Combat styles possess another function beyond simply learning a group of weapon skills. Since each style is taught by a particular culture or career, they are inherently optimized for the environment or military tactics that group normally fights with; for instance a somi nomad learns to fight from the saddle, or an infantryman trains to fight in close order formation. Therefore, as an additional bonus, every Combat Style may gain one or more traits which grant it an advantage under certain circumstances. This can be thought of as an inbuilt technical advantage the style offers for those particular situations. However, a trait is only intended to be used with the weapons and situations of that particular style.
Style | Description |
|---|---|
Assassination | Allows the user access to normally restricted 'Kill Silently' special effect. |
Batter Aside | If the fighter’s Damage Modifier is two or more steps greater than his opponent’s, his weapon is considered one size larger for the purposes of bypassing parries. |
Beast-backed Lancer | Performing a mounted charge with this combat style does not incur the one step difficulty penalty to hit. |
Blind Fighting | Allows user to ignore any penalties imposed due to poor lighting or temporary blinding. |
Cautious Fighter | Can use the Change Range action to automatically withdraw from engagement with no need to roll |
Chariot Fighting | Style allows those riding in a chariot to ignore the skill cap placed upon their combat rolls by the driver’s Drive skill. |
Daredevil | May use Evade to dodge blows in hand to hand combat without ending up prone. |
Defensive Minded | Increases the Size of your weapon when parrying by one step, provided no offensive action is taken that round. |
Do or Die | Allows dual weapon combinations to use the Flurry special effect, provided that each subsequent attack utilizes the alternating weapon. |
Excellent Footwork | When fighting on slippery, wobbling surfaces the user can ignore the skill cap placed on combat rolls by the Acrobatics skill. |
Formation Fighting* | Permits a group of three or more warriors to draw into close formation, placing more open or disordered opponents at a disadvantage (provided the ‘unit’ cannot be outflanked), and thus reducing each foe’s Action Points by one if they engage. |
Hidden Weapons | Allows the user to utilize seemingly innocuous objects noted as part of the style as deadly weapons, with no chance of accidental breakage despite apparent delicacy (fans or musical instruments for example). |
Intimidating Scream | Style encourages frequent yells and bellows in combat to intimidate foes, making any psychological resistance rolls inflicted on an opponent one grade harder. |
Knockout Blow | When attacking with surprise treat any Stun Location as lasting minutes instead of turns. |
Mancatcher | The style grants its user an advantage when entangling or immobilizing opponents, making a foe’s opposed rolls to evade or break free one difficulty grade harder. |
Mounted Combat | Style allows rider to ignore the skill cap placed upon combat rolls by the Ride skill. |
Ranged Marksman | When using a ranged weapon, shift a random Hit Location roll to an adjoining body location. |
Shield Splitter | Permits clubs and axes to roll the weapon’s damage twice and pick the best result, but only when using the Damage Weapon special effect against shields. |
Shield Wall* | Allows a group of three or more shield users to overlap their protection, adding one to the number of locations which can be protected with passive blocking and resisting Knockback, Leaping attacks, and Bash as if using the Brace action. |
Siege Warfare | The style permits its user to ignore the skill cap placed upon combat rolls by the Athletics skill when making assaults whilst scaling walls or crawling through tunnels. |
Skirmishing | The style permits launching ranged attacks whilst at a run (but not whilst sprinting). |
Swashbuckling | Style allows the user to engage in attacks and evades made whilst jumping or swinging into (or disengaging from) combat, ignoring any skill cap placed on it by the Athletics skill. |
Throw Weapons | Any nominal melee weapon in the style can also be thrown at no penalty to skill, but when used in this way a weapon’s damage roll is halved. |
Trained Beast | Intended for styles which emphasize fighting in close coordination with an animal companion, the user may utilize any of his Action Points to defend against attacks launched at his beast. |
Unarmed Prowess | Permits the user to treat his Unarmed blocks and parries as ‘Medium’ sized, enabling him to better defend himself from armed opponents. |
Water Combat | The style allows its user to ignore the skill cap placed on combat rolls by the Swim skill. |
Requires everyone else in the group to also have this benefit, otherwise the coordinated effort fails to lack of one or more participants being trained in the correct technique.
Occasionally characters may be forced to pick up an unfamiliar weapon, using it either independently or in conjunction with a trained weapon. A character with a Sword and Shield style might, for example, be forced to use a mace, or mace and shield together.
By rights, using an untrained weapon forces the user to fight at his base Combat Style percentage. However, much depends on the weapon and how similar it is to something the user is experienced with. Some guidelines on using unfamiliar weapons are as follows:
If a weapon is substantially different from a trained weapon – in weight, size, length and method of use – then offensive and defensive actions are made at the base Combat Style skill (ie, STR+DEX).
If a weapon is reasonably different from a trained weapon – say a greatsword when the combatant is trained with a broad sword – then offensive and defensive actions are based on the existing Combat Style but are two grades more difficult.
If a weapon is broadly similar to a trained weapon – say a shortsword when the combatant is trained with a broadsword – then offensive and defensive actions are one grade more difficult.
If a weapon is similar to a trained weapon – a scimitar say, as opposed to a broadsword – then the character uses his existing Combat Style with no penalty.
If a combatant is using an unfamiliar weapon in conjunction with a trained weapon, such as a shield, then the trained Combat Style is used, but is one grade harder. This simulates the compensation in the overall style the combatant must make (adjusting balance, accounting for heft, and so on) necessary to use a combination of trained and untrained weapons.
The penalty imposed by use of an unfamiliar weapon cannot reduce the user’s skill below the default level of STR+DEX.