Resources for Exalted Second Edition
Please note: You must create separate user accounts for Lore 5 and the ECR forums.Significance Capturing Stroke
By Wordman
Submitted on 27 Nov 2006 at 01:33:01 PM EST
Last updated on 03 Jan 2007 at 04:59:13 PM EST
Sable Disposition of Being Style
Cost: 15m, 1wp
Mins: Martial Arts 6, Essence 6
Type: Reflexive (Step 2, 5)
Duration: Instant
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Shaping
Prerequisites: Kiss of Pigment
Follow-ups: Life Imitates Art
Mins: Martial Arts 6, Essence 6
Type: Reflexive (Step 2, 5)
Duration: Instant
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Shaping
Prerequisites: Kiss of Pigment
Follow-ups: Life Imitates Art
…and imprisoning her wicked brother for all to see.
So great is the artist’s connection to image and reality that his metaphoric ability to capture the essence of a subject becomes literal. With several strokes in the air, attempting to entangle and encapsulate his attacker in his art, rendering him harmless but beautiful.
In response to an attack, the artist creates a loose representation of the attacker in the air, which then attempt to engulf the attacker. The lines of the art interfere enough with the attack to allow the artist to add his Essence to his DV. Their primary benefit, however, is to capture the attacker in a work of art, making a grappling counterattack on the attacker using Dexterity + Martial Arts. This engulfing grapple is considered a “special defense” so is resolved in Step 5, but in other ways is handled as both a grapple and a counterattack. It may be dodged normally but it’s engulfing nature makes it difficult to parry, reducing PDV by the Martial Artist’s Essence.
If the grapple from the art succeeds, the attacker is surrounded by the painting and pulled into a pocket of Elsewhere, to which the painting is the gateway. Should this occur, the attacker is considered to be captured before dealing damage, so the artist takes none from the attack. The engulfing is considered a shaping effect, but targeted on the space of the room, not the attacker directly. Effects that can prevent such shaping that are brought to bear as the grapple is made will disrupt the effect completely. If completed, however, the painting/portal will coalesce into a scroll containing an exact likeness of the attack. The paper, which has all of the defensive traits of a standard prayer strip, clatters to the ground at the foot of the artist as the attacker is sucked into it.
The attacker is trapped in a small pocket of Elsewhere lit by an even white light and containing only two features. The first is a small window upon which the painting of the attack is painted transparently, in reverse. This is a window onto the world through the scroll, through which the attacker can see what transpires in front of the scroll in the real world. (Many practitioners of this style make a point of rolling up such scrolls to prevent the attacker seeing anything.) The window is one-way and transmits only light (not sound, etc.). It is impervious to physical attack, but can be destroyed by effects that cancel shaping effects. Charms, spells or other effects that open gateways into or out of spirit sanctums will also open the window.
The other detail is a simple wooden easel containing a large, blank canvas, a palette of oil paints in a variety of colors and several brushes. Though the trapped attacker usually has no way of knowing this, the goddess responsible for the Sable Disposition of Being style observes all that transpires in the spaces created by this charm, and is much impressed with artwork. Should the attacker create a painting more beautiful than the one imprisoning him (i.e. scoring more successes on an artistic roll than the artist scored imprisoning him), the goddess will release the attacker, transforming the scroll in the real world into a likeness of the attacker’s work.
Should the attacker think to, he may also pray to this goddess, offering her something in exchange for release. The goddess appreciates martial excellence as well as art, so an offer for the production of either once released may gain the attacker’s freedom. While the goddess might be persuaded to believe particularly impassioned speeches (magically enhanced or otherwise), she will certainly follow up on any promises made.
The attacker can also be freed from the outside by destroying the scroll there. Otherwise, he will remain trapped as long as the scroll survives. In such a state, the attacker is alive and conscious but will not age, hunger or thirst, nor will he naturally regain Essence or Willpower. He retains all possessions. Should he be freed, the attacker appears to leap from the scroll and can make a Join Battle roll if appropriate.
Should the engulfing counter fail, the attacker’s initial attack is resolved normally, unless the attacker made the attack inapplicable in some way. For example, if the attacker avoided being engulfed by standard dodging, his attack would continue normally, but if he used a leaping dodge to move 20 yards away, it would not.
This charm does not require an image to cast, instead building an image of its own as a result.
Thanks to those that helped me straighten out this charm, particularly memesis (who came up with the current version) and Jukashi and Flagg (who both voted on the original).
