[Exalted CMA] Devastation Arc Style

[Lix Lorn]

Devastation Arc Style
The origins of this style are contested. While some claim it was a massive Solar who developed it, others credit it to a Lunar possessed of a warform large enough to use their massive weapons.
The style relies on power and speed, eschewing defence for the sake of attack.

The tremendous blows used in Devastation Arc Style are best performed by Celestials, and it requires enough raw power that it is a Celestial martial art style.
Its form weapons are axes, greataxes, greatswords, and their artifact equivalents, and any weapon designed for use of a being twice the height of a normal being, such as Warstrider weapons.
This style may be used with armour.

Weapon: Warstrider Grand Grimcleaver/Grimscythe

Spoiler

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By applying the same modifications used to get the other weapons,
Speed 6 Accuracy 2 Damage 28L/8 Defense -2 Rate 2 Minimums Str 14 Attune 8
Cost ●●● Tags 2, O, P, R
Generally contains between three and five Hearthstone slots.

Irresistible Force
Cost: 3m Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2, Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

With a burst of essence, you strike at your foe, hitting with the unbelievable force of eternity. Your weapon adds half your essence to it's minimum damage (Normally your essence, unless using an Overwhelming weapon).

Always Attack Belief
Cost: 6m Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2, Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: (Martial Arts) actions
Prerequisite Charms: Irresistible Force

The true warrior, claim initiation of the Devastation Arc, always attacks. Defense is irrelevant when your enemies lie dead, and a powerful enough assault creates its own defence.
As long as you make at least one attack on every action, your PDV cannot fall below your (Valor+Essence)/2.
(The effects of inapplicability are not a penalty to DV; unblockable, unexpected or similar attacks still negate your PDV.)

Devastation Arc Form
Cost: --- and 6m Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3, Type: Simple (Speed 3, DV -2)
Keywords: Combo-Basic Form Type
Duration: Permanent and One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Always Attack Belief

Settling into a stance of arrogant power, you can shoulder the mightiest of weapons with ease, and wield them as if they weighed no more than a feather.

As a permanent enhancement to your abilities, you may carry weapons that require (StrengthX3) to be wielded. These weapons may not actually be used in combat.

When you pay six motes to activate this charm fully, you may wield any weapon this charm allows you to carry. In addition, you may add your Valor to the Accuracy of any weapon you use.

Lightning Assault Prana
Cost: 6m, 1wpMins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3, Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Devastation Arc Form

You draw your weapon and strike almost in the same instant, hitting with the phenomenal force and speed of lightning, eschewing all thoughts of defense.
You may draw a weapon as a miscellaneous action with speed zero and no DV penalty, and then make a normal attack. If you already have a weapon drawn, you may instead use that weapon.
Add the minimum damage dealt by your attack (normally your essence, unless using an Overwhelming weapon) to the pre-soak damage of your attack. Subtract half this number from your attack’s speed, minimum three, and your weapon’s defense value until your next action.

(This charm may specifically be used to draw a weapon stored with a Charm such as Summoning the Loyal Steel.)

Blasting Arc Strike
Cost: 4m per attack Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4, Type: Simple
Keywords: Obvious
Duration: (Martial Arts) Actions
Prerequisite Charms: Lightning Assault Prana

Your attacks cause blasts of essence to launch from them, harming anyone behind your target.
When using this charm, apply the effects of any attack you make to the foe they strike, and anyone within (essence) yards of them, in the 90 degrees of their space opposite you.
These attacks are all the same-make one roll for attack, and compare it to all the DVs in the area, and one roll for damage before comparing it to soak. Any charms used to enhance these attacks apply to all the targets equally.

During this charms duration, each use of this ability costs 4m. However, it only counts as your charm use for the action on the first action it is used.

Indomitable Ancient Attack
Cost: 5m Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4, Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Blasting Arc Strike

Your attacks have a terrifying inevitability to them. Those you strike are bound to be harmed, bound to suffer, and bound to take severe damage.

Remove dice from your damage pool equal to your minimum damage. (Normally your essence, unless using an overwhelming weapon). Add this many automatic successes to your damage.

Defense Splintering Assault
Cost: 5m Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3, Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Stackable
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Devastation Arc Form

Your attacks weaken your foes, tearing away their defenses.
Whenever you strike a foe with this charm, whether you deal damage or not, you may reduce their hardness and soak by your essence for the rest of the scene. This reduction happens after soak and hardness are applied to the attack that caused this effect.

Destructive Bombardment Technique
Cost: 2m per attack, +1wp Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4, Type: Extra Action
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Defense Splintering Assault

Attacking with terrific speed, each attack tears at your foe harder.
This charm is a magical flurry of two or more martial arts attacks. It allows you to make these attacks regardless of the weapon’s rate, and suffering a multiple action penalty only equal to each attack’s number in the order. (-1 for the first attack, -2 for the second…)
In addition, each attack ignores soak and hardness equal to its multiple action penalty.

Behemoth Slaying Approach
Cost: 10m, 1wp Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4, Type: Simple
Keywords: Obvious
Duration: (Martial Arts) actions
Prerequisite Charms: Destructive Bombardment Technique

Your attacks glitter with essence, leaving glistening arcs of power in the air. The wounds they cause are horrific, and don’t heal easily.
Your attacks do aggravated damage for the duration of this charm.

Moving the Immovable Object
Cost: 8m, 1wp Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4, Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Indomitable Ancient Attack, Behemoth Slaying Approach

As a corona of essence covers you and your weapons, you launch a terrific attack. It is all but impossible to avoid.
This attack always hits, unless the foe uses a perfect defense.

[Primal Fury]

Moving the Immovable Object
No.

[Lix Lorn]

Why not?

[Primal Fury]

Anything that makes perfect defenses inapplicable is bad. Remember Zeal?

[Lix Lorn]

Fraid not. Pretty new.

[Tavar]

Overall Impression; some of the ideas of the style are nice, but the main problem is that it's too focused on damage. Yeah, damage is nice, but Exalted has the problem that damage is too easy. Having such easy ways to increase the damage is a somewhat bad idea.

Irresistible Force
Cost: 4mMins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2, Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

With a burst of essence, you strike at your foe, hitting with the unbelievable force of eternity. Your weapon gains the Overwhelming tag, with a value equal to your Essence.
If it already has this tag, it instead adds half your essence to its value.

Umm...minimum damage is equal to your essence normally, so this charm is pretty useless.

Always Attack Belief
Cost: 5m Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2, Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Irresistible Force

The true warrior, claim initiation of the Devastation Arc, always attacks. Defense is irrelevant when your enemies lie dead, and a powerful enough assault creates its own defence.
As long as you make at least one attack on every action, your PDV cannot fall below your (Valor+Essence)/2.
(An Unblockable Attack still ignores your PDV)

What about unexpected attacks, or other things that Cause PDV to become inapplicable?

Devastation Arc Form
Cost: --- and 6m Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3, Type: Simple (Speed 3, DV -2)

Okay, seems reasonable.

Lightning Assault Prana
Cost: 6m, 1wpMins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3, Type:

Powerful, but I'm not sure it's worth one willpower.

Blasting Arc Strike

Confused about the Cost/duration. Is it four motes to activate, and then it's active for the duration? Or is the cost to activate paid on each attack you make? Or to get the extra attacks?

Indomitable Ancient Attack
Cost: Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4, Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Blasting Arc Strike

Your attacks have a terrifying inevitability to them. Those you strike are bound to be harmed, bound to suffer, and bound to take severe damage.

Remove dice from your damage pool equal to your minimum damage. (Normally your essence, unless using an overwhelming weapon). Add this many automatic successes to your damage.

Doesn't seem to have a cost. Otherwise, it seems okay.

Defense Splintering Assault
Cost: Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3, Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Stackable
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Devastation Arc Form

Your attacks weaken your foes, tearing away their defenses.
Whenever you strike a foe with this charm, whether you deal damage or not, you may reduce their hardness and soak by your essence for the rest of the scene. This reduction happens after soak and hardness are applied to the attack that caused this effect.

Again, no cost, and does this stack?

Destructive Bombardment Technique
Cost: 2m per attack Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3, Type: Extra Action
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Defense Splintering Assault

Attacking with terrific speed, each attack tears at your foe harder.
This charm is a magical flurry of two or more martial arts attacks. It allows you to make these attacks regardless of the weapon’s rate, and suffering a multiple action penalty only equal to each attack’s number in the order. (-1 for the first attack, -2 for the second…)
In addition, each attack ignores soak and hardness equal to its multiple action penalty.

Extremely powerful and cheap.You should probably put a cap on the number of extra attacks.

Behemoth Slaying Approach
Cost: 8m, 1wp Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4, Type: Simple

Seems fine, though the cost might be a bit high.

Moving the Immovable Object
Cost: 8m, 1wp Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4, Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Indomitable Ancient Attack, Behemoth Slaying Approach

As a corona of essence covers you and your weapons, you launch a terrific attack. It is all but impossible to avoid.
Although the attack is neither undodgeable or unblockable, it cannot be defended against by any charm with a Flaw of Invulnerability, and it adds your essence to the attack roll.

No. Just no.
Perfect Defenses are Perfect for a reason. This is a horrible, horrible charm, plus the fact that combined with the rest of the style it pretty much spells instant death to anyone.

[Primal Fury]

Hm. Since Tavar stuck to the mechanics, I'll throw in something else: What's the theme of this style? All martial arts styles emulate something, such as the Solar Hero, or the Golden Janissary, or more abstract things, such as Consumption, or Identity.

What does this style emulate?

[Lix Lorn]

Overall Impression; some of the ideas of the style are nice, but the main problem is that it's too focused on damage. Yeah, damage is nice, but Exalted has the problem that damage is too easy. Having such easy ways to increase the damage is a somewhat bad idea.

Right...

Umm...minimum damage is equal to your essence normally, so this charm is pretty useless.

Oh. Well. I'll just make it add Essence/2 to minimum damage then.

What about unexpected attacks, or other things that Cause PDV to become inapplicable?

Like unblockable, they still ignore it. Will add.

Powerful, but I'm not sure it's worth one willpower.

Kay.

Confused about the Cost/duration. Is it four motes to activate, and then it's active for the duration? Or is the cost to activate paid on each attack you make? Or to get the extra attacks?

Edit ninjad.

Doesn't seem to have a cost. Otherwise, it seems okay.

Again, no cost, and does this stack?

Also edit ninjad. And yes; it has the Stackable keyword.

Extremely powerful and cheap.You should probably put a cap on the number of extra attacks.

Cap=Dexterity?

Seems fine, though the cost might be a bit high.

What would you suggest?

No. Just no.
Perfect Defenses are Perfect for a reason. This is a horrible, horrible charm, plus the fact that combined with the rest of the style it pretty much spells instant death to anyone.[/QUOTE]
(sad face)
Kay...
How about make it non-comboable, and double the targets DV if they use a PD? So you CAN hit perfects, but it's hard? And you can't use other charms as well?

Edit: What does it emulate? Probably power. It might be an attempt to match the physical power of a warstrider or titanic creature without using one.

[Primal Fury]

(sad face)
Kay...
How about make it non-comboable, and double the targets DV if they use a PD? So you CAN hit perfects, but it's hard? And you can't use other charms as well?

Still no. Perfects are just that: Perfect. You don't hit them. Ever.

[Tavar]

Unless you can make it so the Flaws of Invulnerability activate, but those shouldn't be activated with a simple charm. At all.

And regard damage, well, there's a reason that giving people extra stamina levels is an extremely common houserule; your average Exalt will die if he's hit by any of the Grand series of artifact weapons. Adding more damage on top of that is just...well, it's dangerous.

[Lix Lorn]

Unless you can make it so the Flaws of Invulnerability activate, but those shouldn't be activated with a simple charm. At all.

What about upping it to three WP, making it non-comboable, and making it invoke a Flaw of invulnerability on you?

'Flaw of the Sublime Assault'
Your Defense Values are reduced to zero until your next action.

And regard damage, well, there's a reason that giving people extra stamina levels is an extremely common houserule; your average Exalt will die if he's hit by any of the Grand series of artifact weapons. Adding more damage on top of that is just...well, it's dangerous.

I've never played a game without Free Ox Bodies equal to stamina/essence. (shrug)

[Primal Fury]

What about upping it to three WP, making it non-comboable, and making it invoke a Flaw of invulnerability on you?

'Flaw of the Sublime Assault'
Your Defense Values are reduced to zero until your next action.

That doesn't work either. The effect you're trying to get is just... bad. It doesn't belong in the game.

[Tavar]

What about upping it to three WP, making it non-comboable, and making it invoke a Flaw of invulnerability on you?

'Flaw of the Sublime Assault'
Your Defense Values are reduced to zero until your next action.

Perfects still work, and the Flaws of Invulnerability(and how to get around them) are located in core.

And really, the effect you're trying to get is like giving a Wizard inifinited spells, that also mitigate component costs completely. In other words, absolutely broken.


Plus, even with the Ox-Body additions, you're still looking at probably two hits. If the character is in Superheavy artifact armor. With standards Grand artifact weapons. Add in this style, and it's even more ridiculously leathal.

Again, moreso when you factor in a way to get around perfect effects. You don't seem to understand how truly bad that idea is.

[tribble]

The final charm is essentially an I Win button. Maybe make it an effect that reduces the DV of any exalt who uses a perfect defense against it? force them to spam perfect defenses.

[Primal Fury]

Maybe make it an effect that reduces the DV of any exalt who uses a perfect defense against it? force them to spam perfect defenses.

You don't punish someone for using a perfect defense. To quote the Demented Monkey: "Don't *redacted* with perfects until you've fixed lethality".

[Lix Lorn]

Okay okay okay. xD
I get the message.

Changing it to a less broken and less cool idea.

[DrakeRaids]

Thats a bit expensive for a perfect attack, solar tier ones sit around 6m, or 4m 1 wp. You could probably get away with lowering the cost by two motes.

[Xefas]

Hm. Since Tavar stuck to the mechanics, I'll throw in something else: What's the theme of this style? All martial arts styles emulate something, such as the Solar Hero, or the Golden Janissary, or more abstract things, such as Consumption, or Identity.

What does this style emulate?

I don't think this ever got answered. And I have to agree. You have a nice pile of numbers, but I think it needs some more interesting flavor. Perhaps run with the Lunar idea and have it emulating a First Age Lunar with Mountainous Spirit Expression who, after losing their Solar mate, disregarded all pretenses at self preservation and proceeded to cut a legendary swath of destruction through Creation before finally being killed. Perhaps it was their Martial Art Style, or perhaps a Sidereal who witnessed the carnage was so inspired by it that he invented this style.

Or, my favorite, of course: Make it an Infernal style emulating Isidoros.

[Primal Fury]

Or, my favorite, of course: Make it an Infernal style emulating Isidoros.

That's... remarkably plausible, given the nature of the style. I approve.

Though... now the capstone charm is too weak. Arms of the Unconquered Sun Style has a perfect attack as a pre-form charm.

[Lix Lorn]

Edit: What does it emulate? Probably power. It might be an attempt to match the physical power of a warstrider or titanic creature without using one.

I did answer it. Not well, I admit...

I'll be perfectly honest, I have no idea what to do for a capstone now. : /

[Primal Fury]

What comes to mind is an AoE attack. Basically "I hit you so hard, you and everything around you starts exploding."

[Lix Lorn]

Might work...

[Tavar]

Thats a bit expensive for a perfect attack, solar tier ones sit around 6m, or 4m 1 wp. You could probably get away with lowering the cost by two motes.

Not for a Celestial Martial Art. Those should be on the same tier as Lunar charms.

Also, don't most perfects only invalidate one type of defense?

[Lix Lorn]

Accuracy Without Distance?

[IcarusWings]

Does Devestation arc form allow you to wield two-handed weapons one-handed if triple your strength rating exceeds triple their strength requirement (basically, if your normal strength exceeds their strength requirement)?

[Lix Lorn]

Hmm. I think yes.
Yes, you can dual wield grand daiklaives. xD