MoFireDragonStyle
by Morpheus
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This is a houseruled version of the Immaculate Fire Dragon Style presented in Exalted: The Dragon-Blooded. It is a Fire-Aspected Celestial martial art.
The Fire Dragon Style is much like Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do in appearance, exhibiting mind-blowing speed, dazzling skill, and incredible fury. Practitioners rely on long hours of sparring to forge perfect combat instincts, gaining a seemingly precognitive understanding of the movements of their opponents, and making the martial artist one with the destructive movements of battle. Punches, chops, backfists, elbows, high and low kicks, headbutts, and many other techniques are used to attack, and forearm blocks, leg blocks, and dodges are all used for defense; the result is a style which flows efficiently, and uses quick, strong attacks, typically accompanied by ferocious shouts to overwhelm and incapacitate one or many foes. Armed with two swords, the martial artist alternates between slashes, thrusts, and kicks with incredible ease, dancing through combat in a rain of blood. Swords are wielded as normal for a short sword, but are always in motion during a fight, spinning to deflect stray blows while the martial artist goes on the offensive. Much of the strength of the Fire Dragon Style relies on the practitioner's ability to judge an opponent's movements and strike first. It is a very offensive style.
The Fire Dragon Style teaches a simple philosophy - "Let your heart be your guide." Emulating Hesiesh requires not only study, training, and patience, but passion, as fire is passion given form. Practitioners of this style learn to grow with what they love, indulging in things they have a passion for - loving those things, learning from them, and helping them. The Fire Dragon Style teaches that we are "... always limited in our ability to succeed by the will by the heart's desire." Fire Dragon practitioners are known for their deep feelings, fiery tempers, and unrestrained vengeance. Physical training in the Fire Dragon Style involves endless hours of sparring to hone the instincts; more subtle lessons require that the student experience intense feelings, that she may better learn of herself. Poetry and music are used, as are many drugs. That the student may come to understand pain, she is set on fire until she cries out. Many students use their own techniques to expand their horizons and come to understand their own passion.
Exalts who wish to learn to true lessons of the sacrifice and unstoppable passion of fire may come to understand the full power of the style. They learn to harness Essence to strike with the flame's speed and intensity, to expand their instincts to truly feel the ebb and flow of battle, and to become one with the flame in form and movement. Adepts adopt these lessons to become one with the flame's presence. As things would run from a raging forest fire, so will their opponents run from the awesome might of the Fire Dragon. Adepts may also learn to unleash their own passion to consume as a fire does and grow stronger, and eventually even to cast forth their own power in a sphere of fiery destruction. The Master learns the true lessons of passion and sacrifice, becoming an avatar of emotion, burning everything around him in his heart's fire.
This style is not compatible with armor. It is compatible with shorts swords when wielded in a pair. Fire Aspects with at least 3 dots of Martial Arts who are trained in this receive a special defensive bonus when wielding short swords. Characters who attack on a given turn are awarded a reflexive full parry, with a normal cascading dice pool equal to the number of attacks declared that turn (excluding reflexive attacks and attacks from extra actions). Penalties apply to this pool as normal, and the character may choose to use either the reflexive full parry or any other parry, such as held defenses, to parry any given attack.
Fire Dragon
Fury
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Kiss of Eyes of Fire Instinct Guides the
Hesiesh Frenzy Rising Flame
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Fire Dragon
Form
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Essence of Fire Red Lesson Consuming Wildfire
Attack Counterattack Charge
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Vengeful Red Presence Holocaust
Cast-off Spark Stance Strike
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Heart of Flame
Fire Dragon Fury</b>
<b>Cost: 3 motes Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min Essence: 1 Prereqs: None
Inciting the fury contained within and emitting a fierce kiai, the martial artist imbues a strike with terrible speed and destructive force. The character adds half her Martial Arts in dice to a single attack, and that attack does lethal damage.
Kiss of Hesiesh</b>
<b>Cost: 3 motes Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min Essence: 2 Prereqs: Fire Dragon Fury
Using the anger of attack as a spark, and Essence as fuel, the martial artist ignites the part of her body which is attacking with magical fire. This fire lasts only until the attack is resolved, and does not harm the character. However, this adds half the character's Martial Arts to the damage of the attack, and the attack deals lethal damage. In addition, a successful strike probably ignites the clothes or hair of the target, unless he is wearing armor with a Hardness rating. This attack can be used on inanimate targets to do additional damage and light them on fire.
Eyes of Fire Frenzy</b>
<b>Cost: 4 motes Duration: One scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min Essence: 2 Prereqs: Fire Dragon Fury
The character's eyes flash intensely as the character admits the reckless instinct of flame into her mind. For the remainder of the scene, the character rolls her initiative twice, and keeps the highest result. However, the character is single-minded as the flame, and takes a -2 penalty to all non-combat or delayed actions. The freedom from thought created by this charm is very liberating, if frightening, and can be addictive if used overmuch.
Instinct Guides the Rising Flame</b>
<b>Cost: 3 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min Essence: 2 Prereqs: Fire Dragon Fury
Fire abhors earth. It moves up, and so does the character. A jet of Essence forces the character's feet up. This charm can be used in a number of ways, such as:
- Allowing the character to instantly stand
- Adding half her Martial Arts as automatic successes to dodge a trip maneuver
- Adding half her Martial Arts to her Strength for determining jumping distance
- Allowing a mid-air double jump which can change the character's jumping direction in midair
- Slowing the character's fall just before impact, reducing damage by half the character's Martial Arts
- Supplementing a kick, adding her Martial Arts to its Speed
Fire Dragon Form</b>
<b>Cost: 5 motes Duration: 1 Scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min Essence: 2 Prereqs: Kiss of Hesiesh, Eyes of Fire Frenzy, Instinct Guides the Rising Flame
Fire is emotion - passion and instinct given form. By harnessing her own passion and instinct, the martial artist may add half her Martial Arts to all attacks and Initiative for the remainder of the scene. In addition, all of her attacks do lethal damage, and she is guaranteed a reflexive dodge with her Martial Arts in dice to all dodgeable anticipated attacks. This is not a dice adding effect; it simply allows the martial artist a dodge pool of her Martial Arts if there was none before or brings a dodge dice pool up to her Martial Arts if it is lower. It can also be used in conjunction with normal or reflexive parries, as normal. Finally, the martial artist gains an automatic success to all virtue rolls except Temperance; the DC of Temperance rolls goes up by one.
This is a Celestial-level Form-type Charm.
Essence of Fire Attack</b>
<b>Cost: 4 motes Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min Essence: 3 Prereqs: Fire Dragon Form
The character supplements an attack with the raw, consuming essence of fire, causing his attack to glow with red-orange light and sparks, and causing the temperature to rise momentarily. On a successful attack, the target rolls Stamina + Temperance versus the character's Charisma + Martial Arts. If successful, the target's Essence does not catch fire, and the charm has no effect. If she fails the roll, the target immediately takes a number of Health Levels of lethal damage equal to [the Essence of the attacker + his own Essence]. This damage can only be soaked naturally. This attack continues to do a number of Health Levels equal to the attacking character's Essence, soaked naturally, at the end of each turn after the first, until a total number of Turns have passed equal to the target's Essence. This means that characters with 1 Essence only have to contend with the initial damage. Damage stops if the attacking character is Incapacitated, and when the Charm stops doing damage, the fire goes out.
- For example: an Immaculate with 3 Essence attacks a target with 4 Essence with the Essence of Fire Attack. The attack hits, and the target fails the rolls. The attack deals normal damage, and then does Health Levels equal to [the character's Essence (3) + the target's Essence (4) - the target's natural lethal soak]. Then, as long as the attacker is not Incapacitated, the charm will continue to burn the target, dealing [the character's Essence (3) - the target's natural lethal soak] in Health Levels. This damage occurs at the ends of the following turns. After the fourth turn, total, has passed, the Charm has ended and the fire flickers out.
The fire created by this charm is magical, and cannot be doused by mundane means. While alight, the character's possessions may burn, depending on their construction, and objects or characters who touch the target may be burned as well. Treat the target as a Fire Aspect who has activated his anima power with an Essence equal to the attacking character's Essence, save that he is not immune to his own fire. Characters attuned to water count their Permanent Essences as being 1 higher for the purposes of this charm. Characters who are immune to fire take no damage from this charm.
Vengeful Cast-Off Spark</b>
<b>Cost: 5 motes + 1 mote per 2 dice Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min Essence: 3 Prerequisites: Essence of Fire Attack
The character summons up all of her rage into one point between the palms of her hands, and with a horrifying kiai ignites all her stored energy and sends it forth as a hurtling red orb of destruction between a foot and a yard in diameter. Where the orb hits, it burns. The character rolls Perception + Martial Arts to hit, and the spark has an Accuracy bonus equal to the character's Essence, a range equal to 100 x the charcter's Essence, and no extended range. This Charm may be dodged or parried, but it is parried as per an Archery attack. The attack does damage equal to twice the number of optional motes spent to power the charm, plus successes, plus a number of Health Levels equal to the character's Essence. No more optional motes may be spent to power this charm than 2 x the character's Essence. This Charm affects dematerialized beings as if they were material, and such beings can automatically tell when someone has this Charm or is using it.
Red Lesson Counterattack</b>
<b>Cost: 6 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min Essence: 3 Prereqs: Fire Dragon Form
The first lessons learned are bought with pain. Once burned, reflex pulls away. Harnessing the anger of an enemy's attack and the natural instincts granted by flame, the character delivers a counterattack designed to teach the target to keep his distance. The character makes a reflexive counterattack with a dice pool equal to [her Martial Arts + the number of successes her opponent scored on the attack roll before defenses were applied]. If the counterattack hits and the target takes damage, he receives a penalty on all further attacks against the character equal to the number of Health Levels of damage he received. This penalty lasts until the target successfully strikes the character or for the remainder of the scene, whichever is shorter. Further applications of this Charm overrule previous ones, even if the result is a lower penalty. The fear created by this Charm is very real and instinctive, and though the penalties fade, the effects can linger for years.
Red Presence Stance</b>
<b>Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: One scene Type: Simple Minimum Martial Arts: 5 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisites: Red Lesson Counterattack
The world has a primal fear of fire. With this charm, the character unlocks that instinctive terror in all who see her. Attacking the Martial Artist becomes akin to thrusting one's hand into a crackling bonfire. For the duration of this charm, attacks made against the Martial Artist suffer a penalty equal to [the character's Martial Arts + half the character's Charisma - the target's Valor]. This is a very instinctive effect, and extremely difficult to circumvent. Not knowing fear would make one immune, while being infinitely brave would not. So character's under the benefit of solar valor charms would not be immune, but mindless golems and zombies would. The call is ultimately up to the Storyteller.
Consuming Wildfire Charge</b>
<b>Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: Varies Type: Reflexive Minimum Martial Arts: 5 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisites: Fire Dragon Form
Fire burns. It does one thing, and it does it perfectly. Single-minded determination is at the essence of all the flame's actions. It burns and grows until it is stopped. A character who uses this Charm takes this philosophy into herself. For the duration of this charm, after any turn in which the character successfully deals damage with an attack, she receives a 1 die bonus to Initiative, Attack, and Damage, to a maximum bonus of her Martial Arts. This Charm lasts either until the character takes any non-reflexive action beside attacking, or for the remainder of the scene.
Holocaust Strike</b>
<b>Cost: 3 motes + 1 mote per 2 dice Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min Essence: 3 Prereqs: Consuming Wildfire Charge
Summoning up her energy, the character channels massive amounts of fiery Essence into a single act of destruction. The character momentarily charges an attack, which is wreathed in flowing white flame and emits a high-pitched whine. When the attack connects, a burning, fiery explosion rocks the immediate area. The character is immune, but the target of the attack suffers additional damage from the attack equal to 2 x the optional motes spent on the charm, and the difficulty to resist knockdown increases by the number of motes spent. Everyone nearby suffers the effects of the explosion as well. Nearby characters suffer a number of dice of lethal damage equal to [2 x the number of optional motes spent -1 for every yard they stand from the struck character], soaked normally. If a character struck by the explosion is immune to fire, the damage is bashing. The explosion may be dodged by jumping under or behind something, or by jumping out of range, but not parried. Each dodge success further reduces the damage by 1 die. Everyone hit by the explosion is thrown back a number of yards equal to the number of dice taken, and must roll Stamina + Resistance with a DC of half the number of dice taken or fall. Optionally, the character may choose to add 1 to the DC of his attack to make sure that even if the attack misses, it strikes the ground, causing the normal effects to everything within the radius. The character may also choose simply to strike the ground or some other nearby fairly solid object at least as big as a child to activate the explosion. A parried attack does not set off the explosion. No more optional motes may be spent powering this charm than the character's Martial Arts.
Heart of Flame</b>
<b>Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: 1 Scene Type: Simple Minimum Martial Arts: 5 Minimum Essence: 4 Prerequisites: Vengeful Cast-Off Spark, Red Presence Stance, Holocaust Strike
A fire is passion that burns. The Master understands that passion. She understands pain and pleasure - sacrifice and desire. She has become as fire, and she too burns. This Charm may be invoked anytime the character is less than ankle-deep in water, and it is suppressed if the character is submerged to that level or above. While under the effects of this Charm, the character gains many benefits.
- Add a number of successes equal to her Essence to all Virtue Rolls except Temperance
- Add her Essence to the difficulty of all rolls to affect her Virtues (i.e., alter them through Charms)
- The character can reflexively sacrifice a Health Level to aggravated damage to receive a number of motes of Essence equal to 2 x her Essence, which must be spent only during the same turn and only on Fire-Aspected Charms or to activate Fire-Aspected Artifacts. This does not count as a Charm use, and can be done at any time.
- The character may channel through any appropriate virtue except Temperance on any appropriate roll without spending temporary Willpower or temporary Virtue Points, but still no more than once per turn.
- The character burns much like a Fire Aspect using her anima power, but more intensely. Add one die of fire damage to the damage of the character's unarmed attacks. Anyone clinching the character takes 2 x the character's Essence in lethal fire damage, soaked normally, on the character's initiative. Anyone who comes within the character's Essence in yards at any point in the turn takes the character's Essence in bashing damage, soaked naturally, at the end of the turn.
- If the character is using the Fire Aspect Anima Power, the heat and flame are far more intense. In that case, add the character's Essence as additional dice of lethal fire damage to every unarmed attack. The character deals his Essence x 3 lethal fire damage to anyone in a clinch, on her initiative. This damage is rolled separately. Anyone within the character's Essence in yards takes the character's Essence x 2 in bashing damage, soaked naturally, and anyone within the character's Essence x 10 yards takes his Essence in bashing damage, soaked naturally, from the heat. Targets only suffer from the most dangerous of these two attacks.
Comments
Seeking comments-
My only problem with this style and all of your house ruled styles is the 1/2 Martial Arts thing. I believe Essence would be more appropriate, as it gets similar numbers, but encourages the Martial Artist to invest in Essence which is something I believe Martial Arts should focus on. It also avoids number crunching. In positive comments, I really like the definition of character, and you really made Fire Dragon form much more dynamic for me. :) -Jaelra
Thanks. I'll definitely consider it. I'm flattered that you read any of my MA styles. And, I'm glad someone commented. - Morpheus
Sup, yo.
First Charm -- half rounded up, or down? In fact, this question applies to all of these Charms where relevant.
Red Presence Stance -- beings immune to fire, and fire elementals, should be unaffected by this Charm. And what about specifically magical effects which keep people from making Virtue rolls, e.g. Celestial Monkey Form? Are they still affected or do you really mean that everyone who has reason not to make Valour rolls must make them anyway?
Otherwise, awesome.
~ Shataina
Round up if it's 50% or higher on everything I'll ever do, unless noted otherwise.
Red presence stance. I don't think this is powerful enough to have beings which are immune to fire immune to it. It draws on the primordial fear which fire represents, not the actual fear of fire. They're still afraid of things, and the principle is still there. It has nothing specifically to do with the memory of flame. As for people who are immune to virtue rolls, the idea would be that not being knowing fear would make one immune, while being infinitely brave would not. For simplicity's sake, I'd say that not making virtue rolls because of most charms would not negate the charm's effects, while mindless would. -Morpheus
Though I'm quite content with the canon Immaculate styles, I do like this one. Regarding Red Presence Stance, it seems to me like Celestial Monkey Form would defend against that one's effects. I like the way you described it - "not knowing fear would make one immune, while being infinitely brave would not" - I think you should put that into the Charm's description in place of the line saying that characters who needn't make Virtue rolls are immune. IMHO, Celestial Monkey Form's effect is far more like not knowing fear than being infinitely brave. In any case, I do like this bit of work. - David.
Hey, :) thanks a lot, David. Under your advice, I did add that description to the charm. This is my favorite style that I've made so far, as well. - Morpheus
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