Moth and Bonfire Form

Cost: 4 motes +1 per character, 1 willpower
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 4
Min. Essence: 3
Style and Source: Moth and Bonfire Style by Oneironaut
Prerequisite Charms: Gratitude-Kindling Feint, False Moon Provocation

The movements of the Moth and Bonfire Form are ripplingly graceful and beguile the eye. When activating this charm, the user selects at least one other character and commits one mote above the base cost of the charm for each; attacks on these characters suffer a die pool penalty of (user's Appearance) as long as the martial artist is visible to the attacker and has line-of-sight to the warded character. Warded characters who move out of line of sight lose this protection, but regain it as soon as they meet the criterion again. The mote committed for a given ward is immediately freed if that character dies. Because this protection relies on the martial artist calling attention to himself, it cannot be applied to him.

The weapons and extremities of characters attacking the martial artist come away glowing with Essence-fueled heat. Attackers receive a cumulative -1 penalty to future attack pools for every hand-to-hand attack they make that connects with the martial artist, be it successful or parried; attacks that are dodged do not incur this penalty. For every turn in which a character suffering this effect does not attack the Moth and Bonfire stylist hand-to-hand, the penalty decreases by one; if they attack no one at all hand-to-hand, the penalty vanishes entirely.

While under the influence of this charm, the martial artist may deal and parry lethal damage unarmed. Moth and Bonfire Form is incompatible with armor and other form-type charms.