1E: Rough Charm Tree sketch--Forbidding Manse of Ivy Style

[Forest Eyes]

I'm trying to put together a Celestial Martial Arts style with a House of Secrets flavor. So far I have just a rough sketch of what I want all the charms to do. I've taken some inspiration from Violet Bier of Sorrows style as to the construction of it. The basic flavor is protecting secrets, so there's a number of stealth-like or mind-affecting charms in the tree. I'm trying to avoid too much overlap, but I'm not intimately familiar with all the Sidereal charm trees so I'm kind of just going with what I feel is appropriate.  Input on how to interpret specific mechanics would be appreciated.


Form Weapons: Not sure. I was thinking either multi-section staves, spears, or maces and such.


Evasive Mind Style: Automatic successes to Willpower rolls against mind-effecting charms, spells, and powers. A "slippery mind" effect. Worried that it's redundant with the Lesser Sign of Jupiter anyway.


Saturn Nips the Onlookers: A supplemental charm that inflicts a penalty on perception and/or awareness rolls. Keep those who seek the forbidden unaware of their surroundings before they learn too much.


Serenity in the Trove: A penalty to an opponent's attack by the Exalt's lore rating. Not sure how to explain this effect, I wanted a strong defenisve charm early on.


Unyielding Red Shield: Scenelong effect, prevents a number of target from passing until the user is defeated in combat. Designed to prevent opponents from making their way into a place where they are forbidden to enter.


Forbidding Manse of Ivy Form: The form charm grants an initiative bonus, immunity to knockdown/knockback, and negates cover. Not sure if these effects are powerful enough for a form charm.


Pluck Wisdom: Supplemental Charm, a successful strike reduces combat specialties and abilities. Specialties are reduced first, then abilities. I think an appropriate limiter would be that abilities can't be reduced to less than the target's permanent Essence?


Reclaiming the Vault: Erases short-term memories on a successful martial arts strike. For a more powerful combat effect, it can make the target forget any opponents that they cannot currently see, granting such opponents a bonus on their next attack.


Vital Knowledge Technique: Learn of your opponent's next strike before it hits. This allows a reroll to a defense.


Weakness Revealing Gesture: Illuminates where the target's weakness is, allowing the user and all allies to ignore a portion of soak from armor. Not sure what value to use.


Jupiter Rebukes the Interloper: Ultimate charm for this tree. It's a reflexive counterattack that decreases the target's die actions by the user's MA rating. It can be enhanced by a prayer paper that causes it to also decrease temporary willpower, and a target reduced to zero willpower is left comatose.


All in all it feels a little unfocused, and a little on the weak side. Any suggestions?

 

[Ker'ion]

I'd turn it into a Sidereal MA Style.  It seems too hypothetical to be a normal CMA.

 

[Ledaal Kajiri]

The effects as listed do seem less in focus with the role of a Celestial Martial art. Damaging anothers ability scores and specialties, making opponents forget the existance of their foes...these aren't really Celestial Martial Arts effects. Either removing some of the effects and pulling things together in a tighter theme, or changing the style to a Sidereal level and boosting its ability seem like more appropriate routes. Applying penalties to a foe is one thing, reducing their abilities is another. While some Celestial Martial Arts have targeted a foes attributes, specifically their physical attributes, none have targeted their actual skills. Additonally memory type effects seem more in keeping with the Sidereal level of martial arts than the Celestial level. You might want to look at some of the styles in Scroll of the Monk for ideas.

 

[Dracogryff]

Re: 1E: Rough Charm Tree sketch--Forbidding Manse of Ivy Sty

Evasive Mind Style: Automatic successes to Willpower rolls against mind-effecting charms' date=' spells, and powers. A "slippery mind" effect. Worried that it's redundant with the Lesser Sign of Jupiter anyway.[/quote']
I assume this is designed for 1E, then? In 2E you have MDV instead of rolling willpower anyhow...otherwise...I do think that the others are right that the style isn't really in keeping with a Celestial Style...but I'm not overly knowledgable about Sidereal Styles...so don't know how it'd work that way. It doesn't feel like it has the focus that a Celestial Style is supposed to, I don't know. *shrugs* Would it be compatible with armor?

 

[Forest Eyes]

Taking that in mind, I'm going to try to refocus and refine the style while keeping it a Celestial Style.The style now incorperates two key strategies: For defense, perfect recall of a methodical study of combat put into practice. For offense, nerve strikes and disorienting blows to confuse and befuddle an opponent.


Evasive Mind Technique--Don't see a problem with this one, pleanty CMA effects mess have internal mental effects, but I'm still worried that it's redundant with the Lesser Sign of Jupiter.


Saturn Nips the Onlookers--A penalty to a mental stat seems appropriate for this one. Penalty to Perception rolls.


Serenity in the Trove--The flavor text for this charm would probably involve recalling knowledge of various combat styles. Fits with the House of Secrets flavor.


Unyielding Red Shield--I thought this one was appropriate to the flavor of the tree without being too powerful, but it doesn't seem to fit with the focus. Perhaps instead this charm grants an instant intercept for anyone crossing the set point rather than preventing them from proceeding entirely?


Forbidding Manse of Ivory Form--Changed entirely to be apppropriate with the new focus. Any MA attack that does more pre-soak damage than the target's Wits + Resistance inflicts a penalty to the next dice action. Whenever an opponent activates an effect that increases a parry or dodge action, the Sidereal may roll Wits + Awareness or Lore at the difficult of the opponent's skill and spend essence to negate it (they know the defensive manuever).


Pluck Wisdom--Nerve strike inflicts a penalty on rolls (not the actual ability) of one specific combat skill for Permanent Essence turns.


Reclaiming the Vault--Completely replaced with:


Secret Style Observation--Scene-long effect, each time an opponent uses one combat ability, they reduce one die from the subsequent attack using the same ability as the martial artist studies their style and learns the weaknesses in it.


Weakness Revealing Gesture--Unchanged. I still think it's thematic and far enough along in the tree to be appropriate


Jupiter Rebukes the Interloper--Now a simple charm rather than a reflexive counterattack, penalty lasts for Wits + Essence turns. The willpower reducing effect is dependant on a prayer strip and significantly Sidereal-flavored that I still find it appropriate.


Any additional thoughts?