Shinzui

Shinzui

In the early days of the First Age, there was once a Chosen of Journeys who saw fit to design a fighting art honed for the destruction of magical beings. For two score years, he wandered Creation in study of Essence as it flowed in all things. When he returned to his companions, the art had been formed.

At the dojo of his former Sifu, the Sidereal taught the Style to a number of Celestial and Dragon-Blooded acolytes. He was slain in the Usurpation, and though his name – and the original name of the Style – have both been lost to time, the martial art now known as Shinzui survives. It is practiced primarily by Sidereals, who retain knowledge of many Styles from the First Age, but can nonetheless be found among other Celestials.

Shinzui is a Celestial-level martial art, incompatible with armour and without any form weapons. Practitioners make frequent use of open-handed and circular techniques.

Dragon Track Meditation

 Cost: 4m
 Duration: One Scene
 Type: Simple
 Minimum Martial Arts: 2
 Minimum Essence: 1
 Prerequisite Charms: None

The martial artist takes a moment to focus, and gains a general awareness of Essence flows in the area about him.

For the rest of the scene, the character becomes aware of the geomantic flows in the terrain around him. He will be aware of the geomancy of the region a quarter-mile in diameter around his position. The use of this Charm is a prerequisite for several other abilities in this style, as part of the martial art involves directing geomantic energy against Essence-users.

Reading the Tides

 Cost: 2m
 Duration: Instant
 Type: Reflexive
 Minimum Martial Arts: 3
 Minimum Essence: 2
 Prerequisite Charms: Dragon Track Meditation

By attuning himself to the ambient flow of Essence throughout Creation, the Exalt is capable of detecting anomalies in that flow.

Whenever the Exalt activate this Charm, he receives a pulse to notify of the presence of Essence-wielders in the vicinity. The warning’s strength varies depending upon the highest permanent Essence being around, and can thus be used to give an indication of that power. Essence 1 beings generate a weak pulse, Essence 2 and 3 beings a moderate pulse, Essence 4 and 5 beings a strong pulse. The emanations of creatures with Essence 6 and greater are overpowering in the extreme. Creatures without access to their own Essence pools do not register.

At the Storyteller’s judgement and in appropriate circumstances, a character notified of the presence of an entity with vastly superior Essence may be required to make a Valor check or succumb to fear.

Dragon Track Meditation must be active for the use of this Charm.

Shinzui Form

 Cost: 6m
 Duration: One Scene
 Type: Simple
 Minimum Martial Arts: 4
 Minimum Essence: 2
 Prerequisite Charms: Reading the Tides

Upon achieving Shinzui Form, the Exalt gains advanced knowledge of the magic within his own body and, indeed, all of Creation. He can bring that Essence to the fore with a brief moment of meditation, infusing his form with energy.

The Exalt’s Essence manifests in his eyes and upon any body part as it makes a strike. This is an effect individual to every martial artist; an Abyssal may have black smoke pouring from her eyes and limbs, while a Solar might manifest pale golden ribbons of energy and so on. At their option, characters who lean every Charm in this style can suppress the visual display.

The martial artist strikes and defends with her anima, not merely her physical body. He may deal and parry lethal damage freely. His blows do damage as though she were striking with a weapon of the Magical Material appropriate to his nature, and he receives all the benefits and bonuses of striking with such a weapon. If he is not an Exalt, apply the bonus most appropriate – sun-aspected gods would gain Orichalcum, elementals Jade and so forth.

In addition, when he defends herself, it is against not only the oncoming attack, but the Essence of that attack. He is unaffected by Charms which would apply a dice penalty or difficulty to his defence.

Gathering of Strands

 Cost: 4m
 Duration: One Scene
 Type: Reflexive
 Minimum Martial Arts: 5
 Minimum Essence: 2
 Prerequisite Charms: Shinzui Form

Gathering of Strands builds upon Shinzui form, infusing the Exalt’s anima with a hunger for magical energy. To those with an Essence-detecting effect such as All-Encompassing Sorcerer’s Sight active, this manifests as a visible part of the martial artist’s anima, coils of energy that snatch strands of magic as they escape the martial artist’s foe.

Whenever Shinzui form is active and the martial artist strikes a wounding blow, released life-Essence is drawn from the wound and added to the Exalt's own Essence pools. This does not decrease the Essence stores of his opponent. Each health level dealt returns 2 motes of Essence.

Nexus of the Currents

 Cost: 5 motes, 1 health level
 Duration: Instant
 Type: Simple
 Minimum Martial Arts: 5
 Minimum Essence: 3
 Prerequisite Charms: Gathering of Strands

The Exalt wrests local Essence flows to his being, temporarily forming a tight nexus of magical energy centred about him. Onlookers may see a temporary, subtle ‘deadening’ of the martial artist’s surroundings as magic is diverted elsewhere for the moment. Supplemented and altered by his own magic, the raw Essence is then discharged as a shockwave.

Upon using this Charm, Essence-wielding beings within (martial artist’s Essence x 10) yards are struck with a wave of destructive force. The onslaught deals the Exalt’s Martial Arts + Essence in bashing damage that can only be soaked by natural soak, as well as automatically knocking down and stunning those effected.

Dragon Track Meditation must be active for the use of this Charm.

Disrupting the Flow

 Cost: 3 motes
 Duration: Instant
 Type: Reflexive
 Minimum Martial Arts: 4
 Minimum Essence: 3
 Prerequisite Charms: Shinzui Form

Skilled practitioners of Shinzui Style can impede the magic of their enemies. By tangling strands of Essence about them, the favoured Charms of their foes are hindered and exact greater toll in motes for successful use.

So long as he has Shinzui Form (or another means of perceiving Essence) active, the martial artist may activate this Charm in response to enemy Charm use within (Essence x 10) yards. For the remainder of the scene, future activations of that Charm cost an additional mote. Multiple applications of Disrupting the Flow on the same Charm stack, but the total extra cost cannot exceed the martial artist’s Essence score.

To successfully activate this Charm, the Exalt must be aware of a Charm use in his vicinity. This can be accomplished with Dragon Track Meditation, but other Charms and Artefacts that reveal Essence use will suffice. A mistaken activation does not cost Essence.

Inhibition of the Atemi

 Cost: 4 motes, 1 Willpower
 Duration: One Scene
 Type: Simple
 Minimum Martial Arts: 5
 Minimum Essence: 3
 Prerequisite Charms: Disrupting the Flow

With the execution of a swift, sweeping kata, the Exalt wraps himself in inhibitory Essence, invisible to the naked eye. Magical attacks are slowed and opposed by this shielding, and may move sluggishly or even come to a standstill.

Charm-enhanced or sorcerous attack rolls made against a character with Inhibition of the Atemi active suffer a base difficulty of the martial artist’s Essence score.

Stream-Obstructing Blow

 Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower
 Duration: Instant
 Type: Simple
 Minimum Martial Arts: 5
 Minimum Essence: 4
 Prerequisite Charms: Inhibition of the Atemi, Nexus of the Currents

Perhaps the most feared technique in the arsenal of a Shinzui practitioner is the Stream-Shattering Blow. By gathering and concentrating Essence in his hand and landing a single strike, the martial artist violently discharges magic into an opponent’s body. It quickly spreads, settling into nexus points of magical energy and blocking the flow of Essence into the afflicted’s system.

If an attack enhanced with this Charm strikes and injures an opponent, the martial artist may chose to immediately commit 5 motes. For so long as the Exalt keeps that Essence committed, his opponent loses the ability to respire Essence. This means that he may not restore motes to his pool from the passing of time, possession of Hearthstones or habitation of an attuned Manse or Demesne. Stunts and Charms that restore Essence function normally.

Comments:

This should go somewhere under MartialArts... Probably MartialArts/Shinzui , and it should also be listed under CelestialMartialArts (the directory page for that level of style) I suspect under unusual, as it's neither animal or concept themed.
-- Darloth

Even with the willpower cost, the form charm strikes me as too powerful... AESS is a nice effect... more to the point, a -solar- effect, and it's at occult 5. I agree this style ought to have some similar effect, but I strongly suggest you downgrade it a little from the solar charm to bring it into line with pre-requisites. Perhaps only granting half-seen impressions of the essence-flows of charms, and nothing else, with a harder difficulty to identify unknown charms? Aside from that, the MM bonus seems okay, as does the lethal/parry lethal, but adding essence-drain on top of that again seems to step outside the power bounds of a celestial form, at least with all of the other effects. Maybe if you raised it to 5/3, it would seem better, but even then, soulsteel MM already grants essence drain on wound (note, on wound, not just on hit) so automatically gaining a superior effect still seems extremely powerful. If you cut out the MM bonuses altogeather, the essence-drain-on-hit + slightly nerfed AESS-type effect would fit, and I would then suggest you drop the willpower cost and up the essence cost to 7 or 8. It's up to you, but I don't think it's quite right as it stands... counteropinions?
-- Darloth

Form's definitely too powerful, especially when you consider that this is perhaps the only style with only one pre-form Charm. What's up with that, anyway? ~ Seiraryu

It has two, he/she/it just hasn't written the first one yet. Check the pre-reqs. The lack of branching is kinda weird, though.
-- Darloth

Updates! Thanks for all the comments. I've finished off some Charms (though they're not in final stages yet), changed others and fixed some prerequisite errors that snuck in.
-- Savage