SolarDodge/CrownedSun
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Solar Dodge Charms by CrownedSun
Seven Veils Evasion
Cost: 3 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Minimum Dodge: 4 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisite Charms: Shadow Over Water
The Solar becomes like seven veils, flowing and careening through the air with no more substance than vapor. No matter how he might try, the attacker finds himself unable to pierce the subtle dance: a swordthrust narrowly falls into the area between where the character should be and where he actually is, while a slash aimed at the characters head instead flails harmlessly through open air. The character may reduce a single attack roll against him to 0 dice. This charm must be invoked prior to the attack roll, and is not a perfect defense. The attacker can still attempt to raise his attack pool using the effects of supplemental charms. This charm is a variant of Seven Shadows Evasion, and can be substituted for it as a prerequisite.
Duck and Weave
Cost: 8 motes Duration: One scene Type: Reflexive Minimum Dodge: 4 Minimum Essence: 3 Prerequisite Charms: Shadow Over Water, and Reflex Sidestep Technique
The every movement of the Exalt using this charm is perfect and sublime, the character seeming to casually glide out of the way of his opponents attacks with only the least effort. While this charm is active, the Solar gains his Essence rating in automatic success to all Dexterity + Dodge rolls. This includes reflexive dodges granted by charms like Shadow Over Water or Flow Like Blood. These bonus successes take the place of the extra dice granted to Essence Channelers in Power Combat, and a character cannot benefit from both bonuses in the same dodge.
You and Me Stance
Cost: 2 motes, 1 willpower Duration: Varies Type: Reflexive Minimum Dodge: 5 Minimum Essence: 4 Prerequisite Charms: Duck and Weave, and Flow Like Blood
For the Solar using this charm, there is only one opponent on the field of battle. When he activates this charm, the Solar must pick one of the enemies arrayed against him as the target of this charm. That opponent becomes the focus of his existance, with all else on the battlefield being a distant blur in the back of his mind. The Solar gains the effects of a perfect dodge against any and all attacks staged against him by everyone except his chosen target, automatically avoiding any dodgeable attack. In addition, any time the Solar dodges an attack staged against him by his chosen opponent he may choose to leap (Strength x Athletics) yards away, as a leaping dodge. This breaks multiple attack chains if the target cannot follow.
This charm lasts until the Solar quits the battle, or chooses to end the charm. It also ends if the Solar attacks someone other than his chosen opponent, or if he should achieve victory in the battle. Victory is defined by the Storyteller, and includes any condition that results in the character no longer needed to engage in combat against his chosen opponent. Lastly, if the Solar's opponent arranges circumstances such that the Solar cannot attack him for more than one round, this charms effects automatically end.
"Platonic" Dodge charms
Forsake The Strike
Cost: 1 mote, 1 willpower Duration: One turn Type: Reflexive Minimum Dodge: 5 Minimum Essence: 4 Prerequisite Charms: None
The Solar masters the platonic ideal of the Dodge, not allowing a strike to hit him. The Solar using this charm to enhance his dodge need not actually move, but instead merely wills himself out of the way of the attack. While using this charm, the Solar suffers no enviromental penalities to his dodge roll, as he no longer actually has to interact with the world in order to dodge an attack. The Solar can freely dodge the undodgeable while affected by this charm, his dodge rolls applying as normal. In addition, the difficulty of any dodge roll is reduced to one. The Solar still needs to roll as many successes as the attacker recieved unless he uses a perfect defense, and this charm does not itself provide the Solar with a dodge of any kind. This charm does not need to be placed in a combo in order to be used with other Dodge charms.
The Curtain Falls
Cost: 7 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Minimum Dodge: 5 Minimum Essence: 4 Prerequisite Charms: Seven Shadow Evasion, Forsake the Strike
The soul of a Solar burns bright, and just as the Sun rises victoriously every morning it is burned into the essence of a Solar to rise again and emerge victorious. Invoking this narrative potential, a Solar gloriously casts off (or stealthily wriggles out of) any Essence-effect or bit of Hostile Magic that is affecting him. When he invokes this charm, a Solar can declare any one charm or essence-based effect currently affecting his person to be at an end. These effects immediately cease acting upon the Solar as if their durations had expired or the resistance rolls required had been successfully made. Any side-effects or other effects that normally come with the end of the effect in question are suffered as normal. Any effect without a duration after which the effect ends or some form of resistance roll to end the effect is not affected by this charm. This Charm has no effect on the Great Curse or individual limit breaks that a Solar might suffer, but is otherwise a perfect effect.
Dreaming Soul Evasion
Cost: 4 motes, 1 willpower Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Minimum Dodge: 5 Minimum Essence: 4 Prerequisite Charms: Flow Like Blood
The Solar evoking this charm moves outside the bounds of the physical world, but instead like a figure in a dream, impossible and untouchable unless the Exalt so wishes otherwise. The character can use this charm to evade without rolling any one attack, even an undodgeable attack or one of which she is not aware. The Solar can also avoid untargetted attacks with an area of effect, no matter how large the area. In addition, the character can appear anywhere within (Essence x 100) yards of his current location, breaking multiple attack chains unless the opponent can follow. The Solar must be physically able to move to the selected location, but need not actually do so.
Broken Dreams Reforged
Cost: 7 motes, 2 willpower Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Minimum Dodge: 5 Minimum Essence: 5 Prerequisite Charms: Forsake the Strike, Dreaming Soul Evasion
The Solar need not accept the fates of the world, but instead impose his will upon the fabric of Creation and "dodge" any unfortunate event that happened in the last several seconds. Such is the Solars power that he ignores the events of the last turn, time momentarily sliding back several seconds to give the character a chance to change the outcome of his actions or ward off some unfortunate event. The Storyteller begins the previous turn over again, as if it never happened previously except as a bad dream. Initiative for the turn is rerolled, with the Solar gaining a bonus to his roll equal to his Essence. Events will progress identically, until the Solar takes an action that disrupts the flow of fate. This charm can only be used once per session by any individual solar, and must be used before initiative is rolled on the turn it is used.
Sidestep Dodge branch
Clouds-Before-Sun Technique
Cost: 4 motes Duration: One scene Type: Reflexive Minimum Dodge: 4 Minimum Essence: 2 Prerequisite Charms: Reflex Sidestep Technique
They say that the crux of mastery is making a hard task appear easy; this charm allows the character to make an easy task appear difficult. Everything about the Solar's style is a carefully constructed lie; he might appear somewhat off balance, or seem to strongly favor his right side. Maybe he presents himself as barely able to evade his opponents blows, or simply utilizing blind luck rather than skill. He might even fall into a confusing and misleading dance, leaving those observing him unable to tell what is happening at all. Regardless of the details, those facing him simply can't accurately react to his manuevers.
The Solar gains his attackers Essence in bonus dice for every blow he successfully dodges, up to a maximum pool of his Essence + 10. He may apply these dice to any attack or dodge that he makes during the scene, though once used these bonus dice are gone. If adding to a Dodge, the bonus dice cannot more than double the characters base dodge pool. If added to an attack, however, the bonus can equal the character's Dodge score and ignores normal dice-adder limits. If you are successfully hit by an attack, the bonus from this charm resets to zero as you loose your momentum.
Comments
FlowsLikeBits comments:
- Seven Veils Evasion: It seems like it would be possible to declare it right before the attacker rolls, thus negating the part about supplemental charms.
- Duck and Weave: The last sentance is confusing. Does it mean one can't use supplemental dodge charms? (It also could mean: Under power combat, he (Essence)dice added to all dodge pools automatically succeed)
- You and Me Stance: Can't you retreat from a battle by activating this charm and targeting an ally? Also, why doesn't it give some kind of defense bonus against your target? Last, it seems a bit cheap.
- Forsake the Strike: What does the last sentence mean? Shouldn't this be supplemental?
- The Curtain Falls: I like this. I've been trying to figure out a way to write something like it, and this is pretty good. Nice
Thanks for your comments! The easy rapid-responce questions first. Seven Veils Evasion does have a certain risk of that, especially if you've already used a charm for the turn. However, if you have the opportunity, the charm specifically allows you to take it. Duck and Weave is a good catch, the last sentence is confusing. Your second interpretation was correct, but I went ahead and clarified. Forsake the Strike is Reflexive so you can use it before your initiative and without an action. The last sentence just means that you don't need a combo to use the charm.
Lastly, about You and Me Stance. First, you can't do what you suggested -- the charm text notes that the effect ends when you are "victorious" over your opponent, with a definition of "not needing to attack your opponent anymore." Unless your willing to attack your ally, the charm would end the second you spent the motes for it. It doesn't give a defensive bonus to your target because that's not the focus of the charm; it defends you from everyone else so you can focus all your attention on your main target. It might be a bit cheap; I just made that charm last night, so it's still getting flipped around in my head. I wanted it to be somewhat cheap so it could be easily used sequentially, if a Solar wants to slaughter the leadership of a Wyld Hunt for instance.
Glad you liked The Curtain Falls; I'm pretty fond of that one too. What'd you think of Dreaming Soul Evasion??
- CrownedSun
Dreaming Soul Evasion is nice, but there's an almost identical version elsewhere on the wiki, and has the (in my opinion more appropriate) pre-reqs of Seven Shadow Evasion and Leaping Dodge Method. Just my opinion, but it's not an extension of FLB, it's somewhere off SSE. -- Darloth
- Seven Veils Evasion: Note, if this is combined, with say FLB it becomes very nasty, as your opponent is unlikely to get past it. I'd at least make it count as a dodge. I don't like the meta-timing issues either, as they have a huge effect on it's effectivness. Maybe it's just me.
- Forsake the Strike: I think you mean: Using this charm allows one to use another dodge charm that turn without a combo. I think I see what your getting at(You can dodge the undodgeable, but still need a dice pool to do so. But gaining a dice pool before your init requires a charm, so this allows one to use another dodge charm. This is more a problem with existing charm/combat mechanics. I've heard the Auto***** book has "submodules", which may be an answer)
- You and Me: There probably should be a requirement that you attack your opponent every turn. Otherwise you can take a breather by targeting a mook with it. Even then you can do by not attacking very hard. I think I understand the spirit, but it still seems kinda abuseable to me. Heck, you could even target a mook with it, then throw Total Annihilation at the mook. You of course dodge it, bc the attack comes from someone other than your target. It even fits the spirit actually, as everything you did was to attack your target. Personally, I don't like the effect, as it makes numbers useless, no matter their quality. An opponent with this would be really, really nasty. Maybe say it gives you a base dodge pool of 2x(Dex+Dodge) vs attacks from opponents other than your target. I can see silly things happening if 4 characthers with this used them on each other in the wrong way.
- Dreaming Soul Evasion: Very cool. Very solar too, I know how I'd do the visuals. IIRC CB:N had a Leaping Dodge charm, I'd give that and SSE for pre-reqs, but that's just me. The movement aspect is powerful, possibly overly so. Then again, Eagle Wing Style is only 5:3, so a 5:4 version that allowed movement like this charm seems possible. I'm not sure if "I bounce the Chakram off the wall at myelf and dodge through the keyhole." counts as broken or a neat stunt or both. -FlowsLikeBits
You can't dodge a single attack twice; I fail to see why you would assume that SVE isn't a dodge. The charm is certainly described in a dodge-like manner after all. Just because the mechanics are different doesn't mean it isn't a dodge after all. It's like, if you used Seven Shadow Evasion and someone else used a charm that made it so your perfect didn't work, you wouldn't get to then dodge the charm with Flow Like Blood. You've already dodged it. Also, feel free to explain why you think the meta-timing issue makes it powerful.
You and Me does note that if you CAN'T attack your opponent more more than a turn, it ends. Honestly, it should be possible to not have to attack every single turn with this charm. As far as the mook issue, note that this charm costs 2 willpower. Its powerful, but expensive. I like the idea of doubling all your dice pools, however. I might fiddle with that a bit.
Oh, and Darloth, the reason this charm requires Flow Like Blood is because it requires a method of moving and interacting with the world that is much closer to Flow Like Blood than it is Leaping Dodges. You don't JUMP, per se, when you use this. One stunt I imagined, when thinking of this charm, is a character being ambushed by a ninja badass and then invoking the charm. Suddenly he's GONE! Yet, far far above, from the top of overhanging roof, the Solar gives a smile and says "Nice try," before unleashing some horrbile attack. There's a reason it's called DSE.
- CrownedSun
- For SVE, most supplemental charms have to be invoked prior to the attack roll also, so you have this weird meta-timing issue. I.e. I should wait to declare my charm till I see if my opponent is going to declare this..., so you get this weird waiting game that slows down combat. Its not really powerful so much as annoying in a meta-sense. Personally, I hate the 'declare before attack roll' charms for this reason, as it's alot faster to do attacks, and then let defences happen, without interplay beforehand. This is broken under that model, but seems fine otherwise if it counts as a dodge.
- You and Me: Uhh... the cost I see is 2 motes, 1 Wp, so I'm confused. Should it be 2-2? I suppose that would be ok, but it still seems like an awful cheap way to pick your battles. Maybe something like: Get FLB vs all other opponents plus the ability to use SSE against any of their attacks without it counting as a charm use. That way they have a chance of effecting you, but you can easily spend essence to ignore them, which seems ok for 2-2. I don't mind ignoring mooks, but this seems a cheap way to ignore groups of powerful opponents without using tactics. -FlowsLikeBits
