Exalted 2.5 - Sidereals IC

[Psychie]

Amara immediately pulls out her Floating Ribbon and activates her fighting form of her Sapphire Veil of Passion style. With eyes narrowed, she slowly advances, keeping watch in all directions.

Spoiler

Spending 13m on Sapphire Veil Form

Health Levels
-0 [ ][ ][ ]
-1 [ ][ ]
-2 [ ][ ][ ][ ]
-4 [ ]
-I [ ]

Essence: 5
Personal: 18 / 5
Peripheral: 47 / 29
Committed: 18

Willpower: 8
Compassion: 2
Conviction: 3
Temperance: 2
Valor: 2

Join Battle: 6

Parry DV: 6 (11 with PKB and the Floating Ribbon, 12 with Fans)
Dodge DV: 7

Natural Soak: +1L/+2B
Armored Soak: +5L/+5B
Dreaming Pearl Defense: +5L/+10B or +10L/+15B when the Form Charm is active

Floating Ribbon
Speed 5 (3 with hearthstone), Accuracy +4 (+9), Damage +8L (+13), Defense +0 (+5), Attune 5
Seven Jeweled Peacock Fans
Speed 5 (3 with hearthstone), Accuracy +4 (+9), Damage +8B/+4L (+13B/+9L), Defense +3 (+8), Attune 4

 

[Sherwood]

As you are advancing towards the building, the ground in front of you suddenly explodes upwards as a huge horror bursts from the ground! It is a thing from nightmares, a composite creature that looks like it is made of dozens of different bodies all melted and merged together.



As disturbing as it is to look at, it gets even worse as it begins to scream out from dozens of mouths all contorted in agony! It is a horrible monster.

Join Battle rolls, please.

 

[Psychie]

Rolling Join Battle now.

Spoiler

Health Levels
-0 [ ][ ][ ]
-1 [ ][ ]
-2 [ ][ ][ ][ ]
-4 [ ]
-I [ ]

Essence: 5
Personal: 18 / 5
Peripheral: 47 / 29
Committed: 18

Willpower: 8
Compassion: 2
Conviction: 3
Temperance: 2
Valor: 2

Join Battle: 6

Parry DV: 6 (11 with PKB and the Floating Ribbon, 12 with Fans)
Dodge DV: 7

Natural Soak: +1L/+2B
Armored Soak: +5L/+5B
Dreaming Pearl Defense: +5L/+10B or +10L/+15B when the Form Charm is active

Floating Ribbon
Speed 5 (3 with hearthstone), Accuracy +4 (+9), Damage +8L (+13), Defense +0 (+5), Attune 5
Seven Jeweled Peacock Fans
Speed 5 (3 with hearthstone), Accuracy +4 (+9), Damage +8B/+4L (+13B/+9L), Defense +3 (+8), Attune 4

 

[jaydude]

Seeing the warning from Insight, Shi-vash shifted into her Charcoal March of Spiders form, the fingers of her left hand flickering like that of a spider's legs as she took hold of her Switchklaive with her right hand, the concealed blade popping out from within the charm.

When the monster made its appearance, she actually recoiled in shock at the sight of it.

Oh hell...is this what killed Ramada and Khyros?

[Activating Charcoal March of Spiders Form for 15m. No successes on Join Battle roll.]

Spoiler: Shi-vash stats

Health:
|-0|-0|-0|
|-1|-1|
|-2|-2|-2|-2|
|-4|
Incapacitated

Essence: 5
Committed Essence: 14
Personal Essence: 17/17
Peripheral Essence: 17/46

Willpower: 8

Join Battle: 5
Attacks:
Clinch (Speed 6, 15 Accuracy, Damage 3B, Defense -, Rate 1, Clinch, Natural, Piercing)
Kick (Speed 5, 15 Accuracy, Damage 6B, Defense +3, Rate 2, Natural)
Punch (Speed 5, 16 Accuracy, Damage 3B, Defense +7, Rate 3, Natural)
Switchklaive (Speed 4, Accuracy 18, Damage 7L, Defense +6, Rate 3, Attune 6, Piercing)

Dodge DV: 8
Parry DV: 9

 

[Random Word]

Insight doesn't so much as blink or a pause in her stride when the writhing mountain of corpses erupts from the ground. Violence and fear are old friends; all the ways they greet her intimately familiar. The Maidens called it Expected Pain for a reason.

"Called it!"

Spoiler: Mechanics

Secrets of Future Strife (3m base - 2m PKB = 1m) to convert 5 dice to successes on a JB roll

Wits 3 + Awareness 5 + stunt 1 = 5 successes + 4 dice
6 hits total

Personal 15/20
Peripheral 45/51

 

[Sherwood]

I just need a roll from D. Rex and we can get this fight on.

 

[Sherwood]

Another bump for D. Rex before I have him delay and we start the fight.

 

[D. Rex]

Stepping forward he could feel the ground shake at the same time he saw a flash of movement from the reflection of a metal tool lying on the ground. Not but half a second later the reflection was realized.

With saddened eyes he looks at it. A human centipede. A corpse dragon. An abomination of the sanctity of life. Xun wrankled his nose but did not step backwards.

He had not intended to do this so suddenly, but it seemed the danger necessitated it. Reaching down to the hem of his tucked in shirt, he pulled upwards. Disrobing himself of shirt and jacket to let them fall unceremoniously to the ground. No sense in letting them be destroyed by what he was going to do.

With arms raised he closed his eyes and drew his arms slowly to the sides of his chest as his hands balled into fists. Taking in a deep breath that made his bare chest bulge as it filled.

Power. The power of a dragon. It was his. The elements were his. He was the dragon. He was power. He would continue this mantra in his head as his muscles trembled and his anima banner flickered.

Anima level: 2 (glowing?)
Essence: Peripheral: 49/22
WP: 10/9

Spoiler: Celestial Dragon Body Meditation

Celestial Dragon Body Meditation
Cost: 10m 1 wp Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4; Type: Simple (DV -2)
Keywords: Obvious
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Expressing Green Dragon Vigor
Meditating on the sheer power and fury of the Celestial Dragon, the martial artist spends a few moments pondering its limitless capacity for power and its wondrous ability to balance the elemental Essences of creation. On the martial artist’s next action his anima banner erupts to full iconic fury enfolding him in a torrent of Essence and then vanishing. His hands become draconic talons, which seamlessly integrate any artifact razor-claws or tiger claws into their organic makeup, making it impossible to disarm him. If he was wearing no weapon his claws do no more damage than his hands normally would, but appear menacing nonetheless.
His body grows a few inches taller and becomes proportionally leaner as he adopts the sinuous musculature of a dragon. He radiates pure, rarified, celestial Essence, and any Immaculate is sure to confuse him for some god or anathema. He may distribute a number of dots equal to his (Essence) between his Strength, Stamina and Dexterity. These dots are allocated when the transformation takes place and cannot be redistributed without reactivating the Charm. His godly body is utterly perfect, a figure of unassailable physical and spiritual strength. As a result he ignores penalties to his DV from onslaught and coordinated attacks. This Charm cannot be used with armor.

Initiative(w 1 stunt): 3

 

[Sherwood]

Random Word is up

0 - Insight
1 - Monster
2 -
3 - Xun
4 - Amara
5 -
6 - Shi-vash

 

[Random Word]

Finally an opportunity to work out some of this frustration. Insight tips her parasol forward to occlude the corpse-dragon's view and then briefly ceases to exist. She reappears in mid air to push off one of the shattered fragments of the building sent flying by the corpse-dragon's eruption, wreathed in the brilliant flame of her anima, fingertips trailing horrific crimson essence fated to end nightmares from beyond the world. She makes a blindingly fast series of zigzag cuts across its front and back leaving brilliant trails of fire, fingers barely brushing its skin, vanishing after each strike only to reappear instantly by another by another piece of airborne debris to strike again.

Finally she reappears where she began, catching the parasol and holding it out to shield herself as a spectacular fountain of gore erupts from each point she touched, the flames of her anima swirling around her. She snaps her parasol shut, holds her fingertips up to her lips, and blows the smoke away with a self satisfied smile.

Spoiler: Mechanics

2m Horrific Wreath for Overwhelming 5 Aggravated Damage against CoD
4m for two extra attacks from Metal Storm
5m Flickering Moonsilver Approach for the scene

3m Life-Severing Blow on the final attack for Overwhelming 10

14 motes spent, 1 die stunt regains 2 motes, total of 12 motes Peripheral spent, anima goes from dim - > glowing -> burning I think.

Accuracy = Dex 5 + MA 5 + Accuracy 4 + Kata Bracers 5 + SLDS 4 + Specialty 1 + Stunt 1 = 25
Target takes a -2 DV penalty from Flickering Moonsilver Approach

Let's see if I can even hit this thing without Propitious MA. My damage is so low without going full nova I'm not even going to bother trying for anything except Overwhelming.
Three Speed 4 Attacks.
Attack 1: 15 hits, -2 DV penalty - Overwhelming 5A
Attack 2: 13 hits, -3 DV penalty (1 Onslaught) - Overwhelming 5A
Attack 3: 14 hits, -4 DV penalty (2 Onslaught) - Overwhelming 10A

Personal 15/20 (4 committed)
Peripheral 33/51 (7 committed)

 

[Sherwood]

Random Word

You hit the monster, but only the Overwhelming damage has a chance to get though. Go ahead and roll to see what you did to it.

 

[Random Word]

Presuming all 3 attacks hit, that's 20A overwhelming. 10 hits for 10 aggravated damage.

 

[Sherwood]

Random Word What is the Speed of the attacks?

 

[Sherwood]

The monster lets out a pained scream from dozens of mouths as Insight tears into it. Dark blood sprays out from the deep cuts, but the monster is still alive.

In response, the monster does something quite unexpected. From out of one of the many gaping mouths comes a spray of thread-like filaments that covers an area all around it, filling a rough circle about sixty yards wide! The threads tangle up around you all, imposing a -6 to all of your physical dice pools and your Defense Values.

It does not take you long to be able to recognize it as a Charm from the Sidereal Martial Art Charcoal March of Spiders!

D. Rex is up

0 - [Insight]
1 - [Monster]
2 -
3 - Xun <====
4 - Amara, Insight
5 -
6 - Shi-vash, Monster

 

[D. Rex]

Sherwood
Is the webbing charm considered an attack that can be altered or defended against?

If not, could fire be used to clear it away?

 

[Sherwood]

I might let you try a stunt to do that.

 

[D. Rex]

I might let you try a stunt to do that.

Well I have a reality bending combo that would be quite the stunt in harming the thing and ridding the webs.

Spoiler: Ripple in the Silvered Glass

RIPPLE IN THE SILVERED GLASS
Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5,
Essence 4; Type: Refl exive (Step 5)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
She thought to repair it, but was arrested by the sight of the scattered shards,

When a foe attacks, the Sidereal brings his hands together, then parts them as if he were opening a pair of curtains. On a successful attack by a foe, this Charm posits an alternative, which then becomes true. The Sidereal may say that his attacker, instead, stumbled and fell at his feet or broke her weapon with her clumsiness. The martial artist must limit himself to a substitute that is possible, but almost anything can happen: For scope, consider the enemy to have botched her attack roll. The target of this Charm may reflexively spend a Willpower point to feel unease as the new reality falls into place around her.

Her player rolls (Wits + Awareness) with an internal penalty equal to the martial artist’s (Essence + Martial Arts). With one success, the attacker didn’t botch, but she still didn’t hit. With three successes, she tears through the shifting fates and completes the attack at which she originally succeeded. If a mentally unstable or insane person is affected by Ripple in the Silvered Glass and spends the Willpower point, the internal penalty is equal to only the Sidereal’s Martial Arts. This Charm is a perfect defense that can apply against non-sentient things. In such cases, it works automatically.

Furthermore, any action launched through a reflective surface at the martial artist—for example, someone scrying him in a
forest pool—can be deflected with this Charm as well. The Sidereal automatically senses the attempt and can choose whether to use Ripple in the Silvered Glass against it.

This as a defense for positioning and to keep it off of his circle mates.

Spoiler: Respiring Red Dragon Breath

Respiring Red Dragon Breath
Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Basic, Elemental, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Celestial Dragon Form
Taking a deep breath and channeling the Essence of Fire through her lungs, the martial artist spits forth a gout of flame that extends for (Essence) yards in front of her. Her attack roll is her (Perception + Martial Arts), and she adds a number of automatic successes equal to her Essence. The attack inflicts (Essence) dice of lethal damage which bypasses even magical armor and may reduce mundane armor to molten slag, as a result this damage can only be soaked naturally. The rolling flame cannot be parried but can be dodged normally.

This to alight the creature and webs ablaze. Hurting it and riding the webs in a fiery chain reaction.

Would this be doable as a stunt?

 

[Sherwood]

I will let you give it a try. You may not be able to wipe out all the strands, but you could conceivably make a clear spot in which to act.

 

[D. Rex]

I am power. Thus, the strands of fate weave themselves around me. And with my strength, I bend the pattern to my will. He thought as he cracked his eyes open. A dangerous icey glow permeates the reptilian irises, and gazed into a future that he willed to be true.

He put his hands forward, clapping them together softly. Parting them as if he was moving the webbing from his view. No... he was looking beyond that. Into the pattern of fate itself. Moving aside threads of fate that displeased him and locking his eyes on a reflection of what could be. Locking his eyes on what will be. The thread grew in his mind until it enveloped reality that was but seconds ago....


As the creature roared in pain, its cries startled a flock of crows that was searching for the source of the death... the flow from their cover of the building. And by their misfortune, directly in front of the web spewing mouth.

While it did little to stop the web being thrown about the area... by mere "happenstance" did those crows just so happen to block the paths to the sidereals. Them being covered in the webs meant for the exalted. Leaving blotches of untouched ground where the sidereals stood. Funny how luck worked like that.


As the reality came to fruition, Xun opened his eyes fully, bringing his arms to his side and bared his teeth as power surged through his body. His anima flaring brightly into an iconic dragon before being fully absorbed.

His muscles rippled like water, taking inhuman and sinuous forms underneath his skin. He grew two hands taller and his body became lean and lithe. His hair grew long, like that of a dragons mane. More strikingly, his hands began to change... they grew long and began to be covered with shimmering translucent silver scales that covered halfway up his forearm... hands now becoming the claws of a dragon. He radiated an almost invisible glow, and was both beautiful and awe inspiring. He was either an anathema or god. He was wrapped in and imbued with the essence of a celestial dragon.



Xun took a deep breath, his chest ballooning with the effort. His lips parted in a smile that showed sharp teeth. He opened his mouth... and out came a stream of brilliant yellow fire. Bellowing out like an infernal torrent. Catching web on fire as he turned his head towards the necrotic abomination. Burning a path clear to attack it, and engulfing the beast with it.

Spoiler: Mechanics

Dragon Breath
5 yards range.
Damage: 5die L, unbockable. Can only be soaked with natural soak.

Celestial Dragon body: +5 dots to dexterity.




(Stunted)Strike: 3
Damage: 1 + threshold success

 

[D. Rex]

Sherwood
What level stunt would that be so I can roll the proper dice to the strike?

 

[Sherwood]

That is a cool description, so I will go ahead and say 3 dice.

 

[D. Rex]

No more sux, sadly. Spent 11mts, 1wp. Anima up another level.

 

[Sherwood]

The webbing being spread by the monster is somewhat disrupted by Xun, but they are still coming out. For the next few ticks, there are some clear spaces that will allow you full freedom of movement.

Psychie and Random Word are up

0 - [Insight]
1 - [Monster]
2 -
3 - [Xun]
4 - Amara, Insight <====
5 -
6 - Shi-vash, Monster
7 -
8 - Xun
9 -
10 -

 

[Psychie]

Amara focuses her Essence into her Floating Ribbon and leaps up into the air, trying to keep clear of the ensnaring threads being released by the monster. With a smooth, flowing motion, she lashes out with the Ribbon twice, doing her best to cut deep into the thing and bring it to a rapid end.

Spoiler

Using Propitious Martial Arts Alignment to lower the costs of my Excellency for 7m 1wp from Peripheral Essence, and another 6m for Into Infinite Depths.

Spoiler

Clearing her mind of all but the sensation of the moment, the martial artist cuts her gaze across an opponent. In so doing she sees him anew, with unsurpassed clarity. The character immediately gains the following knowledge about one individual: what manner of being the target is (Solar Exalt, god, raksha, etc), which martial arts styles he knows at least one Charm from, which martial arts styles he knows up to the Form-type Charm, which martial arts styles he has mastered, whether he has any Intimacies toward the martial artist, and the nature of those Intimacies, if they exist.
For the rest of the scene, the martial artist gains a +2 bonus to her DVs and MDVs against any opponent she has evaluated in this manner.
Into Infinite Depths may be activated as an innate power, which does not count as a Charm activation if Sapphire Veil of Passion Form is active.

Performing a two hit Flurry, Speed 3.

Dex 5 + MA 5 + Specialty 3 + Excellency 5 + Accuracy 9 + Stunt 1 - Flurry penalty = 27 dice first hit / 26 dice second hit

14 successes on the first hit
11 successes on the second hit

Health Levels
-0 [ ][ ][ ]
-1 [ ][ ]
-2 [ ][ ][ ][ ]
-4 [ ]
-I [ ]

Essence: 5
Personal: 18 / 10
Peripheral: 47 / 20
Committed: 18

Willpower: 8 / 7
Compassion: 2
Conviction: 3
Temperance: 2
Valor: 2

Join Battle: 6

Parry DV: 6 (11 with PKB and the Floating Ribbon, 12 with Fans)
Dodge DV: 7

Natural Soak: +1L/+2B
Armored Soak: +5L/+5B
Dreaming Pearl Defense: +5L/+10B or +10L/+15B when the Form Charm is active

Floating Ribbon
Speed 5 (3 with hearthstone), Accuracy +4 (+9), Damage +8L (+13), Defense +0 (+5), Attune 5
Seven Jeweled Peacock Fans
Speed 5 (3 with hearthstone), Accuracy +4 (+9), Damage +8B/+4L (+13B/+9L), Defense +3 (+8), Attune 4

 

[Sherwood]

The character immediately gains the following knowledge about one individual: what manner of being the target is (Solar Exalt, god, raksha, etc), which martial arts styles he knows at least one Charm from, which martial arts styles he knows up to the Form-type Charm, which martial arts styles he has mastered, whether he has any Intimacies toward the martial artist, and the nature of those Intimacies, if they exist.

This is what you see with the effects of this Charm:
The monster resonates with multiple Essence signatures, showing that it is both a necrotech monstrosity, Dragon Blooded and a Sidereal Exalt! It has the knowledge of several Martial Art styles, including having mastered Snake Style, Violet Bier of Sorrows, Fire Dragon Style, and knows the Form Charm of Charcoal March of Spiders, Prismatic Arrangement of Creation Style, Water Dragon Style, and Tiger Style.
Finally, this thing does have an Intimacy towards you, a positive one regarding you as a friendly coworker.

Its DV is 7, so you hit with both of your attacks. Its Soak is very high even though it doesn't have any armor, with a rating of 25L. Most likely you will only have your Overwhelming damage to do to it.

Finally, did you remember to discount your MA Charms from the effect of your PKB? It doesn't look like you did.