Sigh of the Dragons Style
By Mount Mostath
I can finally present you with Sigh of the Dragons Style 2.0, with fluff and mechanics adjusted based on Thraxis' comments. I decided to treat Pasiap's Illimitable Might like a Elemental Lens substitute with a little extra damage bonus. Still really powerful, but given the shorter duration and Willpower cost it seems reasonable to me.
Sigh of the Dragons Style [TMA]
Since the dawn of history, the people of Creation have invented many creative and downright eccentric methods of doing battle, from the unhesitating self-sacrifice of the Falling Blossom guardian to the underhanded subtlety of the White Veil assassin to the blazing prowess of the Golden Exhalation stylist. But few among them can compare in sheer eccentricity to the Sigh of the Dragons Style, a form of combat designed to harness the elemental powers of the Terrestrial Exalted. Created by a Dragon-blooded magistrate and master of the Elemental Bolt Attack during his decades wandering the Threshold, the style is centered around thoughtful devotion to the Immaculate Philosophy and reverential contemplation of the powers granted to the Dragon-blooded by the Elemental Dragons.
As befits its creator's dedication to the Immaculate virtues of patience and devotion, Sigh of the Dragons Style requires a significant investment of time and training (generally up to the form charm) before it becomes truly effective in combat. Because of this, and its creator's constant wandering, it is not yet a widespread style. Still, as the dangerous Age of Sorrows progresses more Terrestrial Exalted may be drawn to the latent power of this strange form of combat.
Weapons, armor, and complementary Abilities: This style treats the Terrestrial charm Elemental Bolt Attack as a form weapon, and allows practitioners to use theirMartial Arts Ability to aim it. While technically compatible with the Cooperative nature of that charm, most of this style's charms do not have any cumulative effect if invoked by multiple Exalts to enhance the same attack. Unless otherwise noted, assume that only the greatest effect applies in such cases.
In addition to actually possessing the charm (which limits the style's possible practitioners to Dragon-blooded, Eclipse Caste Solars, and Moonshadow Caste Abyssals), the Exalt must possess Archery 3 or Athletics 3 to represent their skill at using the charm. This style may be practiced in medium armor.
Mela's Swift Sanction
Cost: 3 m
Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive (Step 1)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite charms: None
The Exalt strives for perfection in all things, from the first moments of the battle to its ultimate conclusion. To use this charm the martial artist must begin the battle with an Elemental Bolt Attack against an enemy, which cannot be an unexpected attack. He adds his Martial Arts rating to his Join Battle dice pool, and adds 2 to the first attack's Accuracy and Damage ratings.
Stern Mercy of Sextis Jylis
Cost: 2 m
Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Knockback, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite charms: Mela's Swift Sanction
Not all who stand against the Exalt are deserving of the just execution of the Anathema. Some are merely misguided, and deserve a lesser punishment so they may live to see the error of their ways.
This charm spreads the concentrated energy of an Elemental Bolt Attack across the character's entire body, producing a powerful blast that can easily knock down and disorient an opponent. The lethal damage of the attack is replace with an equal amount of bashing damage, which will not transform to lethal damage regardless of the levels inflicted. Furthermore, if the attack hits the victim must check for knockback at a difficulty equal to the Exalt's Martial Arts or be flung backwards (MartialArts x 2) yards. He must also roll (Stamina+Resistance) at the same difficulty to avoid being stunned. If the latter roll botches, the blast's concussive force renders him Inactive until his next action.
Inescapable Draconic Castigation
Cost: 1 m per 20 yards
Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive (Step 1)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite charms: None
The righteous punishment of the Exalted will not be denied, not even to those fools who think themselves safely beyond its reach. This charm extends the range of the Exalt's Elemental Bolt Attack, adding 20 yards for each mote spent. He may not spend more motes than he has dots of Essence.
Blossoming Elemental Wrath
Cost: 3 m
Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Elemental, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite charms: Inescapable Draconic Castigation
Meditating on the teachings of an Immaculate Dragon, the Exalt focuses the Essence within him into a powerful expression of elemental rage. This charm greatly amplifies the elemental powers associated with the character's Elemental Bolt Attack, enhancing each version as follows:
*Air: The target is enveloped within a mighty whirlwind for the next three actions, making even staying on her feet difficult. The internal penalty to the target's non-reflexive actions rises to â€"4, her DVs decrease by 2, and she must roll (Dexterity+Athletics) at difficulty 2 each turn just to avoid falling down.
*Earth: The ground quakes violently beneath the target's feet for the next three actions. The difficulty of the roll rises to 5, made at the beginning of every action, and if she falls she suffers an additional 4B damage. Should she remain prone, she takes 1B each action. If used against an inanimate object, the attack instead doubles its raw damage.
*Fire: The target's body is set ablaze for three actions. In addition to the normal damage bonus, the character must resist environmental damage for the next two actions as if she was in a bonfire (see Exalted, p. 131) unless she spends a full turn putting out the fire. Any wooden objects on the character's person are consumed by the flames.
*Water: The target's lungs are saturated in seawater for the next three actions, making it difficult to breathe. She must succeed at a difficulty 3 (Stamina+Resistance) roll each turn, lest she lose her action. If any of the rolls fail, she also suffers a single level of unsoakable bashing damage due to suffocation.
*Wood: The Exalt distills her Essence into a lethal poison with the following statistics: Damage 3L/action, Toxicity 4, Tolerance -/-, Penalty â€"3. This penalty does not stack with the normal â€"1 penalty, though that penalty persists even after the poison has stopped dealing damage.
If used to enhance a Cooperative bolt, each invocation enhances only the elemental effect corresponding to the invoker's Aspect. Multiple characters may invoke the charm to strengthen multiple elemental effects, though not to further enhance any single effect.
Sigh of the Dragons Form
Cost: 5 m
Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Form-Type, Obvious
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite charms: Stern Mercy of Sextis Jylis, Blossoming Elemental Wrath
The Exalt holds her torso perfectly motionless to emulate the perfect stability of the earth, while her arms perform a quick series of katas reflecting the speed of wind, the fluid grace of water, the passion of fire, and the resilience of the living Essence within her. In harmony with the fundamentally elemental nature of Creation, the practitioner may channel its power with stunning grace and speed.
So long as this form charm remains active, the Exalt is able to use Elemental Bolt Attack as a normal attack that may be placed in a flurry. Though each attack still requires an invocation of the charm, it is treated as a Reflexive (Step 1) charm rather than a Simple charm. The Exalt's intuitive mastery of elemental Essence allows her to release that power with effortless speed, raising the attack's Rate to 3 and lowering its Speed to 5.
Danaa'd Yields to None
Cost: 3 m
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Counterattack
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite charms: Sigh of the Dragons Form
The truly righteous require no shield other than their piety and no weapon other than their courage, for the blessing of the Elemental Dragons will protect them through even the most hopeless of ordeals. In response to a ranged attack of which she is aware, the Exalt may reflexively fire a bolt of Essence to intercept the projectile in mid-flight. (She must activate the Elemental Bolt Attack charm while doing so, and hence must spend at least one additional mote on that charm.) She makes a normal attack roll at her full dice pool; each success on this roll subtracts one success from her opponent's attack. If the charm completely cancels her opponent's successes, and the attacker is within range, any remaining successes are applied as an attack against him. Even if she does not cancel all successes, she may apply her Dodge DV against the attack's reduced successes (subject to the usual â€"1 DV penalty for performing a counterattack).
This charm may also be used to deflect a hand-to-hand attack. Rather than dealing damage to her opponent, the blast knocks the weapon out of his hand. If the Exalt's successes exceed her opponent's, the attacker must successfully roll (Wits+[attack Ability]) at a difficulty equal to her net successes or be immediately disarmed.
This charm may only be used while Sigh of the Dragons Form is in effect, as it depends upon the ability to wield Elemental Bolt Attack reflexively. For obvious reasons, it cannot be used cooperatively.
Restrained Fury of Hesiesh
Cost: 4 m, 1wp
Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3
Type: Extra Action
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite charms: Sigh of the Dragons Form
Where the arrogant and vainglorious exhaust their power in foolish displays of rage, the enlightened Exalt conserves and cultivates his power, revealing his full strength only when his proud opponents have squandered their energy and left themselves vulnerable. The Exalt stands more or less stationary, shunning frivilous and wasteful theatrics, as he releases a fearsome barrage of elemental energy with impossible speed. This charm is a magical flurry, allowing the Exalt to release up to his Martial Arts rating in Elemental Bolt Attacks as a single action. The power of this technique comes from the patient focusing of Essence by the Exalt; as such, the Exalt may not use this charm again until a number of actions have passed equal to the number of attacks in the flurry.
This flurry may only be used to perform Cooperative attacks if all participating Exalts activate Restrained Fury of Hesiesh, perform the same number of attacks, and each contribute to all attacks in the flurry. While costly, such an onslaught has the power to annihilate all but the most powerful of opponents.
Pasiap's Illimitable Might
Cost: 3 m, 1wp
Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3
Type: Simple (Speed 4, DV â€"2)
Keywords: Obvious
Duration: (Martial Arts x 2) actions
Prerequisite charms: Sigh of the Dragons Form
The Exalt sinks into a low crouch, putting herself as close to the solid earth of Creation as possible. Meditating on the unstoppable power of the elements, she may temporarily channel that raw power with a ferocity uncommon even to the Princes of Earth.
Until the charm ends, the damage of the Exalt's Elemental Bolt Attacks is doubled, inflicting 4L per mote spent. If combined with another effect that doubles the bolt's damage, such as the Elemental Lens artifact, the damage is tripled. In addition, the character's meditation allows her to channel more power into each attack, adding 1 to her Stamina for the purpose of the charm.
Inexhaustible Rage of the Dragons
Cost: 3 m per, 1wp
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Obvious
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite charms: Danaa'd Yields to None, Restrained Fury of Hesiesh, Pasiap's Illimitable Might
The greatest virtue of the Immaculate Dragons was not their strength, nor their generosity, nor even the purity of their faith, but their unshakable persistence. Even when the forces of the Anathema seemed impossible to overcome, they never once turned their backs on those who depended on them. So, too, must the Prince of Earth be unshakable in his devotion, holding his ground long after a lesser warrior would give up the struggle in exhaustion.
As the Exalt activates this charm, he coalesces his Essence into an aura of blazing elemental energy that surrounds each of his hands. His unarmed punch and grapple attacks deal lethal damage, and every 3 motes committed adds one die of damage to these attacks. More importantly, though, the Exalt may draw on the elemental energy concentrated in his hands to effortlessly augment the power of his elemental attacks. The cost of the character's Elemental Bolt Attacks decreases by one mote for every 3 motes committed, to a minimum of zero. The Exalt may not commit more than (Essence x 3) motes to this charm.
