Editing Exalted Power Combat 101 (section)

=== Holding Attacks ===

Dragging herself from the crater left by her ungraceful landing, Marissa stared fiercely out from behind her blood-matted hair, her blue eyes losing none of their courage or fury.  She roared, her voice that of the blizzard itself, a wordless challenge.

Alakra, far away across the trail of wreckage left in Marissa's wake, smiled and pointed upwards with his left hand.  Obediently, golden essence bore him skywards, and he resumed his orbit about the tower.

"Are you fleeing, Anathema?"  the Cathak spat out her own blood, oddly satisfied by the way it froze before hitting the ground.  "Do you not have the courage to stand against a vengeful Dragon?"

"You are a fool, Dragonling, but a courageous one."  Alakra laughed, his clear voice ringing even through Marissa's howling winds.  "Very well!  I shall give you the death you so crave, and bear your valour in my memory into the Age to come.  Here, I shall give you a gift--I will use my most powerful technique to slay you, that you may face your rebirth without shame."

He exploded forth, bleaching the very air about him with the might of his anima, and Marissa braced herself for his coming.  She stood again in the Three Brave Dragons stance, hoping to catch him, hoping that he'd assume she wouldn't be so foolish as to use the same tactic again...while her own Essence sparked to unleash her own secret technique...

...but interminably, she had to wait.  Impossibly mobile, the flying Solar hurtled about at incredible speed, able to set the pacing of the clash entirely as he wished.  Unnerved, her grip slipped slightly--and then he struck, hammering down towards her, not even bothering to attempt to parry her weak spear thrusts, unbalanced as they were, despite the freezing blue essence crackling around the lance, merely allowing them to pass harmlessly through his dreamlike body as he reached forth to strike.

<i> After a couple of turns of Marissa pulling herself from her crater, and Alakra deciding to fly again, the two Exalted are about to exchange blows once more. </i>

<i>Marissa, with the use of her lance regained, is in a commanding position from the point of view of initiative.  She rolls 1d10, adding her Speed of 23 and subtracting her wound penalties of 2, getting a result of 28. </i>

<i>Alakra rolls 1d10, adds his speed of 10, and gains a result of 20!  An excellent roll, but still soundly beaten. </i>

<i>Sadly for the Dragon Blooded, however, her enormous speed--usually a magnificent advantage--is in this situation a tactical weakness, because her incredibly mobile opponent is able to exploit it. </i>

<i>When Marissa's initiative comes up on 28, she declares three actions--however, with the flying Solar firmly out of reach, she is forced to hold them if she is to have any hope of attacking him.  She is forced to continue holding on beat 27, beat 26, and so on until beat 20, which is Alakra's initiative, where he will himself swoop in to attack.  When he does so, she uses two of her actions to interrupt him as attacks, activating her Stoking Bonfire + Falling Star Strike combo. </i>

<i>However, in Power Combat, you receive a penalty of 1 die per skipped initiative beat on held attacks (and attacks only, never any other kind of action).  Having skipped 28, 27, 26, 25, 24, 23, 22 and 21, she takes an 8 dice penalty on her attacks.  Hence, her first attack is at </i>

<i>Dex 4 + Melee 4 + Specialty 2 + Accuracy 2 + Stoking Bonfire 4 - Multiple Action 3 - Held Action 8 - Wound Penalties 2, or 3 dice. </i>

<i>Ouch. </i>

<i>Needless to say, her attack is easily dodged with Flow Like Blood.  Her second attack likewise. </i>

<i>Poor Marissa. </i>

<i>NB:  While Alakra is making use of the powerful Solar Charm Eagle Wing Style in order to outmaneuver the poor Terrestrial, any flying combatant may use the same strategy--rules for Flyby attacks from Eagle Wing are now constant across all flyers. </i>