empress:charms_-_martial_arts
Table of Contents
Air Dragon Style
- The training to become a Dragon of Air emphasizes flexibility, acrobatics and awareness of one’s surroundings. The wind never stops when it hits an obstacle, instead turning aside and continuing on its path, and the Immaculates dedicated to the Air Dragon attempt to flow in the same way. They train hard in acrobatics, flips, leaps and balancing, all in an effort to mimic their exemplar’s speed and twisting motion.
- Many Immaculates of the Air Dragon choose to fight without melee weapons, preferring to rely on their blindingly quick blows and the thrown weapons they can buoy and direct through their mastery over the wind. When they do use weapons in personal combat, they often prefer the fighting chain, using its length and flexibility to entangle and trip their opponents.
- Weapons: The Air Dragon Style’s signature weapon is the chakram. Chakrams come in a variety of shapes and visual styles. When each Immaculate Dragon of Air achieves his Form-type Charm for the style, he chooses his own pattern as his signature look.
- In combat, the Immaculate may hurl two chakrams as a single attack. He must have both chakrams on his person to do so, or be using an infinite jade chakram (see Exalted, p. 389). Both projectiles have a single attack roll and are treated by the target as a single attack, but if the attack hits, the target suffers damage for both. The Immaculate is able to make such an attack in concert with appropriate simple or supplemental Charms, but he must spend an additional mote to make the attack apply to both chakrams.
- Armor: Air Dragon Style may be practiced in armor.
Air Dragon's Sight
- Cost: 3m
- Minimums: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1
- Type: Simple
- Keywords: Combo-Basic
- Duration: One scene
- Prerequisite Charms: None
- Even the smallest eddy of air carries volumes of information. An Immaculate of the Air Dragon can attune himself to the smallest variances in temperature and speed of the air around him, using the wind as his sight.
- When this Charm is active, the Immaculate can operate perfectly, blindfolded or in pitch darkness, as long as he is surrounded by air. He never suffers from unexpected attacks unless he is so beset with foes that he cannot avoid all the blows (when surrounded by multiple opponents). When used outside of combat, the Dragon-Blood may add a number of dice equal to his Essence to any Awareness roll as long as the focus of his attention is within a number of yards equal to his (Essence x 10).
- Manual of Exalted Power - Dragon-Blooded, p198
Wind Dragon Speed
- Cost: 2m
- Minimums: Martial Arts 2, Essence 2
- Type: Reflexive (Step 1)
- Keywords: Combo-OK
- Duration: Instant
- Prerequisite Charms: Air Dragon's Sight
- Moving with a grace available only to the wind itself, the Air Immaculate is able to act and regain her composure and balance more quickly than most of her opponents. She reduces the Speed of any single Martial Arts attack by one, to a minimum of three.
- Manual of Exalted Power - Dragon-Blooded, p198
Breath-Seizing Technique
- Cost: 4m
- Minimums: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
- Type: Simple
- Keywords: Crippling, Combo-OK
- Duration: (Martial Arts) action
- Prerequisite Charms: Air Dragon's Sight
- Such is the martial artist’s command of the wind that he can drive it from his opponent’s lungs. With a series of properly placed blows, the Immaculate strikes meridians that contract and immobilize the lungs, denying his opponent breath.
- If the attack is successful, it inflicts no damage. Instead, roll the Immaculate’s (Strength + Martial Arts + Essence) against a difficulty of the target’s Stamina. Each net success inflicts a cumulative -1 internal penalty on the target, and if penalties ever double the target’s Stamina, the target is rendered unconscious.
- Creatures who do not need to breathe, such as automatons, the undead and spirits or targets using magic to obviate that need, are unaffected by this Charm.
- Manual of Exalted Power - Dragon-Blooded, p198
Shrouding the Body and Mind
- Cost: 4m
- Minimums: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2
- Type: Simple (Speed 5)
- Keywords: Combo-Basic, Obvious
- Duration: (Martial Arts) actions
- Prerequisite Charms: Air Dragon's Sight
- Air is invisible. In this, too, the Children of Mela emulate their element. By swathing herself with transparent air, the Immaculate can become nothing more than a ripple in her foes’ view.
- Upon using this Charm, the Immaculate becomes virtually invisible for a number of actions equal to her Martial Arts rating. Those who try to attack her suffer a +2 external penalty on their attacks, and she adds two successes to any attempts to reestablish surprise. Because of the blur she leaves in the air as she passes, those nearby still know where she is unless she attempts to conceal herself using Stealth.
- The Storyteller may apply bonuses to those trying to find the Air Immaculate depending on when they last saw her. As a general guideline, someone who saw her disappear or who knows where she was on her last action adds three dice. Those who have no idea she’s nearby add nothing. Each action in which an individual fails to locate or keep track of the Immaculate, he loses one bonus die (to a minimum of zero).
- Manual of Exalted Power - Dragon-Blooded, p198
Air Dragon Form
- Cost: 5m
- Minimums: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
- Type: Simple (Speed 5)
- Keywords: Form-type
- Duration: One Scene
- Prerequisite Charms: Breath-Seizing Technique, Shrouding the Body and Mind, Wind Dragon Speed
- With a series of high, graceful motions combined with painstaking balance, the Immaculate dons the light, fl owing motions of Air Dragon Form.
- After successfully activating the form, the Immaculate adds a number of dice equal to his Martial Arts to any ranged attack, though this bonus cannot exceed the normal dice cap on such actions. The form also increases his Dodge DV by an amount equal to half his Martial Arts rating for the scene.
- Manual of Exalted Power - Dragon-Blooded, p198
Cloud-Treading Method
- Cost: 3m
- Minimums: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
- Type: Reflexive
- Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
- Duration: (Martial Arts) actions
- Prerequisite Charms: Air Dragon Form
- Air Immaculates are light on their feet, and the very wind itself carries them when they ask. Activating this Charm, the martial artist detects the smallest updrafts (or creates them) and uses them to buoy her steps.
- This Charm doubles the Immaculate’s movement rate and leaping distance for the duration, and the most fl imsy surfaces can support her. She can run along a lake’s surface, skip from leaf to leaf without falling and dash up smoke trails—as long as she keeps moving. If she does not move in each tick, she falls. She may continue to run along impossible surfaces as long as she re-invokes the Charm as soon as it ends.
- Manual of Exalted Power - Dragon-Blooded, p200
Thunderclap Kata
- Cost: 5m
- Minimums: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
- Type: Simple
- Keywords: Combo-Basic
- Duration: Instant
- Prerequisite Charms: Cloud Treading Method
- The Elemental Dragon of Air rules over the storms of Creation. Immaculate monks who emulate that Dragon learn to imitate some measure of that command. Spreading his arms wide for a moment to focus his elemental Essence and his breathing, the monk brings his hands together in a thunderous clap, which can deafen and stun those who hear it.
- The thunderclap affects anyone within (Essence x 10) yards of the Immaculate (no attack roll required). The players of all such characters must make a reflexive (Stamina + Resistance) roll. If one gets successes equal to or greater than the Immaculate’s Essence, the target immediately becomes inactive until his next action as the sound waves vibrate through her. Yet she suffers no further penalty. Otherwise, the violent sound also inflicts (Strength + Martial Arts) bashing damage that ignores armor. Targets also become deaf for a number of actions equal to the Immaculate’s Essence, losing two dice from all dice pools due to disorientation.
- Spirits are even more susceptible to the effects of this Charm. Double the Immaculate’s Essence for all purposes when applying this Charm’s effects to a god, demon or elemental. Air Immaculates do not need to be able to see or otherwise affect spirits in order for this Charm to harm them.
- The Immaculate is immune to her own thunderclap, and he can render select persons immune to the Charm’s effects at a cost of one mote per person. She cannot single out spirits for immunity to this Charm. If a spirit is in range, it is susceptible.
- Manual of Exalted Power - Dragon-Blooded, p200
Lightning Strike Style
- Cost: 4m+1h
- Minimums: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
- Type: Simple
- Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
- Duration: (Martial Arts) actions
- Prerequisite Charms: Thunderclap Kata
- The Air Immaculate’s fingertips spark with electricity, his eyes flicker with the light of a faraway electrical storm, and his motions take on the sudden, unexpected aspects of lightning. When he attacks, he looses brilliant bolts of lightning at his foes, even striking targets that are far out of reach.
- For the Charm’s duration, the Immaculate’s Martial Arts attacks reach to a distance of (Essence x 10) feet. Such attacks inflict (Strength + Essence) in lethal electrical damage. If a target is in range for a normal unarmed attack, using a punch or kick adds to the attack’s Accuracy and Damage as normal.
- For an additional mote, the Dragon-Blood may use a chakram with this Charm to add its Accuracy and Damage to the attack. Wielding such a weapon with this Charm carries the lightning strike farther. Add the Immaculate’s Essence to the weapon’s Range. Doing so might increase or decrease the Charm’s maxmum effective range, depending on the Immaculate’s Essence.
- Manual of Exalted Power - Dragon-Blooded, p201
Night Breeze Style
- The Night Breeze Style is a lesser brother of the Air Dragon Style practiced by Immaculate monks (see The Manual of Exalted Power—The Dragon-Blooded, pp. 197-201). It might also have drawn inspiration from the long-forgotten Ebon Shadow Style (see pp. 91-94). Practitioners of the Night Breeze Style focus on secrecy, subtlety and silence more than their Immaculate cousins do. Where the Immaculates channel the fury of the storm, Night Breeze Style practitioners emphasize air’s invisibility and the silent manner in which it infiltrates the most secure room.
- Exalted Dynasts value this style for its benefit in their politically minded (and occasionally assassination-minded) society. Night Breeze practitioners tend to keep their skills secret, as knowing that one’s companion has the skills of an accomplished assassin can color one’s perceptions of that individual. In some locations, such as Lookshy, this style is explicitly forbidden.
- Air-aspected Dragon-Bloods do not pay a one-mote elemental surcharge when practicing this style.
- Weapons and Armor: Night Breeze Charms treat all lightweight, thrown weapons such as chakrams, shuriken, knives, slings, kamas and sickles as form weapons, but throwing needles are most popular because they are so easy to hide. In addition, style Charms that are not, themselves, attacks (such as Leaf on the Breeze Rhythm) can be used while making any sort of attack. This style cannot be used while wearing armor.
- Complementary Abilities: Anyone who wants to learn Night Breeze Style must already possess at least two dots in Thrown.
Crosswind Offense
- Cost: 1m/penalty
- Minimums: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
- Type: Supplemental
- Keywords: Combo-OK
- Duration: Instant
- Prerequisite Charms: None
- The martial artist calls upon the winds to aid any thrown attack. By throwing a weapon at just the right angle into the breeze he creates, the Exalt causes the attack to spin back at his target obliquely, reducing the efficacy of shields and cover.
- Each mote spent on this Charm eliminates one point of external penalty caused by cover or shields. The Exalt cannot spend more motes on this Charm than there are points of external penalties from those sources.
- Scroll of the Monk, p55
Shepherd the Leaf
- Cost: 3m
- Minimums: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
- Type: Supplemental
- Keywords: Combo-OK
- Duration: Instant
- Prerequisite Charms: None
- The Night Breeze Style practitioner understands how her opponent will react to her attacks. In this way, she guides her target directly into her next attack. Any flurry the Exalt supplements with this Charm doubles the onslaught penalty its target suffers, allowing her to set up victims for devastating final attacks.
- Scroll of the Monk, p55
Leaf on the Breeze Rhythm
- Cost: 1m+1w
- Minimums: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
- Type: Reflexive
- Keywords: Combo-OK
- Duration: (Martial Arts) Actions
- Prerequisite Charms: Crosswind Offense, Shepard the Leaf
- Students of the Night Breeze school have some measure of mastery over the art of concealment. This Charm allows the Exalt to spin and weave in combat like a wind-tossed leaf, moving so unpredictably as to escape his opponents’ views.
- For the Charm’s duration, the Exalt can attempt to reestablish surprise (as described in Exalted, p. 156) even if there are no places to hide or aids to concealment. If the martial artist could normally reestablish surprise, he adds one die to all attempts.
- Scroll of the Monk, p55
Night Breeze Form
- Cost: 5m
- Minimums: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3
- Type: Simple
- Keywords: Form-Type, Obvious
- Duration: One Scene
- Prerequisite Charms: Leaf on the Breeze Rhythm
- Night Breeze Form is a light-footed method that helps a martial artist flow from here to there, seeming barely to touch the ground. More than that, a darkness settles around the martial artist, making it harder for her enemies to see her and easier for her to move securely.
- From a distance on a bright day, the magical shadows around the Exalt—which extend outward for (Essence x3) yards—make her easy to notice, if not to see directly. Up close or at night, it is only an advantage. The darkness combines with the form’s quiet steps to add the Exalt’s Martial Arts to all Stealth rolls. The zone of shadow counts as poor visibility, equal to a moonless night in clear terrain (see Exalted, p. 135).
- Scroll of the Monk, p55
empress/charms_-_martial_arts.txt · Last modified: 2013/09/01 02:12 by mark