motes to activate EHST. He gets 1 mote back from Arrow and one from Blade.
- Locust stylist attacks Caudron & spends 4 motes to activate EHST. He gets 1 mote back from Arrow, 1 from Blade and 1 from Caudron.
- The effects are cumulative between users as well, but a single character cannot use it on a single target more than once per turn. Hope that helps. - Moxiane
Awesome. -TedPro
Hey, TedPro: Ever-Spreading seems to be an odd thing to call a plague that is specifically not infectious. Cool Charm, though! - willows
- Thanks! I meant the plague continues to spread on the one victim. Amended that. Maybe I should change the name? - TedPro
I think the relay is complete. I think you have dibs on next theme, Willows, unless you're passing it on to OhJames or something. -TedPro
AAaaaand, after the whole thing is over, I finally come up with a better charm name. -Sparrowhawk
