Melee Combat Charms
Sensing The Deadly Flow
Cost: 1 mote per die
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Dexterity: 2
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite Charms: None
By means of this Charm, a Lunar
can perceive the flows of Essence around his target, using them to guide his
blows to best effect. For each mote of Essence spent on this Charm, the Lunar
gains an additional attack die on a single Melee attack. These bonus dice may
not exceed the character’s Dexterity.
Striking Mospid Method
Cost: 1 mote per + 1 initiative
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Dexterity: 2
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite Charms: Sensing the
Deadly Flow
Using this Charm, a Lunar can
imbue his weapon with preternatural speed, using his Essence and instincts to
enhance the tempo of his attack. When rolling initiative for a turn in which
the character plans to make a Melee attack, the Lunar may spend Essence to
improve his initiative rating for a single turn, each mote buying a +1
modifier. The character cannot spend more motes than he has points of
Dexterity. The Essence cost of the Charm is paid before making the initiative
roll. The Striking Raptor Method cannot be used in a Combo with any other Charm
that gives an initiative bonus.
Ferocious Biting Sword
Cost: 4 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Strength: 2
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Striking
Mospid Method
By fortifying his attacking
weapon with Essence, a Lunar can make it very difficult for his opponent to
block a single attack with a hand-to-hand weapon. Players rolling to defend
against this attack must roll two successes for each of the Exalt’s own
successes they seek to negate. If a defender rolls an odd number of successes,
the extra success is wasted.
For Example: Red Jaw uses the
Ferocious Biting Sword to enhance his attacks on a Solar. His reaver daiklave,
Winter’s Heart, arcs round at the enemy, and Red Jaw’s player gets four
successes on the attack. The Storyteller rolls the Solar’s parry and gets seven
successes. Ordinarily, this would cancel out Red Jaw’s attack, but as the
Ferocious Biting Sword Charm was in effect, it only cancels three of the
successes, with the seventh success on the parry discarded. With one success
remaining, Red Jaw’s attack succeeds.
Dance Of The Living Blade
Cost: 3 motes per attack, 1 Willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Extra action
Minimum Dexterity: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Striking
Mospid Method
By using the Dance of the Living
Blade, the Lunar can make multiple Melee attacks per turn. These may be against
the same foe or against multiple foes within a distance in yards equal to the
Lunar’s Dexterity. Each additional attack costs 3 motes of Essence, and the
Lunar may purchase no more additional attacks than he has points of Essence. Each
attack is made with the Lunar’s full dice pool and must be parried or dodged
separately. A Lunar can buy no more extra actions than (the initiative on which
he activated this Charm ÷ 3, rounded down). This normally means (the
character’s initiative ÷ 3), but Lunars who hold their action and then invoke
this Charm may lose extra actions.
Irresistible Storm Attack
Cost: 6 motes + 1 mote per yard, 1 Willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Extra action
Minimum Dexterity: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Dance of the
Living Blade
Using this Charm, a Lunar can
face multiple foes and force them onto the defensive. The Irresistible Storm
Attack allows the Lunar to make a number of Melee attacks equal to his Essence.
All the foes targeted by this Charm must be within a number of yards of the
Lunar equal to twice his Dexterity. Each target of the Irresistible Storm
Attack is subject to a full attack. In addition, for each additional mote the
character spends, he may force all his opponents to either give up one yard of
ground or give him a bonus Dexterity die, as per the Ferocious Avalanche
Technique. The Irresistible Storm Attack cannot be used in a Combo with Charms
that grant extra attack dice or extra actions. As with the Ferocious Avalanche
Technique, the maximum number of bonus dice the character can gain is equal to
his Dexterity. Each attack must be at a different foe, and no foe can be
attacked more than once. Unused extra attacks are wasted.
Spinning Blade Attack
Cost: 2 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Extra action
Minimum Dexterity: 3
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Dance of the
Living Blade
By means of this Charm, activated
immediately after rolling initiative, a Lunar armed with two hand-to-hand
weapons can attack a single opponent twice in a single turn. One action is made
with each weapon. Each attack uses the Lunar’s full dice pool at the
character’s full initiative score, and neither attack is considered to be with
the character’s off hand. The Lunar using the Spinning
Blade Attack may abort one or both of these attacks to parries and, thus, can
attack twice, attack and parry or parry twice at his full dice pool in the same
turn, provided the actions are against the same opponent.
Lightning Sword Method
Cost: 5 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Extra action
Minimum Dexterity: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Spinning
Blade Attack
The Lightning Sword Method allows
a Lunar armed with two weapons to attack one or two opponents in the same turn.
The mechanics are as per the Spinning Blade Attack, save that both actions need
not be directed against the same target, though the Lunar’s attack has no
greater range than normal, so both foes must be within the distance the Lunar
can move for the turn.
Dust Devil Advance
Cost: 3 motes, 1
Willpower
Duration: Varies
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Dexterity: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Spinning
Blade Attack
Using this Charm, the Lunar
becomes whirling killing machine, constantly moving and attacking, ever aware
of his surroundings. While using this Charm, the Lunar gets an initiative bonus
equal to half (round down) the number of yards he moved the previous turn. The
Charm remains active so long as the Lunar keeps moving and commits Essence to
it. If he is forced to stop moving, the Charm ends. Additionally, while the
Charm is active, the Lunar can turn to meet any attack and cannot be ambushed
or attacked from the rear. The Dust Devil Advance cannot be used in a Combo
with any other Charm that gives an initiative bonus. This Charm cannot give the
Lunar more bonus dice than his Dexterity.
Twisting Surprise Attack
Cost: 4 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Manipulation: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Striking
Mospid Method
By suddenly transforming his body
― extending his reach, adding an extra joint in an arm and so forth
― the Lunar performs an “impossible” maneuver. As a result, he
automatically wins initiative against a single opponent. This Charm can be
activated at any point prior to the Lunar’s actual action, so the player could
roll initiative as normal but choose to activate this Charm depending on the
actions of others. When used in a Combo with extra action type Charms, the
Charm does not need to be applied to every action in that Combo. The Twisting
Surprise Attack cannot be used in a Combo with any other Charm that gives an
initiative bonus.
Foe-Driving Attack
Cost: 5 motes, 1
Willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Extra action
Minimum Charisma: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Twisting
Surprise Attack
This Charm allows the Lunar to
extend his body in wild and improbably ways, wrong-footing his opponent,
keeping her off balance by force of arms and wearing down her defenses until
she makes a deadly error. When activating this Charm, the Lunar’s player rolls
the attack dice normally, but if the player gets 3 or more successes (not
extra successes) on the attack roll, the Lunar may immediately attack the same
target again. If the second attack also gets 3 successes, the Lunar can attack
again, and so on, up to a maximum number of attacks equal to the Lunar’s
Dexterity. All attacks must be at the same target. Damage for each attack is
resolved normally before the next attack is launched, so unless the target has
powerful defensive Charms, she will surely falter. The Foe-Driving Attack may
not be used in any Combo that includes Charms that provide automatic successes
on the attack roll.
Monkey Paw Advantage
Cost: 1 mote per die
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Manipulation: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Sensing the
Deadly Flow
The Lunar may combine his mastery
of weapons and his protean nature to counter the efforts of an unwary foe,
adjusting his weapon’s path at the last moment to negate defensive moves. If an
opponent attempts to parry a Lunar’s Melee attack but does not completely block
it, the Lunar’s player can use the Monkey Paw Advantage to reroll the parried
successes as another attack with the same weapon, paying 1 mote per die
rerolled. If the opponent has actions remaining, she can attempt to parry these
rerolled attack dice. The Monkey Paw Advantage confers no benefit if the target
dodges. The Monkey Paw Advantage cannot be included in a Combo with Charms that
give extra actions.
Weapon-Clutching Method
Cost: 2 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Manipulation: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Monkey Paw
Advantage
Using this Charm, the Lunar can
elongate one of his arms to retrieve a weapon that has been knocked from his
grasp or to otherwise arm himself. The arm may extend
to a number of yards equal to twice the Lunar’s Essence, grabs the weapon, then returns to its normal length with the weapon ready to
use. The extension and contraction of the arm are almost simultaneous, and so,
the Weapon-Clutching Method cannot be used to attack at a distance. Lunars who
wish to make a ranged Melee attack will need to use the Surprising Gibbon
Attack.
Twisting Monkey Wrist
Cost: 1 mote per die
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Charisma: 3
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms:
Weapon-Clutching Method
In addition to proving a major
advantage in weaving past an opponent's defenses, a Lunar’s protean flexibility
helps to make disarming opponents easy. The Lunar merely extends her limbs and
alters the way her joints move in order to give her a considerable edge. When
attempting a disarming attack, the Lunar can purchase additional dice up to her
Dexterity. When using this Charm, the difficulty of disarming in melee combat
decreases to 2. The target may parry the attempt as usual, but his player’s
reflexive Wits + Melee roll requires one more success than the Lunar’s
disarming roll to be effective.
Surprising Gibbon Attack
Cost: 1 mote
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Manipulation: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Monkey Paw
Advantage
Even allowing for the reach of
limbs and weapons, melee combat requires the combatants to be within a few
yards of each other. Longer weapons ― such as pole arms ― can
confer considerable advantages, particularly when facing mounted opponents.
Lunar Exalted may adjust their bodies to adjust circumstances in their favor
― they can elongate one or both limbs, allowing them to attack opponents
some distance. A Lunar using this Charm may attack at a distance of up to his
Essence in yards. If the opponent is more than three yards from the Lunar, she
will be unable to make a hand-to-hand counterattack and must move before
engaging the Exalt in hand-to-hand combat. Any weapon wielded in this manner
― even a knife ― is considered a long weapon, and the Lunar does
not suffer the usual penalties for attacking mounted opponents from on foot.
Knowing Weapon Technique
Cost: 3 motes per die
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Dexterity: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Sensing the
Deadly Flow
By means of this Charm, a Lunar’s
control over his weapon is without peer, and he can steer his attack to its
most deadly effect: Blades carve through flesh, and blunt weapons break bones
like porcelain. After an opponent has applied his soak to an attack the Lunar
makes using a hand-to-hand weapon, the Lunar may pay 3 motes of Essence per
remaining damage point of damage. Each point paid for in this manner becomes an
automatic success. The Lunar cannot buy more automatic successes than his
permanent Essence.
Tiger Claw Swat
Cost: 3 motes per die
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Strength: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Sensing the
Deadly Flow
By lunging at his foe and binding
Essence into his attacks, a Lunar can inflict monstrous damage on his opponent.
The shocking impact of such an attack is devastating and quite often ends the
battle in the Lunar’s favor. The Lunar may enhance a single Melee attack by
buying additional damage dice at a cost of 3 motes per die. The maximum number
of points that can be added is equal to the Lunar’s Strength rating. This must
be done before the attack is rolled.
The attack may be dodged as
normal, but the difficulty of parrying an attack augmented with this Charm is greatly
increased. All parry attempts must first overcome a base difficulty equal to
the number of motes spent fueling Tiger Claw Swat before they subtract
successes from the attack. This doesn’t enhance the attack. They simply
increase the difficulty of the target’s parry and do not add to the damage of
the Lunar’s attack. The difficulty modifier is applied first and must be
overcome before the extra successes can be applied to defending against the
Lunar’s blow. Tiger Claw Swat cannot be used in a Combo with other Charms that
increase damage dice.
Scar-Making Blow
Cost: 2 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Dexterity: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Tiger Claw
Swat
Scars are an integral part of
Lunar Exalted society, maintaining the Lunars’ form and used as a means of
counting coup. Scarring an opponent, without causing serious injury, is an
unsubtle means of demonstrating martial superiority. A Lunar enacting this
Charm can turn the Dexterity dice in his Dexterity + Melee attack pool in
automatic successes when attempting to mark a target. The opponent may parry or
dodge as normal, reducing the net successes for the marking attempt.
Ritual scarring forms part of
several Lunar events, and the Scar-Making Blow is used
in some cases to impart the markings. In such cases, the target willingly
undergoes the marking, and the number of successes needed to mark the target is
reduced to 1. Scars imparted by this Charm are simply the product of healing
and lack the magical strength of those imparted by the No Moon Caste’s
Form-Fixing Method.
Ferocious Avalanche Technique
Cost: 1 mote per yard
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Dexterity: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Tiger Claw
Swat
By making a series of swift and
decisive blows, a Lunar can unbalance his opponent. By using the Ferocious
Avalanche Technique, the Lunar forces his opponent to give ground. For each
mote of Essence spent by the Lunar, his target must either back off a yard or
allow the Lunar to gain a bonus attack die. If the opponent has not yet acted
this turn or has moved less than half his move allowance, he may back off as a
reflexive action. If the opponent does not (or cannot) back away, the Lunar
gains a number of bonus attack dice equal to the distance the target didn’t
move. The maximum bonus the Lunar can gain from this attack is equal to his
Dexterity, and these are Dexterity bonus dice.
For Example: A Lunar attacks
and puts 3 motes of Essence into the Ferocious Avalanche Technique. His
opponent must either back up three yards or else the Lunar gains +3 attack
dice. If the opponent backed up a yard but could go no further due to an
obstacle, the Lunar would gain +2 attack dice (3 - the distance in yards
moved).
Limb-Maiming Flourish
Cost: 6 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Dexterity: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Ferocious
Avalanche Technique
Using the Limb-Maiming Flourish,
a Lunar uses Essence to maximize the lethal effect of her weapon, guiding it to
the points that will do most damage. When rolling damage, any 10s on the damage
dice count as two successes. After determining the actual amount of damage
inflicted, the Lunar may reduce one of the victim’s Physical Attributes or Appearance
by one instead of inflicting two health levels of damage. This may not reduce
an Attribute below 1, nor may it be used to convert all damage into Attribute
loss ― the target must loose at least one health level per Attribute
point lost. An Exalted requires a week of healing to recover each Attribute
point lost, but such injuries are permanent if inflicted on mortals.
Limb-Maiming Flourish cannot be used in a Combo with other Charms that increase
damage dice.
Thunderclap Method
Cost: 1 mote per die
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Strength: 3
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Tiger Claw
Swat
Most competent swordsmen can
adjust their blows so as to cause bashing damage to their targets. The Lunar
Exalted are considerably more formidable than any
mortal swordsman, and their Essence-laden blows can fell even a Terrestrial. By
means of the Thunderclap Method, a Lunar increases the strength of a Melee
attack while softening its impact, so that it will only fell an enemy, rather
than slay her. A blow enhanced by this Charm rings like thunder, stunning the
opponent. Any attack enhanced with this Charm automatically does only bashing
damage , but after subtracting soak from the damage of the attack, the Lunar
can activate this Charm and pay 1 mote to change a remaining die of damage to
an automatic success. Each remaining die becomes an automatic success,
inflicting a level of bashing damage. A Lunar cannot buy more automatic damage
successes in this fashion than he has points of Strength. The Charm cannot be
part of a Combo with any other Charm that grant’s automatic damage successes.
Weapon Fusion Method
Cost: 1 mote
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Dexterity: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Sensing the
Deadly Flow
By means of this Charm, the
Lunar’s weapon becomes an extension of his body. When making a single attack or
parry with a hand-to-hand weapon, the Lunar’s player can use his choice of the
character’s Melee, Brawl or Martial Arts Abilities. The weapon’s characteristics
are unaffected, only the Ability used to make the attack changes. The Weapon
Fusion Method cannot be used as part of a Combo that incorporates Charms that
aid in unarmed Brawl or Martial Arts combat.
Weapon-Shaping Prana
Cost: 2 or 3 motes
Duration: Indefinite
Type: Simple
Minimum Wits: 2
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Weapon
Fusion Method
Using this Charm, a Lunar can
pick up any piece of wood or bone and imbue it with his Essence to transform it
into a serviceable hand-to-hand weapon. It costs 2 motes to form a one-handed
weapon and 3 motes to form a two-handed hand-to-hand weapon. These weapons can
be used by others as well as by the Lunar and persist until the Exalt withdraws
the Essence committed to the Charm.
Stunning Moonsilver Blow
Cost: 1 mote
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Manipulation: 3
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Weapon
Fusion Method
The Lunar’s mastery of moonsilver
weapons allows her to imbue such a weapon with Essence, causing it to flow and
flatten, rather than crush or cut. With the use of this Charm, the Lunar can
cause a single attack with a moonsilver weapon to inflict bashing damage rather
than lethal without subtracting a success from her attack action as per the
normal pulling blows rules.
Surprising Moonsilver Deformation
Cost: 2 per success
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Manipulation: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Stunning
Moonsilver Blow
Moonsilver weapons have an innate
link to the Lunar Exalted, affording them considerable advantages in combat.
Combining this Charm with a moonsilver weapon’s fluid nature increases the
difficulty of parrying or dodging the weapon; the weapon simply flows around
the opponent’s defenses or anticipates the defensive moves. Increase the number
of successes needed to parry or dodge a single attack with a moonsilver weapon
by up to the Exalt’s Essence, at a cost of 2 per additional success required.
These simply increase the difficulty of the target’s parry roll and do not add
to the damage of the Lunar’s attack. The difficulty modifier is applied first
and must be overcome before the extra successes can be applied to defend
against the Lunar’s blow. This Charm has no effect if the parrying weapon is
also made of moonsilver, nor is it effective when attacking with moonsilver
talons or teeth.
Deadly Moonsilver Affinity
Cost: 1 or 3 motes per die
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Manipulation: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Stunning
Moonsilver Blow
By means of this Charm, a Lunar
can further exploit his weapon’s fluid form, rendering it into a truly
devastating tool, for the edge flows into blows, seeking to widen and deepen
cuts or reshaping itself to smash bones for maximum effect. When making a
damage roll for a moonsilver weapon, the Lunar’s player can purchase additional
damage dice up to the weapon’s damage rating. These points are added before
soak is applied. Bonus dice of damage up to the Lunar’s Strength cost 1 mote
each, while those that exceed the character’s Strength cost 3 motes each.
Deadly Moonsilver Affinity cannot be used as part of a Combo with other Charms
that increase the damage value or extra successes of an attack.
Insidious Moonsilver Shard
Cost: 6 motes, 1
Willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Charisma: 4
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms: Surprising
Moonsilver Deformation, Deadly Moonsilver Affinity
A moonsilver weapon’s edge is its
most lethal aspect, inflicting heinous damage on the Lunar’s foes. It is not,
however, the only harms such weapons inflict. A more insidious option is open
to appropriately minded Lunars. By activating this Charm, the Lunar empowers
his moonsilver weapon so that it gains a purpose even when beyond his hands. If
the blow is successful, a fragment of the blade breaks off in the wound,
remaining to cause grievous harm to the victim. The player must pay for the
Charm before making the attack roll. For the magic to have effect, the attack
must be successful and must inflict at least one health level of damage.
The attack does damage as normal,
and a shard of moonsilver remains in the wound, slowly working its way through
its victim’s body. This causes one die of lethal damage per day and continues
to cause damage until it is removed. Removing the shard requires at least
Medicine 3 and is Challenging (requires 3 successes). The removal procedure
causes five dice of lethal damage, minus one die per extra success (to a
minimum of 1L). Charms that heal aggravated damage, such as Bodily Regeneration
Prana, can also be used to expel a moonsilver shard, as can a shapeshifting
stunt. Activating this Charm lowers the weapon’s damage rating by 1 until the
next night the moon is full.