Crimson
Pentacle Blade Style
Type: Terrestrial
Of the many “mastered today, defeated
tomorrow” styles that come and go in the world of Terrestrial martial arts, one
that has remained through the centuries is the Crimson Pentacle Blade. This is
a military-style martial art utilizing the efficiency, power and versatility of
formation fighting. While definitely effective in singular combat, it is its
focus on the choreography of multiple combatants to achieve victory that has
gifted this martial-art style with its staying power. It is ideal both for
exhibition and for the small-team fighting style the Dragon-Blooded favor.
A potent and grandiose martial art that
combines the speed and extended reach of polearms
with the defensive capabilities of shields, “speardancers,”
as practitioners of this style are colloquially known, are capable of beautiful
and awe-inspiring displays of martial prowess. It was the claim of the public
founder and premier master of this style, Vajra Mul, that the style was initially conceptualized by an
Anathema patron of her family in the years before the Great Uprising. She often
claimed it had been specially designed to more perfectly express the poesy of
Dragon-Blooded in battle, making it aesthetically more pleasing to the eye.
Practitioners of this often strive to implement that goal into every aspect of
their lives. Haughty and flamboyant, speardancers are
the divas of the battlefield. When they go to battle, they wear little in the
way of actual clothing. Instead, their skins are oiled and display artful henna
patterns and tattoos. Clothing, if worn at all, tends to be loose-fitting or
sheer so as not to hide the exquisite contours and lines of their forms. Their
bodies and shields are encrusted with the jeweled baubles awarded them by their
admirers, if any.
Five Directions Postures
More than just acrobatic katas, the characteristics of direction postures begin to
influence other aspects of the martial artist’s life as well as he masters the
style. Dress, code of conduct and general outlook on life begin to reflect the
attitude of the character’s favored posture. Students generally favor the
posture taught by their master, and those who do not seek out masters who favor
their style. In this way, schools favoring just one posture have grown all
around the Blessed Isle, with a sprinkling of them in the Threshold. Posture
bonuses are only usable when the martial artist is using the Crimson Pentacle
Blade Style martial art.
Eastern True Spear
Posture
Considered the oldest of postures, it is
the foundation by which the true potency of the style is realized. Those who
favor Eastern True Spear move with a darting, sinuous grace whose true strength
lies in its ability to act in close quarters and in concert with others. They
make excellent formation captains and protocol designers and strive to develop
as many formation protocols as they can.
True Spear sages clothe themselves in
tightly wrapped cobalt veils and leg wrappings. Ornamental amber-studded plates
of burnished copper, hammered to fit the contours of the martial artist’s body,
are fastened with fine-leather straps. Her body bears leaf and vine inspired
tattoos and henna patterns, and her eyes are darkened with charcoal. She is
often crowned with intricately wrapped dreadlocks, woven with colored hemp
thread and wooden beads. As their name implies, those of this posture often
prefer the spear as their favored weapon, and their players get a +1 bonus to
all Martial Arts rolls when these Exalts perform in a formation protocol.
Northern Ice Blossom
Posture
The Northern posture is the very expression
of elegant precision and efficiency. The minimalist, one-hit one-kill approach
to speardancing expresses itself in the
practitioners’ tendency to deliver devastating sweeps with their weapons. Northern
Ice Blossoms are formidable assassins and duelists, and their discerning logic
and reptilian morality lend them well to such craft.
Northern Ice Blossoms have a fondness for
highly polished black leather and are easily recognizable by their skintight
leather suits and full-length, long-sleeved leather buff jackets that are
pleated to fit the contours of their body and flare dramatically at the bottom.
They pierce their skin with multiple silver studs and rings, often all
connected by a latticework of onyx and silver chains. Occasionally, they will
use white pancake makeup on their faces to reduce any show of expression, but
this is only done for battle or important duels. Their hair is traditionally
worn in a severe topknot. Those who practice the Northern posture prefer the poleaxe or any other convex, or outward-curving, shaped
blade polearm and receive a +1 bonus to their Martial
Arts pools when in a duel or one-on-one fight.
Western Shield
Posture
The martial artist who favors the Western
posture is capable of unpredictable tumbling rushes and maneuvers of such
fluidity that she seems to float across the ground. The martial artist’s
erratic katas combined with her considerable skill
with the shield makes her almost impossible to hit.
Practitioners of the Western posture garb
themselves in gauzy white or light pastel-tinted netting and coil themselves in
long strands of pearls, coral and shells. The hair is generally worn in a long,
weighted braid down the back. Their shields are certainly the most ornate of
all the postures and are often accented with spikes and the teeth of large
oceanic creatures. These “posturates” favor large
studded war clubs and sledges and gain a +1 bonus to shield.
Southern Scythe
Posture
The high arcing leaps and acrobatic “ground
work” of the Southern posture is truly impressive. Martial artists who favor
this posture are loud and of a jovial wit but quick to anger. They are
excellent as troop coordinators and whips.
A martial artist specializing in the
Southern posture typically fights clad in no less than seven
ornately beaded crimson veils and draped with precious stones and
colored glass beads that glitter and chime as she moves.
Indeed, her truly audacious sense of style
makes her difficult to look at in direct sunlight. She traditionally has her
nose and mouth covered by a veil, and her eyes are brightly powdered with
colorful pigments. The head is shaved but for two locks that sprout from the
peak of her hairline, and these are sometimes braided with gems and glass as well.
The martial artists of this posture prefer scythes or any other concave-bladed polearm. Players of such martial artists gain a +1 bonus to
Martial Arts rolls whenever their characters use their martial arts to impress
or inspire people.
Central Noble Honor
Blade Posture
Those who favor this posture, also known as
the High Posture, possess a disciplined sense of honor. They are diligent in
the pursuit of their goals, and their loyalties run deep. More of a code of
conduct than a style, the Central posture has elements of all the others and is
highly ritualized.
Noble Blades are regally outfitted in
flowing, sheer skirts the color of pale sunlight. Gold-leaf decals adorn their
bodies in beautiful, elegant patterns. They are intricately coifed in Grecian
curls and a gold-leaf pomade. They favor yellow
starburst-diamond and
gold-plated glass jewelry. Also, they prefer straight,
double-edged polearms and lances. Their players
receive a +1 bonus to Martial Arts rolls when the characters are defending
their honor.
Posture Bonuses
Posture bonuses are a form of specialty
that only “exist” when the character is utilizing the martial arts form. They
do not hinder the character’s ability to develop other specialties, but the
total bonus they and other specialties the character may possess can add to a
given roll is +3.
Graceful Tortoise
Technique
Cost: 2 motes
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial
Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite
Charms: None
Speardancers do not wear armor when they take the
battlefield, and clothing, if worn at all, is sheer and loose fitting so as not
to hide nor hinder the lines of their dance. Instead, they rely on their ornate
shields to deflect arrows and to bat away weapon strikes. An Exalt using the
Graceful Tortoise Technique can incorporate the shield effortlessly into her
deadly blade dance, even if the shield would otherwise be too large and
cumbersome to use. After activating this Charm, the martial artist does not
suffer any mobility penalty when using her shield for the scene. She may use a
long spear or poleaxe one-handed so long as she uses
a buckler or target shield on her other arm.
Speardancer Concentration
Cost: 3 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial
Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite Charms:
Graceful Tortoise Technique
Through the use of this Charm, the martial
artist gains an acute awareness enabling her to use her polearm
with great alacrity. Her familiarity with the extended reach afforded her by
her weapon allows her to strike first in hand-to-hand combat. Upon activating
this Charm, the martial artist adds her Essence rating to her Initiative.
Crimson Pentacle
Blade Form
Cost: 5 motes
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial
Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite
Charms: Speardancer Concentration
To master the Form Charm, the martial
artist has spent years developing her technique. Her muscles have been trained
to supple perfection, and she is capable of graceful pas de géant and impressive acrobatic feats. Combined with her
acute familiarity with her weapon, she can deliver attacks of devastatingly
lethal precision. So perfect is her technique that she can masterfully place
attacks where they will do the most damage. To activate the Crimson Pentacle
Blade Form, the martial artist spends 5 motes, and for the next scene, her
player may add the character’s Essence rating to Martial Arts rolls.
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.
Eastern Root
Protocol
Cost: 4 motes
Duration: One scene
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial
Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite
Charms: Crimson Pentacle Blade
Form
The first thing learned in the Eastern
posture is how to move together in a group and to use a shield effectively to
protect the whole formation. With this Charm, a troupe of speardancers
band together into an array and gain the benefit of each other’s shields. The
shields seem to move in a coiling, serpentine dance. There must be at least two
martial artists in the formation to gain the benefit of this effect. Each
participant gains an additional +1 defensive bonus from the effects of the
Charm, against both hand-to-hand and ranged attack. This bonus is provided by
the shields of other members of the formation, and the formation is able to
extend this protection to one person without a shield for every shield-bearing
individual in the formation. No one who does not know the Eastern Root Protocol
may benefit from this formation, and all members of the formation must be
within the space permitted by the Five Directions Formation Protocol (see
below). This Charm lasts for the remainder of the scene or until one of the Exalted moves more than 10 yards away from any other member
of the formation.
Five Directions
Formation Protocol
Cost: Varies
Duration: Varies
Type: Varies
Minimum Martial
Arts: Varies
Minimum Essence: Varies
Prerequisite
Charms: Eastern Root Protocol
One of the most potent aspects of this
martial-arts style is the ability for speardancers to
work together in formations to accomplish martial effects otherwise impossible
to them. While not a proper Charm in its own right, Five Directions Formation
Protocol is an endless list of varying Charm Combos, or protocols, designed by
the practitioners of Crimson Pentacle Blade Style. Protocols are a form of
Combo empowered by a military formation instead of by one person. When a
formation performs a protocol, the martial artists leap as one into a bounding
choreography. Their bodies explore three-dimensional space, leaping and
tumbling in concert as they perform the Charms in the protocol while always
maintaining a shoulder-to-shoulder, back-to-back formation.
Protocols are a form of multi-participant
Combo that are developed between specific individuals
practicing the Crimson Pentacle style. Like Combos, they must be named and have
a signature appearance that distinguishes them to those who have seen them
before.
The maximum distance by which all the most
distantly located martial artists performing the protocol can be separated by
is 10 yards. Also, all the martial artists must be within this area prior to
invoking the protocol. Movement speed for all martial artists in the protocol
is equal to the Exalt with the lowest movement speed unless a Charm that boosts
movement speed is part of the protocol. In that case, all who are a part of the
protocol may enjoy it’s benefits, so long as the
critical distance limit is not broken. If any participant is ever more than 10
yards from any other participant for any other reason, the protocol ends
instantly. Individuals are aware before they break the protocol, however, and
will not stumble outside of its borders without some reason. The players of all
the participants may make a reflexive Perception + Awareness roll at difficulty
1 for their characters to note the failure of the protocol in time to invoke
any reflexive effects in the protocol in the instant before it is broken. All
members of a protocol must be present to activate it — casualties or absentees
render a protocol impossible to perform, and the pursuit of flexibility and
loss-resilience can lead speardancer ensembles to
expend a great deal of energy developing alternate protocols. All participants
must be conscious, mobile and able to take reflexive actions (meaning none can
be ambushed). Activating a protocol is effectively activating a Combo, and
every Exalt in the protocol must be eligible to do so, meaning one cannot have
used another Charm or Combo this turn.
When one member of the protocol attempts to
activate the protocol and the protocol is legal, every member of the protocol
is instantly aware of the attempt and may choose to join. Only if all members
of the protocol join the activation does the protocol actually activate.
Otherwise, no costs are paid or other actions forgone. Attempting to activate a
protocol is a reflexive action that may be and generally is done immediately
after initiative is rolled and before any actions are taken. When the protocol
is activated, every Exalt in the group must spend a point of temporary
Willpower and has access to all the Charms in the protocol.
The rules for developing Combos still apply
to the development of protocols. Every Exalt in the protocol must know Five
Directions Formation Protocol, but only one needs to know any of the Charms in
the Protocol, and only the individuals who know the Charm need to meet it’s Minimum Essence and Minimum Ability requirements. The
experience point cost and time it takes to develop a protocol is the same as
for a Combo. The experience cost of the protocol is divided among the members
of the fighting group as evenly as possible, with the Exalts with the highest
Essence + Martial Arts paying the extra point if the cost cannot be divided
evenly. In the case of a tie in the Traits, all eligible Dragon-Blooded pay the
extra point. Talons comprised of martial artists of the Crimson Pentacle Style
sometimes spend years designing and perfecting large, multi-Charm protocols.
However, the Essence cost
to fuel it are split evenly by the members of the formation. In the case
of an odd number, the person with the highest Martial Arts ability must pay the
extra cost. Every member in the formation must add a Charm to the protocol, and
it is the acting speardancer’s Traits, +1 per every
person performing the protocol, that are rolled when that Charm is activated in
the Combo. Individual Essence and Willpower ratings, however, remain the same.
Keep in mind that this Charm in no way
negates Combo prohibitions of other Charms. Only Martial Arts Charms and Charms
that are explicitly permitted to be in Combos with the Charms from other
Abilities may be included in a protocol.
In addition to the normal effects of a
Combo, there is one added feature of these protocols — Exalted
martial artists who have Charms active with a duration longer than instant may
reflexively spend 1 mote of Essence when the protocol is activated and bleed
the effects to another member of the formation. Each Charm must be bled
separately onto each participant in the formation. Sharing Charm effects is
optional. Every Exalt in the protocol can share any effect of non-instant
duration active on them at the time the protocol is activated, provided they
can afford the Essence cost.
The Exalt sharing the Charm pays for it,
and the original roll is used, but use the affected
character’s Traits if the effect uses the recipient’s Traits for some purpose.
The effects of the Charm last for as long on each member of the protocol as
they would have when originally invoked and will be ended by any conditions
that would normally end that Charm. Characters cannot have more than one
Form-type Charm active on them at a time, as usual and cannot share Charms that
are attainments of capability that permanently enhance the Exalt, such as
Ox-Body Technique.
Protocols take advantage of the inherent
group-orientation of the Terrestrial Exalted. Those
Exalts who are not Terrestrials must pay double the experience costs to develop
these Combos. This Charm has no cost, save the costs of the protocols created
with it, but instead, indicates the attainment of an ability.
The benefits lent by this Charm are bonus
dice from a Martial Art and cannot exceed the character’s Attribute + Ability
on any one roll.
Northern Lotus
Petal Discernment Meditation
Cost: 4 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial
Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite
Charms: Crimson Pentacle Blade
Form Although all martial artists of this style are capable of dazzling feats
of fighting prowess, it is through the cold, logical efficiency of movement of
the “minimalist” Northern posture that the potency of the style is truly
realized.
When the Exalt invokes this Charm, her
target must add her permanent Essence rating to the difficulty to defend
against her attack.
Sprinting Stag
Defense
Cost: 4 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial
Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite
Charms: Northern Lotus Petal
Discernment Meditation
Like the majestic stag fleeing the
huntsman’s bow, the acrobatic derring-do of the martial artist aids in her
defense. For every turn she keeps moving in an acrobatic fashion, her player
may make a reflexive Dexterity + Martial Arts roll. Successes on this roll are
added to the difficulty for anyone trying to make an attack against the
character.
Western Shield
Crush Counterattack
Cost: 3 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial
Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite
Charms: Crimson Pentacle Blade
Form
To break as waves against a defiant reef,
such is the fate of any who would dare attack a disciple knowledgeable in the
Western posture. Although effective in a one-on-one fight, disciples of the
Western Shield Posture specifically developed this Charm to break enemy
formations.
If the martial artist’s opponent makes an
unsuccessful attack, the martial artist makes a reflexive counterattack by
slamming her shield into her foe, knocking him to the ground. The speardancer’s player makes a Reflexive roll using her
character’s Dexterity + Martial Arts pool. This is a counterattack, not an
action. The martial artist’s target can defend against this normally, but
Charms that produce counterattacks cannot counterattack the user of this Charm.
If successful, her target is brought to his knees and fights as if prone until
he stands. If the speardancer scores more successes
than her target has combined dots of Strength + Essence, he is knocked to the
ground winded and prone. He is at -2 for prone fighting and -2 for being
stunned, and his player must make a reflexive (Wits + appropriate Ability for
use of his weapon) roll and score as many successes as the martial artist’s
Essence, or the character’s disarmed.
Make the reflexive roll before applying the
penalties. The martial artist may make as many Western Shield Crush
Counterattacks in a turn as she can afford to pay for, but a character cannot
use this Charm in response to any counterattack Charm.
Blessing Of
Jeweled Vambraces And Mantle
Cost: 4 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial
Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite
Charms: Western Shield Crush
Counterattack
With this Charm, the Exalt is able to
fortify herself with Essence. She takes a breath and concentrates. When she
exhales, Essence-laden energy coruscates and whirls about her arms and upper
torso. The Exalt’s forearms become heavily encrusted
with large gems that work their way up her shoulders and upper back. The
appearance of the Jeweled Vambraces and Mantle is
appropriate to the Exalt’s elemental aspect. For
example, a Water-aspect martial artist might become scaled like a sea urchin
with spines of saffron coral, studded with black pearls in chitonous
clusters. Regardless of the appearance, the Exalt who invokes this Charm adds
her Essence score to her bashing and lethal soaks for the scene. The Blessing
of Jeweled Vambraces and Mantle is not considered to
be armor, but a form of natural soak and, therefore, does not contradict the
armor prohibition for this martial-arts style.
Glorious Southern
Harbinger Of War And Fury
Cost: 6 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial
Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite
Charms: Crimson Pentacle Blade
Form
As the martial artist adopts the flamboyant
and sensual attitude of the Southern posture, she can use her grandiose,
sweeping katas to inspire others to acts of great
valor. As the Exalt invokes this Charm, a banner of pure Essence erupts from
the head of her polearm. The banner’s edge is
intricately woven with precious gems and curves rakishly from its base till it
ends in a six-foot-long pendant tail. Characters in High
Realm encouraging fearlessness in battle and diligence to duty are emblazened along its length, and tassels of fiery
Essence dot the tail’s inner curve. The martial artist then uses the weapon to
perform an awe-inspiring display before her troops. Once invoked, the pendant
lasts for the entire scene or until the Exalt who invoked it wishes otherwise.
This display uses her Charisma + Martial
Arts, at a base difficulty of 1, +1 difficulty for every three targets she
wishes to affect. Success means she effectively stirs the crowd into a battle
fury and all those thusly inspired are gifted with one temporary Valor point
that can be used per the Virtue rules. This bonus point of Valor lasts for a scene
and can exceed its Trait maximum. Also, this Charm is stackable, but only if
invoked by separate speardancers — no one martial
artist can give an individual more than one Valor point in a single scene
through the use of this Charm.
Furious
Cost: 4 motes
Duration: Until next turn
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial
Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite
Charms: Glorious Southern
Harbinger of War and Fury
During the scene in which the martial
artist has invoked the Glorious Southern Harbinger of War and Fury, she may
choose to invoke the Furious Battle Scythe. The Essence pendant crystallizes
into a gem encrusted scythe. Its tassels harden giving the scythe a kris pointed serrated edge and it is wickedly sharp. The
scythe has a Speed 0, Attack 0, Damage +12L, Parry -2, and Rate 3. Characters
cannot activate this Charm until they have activated the Charm Glorious
Southern Harbinger of War and Fury already during the scene.
Retribution Of Honorable Guardianship Attitude
Cost: 3 motes, 1 Willpower +1 mote per attack
Duration: One scene
Type: Extra Action
Minimum Martial
Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite
Charms: Crimson Pentacle Blade
Form
Speardancer masters believe that once one is committed
to battle it is dishonorable to retreat. With this Charm, a martial artist can
hold a bridge or gate almost indefinitely and also prevent anyone from escaping
combat once they’ve crossed blades with her. The character spends Essence, and
for the next scene, her player may make a reflexive Dexterity + Martial Arts
roll for the Exalt to attack anyone who tries to flank or otherwise get around
her, to a maximum distance equal to the martial artist’s Essence in yards. She
may also make such an attack if her opponent attempts to flee her presence once
he has entered into hand-to-hand combat. In addition, the martial artist cannot
be moved from the spot by any means unless she, herself, breaks her stance.
Call-To-The-Blade-Of-Righteousness
Mantra
Cost: 3 motes (committed), 1 Willpower
Duration: One day
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial
Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite
Charms: Retribution of
Honorable Guardianship Attitude
The Central posture is more of a mode of
conduct than a speardancing style. Living life in a
state of honorable grace is preferred. And having one’s weapon put to a noble
cause is the height of achievement all who walk the path of the Crimson
Pentacle Blade strive to attain. With this Charm, the Exalt fortifies and
enriches his weapon to that purpose. The Exalt spends a little while ritually
cleaning and sharpening his weapon. When he is done, he speaks aloud the task
to which his weapon shall be used victoriously.
For the next day, the martial artist may
add his permanent Essence to the damage rating of his weapon when it is bent to
this task. This task must be a specific one. Also, the martial artist may stack
as many tasks on a single weapon as he has points in permanent Essence.
However, the maximum damage bonus awarded by this Charm to a single strike
cannot exceed the character’s Essence.
Central Pillar
Attack Pattern Mastery
Cost: 7 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Extra Action
Minimum Martial
Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite
Charms: Eastern Root Protocol,
Sprinting Stag Defense, Blessing of Jeweled Vambraces
and Mantle, Furious
On the field of battle, a master of the
Crimson Pentacle Blade Style is a weapon specialist without peer. She perceives
the churning chaos of death and discord that is battle instead as a grand choreography.
The speardancer’s moving and acrobatic style enables
her to position herself centrally, maximizing her weapon’s effectiveness
against multiple foes. Upon activating this Charm, the Exalt perceives a
singular, circular attack pattern that enables her to strike a number of
opponents equal to her permanent Essence in one efficient stroke. The
character’s player makes a single Dexterity + Martial Arts roll for her to hit
all targets at +1 difficulty for each target after the first, to a maximum +3
difficulty. Targets must then defend individually, as normal. Also, if the
attack is successful, the martial artist counts the successes twice for the
purposes of determining damage. The Essence for this Charm must be spent prior
to making the attack roll.