Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Mountain: Satans at the Crossroads


i guess this means i have satans in my setting now, thanks dandyman

Satans. You meet them at crossroads - sometimes by chance, sometimes by design. They have something to offer you. You have something they want.

You can make a deal.

Meeting Satan

First of all, add 'satan at the crossroads' to your encounter table, probably at one of the ends (snake eyes?). If you're not at a crossroads and you roll it, roll again - satans only ever appear at crossroads. This is known.

Second, every time you meet a satan after the first one, roll a die or flip a coin or something. This satan has a 50% chance of being a satan you've met before. (once you've met multiple satans, i guess do a second die roll to determine which satan you've met before it is)

Here's a table for making satans. They generally appear as the same species as whoever is looking at them. Or maybe they don't look like anything at all and you're all just projecting. Who fuckin' knows.

d6SkinHeadOther
1Bone-whiteTwo top hatsGigantic black-feathered wings
2Jet blackGoateeReally nice suit, briefcase
3Bright redSmall hornsBare chest, goat legs
4Dark redLarge, curling hornsLeathery wings, pointed tail
5Electric blueBlank white maskUnmistakably demonic shadow
6NormalHead of a black goatRed dress, ostentatious jewelry



Dealing with the Devil

Okay, you've met a satan, now what? Well, you get to make a deal, of course. Pay a small price, get a minor boon, pay a heavy price, you know...

It's totally fine for a paladin to make a deal with a satan, by the way. There are any number of ways they can, and should, rationalize it.

What Does This Satan Want and What Can It Give Me

Generally, a satan will have a particular price in mind for a particular boon. If you offer them something else, they'll charge you double. 

In addition to the below, any satan can offer you food/water/healing/rest/&c in exchange for any small price.

Prices

  1. Something you don't want - an injury, a curse, a disease, etc. But you gotta talk it up like you do want it, or they'll catch on that it's not actually valuable to you.
  2. Some part of your body, usually a finger or an eyeball. A greedy satan might start out asking for a whole arm and a leg (hence the saying), but you can probably talk them down to one or two digits if it's for a lesser boon.
  3. Your youth. A percentage - the satan will probably start at 50% but can be talked down to just below 10 - of your remaining natural lifespan. You're an adventurer, you weren't planning to live that long anyway, right?
  4. A share in your soul. Agree to a length of time - the satan will probably start at five minutes, but haggling is expected - and the satan can possess your body whenever they want, but only once, for that length of time or shorter. It is in the satan's best interests to keep you alive during that time (how else are they going to persuade you to sell them the rest of your soul? unless you already sold it, in which case, paying this price is a really bad idea) but their goals probably don't line up very well with yours otherwise.
  5. Your soul. You only have one of these, and if you sell it, you're fucked once you die. No resurrection, no reanimation, no speak-with-dead, nothing can bring you back, even for a short time. High-level souls are worth more, as are especially holy or 'good' ones.
  6. Your life. Obviously, this is a pretty bad idea to sell if you've already sold your soul, or just in general unless you have a really good plan to come back to life.
If you come up with something else, they might still take it. Who can really know the machinations of a satan.

Boons

  1. Youth or Health. You're not gonna grow old, and probably won't ever get sick. It probably doesn't make sense to trade your youth for this one, satans are wise to that kinda trick.
  2. Beauty. You look great. Like, really great. Supernaturally seductive. That kind of thing.
  3. Knowledge. The satan will answer a question. They know a lot, but maybe not everything. If they can't answer the question, you get your price back.
  4. Wealth. Either the satan just gives you an extremely valuable object, like a fiddle made of solid gold, or the next time you find treasure you find an improbably huge amount, or similar.
  5. Fame. Supernatural proficiency at some sort of mundane craft, like piano playing. You get a new skill, and anyone that witnesses you performing it can't help but talk about how amazing you are at it.
  6. Power. Either a simple numerical bonus (+2 to a stat, +1 to attack, that kind of thing) or some sort of magical ability, like being able to talk to goats, crows, and creatures of the night.
Can every satan offer all of these things? Probably not. Can they offer other stuff? Sure.

Gaming the System

If you balk at the idea of giving up one of your eyes or whatever, you can always challenge the satan to a game of chance.

First, set your stakes. This is basically the same as the normal negotiation for a boon.

Second, suggest a game. The satan has veto power. Rock-paper-scissors and Connect 4 are popular.

If you win, you get the boon without paying a price. If you lose, you pay the price without getting the boon.

Thursday, June 18, 2020

Mountain: A Tale Of Two Cities/It Takes An Adventuring Party To Raise A Village (GLOG City Challenge)

Oblidisideryptch over on the OSR Discord is running a City Challenge. The rules are "make an interesting city.", and I've got two cities to flesh out, so I figured I'd throw my hat in the ring.

References to money are silver standard. Rules are GROG.

Cities on the Mountain

There are two "Cities" on the Mountain, though "City" is a bit of a misnomer at least initially as at the start of the campaign they will be little more than shanty towns. The concept is that the cities level up as the players do, growing in utility and population and serving as a method of permanent, shared advancement in the face of almost certain PC death.

I'm going to pull heavily from this concept to run that, I think.

There are also a number of small farming/fishing/hunting/logging communities that support the Cities, generally close by and relying on them for protection. These each have a population under a few hundred and maybe one or two notable structures and ought to be the sort of thing that can be dropped in where appropriate and I'm not going to detail them here.

If PCs advance one City, the other one will advance randomly - maybe at a lower (half) rate?

The New City

The first is the New City, originally constructed by settlers (the first on the Mountain) from the goblinoid Charter Nations some 30-ish years ago in a gold-rush frenzied dream of colonial riches as the first explorers returned to the Civilized Lands with tales of a green and pleasant land ripe for exploitation.

The second explorers, of course, didn't return at all. As a result, the New City has receded bit by bit within its initial bounds to the point where it is now more of a shanty town, set up within the half-finished ruins of an over-ambitious frontier wonderland.

It's run more by the mafias and cartels of the Charter Nations than it is by anybody else, really. There's very little 'governmental' presence, beyond a few ships in the harbor and a weakly organized militia.

The Rat Warrens connect to the City via a network of underground tunnels, and the Crabman Caves and Goatman Village are nearby. Ratmen are hostile but more of an annoyance than a direct threat, crabmen are largely neutral, and goatmen have a complicated relationship with the City (some neutral, some hostile).

Structures
Blacksmith and Bowyer (level 1)
Church (level 1)
Market (level 1)
Port (level 1)
Tavern (level 1)
Thieves' Guild (level 1)
Walls (level 1, palisade)
Housing (population ~3000)
Ruins (easily repairable to house considerably more)

Demographics
Species: Majority goblinoid, some orc/moth elf, few kobold/lizardfolk/minotaur/gnoll
Class: Majority settler, some explorer/adventurer/criminal/mercantile, few militia

The Old City

The second is the Old City, a series of low stone blockhouses and massive ziggurats constructed innumerable centuries before by whatever originally dwelt on the Mountain, but colonized more recently (well within the last decade) by the orcish River Kingdoms. A nest of tents and lean-tos cover the tops, hosting the beginnings of a heavily industrialized, painstakingly cautious, and rigidly controlled colonial/extractive effort.

It's much more well-organized than the New City, with most of the population belonging properly to one of the Kingdoms and working, more or less directly, for the colony.

Structures
Barracks (level 1)
Blacksmith (level 1)
Industry (level 1)
Market (level 1)
Port (level 1)
Towers (level 1, 2-story wooden towers atop ziggurats)
Workshop (level 1)
Housing (population ~1500)
Ziggurats (easily furnished to house considerably more)

Demographics
Species: Majority orc, some goblinoid, few moth elf/lizardfolk/minotaur, no kobold/gnoll
Class: Majority worker, some military/settler, few explorer/adventurer/mercantile

City Structures

You can advance a structure 1 level (or construct a new structure at level 1) by selling a significant treasure or spending a great deal of money in town. Every time a structure advances, the population of the City will also increase, as more people are drawn to the Mountain by the riches you recover. Past a certain point, NPC adventurers will also start venturing into the Mountain. Some structures might require additional conditions to advance.

A higher-level structure provides all of the lower-level services as well. When a structure mentions hirelings/special items/etc, reroll them whenever the party checks in at that location and have spent a few days or more outside of the City since the last time.

Barracks
Level 1 - A small guard force is present. The City guard and/or militia are organized and moderately well-equipped. 1d6 deserters and ex-militia (classless, but equipped with basic weapons and armor) are available for hire.
Level 2 - A large guard force and small well-equipped professional military is present. 1d6 level 1 FIGHTMASTERS and/or other martial characters are available for hire. PCs can become FIGHTMASTERS.
Level 3 - A large, well-equipped standing army is present. 1d3 higher-level FIGHTMASTERS and/or other martial characters are available for hire:
  1. One level 2,
  2. One level 3, one level 2.
  3. One level 3, two level 2.
Blacksmith and Bowyer
Level 1 - Forges, stocks, and sells tools, can repair weapons and armor, might be able to custom-make some with time and money.
Level 2 - Forges, stocks, and sells basic weapons and armor, might be able to custom-make more advanced stuff with time and money.
Level 3 - Forges, stocks, and sells advanced weapons and armor.
Level 4 - Requires a magic anvil looted from deep under the Mountain or similar. Forges, stocks, and sells 1d3 minor magic weapons and armor each time the party returns to the City:
  1. 1 weapon.
  2. 1 weapon, 1 shield or armor.
  3. 1 weapon, 1 shield, 1 armor.

Church/Cathedral
Advancing a Church influences its religious sectarian alignment towards yours.
Level 1 - A handful of lay-clergy are present. Offers non-magical healing, sells indulgences, has minor influence over the populace.
Level 2 - A bishop is present, maybe as a punitive posting or to keep them out of the way. Produces and sells holy water. Has moderate influence over the populace.
Level 3 - At least one cleric with actual divine power is present. Can perform minor miracles and White Magic. Has significant influence over the populace. 1d3 level 1 paladins are available to hire.
Level 4 - Requires a sacred relic looted from deep under the Mountain or similar. An archbishop or cardinal is named, probably without the consent of the Church. Can perform significant miracles and White Magic. Has powerful influence over the populace. 1d3 higher-level paladins are available for hire:
  1. One level 2,
  2. One level 3, one level 2.
  3. One level 3, two level 2.

Industry
Level 1 - Simple trade goods (ore, wood, plant matter, food, &c) are available in bulk.
Level 2 - More complex trade goods (worked metal, furniture, fabric, &c) are available in bulk. Produces, stocks, and sells minor vehicles (carts, wagons, barges, riverboats).
Level 3 - Any trade good is available in bulk. Produces, stocks, and sells major vehicles (ships). Can probably be retooled to produce anything else of significant scale if needed.

Market
Level 1 - Buys and sells a slim selection of basic gear/tools and food.
Level 2 - Buys and sells more advanced gear/tools (lanterns, telescopes and navigation equipment, collapsible 10ft poles, really good backpacks, etc), food, and minor luxury goods. 
Level 3 - Buys and sells all luxury goods and art objects. Can probably find pretty much anything you need in here.

Port
Level 1 - Buys treasure up to 1,000 sp, ships in goods and materials the City needs to function. Rowboats and dinghies are available to hire.
Level 2 - Buys treasure up to 10,000 sp. 1d6 sailors (classless, but equipped with swashbuckling weapons and know how to sail) and small vessels (fishing boats, etc) are available to hire.
Level 3 - Buys any amount of treasure. A small naval force is present. 1d3 higher-level sailors (pick a thematic class) and mercenary warships are available to hire:
  1. One level 2,
  2. One level 3, one level 2.
  3. One level 3, two level 2.

Tavern
Level 1 - 1d6 vagabonds and wanderers (classless, with random backgrounds and basic equipment) are available to hire.
Level 2 - Requires the average party level to be 2 or higher. 1d6 level 1 mercenaries and adventurers (random class, with appropriate backgrounds and equipment) are available to hire.
Level 3 - Requires the average party level to be 3 or higher. 1d3 level 2 mercenaries and adventurers (random class, with appropriate backgrounds and equipment) are available to hire.
Level 4 - Requires the average party level to be 4 or higher. 1d10 weird, random adventurers are available to hire. New PCs start at level 2.

Thieves' Guild
Level 1 - Buys treasure and stolen goods at half normal value. Might be able to get you special equipment with some time and cash. 1d6 thieves and thugs (classless, but armed and moderately intimidating and/or stealthy) are available to hire.
Level 2 - Buys treasure and stolen goods at 3/4 normal value. Can definitely get you special equipment with some time and case. Has moderate influence over the populace. 1d6 level 1 Gambler Rogues and/or other thiefish characters are available for hire. PCs can become Gambler Rogues.
Level 3 - Buys treasure and stolen goods at full value. Has significant influence over the populace. 1d3 higher-level Gambler Rogues and/or other thiefish characters are available for hire:
  1. One level 2,
  2. One level 3, one level 2.
  3. One level 3, two level 2.

Towers
Level 1 - Wooden watchtowers. Provides 6-hour advance warning of assaults and light missile fire in defense of the City.
Level 2 - Stone watchtowers. Provides 12-hour advance warning of assaults, heavy missile fire, and tactical strongpoints in defense of the city.
Level 3 - Armored keeps. Provides 1-day advance warning of assaults, heavy missile and light artillery fire, and strategic strongpoints in defense of the city.

Walls
Level 1 - Wooden palisades. Delays direct assault of the City, requiring ladders, ramps, sapping, fire, or immense strength to break through.
Level 2 - Low stone walls. Significantly delays direct assault of the City, requiring ladders, ramps, sapping, or siege equipment to break through.
Level 3 - High stone walls with causeways and crenelations. Halts direct assault of the City, requiring ladders, ramps, sapping, or siege equipment to break through, and provides light missile fire.

Wizard's Tower
Level 1 - Can detect and identify magical items and cast minor (cantrip-level) wizard magic (wizard magic is neither Black nor White).
Level 2 - Can cast minor (level 1) wizard magic and sells 1d6 random potions. 1d3 level 1 BATTLEMAGES and/or wizards are available for hire. PCs can become BATTLEMAGES.
Level 3 - Requires a significant magical artifact. Can cast major wizard magic and sells 1d6 random significant enchantments. 1d3 higher-level BATTLEMAGES and/or wizards are available for hire:
  1. One level 2,
  2. One level 3, one level 2.
  3. One level 3, two level 2.

Workshop
Level 1 - Crafts, stocks, and sells tools, can repair technological devices (crossbows, firearms, simple siege engines and vehicles). Might be able to custom-make a simple one with time and money.
Level 2 - Crafts, stocks, and sells basic technological devices (simple crossbows, firearms, explosives, siege engines and vehicles), might be able to custom-make more advanced stuff with time and money.
Level 3 - Crafts, stocks, and sells technological devices (crossbows, most firearms, advanced explosives, simple clockwork devices), can definitely custom-make more advanced stuff with time and money.
Level 4 - Requires advanced scientific documents recovered from the Mountain. Crafts, stocks, and sells advanced technological devices (rifled and breech-loading firearms, clockwork devices, chemical compounds), can craft basically anything appropriate with time and money.

Hirelings

You have two options for hirelings. Regardless of which one you use, hirelings have 12 in one stat related to their profession or species and 10 in all others or use their monster statline, if they have one.  Doubling their wage adds 2 to their morale.

Option One: Consistent Hirelings
Hirelings have 4 + CON HP per HD, have morale equal to 7 + hiring character's CHA, and demand a weekly wage of  HD * 7 gp.

This is probably a useful option if you're hiring a whole bunch of people.

Option Two: Random Hirelings
Hirelings roll each HD + CON for HP, have morale equal to 2d6 + hiring character's CHA, and demand a weekly wage of HD * morale gp, +/- up to 50%.

This is more fun. Makes it a gamble. Especially if you don't tell your players the potential hireling's HD.

Thursday, June 4, 2020

GLOG/Mountain: Fighters and Rogues

So, we know ordinary PCs can't be a Fighter or a Rogue on the Mountain, because all of those people are 1) less interesting than Paladins and Witches and 2) probably busy getting rich back in the Civilized Lands.

But what if somebody really wants to play one? What if the party improves the economy and success of one of the Cities on the Mountain to the point where those people start to show up? What if you want an NPC that is good at fighting or stealing and isn't a Paladin, Gutter Knight, or Witch (true or false)?

Well, I guess that means I have to write a Fighter and Rogue class on a similar (high) power level to the other classes.

I also wanted to try adding resource pools kind of like a Wizard's MD to the other 'core' classes. We'll see how that went. I wanted Fighters to use Coins (Blood Money), but couldn't figure out a way to do it good, so they have Violence Dice instead. So it goes, on the Mountain.

GAMBLER (Class: Rogue)

This is a Rogue. Not a Thief, that's different. 

sort of like this, but a hobgoblin

or like this, but an orc

You will need: A deck of standard playing cards. Take the jokers out, but keep them around. Aces count as 1 or 11 depending on which is most advantageous to you, face cards count as 10.

If you have the opportunity to cheat, do it. If the GM catches you cheating, though...
  • your ability has no effect
  • you lose all the cards in your hand, "up your sleeve", and they're allowed to check under your character sheet and make you shake out your actual pockets and sleeves and take all those cards too
  • you suffer a Complication (if you're cheating at Blackjack) or the effects of a critical miss (if you're cheating at Dirty Poker) immediately

1/A: Blackjack, Cat-Eyed, Rover
2/B: Dirty Poker, Card Sharp
3/C: Card Up Your Sleeve, Honor Among Thieves
4/D: Joker In The Pack, Stacking The Deck

A: Blackjack
Whenever you make a d20 roll to do thief stuff (climbing, squeezing, balancing, sneaking, conning, stealing, actually playing cards, et cetera), you may pull a card. If it would be advantageous, you can use the card's value in place of your roll. You don't have to pull a card if you don't want to (for example if you've got a high hand already and think failing the roll will be better for you than whatever your GM will pick as a Complication).

If drawing would put five or more cards in your hand, you can subtract the card drawn from your roll (add, if using a roll-over system) instead of using it in the roll's place. 

If the card you draw brings you to exactly 21, you automatically succeed at this roll and lose all the cards in your hand.

If the cards in your hand total higher than 21, you've gone bust. You lose all cards in your hand (including the one drawn) and a Complication occurs, decided by your GM. The normal effect (replacing/subtracting) still happens.

Potential Complications:
  • Knock something over or step on something, making noise.
  • You're slipping and need to leap ("dyno" in actual climbing parlance, apparently) to somewhere else right now.
  • You've mentioned something you shouldn't have and your mark is uncomfortable, if not necessarily onto your game.
  • etc.

You can't use this ability on attack rolls or combat maneuver checks - that's what Dirty Poker is for. You lose all the cards in your Blackjack hand when you enter combat or the scene ends. If you start doing thief stuff while in combat, keep your Blackjack and Dirty Poker hands separate.

A: Cat-Eyed
You suffer no penalties from acting in dim light. You still take normal penalties from total or near-total darkness.

A: Rover
You're well-traveled, and have a storied past. You get 2 additional Skills/Backgrounds. However, you also have only 6 + STR HP at first level and gain only 1d6 + STR at each level thereafter on account of your generally poor health.

B: Dirty Poker
Whenever you make a successful attack roll or combat maneuver check, draw a card. You can hold up to five cards in your hand at once - if you draw an additional card while you have five in your hand, you can choose to replace a card in your hand with the card you drew, or discard it.

You can play poker hands to perform a Finishing Move. Doing so empties your hand. Performing a Finishing Move doesn't take an action, and can target anyone within your reach or about 30' if you have a ranged weapon or something to throw.

You don't have to show anyone the faces of the cards in your hand (even the GM) until you play them.

Finishing Moves:
  • Pair - Expose - Apply a number of notches to your opponent's armor equal to the value of the card you have a pair of (e.g. a pair of 5s applies 5 notches).
  • Two Pair - Mutilate - Deal damage to one target equal to the value of the highest card you have a pair of, and a second target equal to the value of the lowest card you have a pair of.
  • Three Of A Kind - Exsanguinate - Deal damage to one target equal to the value of the card you have three of. If they have a circulatory system, they bleed for that much damage at the start of your turn until they spend an action staunching the flow.
  • Straight or Flush - Eviscerate - Deal 11 damage to one target. They roll Strength or die.
  • Straight Flush - Execute - Kill a target.

B: Card Sharp
When attacking a surprised enemy or flanking, you can use the value of the card you pull for Dirty Poker instead of rolling damage for your weapon. You have to decide to do this before rolling damage.

C: Card Up Your Sleeve
Whenever you draw a card, you can hold it face-down on the table instead of putting it into your hand. If you have a card held this way, when you draw another card you can choose which one of them goes into your hand and which one stays "up your sleeve".

You lose the card up your sleeve whenever you take a long rest.

C: Honor Among Thieves
Whenever anyone in your party and present in the scene scores a critical success, you can draw a card or discard one from your hand.

D: Joker In The Pack
Shuffle the jokers back into your deck of cards. They're wild - they count as whatever card you want them to.

D: Stacking The Deck
Your critical success range doubles (i.e. you now score critical successes on rolls of 19 or 20, not just 20). Whenever you score a critical success and would draw a card, draw two instead and pick one to keep and one to discard.

FIGHTMASTER (Class: Fighter)

This is a Fighter. Not a Knight, not a Soldier, but one who has above all else dedicated themselves to mastering the Fight.

like this
a Blademaster from Warcraft would have also worked here but probably not shirtless

or this but with less magic and more sideburns

1/A: Person of Violence, Training, +1 School, +1 Technique
2/B: Guard Ally, Embarrass, +1 Technique
3/C: Steel Tide, Swordwife, +1 School, +2 Techniques
4/D: Posse Comitatus, Weapon Mastery, +2 Techniques

A: Person of Violence
You have a pool of Violence Dice equal to your level. A Violence Die is the same die you roll for weapon damage. If you're holding multiple weapons, you can pick which die you use as your Violence Die. If a weapon does multiple dice of damage, its damage die is one of those dice, not all of them.

You can roll and expend a Violence Die to do one of the following:
  • Perform a free combat maneuver with a [sum] bonus.
  • Add [sum] to an attack roll.
  • When you are hit by an attack, make an attack roll. Subtract [sum] from the damage you take if you succeed.

Whenever you roll a Violence Die in connection with an attack roll or combat maneuver check, you also deal [sum] damage to any target within a reasonable distance that your attack roll or combat maneuver check would have succeeded against. You have to narrate how you're doing this.

You regain all Violence Dice whenever you roll initiative or take a long rest, or one Violence Die whenever you roll maximum damage on an attack. When you regain a Violence Die as a result of rolling maximum damage, it is the same die size as you rolled maximum damage on. You can never have more Violence Dice in your pool than your level.

A: Training
A lifetime of martial training and athleticism allows you to shrug off blows that would fell a lesser person, and strike true more often in combat. You get 2 additional HP at every Fightmaster level including first, and +1 to Attack at first level.

B: Guard Ally
You serve as a guardian for your allies in combat, steering the Fight into yourself just as surely you steer yourself into it. Once per round, you can cause an enemy melee attack made against an adjacent ally to target you instead.

B: Embarrass
When you successfully strike a target, you can forgo dealing damage in order to make said target roll Charisma, opposed by the damage you would have dealt if they're of equal or lower HD than you. If they fail, they back down (treat as a failed Morale check in combat). Narrate what you did to them - maybe you carved a Zorro-like symbol into their chest, or cut their belt so their pants fall down like they're the defendant in some sort of Stalinesque show trial. Regardless, your martial superiority is evident. This is perfectly legal in most places on the Mountain.

C: Steel Tide
Weapons become (figuratively) weightless in your hands, allowing you to overwhelm your enemies with a ceaseless flurry of blows. You can make one additional attack per round with no additional difficulty for making multiple attacks.

C: Swordwife
Pick a specific weapon - "this sword" or "that rifle", not "swords" or "rifles". When wielding that weapon, count your Attack as 1 higher, and deal 1 additional damage. You can wield it as if it were a light, medium or heavy weapon, and throw it with a range of 10' per level.

You can reassign your chosen weapon by practicing with the new weapon for 1 week and using it to slay a sapient creature.

D: Posse Comitatus
You acquire a column of 2d6 students, squires, and camp followers. The lower die are camp followers, with useful skills or backgrounds, improvised weapons, and light armor. The higher die are students or squires, with useless skills or backgrounds, military swords, and medium armor. Treat these as hirelings that don't count towards your hireling limit. Students and squires are willing to stand in combat with you, and all will follow your orders within reason. You must spend at least 8 hours per week teaching your students and squires, but don't have to pay them. Camp followers demand pay of 1 gp or 10 sp per day.

Lost students, squires, or camp followers can be replaced in any settlement of reasonable size with one day of effort each. Losing too many may result in you getting a bad reputation and your followers suffering Morale penalties or taking longer to replace.

D: Weapon Mystery
Choose a mystery. You gain the associated bonus and never critically fail an attack roll with weapons of the associated type.

You can reassign your chosen mystery by practicing with a weapon of the new type for 1 week and using it to slay a sapient creature.

Weapon Mysteries:
  • Blunt or Crushing - Ignore AC. When you deal maximum damage or critically hit, your opponent is stunned for one round.
  • Bow, Crossbow, or Firearm - Automatically hit vs. inanimate targets within range. Your attacks pierce targets - whenever you score a hit, you can make a free attack with the same weapon against something behind your target without using additional ammunition.
  • Throatcutter or Close Quarter - Automatically critically hit surprised targets and deal damage each round in a grapple in addition to whatever grapple action you take.
  • Brace - You have +5' reach. You and all adjacent allies get +1 AC.
  • Chain - You have +5' reach. When you deal maximum damage or critically hit, your opponent is knocked prone.
  • Headsplitter or heavy melee weapon - You cleave through opponents in great, sweeping blows - whenever you score a hit, make a free attack against an adjacent enemy that you have not attacked yet this turn. Keep making free attacks until you run out of targets or miss.
  • Finesse - Add INT to your damage and AC. Treat all non-warblade finesse weapons as warblades.
  • Warblade - Count your Attack as 1 higher. You can throw your weapon with a range of 10'.

Schools and Techniques

You learn techniques by learning them from a teacher over the course of a month of training, or leveling up as a FIGHTMASTER. Teachers will usually charge you 3,000 sp per technique taught, but might very well charge more or require you to complete some sort of task first to prove your worthiness.

A school is a grouping of techniques, like "Manus" or "Sacerd". When a FIGHTMASTER levels up and learns new techniques, they can only pick ones from schools they already know. A FIGHTMASTER automatically learns a new school at levels and 3. Learning a technique from a teacher means you know that school now.

Anyone who isn't a FIGHTMASTER can know a number of techniques equal to their level. FIGHTMASTERs can know a number of techniques equal to double their FIGHTMASTER level. If you learn a technique beyond your limit, you can replace an existing technique with the new one. Techniques don't have to be learned in order.

Techniques can be found here and here.