Tuesday, April 14, 2020

GLOG: Fight Book (Techniques for Fighters)

Here are some Techniques.

Manus
A widely syncretic style developed in gladiatorial arenas. An ex-gladiator could teach you these techniques if you manage to find one that isn't dead; failing that, a veteran soldier might know it.

  1. Hoplomachus. When you make a charge attack while wielding a shield, your opponent rolls Strength or is stunned for 1 round.
  2. Secutor. You can't be effectively entangled. Opponents trying to grapple you have +4 difficulty on their attempts, and you ignore 4 points of difficulty on your attempts to escape from a grapple.
  3. Dimachaerus. When wielding two weapons, you have +1 AC and reduce the difficulty for making multiple attacks to +1 per attack made.
  4. Retiarius. You can use a net or lasso to make grapple attempts at a range of up to 15 feet. This requires both hands, but does not require you to let go of the net or lasso. If you succeed, your opponent is dragged adjacent to you (causing free attacks as normal) but you cannot throw them.

Pan Makon
A bare-handed or cestus and wrestling style used in athletic competitions, renowned for its brutality. Teachers are easy enough to find, but charge a high price for their instruction. It's a business.
  1. Gasteran. Once per round, you can deliver a swift straight-leg kick to your opponent's stomach in an attempt to knock them off-balance. Roll opposed Strength. If you succeed, your opponent is knocked prone; if you fail, your opponent gets a free attack that can only be used to trip you with a combat maneuver.
  2. Ano. Your unarmed attacks deal one additional die of damage.
  3. Kato. Count your Strength as 2 higher for all purposes related to grappling.
  4. Hypsos. You can throw opponents up to three times your height in distance, rather than just your height. If they collide with something, both they and it take 3d6 damage minus one die for each 5 feet they have traveled, with a Dexterity roll for half.

Hauptstokke
An functional style focusing on the longsword. More likely to be learned from a grizzled veteran than a traveling swordmaster.
  1. Zornhau. If your first attack against a target with a heavy warblade hits, ignore AC against that target for the rest of the combat.
  2. Huten. While parrying with a heavy warblade, you have +2 additional AC.
  3. Mutieren. Once per round, when you hit your target's AC with a heavy warblade you can immediately make a free attack against them.
  4. Mordstreich. When wielding a heavy warblade and wearing gauntlets, you can switch between treating it as a greathammer (heavy crushing headsplitter, 2d6), estoc (heavy spike warblade, 1d10), or as normal depending on whatever is most advantageous at the moment.

Seven Swords
An elaborate, graceful, and highly technical fencing style. Favored by noble duelists.
  1. Prudentia. While your weapon is drawn, you can add your INT to your initiative.
  2. Celeritas. While holding a light or finesse weapon in your main hand and nothing in at least one off hand, you can add your INT to your AC.
  3. Audatia. When attempting to intimidate, you can apply your INT as well as any other modifier as difficulty to your opponents' Charisma roll(s). When you successfully intimidate someone, you can choose to have them fly into a rage and attack you in place of the normal effects.
  4. Fortitudo. You can choose to roll Intelligence in place of Charisma to resist any effects that normally allow a Charisma roll. While parrying, you can apply the bonus AC from parrying to your Intelligence for the purpose of this ability. Yes, this means you can parry spells, insults, and general conversation.

Batto-Ryu
A defensive style emphasizing parries, guards, and quick-drawing. Known primarily by sword-monks.
  1. Saya. While you have at least two hands free, you can draw a weapon from your fast inventory without an action. You can also resheathe a weapon held in your main hand without an action, as long as you have at least one hand free. It is customary for practitioners to resheathe their sword after every strike.
  2. Seiza. You can stand up from a prone, sitting, kneeling, or any other position without a move action.
  3. Iai. While you have at least two hands free and you have a sheathed light or finesse warblade in your fast inventory, you never count as surprised and can parry (and make free attacks) as if you were holding your weapon in your main hand.
  4. Giri. When you draw a light or finesse warblade and make a single attack with it in the same round, you ignore your target's AC as if they were surprised. You can't make more than one attack on your turn if you use this ability.
Putu
A functional style that emphasizes battlefield combat, and includes focuses on areas of warfare that don't relate directly to fighting as well. Practitioners hold that it was taught to its originator, a fallen member of the warrior nobility, by a demon. Could be learned from a veteran commander, a militant lord, or possibly a demon.
  1. Impertinence. Your Attack increases by +1, but this isn't a fighting technique—it's a teaching technique. Given a week of training (8 hours/day), you can teach anyone with half a brain enough principles of swordplay to give them +1 Attack, up to your Attack. If they have less than half a brain, it takes two weeks. You can teach multiple students at a time, up to the lower of your Intelligence and Charisma.
  2. Altercation. When fighting something of a lower level than you, you deal extra damage equal to your level.
  3. Disrepute. You didn't just train at fighting. Gain skill with a complex game of your choice, like Go or Mahjong. Whenever you spend a week travelling with soldiers, sailors, or others of similar profession, roll your HD. You gain that many gold pieces worth of miscellaneous coins, gems, jewelry, and IOUs. If any of the dice roll their maximum value, discard them—someone was broke, couldn't pay you, and now owes you a serious favor.
  4. Crossed Swords. When fighting something that knows fewer techniques than you, you deal extra damage equal to the difference between the number of techniques you and they know, up to a maximum of your level.

1 comment:

  1. Seven Swords is my favorite style, I like its strong theming. Disrepute is my favorite single technique. Crabby, gambling-addicted masters of combat are a great character type.

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