Combat

Martial Arts

Martial Artist

(Novice, AG:d6)

You have committed yourself to a full understanding of the martial arts and have trained yourself extensively. You ignore 2 pts of gangup bonus and count as armed at all times.

Advanced Martial Artist

(Veteran, AG:d8, Martial Artist)

You ignore all gangup bonus’s.

Fist of Iron

(Seasoned, ST:d6)

Your hero's unarmed attacks gain AP1 and +1 damage.

Improved Fists of Iron

(Veteran, ST:d8, Fists of Iron)

Your hero's unarmed attacks gain AP2 and +2 damage.

Fist of Legend

(Legendary, ST:d10, Imp Fists of Iron)

Your hero's unarmed attacks gain AP+3 and +3 damage.

Mobility

(Martial Artist)

add +2 to Parry when retreating from melee.

Mobility Improved

(Seasoned, Mobility)

add +4 to Parry while retreating from melee

Stunning Fist

(Martial Artist, Fighting d8)

adds +2 to non‐lethal damage, doesn’t work if criticals don’t work, AP cannot be used with this type of attack.

Stunning Fist Improved

(Req: Stunning Fist)

adds +4 to non‐lethal damage, doesn’t work if criticals don’t work, AP cannot be used with this type of attack.

Unarmed Strike

(Martial Artist)

Power to strike with hands and feet, unarmed strikes gain STR+1d4 damage.

Improved Unarmed Strike

(Seasoned, Unarmed Strike)

Power to strike with hands and feet, unarmed strikes gain STR+1d6 damage.

Fencing.

Fencing

Req: Novice, Fighting d6, AG d6

You are trained in the Noble art of fencing. This requires you limit yourself to light weapons (rapiers, epees, dagger etc). You gain +1 Parry while using only such weapons.

Entangle

Requirements: Seasoned, Fighting d8+

An entangle is a mix of a disarm and a grapple that leaves the foe disadvantaged but allows the attacker to continue fighting. The character makes a Disarm attack, but if he succeeds he has entangled his foe’s weapon arm rather than disarming him. He may have wrapped the arm in a cloak, or simply locked his opponent’s elbow against his body using his arm. The foe counts as an Unarmed Defender (unless he has two weapons) and cannot withdraw from combat. The attacking hero may continue to use a one‐handed weapon against his foe.

On his action, the foe may try to escape the entanglement as per breaking a grapple.

Fleche

Requirements: Veteran, Agility d8+, Fighting d8+

From the French for “arrow”, a fleche is a running attack, which begins with a leap, followed by the attack, and ends with the attacker running past his opponent, all in a single movement. If the character moves at least 2” before making an attack against an adjacent foe, he may attack and “withdraw from combat” without his foe, or other adjacent opponents, receiving a free attack.

All movement after the attack must be in the same direction as the movement before the attack (the character must move in a straight line).

Note that the attacker is still subject to First Strike attacks from foes he moves adjacent to.

Wall of Steel

Requirements: Veteran, Florentine, Notice d8+

Sometimes a character finds himself outnumbered in a fight. Fortunately, this hero has the perception and agility to handle multiple foes. Opponents gain no “gang up” bonus against the hero.

Lunge

Requirements: Novice, Fighting d8+

A lunge allows a swordsman to extend the reach of his weapon. The character gains +1 Reach to his weapon. He may not use this Edge with First Strike, Frenzy, or Sweep.

Riposte

Requirements: Seasoned, First Strike, Fighting d8+

A riposte is a combination of a parry followed by a quick attack. Once per round, the character receives a free Fighting attack against one foe within reach of his weapon who failed a Fighting attack against him. This attack is made at –2. A riposte must be a straight attack (so no Disarm, Wild Attack, or other such maneuvers) and may not be combined with Frenzy or Sweep. It may be used with the Defend maneuver (but not Full Defense).

Improved Riposte

Requirements: Veteran, Riposte

As above, except the character may make a free attack with no penalty. All Edge and maneuver restrictions still apply, however.

Spot Weakness

Requirements: Seasoned, Fencing Academy, Smarts d8+, Fighting d8+, Notice d6+

No fencer, whether one taught at the finest European academy or one who developed his art on the mean streets of Tortuga, is flawless. Everyone has a weakness, and this character has the training necessary to spot, and exploit his opponent’s

shortcomings. If an enemy making a Fighting attack against your character rolls a 1 on his Fighting die (regardless of the result of any Wild Die), your hero receives +1 to Fighting rolls against that foe for the rest of the combat. If an opponent rolls a 1 on his Fighting die but hits using his Wild Die, your character still spots the flaw.

You only get the bonus once, no matter how many 1s are rolled.

Professional Edges

Fencing Academy

Requirements: Special

Fencing is not a sport during this era, but a combat art. This character has graduated from one of the numerous fencing schools run by the colonial powers.

See page 107 for details of academies, their requirements and benefits.

Extra note: each of the royal families will have their own style/academy of fencing.