ShapingArts/BraveFireLegionStyle
Brave Fire Legion Style
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This shaping art emcompasses the jumbled, badly-kept stories of a legion of warriors that sought battle only for its sake, and not for the reward of victory. Some of the tales depict them as wild, if controlled soldiers from a lost Legion. Others depict them as uncontrollable, fire-loving wyld barbarians. All of them do, however, agree of the army's name, and a number of its greatest exploits. This is the power-tale of the Brave Fire Legion, forged into a deadly poison that can coat a raksha's Sword.
First to the Fray
Cost: 1 mote, 0 gossamer Duration: One scene or story Type: Reflexive Minimum Sword: 2 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisites: None
In a sea of armor, banners and flame, the Brave Fire Legion roared onto the field of battle with nigh-reckless speed and bloodlust. Few armies could match their mobility and eagerness to enter combat.
The raksha who activates this charm gains a bonus to their Initiative in both shaping and normal combat equal to their Sword. In the battle of dreams, their armies surge to the fore; in reality, their body seems to leap towards danger like a flame seeking dry leaves.
This charm may only be used once per scene in normal combat, and once per story in shaping combat. The raksha's player is explicitly permitted to activate a second reflexive charm (or even a Combo) in the same turn that First to the Fray is used.
Ten-Sided Ambush
Cost: 2 motes per extra action Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Minimum Sword: 2 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisites: First To The Fray
To be caught off-guard by the Brave Fire Legion was to be pressed on all sides by a seemingly-endless tide of death, an assault that seemed to come also from above, below and within.
Immediately after the raksha wins initiative at the start of shaping combat, he may spend two motes to gain an extra action, gaining a number of extra actions equal to his Heart.
City-Razing Bonfire Charge
Cost: 1 mote, 1 Sword health level Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Minimum Sword: 3 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisites: Ten-Sided Ambush
The Brave Fire Legion was said to have made an art out of torching enemy encampments, forts, hamlets and small cities... but even their perfection led to some loss of life amongst their own. It was a small, and accepted, price to pay for making sure that all Creation never forgot their mark.
Upon succeeding in connecting with a Sword-shaping attack, the raksha may opt to spent a single mote and mark off a Sword health level; this done, the raksha may add their Sword Grace to their post-soak damage dice.
Brave Fire Legion Stance: The One Is Many
Cost: Varies Duration: One story Type: Simple or Reflexive Minimum Sword: 3 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisites: City-Razing Bonfire Charge
At a moment's notice, the Legion could break apart into a swarming, teeming crowd of swords, bodies and battlecries, overwhelming their enemies and leaving them with no hope of escape, only the fate of having to face down that swarming assault and pray for a swift end.
Once the stance is activated (a simple action with a seven-mote cost), all Sword and Staff shaping attacks made gain an additional two dice to hit and become undodgeable. Furthermore, the raksha using this stance gains two dice to their own dodge attempts against Sword and Staff attacks.
This is a Stance-type Charm. A raksha who knows both Brave Fire Legion stances may switch between the two reflexively, once per shaping scene, at the cost of two motes. This switch does not count at charm usage.
Brave Fire Legion Stance: The Many Are One
Cost: Varies Duration: One story Type: Simple or Reflexive Minimum Sword: 3 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisites: City-Razing Bonfire Charge
At a moment's notice, the scattered and seemingly-chaotis Legion could throw its entire weight at one particular point of the enemy's ranks, driving through like a wedge so that they could pour forth and destroy their opponents from within their own lines.
Once the stance is activated (a simple action with a seven-mote cost), all Sword and Staff shaping attacks made gain an additional two dice of post-soak damage and become unblockable. Furthermore, the raksha using this stance gains two dice to their own blocking attempts against Sword and Staff attacks.
This is a Stance-type Charm. A raksha who knows both Brave Fire Legion stances may switch between the two reflexively, once per shaping scene, at the cost of two motes. This switch does not count at charm usage.
The Cry That Stopped A Sea of Hearts
Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Minimum Sword: 3 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisites: Both Brave Fire Legion stances
Their physical prowess was infamous, and it was said that they spent hours every day coordinating their battle cries to the point where they were as one voice, shaking even the most resolute of Imperial Legionnaires to their souls just as their spears struck out to slay.
After their opponent rolls to strike with a Sword or Staff shaping attack, but before the raksha attempts to defend themselves, they may invoke this charm. That done, the raksha's player rolls Willpower, and notes the number of successes. Their opponent must subtract that number from the dice pool they had used to attack, then reroll the attack dicepool, counting the new outcome instead of the previous one. This charm is not considered a block or a dodge, and the raksha using it may block or dodge normally after it completes its purpose. This charm may not be used more than once per attack roll.
Angry Heart of Snakes attempts to unleash a vicious wave of bristled, drooling death upon the lead character of his opponent's story (said opponent being one Lepus of Sun and Stone). Snakes' player rolles a pretty hefty Sword attack pool of 12 dice and gains a whopping eleven successes. Lepus' player totally doesn't dig that shit, and calls on The Cry. He then rolls his Willpower (9), and comes away with five successes. Snakes' player grumbles, and retracts his previous roll before removing five dice from the pool, reducing it to seven. He then rolls again... and STILL gets eleven successes. Lepus' player glowers, reaches for his Dew with Cheetos-dusted hands, and gets around to that Sword parry he had prepared, knowing he's so screwed.
Salting the Battlefield
Cost: 1 or 2 motes per die negated Duration: One story Type: Reflexive Minimum Sword: 3 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisites: Both Brave Fire Legion Stances
The Brave Fire Legion was known for striking hard at first, then dragging out matters while they readily tossed chunks of salt all over the field of battle, so as to render the land barren for a long time to come. Of course, many also believe this was an excuse to prolong the battle and inflict more suffering upon their enemies.
This charm may only be used on the activating raksha's attack initiative. When used against other raksha in shaping combat, each mote spent reduces the number of damage dice inflicted by all involved parties, no matter the distance in waypoints, by one. This cannot reduce the number of damage dice below the raksha's Heart, nor may this charm be revoked until the fight is overwith. Also, should any of the participating raksha be ravished, the ravisher only gains 5 motes of essence. The raksha using this charm may not spend more motes powering it than their permanent Willpower.
Against Creation-born without a suitable Grace damage track, however, the effect is far more direct. Every two motes spent reduces the target's Willpower + Essence pool by one die to resist the effects of the shaping attack. This may not reduce the pool below the target's Essence, and the raksha may not spend more motes on this charm than his Sword + Willpower.
To The Bitter End
Cost: 1 mote, 1 Willpower and 1 gossamer per -1 negated Duration: One story Type: Reflexive Minimum Sword: 4 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisites: The Cry That Stopped A Sea of Hearts, Salting the Battlefield
There were rumors that the Brave Fire Legion did not feel pain, or sorrow, or lust, or were bothered with social mores, or even cared about killing so much as they did about fighting for its own sake. Even still, this legendary Legion met its end at the hands of a massive combined assault. What was perhaps the most eery thing about that battle was that none of the men made a sound, either in pain, fury or sorrow.
For every mote of essence and point of Willpower and gossamer spent, the raksha's wound dice penalties are reduced by 1, to a maximum of three usages (leaving the raksha with only a -1 penalty if one damage track is depleted).
