SoF Exalted/Supernatural MA

The study of the martial arts (MA) is a common endeavor across Creation. They are recognized everywhere as a useful skill to have in a violent world but also tool for attaining inner peace and tranquility. Parents sent their children off to study at famous MA schools and with reclusive MA practitioners who earn their life's coin through passing on their skills and knowledge to the next generation.

But there is no one form or school of MA. There are varieties across Creation, serving the needs and styles of people from all walks of life. One of the most important decisions a young MA practitioners will make is what style they wish to learn. Does one prefer a more offensive and reckless style? Or does one favor a more conservative style based on high percentage grapples and blocks? Each style has its own form of practice, and its own followers claiming that their style is the best. MA tournaments are a common form of entertainment around Creation, with top-ranked fighters becoming minor stars in their area and field.

While MA are open to anyone with the time to learn and the coin to pay, the Exalted are able to leverage their native powers into much more potent forms of the MA style. So while there may be some similarities in the style and appearance of a form practiced by both mortals and Exalted, the latter form will be faster, stronger, and all around more spectacular.

Every MA begins with a form. The form is a brief moment of meditation and maneuvering that the martial artist uses to prepare for using his powers. Each form as a unique blend of vocalizations and body movement which serves as a “tell” for others as to their style. A well-trained martial artist will surely devote some time and effort to learning the forms of as many styles as possible so as to be better prepared when meeting unknown foes. For mundane martial artists, assuming the form is a meditative practice, but for the Exalted it's both that and the first chance to “power up” their fighting techniques. It follows then that one of the restrictions of MA is that if the practitioner can't assume his form, he can't perform his style.

General Requirements

To use any form of Supernatural Martial Arts, you must have an Awakened Essence. This is represented by having an Essence Affinity Ability and an Essence Pool track. Anyone with any of the "basic packages" can thus learn some form of supernatural Martial Art. Minimum Power TL is 2. Each tier has it's own Power TL minimum to be able to access those Powers.

Advantages

Advantages are the prime means by which a character builds a Supernatural Martial Arts style. While certain Speciality Aspects will also be appropriate and useful, the specifics and differentiation are provided by your choice of Expert, Heroic and Power Advantages.

Expert and Heroic Advantages

There are a number of Expert and Heroic Advantages which can be used to simulate particular aspects of the supernatural Martial Arts.

Expert Advantages:

• Acrobatic
• Deadly Grace
• Grappler
• Hard Style
• Quick Step
• Soft Style
• Weapon Specialist
• Wrestler

Heroic Advantages:

• Assassin Strike
• Counter Attack
• Crippling Blow
• Dazing Blow
• Dervish
• Ground and Pound
• Slippery Combatant
• Weapon Expertise

These can already be used to represent mundane (ie non-supernatural) martial arts, but nothing stops them also being used to add nuance to the supernatural styles.

Enlightened Activation

Those with Awakened Essences can use that connection to fuel their martial arts abilities. Whenever you are called upon to spend a Fate Point to activate a martial arts-related Advantage, you may instead choose to activate it with your Essence Affinity Ability. As a free action, roll your Essence against difficulty 4, applying any Stress to your Essence Stress track.

The purpose of this is to give the Enlightened martial artist an alternative to using Fate Points, but at the risk of Essence Stress. Note that while the Exalted and other natural Essence-wielders can do this for free, Enlightened Mortals and God-Blooded must purchase Root Initiation Form in order to do this.

Restrictions

Supernatural Martial Arts are treated in the same way as other Powers. There is a cap on the maximum Weapon Rating (WR), Armour Rating (AR) or Explosive Rating (ExR) achieved with any Power equal to the character's Power Tech Level x2. Only Sorcery is exempt from this restriction.

Many supernatural Martial Arts styles come with Limitations on them, such as elemental aspects which restrict how they can be used. Elemental-aspecting means taking Limitations on each one, which reduce their cost. As always, a Limitation cannot bring the cost of a Power under 1AP.

See page 199 of the SoF rulebook for more details.

Terrestrial Martial Arts

Also known as the Root of the Perfected Lotus, Terrestrial Martial Arts (often abbreviated to TMA) are those Styles which are closest to mundane fighting arts. A practicioner will hit stuff, throw stuff, grapple people, but their Style will magically enhance such activities. Terrestrial Martial Arts root the Perfected Lotus, but are also its entrance. They help the martial artist start controlling his Essence with discipline, much like mundane Martial Arts will help him discipline his body. The themes explored through TMA are usually very specific, and the techniques a practitioner will learn are usually only useful in precise circumstances.

Terrestrial Martial Arts are the only form of supernatural martial arts that mortals and most other non-Exalts can learn. They are the lowest tier of supernatural martial arts, but also the most commonly learned.

Requirements

To use Terrestrial Martial Arts, you must have an Awakened Essence and a minimum Power TL of 2.

Powers

Terrestrial Martial Arts are Powers, but are quite restricted in terms of both scale and scope. On scale, your CamPL limits on AP expenditure on any single Advantage apply even after chargen. None may be taken to the superheroic level, that's the preserve of other Powers and Celestial Martial Arts. For scope, only ever from the list below:

• Absorption
• Augmented Movement
• Binding
• Enhanced Endurance
• Enhanced Speed
• Enhanced Strength
• Enhanced Reflexes
• Imbue Armour or Shield
• Imbue Weapon
• Poison
• Power Attack - Melee
• Power Attack - Ranged
• Resistance
• Weapon Mastery

Restrictions

Terrestrial Martial Arts are generally elemental-aspected, and thus have restrictions relating to those elements. For example many Air-aspected styles cannot be performed in armour. The Five Dragon Style uses only swords and spears aside from martial arts weapons. Generally, though, these sorts of restrictions are for flavour and grant no AP discount to the cost of Powers.

Note that you may not purchase Super Powers with Terrestrial Martial Arts, this is the preserve of the Celestial tier.

Celestial Martial Arts

Celestial Martial Arts are known as the Bulb of the Perfected Lotus, and as the plant's stem extends outside the mud, so CMA Styles, as they are often abbreviated, distance themselves from the mundane and ordinary. Usually, the first half of the Style resembles Terrestrial Martial Arts, while the second half reaches into the extraordinary power usually associated with Celestial Exalted. The refinement witnessed when Celestial Martial Arts are practiced is usually beyond precise and earthly concepts, and will usually be about slightly broader concepts. As the practicioner deepens his connection to his own Essence, so will his mastery grow.

Requirements

To use Celestial Martial Arts, you must have an Awakened Essence and a minimum Power TL of 4. Dragon-Blooded characters may only learn Celestial Martial Arts with an Immaculate Order-trained sifu, and by purchasing Pasiap's Humility and the Moment of Daana'd. Even then they are restricted to Metro-Class Super Powers.

Powers

Celestial Martial Arts are also Powers which are strictly defined. However, they come from a broader list, and start at Metro-Class in the case of Super Powers.

The list of Powers appropriate for Celestial Martial Arts include all of those from the Terrestrial list above, and the following additional Powers:

• Affliction
• Body Weaponry
• Enhanced Hearing/Senses/Sight/Smell
• Environmental Protection
• Flight
• Heal
• Insubstantial
• Leach
• Power Attack - Melee
• Power Attack - Pulse
• Power Attack - Ranged
• Super Agility
• Super Endurance
• Super Strength
• Telekinesis
• Wall Walker

Restrictions

Only Celestials may purchase World-Class Super Powers with Celestial Martial Arts. This is the upper limit of Celestial Martial Arts. Dragonblooded martial artists are restricted to Metro-Class Super Powers.

Sidereal Martial Arts

The Sidereal Martial Arts are prized secret techniques, and the wise call them the Blossom of the Perfected Lotus, because as opposed to the root and bulb of the lotus, the blossom transcends the mud from which it came. SMA, as they are called, transcend the Creation-tied themes of lesser Martial Arts, and the techniques they are made of are usually more like divine interventions and less like fighting techniques. In fact, fighting is what has permitted the practitioner to understand the abstract principles of the universe deeply enough to be able to bend them to his will.

Requirements

To use Sidereal Martial Arts, you must have an Awakened Essence and a minimum Power TL of 6 or be a Sidereal. No one else can learn Sidereal Martial Arts.

Powers

Done with Control instead of a discrete list of Powers.

Restrictions

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