Unarmed Combat Charms

 

Body Weapon Technique

Cost: 1 mote

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Strength: 1

Minimum Essence: 1

Prerequisite Charms: None

A Lunar may use this Charm to enhance his unarmed-combat abilities, making his blows more deadly by focusing Essence into his limbs. Rather than inflicting bashing damage when executing a single unarmed Brawl or Martial Arts attack (not a wrestling maneuver), his blow causes lethal damage.

 

Sinuous Striking Grace

Cost: 1 mote per + 1 initiative

Duration: Instant

Type: Reflexive

Minimum Dexterity: 1

Minimum Essence: 1

Prerequisite Charms: Body Weapon Technique

The Lunar uses the Sinuous Striking Grace Charm to guide his actions, allowing Essence flows to suggest the likely actions of allies and enemies alike. When rolling initiative, the Lunar may spend motes of Essence to improve his initiative rating, 1 mote buying a +1 modifier to a maximum of the Lunar’s Dexterity score.

 

Tyrant Lizard Strike

Cost: 1 mote per die

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Dexterity: 2

Minimum Essence: 1

Prerequisite Charms: Sinuous Striking Grace

By means of this Charm, a Lunar can instinctively perceive the flows of Essence in his target, using the victim’s intentions to easily guide the Exalt’s blows through the enemy’s defenses, making the Lunar’s claws and teeth incredibly accurate. For each mote of Essence spent on this Charm, the Lunar gains an additional attack die on a single unarmed Brawl or Martial Arts attack. These bonus dice may not exceed the character’s Dexterity.

 

Hydra Head Attack

Cost: 3 motes per attack, 1 Willpower

Duration: Instant

Type: Extra action

Minimum Dexterity: 3

Minimum Essence: 1

Prerequisite Charms: Tyrant Lizard Strike

A skilled Lunar can use Essence to enhance his reactions, giving him preternatural reflexes and allowing him to attack multiple times in a turn. For every 3 motes of Essence spent activating this Charm, the Lunar gains an additional unarmed Brawl or Martial Arts attack. A Lunar can buy no more extra actions than his permanent Essence, nor more 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 their ability to make many extra actions.

 

Snake Body Technique

Cost: 5 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Reflexive

Minimum Dexterity: 3

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: Sinuous Striking Grace

By utilizing the sinuous movements of a snake, the Lunar can use a civilized enemy’s strengths against him. When attacked by a Melee or Martial Arts attack but before damage is rolled, the Exalt’s player can make a reflexive Dexterity + Dodge roll against a difficulty equal to the number of successes rolled on the attack. If the roll succeeds, any damage from the attack is applied to the attacker instead of the Lunar with extra successes by the Lunar increasing the number of damage dice. Even if the Exalt fails to reflect the attacks, Lunar’s successes on the Dexterity + Dodge roll still reduce the attack’s successes normally. The Snake Body Technique is a form of dodge and cannot be used against undodgeable attacks, nor can it be used to avoid counterattack-type effects.

 

Coiled Cobra Stance

Cost: 5 motes

Duration: Variable

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Dexterity: 3

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: Snake Body Technique, Deadly Viper Strike

By holding his body in anticipation of the opponent’s actions, a Lunar using this Charm can ready a devastating blow against his foe, timing that blow with deadly precision. The Lunar activates the Charm before rolling initiative and chooses a self-inflicted initiative penalty. For every point of penalty on the initiative roll, the Lunar gains a bonus die to his attack roll. This bonus cannot exceed the Lunar’s Dexterity, counts against the Exalted’s Dexterity Charm dice and only applies during turns when the character plans to make Brawl or Martial Arts attacks. If the Lunar does not attack in the turn in which the Charm is activated, the advantages of the Coiled Cobra Stance are lost. If the Lunar full dodges or aborts to a parry, the effects of the Charm are lost. Coiled Cobra Stance cannot be used in a Combo with Charms that grant extra actions. A character cannot split his dice pool in a turn when he uses the Coiled Cobra Stance.

For Example: After the first turn of combat, Kajeha Lef knows she is faster than her opponent does and opts to use the Coiled Cobra Stance. Kajeha is in hybrid form and has a Dexterity of 6 but opts to delay her initiative by only 5 points rather than risk the opponent acting first. In the second turn of combat, her initiative score is 14 (reduced to 9), while her opponent gets a 7 total. Kajeha still acts first, but her use of the Coiled Cobra Stance adds 5 dice to her attack pool.

 

Deadly Claw Blow

Cost: 2 motes per success

Duration: Instant

Type: Reflexive

Minimum Dexterity: 2

Minimum Essence: 1

Prerequisite Charms: Body Weapon Technique

This Charm allows the Lunar to harness his bestial prowess to become a killing machine. He becomes instinctively aware of an opponent’s weak spots and how to exploit them, allowing him to target his attacks to maximum effect. He may spend Essence to turn his Dexterity dice into automatic successes when making a single unarmed Brawl or Martial Arts attack. The dice converted into automatic successes are not rolled as part of his dice pool but the remaining dice (including Ability dice and any Attribute dice not converted to successes) are rolled normally. Each Attribute die converted costs 2 motes of Essence. The precision of the Deadly Claw Blow allows the Lunar to harm beings not wholly in the material world, allowing him to target spirits even if they are dematerialized.

For Example: Swims in Shadows uses Deadly Claw Blow to enhance his abilities in combat with the Fair Folk. His player spends 6 motes of Swims in Shadows’ Essence to convert his 3 Dexterity dice into automatic successes, then rolls the four dice of his Brawl Ability to see if he can increase this number. He rolls 3, 4, 8, and 1, adding one additional success, for a total of four successes.

 

Claws Of The Silver Moon

Cost: 4 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Simple

Minimum Stamina: 2

Minimum Essence: 1

Prerequisite Charms: Deadly Claw Blow

Using this technique, the Lunar temporarily transforms his claws and fangs into moonsilver, drastically improving his combat abilities. When using the Charm, the Lunar may make unarmed  claw attacks with his Brawl or Martial Arts at Spd +6, Acc +1, Dmg +3L, Pry +1. He may make unarmed bite attacks with those Abilities at Spd +0, Acc +2, Dmg +5L, Pry +0. Claws of the Silver Moon can harm spirits even if they are dematerialized, and Charms that enhance moonsilver weapons may be used in conjunction with Claws of the Silver Moon.

 

Scimitar Claw Technique

Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower

Duration: One scene

Type: Simple

Minimum Manipulation: 3

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: Claws of the Silver Moon

Focusing Essence in his claws and teeth, not only does the Lunar transform his claws and teeth into moonsilver, but he also enlarges and reshapes them into vicious rending weapons, well capable of disemboweling an ill-prepared foe. When using the Charm, the Lunar’s claw attacks are Spd +6, Acc +4, Dmg +5L, Pry +4. The Lunar’s bite attacks are Spd +3, Acc +2, Dmg +8L, Pry +0. Charms that enhance moonsilver weapons may be used in conjunction with the Scimitar Claw Technique. Claws created with the Scimitar Claw Technique can harm dematerialized spirits.

 

Adder Fang Method

Cost: 3 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Stamina: 3

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: Claws of the Silver Moon

Lunars who know the Adder Fang Method can enhance their attacks with venom. The Charm momentarily creates poison generating glands or ducts, releasing toxins whenever the Lunar successfully makes an unarmed Brawl or Martial Arts bite attack. In addition to the normal damage of the attack, if the target takes damage, she suffers an additional number of dice of lethal damage equal to the Stamina + Essence of the Lunar. This damage is soaked separately and does not add extra successes. However, it ignores the target’s armor ― only Stamina and other natural soak apply.

 

Burning Saliva Attack

Cost: 3 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Simple

Minimum Dexterity: 4

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: Adder Fang Method

Using this Charm, a Lunar channels Essence into his digestive system, momentarily transforming his stomach acids into a lethal weapon. He can spit this corrosive phlegm at a target within 10 yards. The attack uses Dexterity + Thrown or Athletics with a -1 accuracy modifier. The opponent may doddge but not parry. The attack inflicts 8L + extra successes. The Burning Saliva Attack continues to harm the opponent each turn until it is washed off or otherwise removed. Scraping the acid off requires a Dexterity + Athletics roll and is not a reflexive action ― the victim or one of his associates must use a dice action to do so, though she need not roll.

Rather than directly attacking an enemy with his acid saliva, the Lunar can target the opponent’s weapon. The accuracy of such attacks is -2, and rather than the opponent soaking the damage, her weapon must do so. Its soak is equal to its damage value (so a straight sword that inflicts +3L has a soak of 3). Roll unsoaked damage dice normally, and every two successes reduce the weapon’s damage value by one. If the weapon’s damage reaches 0, the weapon is rendered useless. The acid continues to harm the weapon until it is removed, which requires a non-reflexive Dexterity + Athletics action, though the player of the character removing the acid need not actually roll. Such an attack doesn’t affect weapons made of the Five Magical Materials.

 

Cobra Eye Method

Cost: 4 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Simple

Minimum Intelligence: 5

Minimum Essence: 3

Prerequisite Charms: Burning Saliva Attack

A sufficiently skilled Lunar can adjust the lethality of his acid saliva, adjusting its damage and efficacy to meet specific requirements. One such alternative is to reduce the damage of the attack in favor of more precise targeting of the attack. A Lunar may attack as per the Burning Saliva Attack (range 10 yards, accuracy -1, damage 8L + extra successes, opponent may not parry), and if the attack is successful, his player rolls damage normally. However, as well as inflicting health levels of damage, such an attack reduces one of the target’s Physical Attributes (Strength, Dexterity and Stamina), his Appearance or his Perception. After rolling for damage, the Lunar may sacrifice a health level of damage to reduce one of the target’s Physical Attributes, his Appearance or his Perception by one dot. An Attribute cannot be reduced below 1 with this Charm. An Exalt requires a week of healing to recover each Attribute point, but such injuries are permanent if inflicted on mortals.

 

Soporific Venom Attack

Cost: 6 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Simple

Minimum Wits: 3

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: Burning Saliva Attack

By adjusting the composition of his saliva, the Lunar can transform the Burning Saliva Attack from an agonizing assault into a means of subduing a foe. The Soporific Venom Attack functions as per the Burning Saliva Attack, attacking at -1 accuracy at a range of 10 yards. However, the damage it inflicts is 14B + extra successes. The target may be rendered insensate in two ways: He may sustain sufficient bashing damage to render him incapacitated, or the toxin may shock him into unconsciousness. The latter may happen if the number of bashing health levels inflicted by a single attack after damage is rolled exceeds the target’s Stamina Attribute. If it does, the target’s player must make a reflexive Stamina + Endurance roll against a difficulty equal to the Lunar’s Essence. If the defender succeeds, he simply takes the bashing damage from the attack. Otherwise, he is immediately rendered unconscious for a number of minutes equal to the Lunar’s Stamina + Essence.

 

Deadly Viper Strike

Cost: 8 motes, 1 Willpower

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Manipulation: 3

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: Adder Fang Method

The Deadly Viper Strike allows the Lunar to create and use a more toxic variant of the venom in the Adder Fang Method. This Charm must be used as part of an unarmed Brawl or Martial Arts attack. In addition to the normal attack damage, the venom injected into the target causes injury and pain, though the immediate damage is less than for the Adder Fang Method toxin. Instead, if the Lunar’s attack was successful and does damage, the victim’s player must roll Stamina + Endurance against a difficulty equal to the Lunar’s Essence. If the roll fails, the target suffers an automatic level of lethal damage, and his player must roll again (at the same difficulty) next turn. Success indicates that the target sustains no injury, and any additional successes reduce the difficulty of resisting next turn. If the difficulty is reduced to 0, the poison is no longer effective. A botch indicates the target suffers two automatic levels of lethal damage, and the difficulty of resisting next turn increases by one.

 

Rabid Beast Bite

Cost: 3 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Charisma: 3

Minimum Essence: 3

Prerequisite Charms: Deadly Viper Strike

Fists, fangs and talons are only the most obvious components of a Lunar’s arsenal. Using the Rabid Beast Bite, a Lunar Exalt can focus tainted traces of Essence into an injury, no matter how insignificant. Any wounds caused by a Brawl or Martial Arts attack supplemented by Rabid Beast Bite are likely to become infected, even if the attack inflicted only bashing damage.

Players must make a roll for their characters to avoid infection on any injury caused by such an attack. Wounds that would normally have a chance of infection (those inflicting lethal or aggravated damage) increase the difficulty of the roll to avoid infection by the Lunar’s Essence, and rolls for the unExalted to recover from the infection are also increased by the Lunar’s Essence. The difficulty of avoiding infection from bashing damage is 1. The cost of this Charm must be paid before the Lunar makes his attack roll. Using the Rabid Beast Bite on another Lunar is considered a sign of great disrespect.

 

Form-Destroying Touch

Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Charisma: 4

Minimum Essence: 4

Prerequisite Charms: Rabid Beast Bite

Some Lunars regard rending an opponent’s body as too swift a punishment for whatever her offense has been and seek to prolong the agony and distress of their opponent. By means of the Form-Destroying Touch, the Lunar uses his protean abilities to disrupt the body of his opponent. The effects are weak at first but persist, with increasing effectiveness. If the technique is successful, wild mutations spring up on the victim’s body, slowly consuming and warping her form until nothing is left but a shapeless mass.

The Form-Destroying Touch must be activated before the Lunar makes an unarmed Brawl or Martial Arts attack. The Charm has no effect unless the Exalt gets at least one success on his attack roll ― if the attack roll fails or if the target blocks or dodges the attack, the Charm has no effect, and the motes and Willpower are lost. However, if the attack lands, the Lunar’s player rolls damage dice as normal ― which the target cannot soak ― though no actual damage is recorded on the target’s health levels. Instead, if the successes inflicted by the attack equal or exceed the target’s Stamina, the Lunar has implanted part of his protean power in the victim, with potentially devastating consequences. If the phantom damage does not exceed the victim’s Stamina, the Charm dissipates with no last effect.

The target of a successful Form-Destroying Touch suffers no ill effects for the first day after she has been attacked, though the corrupt Essence is already at work. Each day after the first, anomalies being to emerge and the target must attempt to resist the corruption (roll Stamina + Endurance against a difficulty equal to the Lunar’s Essence). If the roll succeeds, she resists ill effects for that day. If the roll fails, she suffers aggravated damage; the first time this happens, the damage is a single die, but it increases to two dice the second time the roll fails, three the third, and so forth, as the contagion continues to spread its mutations and damage. These damage dice are rolled normally. If the number of contagion-inflicted aggravated health levels of damage exceeds the victim’s Essence + Stamina, the victim’s body looses cohesion, and she dies, transmuted into a chaotic jumble of mutated organs and protoplasmic sludge.

Form-Destroying Touch cannot be used on those immune to shapeshifting (such as Lunars) or where a Charm or sorcery prevents the Lunar from touching his victim or shields the target from Wyld mutation. Mortal medicine is powerless to cure the Form-Destroying Touch, though Charms such as Bodily Regeneration Prana can negate the effect of Form-Destroying Touch if they cure all the aggravated damage from the character’s health track. Disease-curing Charms and magical remedies do nothing unless they are of incredible power (the legendary Panacea Pipe might cure an afflicted character, for example). The notable exception is the cure-all Sweet Cordial (which allows the victim’s player a regular Stamina + Resistance roll at difficulty 1 to defeat the infection).

 

Snake Head Defense

Cost: 6 motes

Duration: Indefinite

Type: Simple

Minimum Charisma: 3

Minimum Essence: 4

Prerequisite Charms: Deadly Viper Strike

Using this Charm, a Lunar can fashion part of his body ― usually the hair or a tail ― into the form of a venomous snake or strikes. It doesn’t matter if the Lunar has one large snake or many smaller ones, the effect is the same. These snake-buds act pseudo-independently of the Lunar. Though limited in reach to half the Lunar’s Essence in yards (rounded down), the snakes can attack independently of the character. The snake or snakes attack targets of the Exalt’s player’s choosing and acting on the Lunar’s initiative. The snake-extensions fight with half (round down, minimum 1) the Lunar’s Attribute and Ability scores and do Strength + 1L base damage. They act once per turn but can split their dice pool normally. Though lacking the raw strength of the Exalt, a serpent’s bite is venomous, acting in the same manner as the Deadly Viper Strike. However, the venom is less than the Lunar’s own, and the victim’s player need only roll Stamina + Endurance against a difficulty equal to half the Lunar’s Essence (rounded down, minimum 1).

A snake may be attacked independently of the Lunar and has 3 health levels: -1, -2, and -4. A fourth point of damage “kills” or disables the snake. These wounds do not affect the Lunar while the snake remains in existence, but if he chooses to discontinue the Charm, half (round up) of any wounds suffered by the character’s ophidian offshoots transfer to the Exalt. Damaged snakes heal at the same rate as an Exalt (not as fast as the Lunar using the Charm); dead snakes do not heal. While a snake remains “alive,” a Lunar Exalted cannot be subjected to an unanticipated attack by a visible foe. The snakes cannot parry or dodge, but a Lunar whose snake-extensions are attacked can parry or dodge the attack as if it was against the Lunar himself. A Lunar cannot use this Charm more than once at a time on himself.

 

Monkey Arm Style

Cost: 2 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Reflexive

Minimum Manipulation: 2

Minimum Essence: 1

Prerequisite Charms: Body Weapon Technique

Ordinarily, a Lunar can only attack targets within arm’s reach. The Monkey Arm Style allows the Lunar to surprise his opponents by extending his reach by a number of yards equal to his Essence. The Charm causes one or both of the Lunar’s arms to elongate, reshaping bone and muscle to create a long, sinuous limb that, despite its snake-like appearance, remains fully functional. The hand can grasp objects or targets but lacks the finesse required to wield a weapon effectively. The Monkey Arm Style can be used on its own to extend the Lunar’s reach for an instant, but it is most commonly used as part of a Brawl or Martial Arts attack, allowing the character to make unarmed attacks or wrestling maneuvers at a distance equal to his Essence in yards.

 

Startling Tentacle Attack

Cost: 3 motes per attack

Duration: Instant

Type: Extra action

Minimum Manipulation: 2

Minimum Essence: 1

Prerequisite Charms: Monkey Arm Style

This Charm allows the Lunar to pour Essence into one of his limbs, which splits into multiple, writhing tentacles. Anything held in that limb is dropped, and while the Exalted’s natural weaponry functions as normal, the damage is always converted to bashing before it is applied to the target. Each of the tentacles is capable of making a separate attack at the Lunar’s full Dexterity + Brawl or Martial Arts dice, although all must attack the same target within a number of yards equal to twice the Lunar’s Essence. If the defender dodges, make one roll and apply it to all attacks. However, parry attempts must be made against each attack. The tentacles re-form into the original limb after the attacks are made. The Exalted cannot create more tentacles than his permanent Essence.

 

Grasping Pseudopod Method

Cost: 5 motes

Duration: Until attack ends

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Manipulation: 3

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: Startling Tentacle Attack

Using this Charm, the Lunar shapes one of his limbs into a single, powerful tentacle that allows the Lunar to make clinch, hold and throw attacks out to a number of yards equal to twice his Essence. If the Lunar’s player botches his attack roll or if the target gets five more successes than the Lunar in any contest related to the wrestling, the Lunar’s player must make a reflexive Wits + Athletics roll or have his character thrown toward the target and suffer the effects of knockdown.

 

Tentacle-Spear Strike

Cost: 4 or 5 motes per tentacle

Duration: Instant

Type: Extra action

Minimum Manipulation: 4

Minimum Essence: 3

Prerequisite Charms: Startling Tentacle Attack

By increasing the amount of Essence he commits when creating tentacles, the Lunar can strike at targets further away, allowing him to make hand-to-hand attacks at incredible range. The Lunar can make a number of tentacle attacks up to his permanent Essence, and each tentacle may make a separate attack at the Lunar’s full Dexterity + Brawl or Martial Arts. A tentacle does damage as if it were a normal unarmed attack by the Lunar. Each tentacle may attack the same target, or they may attack different victims, but each defender must be in sight and within a number of yards of the Lunar equal to (the Lunar’s Essence x 10). Roll each attack separately, but if the target parries or dodges the attack, make one roll and apply it to all attacks directed against him. As a result, the Lunar’s opponent may avoid none, some, or all of the tentacles. The tentacles re-form into the original limb immediately after the attacks are made. The cost of the Charm is 4 motes per tentacle if all are directed at a single target, or 5 motes per tentacle if the attacks are targeted at multiple foes.

 

Weapon-Snatching Coils

Cost: 4 motes per tentacle, 1 Willpower

Duration: Instant

Type: Simple

Minimum Manipulation: 4

Minimum Essence: 3

Prerequisite Charms: Tentacle Spear Strike

By directing his pseudopodia at an opponent’s weapon, the Lunar can use the multiplicity of the tentacles and their speed and reach to foil the opponent’s attacks. The maximum number and reach of the tentacles is as per the Tentacle-Spear Strike (Essence x 10 in yards, no more than Essence tentacles), but rather than rolling Dexterity + Brawl, the Lunar’s player rolls Strength + Brawl, adding 1 die for each tentacle formed. The opponent may seek to parry or dodge the attack, but if the number of successes remaining after defense still exceeds the target’s Dexterity, she is disarmed. Weapon-Snatching Coils do not inflict damage on the target, and the attack cannot be split between multiple foes.

 

Bear Embrace Method

Cost: 1 mote per die

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Dexterity: 3

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: Body Weapon Technique

Lunars revel in the visceral nature of hand-to-hand combat, particularly when they can feel the breath of their opponents on their face. As a consequence, grappling is a favored technique. This Charm allows the Lunar to fortify his musculature, allowing his player to purchase additional dice up to the character’s Dexterity when rolling a single wrestling attack with Martial Arts or Brawl. The Charm allows the addition of dice to enact, continue or escape from such maneuvers or to do extra points of damage in a clinch attack.

 

Spine-Breaking Technique

Cost: 3 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Strength: 3

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: Bear Embrace Method

The pinnacle of their wrestling abilities, the Spine-Breaking Technique demonstrates the awesome power of the Lunars’ bestial nature. By means of this Charm, the Lunar turns a painful and often incapacitating attack into a lethal demonstration of his prowess. The Lunar makes a clinch attack as normal, but rather than the normal bashing damage, the Spine-Breaking Technique inflicts lethal damage. The Spine-Breaking Technique is also very difficult for a victim to escape from, and the player of a Lunar who activated the technique with his last action adds the Lunar’s Strength in automatic successes to the roll to resist any escape attempt. A Lunar caught in a clinch may activate this Charm on his action to do lethal damage. The Spine-Breaking Technique can be used in a Combo with Charm that increase the character’s Strength but not with any that enhance Dexterity.

 

Mighty Bear Crush

Cost: 2 motes per die

Duration: Instant

Type: Reflexive

Minimum Strength: 4

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: Bear Embrace Method

This Charm allows the Lunar to imbue his muscles with Essence, giving flesh and bone the strength and consistency of steel hawsers. When the character has successfully executed a clinch, tackle or throw or is doing damage from maintaining a clinch, this Charm allows the Lunar to transform dice up to his Strength into automatic damage successes. However, the maximum number of dice the Lunar can transform is equal to his Essence or Strength, whichever is lower. The Essence for this Charm is spent after soak is applied, so characters need not worry about wagering Essence. The Mighty Bear Crush can be used against any target the Lunar perceives, including dematerialized spirits.

 

Throat-Baring Hold

Cost: 5 motes per turn

Duration: Varies

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Dexterity: 4

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: Mighty Bear Crush

Lunars revel in close combat, and many are unafraid to place themselves in a disadvantageous position if doing so will aid their hunting companions. Indeed, doing so is seen by many as both a test of strength and courage. The Throat-Baring Hold is one of the most powerful expressions of this, allowing a Lunar who has his opponent in a hold to “open” the opponent’s defenses to other attackers.

The Lunar must make a successful hold attack. Any extra successes reduce the target’s lethal and bashing soak totals until the Lunar’s next action or until the opponent breaks free. As with normal hold attacks, the Lunar’s attack does not inflict damage. The Throat-Baring Hold may be maintained for multiple turns but the Lunar must spend 5 motes and his action (and Charm) for the turn in order to maintain the Charm, and the target may break out, just as if it were a normal hold.

The penalty inflicted remains the same from turn to turn, until the hold is broken ― a Lunar whose initial attack fares poorly must release his foe and apply the hold again to get a new result. In all turns after the initial attack, the Lunar’s player may add the Exalt’s Strength as automatic successes to the roll for the purposes of combating the target’s escape attempts and reducing soak totals. Attacks against the target will not harm the Lunar ― the Charm helps keep him clear of the incoming strikes ― but a botched attack may still strike him.

 

Hyena Jaw Technique

Cost: 6 motes

Duration: Indefinite

Type: Simple

Minimum Manipulation: 2

Minimum Essence: 3

Prerequisite Charms: Might Bear Crush

Despite their formidable strength and unparalleled martial prowess, a foe is sometimes able to resist the Lunar’s attentions for a protracted period. Activating the Hyena Jaw Technique allows a Lunar who has his opponent in a clinch or hold to subdue the foe quickly. The Charm, usable only in beastman form, allows the Lunar to extend his neck and muzzle, allowing him to clamp his jaws on the opponent’s throat. Every turn the Charm is in effect, the target loses a dot of temporary Stamina and falls unconscious if reduced to 0 Stamina. If the target attempts to break away from the clinch or hold, she must soak lethal damage equal to the Lunar’s Strength + 2, irrespective of the success (or otherwise) of her player’s escape roll. If the target falls unconscious as a result of Stamina loss or her injuries, further damage inflicted by the Hyena Jaw Technique reduces one of the target’s Mental Attributes (Perception, Intelligence or Wits) by one, but not below 0. If all four targeted Attributes are reduced to 0, the target dies. A victim of Hyena Jaw Technique regains one Attribute dot per day.

 

Cunning Porcupine Defense

Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower

Duration: Indefinite

Type: Simple

Minimum Charisma: 3

Minimum Essence: 3

Prerequisite Charms: Bear Embrace Method

Though reveling in close combat, there are times Lunars seek to escape the clutches of their opponents and brute strength is not enough. This Charm, which can only be used when in the hybrid beastman form, allows the Lunar to give his foe a deadly surprise. After activating the Charm, the Lunar sprouts a number of 6-inch long, razor-sharp spines. Anyone who is clinching the Lunar when the spines form or who thereafter clinches, holds or otherwise engages in wrestling with the Lunar, risks grave injury. Those clinching or holding the Lunar suffer damage equal to the Lunar’s Strength + 5L, and the Lunar substitutes this for his normal damage when he does damage in a clinch.

Any unarmed attacks made by the Lunar while the spines are extended inflict lethal damage rather than bashing. Players of characters who make unarmed attacks against a Lunar using the Cunning Porcupine Defense must make a reflexive Dexterity + Athletics roll (Difficulty 3) or else their characters suffer lethal damage equal to their own Strength. Regardless, the Lunar takes damage from the opponent’s attack as normal. The Cunning Porcupine Defense remains in effect as long as the Lunar commits Essence to the Charm and stays in beastman form. If the Lunar leaves hybrid form or stops committing Essence, the spines merge back into his body.

 

Ossific Shard Shot

Cost: 2 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Simple

Minimum Manipulation: 3

Minimum Essence: 3

Prerequisite Charms: Cunning Porcupine Defense

Using this Charm, a Lunar can tear a fragment from her bones and reform her muscles to launch it from her body, hurling it at an opponent within a range of (her Perception x 10) in yards. This attack is horrible to behold, as the shard tears free of the Lunar’s body in a shower of blood and torn tissue, which, like the bone, regenerates near-instantly. The attack is made with Dexterity + Archery or Thrown, at -1 accuracy, and it inflicts (9L + extra successes) damage.

 

Angry Rhino Charge

Cost: 1 mote per 2 dice

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Strength: 2

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: Body Weapon Technique

Rather than simply wounding an opponent, a Lunar may use her strength and body mass to overbear the opponent and force him into a disadvantageous position. Using the Angry Rhino Charge after making a successful Brawl or Martial Arts attack allows the Lunar’s player to purchase extra dice of damage up to the Exalt’s Strength Attribute. These bonus dice do not add to the damage inflicted by the attack, but they do count toward determining knockdown and/or knockback and also determine the difficulty of the target’s roll to avoid knockdown.

For Example: Ma-Ha-Suchi, in beastman form, uses the Angry Rhino Charge in his battle with the Terrestrial Gavus. After Ma-Ha-Suchi successfully strikes the Dragon-Blooded, 3 motes are spent to purchase six extra dice to supplement the ancient Lunar’s natural Strength. Gavus has a combined Stamina + Resistance of 8, which Ma-Ha-Suchi’s damage dice exceed. Gavus’ player must therefore get five successes (the number of dice purchased by Ma-Ha-Suchi), or the Dragon-Blood suffers knockdown.

 

Bull Head Technique

Cost: 2 motes per die

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Manipulation: 3

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: Angry Rhino Charge

The Lunars can grow not only tentacles, but also other enhancements as well. Through the use of this Charm, the Lunar reshapes his head to be like that of a bull, including the bull’s deadly horns, for the instant of an attack. Using the Bull Head Technique, a Lunar is charging into combat (that is, who moves his full movement allowance for the turn) may focus his Essence to maximize damage to his opponent. After the Lunar makes a successful Brawl or Martial Arts attack, his player can purchase additional damage dice up to the value of the Exalt’s Strength Attribute. All damage from the Bull Head Technique is lethal. Bonus damage is applied before soak, not after.

 

Subduing The Honored Foe

Cost: 1 mote per die

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Strength: 2

Minimum Essence: 1

Prerequisite Charms: Body Weapon Technique

Though Lunars enjoy the thrill of combat, they don’t always want to kill their foes. In many cases, they seek simply to subdue them, as part of a ritual or demonstrative duel or to claim a ransom from the defeated foe. This Charm envelopes the Lunar’s limbs in Essence, lending his blows considerable weight but also cushioning the target from the worst effects of the blow. When rolling damage for an unarmed Brawl or Martial Arts attack, the Lunar’s player can transform a number of dice up to a maximum of his character’s Essence into automatic successes at the cost of 1 mote per die. Attacks enhanced with Subduing the Honored Foe automatically do bashing damage only.

This Charm’s effects take place immediately after soak is applied, but the player must pick before he makes the attack roll how many motes to spend converting dice of damage into automatic successes. If the player pays to convert more damage dice than he rolls, the extra Essence invested is wasted. If the target remains conscious after the attack but suffered more levels of bashing damage than her Stamina, she is dazed, and her player must make a successful reflexive Willpower roll (difficulty of the Lunar’s Strength) or have her character spend her next action shaking off the attack’s effects.

 

Body Breaking Kata

Cost: 5 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Charisma: 4

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: Bull Head Technique, Subduing the Honored Foe

Some Lunars employ finesse in combat, but most prefer brute force, and the Body Breaking Kata reflects this fact. It is not a subtle attack, but instead, employs a combination of size, strength and outright aggression to overwhelm an opponent. The Charm is only effective if the Lunar charges into close combat with her opponent ― she must move half her movement allowance before engaging the foe. The Lunar channels Essence through her body while making a single unarmed Martial Arts or Brawl attack. This Essence charge seems to cause the Lunar’s form to swell and take on giant proportions for an instant. As far as observers are concerned, the target is charged by a monstrous version of the Lunar’s totem. The player of the attacking Lunar should roll Dexterity + Brawl or Martial Arts as normal for the attack but double the number of extra successes before applying the target’s soak. All damage from the Body Breaking Kata is lethal.

 

Foot-Confusing Buffet

Cost: 2 motes + 1 mote per die

Duration: One turn

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Dexterity: 3

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: Subduing the Honored Foe

Maintaining the initiative in combat is often as important as the amount of damage inflicted on the opponent. Keeping control of the direction of a fight often takes precedence over inflicting injuries in the short term. The Foot-Confusing Buffet allows the Lunar to keep an opponent off balance, sacrificing one or more damage dice from a successful Brawl or Martial Arts attack in favor of an initiative penalty for the foe in the following turn. The Charm surrounds the Lunar’s attacking limbs with a nimbus of light, creating a mesmerizing series of patterns that distract the foe. The Lunar must activate the Charm before making his attack, paying the basic Essence cost even if the attack misses. Only if the attacking Lunar get at least one extra success does the Foot-Confusing Buffet come into play. The Lunar may sacrifice a number of dice of damage up to his Essence or Strength score, whichever is lowest. Damage dice are sacrificed before soak is applied. The number of points sacrificed is applied as a penalty to the target’s player’s initiative roll in the next turn.

 

Door-Breaking Method

Cost: 1 per damage success

Duration: Instant

Type: Simple

Minimum Strength: 3

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: Body Weapon Technique

By means of this Charm, a Lunar can focus his wrath on an inanimate object, dealing it a devastating blow to rend it into splinters. This attack is particularly effective against man-made objects, but it may be used against any non-living, non-magical item. When striking the object, the Lunar focuses his strength and aggression into the blow, as well as Essence. Every mote expended adds one die of damage to a single attack by the Lunar against an item. If the item is man-made, then each mote spent is worth two automatic damage successes instead. The Lunar’s player cannot spend more motes when using this Charm than the character’s Strength.

 

Hunter’s Eye Technique

Cost: 2 motes per die

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Perception: 3

Minimum Essence: 2

Prerequisite Charms: Body Weapon Technique

Strength is only part of winning a fight. Knowing where to hit the opponent to gain maximum effect is an equally important consideration ― perhaps more important in the case of fast, agile Lunars. Using this Charm, the Lunar guides a single unarmed Brawl or Martial Arts blow to the enemy’s weak point, circumventing his armor and defenses. For every 2 motes spent, the Lunar may reduce the soak rating of her opponent’s armor by 1. This applies to armor soak only ― the target’s natural soak is unaffected. The attack cannot reduce the soak of an opponent’s armor by more than the Lunar’s own Dexterity or below 0. The soak reduction applies only for the enhanced single attack. This Charm is of instant duration ― if the Lunar makes multiple attacks in a turn and desires to reduce the opponent’s armor soak each time, she must pay for each reduction separately.

 

Armor-Rending Claw Fist

Cost: 4 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Supplemental

Minimum Intelligence: 4

Minimum Essence: 3

Prerequisite Charms: Door-Breaking Method, Hunter’s Eye Technique

A Lunar’s claws are formidable weapons, but the protective effects of armor can blunt the strikes of even the mightiest Exalts. By means of this Charm, a Lunar can reduce the efficacy of his opponent’s armor, directing his attacks at the protective layers rather than directly at the opponent. To do so, he transforms his claws into vicious, hooked rending devices, lacking the length to cause serious harm to the opponent but granting them sufficient strength and resilience to rend even the hardest armors.

The Lunar makes an unarmed Brawl or Martial Arts attack as normal, including determining the amount of raw damage before soak. The opponent may reduce the attack’s damage only using his armor’s lethal soak rating, not his Stamina or any enhancements, unless they specifically reinforce the armor. Unlike a normal soak, this may reduce the damage of the attack to 0. Roll any remaining damage dice normally, and subtract the number of successes from all the armor’s soak ratings. This reduction is a permanent one, reflecting the Lunar’s efforts to shred and rend the armor, though a skilled armorer may be able to affect repairs. If the number of successful damage dice exceeds the armor’s soak rating, the armor is destroyed (irreparably), with the excess applied to the opponent (who may soak with her Stamina) as health levels of lethal damage. The Armor-Rending Claw Fist is not effective against armor made from the Five Magical Materials.