In the 2nd edition Abyssals book, it's mentioned that the Bishop of the Chalcedony Thurible is developing a new Celestial Martial art called Gently Embrace Style. It is supposed to invoke the power of Oblivion itself, and that once codified, it will, supposedly, be one of the deadliest martial arts ever invented. On a whim, I decided to try and come up with a charm tree for it, but then I remembered that I'm terrible at making up new charms and charm trees, and since I don't have the Scroll of the Monk, I'm even worse at coming up with new martial arts. Since this forum is filled with more experienced players and storytellers then I, I figured I'd just ask for help, and see what happens. So, anyone have any ideas? I want to make it pretty powerful, to live up to its hype, but I don't want to overpower it either.

hrrm, well if it's going to be the most powerful celestial martial art it's going to be overpowered anway, especially since several existing styles are considered overpowered.

Gentle embrace? sounds like it could be a mix of the nonexistant white veil style and some powerful attack charms, so the opponent doesn't know you're even attacking him until it's too late.

oh, hi Treads in Darkness, back for a rematch hahahahaha you're so pathe-bloody hell me legs are gone *hurk*

It should not be possible to be 'more powerful' than any other Celestial Style, because Celestial Styles have been under development since the Dawn of Time.

Really, I would put my money on the Sidereals over the course of the 10,000 years since the Great War working out the bloody-well damned most perfect ways Essence can possibly ever flow ever and writing a book about it coming up with a better martial art than some dead Solar.

Like Sorcery, like Charms, it has all been refined a million times and a million times more. The elements are harmoniously balanced. The progression to Enlightenment has been mapped, streamlined, perfected. You cannot improve on it because it is already perfect, and it is perfect because greater beings than you have perfected it.

Which I think is a genuinely charming explanation for the power-caps on Exalted stuff.

So, on the topic at hand (and I can't help you because I'm terrible with mechanics), while Gentle Embrace may be more 'deadly', that doesn't make it more powerful. It could just mean that it's specialized on killing as many people as possible. It could mean that if you're a mortal, or don't have Exalted defenses, it can brutally murder you instantly. But it doesn't mean that it's any more ultimately effective in a Celestial-on-Celestial fight than, say, Fire Dragon Style.

One technique for making "high end" celestial styles is to start them further along on the essence curve. For example, perhaps the first charms need Essence 3 or 4 instead of two. For example, this style makes use of that technique (perhaps a bit excessively). The trick is that you shouldn't go that high (Essence 5 at max, maybe 6) as beyond that you are treading on sidereal territory.

Note that there are also some philosophical differences in how the levels of MA are designed. My personal take on it is that terrestrial styles gain power from applying lessons learned from a concept. Celestial styles gain power from emulating a concept. Sidereal styles gain power from wielding a concept. This is to say: a high end celestial style should "feel" quite different from a low end sidereal style.

As for Gentle Embrace, the mix of the title and the notion of harnessing Oblivion suggests to me that the style might be fairly subtle, suggesting the type of "mental surrender" that ghosts go through when they decide not to be ghosts anymore. One question might be "what is being emulated"? Does the martial artist strive to act like the siren call of Oblivion? Or maybe it is slightly more literal, like an embracing lover.

I thought only sidereals could make a MA past essence 5? [dont like this one though, and in our game, its going to be ignored!]

Unless... the style gained its power by forcing the practitioners to do something the sidereals were unwilling to do. Like, say, slowly sell their souls to the Neverborn.

The "Gentle Embrace" is really talking about how the Neverborn slowly sink their hooks into you.

Agreed. I'm working on my own style at the moment which is "more powerful" than any other Celestrial MA out there - but hits practitioners around the head with a severe drawback. While the charms are planned on being downright awesome, using them will be building up a "corruption" score with a mechanic similar to Wyld Taint. Overuse it too much and you can actually end up being turned into Akuma against your will... (for anyone whos seen it, the style is based on a blend of the Claymore anime and my own Malfean flavour. It will be called "Green-Eyed Martyr Style".)

Perhaps something similar could be installed here? Time spent practicing such a style could have some major drawback as the Void calls to the practicioner even as he brings 'relief' to others.

I read a thread here on MA homebrewing a while ago and someone mentioned that all the really well-designed Martial Arts lack at least one of a number of important qualities (I think it was accuracy, damage, movement, DV/protection and soak) so I guess the word "deadly" implies that it sacrifices defense to improve offense.

Also, it invokes Oblivion, which I've always viewed as kind of indiscriminate, meaning it might involve sacrificing pieces of yourself for power, for example some more powerful Charms costing aggravated health levels as you literally cloak your own body with the very Essence of nothingness (stupid, but probably quite effective). For the really high-end stuff we've probably got stuff like offering up permanent dots of Willpower or even Essence in return for some truly crazy effect (like a sphere of Void irrevocably destroying everything you touch, or a Soulbreaker wave).

That's the difference between the Deathlords and the Sidereals. If the Deathlords win, that's it. Oblivion swallows all their enemies, they rule the Underworld for a few centuries, and finito. If the Sidereals win, they still have to get up and kick tomorrow's ass. One side's got everything to lose, and the other is specifically trying to lose everything.

Also, to person who posted while I was writing this: why would you want to avoid going Akuma? Being an Akuma is totally awesome.

I totally agree. Except for the part where you lose your free will. That part kinda sucks.

For the roleplayers out there: You don't want to become an akuma because as Kyeudo pointed out, you lose your free will. Depending on your ST, this might even equate to "you're an npc now, go make a new character". At the very least its going to be a big change in your personality.

For the rollplayers out there: The charm tree is going to consist of several scene-length obvious charms - I guess some parallels will inevitably be drawn to DBT and the gift mechanic (except that certain instant duration charms will only be available while given scene-lengths are active). Becoming Akuma via this method will simply make some of these effects permament instead of granting you a big sack with "150xp" written on the side. If you actually *want* to become akuma, its far more advantageous to do it the traditional way. The only problem I have is coming up with a valid reason to prevent people already Akuma from learning the style.

Have you considered added points to limit instead of costing health levels?

For (loyal) Abyssals, that just makes the style better.

To Tsuranis: I stand rectified regarding the power boost (Akuma still rock in terms of flavor though), and I admit that turning into an insane slave of Elder Gods can be a problem depending on your Circle's attitude (assuming you let them know, Ebon can be subtle, mwahaha).

Also, if I can give you advice on your MA project, may I suggest having the style drawing power from your free will being being a powerful object of desire for the Yozis (you're essentially fishing Elder Horrors with your soul as the lure). Or you can say that it uses the same Essence patterns as the Akuma power boosts (the magibabble version). Or the demon that the style draws its power from is jealous and doesn't allow it for other demons' Akuma (and doesn't Akumafy people the normal way itself). Or you can...

I think too much. I know this, and yet I keep thinking.

To Mr. S: Thanqol's basically summed it up. Limit is an extremely complicated concept, which means very different things for different things for different Exalt types.

Also, the style is designed by a Deathlord, and presumably intended for his own use and for his Abyssals. So either A: you don't allow it to work with Resonance, and the Bishop can't use the MA he invented himself, or B: you do allow it to work with Resonance, and channeling the purest, most destructive force known to Nara-O directly into Creation as a weapon pisses off the Neverborn.

See what I mean?

You do have a point though, there might be something else to sacrifice. Willpower? Artifacts? Love? Bystanders? Your voice? Just thinking out loud, here.