Golden Barque of the Heavens Style

Golden Barque of the Heavens Style is a non-canonical Celestial-level Martial Art for Exalted.

Description

Golden Barque of the Heavens Style is most often practiced by the Sidereal members of its eponymous division of the Bureau of Destiny. As befits the Division of Journeys patron Maiden, this style emphasizes motion, speed, and endurance. Many of its motions and techniques have an appearance which suggests sloppy or incomplete training, but this is an emulation of the Wayfarer and is the result of training as rigorous as any other style.

In the manner of Violet Bier of Sorrows Style (and presumably the other Bureau of Destiny styles), the first four Charms pay respect to Mercury's sisters with the remainder being dedicated to the Maiden of Journeys herself.

Weapons and Armor

The Maiden of Journeys' Chosen are travelers above all else. Attacks using staves, knives, walking sticks (use club stats), and fighting cloaks are all treated as unarmed for the purposes of this style. Artifact versions of the same are likewise acceptable. These weapons represent not only the traditional wayfarer's trappings, but also the mast and sails of a voyaging ship. All Charms in this cascade are incompatible with armor.

Charms

Highwayman Spotting Awareness

Cost: 1 mote
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial Arts: 1
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite Charms: None

An experienced traveler is always on guard for bandits and theives. A character with this Charm has the advantage of Jupiter's sight and may reflexively add her Essence in successes to any Awareness rolls for detecting ambushes or traps which endanger the character or her party. The attackers need not be targeting the character's party specifically; they may simply be waiting to attack any tempting targets that happen by. This Charm grants an Awareness roll even if the character would usually be denied a roll due to her assailants using Charms or other magic.

Highwayman Spotting Awareness is an asset to the character and the Storyteller should not use it as an excuse to drain the Exalted of her Essence.

Assault's Unreached Destination

Cost: 5 motes
Duration: One turn
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Highwayman Spotting Awareness

The Maiden of Endings, in her role deciding when things meet their fate, can choose to finish something before it reaches its expected conclusion. Exalted using this Charm attempt to end an attacker's blows before they strike home. For the rest of the turn, the character may add her Martial Arts rating to any Dodge or parry rolls she makes. If the character chooses to both parry and dodge a single attack, this bonus may be applied to one defense or the other, but not both. Lethal attacks may be parried unarmed without the need for a stunt. This Charm does not create a dice pool, it only supplements dice pools from other sources.

Unquenchable Wanderlust

Cost: 3 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial Arts: 2
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: None

To those who are passionate about their wandering, nothing snuffs joy more than being pinned down and restrained. A Golden Barque of the Heavens Stylist can call upon the Maiden of Serenity to ensure his freedom of movement and bring punishment to those cruel enough to hold him in place. By using this Charm, the character automatically escapes from any clinch. In addition to escaping, the character may attempt to damage his attacker, doing Strength + Essence dice of Piercing Bashing damage. This Charm fails if it was the Chosen who initiated the clinch.

This Charm may also be used to add the character's Martial Arts score to any rolls to escape bonds, manacles, or other restraints.

Golden Barque of the Heavens Form

Cost: 5 motes
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Assault's Unreached Destination, Fleet Cavalry Maneuver

Adopting the wary yet aloof stance of one who has been everywhere and seen everything, Exalted using this Form gain the ability to defend themselves using a cascading parry and may block lethal damage without the need for a stunt while unarmed. A character who either declares (as a full dice action) or aborts to a cascading parry may defend himself against all attacks in a turn with her full Dexterity + Martial Arts pool and ignore considerations of weapon rate. Reflecting Mercury's willingness to be in motion, the character adds his Martial Arts score to his base initiative. As long as he is wielding Golden Barque of the Heavens Style's signature weapons, the character does not suffer off-hand weapon or dual wielding penalties. Exalted using this form may reflexively spend a mote of Essence to turn any of his Dodge attempts into a hopping defense, leaping his Martial Arts + Essence yards away from his assailant after the attack is resolved. Finally, the Maiden of Journeys' connection to objects in motion allows her Chosen to keep firm footing and balance on such things without the need for an Athletics roll. For example, the Martial Artist could effortlessly fight in the rigging of a storm-tossed ship, in a wagon racing down a treacherous road, or even on the backs of stampeding cattle. Characters cannot normally use more than one Martial Arts Form-type Charm at a time.

Wayfaring Target Principle

Cost: 4 motes
Duration: One scene
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Golden Barque of the Heavens Form

It is well known that a moving target is harder to hit than one that is standing still and a person on the move can elude hunters more easily then one who has settled down. Taking this principle to heart, the Chosen of Journeys simply never stop moving. A character using this Charm adds her Martial Arts to any Dodge rolls she makes. If the Exalted does not have a dodge action allocated for an incoming attack, she may reflexively dodge using her Martial Arts score.

Vagabond Pilgrim's Endurance

Cost: 4 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Wayfaring Target Principle

A pilgrim will often suffer much while seeking his sacred destination; Fate's strange slings and arrows can be quite cruel. Still, the faithful endure. Exalted with this Charm have learned to apply that endurance to their Martial Arts. Add the character's Endurance + Conviction to his bashing and lethal soak.

Saffron Meteor Strike

Cost: 4 motes + 1 mote/die
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Golden Barque of the Heavens Form

Like a falling star streaking across the heavens, the Chosen using this Charm delivers a devastating flying kick. Leaving a shining aurulent streak in her wake, the character jumps up to her sprinting distance plus her Essence yards before delivering the attack as Mercury bears her to the target. The character makes an unarmed attack against her foe and may buy up to her Essence extra dice for it at the rate of one mote per die. The damage from this attack is lethal. Finally, the target suffers knockback equal to the character's Martial Arts x 10 yards. The knockback distance can be reduced by five yards per success on a reflexive Strength + Athletics roll. This knockback does no additional damage unless the target lands on particularly hazardous terrain and occurs even if the attack does no damage.

By spending a point of Willpower, the Chosen calls upon the meteor's associations with the authority of Heaven, allowing her to strike dematerialized spirits with this attack.

Three Sheets to an Ill Wind

Cost: 4 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Golden Barque of the Heavens Form

Just as a skilled sailor can capture the force of a dangerous gale and turn it to his advantage, so can Mercury's Chosen harness the winds of misfortune and turn them against her enemies. The Exalted using this charm gets three automatic successes on an attempt to disarm a foe. If she is wielding a fighting cloak, she may use the cloak's defensive value in lieu of its accuracy value for this attempt.

True Course Meditation

Cost: 4 motes, 1 Willpower 
Duration: Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Three Sheets to an Ill Wind

The navigator knows how to plot a course through obstacles that bar his ship from his destination. The Chosen of Mercury have learned much from the navigator and may invoke this Charm to ensure that a strike's course is true. Increase the difficulty of defending against the character's unarmed attacks by the character's Essence score.

Earth and Sky Traversing Celerity

Cost: 12 motes, 1 willpower, 1 health level
Duration: Martial Arts turns
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms: Vagabond Pilgrim's Endurance, Saffron Meteor Strike, True Course Meditation

Exalted who have mastered Golden Barque of the Heavens Style can invoke the blinding speed of Mercury, flashing all over the battlefield, striking foe after foe faster than the eye can follow. First, add the Chosen's Martial Arts to her base initiative. This bonus is cumulative with the bonus from Golden Barque of the Heavens Form. Second, double all the character's movement rates and jumping distances (including jumps arising from other Charms). If the character is under the influence of the Lesser Sign of Mercury, the total movement is quadrupled, not sextupled. Next, while this Charm is in effect, double the character's Martial Arts score and increase the difficulty of defending against her strikes by one due to their unnatural speed. Lastly, each turn, the Chosen of Journeys may dash from enemy to enemy making an unarmed attack against each until there are no more valid targets or one of the attacks misses. The character may choose the order in which the attacks are made, but each successive target must be within her enhanced sprinting distance and no target may be visited more than once on the same turn. An attack which hits but causes no damage is considered successful for the purpose of sustaining the Charm's magic. The character retains her normal dice action and may split it as usual for defense or for additional attacks against her enemies as she visits them in turn. As these are considered fly-by attacks, the Exalted's enemies may defend themselves normally, but will have a hard time retaliating against the Chosen while she traces new constellations on the battlefield as if her foes were stars in the night sky.

Sidereal Exalted may enhance this Charm with a prayer strip. When cast into the air above the fray, the prayer strip sheds a rich yellow light which reveals the threads of Fate which bind together combatants in a melee. It is along these lines, unbent and true, that the Exalted races, creating for herself an auspicious constellation during the hostilities. Use of a prayer strip doubles the valid distance between targets and applies knockback as described under Saffron Meteor Strike to each attack made while Earth and Sky Traversing Celerity is active.