Celestial Monkey
Style
Type: Celestial
At the root of this martial-arts style lies
the teachings of an ancient text known as The Perfected Lotus Sutras. Disciples
of this style practice a doctrine of “selfless mind” and, through the
meditation of moderation, strive to disassociate themselves from impure
concepts and trappings, such as the rise and decline of monetary fortune; the transitory
concepts of religion, social mores and politics; and the like. “Blissful
Sages”, as they are also known, view these ultimately unimportant things as
mere distractions counterproductive for those who would live lives of purity, in
compassionate harmony with the whole of Creation.
The practitioners of this discipline
undergo a grueling physical conditioning and dizzying tests of mental acumen,
honing their reflexes to lightning speed. Also, the sharpening of their intense
physical prowess gives them prodigious insight into the fighting styles of
their opponents, which can be used to their benefit.
As practitioners of moderation in all
things, those who would grow in the wisdom of the Celestial Monkey can not have
any Virtue rating higher than 3.
Monkey Tail Distraction
Strike
Cost: 2 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial
Arts: 2
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite
Charms: None
With this Charm, the Exalt is able to move
from a perfectly relaxed, unassuming pose to strike her opponent, effectively
ambushing him with a surprise attack while in full view. The martial artist
must not be in combat with her opponent in order for this Charm to be
effective. After activating this Charm, the opponent’s player makes a reflexive
Perception + Awareness roll for his character, with a difficulty equal to the
martial artist’s permanent Essence.
If this roll fails, the Exalt’s
opponent cannot dodge or parry this attack without the use of Charms. If it
succeeds, the opponent is not taken completely off guard and can dodge or parry
as normal but cannot attack until he enters into combat turns with the martial
artist. Charms such as Surprise Anticipation Method can negate the effects of this
Charm if they are active or if they are reflexive and the target chooses to
activate them.
Flowing Mirror Of Opposition Technique
Cost: 1 mote
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial
Arts: 2
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite
Charms: Monkey Tail
Distraction Strike
Also known as the “Monkey Dance,” this
Charm enables the martial artist using it to be frustratingly hard to attack.
The Exalt flashes forward, engaging his opponent and “dances” about her, inside
the attack range of her Melee, Martial Arts or Brawl weapon, thereby nullifying
its speed and accuracy bonuses. Also, being in such close range allows the
Exalt to make quicker attacks. Add his permanent Essence score to his
Initiative pool.
Body Of War Meditation
Cost: 4 motes per point of Strength or Stamina, 6
motes per point of Dexterity
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial
Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite
Charms: None
The Exalt begins a meditative prana that takes about 20 minutes to complete. In that
time, the martial artist channels powerful Essence through his form. His
muscles are imbued with a liquid suppleness, and his bones and skin are
fortified with an oaken flexibility. For every 4 motes of Essence the martial
artist spends, add 1 to his Strength or Stamina. For every 6 motes of Essence,
add 1 to his Dexterity. Body of War Meditation can be used more than once, the
effects are cumulative, and the Exalt’s Attributes can
be raised above Trait maximums. The character cannot, however, raise any of his
Physical Attributes by more dots than he has in his permanent Essence rating,
regardless of how many times he uses this Charm.
Withering Paw Strike
Cost: 4 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial
Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms:
Body of War Meditation
Instead of extending himself to strike his
opponent’s body, the martial artist makes an attack against his foe’s weapon
arm in an attempt to disarm him. The Exalt makes a Dexterity + Martial Arts
attack that does no damage at a difficulty of 1. The
target may dodge or parry as if it were a normal attack but with a base
difficulty equal to the attacking Exalt’s Essence.
If the disarming roll is successful, the
target’s player must make a reflexive roll of Wits + the combat Ability governing
the weapon the character is using. If she does not gain as many successes on
the Wits + Ability roll as the martial artist had successes on the disarming
roll, her character is successfully disarmed and her weapon is flung a number
of feet in a direction of the martial artist’s choosing equal to (the martial
artist’s extra successes x 10), or the Exalt may take it for himself.
Celestial Monkey Form
Cost: 5 motes
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial
Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite
Charms: Flowing Mirror of
Opposition, Withering Paw Strike
The disciples of this style practice a
state of being known as “Selfless Mind.” Through diligent, introspective meditation,
they learn to divorce themselves of emotions or other distractions that would
keep them from their set course of action. This form is the perfect expression
of that ability.
The martial artist takes a moment to center
himself and spends the motes of Essence to fuel the
Charm. His body relaxes as he releases his mind from the burden of emotions and
social mores and taboos. Transcended, a contented smile piques the corners of
the martial artist’s mouth. It is from the display of this Charm that martial artists
of this style have come to be known also as “Blissful Sages.” For the remainder
of the scene, the Exalt does not need to make Virtues tests. Slavering hordes
of the walking dead will not keep him from the field, nor will a burning house
of innocents distract him from pursuing his adversary.
Characters cannot use more than one
Form-type Charm at a time. Using a Form-type Charm ends the effects of any
other Form-type Charm the character was utilizing.
Walking In The Footsteps Of Ten Thousand Things
Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower,
2 Experience Points
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial
Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite
Charms: Celestial Monkey Form
The masters who discovered and developed
martial arts obtained the principles of their fighting styles through meditation
on the world around them: the graceful dance of wind through an orchard, the
stoic fortitude of mountains, the ferocious and
cunning strength of a pack of lionesses taking down a yeddim.
It is also said that these masters were completely unassailable. No technique
could defeat them. So diligent were they in their meditations, they had walked
in the footsteps of no less than ten thousand things. The very principles of
Creation were known to them, and there was not a fighting style of sword or
fist that could remain inscrutable to them. It is on this principle that this
Charm is based.
The martial artist takes a moment to size
up his opponent, either by fighting her, by watching her demonstrate her style
or by watching her fight someone else. The Exalt’s
player makes a Perception + Martial Arts roll with a difficulty equal to his
opponent’s Martial Arts Ability. If successful, he may add any successes over
and above the set difficulty to his Martial Arts attacks against that opponent when
she uses the scrutinized fighting style.
For each turn the Exalt studies his
opponent and spends the Essence for this Charm, the difficulty drops by 1, to
minimum of difficulty 3.The martial artist can meaningfully scrutinize his
opponent for a maximum number of turns equal to his Essence, and these turns do
not have to be consecutive ones. Once all the character’s turns are exhausted,
he gains nothing by observing her again until he increases his Essence. The
successes on multiple rolls are not cumulative. Only the highest number of
successes on a single roll may be kept.
The experience points spent for this Charm
are spent only once, no matter how many times the player of martial artist
invoking this Charm makes the Perception + Martial Arts roll against his
character’s opponent.
Four Halo Golden Monkey
Palm
Cost: 3 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial
Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite
Charms: Walking in the
Footsteps of Ten Thousand Things
The fact that Essence flows through all
things and that martial arts is a way to channel and direct these energies is a
fundamental principle understood by all martial artists. Disciples of the
Celestial Monkey Style have refined this understanding to an exquisite degree. As
Essence flows through the land, there are places where these flows convene,
nexus points known as Demesnes. Such nexus points exist in the body as well. These
places of convergence, of which there are four, are known as the Gates of
Virtue. Sages of the Celestial Monkey Style believe that each of these gates is
attuned to one of the Divine Virtues. They are: the Crown of Temperance (head),
the Chalice of Compassion (sternum), the Throne of Conviction (stomach) and the
Root of Valor (groin). In combat, as the martial artist invokes this Charm,
four Essence-laden rings encircle these locations on his opponent, glowing at
various intensities corresponding to how “firmly seated” she is in each of her
Virtues.
The martial artist then makes an attack
against one of these Gates at a +3 difficulty. If successful, roll damage as usual.
If any damage exceeds his opponent’s soak, his opponent takes an additional
amount of lethal damage equal to the Virtue that corresponds to the location in
which she was struck.
For Example: Omun
Dos, a mighty Lunar Celestial Monkey, apes and cavorts around a highly angered
and frustrated Terrestrial Exalt of the Wyld Hunt
trying to kill him. Omun Dos opens his mind and
perceives the young Exalt’s four Gates of Virtue and
sees that his opponent is highly centered in her Root of Valor. Omun Dos punches her and succeeds in getting two levels of
damage over his opponent’s considerable soak. The young Exalt has a Valor of 5.
As such, she takes an additional five levels of lethal damage and drops
squealing to her knees.
Four Halo Golden Monkey
Realignment
Cost: 8 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: One scene
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial
Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite
Charms: Four Halo Golden
Monkey Palm
With this Charm, the martial artist is able
manipulate his own Gates of Virtue with virtuosity. They no longer remain
stationary within his body. Instead, he is able to move these nexus points
about within his own form. Doing so creates strange, spherical fields of
Essence, with a radius about the length of a man’s forearm, around his body
wherever he moves the gates. This causes no harm to the martial artist.
However, those witnessing him using this Charm will see glittering coronas in
the color and appearance of the Exalt’s anima banner
flare around the Exalt’s extremities as he manipulates
these spherical fields.
The martial artist is able to utilize these
Essence fields to parry any incoming attack, hand-to-hand or ranged, using his
full Dexterity + Martial Arts pool for the scene. He does not have to be able
to move to do this. In fact, the Blissful Sage need not get up from the
lotus-position he was sitting in before these unfortunate, misguided fools
tried to disturb his meditations.
Also, for the scene, the martial artist may
add his permanent Essence to all Martial Arts attacks.
Celestial Godbody Understanding
Cost: None
Duration: Permanent
Type: Special
Minimum Martial
Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite
Charms: Four Halo Golden
Monkey Realignment
Masters of the Celestial Monkey Style are
so acutely aware of how they move through Creation — or, more importantly, how
Essence moves through them and the world around them while they move through
Creation — they can fortify, enrich and empower their actions just by attuning
themselves to the world around them. After buying this Charm, the martial
artist can treat all unaided attacks and attacks he makes with any Charms of
this style as unarmed attacks, no matter what weapon he uses. All Strength,
Dexterity or Martial Arts minimums required for the use of weapons are halved,
rounded up. Also, wearing armor no longer hinders his ability to perform this martial-arts
style. This Charm has no costs. It is simply an enhancement of the Exalt’s capabilities.