Copyright notice

© 1994 by Scott Gray and Sharon Tripp. These pages may not be reproduced for profit. They may be copied, provided they are not altered and the authors' names remain attached.

Combat & Physical

Note that damage bonuses from skills may not be stacked; the maximum damage bonus a character may gain from skills is one point.

Breakfall. The skill of breakfall teaches a character to use his/her dodges to lessen damage taken from falls. To use this skill, the character must have freedom of movement (no limbs tied, etc.). For each dodge the character uses, falling damage is reduced by four points.

Break limb. With this skill, a character may use his or her shatter ability to call "2 body break limb [material]" while striking an opponent's limb. If the strike connects with an arm or leg, that arm or leg will be unusable until treated properly by a chirurgeon. If the strike hits the torso, the two points of health damage are taken, but the break limb is expended, doing no further damage.
Note that the amount of damage called in such an attack is always 2 body; the warrior may not apply any other abilities or skills, including intrinsic killing blow, to have other effects or do more damage, nor may (s)he do less damage. The weapon used must be capable of delivering two points of damage.

Choke hold. This attack may only be performed by surprise. The player should place his/her hands on both shoulders of the target and call "subdue [1 + strength + overbear + weaponless combat masteries] choke hold". The attacker may then call "subdue [previous + 1]" each second that the victim is held. The victim cannot break out of the attack but may retaliate, as long as the means of retaliation doesn't require the player/character to turn around (swinging a one-handed weapon at the assailant, casting a transmuting spell, igniting some ellenic fire, etc). The victim cannot speak during this attack.
A person using a choke hold may not defend him/herself from attack, or perform any other actions which require free use of either hand, without freeing his/her victim.
Once the victim is subdued, (s)he falls unconscious, and will awaken naturally after ten minutes.
This skill requires .6 strength or greater to use.
Prerequisite: Weaponless combat
Skill points: 18

Distance killing blow [missile weapon, thrown or firearm]. If an opponent is at zero or negative health, a killing blow may be performed from a distance using one of these skills. This skill requires the normal ten second killing blow count ("killing blow 10", "killing blow 9", etc.) before throwing/shooting (for taking the time to line up the shot perfectly). The blow must hit in order for the killing blow to be successfully delivered.

Familiarity with [character's] style. For each time this skill is purchased, the character may avoid one point of damage from one specific character per battle. This skill may be purchased multiple times, but a character can avoid no more damage with this skill than an amount equal to his/her fatigue at the start of the battle. The skill increases the character's fatigue in regards to that one person, due to a knowledge of the character's normal tactics/fighting style. The character must have had an opportunity to study the particular character's fighting style -- whether by fighting him/her or observing a battle between the character and someone else.
These additional points also apply when defending against subduing from that character.

Fast load [crossbow, arquebus or blunderbuss]. Halve the loading time of the missile weapon/firearm for which the skill is taken. This skill may be gained only once for each specific weapon type.

Garrotte. This skill allows the use of a wire designed to strangle. This attack may only be performed by surprise. A garrotte is represented by a piece of yarn, which, when the skill is used, should be held in both hands. The yarn is NOT put around the target's neck -- it is merely held between two hands and draped across the target's back, one hand grasping each shoulder of the target. When the yarn is placed on the back, the character using the garrotte calls "2 body tangle neck [material] garrotte". The attacker may then call "2 body [material]" once every second that the victim is held. The victim cannot break out of the attack but may retaliate, as long as the means of retaliation doesn't require the player/character to turn around (swinging a one-handed weapon at the assailant, casting a transmuting spell, igniting some ellenic fire, etc). The victim cannot speak during this attack. A person using a garrotte may not defend him/herself from attack, or perform any other actions which require free use of either hand, without freeing his/her victim.
Prerequisite: Waylay. (Note that, unlike waylay, the garrotte skill has no strength requirement to use.)

Hide. A character with the hide skill is able to remain silent and unnoticeable for as long as (s)he remains in one inconspicuous spot. After the player has remained in the location for at least a minute, (s)he is allowed to don a white headband and remain hidden in the same spot. If the character moves from the hiding place, (s)he is no longer hiding and must remove the white headband unless activating the escape ability. As with escape, a person using the hide skill must make an actual effort to remain hidden.
Unlike with escape, a hiding character may listen in on conversations, though people may get an uneasy sense when being eavesdropped on and cut their conversation short, move away, etc.

Example: Stig rummaged through Captain Fenkirk's desk. "C'mon, c'mon, I know you're in here somewhere.... Can't have the cap'n sending off that letter requesting transfer for the unit, he wouldn't last two minutes on the front lines... Ah-ha!"
Finding what he was looking for, Stig turned to go. Suddenly he heard Captain Fenkirk's voice just outside. Glancing about, Stig dashed for the only available hiding place, the closet.
The captain entered only moments after. He puttered about his office, muttering to himself. "Now where did I put that letter?" he pondered, scratching his chin.
After a few minutes (during which time Carl was able to put on a white headband and activate his hide skill), he went to the closet to grab his coat. Mark (Fenkirk) saw Carl (Stig) out of game. However, since there were a number of things hung up in the closet, Stig was considered to have successfully hidden behind them. Captain Fenkirk then left the room, and Stig breathed a sigh of relief.

The trail ability allows a person who notices the hidden player out of game to notice the character ingame as well; if the player who is hidden knows him/herself to have been seen out of game, (s)he should check to see if his/her discoverer has the trail ability. Also, the hide skill will not prevent a character from being discovered if his/her hiding place is compromised.

Example: Waiting a minute for the captain to leave the area, Stig finally started to ease open the closet door. Then, footsteps approached again. Stig quickly shut the door, only managing to get it closed half way.
The door to the captain's quarters opened, and Wynn crept in, glancing about furtively. She walked over to the desk and started rummaging through it. Stig, peering out through the half-closed door, wondered to himself, "What's she doing here?".
Captain Fenkirk's heavy tread returned, stomping up to the office door. Wynn quickly shut the drawer she was looking in, and darted for the closet. Since she was attempting to hide in the same place as him, she was immediately aware of Stig's presence, without needing trail ability. After a moment of confusion, they together shut the closet door. The captain entered his office, and they edged toward the back of the closet.
"What are you doing here?!" Stig demanded in an angry whisper.
"What we had discussed!" Wynn shot back.
"I already got it--" Stig broke off and glanced up.
"Well, hullo, cap'n, fancy meeting you here..."
Captain Fenkirk, hearing the murmured voices, had walked over to the closet and opened the door.

Intrinsic killing blow [melee, entangling weapons, firearms, missile, thrown or weaponless combat]. Allows a strike that brings an opponent to zero or negative health to kill him/her instantaneously, without having to perform a killing blow or let him/her bleed to death. Damage called is halved, rounded up. Call material as usual, appending "intrinsic killing blow" to the end. Useable once per battle per mastery with the weapon in question. This skill may not be used with leather weapons.

Quick kill. Allows a character to do a three second killing blow rather than the usual 10 seconds. Call "killing blow 3", "killing blow 2", "killing blow 1". This skill may be used in conjunction with the "distance killing blow" skill.

Scar. This skill allows a character to use a "disarm" or "tangle arm" ability to call "1 body scar [material]", leaving a wound that will leave a scar when healed. After the combat, the character using the scar skill can describe the location of the scar.

Note that the amount of damage called in such an attack is always 1 body; the warrior may not apply any other abilities or skills, including intrinsic killing blow, to have other effects or do more damage, nor may (s)he do less damage.
Prerequisite: Disarm or tangle arm.
Skill points: 12

Secondary weapon. This skill allows a character with the off-hand weapon ability to use a longer melee weapon for his/her off-hand weapon. However, the damage called with the secondary weapon is halved (rounded up). In order to make use of this skill, the character must have 1.0 strength to use a weapon up to 36 inches total length, and a 1.6 strength to use a longer one-handed weapon.

Sever limb. With this skill, a character may use two of his or her shatters to call "5 body sever limb [material]" while striking an opponent's limb. If contact is made with an arm or leg, that arm or leg will be severed from the point of contact down. Thus, if the blow connects at the elbow, from the elbow down is severed; if it hits near the wrist, the hand is lost; etc.
Note that the amount of damage called in such an attack is always 5 body; the warrior may not apply any other abilities or skills, including intrinsic killing blow, to have other effects or do more damage, nor may (s)he do less damage. If the strike hits the torso, the five points of health damage are taken, but the sever limb is expended, doing no further damage. The weapon used must be capable of delivering five points of damage (i.e., improvised weapons may not be used to sever a limb).
At the end of the combat, the character struck by the sever limb is reduced to -1 health, bleeding to death. However, the character remains conscious as though (s)he had been revived. If five minutes pass without the character receiving medical assistance, the character will lose consciousness.
Prerequisite: Two shatters and break limb skill.
Skill points: 30

Siege weapon [ballista/cannon/catapult/trebuchet]. A character with this skill may organize a team using the siege weapon in question, and fire it. Only one member of each weapon team needs to have this skill in order to fire the weapon.
Prerequisite: Missile weapon.
Skill points: 12 for the first siege weapon, 6 for each additional

Specialization. Do an additional point of damage with a particular weapon -- quarter staff, jo stick, bastard sword, dagger, cat o' nine tails, mace, hammer, spear, etc.

Stealth in armor. Learning this skill allows the character to perform "stealth" abilities whilst in armor. This will allow the character to use his/her waylay, escape or pickpocket/master pickpocket abilities, even if in metal armor.
Prerequisite: None
Skill points: 30

Street fighting. This skill allows a character with the weaponless combat ability to use small weapons as though trained in those as well, and to add any and all weaponless combat proficiencies and masteries to combat with small weapons.
Note that a player who has spent ability points on small weapon or small weapon support abilities may be allowed to convert those points to weaponless combat and/or weaponless combat support abilities at the same time as getting this skill.

Swordbreaker. This skill allows a character to use his/her disarm ability as a shatter. It requires the use of a small weapon (usually an off-handed weapon) specially designed for the purpose. Call "shatter" when using the skill.

Tangle weapon. This skill allows a character to use his/her tangle arm ability as a disarm. It requires the use of an entangling weapon, which must hit the opponent's weapon as per a normal disarm.
This skill also allows a character with both entangling weapon ability and the disarm ability to use the disarm with an entangling weapon.
Call "disarm" when using the skill.