[Octopoid] Mega-Man Celestial Martial Art!

Overwhelming Ruinous Ordnance Style (Celestial Martial Art)

Originally invented by the Orichalcum Caste Luminiferous Physician, this Celestial-level martial art is focused around not only force, but also using force to shape oneself and one's surroundings to achieve total victory.  It teaches the utilization of precision force in precise amounts when called for, as well as overwhelming (some might say excessive) force in overwhelming quantities when necessary.  While initially designed for Essence pulse cannons, the designer of the style was quite surprised to learn that it worked equally well with other hand-held, Essence-projectile weapons, such as concussive Essence cannons, necrotic Essence cannons, infernal cannons, and similar weapons.  While Luminiferous Physician was the designer of the style, it was most famously used by Overwhelming Yeoman of Adventure to fight his gremlin-nemesis, Deceitful Surgeon.  Stories of the great patropolis Oveyead wandering the Wastes are common propaganda throughout Autochthonia.

Overwhelming Ruinous Ordnance Style treats Essence-projectile weapons (most commonly Essence pulse cannons) as form weapons.  It can be practiced in armor (and often is).

Inertial Velocity Exploitation
Cost: 3 motes; Mins: Martial Arts 1, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

By utilizing the momentum of an Essence cannon, the martial artist can propel herself to new heights.  This Charm can be activated whenever the martial artist makes a Jump action.  In addition to the cost of the Charm, the martial artist must fire an Essence-projectile weapon at normal cost.  When activated, this Charm grants a reflexive and immediate Jump action, propelling the martial artist directly away from the vector of the cannon's blast.  Essentially a "double jump," this Charm can reset the height of a falling martial artist, extend the potential height of a jump, or even allow the martial artist to change directions in mid-air.  This Charm cannot be activated more than once per action.

Paramount Efficiency Enhancement
Cost: 2 motes; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 2; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Basic, Stackable
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: None

The cost to fire an Essence-projection weapon is often their greatest weakness.  By channeling the flow of Essence through himself and into his weapon, a skilled Overwhelming Ruinous Ordnance practitioner can remove this weakness.  Activating this Charm reduces the cost per shot of an Essence-projection weapon by 1 (to a minimum of 0).

Barricade Purgation Procedure
Cost: 3 motes; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

While the power of an Essence blast can often directly solve a problem, a true martial artist understands that sometimes, nothing gets a point across quite like catastrophic property damage.  This Charm supplements an unarmed attack against an inanimate object, doubling the attack's raw damage.

Essence Amplification Modulation
Cost: 4 motes; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Inertial Velocity Exploitation, Paramount Efficiency Enhancement, Barricade Purgation Procedure

A skilled martial artist can learn to focus the power of her own Essence, withholding it from her cannon until the last moment, "charging" it so to speak, in order to fire a massive burst of energy.  This Charm supplements an Aim action, replacing the action's normal benefits with its own.  Any attack supplemented by such an enhanced Aim action counts net attack successes twice for the purposes of calculating damage.

Overwhelming Ruinous Ordnance Form
Cost: 6 motes; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3; Type: Simple
Keywords: Form-type, Obvious
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Essence Amplification Modulation

All Essence is one.  When Essence enters the martial artist, he can channel that Essence into his weapon, changing its motonic output.  If the martial artist is successfully hit by an Essence-based attack while this form is active, he may reflexively spend 4 motes as an innate ability.  If he does so, on his next available action, he may make an unarmed attack, enhancing his attack with any special qualities of the attack that struck him.  If a Charm enhanced the attack, the martial artist may mimic that Charm for all purposes.  If he was merely struck with an Essence-based weapon or Artifact, the statistics of his attack are replaced with that weapon's statistics.  This Charm's effects fade if the martial artist does not make the attack on his next available action.

Sanctuary-Baffling Pulse
Cost: 3 motes (1 Willpower); Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Overwhelming Ruinous Ordnance Form

By modulating his own motonic frequencies, the martial artist can channel an attack through the material, into the immaterial.  This Charm supplements an unarmed attack.  Such a supplemented attack ignores all the target's cover bonuses and cannot accidentally strike an unintended target.  If the martial artist spends a point of Willpower when activating the Charm, the attack can also strike dematerialized targets.

Trajectory Correction Strategy
Cost: 1 mote, 1 Willpower; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: One Tick
Prerequisite Charms: Sanctuary-Baffling Pulse

Essence fired from an Essence-projectile weapon is still the martial artist's Essence, and with practice, he can learn to control it even once it has left his body.  This Charm may be activated when an attack with an Essence-projectile weapon misses its target.  By exerting his will, the martial artist can encourage the attack's Essence to curve back around and attack the target again on the following tick, or even ricochet off nearby surfaces.  The new attack uses all the same rolls and Charms as the initial attack, and the martial artist can make missed attacks continue trying to hit their target until he runs out of Willpower or successfully strikes the victim.

Altruistic Aegis Projection
Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Trajectory Correction Strategy

Proper application of force can be used to protect as well as to destroy.  This Charm may be activated in response to an attack on a target other than the martial artist, and the target must be within attack range.  The martial artist makes an unarmed attack roll.  Each success on this roll removes one success from the attack on the target.  An attack reduced to 0 successes misses its target as normal.

Sequence Calibration Refit
Cost: 1 mote/2 dice; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Sanctuary-Baffling Pulse

By adjusting the calibration on his weapon and on his own Essence, the martial artist can narrow the pulse for a more potent (but less reliable) strike, or widen the burst, weakening its impact to aid its accuracy.  This Charm supplements an attack with an Essence-projectile weapon.  For each mote spent, the martial artist may subtract two dice from either his attack roll or damage roll to add an equivalent number of dice to the other.  Improving the accuracy of the attack is limited by dice caps as normal, but improving the damage is limited only by the attack pool available.  Neither attack nor damage can be reduced below one die, and any unusable dice purchased are lost.

Overwhelming Ruinous Barrage
Cost: 5 motes; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Extra Action
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Sequence Calibration Refit

The martial artist can split an Essence pulse from himself into his weapon, arcing the attack into a spread of three, separate particles.  This Charm allows the martial artist to make three attacks with an Essence-projectile weapon, each costing the normal firing charge, at the attacker's full pool, and ignoring Rate.  The total DV penalty for this flurry is equal to the highest DV penalty of any of single attack made.  It is said that Luminiferous Physician sought to improve this Charm, allowing for additional attacks, but was unable to make any Essence-discharge weapon more efficient. 

Expeditious Impulse Evacuation
Cost: 6 motes, 1 Willpower; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4; Type: Reflexive (Step 9)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Counterattack, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Altruistic Aegis Projection, Overwhelming Ruinous Barrage

Attacks fueled with Essence project an enormous amount of force.  With practice, the martial artist can harness this force to control his movements.  This Charm may be activated in response to any close-combat attack against the martial artist.  Regardless of the attack's success, the martial artist may immediately make a unarmed counterattack against his attacker, paying the usual cost if he chooses to fire an Essence-projection weapon (though he may ignore its Rate).  Regardless of whether or not this counterattack succeeds, the martial artist is propelled (2x Essence) yards directly away from his attacker by the force of the blow.  Should this propel the martial artist into a solid surface, he takes damage as though he had fallen the full distance he would have moved.




Thoughts?

Octopoid:

Inertial Velocity Exploitation

Yes, yes, and triple yes for rocket jumping.

Octopoid:

Paramount Efficiency Enhancement

Nice, basic touch for a style like this. Me like, though the cost might be a little low for its effect.

Octopoid:

Barricade Purgation Procedure

Aww, "catastrophic property damage." Just what I always wanted!

Octopoid:

Essence Amplification Modulation

Because what Essence Cannons need is more damage. Not a criticism, just saying.

Octopoid:

Overwhelming Ruinous Ordnance Form

Red Mage used Mimic! Wait, don't you think the cost is a little high? Though it does let you mimic stuff like the Five-Metal Shrike... *shivers*

Octopoid:

Sanctuary-Baffling Pulse

Wait, does this ignore armor, or just cover?

Octopoid:

Trajectory Correction Strategy

OH GOD WHY IS IT FOLLOWING ME?! Wait, this can totally mess up a Paranoia Combo... sweet! Or, maybe not, I don't know; I don't have the mechanical acumen for this.

Octopoid:

Altruistic Aegis Projection

Don't worry citizen! I will protect you by blasting the attack away. AWESOME.

Octopoid:

Sequence Calibration Refit

Combo with a perfect attack for MASSIVE DAMAGE. Cool ability to either ping spam or overwhelm enemies at will, though the price is right in terms of mins and mote costs thanks to the fact that any perfect defense will stop it in its tracks.

Octopoid:

Overwhelming Ruinous Barrage

Wait... this is a Spread Shot, isn't it? From every side scrolling game ever?

Sweet.

Octopoid:

Expeditious Impulse Evacuation

On the one hand, I thought this was stupid. On the other hand, I realized you get to counterattack and parry-break at the same time. Awesome.

MrInsecure:

Octopoid:

Sanctuary-Baffling Pulse

Wait, does this ignore armor, or just cover?

Just cover. 

You got pretty much every reference I made!  :D  I'm so happy I could tie myself in knots!  I'm glad you like it!

I can see the first way you were going, hell, it's in the thread name.

But, I got a second. Now, add some silly hats, and girls and we got ourselves a crazy time, you just gave us all the bullets we needed.

Also, since EPC's can be set to stun (bashing only won't go lethal) this is one heck of a crowd control MA.

Got a question-- Paramout effeciency enhancement is stackable-- I forget and dn't have my books, does that mean you can buy the charm more than once, or pay again to reduce the essence cost?  If so, there should probably be a limit or it should be explicitly mentioned it can reduce the cost to zero.
 

I like it!  I would use these Charms in a game.

Form seems a little bit weak, since the ST can always just... use enemies that don't use Essence attacks.  Does it include things like Glorious Solar Sabre, or only projectiles?

Would a flame-piece, or its artifact brothers, count as Essence projection weapons?

Korzon21:

Got a question-- Paramout effeciency enhancement is stackable-- I forget and dn't have my books, does that mean you can buy the charm more than once, or pay again to reduce the essence cost?  If so, there should probably be a limit or it should be explicitly mentioned it can reduce the cost to zero.
 

It would allow the cost to go to zero.

This is seriously awesome and now I'm totally going to use it.

WarDragon:

Form seems a little bit weak, since the ST can always just... use enemies that don't use Essence attacks.  Does it include things like Glorious Solar Sabre, or only projectiles?

Would a flame-piece, or its artifact brothers, count as Essence projection weapons?

At the end of the day, the ST is the final arbiter (as always).  However, I envisioned things like Green Sun Nimbus Flare, Crypt Bolt, Life-Blighting Emptiness Attack, and the like.  I, personally, would consider GSS an Essence-based attack, though it would be treated as a weapon, not as a Charm.

:)  Glad this is getting such positive reviews!  I can't imagine my mechanics were so good on the first try, though!

zindane2000:

Korzon21:

Got a question-- Paramout effeciency enhancement is stackable-- I forget and dn't have my books, does that mean you can buy the charm more than once, or pay again to reduce the essence cost?  If so, there should probably be a limit or it should be explicitly mentioned it can reduce the cost to zero.
 

It would allow the cost to go to zero.

This.

Who are Yeoman and Decietful Surgeon? Characters from Metal Slug or Contra?

Yeoman is a synonym for "man."  That's Mega-Man and Dr. Wily.

Octopoid:

Yeoman is a synonym for "man."  That's Mega-Man and Dr. Wily.

Oh my god, I don't believe I got that. And of course, Luminoferous Physician is Dr. Light. :)

ShadowDragon8685:

Octopoid:

Yeoman is a synonym for "man."  That's Mega-Man and Dr. Wily.

Oh my god, I don't believe I got that. And of course, Luminoferous Physician is Dr. Light. :)

Damn skippy!  :)