MartialArts

From Solaradvproj

Revision as of 19:30, 24 November 2007

This page is for extensions of Solar Hero Style. Full Styles will be posted elsewhere.

Inescapable Hero Grip

---, Martial Arts 4, Essence 3
Permanent
None
Dragon-Coil Technique.
Upgrades Dragon-Coil to autosux.

COMMENTS:

Face-Breaking Atemi

6 motes, 1wp. Martial Arts 5, Essence 4
Instant, Supplemental
Combo-Ok, Obvious
Crashing Wave Throw
Unparriable/Undodgeable, 10’s explode on Damage

COMMENTS: Looking at the Archery Charms, this seems like an enhanced version of the Charm Regnant Golden Streamer; it costs 2m, 1wp more and has a Minimum Ability rated two higher, in exchange for having '10's explode on damage'. Therefore, it might be better if this Charm's combined effects were to be achieved through a Combo of a Martial Arts version of the aforementioned Archery Charm and a new Solar Hero Charm that causes the dice-enhancement. Additionally, '10's explode' isn't a term I'm familiar with: does this mean that damage dice that show up as 10's count as two successes, rather than one? Also, can this Charm be used with form weapons, or to supplement a Clinch?

A Hero’s Versatility

---, Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
Permanent
Permanent
Solar Hero Form
Allows Solar Hero Style to be used with any MA tag weapon and the Form weapon for any style the Solar knows the Form for.

COMMENTS:

Unwelcome Surprise

4 motes, Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
Instant, Reflexive (Step 9)
Combo-Ok, Counterattack
Solar Hero Form
When an attack misses, the Solar Hero seizes the weapon and retaliates with it. Make a counterattack at full MA dice pool + weapon’s accuracy and damage. In the case of magical items, only innate effects they may have apply too. Effects that cost motes do not apply. This even applies to ranged attacks, so long as the attacker is within the original range of the weapon.

COMMENTS: The wording of this Charm suggests that the Solar may make this Counterattack against any attack that misses, even one that isn't directed at him. Additionally, the sentence about magical items ought to be reworded: as it is right now, it doesn't make much sense. Finally, this counterattack seems to automatically disarm opponents in hand to hand combat, and even allow the solar to retaliate against characters who are at a range; both effects are exceptionally powerful, with the former being potentially far more broken than the latter, though both are still rather problematic. Overall, this Charm seems like it's overcomplicated for little benefit: why not keep it nice and simple and make it a Martial Arts version of Solar Counterattack?

Earning One’s Wings

---, Martial Arts 5, Essence 4
Permanent
Permanent
Shockwave Techinque
Doubles the distance of Knockback for all MA effects. Doubles the difficulty of Knockdown for all attacks.

COMMENTS: This Charm seems to have a universal effect that provides a bonus for all characters, not just the Solar: some clarification as to whether it is supposed to be a universal bonus or a single-character bonus would help. Additionally, it provides a permanent bonus to things that are usually enhanced instant by instant: I can't think of any Charm that doubles knockback distances or the difficulty to resist knockdown for an entire action, let alone an entire scene. As such, I think this charm is rather overpowered- perhaps a Simple version which lasts One Scene might work better.

Lightning Swift Engagement

Cost: - Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: Thunderclap Rush Attack, Solar Hero Form
Surpassing even his own limits a Solar accomplishes speeds that bewilder all that face them with ease. This charm enhances Thunderclap Rush Attack making it supplemental. Also, if the character spends an additional 3 motes when activating Solar Hero Form all their unarmed attacks become Speed 3 with no DV penalty for as long as the Form charm is active.

COMMENTS: Speed 3 on -all- attacks for only 8m scenelong form, at essence 3? I'm wondering if Essence 4 or 5 might be more appropriate...

This Charm has two powers, one of which is ineffective, the other severely broken. Making Thunderclap Rush Attack a Supplemental Charm defeats the purpose- as a Supplemental Charm, Thunderclap Rush Attack would have no effect on the attack it Supplements. Perhaps what the author intended was to make Thunderclap Rush Attack into a Supplemental Charm that reduces the Speed of the supplemented Martial Arts attack to 3, and the DV penalty of that same attack to -0. The second power is bad, too: spending 3m to reduce the speed of all unarmed martial arts attacks to 3, and the DV penalty of all martial arts attacks to -0, for an entire scene is just a bad idea. However, this Charm isn't wrecked beyond repair: if it were to, instead, be an Essence 4 permanent enhancement of Solar Hero form that made it so the Solar could spend 1m during Step 1 of his unarmed martial arts attack to reduce the Speed of the attack to 3 and the DV penalty of the attack to -0, it would be both effective and powerful. Just my two cents.

Glorious Champion Declaration

Cost: - Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: Solar Hero Form, Martial Arts Essence Flow
Through dent of practice and awakening of ones inner glory a Lawgiver shows his true worth in the Martial Arts arena. This charm breaks the normal rules on Form charms. It allows a Solar to activate Solar Hero Form as a Simple, Combo-OK charm. However, if a Solar has his anima banner at the totemic level(16+ motes of peripheral essence) he may activate it as a reflexive noncharm effect. He also no longer has to spend motes to count the successes of unarmed Martial Arts attacks twice for the purposes of determining damage. All unarmed Martial Arts attacks become enhanced with this effect. As another bonus, the Solar is able to benefit from one other Form charm he knows at the same time as Solar Hero Form. All these benefits force the Solar to spend 2 willpower on top of the normal mote costs of Solar Hero Form.

COMMENTS: Wow. Just... wow. I can't say I'm a fan of this Charm. For starters, it allows a Solar to use Solar Hero Form as a Combo-OK charm, but doesn't actually make Solar Hero Form Combo-OK: it allows him to Combos that contain Solar Hero Form, but doesn't allow him to make Combos that contain Solar Hero Form. Then, it goes on to make activating a Speed 6, DV -1 Charm that cannot be placed in a combo into a Reflexive non-Charm action when the Solar is iconic. After that, it gets a little better, eliminating the mote cost to activate Solar Hero Form's Hungry Tiger Technique-like effect: this, on it's own, might be a decent Essence 3 or 4 power, but is terribly broken in conjunction with everything else. Finally, allowing the Solar to utilize a second Form, particularly without removing the Form Type keyword from Solar Hero, is just a bad idea- Martial Arts are supernatural fighting styles that do not flow naturally from the Solar's anima, and while Solar Hero isn't a proper martial art to Solars in that it does flow naturally from the Solar's anima, it's still a supernatural fighting style: using two at once doesn't work without SAMA. And, while this Charm has the same minimum Ability and minimum Essence requirements, it needs far more prerequisite Charms to be on that level.

If you're looking for these effects, I'd suggest breaking this Charm up into way more than just one. One could remove the Form Type keyword from Solar Hero Form, making it useable with other Martial Arts forms; another could give the Combo-OK keyword to Solar Hero Form. Yet another could make the Hungry Tiger Technique-like effect a scenelong power rather than a 1m-per-attack power, too. The first two ought to be Essence 4 or so and stem off of the pinnacle of the 'normal' Solar Hero Style, while the third one could be Ess 3 or so and stem directly off the Form itself. Just my two cents.

Tempered Steel Enhancement

Cost: - Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: Fists of Iron Technique
After endless blows struck in the name of justice a Solar learns to always be on guard at a moments notice. Striking down that which would would do them harm without a moment's hesitation. This charm gives all the Solar's unarmed Martial Arts attacks the Orichalcum Magical Material bonus.

COMMENTS: Does this Charm's bonus apply to Form Weapons, or only barehanded attacks like Punch, Kick, and Clinch? Additionally, do the bonus dice provided through the +1 Accuracy and +1 Defense count as Dice provided by Charms, and thusly count against the maximum number of dice the Solar may buy to enhance his pool?

Righteous Fist of the Champion

Cost: 8 motes, 1 Willpower Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Holy, Obvious
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisites: Tempered Steel Enhancement, Solar Hero Form
Wreathing his fists and feet with golden essence they become weapons worthy of a Solar master. The Lawgiver gains smashfists/god-kicking boots/razor harness(although only in appearance, the Solar is still counted as "naturally" unarmed for the purposes of other martial arts styles), with an appearance based on the users personality, forged of pure essence with the stats of Spd 4, Acc +essence, Dmg +willpower, Def +essence, Rate essence. Cannot be disarmed.

COMMENTS: The problem with Hero Styles is that they are supernatural versions of what boils down to hitting someone in the face with a fist: other Martial Arts are supernatural versions of something a lot more intricate than that; things like orgies, a leaf on the wind, and music. Solar Hero can, thusly, allow a Solar to do, with supernatural strength and skill, anything a mortal could do in a fight: hit hard, grapple well, throw people, etc. The blatantly supernatural effects, physical changes, essence manifestations, etc. don't really fit in Hero Styles, let alone in Solar Hero Style. With this in mind, I don't think this Charm is appropriate for Solar Hero Style. Plus, conjuring supernatural artifact weapons just doesn't fit with the theme of the style.

The Path of Ordained Perfection

Those Solar martial artists who travel off the beaten path to unlock this path of Solar Hero combat find it holds similar Charms to those of their other, more natural Charm trees. This tree is just as natural for them to learn as the Core Book Solar Hero Style save that it can only be learned by Solar Exalted and Moonshadow caste Abyssals.

Strike of Titanic Force

4m; Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Instant/Supplemental
Combo-Ok
Solar Hero Form
The strength of the Lawgivers is that of a hundred men and he can bring it all to bare on a single target, overwhelming him with his might. This Charm increases the Onslaught penalty for the Solar’s attack by his Essence, greatly increasing the chance that his attack will strike. This Charm also allows his attack to ignore the hardness of his targets armor but not natural hardness

COMMENTS: This Charm is odd, and feels weak in comparison to a few Terrestrial Martial Art Charms. Rather than add a fixed amount to the Onslaught penalty, why not borrow from Even Blade's third Charm, Close Your Eyes and Look, and simply double it for one attack? As a Solar Charm with more prerequisite Charms and a higher minimum Ability requirement, it could have the armor-ignoring effect, as well without any issue. Adding (Essence) to the penalty just seems weak when compared to doubling it.

Assured Strike

3m, 1wp; Martial Arts 5, Essence 3;
Instant/Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Obvious
Strike of Titanic Force
There is no manner of foe that a Lawgiver cannot lay his hands to rest upon, whether it is to forgive or condemn. This Charm supplements an unarmed martial arts attack. If the Solar’s attack successes are not enough to successfully strike his opponent, either because he fails his roll or from other penalties, such as DV, he still inflicts his base damage for that attack. Perfect defenses still stop this attack but Charms that allow a target to move out of the way before an attack do not. In that case this attack lands and if the target survives then he makes his movement.

COMMENTS: This Charm's rather expensive for it's bonus: Accuracy Without Distance has the same ability, a lower Essence minimum, far fewer prerequisites, and still costs 2m less.

Stance of Anticipated Victory

2m; Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Reflexive (Step 2)/One Tick
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Prereqs: Solar Hero Form
Lawgivers are known for steeling themselves against the most dangerous of attacks. When this Charm is activated the Solar readies himself against all attacks he is aware of. He reduces Onslaught and Coordinated attack penalties to 0 and applies his full PDV against all known attacks.

COMMENTS: This Charm seems like a cheaper and weaker version of Melee's Bulwark Stance: maybe it ought to be upgraded to match in terms of power? The mote cost could probably stay where it is: this Charm does, after all, have two more Prerequisite Charms and a higher Minimum Ability requirement.

Celestial Guardian Deflection

4m; Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
Reflexive/Instant
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Obvious, Knock-Back;
Prereqs: Stance of Anticipated Victory
The will of the Lawgivers is absolute, so much so that they can stop the assault of any known force despite reason. This Charm is a perfect defense against all attacks, even trumping such attacks as Assured Strike and Accuracy Without Distance. If the attacker strikes from within the Solar’s [Martial Arts] in yards then he is also repelled a number of yards from the point of his attack equal to the Solar’s [Martial Arts + Essence]. This Charm comes with one of the Four Flaws of Invulnerability.

COMMENTS: This Charm, as a perfect defense, is pretty reasonable. However, it has one flaw: it doesn't say what /kind/ of Defense it is. Is it a parry, or a dodge? And, can it parry/dodge unparryable/undodgeable attacks?

Attained and Sustained Stance of Perfection

- ; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4
Special/Permanent
None
Prereqs: Assured Strike, Celestial Guardian Deflection
It was not unknown for Lawgivers who practiced the martial arts to assume an enhanced, if not perfected, version of Solar Hero Form. This Charm enhances the Charm Solar Hero Form. When the Solar activates that Charm he may spend an additional point of willpower, if he does so then this Charm’s enhancements take effect.
When the Solar activates the Perfect Solar Hero Form he gains the usual benefits of the Solar Hero Form as well as increasing his Strength, Appearance and Wits by one dot; these increases count as natural dots for the purpose of Charm effects. Additionally he radiates an aura of invulnerability. Any being may enter combat with the Solar and they can protect themselves as best as they want but they believe the Solar undefeatable. This is an illusion effect that renders it impossible for them to attack the Solar directly; they may still use area effect attacks that happen to incorporate the Solar. To overcome this unnatural mental influence any character may spend two points of willpower and be freed of it for the scene.

COMMENTS: This Charm pushes the limits of what Solar Hero can do as an enhancement of mundane brawling. In my opinion, it's within the boundaries, but it's close to the edge. However, I don't think it makes sense for this Charm to be an enhancement of Solar Hero Form- it might be better if it were a Simple Charm with a Duration of One Scene. Additionally, not even the Essence 5 enhancement of Majestic Radiant Presence, Tower of Solar Glory, prevents people from attacking unless they spend Willpower. For balance's sake, it allows a roll- albeit a very difficult one- once per action. This Charm doesn't. Fix this problem, and I'd say it's balanced.

Path of the Holy Monk

Those Solars who concerned themselves with the defeat of Demons, Undead, Ghosts and the Fairfolk often studied these Charms. Though this trees use would have been immense during the Great War, it was only fully created and finished during the First Age by Solars who were worried of a sudden escape and retaliation by the Yozi and their Demon Spawn.