Iron Butterfly Style

Storyteller Note

This is a style idea. It has not been refined or approved for entry into play. We want the wiki to be an idea playground, too, though.

The Style

This is a page for working out the style people were talking about creating for the game.

Further Discussion:

Conrad - I note the whole "doesn't work in the Middlemarches" part below. Rather than not working at all, maybe it should be: +1 mote cost for all Charms used in a Bordermarch, +3 for Middlemarches, +5 for Deep Wyld, +10 for Pure Chaos or any other realm (i.e. Autochthon, Malfeas, Elsewhere, etc.). Just an idea for brainstorming.

Conrad's Notes

I think that this should be an Earth aspected Terrestrial style, given it uses iron as an anti-Fair Folk weapon.

I am picturing the following types of powers:

1. A Charm which makes the user's unarmed attacks all count as "using iron" - this would apply to "unarmed" attacks made with a war fan, too, of course, because that would be a form weapon. This is an example of a Charm which ends up being even more powerful should you pull off a style combination, because you could attack as an iron weapon doing whatever else you are doing with some other style. Wings of Iron, or something like that, possibly, as a name.

2. A Charm which provides protection against Fair Folk based upon giving some sort of "iron armor". Cocoon of Iron, was my naming convention for it.

3. A Charm which lets you flit around like a butterfly when faced with a Fair Folk. My idea was that the "iron" of the Charm repelled you from the Fair Folk, thereby giving you extra DV or possibly even moving away some short distance as a sort of "hopping defense" type action. Dance of the Iron Butterfly, was my possible title.

4. A grappling Charm, which mimics the caterpillar, and maybe steals Essence from Fair Folk, thereby powering other Butterfly effects. Caterpillar Feeds on Chaos Technique is one possible name.

5. Perhaps a charm that actually gives you iron fans, if you have none. Or lets you spread your fingers as though they were iron war fans. etc.

These are just some ideas.

Summers Notes

So I have been thinking some about the anti-Fey "Iron Butterfly" style we have been mentioning in the sessions.

I have been thinking that the style would be really cool if it followed the idea of the butterfly effect (basically small changes in the initial setup of a situation can cause large unpredictable outcomes. Once the experiment has begun, however, that outcome is easily predictable). The idea being that the style in use is very flowing and beautiful, but seeming chaotic and unbalanced. These seemingly random and emotional movements and gestures will call in the fey, but once the attacks begin they are predictable and concrete.

The ideal form weapon would be war fans of course.

The play mechanic would also follow in the many divergent paths from the same start idea. What I was thinking that the first charm in the tree is a 1 (or maybe 0 mote) mote, speed one charm which just sets up the next charm. From here you can pick any one of several follow up charms. at this point you can either reactivate the first charm, or move on to the next charm in that path (this is in casting. So charm B can only be used following the use of charm A). After you use this second charm you would be free to use the Form charm.

Alternatively, another concept I was toying with was the metamorphosis aspect of the butterfly. This would have multiple form type charms with the idea being that a Fey would have trouble using shaping effects because your essence "form" kept shifting. IE how can you change the nature of something which is changing? Or, if you do get targeted by the shaping effect you could simply "change" to another form.

Oh well, enough 2 am rambling

Description

Much like its spiritual cousin, Golden Janissary Style, Iron Butterfly Style is used to combat enemies of Creation. In this case the Fair Folk and their magic is the target of the style's supernatural wrath. Employed extensively by the Deliberative and later the Shogunate at Creations rim, the Iron Butterflies kept the Fey thrown back into the primitive chaos from whence they came. Unsurprisingly, this style was completely eradicated during the Great Contagion and subsequent Fair Folk invasion.

Today, this style is practiced by no one. The only who remember it are the gods who work in the Department of Forgotten Things, and they do not practice this lowly style.

This style is aspected toward Earth. In addition to the Martial Arts minimums, the charms also require an equal minimum in one of the following: Resistance, Integrity, Craft, War, or Awareness. Drawing their power from the Imperial Mountain, these charms will not function in Wyld further that Middlemarches unless otherwise stated.

Charms

Floating Monarch

• Martial Arts + Ability: 2
• Essence: 1
• Cost: 2m
• Type: Reflexive
• Step 2
• Prerequisites: None

Light and buoyant, the regal monarch butterfly is blow away by the lightest of blows. After an attack is successfully dodged by the martial artist, he may reflexively move (Essence + Martial Arts) away from the target. Against Fair Folk, the Creation's natural energies repel his attacker equally and the Martial Artist adds his Essence to his Dodge DV.