Swordsman Schools

Studying a Swordsman School gives the student access to a wide variety of abilities, which are difficult or impossible to match through other less arduous methods of study. Each Swordsman School requires the previous purchase of the two asic Curriculum Skills for the School. Once the Basic Curriculum is covered, the character may become an Initiate or Apprentice of the school.

In order for a student to increase his Rank in a School, he must first have improved both of his Basic Curriculum Skills to the Rank he wishes to obtain in the School. Thus if the Basic Curriculum is Fencing and Knife, for the student to achieve Rank 3 in his School, he must already have at least Rank 3 in both Fencing and Knife. Increasing the Rank of a Swordsman School costs 8 CP (24 XP), regardless of the Rank.

A Swordsman uses all of the Knacks granted by the school at a Rank equal to his Rank in the School. He must use the Rank of the School that he is currently using, even if he has a higher Rank in another School which grants the same Knack.

Initiate- A character may purchase Initiate level in a school if he possesses the Basic Curriculum Skills at Rank 2 or higher. This grants all 4 of the School's Swordsman Knacks at Rank 2. Initiates are considered to have a Mastery level of 0 in the School.

Apprentice- A character may purchase Apprentice level in a school if he is an Initiate of the School, and possesses the Basic Curriculum Skills at Rank 3 or higher. This grants the Apprentice ability for the School, and increases the Rank of his Swordsman Knacks to 3. Apprentices are considered to have a Mastery Level of 1 in the School.

Journeyman- A character may purchase Journeyman level in a school if he is an Apprentice of the School, and possesses the Basic Curriculum Skills at Rank 4 or higher. This grants the Journeyman ability for the school, and increases the Rank of his Swordsman Knacks to 4. Journeymen have a Mastery Level of 2 in the School.

Master- A character may purchase Master level in a school if he is a Journeyman of the School, and possesses the Basic Curriculum Skills at Rank 5 or higher. This grants the Master ability for the school, and increases the Rank of his Swordsman Knacks to 5. Masters have a Mastery Level of 3 in the School.

Grandmaster- A character may purchase Grandmaster level in a school if he is a Master of the School, and possesses the Basic Curriculum Skills at Rank 6 or higher. This grants the Master ability for the school, and increases the Rank of his Swordsman Knacks to 6. Grandmasters have a Mastery Level of 4 in the School.

Skill beyond Grandmaster can be purchased, which will increase the Swordsman Knack Ranks, but will not further increase the Mastery Level beyond 4. This still requires the Basic Curriculum Ranks to be equal to or greater than the new Swordsman Knack Ranks.

Grandmasters (and higher) may also learn how to use the techniques of the School even when fighting using another School, so long as the technique does not rely on weapons incompatible with those being used by the other school. This benefit is symmetrical- a Grandmaster of Aldana who is also a Journeyman of Torres could learn to use Aldana techniques while fighting with Torres, as well as use Torres techniques when fighting with Aldana. Each such school combination must be learned independently, and costs 8 CP (24 XP). If the two styles share a Swordsman Knack, this also allows the Grandmaster to use the higher Rank in that Knack, regardless of which style he is currently using.

Each Round, all characters must declare which Swordsman School they are using for that Round. Characters may only use the Swordsman Knacks and School abilities for the School they are currently using, unless they are Grandmasters who have paid the cost to integrate the two styles.

Swordsman Knacks

(F) is a Finesse Action, (W) is a Wits Action, (-) does not require an Action

Parry-Defeating Knacks

The Beat, Feint, Flourish, and Reprise Knacks all share similar game mechanics. These Knacks are used to defeat the opponent's attempt to Parry. These Knacks differ only in the opponent's Trait that they target. Beat targets Brawn, Feint targets Wits, Flourish targets Panache, and Reprise targets Finesse. The attacker decides to use one of these Knacks after the opponent makes a successful Parry. This requires a current (or Interrupt) Wits Action. The base TN is the target's UPD, +5 for each Raise called for damage on the initial Attack, and +5 for each Raise called on the following Parry. This TN is further adjusted by -5 for each point of the Attacker's target Trait (Brawn for Beat, Wits for Feint, etc.), and by +5 for each point of the Defender's corresponding Trait. If this roll succeeds, the attack goes through, the opponent's Parry is wasted, and very importantly, the Attacker's Wits action is not spent, and may be used for something else. If the roll fails, the Attacker's Wits action is spent, and the Parry succeeds. The attacker may only use Parry-Defeating Knacks to assist with a normal attack, not to assist any special attacks such as Disarm, Double-Attack, or Lunge.

Specializaion

Certain Swordsman Schools grant Specialization in a particular Knack. This works just like the Specialty Knack Advantage, except that it is applied to a Swordsman Knack, which the Specialty Knack Advantage can't do.

Banter(W) - This is an improved version of the Charm Knack, which does 2k4 Social Damage, rather than 1k3. Resisted by Willpower.

Beat(W) - This is a Parry-Defeating Knack which uses extra force to knock the opponent's Parry attempt aside. Use as a Parry-Defeating Knack, targeting Brawn.

Bind(F) - This is an attempt to bind an opponent's weapon momentarily. This locks your sword (or panzerhand, or buckler) together with the opponent's weapon, preventing either of you from using the bound weapons while the Bind lasts. The weapon stays bound until the opponent frees it on his next Finesse Action. Freeing the weapon does not take the full Finesse Action, but it does increase the TN of whatever the opponent attempts by +10. Each Raise called to the Bind increases the TN penalty by +5.

Corps-a-corps(F) - This is a full-body blow against your opponent, in an attempt to knock him down. Roll Corps-a-corps against the target's PD. If successful, you inflict a 0k2 barehanded attack, and the opponent is knocked prone.

Cutting Remark(W) - This is an improved version of the Intimidate Knack, doing 2k4 Social Damage instead of 1k3. Resisted by Courage.

Disarm(F) - This is an attempt to knock your opponent's weapon out of his hands. Roll Disarm against your opponent's PD. A successful Disarm sends the weapon flying to the ground nearby. You may make 2 additional Raises to be left holding the weapon instead.

Double-Attack(F) - This is an attempt to make two attacks in rapid succession. Both Attacks use the Double-Attack Knack, and have +10 added to their TN. For game balance reasons, a successful Active Defense against the first attack also automatically blocks the second attack. This is unintuitive, but without this rule, an attacker with Double-Attack could very quickly suck away a parrying target's Wits Actions at a 2-for-1 rate.

Double-Parry(W) - This is a parry attempt which uses both weapons of a two-weapon style. This Knack may not be used if both weapons are not freely available. Defeating a Double-Parry is more difficult than defeating a normal parry. Attempts to use Parry-Defeating Knacks against a Double-Parry have their TN increased by +10. Free Raises to Parry with a particular weapon may also be used when using Double-Parry with that weapon.

Feint(W) - This is a Parry-Defeating Knack which tricks the opponent to expect the attack in the wrong place. Use as a Parry-Defeating Knack, targeting Wits.

Flourish(W) - This is a Parry-Defeating Knack which dazzles the opponent with elaborate swordplay. Use as a Parry-Defeating Knack, targeting Panache.

Lunge(F) - This is an aggressive attack which leaves you vulnerable for a moment. Roll Lunge to attack, and if successful, you roll an additional 2 Unkept Dice on the damage roll. However, your PD drops to 5 until the end of this Phase, and you may not use Active Defenses for the rest of the Phase.

Mount Attack(F) - This is the skill with which you direct your mount to attack. A normal horse's kick has a Range of 1, and will do 1k3 Base Damage. Normal horses have a Brawn of 4, making the kick damage 5k3.

Pin(F) - This is an attempt to used an arrow or thrown weapon to pin your opponent's sleeve to a handy nearby surface. Roll Pin against your target's PD. If successful, he takes no damage, but his hand is pinned until his next Finesse Action. Freeing his sleeve does not take his full Action, but it does increase the TN of the next Action by +10. Each Raise called to the Pin will increase the TN penalty by +5. You may also make 2 Raises to your attack for the specific effect of causing your opponent to drop his weapon in addition to the Pin, forcing him to either retrieve his weapon or draw another, in addition to having to free his sleeve.

Pommel Strike(F) - This is when you smash the pommel of your weapon into your opponent's face. Roll Pommel Strike as a normal attack, and if successful you inflict a 1k3 attack, and your opponent's PD is reduced to 5 until the end of the next Phase. Also, unlike other Fencing Weapon attacks, a Pommel Strike may be used when Grappled with only a +5 penalty to the TN, rather than the normal +15 to Fencing Attacks when Grappled.

Quip(W) - This is an improved version of the Taunt Knack, which does 2k4 Social Damage rather than 1k3. Resisted with Self-Control.

Reprise(W) - This is a Parry-Defeating Knack, which launches a second attack immediately after the Parry, before the opponent has a chance to react. Use as a Parry-Defeating Knack, targeting Finesse.

Stop-Thrust(W) - This is a risky counterattack which makes no attempt at defense. When an opponent attacks you, you may attempt a Stop-Thrust instead of a normal Parry. Roll Stop-Thrust against your opponent's PD as if it were a normal attack, but with +5 to your TN for every Raise that your opponent called for damage on his attack roll. If you succeed, you inflict a 1k3 Attack on your opponent. Raises called on the Stop-Thrust (beyond the TN necessary for the Stop-Thrust to succeed) increase the damage roll as if it were a normal attack. If this damage causes a Dramatic Wound, your opponent's attack is cancelled without effect. If the Stop-Thrust misses, or fails to inflict a Dramatic Wound, you still take damage from the opponent's attack as normal. Parry-Defeating Knacks may not be used to foil a Stop-Thrust.

Tagging(F) - This is a bit of flashy swordplay, intended to impress your audience. This is a Finesse Action which inflicts Social Damage. Depending on your intended effect, this may be treated as a Charm, Intimidate, or Taunt attack. The target can attempt to parry as if it were a normal attack. If the Tagging attempt succeeds, you do (Panache+1)k3 Social Damage to your target, +1k0 for each Raise.

Trick Shot(-) - This represents your ability to make difficult shots with your chosen missile weapon. Each Rank of Trick Shot allows you to cancel 5 points of TN penalties associated with range, cover, Called Shots, et cetera. This may only cancel penalties, not lower the base TN.

Wall of Silence(-) This is a defensive Knack, which improves your Social Defense by 2 per Rank, until you make your first social attack in the round. Afterwards, your Social Defense is increased by 1 per Rank.

Wall of Steel(-) This is a defensive Knack, which improves your PD by 2 per Rank, until you make your first physical attack in the round. Afterwards, your PD is increased by 1 per Rank.

Whirl(-) Whirl is a spinning attack designed to take out multiple unskilled enemies. Add 2 to your Attack Roll for each Rank in this Knack, when attacking Brutes.

School Descriptions

Refer to the legitimate 7th Sea sourcebooks for the flavor text of the various Swordsman Schools. I'm too lazy to type them, and I don't want to intrude on AEG's copyright.

Stealing the phrase from the Swordsman's Guild book, I am using the term NOHP for the common "No Off-Hand Penalty" ability of Swordsman Schools.

Avalon Schools

Andrews

Donovan

Finnegan

Goodfellow

MacDonald

Robertson

Castillian Schools

Aldana

Gallegos

Gustavo

Soldano

Torres

Zepeda

Eisen Schools

Drexel

Durchsetzungberg

Eisenfaust

Gelingen

Hopken

Posen

Montaigne Schools

Boucher

Gaulle

Rois et Reines

Tout Pres

Valroux

Ussuran Schools

Bogatyr

Buslayevich

Dobrynya

Vendel Schools

Larsen

Kjemper

Leegstra

Rasmussen

Snedig

Swanson

Urostifter

Vodacce Schools

Ambrogia

Bernoulli

Cappuntina

Lucani

Villanova

Specialist Schools

Bonita

Bonita is available only to members of the Invisible College.

Desaix

Desaix is available only to members of the Knights of the Rose and Cross.

El Punal Occulto

El Punal Occulto is available only to members of Los Vagos.

Monastic Order of Avalon

Monastic Order of Avalon is available only to Ordained characters with the Monk Skill.

Schiuma

Schiuma is a small Vodacce School which concentrates on the use of surprise and hidden weapons. The school was founded 10 years ago by Vito Schiuma, a minor nobleman, who was Lord's Hand to Marco Vestini's father, but retired from his active duties to the Vestini family to teach full-time. He still maintains a good relationship with the Vestini family, but Marco's morals prevent him from making frequent use of Vito's services. Vito selects about half of his students personally, the rest generally being applicants who actively seek out tutoring in his style for their own (usually nefarious) reasons.

Swords of Solomon

Swords of Solomon is available only to members of the Vaticine Church Guard.

Von Blaustein

The Von Blaustein school is a brand-new school, currently studied only by its creator, Sir Gunther Hans von Blaustein of the Rose and Cross, and his apprentice, Maximilian Kopfraum. Von Blaustein is a modification of the Desaix School, which tempers the aggressive Desaix style with more defensive Eisen techniques, including the use of a panzerhand instead of a knife in the left hand.