TheHoverpope/SageStyle

Sage Style Martial Arts

Ok, so my game overlord was commenting a little while back that he really dislikes martial arts forms that are not power balanced and that have no unifying theme whatsoever. Well, I just happened to have one pre-made. Delightful!

The Knowing Sage's Brush Style
The noble posture of the sage towards all things is known to all in creation. Whether appearing as a tribal wise man or a member of the realm's deliberative, the sage carries himself always with poise and intellect, seeking knowledge and applying it. The knowing sage's brush style seeks to emulate this same understanding of creation, obtaining knowledge of the martial artist's enemy and applying it to lethal effect. To emulate the brush of the sage as it moves across the page, attacks made with all slashing polearms (naginata, glaive, fauchard, etc.) , but not stabbing polearms like the spear, count as unarmed for purposes of all charms in the tree. Armour is incompatible with all charms in the tree. Note: I am not sure whether this tree is overpowered or grossly underpowered. The form charm was originally different and better, but it seems that most form charms aren't all that incredible. So I changed it. Now, I think that the last charm is a little weak, based primarily on the Players Guide styles; invoking the chimera's coils and Caress of 1000 hells are hell of good, and Celestial Godbody understanding is better, especially now that I have weakened the form charm that is the centrepiece of this one. (I made it better again. The last review of it, it was hell of weak.)

The Writing of That Which is Not Yet Past
Cost: 2 motes
Duration: instant
Type: reflexive
Minimum Martial Arts: 2
Minimum Essence: 1
The sage in his wisdom not only knows the lessons of the past but also applies them to the future; and with knowledge may predict the actions of one's enemies, allowing an opportunity for surprise. Activating the charm adds the user's martial arts score to his initiative for one turn.

The Recording of Lies
Cost: 3 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 2
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisites: The writing of that which is not yet past
The sage may write untruths as well as truths with their brush, to hide what is real behind a veil of falsehood that is difficult to penetrate. Likewise, the martial artist may lie in their movements to hide their true position and movement, misleading any attackers. Add the martial arts score of the sage to any dodge or martial arts parry.

The Penetrating Truth of Wisdom
Cost: 3 motes
Duration: instant
Type: supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 2
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisites: The recording of Lies
Through his great wisdom, the wise sage knows the heart of all living things and the many roads that lead there. By striking precisely at the weaknesses of their targets, their unarmed attack becomes piercing, reducing armor soak by a half.

The steady hand
Cost: 1 mote / die + 2 motes
Duration: instant
Type: supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisites: The piercing Veracity of Wisdom
The sage moves his brush with swift confidence and fine precision, knowing how each hair of his brush will mark the page. The martial artist can mimic this perfect delicate work, and attack carefully and with intricate finesse, aware of every fraction of a twitch of a muscle and how it will mark his opponent. For each mote spent, add one die to an unarmed martial arts attack, up to dexterity + martial arts.

The form of the sage
Cost: 6 motes
Duration: scene
Type: simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisites: The steady hand
The will of the sage is shown in moments not of frantic writing or research, but in quiet thought. When the martial artist activates the form of the sage, they seem to relax and be completely calm in the face of all things that confront them. They use the utmost economy of motion for all things, perfectly controlling their attacks and showing no emotion, and are utterly implacable in their efficiency and their drive. Add the user's essence score in dice to all martial arts and lore actions, as well as adding their essence to their bashing/lethal soak.

Whispers of a thousand poems
Cost: 4 motes
Duration: Until abandoned
Type: simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisites: the form of the sage
The sage's knowledge is a tool in and of itself. All desire to absorb it, and even those who one would be unable to are enshrouded in its beauty, if properly presented. A martial artist using the whispers of a thousand poems technique raises their weapon and shouts; by the end of the shout, their voice becomes legion, and the words of a thousand verses, each completely audible, flow from them. This holds their audience fascinated, dedicated solely to listening to the strands of beautiful poetry that most interest them unless they succeed in an opposed roll between their wits and the martial artist's martial arts + intelligence. The exalt may move at half speed and dodge or parry, but may not do anything else that would disrupt their voice or distract them, including attacking or fleeing. This charm has no effect on mindless creatures.

The Perfection of Poetic Silence
Cost: 5 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisites: Whispers of a Thousand Poems
The sage with a true understanding of word and poetry knows that it is not only the words that matter, but the spaces between them as well. Using the Perfection of Poetic Silence, the martial artist makes use of these spaces between thoughts and sounds to strike with utter silence and speed. The martial artist makes an attack with their full dexterity + martial arts which will make no noise, and the victim too will be silent if struck, unable to cry out. The attacked party will be paralysed by the attack. If they survive the attack, they must make a willpower roll to take any action for the rest of the turn, until the martial artist's next initiative. This charm will not silence secondary effects, such as the body of the victim thudding onto the floor or his horse whinnying as he falls off, or the clash of metal of a successful parry.

The Perfected Transcription
Cost: 5 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisites: Form of the Sage
The sage knows that a truly great work of thought cannot be made in only one try. It often takes dedicated revision and refinement to make anything truly resplendent. The martial artist emulates this, after a fashion editing his movements; On activating The Perfected Transcription, the martial artist may reroll a martial arts action, and use the better of the two results. If used in conjunction with other attack or defense enhancing charms, their cost need not be paid a second time.

Ten thousand copies of a thousand words
Cost: 5 motes, 1 willpower.
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisites: The perfected Transcription
FLAVOUR TEXT'D. When the character activates Ten Thousand copies of a thousand words, they may choose not to roll dice for any martial arts action of their choice. Instead, they use the same number of successes that they attained on their last martial arts action, after charms. For example, if Hayyoth obtains twelve successes on a martial arts attack after using a combo of The Perfected Transcription and The Steady Hand to enhance an attack, on his next martial arts action he may choose to activate Ten Thousand Copies of a Thousand Words to instead simply take twelve successes again, whether his new attack is an attack, parry, or any other martial arts action. The character cannot use this charm to copy itself.

The Glorious Understanding of the Sage
Cost: none
Duration: permanent
Type: special
Minimum martial arts: 5
Minimum essence: 4
Prerequisites: ten thousand copies of a thousand words, the perfection of poetic silence.
When they reach this pinnacle of understanding, the martial artist truly does become as the sage in all things. They are able inherently to bear the aspect of a wise man, to carry the concept of this nature at all times without limiting their actions. Mechanically, the martial artist now may have the form of the sage active at the same time as another form charm without showing outwards signs to anyone without essence sight, although that particular power will reveal when the charm is active. The player may also commit the six motes of essence for the form charm to keep it up between scenes.

comments

I got a little feedback, and lowered the cost of the form charm by a mote while adding the soak benefit. It is potentially balanced! Woo! - TheHoverpope

Just a word of advice and my (unwanted and unsolicited) opinion. The PG martial arts are crap. To review: Crimson Pentacle Blade is horribly broken with Protocols. [DB with Four Magical Materials Form is just the beginning] Dreaming Pearl Courtesan breaks not one, but two MA rules [It's not universal, nor is it primarily a combat charmset] and turns you into a giant magic carp of doom. [More overt shapeshifting than anybody but lunars can do. Supposedly] Celestial Monkey punishes characters for being heroic [Which is pretty much what high virtue scores break down into, making your passions and ideals bigger than life] and is horribly broken besides. [Both a persistant defense in MA and the broken-ass capstone charm] And then Righteous Devil, which is both poorly tilted towards Solars [Compared to the elegant DB style bonuses, and Sidereal Sutras] and is not an MA, because it can't be used unarmed. [A waste of a good Solar Archery Tree, however] By all means, use the guidelines in the PG. But do as they say, not as they do. (That being said, I do have to sleep sometimes, and I didn't get a chance to actually look at your charms. I promise I'll do so in a day or two) - Scrollreader