New CMA: Crimson Crystal Rose Style

Crimson Crystal Rose Style

Once, in the days of the First Age, a young Chosen of Serenity named Treasured Garnet found herself having an unusual problem. Part of her training as a Sidereal required intensive study of martial arts, and indeed she enjoyed the discipline and refinement that required. On the other hand, physical combat tends to be quite messy, with combatants often getting bloody or, worse, dirty. Thus was the young Sidereal inspired to create a martial art that would put enemies in their place without having to inconvenience the martial artist by sullying herself.

Many laughed at the idea; combat is inherently violent, and everyone knows that you have to bloody your knuckles before they get strong. After a year in solitude, however, Treasured Garnet deemed her style ready to test on her peers. They were astounded to see her effortless movements, seeming to hit enemies without ever coming close enough to touch them. Her feet never seemed to quite touch the ground. Worst of all, however, was how absolutely beautiful she was as she performed her attacks. In the end, Treasured Garnet was victorious, and as far as anyone could tell her opponent had never even gotten within arm's length of her.

This style utilizes the power of a martial artist's inner beauty; as such, learning this style requires either a Charisma or an Appearance of 3.

Form Weapons and Armor: One who performs the Crimson Crystal Rose style does not deign to utilize either weapons or armor. The need to even use one's fists is considered uncouth, and no student of this style would ever hide his beauty behind armor.

Petal Floats On Water Approach
Cost: 3m Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2
Type: Simple (Speed 3, DV-1)
Keywords: Obvious, Combo-OK
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: None

To soil one's feet by touching the ground is to sully oneself, both physically and spiritually. While this Charm is active, the Martial Artist's feet barely touch the ground, granting his Martial Arts rating as bonus dice on all attempts to maintain balance, resist a trip attempt or avoid knockdown. He may also walk on any solid surface that could support the weight of a feather as though it were made of concrete or an equally stable material. This Charm does not allow a Martial Artist to walk over water, walk up walls or levitate; he must still have minimal contact with a solid surface for this Charm to function.

Stinging Nettle Strike
Cost: 2m Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

Every student of the Crimson Crystal Rose is taught to ensure that no one touches them unless they will it. This Charm supplements an unarmed attack, allowing the martial artist to strike an opponent up to (Essence x 3) yards away. The martial artist must be able to see his target in order to use this charm.

Fragile Crystal Deception
Cost: 2m Mins: Marital Arts 2, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive (Step 9)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Illusion
Duration: One scene
Prerequisites: None

It is the natural compulsion of people to believe that pretty things are weak. This is, of course, wrong, but sometimes it is useful to take advantage of this prejudice. This Charm may be activated whenever the martial artist is attacked, whether or not the attack is successful. Unless his opponent makes a successful (Perception+Awareness) roll at a difficulty of the martial artist's Essence, he believes that the martial artist is injured, out of breath, or otherwise strained by the battle. This Charm induces an internal penalty equal to the Charm user's (Martial Arts) rating against any opponent's attempt to resist a call for an end to hostilities or any attempt by an opponent to stop the martial artist from re-establishing surprise.. This Charm automatically ends if successfully used for the latter purpose to deliver an attack.

Crimson Crystal Rose Form
Cost: 5m Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Type: Simple (Speed 3, DV-1)
Keywords: Form-type, Obvious, Emotion
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Petal Floats On Water Approach, Stinging Nettle Strike, Fragile Crystal Deception

The martial artist takes on an unassuming, confident stance, empowered by the belief in her own inner sanctity. While this form is active, the martial artist may add (the difference between the Martial Artist's Appearance and her attacker's Appearance, minimum zero, maximum +3) to her Parry and Dodge DVs. In addition, the martial artist may activate Petal Floats On Water Approach as an innate ability without it counting as a Charm activation.

Finally, the grace of the martial artist's movements enchants those around her: every scene spent watching the martial artist using this Form counts as a scene towards building an Intimacy of admiration, love or respect towards the martial artist as an Emotion effect (this last effect does not function on anyone who already has an Intimacy towards the martial artist). This effect may be resisted by spending one Willpower point.

Inviolate Beauty Defense
Cost: 3m Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Crimson Crystal Rose Form

A practitioner of the Crimson Crystal Rose is beautiful beyond words. No attack can diminish that beauty. The martial artist waves her hand, twirls her dress, or uses a seemingly innocuous motion, and seems to effortlessly deflect an incoming blow. The martial artist rolls her (Charisma+ Martial Arts) against any attack that would have hit her and dealt damage. Each success reduces the post-soak damage dice of the attack by one. If an attack's damage is reduced to zero in this fashion, it is considered to have missed entirely.

Rose Has Thorns Riposte
Cost: 3m, Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive (Step 9)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Counterattack
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Crimson Crystal Rose Form

Those who dare to strike at true beauty will find themselves regretting their hubris, and struck by their own pointless fury. This Charm allows an unarmed counterattack against any opponent who has attacked the Martial Artist at close range (usually meaning an opponent who has used Martial Arts or Melee), whether or not that attack was successful. The counterattack uses the same attack pool as the opponent, and gains a damage bonus of (the martial artist's Charisma)B.

Loving Spitefulness Kata
Cost: 4m, 1 wp Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
Type: Extra Action
Keywords: Combo-OK, Crippling, Training
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Crimson Crystal Rose Form

It is sad, but sometimes one must teach the power of beauty by depriving others of that grace. This Charm allows the Martial Artist to make a flurry of up to (Essence) attacks at his full dice pool against a single opponent. The attacks are targeted at various bones, muscles and chakras to make the opponent more terrible to behold. Each attack that successfully deals even a single point of damage reduces the opponent's Appearance by one, to a minimum of zero, as a Crippling effect. The victim's Appearance rating returns at a rate of one dot per day.

When using this Charm, the martial artist may choose to bestow a certain level of benefice, allowing someone who has recovered from this Charm to buy a dot of Appearance as a Training Effect. If the martial artist so wishes, she may use this particular effect on a willing subject without inflicting any damage, though the process is still painful and temporarily scarring, temporarily reducing the recipient's Appearance to one as above. Teachers often use this ability on their students as a form of reward for good behavior or impressive progress.

Ignoring Jealous Eyes Stance
Cost: 2m Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Inviolate Beauty Defense

Those who oppose beauty in this world are sometimes irritatingly persistent. It is best to teach them their folly as quickly as possible, lest they actually hurt someone. As a practitioner of this style unleashes this attack, a perfume-scented whirlwind seems to pick up, scattering flower petals everywhere. This Charm supplements a single attack, against which the target suffers a penalty to his Parry and Dodge DVs equal to the greatest onslaught penalty the martial artist has suffered in the past scene.

Wrath Carried On The Wind
Cost: - (+1m) Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Counterattack
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: Rose Has Thorns Riposte

While it is insulting to think that there are those who would mar the beauty of a practitioner of the Crimson Crystal Rose with their filthy hands or tarnished blades, it is even worse to believe that someone would have the cowardice to strike from afar. Fortunately, a practitioner of this style can ensure that such an individual is not safe from her wrath. This Charm enhances its prerequisite, allowing the Martial Artist to add the benefits of Stinging Nettle Strike for one mote as an innate ability when she makes a counterattack with Rose Has Thorns Riposte.

Inner Beauty Apotheosis
Cost: - (+3m, 1 wp) Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Form-Enhancing
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Ignoring Jealous Eyes Stance, Wrath Carried On The Wind, Loving Spitefulness Kata

At the pinnacle of his power, a master of the Crimson Crystal Rose learns how to fully express his own beauty, and utilize that beauty as strength. This Charm permanently enhances Crimson Crystal Rose Form, increasing its total cost to 8m, 1 wp. In return, the martial artist gains the following additional benefits:

* While the Form is active, he may reflexively use Stinging Nettle Strike for 1m without counting it for the purposes of Charm use, and the range for Stinging Nettle Strike increases to (Essence x 5) yards. This benefit extends to using Wrath Carried On the Wind, effectively negating the additional cost to use Rose Has Thorns Riposte at range.
* The martial artist may substitute his Charisma for his Strength on all unarmed attacks.
* The martial artist adds his Essence to his Appearance, and may double the bonus (up to +6) he receives from his Appearance on social rolls or from his use of Crimson Crystal Rose Form.

How peculiar, normally this is automatic forum bait. Ah well, time shall tell.

A CMA perfect parry without a willpower cost, and an tick-length upgrade, both at Essence three? One is Solar-level, and the other is better. Too good.

Dex Davican:

A CMA perfect parry without a willpower cost, and an tick-length upgrade, both at Essence three? One is Solar-level, and the other is better. Too good.

Thanks for the response, gonna alter it slightly so the tick-length perfect is Essence four and costs an additional Willpower. As for the parry being Solar Level, I disagree: they're more costly (at least until Inner Beauty Apotheosis) and two of the three Solar Perfects are Essence 2. That being said, I'll up the cost and mins for the perfect a little bit so it's slightly more balanced.

EDIT: Got an idea: Make it slightly less than perfect, see how that works.

Really? No one has any comment? Is it Good? Bad? Okay?

Come on, people, massive Charm set to criticize! I know it's not well designed, I brainstormed it in half an hour! This is for a character I want to run, and I need to know what I need to fix before I run it!

Wow, I'm bumping my own thread. This is freaking pathetic.

[/shame]

MrInsecure:

Inviolate Beauty Defense

MrInsecure:

This Charm carries one of the Four Flaws Of Invulnerability.

There are more than four Flaws of Invulnerability. You should specify.

Edit: I should also suggest that you make up a unique flaw resonant with the Style's themes instead of porting one, since this style isn't tied to any particular splat (which would justify having their flaws).

Fallen Sky:

MrInsecure:

Inviolate Beauty Defense

MrInsecure:

This Charm carries one of the Four Flaws Of Invulnerability.

There are more than four Flaws of Invulnerability. You should specify.

Edit: I should also suggest that you make up a unique flaw resonant with the Style's themes instead of porting one, since this style isn't tied to any particular splat (which would justify having their flaws).

The particular flaw I had in mind was this: "After using this Charm, the martial artist cannot take a Move or Dash action until his DV has refreshed twice. This counts as a unique Flaw of Invulnerability."

EDIT: I realized this Flaw doesn't work that well, thematically.

So, in order to keep with its themes of the power beauty and distancing the self from the world, I thought of this:

"In order to use this Charm, the martial artist must roll (Charisma or Appearance) + Martial Arts at a difficulty of the attacker's Essence. Failure indicates that this Charm fails to stop the attack (though motes spend on this Charm are not refunded)."

MrInsecure:

EDIT: I realized this Flaw doesn't work that well, thematically.

So, in order to keep with its themes of the power beauty and distancing the self from the world, I thought of this:

"In order to use this Charm, the martial artist must roll (Charisma or Appearance) + Martial Arts at a difficulty of the attacker's Essence. Failure indicates that this Charm fails to stop the attack (though motes spend on this Charm are not refunded)."

You use a perfect to help you survive a powerfull ennemy. Rolling against his Essence, make this really difficult. You would have to male combo with a speciality and even then...

Couldn't a Flaw more in tune with this Martial Art be :
The Martial Artist can't use this charm when sullied by blood or dirt.

Elien:

Couldn't a Flaw more in tune with this Martial Art be :
The Martial Artist can't use this charm when sullied by blood or dirt.

Mechanically speaking, that's messy. [/badpun] In all seriousness, though, I just had an idea

Gonna go update!

There are two things that are very sad about this thread:

1) Most of the posts so far are mine.
2) Of all the things in the style, the only thing anyone has commented on are the perfects. Yes, I know they're "the most important part" in the Paranoia Combo part of Exalted, but I'd like some feedback on the other stuff, too.

Just because you asked so much ;D

MrInsecure:

Petal Floats On Water Approach

Just creepy enough to love.

MrInsecure:

Crimson Crystal Rose Form

May I suggest allowing the relative appearance from social combat thing apply here, but for physical defenses instead?  It makes it both more awesome and less overpowering.

MrInsecure:

Wrath Carried On The Wind

I instead suggest that this allow the martial artist to apply Stinging Nettle Strike to Rose has Thorns Riposte for no cost and as an innate ability.  It otherwise seems far too powerful and invalidates Stinging Nettle Strike to a degree.

MrInsecure:

Ignoring Jealous Eyes Stance

I think a flurry-breaker where you dance away/in their face too hard is much more thematic and less toxic than a ticklong perfect.
Also, you might want to force Inviolate Beauty Defense to have an actual perfect defense, since this style makes soak values very low.  Perhaps a willpower cost?

Also, a more thematic flaw could be that the stunt rating of an attack is added to the charm's cost to parry.

MrInsecure:

Inner Beauty Apotheosis

Since the above changes would pretty much kick this in the nads, keep the distance enhancer on SNS, allow the user to use his charisma instead of his strength, add (Essence) to appearance and double the value (to six) that appearance can benefit defense values.

Made most of the changes as suggested; I think it works better as a cohesive whole, though I feel as though it's not quite complete yet. For example, Loving Spitefulness Kata seems to be the odd man out, and I'm not sure if I should keep the damage bonus in the Form Charm. Thoughts?

I actually like both of those effects as is.  They add the oomph the style needs to defend itself and do some soak cracking.  You're not getting past the lunar tank, but against most other martial artists you're managing 13+ presoak damage and cranking your defense higher and higher.

One Question, Can we add Non physical attack forms as form weapons? Because I really, Really, want to use this style with SWLIHN's Mind Hand Manipulation.