Leopard Style
This celestial style is based on a style original created by TheScreenJockey and posted to the Exalted wiki. The following contains numerous modifcations to the style. This style 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 dice pool.
Feline Grace Meditation
Cost: 2 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
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: 2 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. Except for this limitation in what sort of attack may be made, this charm is identical to the High Stance Counterattack charm (see other).
What happens to incoming attack? Maybe attacker gets bonus to defend throw based on extra successes?
Leopard's Dance of Avoidance
Cost: 3 motes
Duration: One turn
Type: Reflexive
Min. Martial Arts: 2
Min. Essence: 2
To parry armed attacks, one must have a weapon or special charm. And to Dodge them, one must have the Dodge Ability. For the duration of the turn, the character may substitute his Martial Arts Ability for the Dodge ability when avoiding attacks. The character may even declare a Full Dodge, using his Dexterity + Martial Arts pool as the base. Except for the Ability being used, these are identical to normal dodges in every way.
Leopard's Dance of Avoidance I just don't like. I'd replace this effect with the an ability somewhat like Five-Dragon Blocking, but using dodge instead of parry, and only lasting the turn. That is, for the rest of the turn, you could add Essence dice to any Dodge roll. This would allow reflexive dodging using only Essence dice. This would maybe require an increase to 4 motes.
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: 3 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, allowing her to strike when her enemy moves in to attack. The character may immediately make an attack with her full Dexterity + Martial Arts dice pool against anyone executing a hand-to-hand attack against her. This attack is made after the opponent�s roll to hit, but before damage is determined. This attack is not an action and does not subtract from dice pools. A character may make as many counterattacks as she has Essence to pay for, but may only make one counterattack for each time she is attacked. Additionally, a character cannot use this Charm in response to another counterattack Charm.
Rendered useless by the form. Maybe fewer dice, but removing dice from attacker?
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. This Charm is incompatible with the use of armor. 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 instantly perceive anything in his line of sight that moves, even if it were otherwise hidden. So an animal stalking though underbrush using its natural camouflage, or a person moving about while hiding in a bush will become visible to the character. Other attempts at stealth function normally, but even the slightest movement is visible.
Pseudo-perfect effect.
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.