Leopard Style

This celestial style is based on a style originally created by TheScreenJockey and posted to the Exalted wiki. The following contains numerous modifcations to the style. This style focuses on manuevering away from attacks and using incoming attacks as opportunities for counterattacking. As such, it does not allow the use of armor at all. When using charms of this style, attacks made with tiger claws (a martial arts weapon) are considered unarmed attacks. Any reference to "clinch" refers to the clinch attack mentioned in the house rules.

Flawless Sweep Attack

Cost: 3 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Min. Martial Arts: 2
Min. Essence: 2

The sweep attack is a useful and powerful tool — it simultaneously damages an opponent and knocks him from his feet. Often the damage is only a secondary concern, and it is the opponent's loss of balance that truly matters. This charm takes that desire into account. The player rolls the sweep attack and resolves the damage in the usual manner. However, when the opponent makes his reflexive Dexterity + Athletics roll to avoid being knocked down, a number of dice equal to the Exalt's Martial Arts are subtracted from his success total.

Feline Grace Meditation

Cost: 2 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Min. Martial Arts: 3
Min. Essence: 2
Prereqs: Flawless Sweep Attack

The character infuses her anima with Essence, granting her the grace, balance, and agility of a leopard. By invoking this charm, she may add a number of dice equal to her Martial Arts score to a single Athletics roll.

Low Stance Counterthrow

Cost: 3 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Min. Martial Arts: 4
Min. Essence: 2
Prereqs: Feline Grace Meditation

From the Low Stance (one of the two stances most often associated with Leopard style), the character becomes capable of catching any limb extended in attack and using it to throw or hold his opponent. The character may immediately make a clinch or throw attack in response to any hand-to-hand attack directed against him. The roll for this counterattack is made after the roll for the incoming attack and any applicable defenses, but before damage is determined. Determine the difference (D) in successes between the incoming attack and the counterattack (thrown counterattacks still subtract 1 success, as usual). If the counterattack scores more successes, then the incoming attack misses completely and the counterattack is resolved as if it had scored D successes. If the incoming attack scores more successes, it is resolved as if it had scored D successes. The counterattack still succeeds (though extra successes are ignored) but, if a throw, the initial attacker gains D dice on the test to avoid knockdown or, if the counterattack was a clinch, gains D dice on his next attempt to control the clinch. Only one counterattack can be made against each incoming attack. This charm may not be used against another counterattack.

Example: Guen faces two foes, a mortal and a dragon-blooded. The mortal attacks first. Guen has a single dodge action left, but decides to activates this charm instead, trying to throw the mortal to the side. The mortal attack rolled 3 successes. Guen's counterattack goes well, rolling 9 successes (one of which is eaten by virtue of this being a thrown attack, leaving a total of 8). The incoming attack misses completely, and the mortal is thrown as if Guen scored 5 successes (D = (9-1) - 3) = 5). The dragon-blooded attacks next, doing a huge attack buffed with charms, scoring 18 successes! Guen decides to use his remaining dodge, getting 5 successes, which takes the attack down to 13 successes. Still not enough, Guen activates this charm again, trying to wrap up the dragon-blooded and crushing him. The counterattack only scores 6 successes, meaning the attack still hits as if it scored 7 successes (D = 13 - 6 = 7). After resolving the damage from the incoming attack, Guen still grabs on to the dragon-blooded, but on the next turn, the terrestrial will have 7 extra dice with which to escape.

Leopard's Dance of Avoidance

Cost: 4 motes
Duration: One turn
Type: Reflexive
Min. Martial Arts: 2
Min. Essence: 2

For the remainder of the turn, the exalt may add his permanent Essence to all dodge rolls. This bonus is applied to dodges made with split dice pools after the multiple action penalty is applied, and the charm also allows the character to make reflexive dodges at his permanent Essence if he has no other way to dodge an attack.

Cat-in-a-Box Kata

Cost: 3 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Min. Martial Arts: 3
Min. Essence: 2
Prereqs: Leopard's Dance of Avoidance

This charm may only be activated when a clinch attack or effect is made against you and provides a reflexive dodge of the attack with a dice pool equal to Dexterity + Martial Arts. When dodging the clinch or hold of somone with an Essence rating equal to or less than yours, all your dice automatically succeed. If your opponent has a higher Essence than you, convert your Essence in dice to automatic successes. If you dodge successfully, you may move yourself away from your opponent a number of yards equal to your Dexterity. By spending 1 additional mote, this charm may be used to dodge clinches that are not normally dodgable but, if so used, only the dice pool to dodge is provided, none of the automatic successes.

High Stance Counterattack

Cost: 4 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Min. Martial Arts: 4
Min. Essence: 2
Prereqs: Cat-in-a-Box Kata

From the High Stance (one of the two stances most often associated with Leopard style), Essence guides the character's lead hand and foot, augmenting her counterstrikes when her enemy moves in to attack. The character may add Martial Arts dice to any counterattack attempt. If the character has no way of generating a counterattack, this charm provides an immediate counterattack with a base pool of Martial Arts dice. The counterattack is made after the opponent's roll to hit, but before damage is determined. Only one counterattack can be made against each incoming attack. This charm may not be used against another counterattack.

Leopard Form

Cost: 6 motes
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 4
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: High Stance Counterattack, Low Stance Counterthrow

The character moves and fights like a feline, waiting for her opponent to attack and countering all blows. The character also climbs, jumps, and falls like a cat. For the duration of the scene, the character may respond to all incoming hand-to-hand attacks with an immediate counterattack with his full Dexterity + Martial Arts dice pool. In addition, he may add his Permanent Essence to all dice pools involving climbing, jumping, and soaking damage from falling. Characters cannot use more than one Martial Arts form-type charm at a time.

Wary Leopard's Sight

Cost: 3 motes
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 4
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: Leopard Form

The character channels his Essence into not his senses, granting him a cat's ability to see in darkness and an awareness of subtle changes in his visual environment. For the charm's duration, the character suffers no penalties from lack of lighting. Fog, snow, and the like may still obscure a character's vision, but a lack of light will not. In addition, the character can becomes preturnaturally aware of movement. If the character is stationary or moving at less than a quarter walking speed, add a number of automatic successes equal to the character's Martial Arts to any Perception (or other) test to visually detect creatures or objects in motion. If moving up to walking speed, the character may add Martial Arts dice to any Perception (or other) roll to visually detect creatures or objects in motion. Such bonus die are considered Martial Arts dice, so do not count against the pool limit for Perception + Awareness rolls. This charm provides no perception benefit to detect things that are not moving, nor if the character is moving faster than a walk.

Furious Feline Frenzy Attack

Cost: 6 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Extra Action
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 4
Prereqs: Wary Leopard's Sight

Leopards avoid combat whenever possible, seeking to catch an opponent off-balance and flee. But when cornered or outnumbered a leopard can be a deadly and furious opponent. With this Charm, the character may internalize his Essence, becoming capable of lashing out at multiple opponents at once. Upon activating this Charm, the character may make one attack against every opponent within reach. It is up to the Storyteller to determine who is and is not within reach, but anyone who can be attacked by the character will be. The character utilizes his full dice pool for each attack, and is only limited by the number of possible targets. The player need not attack everyone within reach; he may decide to spare allies or certain opponents.