Eclipse and the Twilight Isles – Mystic Martial Arts

   Next up here we have a couple of Martial Arts from one of the current players. You can find his original writeup of these, and some of his characters, diaries, and other materials, over HERE at his blog – but he’s allowed me to copy these arts over to the primary blog here for some editing and to make them more easily available.

   What makes these unusual? Well, relatively few people buy corrupted or specialized skills, much less a specialized or corrupted martial art, or one designed around magical attacks – but here we have a splendid example. They’re also language-based martial arts, using some of the mystical languages from HERE.

   Drat it, I may have to put up a martial arts subindex. There’s no end to the indexing…

   Without further preamble, here we have the Mystical Martial Arts of the Cursed Line of Cadeyron:

   The Cursed Tongue (Wis)

   This purely-offensive mystical martial art backs ray attacks with the power of minor curses. The user simply adds a minor malediction to his usual components. While such small curses must be tailored to the local magical environment, are extremely short-lived, and are somewhat difficult to use, they can allow a master of The Cursed Tongue to inflict crippling disabilities on anyone who dares to hurt him.

   Unfortunately, even such minor curses require some leverage; sheer spite and borrowing power from other curses may help a bit, but The Cursed Tongue can only be used to it’s full potential after an opponent has already hurt the user in some way – and the greater the injuries an opponent has inflicted, the better it works.

• Requirements: The user must know the magical language of Saenthor, be subject to a powerful curse of some kind him or herself (to borrow power from), and possess the ability to make ray attacks.
• Basic Abilities: Attack IV, Power IV, and Synergy/Intimidate.
• Advanced and Master Techniques: Blinding Strike and Crippling III.
• Occult Techniques: Inner Strength, Serpent Strike, Paralyze and Overburden.

   The Cursed Tongue is Corrupted and Specialized for Triple Effect:

• The Basic abilities only work against targets who have injured the user, issued serious threats or insults against the user or his family, or who have otherwise wronged or offended the user. Against an opponent who has done no more than this, the abilities have only their base effect.
• The Advanced abilities only work against targets who have seriously wounded the user, personally injured close friends or family members of the user, or gravely wronged or offended the user. Against an opponent who has committed such an offense, the forms abilities have double effect – but there is a modest chance of backlash in the form of some injury or short-term curse upon the user if he or she opts to exploit this doubling.
• The Occult techniques only work against targets who have personally gravely wounded the user, slain his or her close friends or family members, or grievously wronged or offended him or her. Against opponents who have committed such an offense, the forms abilities have triple effect. There is, however, a great chance of backlash inflicting a serious injury or medium-duration curse on the user if the user opts to exploit this tripling.

   Variants on The Cursed Tongue use other mystical languages, and are thus slightly different arts.

• Ma’thak Koren has several nasty side-effects, since it requires accessing some very unpleasant remnants.
• Narthian tends to be rather limiting in the types of slights that can allow its use. Only things that would offend an animal quality – which generally lets out insults.
• Zaban-Gozar has the usual costs vitality cost of speaking in soul speech, and so is very hard on the user.

　

   Guard of the Helpful Mage (Wis)

   This mystic “martial art” relies on convincing tiny elementals and lesser nature spirits to protect the user. By constantly stilling minor magical disturbances and carefully minimizing their own, users of this art gain favor with such minor spirits – who will then exert their influence to protect the obliging mage who’s providing such a pleasant environment from physical harm which might disrupt his activities. Users of this art spend a lot of time mumbling in Saenthor, and make minor magical gestures constantly.

• Requirements: ability to speak Saenthor, Diplomacy 5, Appraise 5, and the ability to sense minor mystical disturbances.
• Basic Abilities: Defenses 4 and Toughness 4
• Advanced and Master Techniques: Instant Stand, Mind Like Moon, Prone Combat, and Breaking.
• Occult Techniques: Light Foot, Wrath/Fire, Resist Pain, and Inner Strength.