Crimson Temple Style
Crimson Temple Style
Crimson Temple Style utilizes blood as both a weapon and defense to destroy all foes in their path. Charms in this style only work on living enemies, or in some rare cases, enemies who, while not alive, still have analogs to blood.
Form Weapons and Armor: This style may only be used with Unarmed attacks (barring weapons created with Scarlet Sheathe Technique), and may not be used with armor.
Favored Abilities: Crimson Temple stylists often favor Resistance and Medicine.
Charms:
Pulsing Heart Observation
3m; Scene; Simple
Martial Arts 2, Essence 1
Keywords: Terrestrial
Prereqs: None
This Charm is known only by the martial artist who has gained understanding of the first step to sanguine mastery. He becomes aware of the throbbing flow of life within all beings, mortal, celestial and animal. With a small investment of Essence, he tunes to this harmony of life. All vitality becomes visible, red veins painting themselves in phantoms, hung in midair and superimposed upon their hosts. Additionally, even if it goes unseen, the presence of life is easy to detect, giving the martial artist a dull throbbing sensation strongest towards the direction in question.
The martial artist immediately feels the presence of all living things within his Close range, and cannot be surprised by them. Additionally, he perceives past any non-magical form of stealth automatically, should the subject be living.
Terrestrial: A Terrestrial Exalt does not automatically detect living things within range or see through non-magical stealth, but instead adds his Essence in extra dice to detect them.
Disciple's Sanguine Sigil
4m; Instant; Simple
Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
Keywords: Decisive-Only, Stackable, Terrestrial, Mastery
Prereqs: Pulsing Heart Observation
Calling a spiral of crimson Essence into his palm, the martial artist harnesses the energy, wreathing it about his strike. This Charm may only be used to aid unarmed blows. When he achieves contact, the disciple’s palm of crimson energy explodes into the blow, splashing onto the flesh of the target and rupturing capillaries beneath its skin in a searing wave of agonizing heat. Within moments, a random but haunting blood-red sigil rises to the surface of the target’s skin, leaving a crimson mark which stays for the artist’s permanent Essence in days before fading into a sickly bruise.
It is also possible to leave a Sigil with simple contact rather than a strike. This means that a decisive hit that deals no damage may still leave a Sigil, and also that a Sigil can be placed stealthily outside of combat typically with a contested Dexterity + Larceny vs. Perception + Awareness roll.
After hitting an opponent with a decisive attack that deals at least 1 level of damage, a Sanguine Sigil is placed on the opponent. While a Sanguine Sigil is on an individual, all withering damage is increased by the Martial Artist's permanent Essence, and all decisive damage is increased by a single level. Furthermore, all Wound Penalties are increased by 1 per each Sigil. A Martial Artist can stack up to their Permanent Essence in Sigils on a single target.
Terrestrial: A Terrestrial Exalt may only place a single Sigil on any one target.
Mastery: The Solar Exalted may attempt a Difficulty 2 Gambit to place a Sigil even on opponents with more Hardness than their Initiative.
Blood-Fountain Crush
2m, 2i; Instant, Supplemental
Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
Keywords: Decisive-Only, Mastery
Prereqs: Pulsing Heart Observation
Of vital significance to this style of martial arts is the surveying of the nature of blood in the mortal frame. It is understood that, in due time, the disciple will be entirely familiar with the nature of blood and its gathering points. With this Charm, the stylist delivers a thundering blow to one of these gathering points, and relies on simple physical nature to do the rest. In addition to the pain of this strike – which deals lethal damage – the wound explodes in a spray of gore moments after the stylist has dealt his blow. The Charm’s namesake is obvious, then, as the blood gushes from the wound in a bright red fountain.
Due to the excess bleeding, living beings take one additional level of Lethal damage from a decisive hit. In addition, the bleeding continues for one more round, causing the victim to bleed out another level of Lethal damage the next round.
Mastery: A Solar Exalt's strikes bleed out for their Essence in rounds, causing 1 level of Lethal damage each round.
Crimson Temple Form
10m; Scene; Simple
Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Keywords: Form, Mastery
Prereqs: Blood-Fountain Crush, Disciple's Sanguine Sigil
After a series of preparatory motions, the artist pulses with light, his anima flooding with deep, roiling red Essence. His eyes also glow the same hue, and his posture takes on a subtle menace that all living things dread. Assumption of this form motivates the humours within the Exalt’s body, using these fluids to guide his motions in a graceful and somewhat terrible way. He moves like liquid, his blows land like thunder, and every wound he deals results in a gruesome red spray.
The Exalt adds +1 to his Evasion, and anyone hit by the Exalt adds 1 to all Wound Penalties. Finally, whenever the Exalt resets Initiative when their Initiative is at 10 or higher, or rolls Join Battle, they regenerate 1 level of Bashing or Lethal damage.
Mastery: A Solar Exalted gains 1 Initiative anytime an opponent is damaged by bleeding effects such as Blood-Fountain Crush. This only happens on subsequent rounds from the initial damage.
Special Activation Rules: A character may reflexively enter into Crimson Temple form after hitting an opponent for 3 or more levels of Lethal decisive damage, or causing their opponent to bleed enough for them to lose a level of decisive damage on the following turn.
Scarlet Sheathe Technique
5m, 1lhl; Scene; Simple
Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Keywords: Mastery
Prereqs: Crimson Temple Form
Life’s blood is the frightening focus of this mystic art, and through the combination of Essence and discipline, the Exalt practicing it may supply himself with a weapon that he may flow with as easily as he does his own humours. Steel does not work, nor do any of the five magical materials supply the proper feel and balance. No, the answer to the artist’s weapon problem is simple – the weapon, too, must come from the blood.
By shaping his own blood, the Martial Artist forms a weapon of crystallized blood with which to destroy his enemies. These weapons have the stats of Artifact weapons, and are typically formed to be Dire Lashes, Dire Chains or sometimes simple Daiklaives, though the exact expression can vary from practitioner to practitioner. These weapons count as Form weapons for Crimson Temple style, and can be used with all Charms in the style.
Mastery: A Solar Exalt may activate this Charm as a Reflexive effect upon making a decisive attack that deals at least one level of Lethal damage. If the Charm is activated in this manner, the decisive attack deals an additional level of Lethal damage as the victim's blood is used to shape the blade.
Tormenting Blood Echo
8m, 1w; Scene; Simple
Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Keywords: Uniform, Mastery
Prereqs: Crimson Temple Form
By attuning himself to the pulses of life of those afflicted by a Sanguine Sigil, the Martial Artist becomes able to cause them immediate pain, moving their bodies at the whims of the Martial Artist. The Martial Artist may attack a person affected by a Sanguine Sigil up to Short Range. Despite originating from the Sanguine Sigils, these attacks are resolved as normal, though the opponent is at a -2 on their Defense, as the victims can still attempt to defend themselves. If a Grapple Gambit is attempted, the Control Roll is contested as the Martial Artist's Dexterity + Martial Arts versus the victim's Stamina + Resistance.
Mastery: The Solar Exalted may attack out to Medium Range without needing to aim. In addition, all attacks are resolved as if was Grappled. This means that withering attacks are rolled against Defense 0 in order to find Threshold successes, and decisive attacks just apply damage and then reset the Martial Artist's Initiative.
Magnificent Scarlet Storm
5m then (3i or 1 lhl per +1 Parry); Scene; Simple
Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Keywords: Mastery
Prereqs: Crimson Temple Form
With a profound level of focus and strain, the artist flares in a powerful, bright tower of swirling red anima-light. With a howl of pain, wounds open on all major arteries and blood gushes out in controlled streams, and then the wounds seal over – preventing further blood-loss, although the injury remains. This blood is caught in the light of the anima, and hovers in weightless droplets around the artist for a moment, before coming alive and swirling around him in blinding, gory patterns, alternating between snowstorm patterns and a thin, translucent red wall.
Upon activating this Charm, the Martial Artist gains +1 Parry. The Martial Artist may also gain +1 Parry per 3i or 1 health level spent as a Reflexive action on any defense, to the Exalt's normal die adder cap. Once spent, these bonuses last until the end of the Martial Artist's action on the following turn.
Terrestrial: A Terrestrial Exalt may not spend Initiative or Health Levels to raise their Parry further.
Mastery: A Solar Exalt automatically raises their Parry whenever they take damage to their Health Track, whether or not the damage was caused by an enemy or was self-inflicted.
Scorching Blood Infliction
10m, 4i, 1 lhl; Instant; Simple
Martial Arts 5, Essence 2
Keywords: Decisive-Only, Aggravated, Terrestrial, Mastery, Perilous
Prereqs: Scarlet Sheathe Technique, Magnificent Scarlet Storm, Tormenting Blood Echo
With a burst of red Essence, the Martial Artist reaches out to all Sanguine Sigils within Medium Range. Upon making contact, the Martial Artist burns the Sigils off of their victims, boiling their very blood. For each Sigil on a victim, they take the Martial Artist's Essence in Aggravated damage, ignoring Hardness. In addition, all Wound Penalties the victim suffers are doubled for a number of rounds equal to the Martial Artist's Permanent Essence.
The first time any mortal witnesses this Charm, they must make a Willpower roll at a difficulty equal to the number of Sigils consumed (maximum of the Martial Artist's Essence) to resist having an Intimacy of Fear towards the Martial Artist instilled.
Terrestrial: A Terrestrial only inflicts 1 Aggravated health level per Sigil, only adds 1 to the victim's Wound Penalties.
Mastery: A Solar Exalted heals 1 level of Bashing or Lethal damage for each Sigil consumed, and may consume Sigils out to Long range. This is an obvious effect, as the bloody Essence flows to the Martial Artist to repair their wounds.
Special Activation Rules: This Charm may only be used once per scene unless the Martial Artist places at least 3 Sanguine Sigils and raises their Initiative to 10 or higher.
Red Monarch Shape
- (+5m, 1w); Permanent; Permanent
Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
Keywords: Terrestrial, Mastery
Prereqs: Scorching Blood Infliction
This is the highest known Charm associated with the Crimson Temple techniques, and it expands the potency of the core Form Charm, to the extent that the disciple may only activate it by continuing the preparation of the Form Charm itself and activating this Charm immediately the turn after the Form itself is activated. The shape of the Exalt becomes entirely sanguine, dissolving into a gory skeletal shape packed beneath a translucent red gel. This Charm improves the Crimson Temple Form in many ways, letting him flow in impossible and grotesque ways – around blows, and even through blows.
Red Monarch Shape is activated at the same time as Crimson Temple Form, and grants an additional +1 Evasion. This Charm also causes the Martial Artist to heal 1 Bashing or Lethal health level every round, which stacks with any healed from other sources. Finally, the Martial Artist heals 1 health level for every two levels of lethal decisive damage he inflicts, as the victim's blood is used to repair damage done to the Red Monarch. Health damage caused by Scorching Blood Infliction does not fuel this healing.
Mortals witnessing this Charm for the first time must make a Willpower roll with a difficulty of the Martial Artist's Essence to resist an Instill action for an Intimacy of Fear towards the Martial Artist.
Terrestrial: A Terrestrial Exalt may only maintain this Form for 5 rounds, and they do not heal due to causing Lethal damage to their enemies. Once out of Red Monarch Shape, a Terrestrial may enter Red Monarch Shape again only after dealing 7 decisive lethal damage, or killing a non-Trivial opponent.
Mastery: A Solar in Red Monarch Shape may activate Scarlet Sheathe Technique at the same time as Red Monarch Shape. When activated this way, Scarlet Sheathe Technique has no health level cost. The Solar may attack out to Short range, and weapons created with Scarlet Sheathe Technique are counted as natural weapons. The Solar also adds their Martial Arts to their Soak and their Essence to their Hardness.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:50, Sun 06 Sept 2020.