[Aaron Peori]

Revised:

Scarlet Patterned Battlefield Style

Weapons and Armor: This style considers the spear and straightsword (weapons of soldiers) to be unarmed attacks for the purposes of Charms. It may be used while wearing armor and carrying a shields.
Complementary Abilities: The character must have at least three dots in War.

Unassailable Rebuff Position
Cost: 10m Duration: One Action Type: Simple (Speed 6, DV -1)
Keywords: Knockback, Obvious, Combo-Basic, Counterattack, War
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4 Prerequisite Charms: None

Setting himself in a protective stance the martial arts rebuffs all who approach him. The character may make an unarmed counterattack (this counterattack has a DV penalty of 0) against any opponent who takes an attack, move or jump action while within (Essence x 2) of the martial artist. This attack always occurs after the triggering action and fails to work if the Move or Jump action takes the target beyond that range. Any opponent struck by one of these counterattacks suffers Knockback that automatically sends him to the maximum range of this Charm. The effects of this Charm terminate if the character moves from his location for any reason.

If used in Mass Combat any unit who attempts to engage or move past the Sidereal must make a Morale roll at (Essence) difficulty.

All the normal rules for counterattacks apply.


Impeccable Patterned Deployment
Cost: 4m Duration: One Tick Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK, War
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4 Prerequisite Charms: None

The martial artist may move himself through obstacles without problem. The martial artist may activate this charm when he begins moving, either with a Move or Dash action. He dematerializes and remains dematerialized for the remainder of the tick. He may move through any solid obstacle (opponents, terrain, fortifications) so long as he can traverse the space it takes up in a single tick. At the end of the tick the character rematerializes. Alternatively the character can activate this Charm again on each tick of movement, in which case he remains dematerialized until he either stops or ceases activating this Charm.

If a character ceases movement within range of an opponent who is taking a Gaurd or Aim action that opponent may abort his action to attack the Sidereal as he rematerializes. Though opponents will need some way to percieve dematerialized beings in order to follow the Sidereal's movements. If they lack such magic any attempt to Reestablish Surpise on the same tick as this Charm is activated automatically succeeds.

If used in Mass Combat this Charm allows the Sidereal to reflexively Disengage from an enemy unit, automatically succeeding on the roll to do so.

Glance and Stride
Cost: 1+m Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5 Prerequisite Charms: Impeccable Patterened Deployment

The character moves with stunning ease, flashing across the countryside almost too fast to follow. The character may activate this Charm as a Move action on any tick. When activated he may move to any place within line of sight that he could reach with any reflexive movement mode available to him. Doing so costs 1m if the location is within ten yards. Each additional mote spent on this Charm increases the distance. So 2m allows you to move 20yrds, 3m 40yrds and so on. The maximum number of motes that can be spent on this Charm (including sutra discounts) is (Essence). The character gains one bonus success on any attempts to bypass a Blockade Movement for each mote spent due to his sheer speed.


Without Strategy Arrangement
Cost: 5m Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Counterattack, War
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5 Prerequisite Charms: Unassailable Rebuff Deployment

Acting on instinct the Sidereal assumes a strategy of no strategy, making it impossible for others to predict his defenses. This Charm is can be activated in response to any physical attack the Sidereal is aware of, even attacks which are normally Undodgeable allowing the Sidereal to perfectly dodge the attack. This Charm has the Valor Flaw of Invulnerability. If attacked by a ranged attack the Sidereal MUST take an immediate Move action to close with the attacker, moving as close as possible to the enemy. This counts as a special Counterattack action, granting the Sidereal a free Move action during Step 9 of attack resolution.

If attacked by a ranged attack in Mass Combat the Sidereal must make a Move action during step 9 to close and engage with the attacker. If this requires disengaging from an enemy unit the Sidereal is automatically successful.


Fallen Ivory Defense
Cost: 6m, 1wp Duration: One Scene Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Basic, War, Touch, Obvious
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5 Prerequisite Charms: Glance and Stride, Without Strategy Arrangement

The Sidereal can protect one ally from anywhere on the battlefield. He must Touch the target (who can not be the Sidereal) and spend the motes, commiting them for the duration of the Charm. From that point on whenever the subject is attacked the Sidereal reflexively becomes aware of this attack as if it targeted him (he is even aware of Uneexpected Attacks). He then has two choices:

He can instantly vanish from his current location and appear between the target and his attacker in a burst of crimson starlight. This grants the benefits of a Defend Other action. Doing so costs no motes.

If he prefers the Sidereal may spend 2m to evoke a translucent red image of himself that appears near the target. This has two effects: First, it removes the Unexpected quality from any attack on the defended character until the Sidereal next action. Second, the Sidereal may evoke Without Strategy Arrangement during Step 2 of any attack against the beneficiary as a perfect dodge on that characters behalf (the beneficiary may choose not to accept this defense, as the Sidereal's image guides him through a perfect dodge). If the Sidereal evokes Without Strategy Arrangement it is the Sidereal, not the targeted character, that must move towards the attacker during Step 9.

If evoked during War the Sidereal chooses one special character for a unit he is allied with. If anyone attempts to attack that special character the Sidereal may spend 6m to allow target to perfectly dodge the attack. This has no effect on attacks targeting the entire unit. If targeting a solo unit use the normal rules for this Charm.

Scarlet Patterned Battlefield Form
Cost: 10m, 1wp Duration: One Scene Type: Simple
Keywords: Form-Type, Obvious
Mins: Martial Arts 6, Essence 6 Prerequisite Charms: Fallen Ivory Defense

Using this Charm the Sidereal becomes the ideal soldier. He stands taller, his scars and injuries only adding to his apparent strength of character. Whatever equipment he is carrying is instantly pristine and parade ground perfect. Ribbons of crimson Essence explode around the character as this transformation takes place over the course of five ticks. During that time any attempt to attack the Sidereal considers the Sidereal to have total concealment unless the attacker has All Encompassing Sorcerer's Sight or similar scale magic active.

While this Charm is active the Sidereal gains a number of benefits. First he ignores any Crippling, Poison, Sickness or Shaping (including positive effects and mutations) effects for the remainder of the scene that occured to him before this Charm was activated (effects inflicted after activating this Charm work as normal unless the Sidereal reactivates this Charm), this can even compensate for amputations as the Sidereal temporarily regrows limbs to replace lost extremities. Any wounds the character has taken are healed, though then this Charm deactivates the character returns to his previously wounded state (if the character has taken wounds in the meantime he either reverts to his previously wounded state or retains his current wounds, whichever is worse). Second any equipment he is carrying gains the benefit of Perfect Equipment (ie, two +1 bonuses and one +2 bonus distributed among the following traits: Acc, Dam, Def, Rate, Range (50yrd for archery/10yrds for thrown), Soak, Mobility penalty and Fatigue Value. The +2 bonus may not be granted to Rate). This bonus applies even if the equipment was already perfect or an artifact. The Sidereal may choose how to distribute this bonus when he activates this Charm. The Sidereal also gets +2 Appearance for the duration of the Charm due to his immaculate idealized appearance.


Victory of the Cheat
Cost: 20m, 2wp Duration: Instant Type: Simple
Keywords: Shaping, War, Obvious
Mins: Martial Arts 7, Essence 7 Prerequisite Charms: Scarlet Patterened Battlefield Form

The Sidereal understands that position is everything, and using this Charm the Sidereal can control those positions. When this Charm is activated the Sidereal may move any number of individuals within 1 mile and his line of sight to any other location within 1 mile and his line of sight. This Charm can move anyone except the Sidereal. A moved character must be capable of moving to his current location using whatever movement modes he is capable of using reflexively (so a character who can't fly can not be placed in mid air, nor can an army of mortals be moved across a ravine unless there is a bridge they could have crossed).

This Charm can have a variety of effects. The Sidereal can surround an enemy with allies, granting all of the allies a free Coordinated Attack against the enemy on their next action tick (with the usual effects of surrounding an opponent with maximum number attackers in close combat if applicable). He can move enemies into an environmental hazard and allies out of the same. He can place allies in hiding, meaning those allies instantly reestablish surprise relative to an enemy. All of these effects are automtically successful with no rolls required.

If used in Mass Combat this Charm can devestate the enemies formation. The Sidereal can split units into any number of smaller units, or reorder any number of smaller units into a single larger unit. He choose what Formation they newly reorganized units are in (if they do not have enough Drill to maintain this formation the formation falls apart into a disordered unit immediatly, however). Additionally trying to integrate units from two seperate armies requires the commander to make a Rally roll at a -2 external penalty or the unit falls into a disorganized mob. All units to be effected must be within one mile of the Sidereal and his line of sight.

Any character with an Essence of 2 or greater may resist this Charm. They roll (Essence) versus the Sidereal's (Essence/2) as an external penalty, success means they stay in position. The Sidereal may choose to give allies an Obvious sense of the position they will end up in, and they can choose not to resist in such a case if they wish. Any defense that prevents a Shaping attack from altering the characters mind, body, spirit and traits as an instant or ongoing effect renders a character immune to this Charm. Only defenses that protect against all four changes are valid. Charms which reverse shaping effects are not a valid defense unless they occur instantly when applied. Units effected may resist with a Might roll (the leader may stunt this roll if they wish).


Singular Escape Stratagem
Cost: 20m, 2wp Duration: Instant Type: Simple (Spped 3, DV -0)
Keywords: Compulsion, Illusion, War
Mins: Martial Arts 7, Essence 7 Prerequisite Charms: Scarlet Patterned Battlefield Form

It is the purpose of the perfect soldier to control his opponents actions. This Charm befuddles an opponent, convincing them their is only a sinlge action they could possibly take to defeat the Sidereal. Roll (Manipulation + Presence + Martial Arts) against the targets Dodge MDV (this Charm can not be parried as it insinuates itself directly into a targets mind). Remember to take the Sidereal's improved Appearance from Scarlet Patterened Battlefield Form into account if that Charm is active. This Charm creates an unnatural mental Illusion effect in any target it effects.

This Illusion convinces the target that the Sidereal's perfect strategy can only be overcome by a single action. The Sidereal may dictate that action, which need not make logical sense and can include an Unacceptable Order (such as "the only way to defeat the Sidereal is to let him stab me through the heart!" or "to strike the Sidereal I must attack my ally!" and so on). The Compulsion effect forces them to act on it the next time it becomes a valid action. Resisting this Charm costs 4wp, or 1wp if the action would constitute an Unacceptable Order. Mortals can not resist this Charm at all. As a general note, any effect that renders the character immune to Illusion or Compulsion effects negates this Charm.

If used in War this Charm requires the Sidereal to roll (Manipulation + Performance + Martial Arts) and it targets the leader of a unit (who gets up to a maximum of +3 to his Dodge MDV from having a large unit).

Great Thinker's Defense Maneuver
Cost: 15m, 1wp Duration: One Scene Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Mins: Martial Arts 7, Essence 7 Prerequisite Charms: Scarlet Patterned Battlefield Form

A true master of strategy is a master of information. This Charm allows a Sidereal to master this information and always use it to his best advantage. While this Charm is active the character removes the Unexpected quality from all attacks against him, and is immune to all penalties from a Coordinated Attack and penalties to his DV for facing a unit with higher Magnitude as a solo unit. Any Illusion effects currently effecting him are shattered and he can not be effected by any other Illusion effect so long as this Charm functions. He never suffers environmental or external penalties to his DVs.

The Empress Lives For All
Cost: - (+10m, 1wp) Duration: Permanent Type: Permanent
Keywords: Obvious
Mins: Martial Arts 8, Essence 8 Prerequisite Charms: Victory of the Cheat, Singular Escape Stratagem, Great Thinker's Defense Maneuver

This Charm permanently enhances Scarlet Patterned Battlefield Form. The character may choose to spend an additional 10m and 1wp when activate the Form to gain the following additional benefits:

First the character may spend 1m during Step 10 whenever he is effected by a Poison, Sickness, Crippling or Shaping effect to negate that effect for as long as the Form is active (repressed effects reemerge when the Charm ends as normal) without having to reactivate the Form.

Second the character add his (Essence) to his Strength, Dexterity and Stamina. These are considered dice bonuses added by Charms. He may soak lethal damage with his full Stamina.

The final benefit of this Charm is that the Sidereal may see the ideal and disasterous outcome of any action. Those who look into the Sidereals eyes will see a reflection themselves as their ideal self in one eye, and utterly destroyed in the other. Seeing these outcome allows the character to reroll an attack on Step 4, or negate up to his (Martial Arts/2) penalties to his DVs during Step 6.

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