Zahaqiel/MartialArtsVigorousScholarStyle
Although most scholars are often seen as harmless old men doddering about with their books, a select few are highly dangerous fighters.
Vigorous Scholar Style (also known to some as Ardent Librarian Style) is a secret Celestial martial art employing weapons that most scholars find freely available to them.
Weapons and armour: This style is compatible with the use of books (detailed below). It is incompatible with the use of armour.
Complementary Skills: A prospective Vigorous Scholar must have at least 2 dots of Lore or Linguistics to learn this style.
Books
Books are categorised into three kinds of weapons; brochures, which are a couple of pages thin, novels, which are standard-sized paperback books and tomes, which range from novel size up to encyclopedia size and are hardcovered. Artifact books are not covered here, and are stated according to Storyteller's guidance.
Brochures
Speed 4, Accuracy +2, Damage -6B, Defense 0, Rate 3
Novels
Speed 6, Accuracy +0, Damage +1B, Defense 0, Rate 2
Tomes
Speed 8, Accuracy -2, Damage +4B, Defense -4, Rate 1
Encyclopedia Atemi
Cost: 3m
Mins: MA 2, Essence 2
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Prerequisites: None
By focusing on the weight of knowledge within the books at hand, the Vigorous Scholar learns to harness that weight for acts of violence.
This charm supplements an attack made with a book, allowing it to inflict lethal damage instead of bashing.
Crouching Scholar, Hidden Plot-Twist
Cost: 5m
Mins: MA 3, Essence 2
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-Basic
Prerequisites: None
Few people expect to be bludgeoned in the face with a book. The Vigorous Scholar exploits this lack of foresight with deft grace and horrifying results.
This charm supplements an attack made with a book, making it Unexpected.
Folio-Shuriken
Cost: 2m
Mins: MA 2, Essence 2
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Prerequisites: None
As words may be thrown like a chakram, so may books. The Vigorous Scholar hurls his tomes with a deadly accuracy.
This charm supplements an attack made with a book, giving it a range of (Essence x 10).
Vigorous Scholar Form
Cost: 5m
Mins: MA 3, Essence 3
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Keywords: Obvious
Prerequisites: Encyclopedia Atemi, Crouching Scholar, Hidden Plot-Twist, Folio-Shuriken
The Vigorous Scholar moves with the grace of flowing script and strikes with poetic accuracy.
For the rest of the scene, the Vigorous Scholar may deal lethal damage instead of bashing with their books and unarmed attacks. They may also parry lethal attacks without the need for a stunt. In addition, they may choose to add their Essence to the accuracy, damage, defense or rate of all attacks they make with a book on any tick they can act.
For example: Furious Rebuttal has an Essence of 3, a Martial Arts score of 5 and a Dexterity score of 4 and is being beset by four opponents in his personal library. On his first action he decides that he needs to hit as many opponents as possible, so he boosts his rate by his Essence – allowing him to make 4 attacks instead of one. On his next action he instead decides to scare his opponents by breaking one's nose coldly and accurately, adding his Essence to his tome’s base accuracy of –2, giving him a total dice pool of 10.
Double Entendre Prana
Cost: 3m, 1wp
Mins: MA 4, Essence 3
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Prerequisites: Vigorous Scholar Form
The Vigorous Scholar strikes once, but his foes feel the sting of two blows.
The Vigorous Scholar makes a single attack, but rolls twice. If both rolls are successful, he deals damage as though he had made two attacks, otherwise resolve the attack normally. If the Vigorous Scholar’s opponent parries with a charm, the charm only applies to one of the two dice pools – they must activate the charm twice to counter the entirety of the attack.
Defensive Essay Understanding
Cost: 5m
Mins: MA 4, Essence 3
Duration: One Scene
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Prerequisites: Vigorous Scholar Form
The Vigorous Scholar finds a ready defense for any altercation in his books.
Any time the Vigorous Scholar is wielding a book, he may add his Essence to his Parry DV.
Beyond Words
Cost: - (see text)
Mins: MA 5, Essence 4
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Prerequisites: Double Entendre Prana, Defensive Essay Understanding
The Vigorous Scholar reaches a level of enlightened understanding; they contain every book they have ever read. With this knowledge they find themselves always armed against whatever the world may throw at them.
The Vigorous Scholar’s anima is permanently changed – glowing with the words of every book they have ever read. As such, whenever they have spent 8 or more motes of peripheral essence, they count as wielding a book and may make use of any martial arts charm that requires the use of a book (although they use the statline of a book when making attacks this way - their choice in kind). Even if they are physically restrained they still may make attacks on anyone within reach as though they were attacking them with a book.
