[Agents of Heaven] Preview 1: The Even Blade

I’ve been given a trio of previews for Agents of Heaven, the Sidereals Companion for Exalted 3rd Edition. Enjoy!

Even Blade Style

Centuries ago, three young Heaven’s Dragons sought to attain mastery of the sword together, combining their aptitudes to produce a system of efficacious techniques that all agreed described a perfect blade art. Over time, however, each of the three — Chaowin Registrophe, Zu Rat Te, and Azure Crane — developed their techniques in different directions, eventually leading to the acrimonious dissolution of their Hearth. Their blades rang out in a spectacular three-way battle as each strove to prove their variant’s superiority. Each fought the others to a standstill. 

With no clear victor, they parted ways and founded their schools of Even Blade, each determined to spread their variant and prove its superiority. Each school has many masters — accomplished students of the revered founding masters who take students in turn, across Heaven and Creation. In their advanced age, Even Blade’s creators have retired from doing the gods’ dirty work, but teach Sidereal students in return for payment to their communities. Recently, a fourth Dragon-Blood named Resolute Brigada has emerged with her own variant and small school, hinting that Even Blade style may hold yet more to discover. 

Pedigree is of the utmost importance to Even Blade schools, with practitioners proudly recounting the lineage of their masters back to their founding master. Students understand keenly that they must defend the honor of their school should it ever be challenged, especially by members of rival Even Blade schools. Those who learn multiple variants risk being viewed as power-hungry traitors to their original school, and should expect regular challenges from their fellows. 

Even Blade weapons: Even Blade is compatible with chopping, slashing, straight or short swords. Stylists traditionally focus on the use of one kind of sword. Additionally, the stylist can use her sheathed sword or empty sheath as a baton. It can’t be practiced unarmed. 

Armor: Even Blade style is compatible with medium armor.

Complementary Abilities: Even Blade’s focus on sword mastery is often paired with a high rating in Melee.

Breath and Essence Control

Cost: 3m (+1wp); Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1

Type: Reflexive

Keywords: None

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: None

The swordmaster inhales deeply to slow her breathing and Essence flow, speeding her reactions thereby.

The stylist adds (Wits) to her effective Initiative to determine when she takes her turn. For a one-Willpower surcharge, she can reflexively aim at anyone who hasn’t acted yet on her turn and use her reflexive move action to move toward them without ending her aim. 

This Charm’s Willpower cost is waived if the stylist uses this Charm on her first turn or if her Initiative was already higher than all enemies.

Close Your Eyes and Look

Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1

Type: Simple

Keywords: Withering-only

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Breath and Essence Control

Focusing her mind wholly on the subject of her assault, the swordmaster sees him not with eyes but with her blade.

The stylist makes a withering attack against an enemy at close range. Against enemies who haven’t acted yet this round, it becomes a surprise attack, inflicting −2 Defense. If she hits, her player can ask the Storyteller one of the following questions about her target plus an additional question for every three extra successes.

• What is his motivation for fighting me?

• What is his fighting style? Or, if she recognizes his style: Who taught him how to fight?

• What is a weakness of his fighting style?

• What hidden advantages could he use against me in combat?

If the Storyteller doesn’t have an answer in mind for a question, the stylist’s player should provide one, as if introducing a fact.

Reset: Once per scene.

Death Between Heartbeats

Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1

Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Terrestrial, Uniform

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Breath and Essence Control

The swordmaster stills, centering herself with meditative focus, then strikes in a blur of violence.

The stylist doubles 9s on an attack that benefits from aiming. 

Terrestrial: Death Between Heartbeats can only be used to enhance a decisive attack if the target is crashed.

Even Blade Form

Cost: 7m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 1

Type: Simple

Keywords: Form, Mastery

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Close Your Eyes and Look, Death Between Heartbeats

The stylist assumes her school’s stance, exemplifying the simple perfection of the Even Blade. 

The stylist gains the following benefits:

• She gains +1 Parry.

• She adds +2 Overwhelming to her withering attacks. Successful withering attacks award an additional point of Initiative.

She also adopts one of the variant’s stances when she activates this Charm, granting additional benefits:

Winter Songbird (Azure Crane): The stylist wields her sword and her empty sheath simultaneously. Her attacks gain the Disarming tag. She doesn’t need to pay Willpower to reflexively aim with Breath and Essence Control if she didn’t attack on her previous turn.

Radiant Breath (Chaowin Registrophe): The stylist wields her sword in a strong two-handed stance. Chopping swords increase their Damage rating by +2; slashing and straight swords gain the Chopping tag, and all gain the Two-Handed tag. Decisive chopping attacks double 10s on damage rolls against lower-Initiative enemies.

Immanent Steel (Zu Rat Te): The stylist draws her sword only to strike, sheathing it between attacks. Her sword gains the Reaching and Flexible tags. Dealing 3+ damage with a decisive attack resets Close Your Eyes and Look. 

Garda Talon (Resolute Brigada): While wielding a sword in one hand and nothing in the other, the stylist’s sword gains the Grappling tag. Her decisive attacks and gambits inflict an additional point of onslaught.

Changing stances requires a miscellaneous action. 

Special activation rules: When the stylist successfully lands a decisive attack that benefited from aiming, she may reflexively enter this Form.

Mastery: The stylist may change stances reflexively at the start of her turn.

Variants of the Masters

Each school is identical up to the Form, but then diverges into a different ending to the style. Learning all three Charms of a variant counts as knowing the complete style for all purposes.

If the stylist is in Even Blade Form, she must be using the appropriate stance to use its associated variant’s Charms. If she isn’t in Even Blade Form, she must still be wielding her weapons in the configuration described in that Charm. Charms of the variants are never compatible to use together.

Stylists learn one school’s stance by default, but can learn other stances for 3xp (or 1bxp at character generation) from an appropriate teacher. Learning a variant’s stance is required to learn its Charms.

The Winter Songbird School

Master Azure Crane emphasizes elegance, defensive techniques, and disarming opponents. Renowned for her beauty and refinement, the Air Aspect views the Even Blade as much as a spiritual or artistic pursuit as a martial one, a way of pursuing harmony with the world and one’s own Essence. Students are encouraged to view their blade as an artist’s brush or a lover’s hand, to embody beauty in each gesture and in so doing, return that beauty to the world. Winter Songbird students are taught to be even-tempered and gracious in all things; they have a reputation for coldness and introspection, treating all other matters as secondary to the pursuit of their art.

Nesting Sparrow Defense

Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2

Type: Reflexive

Keywords: Clash, Decisive-only, Terrestrial

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Even Blade Form (Winter Songbird)

One’s first priority, says Azure Crane, is to ensure a fool enemy cannot harm himself by improper use of his weapon.

The stylist clashes an attack from close range with a disarm gambit, adding up to (Dexterity) attack roll extra successes as bonus dice on the Initiative roll. If she disarms a weapon that could plausibly fit in her sheath, she can trap it there as part of the gambit instead of flinging it away — this is easier with daiklave sheathes, which are larger than mundane ones. The weapon remains in her sheathe, which she can still use as a baton. Her enemy can retrieve the weapon by drawing it with a disarm gambit of his own.

Terrestrial: This counts as the stylist’s attack for the round and can’t be used if she’s already attacked in this round.

Loving Heart Stance

Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2

Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Counterattack, Decisive-only, Mastery, Perilous 

Duration: Until next turn

Prerequisite Charms: Even Blade Form (Winter Songbird)

A close second priority, says Azure Crane, is to ensure fools know the cost of daring to strike at you, whether they nick your raiment or cut your flesh.

The stylist waives the Initiative cost of a full defense. The first time she blocks an attack from close range before her next turn, she can counterattack with a decisive attack or gambit. If her target is prone or if she has disarmed him during this scene and he has not yet retrieved his weapon, she adds (higher of Essence or 3) bonus dice on the counterattack. 

Mastery: The counterattack can be withering or decisive.

Loyal Dancing Lovers Technique

Cost: —(+5m, 1wp); Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3

Type: Permanent

Keywords: None

Duration: Permanent

Prerequisite Charms: Loving Heart Stance, Nesting Sparrow Defense

The swordmaster must love her sword and sheath, says Azure Crane. Treasure them. Dance with them. In return, they shall love and keep you from harm.  

The stylist may pay a five-mote, one-Willpower surcharge when she uses Even Blade Form to gain the following benefits:

• She can make attacks at short range, and can likewise clash attacks and make counterattacks against attacks at short range using this Charm’s prerequisites. 

• After successfully clashing with Nesting Sparrow Defense, she may pay three motes to reflexively take a full defense action enhanced with Loving Heart Stance.

• While benefiting from Loving Heart Stance, she waives Nesting Sparrow Defense’s Willpower cost.

• After aiming against a target within short range, if she hasn’t attacked yet by the end of the round, she can reflexively launch a decisive attack or gambit against him.

The Radiant Breath School

To Master-Lord Chaowin Registrophe, self-proclaimed First of Heaven’s Chosen, killing intent and explosive ferocity are the sum total of swordplay; all else is pretension. Boisterous, amoral, and unfathomably egotistical, the Fire Aspect teaches anyone with the will to master the Even Blade, caring only that they demonstrate his variant’s supremacy. Members of the Radiant Breath school are quick to strike, and prone to leaving chaos and collateral damage in their wake as they impose their wills on the world.

Sudden Revelation

Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2

Type: Simple

Keywords: Decisive-only

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Even Blade Form (Radiant Breath)

The first of the Sixty-Two Precepts of the First of Heaven’s Chosen: To master the sword, you must only be willing to cut!

The stylist makes a decisive chopping attack, waiving its Initiative cost if her sword normally has the Chopping tag. She adds an automatic success on the damage roll. If she deals 3+ damage, she adds (half damage dealt, maximum lower of Essence or 3) to her base Initiative after resetting. 

Grave Cut

Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2

Type: Reflexive

Keywords: Decisive-only, Terrestrial

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Even Blade Form (Radiant Breath)

The Twenty-Eighth Precept of the First of Heaven’s Chosen: Flesh is no obstacle, be it yours or your foe’s!

After dealing damage with a decisive attack to a lower-Initiative enemy, the stylist makes a brutal follow-through cut. She increases her enemy’s wound penalty by one and then rolls (new wound penalty) dice of decisive damage, ignoring Hardness. The enemy suffers the −1 penalty for the rest of the scene or until he crashes the stylist.

Terrestrial: This Charm must be declared before the attack roll.

Supreme Violence

Cost: —(+2m, 1wp); Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3

Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Decisive-only, Mastery

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Sudden Revelation, Grave Cut

The Sixty-Second Precept of the First of Heaven’s Chosen: There is no Sixty-Second Precept! There is only the cut!

The stylist may pay a two-mote, one-Willpower surcharge to enhance Sudden Revelation when used against a lower-Initiative enemy. Her attack inflicts an additional level of decisive damage, and doubles 10s on the damage roll, or 9s if she’s in Even Blade Form. If she uses Grave Cut, its damage roll also doubles 10s or 9s. 

Additionally, the stylist can roll her Initiative as a feat of demolition to cut whatever she wishes within close range of the enemy, doubling 10s or 9s as on the damage roll. This ignores Strength minimums. If this changes the scene in her favor, she adds +1 to her base Initiative after resetting. 

Mastery: The stylist can roll the feat of demolition before her attack roll to enhance it, either knocking her enemy prone (such as destroying the ground he stands on, or causing something to fall on him) or destroying any cover he was hiding behind.

The Immanent Steel School

Master Zu Rat Te’s lessons emphasize subtlety, misdirection, and mobility. An inscrutable and tattered mendicant, the Water Aspect teaches that the Even Blade’s purpose is to cleanse the world of that which rots it, like predatory bandits, extortionate spirits, and feuding gangs of martial artists. The swordmaster must be as a river: swift, quiet, and ever-flowing. Members of the Immanent Steel school are typically itinerants at society’s edges, wandering humbly from place to place seeking challenges and wrongs to redress.

Stumbling Inconvenience Attack

Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2

Type: Reflexive

Keywords: Counterattack, Decisive-only, Terrestrial

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Even Blade Form (Immanent Steel)

Nonchalantly deflecting a blow, the swordmaster unbalances her attacker then sends him reeling away. 

The stylist gains +1 Parry. If she successfully blocks, she can counterattack with a special difficulty 1 unbalancing gambit. Success moves the target one range band in a direction of the stylist’s choice and imposes a −2 mobility penalty (stacking with those from armor), which also applies to any attacks he makes. This lasts until he hits the stylist, or regains his balance with a miscellaneous action.

Terrestrial: The penalty expires at the end of the target’s next turn even if he hasn’t hit the stylist.

Flashing Zephyr Cut

Cost: 6m, 4i, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2

Type: Simple

Keywords: Decisive-only, Terrestrial

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Even Blade Form (Immanent Steel)

Those who write off the swordmaster as harmless due to her unassuming affect often die before they can revise their assessment.

The stylist moves into close range of an enemy within medium range and makes a decisive surprise attack, dealing (his mobility penalty + attack roll extra successes) dice of damage. This doesn’t include or reset her Initiative, and uses her reflexive move action.

Terrestrial: Once per scene, unless reset by learning the weakness of a target’s style with Close Your Eyes and Look, which resets it only for that character.

Impossible Unseen Strike

Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3

Type: Reflexive

Keywords: Mastery, Uniform

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Stumbling Inconvenience Attack, Flashing Zephyr Cut

Foes sometimes live to think they have survived the swordmaster’s first strike, only to find a second has already killed them.

After making a surprise attack against an enemy, the stylist can reflexively make a second surprise attack. If the initial attack was decisive, it is withering, or vice versa. If the first attack hit and the target is penalized by Stumbling Inconvenience Attack, the second attack becomes undodgeable.

Mastery: The stylist chooses whether her second attack is decisive or withering.

The Garda Talon School

Resolute Brigada’s teachings emphasize restraining enemies with the off-hand so the sword can kill. The Scavenger Lands outcaste once was a member of Immanent Steel; she still retains much of Zu Rat Te’s philosophy, and still directs aspirants their way out of guilt, accepting only the most persistent of students. Quiet and uncouth, the Wood Aspect keeps to the wilderness, teaching students to sharpen their instincts and learn from the natural world’s brutality. The Garda Talon school is small, its few members mostly recluses and ascetics that have cast off the yoke of civilization to be as one with the world.

Clutching Eagle Talon

Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2

Type: Simple

Keywords: Decisive-only, Mastery

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Even Blade Form (Garda Talon)

If the descending claw does not slay the hare, the cruel beak swiftly follows.

The stylist makes a grapple gambit, rolling ([Dexterity or Strength] + Martial Arts) for the attack and control rolls. The onslaught penalty inflicted by the stylist’s attack applies to her target’s Defense against it, and she penalizes his control roll by his onslaught penalty.

If the stylist wins control of the grapple then immediately savages her enemy, she adds up to (Essence) control roll extra successes as dice of post-soak withering or decisive damage.

Mastery: If her gambit attack roll benefited from aiming, the stylist also adds dice from aiming to her control roll.

Dashed Upon the Cliffs

Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2

Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Dual

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Even Blade Form (Garda Talon)

Should the turtle’s shell turn aside the talons, the eagle will simply smash it against the rocks before feeding.

The stylist doubles 10s on the damage roll of a decisive slam attack, or doubles 9s on a withering slam’s damage roll. If she deals 3+ decisive damage or crashes her opponent, his onslaught doesn’t refresh until the scene’s end, or until he successfully attacks or disengages from the stylist.

Many Raptors Descend

Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3

Type: Simple

Keywords: Decisive-only, Terrestrial

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Clutching Eagle Talon, Dashed Upon the Cliffs

Death, like the beating of a hundred descending wings.

To use this Charm, the stylist must have Initiative 10+ and be grappling an enemy. She makes up to (1 + his onslaught penalty, maximum 5) decisive attacks against him, the first of which must be a slam or throw. She divides her Initiative equally among all attacks, rounding up, and adds the bonus damage from expended rounds of control to each attack.

Terrestrial: The stylist makes up to (target’s onslaught penalty, maximum 4) attacks, and rounds down when dividing her Initiative.