Scribbles

[[exalted_gi:exalted_rotd:sun_and_sun_s_mirror_style]]


Page Tools

User Tools

Login

You are currently not logged in! Enter your authentication credentials below to log in. You need to have cookies enabled to log in.

Log In

Forgotten your password? Get a new one: Set new password

Sun and Sun's Mirror Style

Sun and Sun's Mirror Style is extremely young - it was developed only recently by the Icewalker general Glorious Wren, who found beauty in the simple image of the sun setting over the frozen flatlands of the North. In keeping with her fighting style, its lower tiers are extremely aggressive, assaulting and disabling the foe with rapid strikes. At higher levels, it reveals a mastery of deception and misdirection, traits that have made her one of the Realm's more dangerous foes. In studying it, she has uncovering some interesting principles of combat, and even as the founder and grandmaster of the style, she suspects there are techniques still beyond her.

Any weapon balanced for offhand use is a form weapon for this style, as long as a weapon is wielded in each hand. This style is compatible with armor.

NB: Subject to change as playtesting goes on.

Charms

Blinding White Glare

Cost: 2+m
Duration: Instant
Mins: Essence 2, Martial Arts 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK
Prerequisite Charms: None

It is said that to see the sun in the glare of snow is far worse then to look upon it directly. The sharp, cutting light sears the eyes and stills the mind.

This Charm targets one person for every two motes spent. Each target suffers an external penalty to their Join Battle roll equal to the Exalt's Martial Arts score.

Rising Sun Approach

Cost: 5m
Duration: Instant
Mins: Essence 2, Martial Arts 3
Type: Extra Action (Speed 6)
Keywords: Combo-Basic
Prerequisite Charms: Blinding White Glare

The student of the rising Sun and Mirror strikes with the fury of the dawn redoubled. Her two-sided approach knows no equal.

The Exalt makes a flurry attack, with a number of attacks equal to the maximum rate of her weapon. She then makes a second flurry with their other weapon at its maximum rate. These two flurries account multiple action penalties separately (that is, attacks from a Rate 3 weapon suffer multiple action penalties of -3/-4/-5/-3/-4/-5 successively), and the DV penalty is equal to the higher of the two results as though only one flurry had been performed. Onslaught penalties are cumulative between the two flurries.

Setting Sun Approach

Cost: -
Duration: -
Mins: Essence 2, Martial Arts 2
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Prerequisite Charms: Blinding White Glare

The student of the setting Sun and Mirror has meditated on this image until her strikes are in the same perfect accord as the twilight sun and the frozen lake it sets over.

When the Exalt makes a flurry that contains only a single attack with each hand, the attacks do not suffer multiple action penalties, and the DV penalty is reduced to -1, as though they had made only one attack. This Charm does not apply to any attack using an Extra Action Charm.

Sun and Sun's Mirror Form

Cost: 4m
Duration: One scene
Mins: Essence 3, Martial Arts 4
Type: Simple (Speed 3)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Form-type, Obvious
Prerequisite Charms: Rising Sun Approach, Setting Sun Approach

With her mastery of the image of the Sun and Mirror, the Two-Faced Warrior recognizes herself in her shadow, and forces her foes to do the same.

The Exalt's shadow vanishes, and a perfect image of her appears slightly displaced, duplicating her motions and confusing her foes. While this Charm is active, she gains +2 to her Dodge DV, and may dodge even if her mobility is limited. In addition, she does not need to leave herself open to an unexpected attack even if she faces many foes - there is no automatic unexpected attack for a fifth melee combatant.

Ice-Shattering Strike

Cost: 4+m
Duration: Instant
Mins: Essence 4, Martial Arts 5
Type: Reflexive (Step 8)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Prerequisite Charms: Prerequisite Charms: Sun and Sun's Mirror Form

Knowledge of the power of reflection grants one the ability to break them. Applying this knowledge to the breaking of foes is not a difficult leap.

The Exalt instantly perceives when she has broken an enemy's guard, and pours her power into the gap. This Charm is activated at step 8, and requires a successful martial arts attack that penetrates the defender's soak; it has no effect if the attack deals only minimum damage. The Exalt may deal additional levels of post-soak damage at a cost of 4m per health level, though she may not buy more levels of damage then her permanent Essence.

Hide Behind Nothing Method

Cost: 4m
Duration: Instant
Mins: Essence 3, Martial Arts 5
Type: Simple (Speed 6)
Keywords: None
Prerequisite Charms: Sun and Sun's Mirror Form

The uninitiated might think it is impossible to hide behind your own shadow. The uninitiated is also about to suffer an extremely painful learning experience.

In order to use this Charm, the Exalt must have Sun and Sun's Mirror Form active. The Exalt vanishes, and the illusion takes her place. The illusion has the Exalt's normal Dodge DV, but a parry DV of 0, and no access to defensive stunts or Charms. If the Exalt's illusion is attacked and hit prior to the Exalt's next action, the illusion vanishes regardless of the amount of damage taken, and the Exalt reappears, having suffered no damage from the attack. If the Exalt's next action arrives and the illusion is still in place, the illusion vanishes and the Exalt's next attack is unexpected. In either case, when the illusion vanishes, Sun and Sun's Mirror Form ends. The speed of this Charm may not be reduced by any means, including Gem of Perfect Mobility.

Burning Eyes Kata

Cost: 5m
Duration: One scene
Mins: Essence 3, Martial Arts 5
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Prerequisite Charms: Sun and Sun's Mirror Form

Eyes ablaze with the light of the Sun, the Two-Faced Warrior strengthens their connection with their shadow, forging a flow of Essence that resonates with the flow of battle. This connection is a two-edged sword, but the wise fighter knows when to use it.

Although this Charm may be activated at any time, it provides no benefit unless Sun and Sun's Mirror Form is also active. The Exalt's eyes burn hot with the images of the sun and mirror, as do her shadow's. Whenever the Exalt successfully dodges an attack, she rolls her permanent Essence and regains one mote per success. However, whenever the Exalt is hit with an attack, the attacker rolls their permanent Essence, and the Exalt loses one mote per success.

Deception Pierces Truth Strike

Cost: 8m, 1wp
Duration: Instant
Mins: Essence 4, Martial Arts 5
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Prerequisite Charms: Ice-Shattering Strike, Hiding Behind Nothing Method

Having mastered the arts of striking where the enemy is weak, and hiding where the enemy cannot see, it becomes trivial to combine them, assaulting an enemy from a direction they cannot possibly predict: through the shadow they cast.

This assault on an opponent's shadow is a perfect attack: it always hits as though it had rolled a single total success on an attack roll. It ignores both armor soak and weapon damage - instead, it deals a number of lethal damage dice equal to the Exalt's permanent Essence plus her Alertness, which may be soaked by Stamina and soak Charms only.

Truth Becomes Deception Evasion

Cost: -
Duration: -
Mins: Essence 4, Martial Arts 5
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Prerequisite Charms: Hide Behind Nothing Method, Burning Eyes Kata

The martial artist's control over her reflection is nearly complete.

This Charm gives the Exalt the permanent capability to sacrifice her reflection to avoid an attack. In order to do this, the Exalt must have Sun and Sun's Mirror Form active, and doing so ends the Charm. This defense activated at Step 2, and is near perfect - treat any attack as though the Exalt's Dodge DV were one higher than the number of successes rolled on the attack roll, even if the attack cannot normally be dodged. This specifically trumps applicability, but not perfection: the Exalt cannot use this ability to defend from a true “perfect” attack.

No Hidden Truth Atemi

Cost: 8m, 1wp
Duration: Until broken
Mins: Essence 6, Martial Arts 5
Type: Simple (Speed 6)
Keywords: Combo-Basic, Shaping
Prerequisite Charms: Deception Pierces Truth Strike, Truth Becomes Deception Evasion

Finally, with the true artistry of truth and deception, the Two-Faced Sage can execute the ultimate sleight-of-hand - fooling Creation itself, locking an enemy away from the flow of Essence.

The Exalt makes a single Martial Arts attack at her normal pool. This attack may be dodged, but not parried. If it hits, the defender must make a roll with a dice pool of permanent Essence + Presence, versus a difficulty of the attacker's permanent Essence. Virtues may never be channeled on this roll. If they succeed on this roll, they suffer no ill effects from this Charm (though they may still take damage from the attack), and are immune to it until and unless their Essence increases. If they fail, then they cannot regain Essence from any source (including stunts) until either they spend at least three days outside Fate, or they raise their permanent Essence; otherwise, the effect fades at the end of the next Calibration. Besides those who have already made the roll, mortals are immune to this Charm, as is anyone who knows Sun and Sun's Mirror Form or Prismatic Arrangement of Creation Form.