Melee Charms

Keywords:

• Obvious: This effect is obviously magical.
• Post-Attack: A Supplemental effect with this Keyword is declared after the attack roll is made and its result is determined.

• Essence 1
  • Nimble Reaving Wind
  • Excellent Strike
  • Fire and Stones Strike
  • Gleaming Sever
  • One Weapon, Two Blows
  • Peony Blossom Technique
  • Dipping Swallow Defense
  • Arc Shedding Rain Technique
  • Bulwark Stance
  • War Lion Stance
  • Guard-Breaking Technique
  • Solar Counterattack
  • Call the Blade
  • Summoning the Loyal Steel
• Essence 2
  • Rising Sun Slash
  • Stark Truth of Steel Method
  • Iron Whirlwind Attack
  • Fivefold Bulwark Stance
  • Heavenly Guardian Defense
  • Hail-Shattering Practice
  • Calm and Ready Focus
  • Unassailable Guardian Posture
  • Ready in Eight Directions Stance
  • Glorious Solar Saber
  • Iron Raptor Technique
  • Sandstorm-Wind Attack
  • Edge of Morning Sunlight
• Essence 3
  • Hungry Tiger Technique
  • Perfect Strike Discipline
  • Flashing Edge of Dawn
  • Fervent Blow
  • All-Sundering Strike
  • Shattering Clash
  • Immortal Blade Triumphant
  • Corona of Radiance
  • Sharp Light of Judgment Stance
  • Blazing Solar Bolt
  • Whirlwind-Tempest Deflection
  • Victorious Wreath (Against the World Stance)
  • Divine Executioner Stance
• Essence 4
  • Heaven Sword Flash
• Essence 5
  • Circle of Bright Reaving

Essence 1

Nimble Reaving Wind¹

Prerequisites Melee 1, Essence 1
Cost 1m; Action Reflexive; Duration Instant
Requirement It’s your turn, you’re at short range with an opponent you currently aren’t at close range with, and you have a Simple action available to use.

You may cover ground 1 to exit close range from an opponent without having to Disengage. Then, you cover ground 1 to enter close range with a different opponent. You must if possible use a Simple action this turn to attack the new opponent.

Excellent Strike²

Prerequisites Melee 2, Essence 1
Cost 3m; Supplements Melee attack; Duration Instant

On the supplemented attack’s roll, add +1s and reroll each 1.

Fire and Stones Strike¹

Prerequisites Melee 3, Essence 1, Excellent Strike
Cost Xm; Supplements Melee attack; Duration Instant

If the supplemented attack is withering, X can be up to (Strength). Add +X to the post-soak damage after applying the minimum damage rule.

If the supplemented attack is decisive, X can be up to (the greater of [Essence] or 3). Add +(the lower of X or the number of successes on the attack roll)s to the raw damage.

Gleaming Sever²

Prerequisites Melee 4, Essence 1, Fire and Stones Strike
Cost 1m, 1i; Supplements Melee attack; Duration Instant

The supplemented attack’s attack roll gets +1s, and its damage roll gets +1. The attack has minimum damage of at least 1, even if it’s decisive. If the attack is a clash used against scenery, its damage roll gets +3s.

One Weapon, Two Blows³

Prerequisites Melee 2, Essence 1, Excellent Strike
Cost 3m; Action Reflexive; Duration Instant
Trigger You use a withering attack to lower an opponent’s Initiative from greater than yours to less than yours.

Make a Melee attack against the triggering opponent.

Upgrade (Essence 2) 1/scene, you may use with this Charm with a Cost of 6m. If you do, treat your Initiative as if it were 3 higher for the Trigger.

Peony Blossom Technique

Prerequisites Melee 3, Essence 1, One Weapon, Two Blows
Cost 1m, 1wp, 3a; Action Reflexive; Duration Instant

Make a Melee attack.

Dipping Swallow Defense

Prerequisites Melee 1, Essence 1
Cost 2m; Supplements application of Parry[^action-changed]; Duration Instant

Your supplemented application of Parry ignores penalties, except for surprise attack penalties. If the attack roll against your Parry fails, you get 1i.

Arc Shedding Rain Technique²

Prerequisites Melee 3, Essence 1, Dipping Swallow Defense
Cost 3m; Action Reflexive (1/round); Duration Instant
Trigger You successfully apply Parry against a trivial opponent.

As Disarm against the triggering opponent, except as noted, and it’s automatically successful.

Reset: Succesfully apply Parry with a -2 or greater onslaught penalty, or successfully apply Parry against a non-trivial opponent, or kill an opponent with a counterattack.

Bulwark Stance

Prerequisites Melee 3, Essence 1, Dipping Swallow Defense
Cost 5m; Action Reflexive; Duration One turn

Your applications of Parry ignore all penalties. Any damage rolls against you get -1 for each 1, up to -(Essence).

War Lion Stance

Prerequisites Melee 4, Essence 1, Peony Blossom Technique
Cost 2m; Action Reflexive; Duration One scene

Choose a character within close range. You can use Defend Other with an Action of Reflexive to protect that character. If that character leaves close range of you, the Duration ends.

Guard-Breaking Technique

Prerequisites Melee 5, Essence 1, War Lion Stance
Cost 3m; Action Reflexive; Duration Instant
Requirement You have an ongoing Defend Other.

As Distract, except as noted. On the damage roll, double each 7. If you succeed, the next attack roll by the character you’re benefiting with Defend Other gets +(greater of Essence or 3).

Solar Counterattack⁴

Prerequisites Melee 4, Essence 1, Dipping Swallow Defense
Cost 3m; Supplements application of Parry⁵; Duration Instant
Keywords Counterattack

Queue a decisive Melee counterattack against the attack you’re applying Parry against.

Call the Blade

Prerequisites Melee 1, Essence 1
Cost 1mm; Action Reflexive; Duration Instant
Target A weapon you own that’s within short range

Roll (Wits + Melee) at difficulty 4. If you succeed, the target instantly appears on your person and is readied as if with Ready Weapon. If you fail, the target travels towards you and will reach you at the start of your next turn (being readied if it does so), unless stopped by an unavoidable restraint or barrier.

Summoning the Loyal Steel

Prerequisites Melee 3, Essence 1, Call the Blade
Cost 1m; Action Simple; Duration Indefinite
Keyword Touch⁶
Target One weapon

The target vanishes. When the Duration ends, it reappears on your person and is readied as if with Ready Weapon

Essence 2

Rising Sun Slash²³

Prerequisites Melee 4, Essence 2, Fire and Stones Strike Cost 1m; Action Reflexive; Duration Instant
Trigger You make an attack roll using a full Melee Excellency, and the roll result has a 7, an 8, a 9, and a 10.

Add +1ns and +Xnd to the triggering roll, where X is (Essence).

Upgrade (Melee 5, Essence 3): For each 10 in the triggering roll, you get 1m.

Stark Truth of Steel Method²

Prerequisites Fire and Stones Strike
Cost 2m, 1i; Action Reflexive; Duration Instant
Trigger An opponent applies Defense against you with the aid of magic you’ve observed since the last time you used this Charm against them (if ever).

Add +1ns to your attack roll against the triggering opponent’s Defense.

Iron Whirlwind Attack⁴³

Prerequisites Melee 5, Essence 2, Peony Blossom Technique
Cost 5m, 1wp; Action Simple; Duration Instant

Make up to (lowest of Strength, Dexterity, or Stamina) decisive Melee attacks against any valid targets. You split up your Initiative betweeen these attacks as you choose, with at least 1i for each attack. You only reset to base Initiative after resolving all of the attacks. You don’t lose Initiative if individual attacks miss. If all of the attacks miss, you lose 2i per attack.

You may apply attack-enhancing Charms to all of the attacks from this Charm with a single activation, except for Excellencies.

You may use this Charm as if it had an Action of Reflexive and a Trigger of “You resolve a use of Peony Blossom Attack”.

Upgrade (Essence 3): You use the highest, not lowest, number of the three attributes for the number of attacks you can make, and add (number of total attacks) to the Initiative total you split between the attacks. You may cover ground 1 before each attack.

Fivefold Bulwark Stance

Prerequisites Melee 5, Essence 2, Bulwark Stance
Cost 5m, 1wp; Action Simple; Duration One scene

Your uses of Parry ignore all penalties except for those resulting from affected senses, stunning (but not other injuries), poisons, or illusions. Reduce the cost of Bulwark Stance by 2m and reduce the Cost of Dipping Swallow Defense by 1m. When you use Dipping Swallow Defense, it adds +1 to the supplemented use of Parry.

Heavenly Guardian Defense⁴³

Prerequisites Melee 5, Essence 2, Bulwark Stance
Cost Xi, 4m or 4m or 4m, 1wp; Action Reflexive; Duration Instant
Keywords Perilous
Trigger You’re hit by a decisive attack.

Remove X successes from the triggering attack’s damage roll. If you remove all successes from the damage roll, the attack is treated as though it had missed against your Parry.

You may use this Charm with a Cost of 4m and a Trigger of “You’re hit by a decisive attack that would ignore your Parry or treat it as 0”. If you do, the triggering attack is treated as though it had missed against your Parry.

You may use this Charm with a Cost of 4m, 1wp and a Trigger of “You would be damaged by uncountable damage”. If you do, the triggering damage doesn’t apply to you, and if it’s recurring, it doesn’t apply to you for the rest of the scene.

Upgrade (Essence 5): This Charm loses the Perilous keyword. Whenever you use this Charm to make a decisive attack miss against your Parry, you get X bliss points, where X is the count of each 1 and 2 on the triggering attack’s damage roll. Any bliss points over (Essence) are wasted. You may reflexively pay 4m, 1wp to double your current and maximum number of bliss points for 1 tick. You may spend any number of bliss points when paying for the Cost as though it was Initiative.

Hail-Shattering Practice

Prerequisites Melee 3, Essence 2, Dipping Swallow Defense
Cost Xm; Action Reflexive; Duration Instant
Trigger An attack roll is attempted against you.

X can be up to (the total count of each 1 or 2 in the triggering attack roll, or [Essence], whichever is less). Remove X successes from the attack roll.

Calm and Ready Focus

Prerequisites Melee 4, Essence 2, War Lion Stance
Cost —; Action Reflexive⁵; Duration Instant
Trigger You successfully apply your Parry as part of a Defend Other attempt.

You get 1i.

Unassailable Guardian Posture

Prerequisites Melee 5, Essence 2, War Lion Stance
Cost 1m, 1wp; Action Reflexive; Duration One turn or until War Lion Stance ends Requirement You have War Lion Stance ongoing.

The character you’ve targeted with War Lion Stance can’t be attacked by any means.

Unlock (Essence 3): The character you’ve targeted with War Lion Stance is also protected from environmental hazards if you provide a suitable stunt.

Ready in Eight Directions Stance⁴

Prerequisites Melee 5, Essence 2, Solar Counterattack
Cost 5m; Action Simple; Duration One turn
Keywords Counterattack

You may use Solar Counterattack with a Cost of —. If you do, your Initiative doesn’t reset to base Initiative until the Duration ends.

Glorious Solar Saber⁷

Prerequisites Melee 3, Essence 2, Summoning the Loyal Steel
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Action Simple; Duration One scene
Keywords Obvious

You create a daiklave (Exalted, p. 595) that lasts for the Duration. It’s treated as readied and attuned (but costs no attunement motes).

You have access to this power:

• Molten Sun Blade: Cost 1m, 1wp; Action Reflexive; Duration Until your next attack with the daiklave is resolved. The daiklave destroys any non-Artifact object used to apply Parry against it. You can use the daiklave to cut through non-magical materials at a rate of two feet per turn. If you successfully clash against a battle group, the battle group can’t attack you again until it’s succeeded at a Rally.

You may purchase Evocations for this Charm. They apply to the daiklave each time it is created.

Iron Raptor Technique²

Prerequisites Melee 4, Essence 2, Call the Blade, Excellent Strike
Cost 7m; Action Simple; Duration Instant
Keywords Mute

Make a withering or decisive Melee attack at medium range. You don’t need to Aim to make this attack. If your attack crashes its target, you get 1wp. If the attack roll is a botch, your weapon is left stuck in scenery in close range of the attack’s target.

Sandstorm-Wind Attack⁴

Prerequisites Melee 4, Essence 2, Call the Blade, Excellent Strike
Cost 5m, 2i; Action Simple; Duration Instant

Make a decisive Melee attack at short range. It ignores hardness and does (Essence)s damage to any scenery between you and the target, which can potentially negate the benefits of Take Cover. You can use this attack to clash ranged attacks, even if the attack’s originator is outside of short range. If you’ve delayed this turn, if you use this Charm to clash, its Action is Reflexive.

Edge of Morning Sunlight²

Prerequisites Melee 4, Essence 2, Sandstorm-Wind Attack
Cost 2m; Action Reflexive; Duration Instant
Trigger You deal at least 1 damage with a Melee attack.

Roll (Essence). You deal that much damage to the same target as the triggering attack, and this damage ignores hardness.

Essence 3

Hungry Tiger Technique¹

Prerequisites Melee 5, Essence 3, Rising Sun Slash
Cost 3m, 2i; Supplements Melee attack against a crashed target; Duration Instant Keywords Perilous

If the supplemented attack is withering, double threshold successes from the attack roll.

If the supplemented attack is decisive, add threshold successes from the attack roll to the damage roll.

Perfect Strike Discipline

Prerequisites Melee 5, Essence 3, Dipping Swallow Defense, Excellent Strike
Cost 1wp; Action Reflexive (1/scene); Duration Instant

As a full Melee Excellency, except as noted.

Reset: Incapacitate an opponent with a Melee attack.

Flashing Edge of Dawn⁸

Prerequisites Melee 5, Essence 3, One Weapon, Two Blows, Solar Counterattack
Cost 4m, 1wp; Action Reflexive
Keywords Counterattack
Trigger You apply your Parry against an attack.

Queue a withering Melee counterattack against the triggering attack. You don’t gain Initiative from the counterattack. Roll (Initiative you would have gained) and apply that much damage to the target, ignoring hardness, as if you had successfully made a decisive attack.

Fervent Blow⁴³

Prerequisites Melee 5, Essence 3, Flashing Edge of Dawn
Cost 1m, 1wp; Action Reflexive; Duration Instant
Keywords Clash
Trigger You’re targeted by an attack you could clash.

Make a decisive Melee clash attack against the triggering attack.

Upgrade (“Over-and-Under Method”): You may use this Charm with a Cost of 7m, 1wp. If you do and the clash is successful, you also apply the effect of Flashing Edge of Dawn, but resolve the counterattack before rolling damage, and add the pool of raw damage from it (if any) to your total damage roll.

Upgrade (“Omniscient Focus Attack”): You may use this Charm with a Cost of 6m, 1wp. If you do, you treat ambushes and attacks by immaterial opponents as valid for the Trigger, and you can harm an immaterial opponent with the clash.

All-Sundering Strike

Prerequisites Melee 5, Essence 3, Fervent Blow, Hail-Shattering Practice
Cost 3m, 1wp; Supplements Melee clash attack; Duration Instant
Keywords Clash

For the supplemented attack’s attack roll, roll twice and take the higher result. Apply effects to both rolls with a single activation.

Shattering Clash⁴

Prerequisites Melee 5, Essence 3, Fervent Blow
Cost 5m; Supplements decisive Melee attack; Duration Instant
Keywords Post-Attack

If the attack deals at least 6hl damage, you may reduce the attack’s damage by 3hl to destroy a weapon that’s readied by the attack’s target and not made of magical material.

Immortal Blade Triumphant

Prerequisites Melee 5, Essence 3, Glorious Solar Saber
Cost 10m, 1wp; Type Simple; Duration One scene
Keywords Obvious⁷
Requirement Your anima is at bonfire.

You get the following benefits:

• Your weapons can’t be disarmed or destroyed.
• Stunt bonuses to your attack rolls are also added to the damage rolls.
• If your anima is at bonfire, for each attack you make, (Essence) dice of damage are automatically successful.
• If your anima is at bonfire, when you make a decisive Melee attack, you may end the Duration. If you do, your anima resets to dim, the attack ignores hardness, and you add +Xs to the damage roll, where X is (Essence).

Corona of Radiance

Prerequisites Melee 5, Essence 3, Edge of Morning Sunlight
Cost 5m, 1wp; Action Simple; Duration One scene
Keywords Obvious⁷

Your Parry gets +1 against creatures of darkness.

If a creature of darkness hits you with an unarmed attack, it takes (Essence) damage that ignores hardness.

Sharp Light of Judgment Stance

Prerequisites Melee 5, Essence 3, Corona of Radiance
Permanent

You gain the following abilities:

• Whenever you attack a creature of darkness while you have Corona of Radiance ongoing, increase the attack’s minimum damage by (Essence).
• Whenever you attack a creature of darkness with Sandstorm-Wind Attack, increase the attack’s raw damage by (Essence).
• Whenever you attack a creature of darkness with Blazing Solar Bolt, increase the attack’s raw damage by (Essence).
• By paying 1m per attack, you can treat a target you have a negative Defining Tie towards as if they were a creature of darkness for the purposes of Edge of Morning Sunlight, Sandstorm-Wind Attack, or Blazing Solar Bolt.
• By paying 1wp per attack, you can treat a target you have a negative Major Tie towards as if they were a creature of darkness for the purposes of Edge of Morning Sunlight, Sandstorm-Wind Attack, or Blazing Solar Bolt.
• By paying 2m per attack, you can treat a target you have a negative Major or Defining Tie towards as if they were a creature of darkness for the purposes of Corona of Radiance.

Blazing Solar Bolt⁴⁷

Prerequisites Melee 5, Essence 3, Corona of Radiance
Cost 5m, 2i, 1wp; Action Simple (1/combat); Duration Instant
Keywords Obvious

Make a special decisive Melee attack at short range, using (Dexterity + Melee) for the attack roll and with a base damage of (Essence + threshold successes on the attack roll), without using your Initiative and without resetting to base Initiative afterward. This attack ignores hardness and is undodgeable and unblockable without magic. You can pay Xa, where X is up to 4, to increase the range by X zones. If the attack’s target is a creature of darkness, the attack is Aggravated.

Reset: Successfully make a decisive attack with 7+ Initiative, then increase your Initiative to 12+.

Whirlwind-Tempest Deflection⁴

Prerequisites Melee 5, Essence 3, Flashing Edge of Dawn, Heavenly Guardian Defense
Cost 6m, 1wp; Action Reflexive (1/combat); Duration Instant
Keywords Counterattack, Perilous

Whenever you succesfully apply Parry against a decisive attack with 17+ base damage, as a counterattack, you deal Xs damage to all non-magical scenery within close range, you roll X decisive damage against (greater of Essence or three) non-trivial opponents within close range, and you deal (highest damage roll success count against non-trivial opponents + 3)s damage against all trivial opponents within close range, where X is (decisive attack’s base damage ÷ 2, rounded down).

If you know Sandstorm-Wind Attack, you may use this Charm with a Cost of 9m, 1wp. If you do, it works at short range instead of close range.

Reset: Raise Initiative to 20+ and then successfully make a decisive attack, or roll Join Battle.

Victorious Wreath (Against the World Stance)

Prerequisites Melee 5, Essence 3, Fivefold Bulwark Stance, Ready in Eight Directions Stance
Cost 6m, 1wp (+1i per round); Action Reflexive; Duration One scene
Keywords Perilous

Each time you successfully apply Parry, you get X victory points, where X is (Parry - attack roll’s sucesses + 1). These points last until the end of your next turn and can be spent as if they were motes on Melee Charms.

If you’re crashed, the Duration ends.

Upgrade: If you have Ready in Eight Directions Stance ongoing, if you succesfully apply Parry against every attack targeting you in a round, your Initiative doesn’t reset to base at the end of that Charm’s Duration.

Divine Executioner Stance²

Prerequisites Melee 5, Essence 3, Rising Sun Slash
Cost 6m; Action Simple; Duration Indefinite

Choose a Principle or Tie that you have. As part of the Action, you declare your intent to protect that Intimacy.

You gain access to the following power:

• Cost 1m; Supplements Melee attack; Duration Instant; Requirement The supplemented attack protects the subject of the chosen Intimacy in some way. Add +X to the attack roll, where X is (choseen Intimacy’s Intensity). If the target has acted to threaten the subject of one of your Intimacies (even if you’re not aware of it), the damage roll gets +Y, where Y is (Intensity of target’s strongest opposed Intimacy). If the target is a creature of darkness, the damage roll gets +1 and +1ns and the attack is Aggravated.

Essence 4

Heaven Sword Flash⁴

Prerequisites Melee 5, Essence 4, Iron Whirlwind Attack x2
Cost 7m, 1wp; Action Simple; Duration Instant
Keywords Perilous

Make one decisive Melee attack, using (Initiative ÷ 2, rounded up) as the base damage, and apply it against all opponents at short range. Against trivial opponents, instead use (Initiative) as the base damage, and ignore hardness.

If you have Essence 5+, the Cost is 6m, 1wp.

Essence 5

Circle of Bright Reaving⁸

Prerequisites Melee 5, Essence 5, Heaven Sword Flash
Cost 6m, 1a, 2i; Action Reflexive; Duration Instant
Keywords Perilous
Trigger You kill an opponent using Heaven Sword Flash.

Make one withering Melee attack and it apply it against all opponents at short range. If successful, you gain Initiative from the application with the highest damage roll, plus (each additional successful damage application × 3)i. If you crash any opponents with the attack, you may use Heaven Sword Flash with an Action of Reflexive.