Combat Skills
In any RGP, often combat is a large portion of the game. Therefore, taking some method of combat is strongly recommended. While sorcery and divine powers do give opportunity to inflict damage against another, without some combat training a character will be severely lacking in a physical fight. And because fighting encounters are such a prevalent part of the game, we chose to list this section first.
Editing Note: Details about combining dice, die-pools, damage types, natural 20s, etc, will be added later.
Combat Styles
Weapons and skills may create exceptions, but the general rule for melee attack is to use for the to the “to hit” then damage is 1 point for every that successfully hits, plus the weapon weight and of the attacker. Pain is based on the weapon used.
When throwing or firing for a range attack, each is modified by the . However, damage is calculated differently on whether the weapon is thrown or a shooter.
For thrown, damage is equal to the number of successful that hit, then the attacker’s . No weapon weight is included.
For shooters, each successful hit adds 1½ points of damage (round down), then the attacker’s is added to the final amount. Again, the weapon weight is zero. Of course, there will be exceptions by weapon and skill for these general rules. Further, Pain is inflicted based on the weapon, but shooters tend to render high amounts especially if the ammo becomes immured.
Unarmed combat can be performed even without training. The progression of skills, specifically due to martial arts will alter the base calculation when brawling in a slugfest. However, as a starting point, the “to hit” is adjusted by of the pugilist. The damage calculation is only on ½; however, Pain is also inflicted as 1 point for the successful strike, then a ½-point for each bonus of one’s (round down). This can mean weak and clumsy persons who have no training can be quite ineffective at fisticuffs.
† Multi-Strike
‡ Multiple Targets
Defense Skills
Only light weapons can be used with a shield until obtaining the combat training: shield use skill. Also, in the list below, some skills may have prerequisites which are not part of the list as they may not be classified as a defensive skill.
Other Combat Skills
Descriptions of Combat Skills
| Called Shot | Archery | Strength 10+ Agility 13+ |
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  This shot must be declared in advance and is penalized by -3 on initiative with 9 being the earliest second for the action to occur. This skill can only be employed with bows, not crossbows and can only be used against a single target. Further, the ammo must be a true, physical arrow, not one of energy or summoned by magic such as with a ring of the hunter. The bow and/or the arrow may be magical, but the ammo must be physical. Using all the dice of the primary hand attack with a bow strikes as if the arrow has a weapon weight as ½ point for each dice used up to a maximum of 2 points. It cannot be combined with any other skills other than style, forte and strength bow. Finally, it cannot be performed as an action again during the consecutive two turns. |
| Weapons Allowed: Long Bow / Short Bow |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 70 Days with Trainer / 140 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 1 Day spent staring at a bullseye |
| Charging | Combat Training: Melee | Body 10+ |
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 When running more than 30 feet in a straight line immediately before striking with a melee action, then an additional d20 is added to the primary hand die pool. Thus, if only Combat Training: Melee is used, the attack would be 2d20. However, this cannot be used in two consecutive melee rounds. Furthermore, if a character has more than one die pool, such as when using two-handed fighting, then the extra d20 must be designated to the true primary hand die pool; however, other die pool strikes could also be made if employing this maneuver. |
| Unskilled: Someone could make a mad run towards an opponent, hoping that momentum would help add to the strike. If performing this action without this skill, the person might success. To see whether the extra d20 is gained, the unskilled fighter must win a Strength competition against the opponent. If failing, then no bonus die is gained. If gained and all the d20s rolled miss, then the attempt caused the fighter to lose balance and fall prone. |
| Non-Karma Training: 56 Days with Trainer / 112 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 1 Day honing new skill |
| Combat Training: Melee | No Skill Requirement | |
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| This skill permits combat with any melee weapon, allowing a d20 attack upon an opponent within 5 feet (1 hex). A weapon must be employed, including improvised weapons such as chairs and frying pans are allowed. However, note that improvised weapons cannot be used to gain additional d20s regardless of additional skill-styles learned later. Also, unless stated by the GM, everything improvised has a weapon-weight of zero. Rolling an attack with this skill uses a d20, adjusted by . If that number hits the target Defense, the damage is 1 point, plus the weapon weight damage, plus . |
| Weapons Allowed: Any Melee Weapon |
| Unskilled: When someone has no training in combat at all, he or she is not totally defenseless. Essentially, that person can swing whatever weapon is available but will do so with disadvantage. |
| Non-Karma Training: 42 Days with Trainer / 84 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 1 Day honing new skill |
| Combat Training: Range | No Requirement | |
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| This skill permits use of ranged weapons to attack with a d20 against an opponent within range of the weapon. Usable weapons will be marked with either archery or thrown tag. Further, if fighting against an opponent within 5 feet and the weapon is being used as a ranged weapon, then throwing or firing it is at disadvantage, unless the weapon has a flung tag. For example, daggers cannot be thrown within 5 feet, but a hammer can. Lastly, most weapons must have a clear path of hexes to target a victim as those shots are projected on a linear path. Spears, arrows and others when fired outside are permitted to fire over the top of allies or obstruction. Also, the GM will help determine when an obstruction blocks a potential shot and when the target is using it as cover. See Cover. |
| Weapons Allowed: Any Range Weapon |
| Unskilled: While it is possible being untrained and launch or throw a ranged projectile, it probably will have no effect. Without the skill, the attack will be at disadvantage. Since there is no weapon-weight and the strike will only inflict one point of damage, that point will be negated by the disadvantage damage penalty. |
| Non-Karma Training: 42 Days with Trainer / 84 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 1 Day honing new skill |
| Combat Training: Shield Use | Combat Training: Melee | |
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 Anyone can carry and use a shield. However, to gain the +2 bonus to Defense, the weapon used in conjunction with the shield must be marked as a light weapon. This skill removes that restriction; however, weapons marked as heavy, reach or ammo-use are still restricted. While this sounds obvious, the off-hand cannot be used for anything else when using a shield for defensive. Lastly, when having this skill, the donning of a shield no longer suffers the -10 movement penalty. |
| Unskilled: Light Only |
| Non-Karma Training: 49 Days with Trainer / 98 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 1 Day of honing skill |
| Combat Training: Unarmed Fighting | No Requirement | |
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 This skill permits better grappling and balance. It also train the basics of boxing. When grappling, shoving, tripping or even tackling, this skill grants a +2 to the competition. If other bonuses are granted from skills, spells or items, the bonus from this skill will not be additive; thus, the best bonus is selected. However, if trying to escape or trying to stop an escape, the offensive skill grants no bonus. As for punching an opponent, this acts much like the whip. A slug thrown with this skill strikes against a target’s Bludgeoning Defense but is ineffective against a target wearing an armor type that weighs 20 pounds or greater (or monsters with an armor component of its Defense of 12 or higher). The single d20 is adjusted by . If successfully striking an eligible target, the damage is equal to half of the attacker’s (round down), meaning if there are no penalties, only an attacker with a 14 Strength or better will inflict blunt damage. However, Pain is imposed as 1 point plus ½-point for each bonus of the attacker’s (round down). |
| Unskilled: Anyone can throw a punch, but if not trained, it is rolled at disadvantage and will not inflict any actual Body damage, and the Pain inflictions will be limited to one point regardless of one's Agility score. |
| Non-Karma Training: 21 Days with Trainer / 42 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 1 Day Boxing |
Dodge
Reaction | Combat Training: Melee | Agility 13+ |
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| This skill permits a reaction to avoid physical damage inflicted by melee. When struck in melee, the one dodging can reduce the score of one of the attacker’s dice, so long as that die-score is not a natural 20; however, it must be the lowest score of an attack sequence. If more than a single attack was successful against the target from a “multi-strike,” the one dodging can choose which attack to attempt to dodge. Further, the dodger is permitted to know whether one die or multiple dice were used in an attack. Once selecting the attack (lowest die) to avoid, a reaction is used, and a d6 is rolled. The result of the sum of the d6 score and Agility modifier are subtracted from the lowest successfully-striking die of the selected attack. If that adjusted score is low enough to miss the target Defense, then the point from the die is removed and also the attribute bonus (normally ) is removed. Remember, the attribute modifier is a one-time bonus for all attacks if it is a “multi-strike;” thus, if dodging the extra attack, that bonus cannot be removed. Furthermore, any special damage, such as heavy blow crit-damage, infusion of fire, poison, disease, or necrotic effect delivered as part of the success of the attack sequence is also negated. Finally, if that is the only successful die of the die pool, then the entire strike acts as a miss and zero points are inflicted as damage. Effectively, the succesful dodge evades the strike or might reduce it to a glancing blow that still inflicted some harm. Again, no natural 20 can be reduced or removed, nor can any of its extra dice or exploded values be removed. Magical spells cannot be dodged. |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 196 Days with Trainer / 392 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 3 Days dancing and jumping on pillars |
| Evasive Motion | Martial Arts | Agility 12+ |
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 This is the training of one’s body to move in an uncanny fashion, which effectively grants +2 to Defense. This is categorized as the “Skill” component. Moreover, it cannot be applied if wearing armor which has an actual weight of 40 pounds or greater. This restriction is true despite having skills such as heavy armor or even the racial skill armor movement. And it can be used wearing armor between 20 and 40 pounds, but only if the medium armor skill has been obtained. |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 98 Days with Trainer / 196 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 1 Day practicing balancing exercises |
| Martial Arts | Agility 13+ |
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| This skill trains the user to be cognizant of his or her own stances and foot-placements as well as those of the enemy. As a result, this allows the creation of a special die pool, which can be used for a grappling, shoving or tripping attack by using various leg-locking or kicking maneuvers. Yes, a victim can be grappled by the attacker’s legs, leaving his or her primary hand or savage die pools available for future attacks. However, 1d20 must be taken from another die pool to be used in this action to create this special die pool. This footwork maneuver is always applied last after the other strikes have occurred. Therefore, if a warrior attacks with a single die pool of 2d20, then 1d20 would remain for the primary hand and a second attack to trip the opponent would also be used. All the size restrictions of grappling, etc also apply when using the footwork skill, except should someone with the footwork skill be prone, he or she will not suffer the -5 penalty. Additionally, this allows a passive leaping-climb movement. It costs triple the normal movement for each five-foot upward movement, but it allows the user to harness momentum to scale ten feet of solid, non-slick surfaces like the outer wall of a building or even a large tree. If two surfaces are within five feet of another, then bouncing to the other is permitted to continue the climb. However, if movement runs out without reaching a sturdy plateau, the one scaling falls to the ground. |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 112 Days with Trainer / 224 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 2 Days spent dancing |
| Ground-Fighting | Combat Training: Unarmed Combat | Strength 10+ |
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| This skill removes the disadvantage status when the character is prone. Melee attackers still gain their own advantage, but the victim can fight normally even though on the ground. If having this skill, while performing a throttle hold and checking for potential damage due to close entanglement, the ground-fighter rolls his Comp check with advantage, the better of two d12s. |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 35 Days with Trainer / 70 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 2 Days practicing wrestling methods |
| Guard Style | Martial Arts | Agility 12+ Resilience 12+ |
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| This substitutes as Body Armor in Defense for the martial artist. His or her Skill component in Defense will be calculated as 13; however, no armor can be worn or combined to maintain that value. Shields, attribute modifiers, and anything that is calculated in a separate bucket is allowed. Further, other skills that grant bonuses to the Skill component in Defense can complemented to the score so long as they meet the requirements of all skills involved. In other words, evasive motion could add its additional +2 but only when no armor is worn. Of course, evasive motion would still apply when wearing armor within its limits, but the guard style points would not count towards the total Defense score. |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 126 Days with Trainer / 252 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 2 Days lying motionless in mud |
| Hammer Strike | Combat Training: Unarmed Combat | Agility 12+ |
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| With this technique, the combatant gains advantage for unarmed strikes against a grappled victim. Further, this allows special exemptions to the normal rules of grappling. Typically, the one establishing a hold on another is not able to strike the victim; however, with this skill, the skilled pugilist can make unarmed attacks while maintaining a hold and also gains advantage for those attacks. Wearing tiger claws or other enhancer is still considered an unarmed strike. |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 35 Days with Trainer / 70 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 2 Days honing techniques |
| Heavy Blow | Any of Bludgeoning, Cleaving, Polearms or Slashing | Strength 13+ |
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Heavy weapons require two hands to wield. Through this skill, any weapon with the heavy tag, can gain an extra d20 added to its die pool. As with all heavy weapons, a score of natural 18 or higher places an “unshielded” victim at disadvantage. However, using this skill, even those with shields suffer the disadvantage effect. Furthermore, if the natural 18 or 19 successfully hits, then it is considered an “exploding” critical hit similar to raw 20. This means the wielder immediately gains another d20 of potential damage. Multiple critical hits from this single attack sequence still only permit one bonus die. To be clear, a natural 18 or 19 is not an automatic hit, and thus it is subject to be reduced by a dodge or rebuff, which could also remove the die-chain of the crit. Regardless, a natural 18 or 20 still inflicts disadvantage whether missing, successful or avoided. This can be employed with spinning moves and berserker.
Weapons Allowed: Bastard Sword, Glaive, Great Axe, Halberd, War Maul |
| Weapons Allowed:: Bastard Sword, Glaive, Great Axe, Halberd, War Maul |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 70 Days with Trainer / 140 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 1 Day smashing rocks |
| Martial Arts | Combat Training: Unarmed Combat | Resilience 12+ |
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This skill teaches balance and fighting. For balance, a +3 bonus for any Agility save involving balance, which includes grappling, pushing, or effects such as the tremor incantation. This Agility bonus is in substitution, not cumulative, for Combat Training: Unarmed Combat where applicable.
As for combat, this skill does not enhance upon Combat Training: Melee but rather allows one's fists, arms and feet to be effective weapons. It also allows a choice of Strength or Agility to be used as a damage modifier at the choice of the combatant for the martial body strike. The body parts used to deliver such an attack is a bit complex as it can be the primary hand, off-hand, elbows, knees, feet or combinations of any of those. Those strikes will be effective against all targets regardless of armor or Defense value. However, despite what is used, this will only deliver 1d20 of blunt damage. However, if one of those body parts is available and has the reach, then it the 1d20 die pool can be used. Certain devices can add weapon weight, such as iron gauntlets, or change the damage type, such as tiger claws. This is not a primary-hand attack but rather a “savage” attack. To be perfectly clear, even if the primary hand is free and not used in that “savage” die pool attack, no additional attack can be made without other skills that specifically state the partnership with either martial arts. The existing skills that can add dice to the “savage” die pool are savage fighting, shield-blitz, two-handed fighting and two-handed mastery.
Savage Fighting: While martial arts lets one's fists to become weapons, this should not be confused or interpreted that the fist becomes an appendage of savage fighting. If a martial artist had monstrous body parts, perhaps due to race or magical transformation, then each savage form appendage would add 2d20 to the “savage” die pool. This means if having “claws” and martial arts a 2d20 die pool would exist. Another example would be a Jen'esse with martial arts; in this case 2d20 would be the die pool attack (one from savage form and one from martial arts).
Shield-Blitz: Martial arts can be the main attack as a “savage” die pool and gain the off-hand shield-blitz attack - effectively having no primary hand attack.
Two-Handed Fighting: When using it as part of two-handed fighting, the “savage” die pool becomes or acts as the off-hand die pool.
Two-Handed Mastery: This would force the additional d20 from the mastery skill into the “savage” die pool, which would act autonomously from the other hands. In other words, with mastery, a character would have a “savage” die pool, a primary hand die pool and an off-hand die pool.
Whip-Blitz: Martial arts can be the main attack as a “savage” die pool and gain the off-hand whip-blitz attack - effectively having no primary hand attack. |
| Weapons Allowed:: Only hand enhancers |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 105 Days with Trainer / 210 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 3 Days of honing martial arts |
| Medium Armor | Combat Training: Melee | Resilience 10+ |
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| As explained previously, anyone can wear any type of armor; however, the heavier the armor, the greater the encumbrance. This skill allow the wearing of any armor weighing between 20 pounds up to but not including 40 pounds; however, when doing so, the weight used for the calculation of encumbrance is the minimum: only 20 pounds. This does not change the structure, weight or mass of the armor, which still weighs exactly as before. The 20-pound value is only for the use of the calculation of encumbrance. Further, should the armor have contras associated with it, this skill makes no changes to those; thus, social, stealth, magic use and range weaponry would remain the same for the armor type. |
| Armor Allowed: Breastplate, Brigandine Chain, Chain Shirt, Lamellar |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Karma Attainment: 1 Day dedicated to walking and moving around in armor of the appropriate mass |
| Pain | Cleaving | Strength 5+ |
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| This form of attack is designed to inflict pain more than deliver damage. It can only be performed with a cleaving weapon and it is the only attack that can occur for the action. However, when done so, the victim acts as if he or she is resistant to the damage delivered, halving the damage inflicted. If the target is already resistant, then this attack becomes pointless. But if successfully striking, the normal amount of Pain delivered by the strike is doubled. Further, until the end of the victim’s next turn, it is at disadvantage for attacks, reactions and any magic cast (cantrips, axioms and incantations). Further, the victim’s next turn, whether in the current round or the following, suffer a -2 second delay. Lastly, only victims who experience pain can be affected by this technique. Obviously, constructs and undead cannot be placed under such restrictions. Also, creatures resistant to both blunt and edged weapons are also immune to the pain maneuver. The GM may also rule that certain creatures do not have a nervous system for this to be useful. |
| Weapons Allowed: Axe, Battle-Axe, Great Axe, Vidonoir |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 70 Days with Trainer / 140 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 2 Days chopping wood |
| Parry | Combat Training: Melee | Body 12+ |
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| With this skill a combatant uses a weapon which has the parry property to make an attack from opponents more difficult. This translates to a -1 penalty to those attacking in melee against the person with the parry skill. The effect of parry is passive and constant so long as the qualifying weapon is being actively used in an attacking die pool in the combat. In no way should this skill be considered to work like a shield for any defense or maneuvers, such as protection from heavy weapons. |
| Weapons Allowed: Bastard Sword, Flail, Glaive, Gladius, Great Axe, Halberd, Longsword, Ranseur, Spear, Staff, Trident, War Maul |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 70 Days with Trainer / 140 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: Long Rest |
| Raven's Beak | Martial Arts | Strength 14+ |
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| A swift, hard strike to the opponent's head, if a creature of flesh, will blind the opponent who fails a Resilience save (TM:9). The victim will be blinded until the end of 1st to 4th consecutive turn (d4 known only to the GM). However, the victim may choose to sacrifice an action (and a reaction during that same round) to clear its eyes. When attacking with this maneuver, all dice in the die pool suffer -5 to hit whether the target's save fails or not. The strike still inflicts normal damage as well as the potential blinding. However, the martial artist cannot perform this special maneuver again until six rounds later. |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Karma Attainment: Long Rest |
| Spinning Moves | Any of Bludgeoning, Body-Weapons, Cleaving, Slashing or Specialty | Body 12+ |
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| On the onset, these seems like a simple skill that permits striking “multiple targets” in melee combat. However, this dividing of attacks come become very complex. The first option of spinning moves is straight forward. If two or more or the initial die pools, then each of those strikes may attack a different target. When performing this attack against “multiple targets,” all strikes must occur from the same location (hex). The same-hex restriction is true for all other options of this skill as well, which is called “splitting die pools.” Using only one die pool as an example allows this concept to be best understood. For that single die pool, it can be split into smaller pools by dividing the available dice in the original pool as desired. Thus, if having 3d20 in the primary hand die pool, one die could be assigned to three targets, or assigning a die pool of two dice to one enemy and one die to another is also possible. Regardless of the split, all those new die pools would all attack with the same style as the original pool, and none of the new pools could perform a special maneuver like weapon disarm. Should the initial die pools count more than one, such as when using two-handed fighting, then each die pool could be split using the same explanation above. Thus, if the primary hand pool and the off-hand pool each had 2d20, then both could be split to strike against four separate targets; or 1d20 from the primary could strike target-1, the other d20 from the primary pool could strike target-2, while 1d20 of the off-hand strikes target-3 and the last die pool from the off-hand strikes target-1 again with the other weapon. However, remember each die pool calculates the weapon weight as part of the damage, but the Strength bonus adds only once for each target individually. |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 42 Days with Trainer / 84 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 2 Days performing a dance or kata |
| Style: Archery | Combat Training: Range | Agility 11+ |
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| This skill enhances one’s use of weapons marked as a shooter. This is an enhancement the style and methods for using such weapons, and therefore it grants an additional 20 to an attack action. Critical hits are not gained with archery; however, each successful die inflicts 1½ points (round down), then the shooter’s is added. |
| Weapons Allowed: Shooters |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 84 Days with Trainer / 168 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 2 Days Honing Skill |
| Style: Bludgeoning | Combat Training: Melee | Strength 10+ |
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| This skill enhances attack style when using weapons marked with the bludgeon tag. The skill gives an additional 20 when wielding such as weapon. Further, any natural 20s rolled count as critical hits. However, only 1 addition 20 can be gained from the benefit. |
| Weapons Allowed: Bludgeons |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 70 Days with Trainer / 140 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 2 Days Honing Skill |
| Style: Cleaving | Combat Training: Melee | Strength 11+ |
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| This skill enhances the use with weapons marked as a cleaver. The skill gives an additional 20 to an attack action due to the improved style of wielding such weapons. Further, any natural 20s rolled count as critical hits. However, only 1 addition 20 can be gained from the benefit. |
| Weapons Allowed: Cleavers |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 70 Days with Trainer / 140 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 2 Days Honing Skill |
| Style: Hurling | Combat Training: Range | Strength 11+ or
Agility 11+ |
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| This skill enhances use with thrown weapons, which are marked with the thrown tag. The skill adds an additional 20 to the attack when attacking with such a weapon. Critical hits are not gained by hurling. The attack dice are adjusted by but damage is modified by . |
| Weapons Allowed: Thrown |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 70 Days with Trainer / 140 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 2 Days Honing Skill |
| Style: Polearms | Combat Training: Melee | Strength 10+ |
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| This skill enhances one’s use with weapons marked with the pole tag. It does not give any extra dice for attacks; however, it does permit these weapons to extend to strike targets 10 feet away if the weapons has the reach tag. Further, it allows an impalement maneuver, which gives an additional 2d20 above the normal number of attack dice when setting against an opponent who is charging. Any natural 20 rolled counts as a critical hit. However, only 1 addition d20 can be gained from the benefit. When using a pole against an opponent at the 10-ft reach (2 hexes away), the attacker may choose to use a reaction, if available, for knockback, knockdown or sting. |
| Weapons Allowed: Poles |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 63 Days with Trainer / 126 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 2 Days Honing Skill |
| Style: Slashing | Combat Training: Melee | Strength 10+ |
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| This skill enhances the style of attack when wielding with melee slicer. The skill adds an additional d20 to the attack when attacking with such a weapon. Additionally, any natural d20s rolled count as critical hits. However, only 1 addition d20 can be gained from the benefit. |
| Weapons Allowed: Slicers |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 70 Days with Trainer / 140 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 2 Days Honing Skill |
| Style: Specialty | Melee Fighting or Ranged Fighting | Body 13+ |
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| This skill enhances the use of specialized weapons that do not follow the standard styles, such as the sai or the whip; however, it is specific to that weapon. If someone learns specialty in the sai, it would be required to acquire it again for the whip. To be perfectly clear, this cannot apply to improvised weapons, like bar stools, beer mugs, etc. Further, the requirement for this style is based on the weapon's uses with either Combat Training: Melee or Combat Training: Range. The benefits of this style is that it can be used as a substitute for a style requirement of another skill. For example, if taken for the sai, then this skill would permit the advancement to weapon forte or weapon lock. Acting as a substitute for a style requirement is not universal. If a skill has a single style requirement, such as blade mastery, this would not act as a substitute for that requirement without approval by the GM. Whenever, there is ambiguity for how this substitution applies, the GM will arbitrate for that condition. Lastly, this style skill does NOT guaranty an extra d20. In fact some weapons, like the whip, do not gain an extra d20 even for weapon forte, even if this style is selected. Any benefits from having this style skill for a specific weapon will be listed in the weapon description should there be any benefit at all. |
| Weapons Allowed: Specialty Weapons |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 84 Days with Trainer / 168 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 2 Days Honing Skill |
| Style Dominance | Style Leverage and Weapon Forte | Body 27+ |
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| As with its predecessors, this skill is specific to a style; thus, its style leverage prerequisite must be the same style as this one. However, style dominance is further restricted to a specific type of weapon as well. Therefore, one might have style leverage for bludgeoning weapons, but when upgrading to this skill, the weapon, war maul for example, would have to be additionally named. Further, that weapon would require having the weapon forte skill applied to it as well. Using the example, the bonuses from this skill would only apply to the war maul, even though all other bludgeoning weapons would still benefit from style leverage bonuses. When striking with that weapon, the battler gains +3 on all to hit dice originating from that weapon. To be clear, the +3 already includes the bonus from style leverage, and that modifier should not be added in again. This could include all dice when using two-handed fighting. Unlike style leverage, this could apply to an off-hand die pool from shield-blitz but only if a style dominance is applicable specifically to shields. |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 112 Days with Trainer / 224 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 3 Days honing skill |
| Style Leverage | Any of Archery, Bludgeoning, Cleaving, Hurling, Martial Arts, Polearms or Slashing | Body 18+ |
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| This skill is specific to the prerequisite style required to gain it, and it can only be used with weapons that can be wielded in that style. If desiring to use it with another set of weapons, then it would have to be relearned specific for that style. However, when using with the appropriate attack style, the combatant gains +1 bonus to hit on all dice used with that style. This would not gain a bonus for shield-blitz attacks even if the style happened to be bludgeoning unless of course the shield were actually used as a primary weapon. Even yet, the shield bonus attack would still not gain the +1 bonus and still have to be rolled separately. To be clear, the style: specialty skill cannot take advantage of the enrichment skill. |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 84 Days with Trainer / 168 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 1 Day practicing |
Takedown
Action or Reaction | Martial Arts | Strength 12+ |
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| This skill trains a combatant in various methods to place a victim to a prone position, using leg takedowns, hip throws and slams. These can be performed either as an action, using a competition grappling shove at advantage or as a reaction from a melee attack when the opponent misses (no dice successfully hit). The reaction also requires a competition roll but is not at advantage. The result of a successful takedown is both combatants are on the ground, classified as prone; however, the martial artist will also have an effective grappling hold on the victim. If also possessing throttle as a skill, then taking an opponent (and self) to prone, establishing a grappled restriction and all the bonuses of the throttle can all be accomplished with a single successful takedown maneuver. If this is used as an action, no die pools can be applied simultaneously. Another limitation is the maneuver can only be used against a creature up to one size category larger than the grappler. Further, the off-hand of the martial artists must be empty and available to perform this maneuver. |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 56 Days with Trainer / 112 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: Long Rest |
| Targeting | Either Archery or Hurling | Agility 10+ |
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| With a normal ranged attack, only a single target is fired upon; however, similar to spinning moves this skill “splits” the existing dice into smaller die pools which can be fired against different targets. This results in a “multiple target” attack, applying the number of dice as desired to each target. If ammo is being tracked, one projectile is used per target. Also, each target will suffer the Agility bonus calculated in damage. |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 49 Days with Trainer / 98 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 2 Days of target practice |
| Weapon Forte | Special | Body 18+ |
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| This skill endows mastery of a specific type of weapon, such as a “bastard sword” or a “long bow.” This gives an additional d20 which can be added to a die pool employing that specific weapon. However, the prerequisite is that a style skill from archery, bludgeoning, cleaving, hurling, polearms, slashing or specialty based on styles with which the weapon can be used. Some weapons, like the whip, are prohibited from gaining the extra d20, but the skill would still act as a prerequisite for other skills. |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 84 Days with Trainer / 168 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 3 Days of practice |
| Whip Master | Combat Training: Melee | Agility 13+ |
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This skill is part crafting and part combat use. The wielder of the whip modifies his or her weapon to be weighted specific to one’s own whipping style and technique, but thickening the leather and adding metal bars on the tip. This causes the maintenance of the whip to increase to 1 bit monthly, but the customization is so tailored, it is an ordinary whip if another used it. Nonetheless, if used as the primary hand die pool of a whip master, it delivers an additional point of blunt damage above the single edged points to any who were previously subject to damage from a normal whip. Those well-armored remain immune to damage from this whip attack as well, but the Pain value is still inflicted. Further, although it deals blunt and edged damage, this skilled use of the whip is still incapable of combining with either style to increase dice; thus, 1d20 is still the die count of the pool. Further, two-handed fighting with the whip is not allowed because its style does not meet the requirements. However, two-handed mastery is possible, but when using the whip as such, either the Combat Training: Melee skill or the two-handed mastery skill must be assigned to the whip, but not both, as the whip can only have 1d20 assigned.
Alternatively, whip master can restrain a victim, so long as that target’s size is no bigger than one size Category larger. As above, all the dice from the primary hand pool are reduced to 1d20. If that roll successfully strikes the opponent’s Defense, then the whip has wrapped the victim, who then is under the restrained restriction. When this occurs, there now exist a taut leather rope between the two, which open up opportunities for a few different responses. First, the attacker cannot use the whip while maintaining the restraint. On its turn, the victim can enter a Strength competition to yank the handle from the whipper. Alternatively, the victim (or another one else) on one’s respective turn, can cut the whip for 2 points of edged damage to become free and ruin the whip, but the restrained victim attacking the whip would be at disadvantage due to the restriction. The whip in this state is Defense 12. If the victim is still retrained by the attacker’s next turn, he or she can drag the victim, either by movement or by pulling the victim closer. Movement cost for dragging is also explained under the grappling rules. As a final note, the grappling option can be used with a spiked chain too; however, it requires 8 points of damage to break the chain. A spiked chain is Defense 15. Also remember a spiked chain only has a normal 5-foot reach, meaning the grappled opponent can still attack the wielder, albeit at disadvantage. For clarity, a spiked chain would gain nothing by attempting to modify it as described in the first paragraph. |
| Unskilled: Not possible |
| Non-Karma Training: 63 Days with Trainer / 126 Days Self-Trained |
| Karma Attainment: 3 Days honing skill |
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