Warrior Basic Career

This skill increases the character’s knowledge of how to effectively wear armor. It grants them a 25% bonus to their Base Armor Points or Special Armor Points – whichever is appropriate - for any armor that they wear. The character should total all of their separate armor pieces then multiply the total by 1.25 (1.5 if they also have the Armor Efficiency skill) and round the number normally to nearest whole number.

Normally, a character must spend 5 minutes adjusting and resetting their armor after it is damaged to reset their Armor Points. With this Tagged skill, the character can do this in 10 seconds. The character must be able to use skills, not be engaged in combat, be able to see, and have free, unfettered hands and legs. The player should role play quickly adjusting their armor in-game for 10 seconds so it is obvious to anyone watching what they are doing. While resetting their points, the player should say, “Resetting Armor 1, Resetting Armor 2, etc.” to a count of 10. This is an out-of-game count and does not require the character to be able to speak. If the character is interrupted, the skill is not used. After using this skill, the armor will still degrade normally based on crafting, enchanting, and skill bonuses as if they had spent the whole 5 minutes resetting their armor.

The player may use this skill on another character’s armor so long as both characters meet all the conditions to use the skill, in other words, they must be able to use skills, not engaged in combat, etc.

This skill improves the characters ability to wear armor. It lowers the degradation number by one, so for a suit made of normal materials, it will lose 4 Armor Points instead of 5. This effect stacks with all other crafting, enchanting, and skill bonuses with a minimum of 1 point.

Cleave will allow you to deliver damage to an opponent within weapons reach if you reduce your primary target to 0 Body Points or less with a melee attack. The damage delivered to the secondary target is the same as what you dealt to the primary target. The target has to be dropped by damage only – no effects.

Should the primary target character drop, but not be at 0 Body Points or less, ie they are playing possum, this skill can still be used.

To use this skill, after the primary target is dropped, the character should point to the secondary target and call, “Cleave, X Damage”, substituting any damage modifiers like fire, silver, magic, etc. The cleave attack does not require the character to hit the secondary target, just be in normal weapon’s reach. The only two skills that will work with Cleave are Speed and Critical Attack.

You may not chain cleaves with the same attack. If the secondary target drops from the damage of the Cleave attack, the character may not then turn to a tertiary target and continue the cleaving. This skill only works if your primary target drops from damage delivered by a melee attack. Skills like Slay, Stun, Disarm, Assassinate, Assassin Strike, Channeling, etc do not work with a Cleave attack.

This skill is stopped by any defense that stops physical attacks.

This skill triples the total damage – Base Damage, Damage Bonus, Strength Bonus, alchemy, etc. – done by a weapon for one attack. This skill is not weapon or hand specific and can be used with any weapon the character has an appropriate Weapon Skill for. This skill cannot be combined with itself ever. The player should suffix the damage they call with the word “Crit”.

Additionally, the character can use his Critical Attack skill to block one martial attack which can either be Damage, Critical Attack, Disarm, Stunning Blow, Cheap Trick, Throat Punch, or Critical Backstab skills. The character may block ranged physical attacks but not those that have been used with the True Aim skill. Faith skills, spells or abilities cannot be blocked or stopped with this skill.

A character can use this skill to parry even if it is delivered from behind, but not if from a surprise attack; therefore it is impossible to parry the Waylay skill. It is also possible to parry an attack directed against someone else as long as they are within weapons length.

The character can choose to block a spell with this skill for another person; however they will take the effect of the spell and must call the appropriate defense against spells if they wish not to take the spell’s effect. The character may not block a spell that has been augmented with the Perfect Aim skill.

To use this skill as a parry the player should call “Crit Parry”.

When this skill is used offensively, it is not used if the character misses their target or the attack is blocked. If they succeed in striking their target or if the target calls an appropriate defense, the skill is used. This skill is always used once used to parry an attack. This skill does not double any additional damage from the Heal Wounds skill, Wounding skill, or Elemental Pool Points.

A character can use this skill to disarm another character’s weapon or any other in-game or in-play (you cannot disarm a coffee cup or a spell packet for example) item held in that arm. To use the skill, the character only has to hit the weapon or target character – but not their shield if they are wielding it – to disarm the character.

If your target is wielding a one-handed weapon or holding an object in one hand, you only have to hit them once, and use one purchase of the Disarm skill to disarm them. If the target character is wielding a two- handed weapon or holding an object with two hands, you would need to hit them twice, and use two purchases of the Disarm skill. However, one limb is still unusable for 5 seconds, but the target character can still hold their weapon with the other hand.

To use this skill, the character must call “Disarm” after the blow is delivered followed by any special damage modifiers, such as “Magic”, “Silver”, etc., and the arm – either left or right. For example, “Disarm Magic, Right Arm”. If the character does not designate an arm, then the target can choose which limb – even if there is nothing in that hand – and, if struck multiple times with multiple disarms, can choose the same arm for all attacks.

A character that has been disarmed must drop what is in that hand and cannot use that arm for 5 seconds. They cannot pick up their weapon nor do any other in-game action with that arm for 5 seconds. The character should drop their weapon at their feet; they cannot throw the weapon behind them or to another character.

If the item in the character’s hand is attuned to the character, then the character does not have to drop the item, but they still cannot use that arm for the full 5 seconds. An Attachment spell or a Paste of Stickiness will not prevent the character from losing the weapon or item in their hand.

This skill can be used with ranged attacks. The same rules as above apply, so you only have to strike the target in a legal combat location to disarm a limb.

Shields cannot be disarmed if wielded, but if the character is simply holding the shield then it can be disarmed by striking that character.

This skill can be used to parry a Disarm skill. It cannot be used to parry any other martial attack or for another character. The character should call “Retain” when they use this skill to stop a disarm attempt. This skill is stopped by any defense that stops martial attacks.

When this skill is used offensively, it is not used if the character misses their target or the attack is blocked. If they succeed in striking their target or if the target calls an appropriate defense the skill is used. This skill is always used when used to parry a Disarm skill.

This skill allows the character to use an Edged Weapon, Blunt Weapon, or Small Weapon in one hand and a Small Weapon in the other. The character must strike and call damage separately for each weapon. Any Strength Bonus the character has adds to the damage of both hands, unless that Strength Bonus is for only one attack – such as the Strength Bonus from a Giant Strength spell, then the character can only apply it to one hand for one attack. The character may block an attack with either weapon.

This skill allows the character to make a rousing soliloquy and inspire up to five friends or allies to fighter harder for five minutes. Each character, if they accept the inspiration, gains +1 Damage Bonus for the duration. A character may willingly refuse to accept the bonus. The character using this skill does not gain the damage bonus.

This skill does not stack with itself, either from the same character or another character using the same skill. One character can only be under the effects of one Morale Boost at a time. Should a character under the effects of a Morale Boost be brought to 0 Body Points or worse, feared or fall unconscious, the effect will end for them. Should the character using this skill be brought to 0 Body Points or worse, feared or fall unconscious, the effect ends for everyone. Should characters gaining the benefit of a morale boost move out of Line of Sight with the character using this skill, the effect ends. Once the effect ends, it ends and should the character want the benefit of the skill, another use of Morale Boost must be expended for that Tag Cycle.

To use this skill, the character needs to make a 13 syllable, including the name of the skill, rallying speech. It should be obvious to other characters that this skill is being used, it cannot be used quietly or subtly. It does not have to be yelled or shouted, it can be delivered at a conversational tone so long as all of the friends and allies can clearly hear the words. For example, “My friends, rally to me and smash our foes, Morale Boost!” or “For our homes, for our friends, for Avalon, Morale Boost!” or “Avalonians, drive these fools into the dust and show them your furry, Morale Boost!” An example of a bad and unacceptable verbal would be, “Blah, blah blah, blah blah, blah blah blah, blah blah, blah, Morale Boost!” Not only will this not work, but the marshal is likely to give you lots of negative roleplaying points.

This skill is used once the verbal is finished, even if there is no one around to hear it any longer. A Plot Marshal may rule that a speech is not rousing enough and the skill does not activate and the tag is not used.

With this skill, a character becomes able to wield a shield and gives that character ability to block damage with a shield. Without this skill, if a character is holding a shield and the shield is struck, the character takes damage as if they were not holding the shield. A shield must be wielded to be effective; the character must hold it by the handle with a hand and arm that is not impaired. If the character holds it incorrectly or the hand or arm is impaired, then any blows struck on the shield effect the character normally, just as if they did not have the shield.

Shields are not weapons and cannot be used to attack under any circumstances. No martial skill can be used with a shield regardless of the skill. However, if the character purchases the Shield Parry skill, they may then use any of their defensive martial skills with their shield.

A shield worn on the back affords the character no protection. A character cannot block an attack effectively simply by wearing multiple shields, even if they have the appropriate skill.

Shields of quality – Dwarven crafted, mythril, and magic shields – can stop the damaging spells of the elemental schools of magic. The spells that do not cause damage but have an effect, such as the Pin, Ice Cast, Shatter, or Blast spells, cannot be stopped by shields.

By means of this skill the character is able to deliver a stunning blow to another character. If the target character is struck in the torso then they are affected by a Torso Stun for 5 seconds. If the blow lands on an arm or leg then that limb is broken and must be healed before it can be used again. The character also causes their normal damage when they use this skill. The character should suffix their damage called with the word “Stun”.

A character that is affected by a Torso Stun cannot take any offensive action, any defensive action, call any defenses, invoke any items, cast spells or speak. They may only move slowly and should call out their stun count, “Torso Stun One, Torso Stun Two, etc” for the full 5 seconds. Nothing can heal the character from being Torso Stunned. If a character’s arm is broken, they are disarmed as per the Disarm skill and must keep their arm at their side. A character with a broken leg must kneel on that limb and may only crawl. The character cannot jump or hop around on their good leg.

This skill is not used if the character misses their target or the attack is blocked. If they succeed in striking their target or if the target calls an appropriate defense, the skill is used.

Unless the target character is immune to stunning blows or has damage resistance superior to the attack, they take the damage and the effects of the stunning blow.

When this skill is purchased, the character gains a Damage Bonus to their attacks given in the table below.

This skill must be purchased for a specific weapon category and cannot be used with other weapons. Additionally, this skill is hand specific and the character must choose whether to apply the Damage Bonus to either their right or left hand when they purchase this skill.

This skill is stackable with itself and all Weapon Proficiencies learned within a specific weapon category are cumulative. So a Weapon Proficiency +4 with Pole Weapon skill would allow the character to cause 6 points of damage with one hand, or 10 points of damage with both hands. Weapon Proficiencies with other weapon categories do not stack with each other.

*The damage bonus rounds down, so one purchase is +1 damage, and two purchases is +3 damage.

All these skills give the character the ability to call damage with that weapon type. If a character does not have the appropriate skill, not only can they not call damage, but should the weapon they are holding be struck, they take the damage anyway.

Weapon skills are NOT hand specific the way proficiencies are. And a character can use the weapon in either hand with no penalty.

Two handed weapons can be used to only block with one hand.

The base damage for a Blunt Weapon is 2 with one hand, and 3 with both hands.

This skill gives the character the ability to call damage with Bows. If a character does not have the appropriate weapon skill, then not only can they not call damage, but if the weapon they are holding is struck, they take that damage anyway.

A bow does not block damage unless it is magical or unshatterable. These special weapons can be used to block attacks but can NOT be used to strike in melee combat.

The base damage for a Bow is 4 when wielded in both hands.

All these skills give the character the ability to call damage with that weapon type. If a character does not have the appropriate skill, not only can they not call damage, but should the weapon they are holding be struck, they take the damage anyway.

Weapon skills are NOT hand specific the way proficiencies are. And a character can use the weapon in either hand with no penalty.

Two handed weapons can be used to only block with one hand.

The base damage for an Edged Weapon is 2 with one hand, and 3 with both hands.

All these skills give the character the ability to call damage with that weapon type. If a character does not have the appropriate skill, not only can they not call damage, but should the weapon they are holding be struck, they take the damage anyway.

Weapon skills are NOT hand specific the way proficiencies are. And a character can use the weapon in either hand with no penalty.

Polearms can be used to only block with one hand.

The base damage for a Pole Weapon is 2 with one hand, and 4 with both hands. For Pole Weapons, the butt end counts as a quarterstaff dealing blunt damage.

This skill gives the character the ability to call damage with Quarterstaff weapons. If a character does not have the appropriate weapon skill, then not only can they not call damage, but if the weapon they are holding is struck, they take that damage anyway.

Weapon skills are NOT hand specific the way proficiencies are. And a character can use the weapon in either hand with no penalty.

A quarterstaff can be used to block with one hand.

The base damage for a Quarterstaff is 2 with both hands.

This skill gives the character the ability to call damage with Small Weapons. If a character does not have the appropriate weapon skill, then not only can they not call damage, but if the weapon they are holding is struck, they take that damage anyway.

Small Weapon costs 0 build and anyone can learn this skill. The character does not need to start with it, but then they cannot use Small Weapons. However, any character that learns any Weapon Skill automatically learns Small Weapon and has it added to their character card.

Weapon skills are NOT hand specific the way proficiencies are. And a character can use the weapon in either hand with no penalty.

The base damage for a Small Weapon is 1 in either hand.

This skill gives the character the ability to call damage with Thrown weapons. If a character does not have the appropriate weapon skill, then not only can they not call damage, but if the weapon they are holding is struck, they take that damage anyway.

Weapon skills are NOT hand specific the way proficiencies are. And a character can use the weapon in either hand with no penalty.

Thrown Weapons can be used to block damage when held, but are usually too small to be able to hold effectively.

The base damage for most Thrown weapons is 1 with either hand. Javelins however have a base damage of 2.

This skill is broken down into various categories of weapons. The character must learn each skill individually. All these skills give the character the ability to call damage with that weapon type. If a character does not have the appropriate skill, not only can they not call damage, but should the weapon they are holding be struck, they take the damage anyway. The Small Weapon skill costs zero Build Points and anyone can learn this skill. The character does not have to take the skill if they do not want, but they then cannot use a small weapon. However, any character that learns a weapon skill automatically learns the Small Weapon skill and it is put on their Character Card. If a character has the One-Handed Edge and Two-Handed Edge skills they can use a Bastard Sword as well. The same is true for the blunt weapons skills. Weapon skills are not hand specific. A character with the One- Handed Edge skill can use their short sword in either their right or left hand with no penalty. Bastard weapons used in one hand will do one less point of damage then when used with two hands. Two handed weapons of any type must be used with two hands to cause damage but can still be used to block attacks if used in one hand. Any marital parry skill the character has with their two handed weapon can be used while only using one hand. All weapons fall into one of the listed weapon categories. Any new weapon to the game must fall into one of these categories.