Flashing Pavane Of Spears Style (CMA)

The First Age was known for its excesses, and some have argued that the Flashing Pavane of Spears style is one such excess that has survived into the modern era. Few things could be further from the truth. While it is true that the Style reached the apex of its popularity during the High First Age, when a well-known Eclipse Caste ruler insisted on training all his Dragon Blooded guards in the style, the origins of the art harks back further than that.

Many scholars have noted the similarities between dance and combat; Both have their own rhythms, their own carefully studied and rehearsed moves, their own steps and cadences. It isn't surprising, then, that the Celestial Exalted sought to meld the two. A Graceful Spear (as practitioners are known) treats her opponent like a partner in a dance, albeit a deadly one, and the form-weapons of the Style expressly act to let her maintain the rhythm and pace of the combat.

In the Second Age, the Flashing Pavane of Spears is practiced primarily by those Solars who remember it from their earlier incarnations, although some Outcaste Dragon-Bloods also favour it, as do the Chosen of Serenity.

Complementary Skills: To become a Graceful Spear, a student must have at least three dots of Performance. Many also train their bodies to be both flexible and enduring, so high scores in Athletics are not uncommon.

Armour and weapons: This style is, initially, incompatible with armour. It treats spears, staffs (including short staffs or canes), and their artifact equivalents as form weapons.

Graceful Opening Steps
Cost: 1m; Mins: Martial Arts3, Essence 2;
Type: Reflexive (Step 1 or 2)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None.

As the music starts, the first steps of the dance, whether in a royal court or on a battlefield, set the pace for all that follows after. With this Charm, a Graceful Spear seizes the initiative and thus decides on how the dance unfolds; who leads and who yields.

When invoking this Charm, the Martial Artist may add her Performance ability to her to Join Battle roll.

Delightful Measures Prana
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2;
Type: Simple
Keywords: Obvious
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: None

Even the most dreadful, martial march is to a practitioner of the Flashing Pavane of Blades a delightful measure, inviting them to join in and guide its steps. As they join in this unique dance, the Graceful Spear gird themselves by cloaking themselves in Essence, trailing glimmering bands of light from their limbs that strengthen their bodies for the rigors of battle.

On activation, this Charm lets the Martial Artist add the lower of her Martial Arts or Performance scores to her Bashing and Lethal soak for the scene.

Greeting One's Partner Stance
Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2;
Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

In court or on the battlefield, the Graceful Spear is impeccably polite, greeting their partners with a grace and poise that allows them to avoid the least misstep. Taking up an insouciant pose with her weapon, the Martial Artist allows, even invites, others to make mistakes in full knowledge that she herself will not.

This Charm lets the Martial Artist add half of her Martial Arts or Performance score, whichever is less, to Dodge OR Parry DV for one action.

Flashing Pavane of Spears Form
Cost: 6m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3;
Type: Simple
Keywords: Form-Type, Combo-Basic
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Delightful Measures Prana, Graceful Opening Steps, Greeting One's Partner Stance.

Taking a step back from her opponent, the Graceful Spear raises her weapon or hand in genteel salute, then slams the butt of her weapon, or her palm into the ground in a deep bow before flowing into a ready-stance, assuming the Flashing Pavane of Spears Form.

On assuming the Form, the Martial Artist distributes a number of points equal to her Essence or Performance (whichever is higher) between her Speed (maximum Speed 3), Accuracy, Defense or Rate (maximum Rate 5). She may focus on one of them, or spread the points out, as she wishes. Furthermore, she does not suffer onslaught penalties for multiple attacks for the rest of the Scene.

Lightning Quadrille Defense
Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3;
Type: Simple (Speed 6, DV -2)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: (Performance) actions
Prerequisite Charms: Flashing Pavane of Spears Form

Emulating the most complicated movements of the courtly dances, the Graceful Spear incorporates them into her defenses, keeping her opponents confused and distracted, until she can finally disarm them in a stunning display of intricate elegance.

This Charm allows the Martial Artist to add the lower of her Martial Arts or Performance score (her choice) to any rolls to disarm her opponent. Furthermore, for the duration of her Performance in actions, attempts to disarm her opponents are Reflexive Actions.

Serene Chaconne Avoidance
Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4;
Type: Reflexive (Step 6)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Counterattack
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Lightning Quadrille Defense

With almost hypnotic, gentle, calm movements, the Martial Artist lures her opponent into a false sense of confidence. As her opponent strikes, however, he will find that the Graceful Spear is not where he thought she was.

Once an attack penetrates her defenses, the Martial Artist may roll Dexterity + Martial Arts against the total number of successes scored against her. If she scores more successes than her opponent, the attack is negated entirely. Any extra successes are then counted as if the Martial Artist had made an attack against her opponent, inflicting damage as normal. If the Martial Artist does not score more successes than her opponent, the attack is resolved normally.

Rapid Gigue Strike
Cost: 2m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3;
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Flashing Pavane of Spears Form

Like combat, dance may both be fast and slow, exhilarating and stately, gentle and aggressive. This Charm allows the Graceful Spear to launch herself at her opponent with the quick steps and lively rhythm of a rapid dance, lashing out with sure, swift movements that finds even the smallest chink in her opponents armour.

Any attack supplemented by this Charm, counts extra successes double for purpose of determining damage and counts as Piercing damage.

Divine Furlana Assault
Cost: 2m per attack; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4;
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Basic, Obvious, Extra action
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Rapid Gigue Strike

Moving with the flashing grace of the swift and aggressive Southern dances, the Graceful Spear enhances her weapon with Essence and unleashes a series of blindingly fast attacks on her opponent.

This Charm allows the Martial Artist to Spend 2m of Essence up to Rate of the weapon she's using. For each two motes spent, she gains a single attack at her full Dexterity + Martial Arts at no DV penalty. This Charm is explicitly compatible with increases to Rate from the style's Form Charm.

Elegant Sarabande Kata
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3;
Type: Simple
Keywords: Compulsion, Obvious
Duration: (Essence) actions.
Prerequisite Charms: Flashing Pavane of Blades Form

Mastery of the dance allows the Graceful Spear to direct her opponents as she wills, guiding their steps as easily as that of a partner on the dance floor. Weaving through the steps, her feet leave glimmering footprints of sparkling essence, drawing her opponents into the configuration she wishes them to follow.

When this Charm is invoked, the Martial Artist rolls Charisma + Martial Arts against the Dodge MDV of all opponents within her Permanent Essence in yards. Every opponent that succumbs to the Charm are inflicted with a penalty equal to half the Martial Artist's Essence on all actions for a duration of the Graceful Spear's Permanent Essence in actions. Opponents may disregard this compulsion by ignoring the Martial Artist completely and spending a point of Willpower. However, this allows the Martial Artist's next attack against the target to count as unexpected as punishment for ignoring her invitation to dance.

Graceful Rigaudon Sidestep Concentration
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4;
Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Elegant Sarabande Kata

In the ballroom or on the battlefield, partners meet and separate as the rhythm of the dance dictates. A Graceful Spear, however, has much greater control over when her current partner must be abandoned for a new one. As her opponent readies to attack her, she may invoke this Charm, wrapping herself in glimmering Essence and step away with a courtly bow, leaving him behind.

On activation, this Charm lets the Martial Artist make a free move action to place herself up to her Performance x Essence yards away from her current opponent. This is a Perfect Defense, and thus suffers from a Flaw of Invulnerability.

Joining the Menuet of Creation (Capstone).
Cost: -; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4;
Type: Permanent
Keywords: -
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Divine Furlana Assault, Graceful Rigaudon Sidestep Concentration, Serene Chaconne Avoidance.

The pinnacle of melding the arts of Battle with the art of Dance, a Graceful Spear that has joined in the Menuet of Creation stands at the apex of the battlefield and the ballroom. Her enlightenment and poise is now such that the restrictions that previously restrained her seem to fall away, letting her move as effortlessly as were she wearing the finest gossamer silk even when weighted down with the heaviest accouterments of war.

On reaching this Charm, Flashing Pavane of Spears Style may now be performed in all forms of armour, and permanently reduces the Speed and increases the Rate of all attacks made when invoking this Style by one, including those made by Form Weapons. This bonus cannot reduce Speed below 3, or increase Rate beyond 5, but is otherwise compatible with other Charms of this style that affect Speed and Rate.