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Developed in the First Age by a Twilight Caste who made the Martial Arts techniques of the various Exalted her particular area of study. Emphasizing acrobatic ability and patient planning in combat, the Heron Style gained numerous adherents among the Night, Eclipse and Twilight Castes as well as the No Moon Lunars. The Dragon-Blooded, unable to learn the Style without extensive tutoring, destroyed most of the Heron teachings and slaughtered the Celestials skilled in the art with all the rest, rendering the style virtually unknown among warriors of the Second Age.
The Heron Style makes use of twin slashing swords as its signature weapons, and when using them a Heron stylist doubles their accuracy rating and adds one to their speed. This applies to any slashing-type weapon. Special variant Daiklaves were once forged for Heron Stylists, but few if any remain in existence today.
Groundless Leap
Cost: 1 mote Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: None
Though unable to soar as the Heron, a martial artist using this Charm is freed from such mundane concerns as physical laws. This charm may only be activated while the character is in the air, no matter how they got there. Using this technique, the Heron Stylist treats air as the firmest ground, allowing them to leap and jump about while never letting their feet touch the Earth. For each activation of Groundless Leap, the character may make one jump without touching anything but the air. Rolls made with this Charm are at normal Dexterity + Athletics pool.
Infinite Leap of Heaven
Cost: 3 motes per jump Duration: Instant Type: Extra Action Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: Groundless Leap
Herons are creatures of the Air, and the disciples of this Style seek to imitate them. Using the Infinite Leap of Heaven, they gain some measure of the heron’s ability to fly. This Charm does not directly aid in jumping further or higher, but it allows for many leaps to come in lightning succession, giving an impression of flight. For every 3 motes spent on the Charm, the martial artist gains one action to be used for the purposes of leaping only. A character can not gain more actions with this charm then their Essence.
Waiting Strike
Cost: 2 motes Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 2 Min. Essence: 2 Prereqs: None
The patient attacker has time to study her opponent’s style and weaknesses, and can tailor her attacks to the soft points in her foe’s defenses. By expending one mote a martial artist can reduce her initiative by any number she desires, to a minimum of her Dexterity + Wits. The character gains a number of accuracy dice equal to the difference between her original initiative and her new. This Charm can only be activated once per turn. The motes are paid after initiative is rolled. The bonus accuracy dice are added to all attacks made by the character during the turn this Charm was activated, but only to strikes made against the same target.
Heron Form
Cost: 5 motes Duration: One Scene Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Waiting Strike, Infinite Leap of Heaven
Drawing herself up to her full height and adopting a stance of calm readiness, a martial artist takes on the aspect of the Heron. For the duration of the scene, multiply the number of yards she is able to run or jump by her Martial Arts score. While Heron Form is active, the character adds her Essence to the accuracy of all attacks she makes. Having finally mastered the Heron greatly enough, the Heron Stylist can now float above the ground, levitating exactly 1 foot at all times.
Patient Preparation Stance
Cost: 2 motes per turn Duration: Varies Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Heron Form
Adopting a still, motionless stance, a disciple of the Heron Style can channel her Essence easily, slowly building up to a great surge of power focused into a single task. Erupting in a blur of motion, the martial artist gains a number of dice for her next action equal to the number of turns she maintained the stance. Should the character be interrupted before she intends to break the stance, she may roll Stamina + Martial Arts (difficulty 2) to use as many extra dice as she would have gained normally for the turns she was still. If she fails, the Essence remains expended, but the benefits of the Charm are lost and the stance must be assumed again.
Reaching the Meat
Cost: 1 mote per soak Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Patient Preperation Stance
The Heron uses his long beak to reach tasty morsels beyond the reach of others. Using this ability as inspiration, one skilled in the Heron Style can reach beyond the armor and protection of a foe to the vulnerable flesh within. For each mote spent on this Charm, the opponent’s bashing and lethal soak ratings are reduced by one each. The number of motes spent on this Charm can not exceed the character’s Martial Arts X Essence. An opponent’s soak can not be reduced beyond her un-modified Stamina values. This effect lasts for one round of combat.
Vicious Strike of Flight
Cost: 6 motes Duration: Instant Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Reaching the Meat
Combining martial arts prowess with simple physics, the Heron Stylist delivers a fatal blow to all but the mightiest of foes. Launching herself at an enemy in the most literal sense, the Vicious Strike bears all the force of the leap and the fighter’s body behind it. When using this Charm, the character first rolls for a normal leap and adds her successes to her damage pool for the attack. These rolls are considered part the same action, but each may benefit from other Charms normally. Should this Charm be in a combo with Extra Action Charms, the successes on all jumps in the turn are added to the attack’s damage.
Unending Vault
Cost: 4 motes Duration: Special Type: Simple Min. Martial Arts: 3 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Heron Form
As close as the Heron Style allows to true flight, using the Unending Vault, a character can remain in the air for a number of turns equal to the successes on her original jump roll. While in the air, the character may move and act normally in all respects. She moves at her normal speed and can end the flight at any time by touching her feet to the ground.
Waiting for the Rush
Cost: 1 mote per reduction Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive Min. Martial Arts: 4 Min. Essence: 3 Prereqs: Unending Fault
In a seeming paradox, those who have great skill in the Heron Style are able to wait calmly, gathering their concentration for an incredible feat of reflexes and speed. By paying 1 mote per reduction, the character can lower her initiative by down to her Dexterity. For each reduction in initiative the martial artist subtracts one from the penalties incurred by splitting her dice pool. The penalty for multiple actions can not be reduced below 0. This Charm can not be used more then once a turn.
Moment of Frenzied Patience
Cost: 3 motes and 1 willpower per action Duration: Instant Type: Extra Actions Min. Martial Arts: 5 Min. Essence: 4 Prereqs: Waiting for the Rush, Vicious Strike of Flight
While patience and preparation are virtues and traits to be both attained and used generously, there are times when the normal methods of waiting are simply not good enough, for time is short. A true master of the Heron Style can focus his mind and his Essence, slowing her perception of time, allowing her to act at lightning speeds as well as with careful deliberation and planning. For every 3 motes and 1 willpower spent on this Charm, the martial artist gains one extra action to be used the turn this Charm was activated. These extra actions can not be split into multiple actions, nor can the character’s normal action. All actions taken during the turn this Charm is activated gain a number of extra dice equal to the character’s Essence.
This style was created by Telgar.
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