Emirikol the city and Fencing Styles

[subplotkudzu]

I would have been better served not naming the damn city something that uses a key that sticks on my keyboard. 20 seconds to type one E....



Anyway, spent some time yesterday going through all my old Dungeon Adventures modules to find things I always wanted to use but haven't yet. This netted a nice array of intrigue/mystery based city adventures, a few water based ones for the port and a real dearth of dungeons, because 2E was all about getting out of the dungeon. Looks like I'm building the tombs myself. I a fit of high octane lazy, I decided that Emirikol the city is called 'The Chaotic' because it's actually 5 or 6 smaller nobleman's townships that all grew together to take advantage of the port. This means 5 or 6 different architectural styles encased in 5 or 6 different walled areas, with one big wall around the outside.

Why is this decision lazy? So I don't have to go in and change the names of the non-generic towns in the adventure notes - all of these 'cities' are just parts of the big, main city. How sloth leads to creativity!

To keep from having to do too much development of areas in the empire outside of Emirikol, I'll probably name the fencing styles after each of these sections, to further emphasize their distinct feel. ladegard has offered to help with the fencing styles, but just looking at the PHB I know there are some obvious ones.

A STR based style built off of Power Attack and Sunder, where practitioners use longswords or gt exotic weapon proficiency with bastard sword to switch between one and two handed strikes.

An INT based style built off of Expertise, all about avoiding being hit as you disarm and trip your opponent.

A CON based style for wizards and sorcerers built around the Concentration skill, Combat Casting and Still Spell (no somatic component means no chance of spell failure in armor...).

A DEX based style built off of Dodge, Improved Initiative and the Tumbling skill, all about moving in and out of range to attack.

A CHA based style built around the new Improved Feint feat, with a high Bluff score. This one needs more options added to it.

While it would be spiffy to add a WIS based style, nothing comes to mind, and I don't want to force anything to make the world model game mechanics.

Plus, there are the obvious Two Weapon and Weapon and Shield styles (especially with some new Shield feats cribbed from various sources). I'd like to give a few more skills combat effects, only accessible with 5+ ranks and maybe formal training, just to broaden out the options and flavor some. This is the sort of thing I'll need Ladegard's help on, because I don't know real fencing for diddly.

Comments

[brianrogers.livejournal.com]

I had already started working in that direction, but a little more culture based rather than stat based. In part of my general desire to not have to buy anything other than the 3 core 3E books I won't be taking any more prestige classes or non-standard classes.

The current layout for one of these is as follows:
ferrantino style
This is the style taught by the first weapons master of the Ferrantino magical college, and his manual is now the basis for most of the styles taught in that quarter. The style is designed to emphasize concentration and defense, with the weapon being used primarily to parry while the caster engages in magic or take open stabbing attacks on the opponent's weapon arm. Counterspelling is also stressed.

The original manual derides the use of feinting in combat, seeing it as a desperation tactic or a distraction of the fighter's concentration. It does, however, stress the need for bare-handed combat skill to alternate between touch based attacks and actual unarmed strikes. The fighter's stance is primarily sideways with the weapon hand facing the target, but with rapid forward steps to make touch or strike attacks with the empty hand.

Feats The most common feats of the style are Combat Casting, Still Spell and ultimately Quicken Spell. Dodge and Expertise are present for the defensive capability, and Improved Disarm for stabs at an attacker's weapon hand. Improved Unarmed Strike and Stunning Attack are covered by masters, as Ferrantino fencers will shift between touch based spells and finger strikes to the target's throat or solar plexus. Finally, there are instructors who teach Light Armor and Shield use, as well as Martial Weapons.

Skills The key skills are obviously Concentration and Spellcraft, but secondary skills are Tumble, Balance and Jump.

Spells The masters manual includes spells for Mage Armor, many touch based spells and any spells that don't require a somatic component, i

Ferrantino Canal Style
This is a style based on the official collegiate style, developed my masters from the canal states who lacked the original master's derision of feinting attacks. Building on the original style it has several feints and makes use of intimidation to either get openings or end engagements. While it shares the Ferrantino's preference for piercing attacks, it does include instruction on one handed use of Half-Spears as a weapon. Not surprisingly this is the preferred style of the highly trained and charismatic Sorcerers.

Feats As above, but add Improved Feint and (whatever intimidation based combat feat I develop)

Skills As above, but add Bluff and Intimidate.

Spells Canal style masters will make use of Light or Dancing Lights to make it appear that his off hand is carrying a live touch based spell (Bluff check DC based on opponent's level, savvy and how obviously the PC is a spellcaster), which can buy them a free round or two of mimicking improved Unarmed Attack without actually needing the feat.

In any event, I want the style to have some history behind them to explain their logic and illogic, as well as an array of mechanical crunch.

[mneme]

I do think the game could benefit by including -specific- swashbuckly classes from the suplement (even just reconstructing a progression from the info available online) -- the swashbuckler (unarmored fighter, adds intelligence bonus to AC) and the daggerspell mage (mage wielding double-daggers, uses daggers for phys/mag defense and delivers touch spells with the daggers) came to mind immediately (along with the elvish fighter-mage, the bladesinger, who delivers touch spells with her rapier, longsword, or elvish thinblade), and the Invisible Blade, a fighter/rogue who fights with daggers. I think prestige classes were originally intended to be campaign-world specific -- and this campaign world just cries out for them. Oh, also the duskblade from PHII -- a full-progression fighter who gets arcane buffing and touch attack spells.

Re lack of undead: No undead pirates? I agree that the usual squad of of undead scum aren't amazingly appropriate, but there certainly are types that are.

I don't really understand canal style -- there's so little point at faking an unarmed touch attack, given how little damage it does, that the only reason I can see to even try it is to try to fake people into not drawing a touch attack of opportunity. It's not a horrible progression if people never discovered touch attacks with weapons -- but really, if wizards and sorcerorers are going to engage in swashbuckoing rather than their usual "keep foes as far away as possible" approach, one expects they're getting something out of it -- either an honor thing or better effectiveness (or both). Obviously, making it easier to subclass into monk would help if one actively wants unarmed touch attacks (rather than armed ones -- actually, allowing all characters to deliver touch spells through a weapon as a house rule would help a lot, letting people choose between easy delivery and trying to get the weapon damage as well); for that matter, the wizard melee touch spells are actually pretty lacking, especially if you leave out PHII -- just shocking grasp at first level (a great spell, I admit), plus a few very high level spells. Adding a progression and elemental variation in melee touch spells from first through fifth level spells would make this a much more viable strategy.

Re clerics: negative energy clerics do have a good touch attack available, and don't have the horrible progression of wizards. Plus, well, domain effects.

Also, what are you trying to do re ranged attacks? Naturally, there's a longstanding tradition of ranged attacks in swashbuckling -- the musketeers are, of course, musketeers, and tazendra uses a pair of flashstones befoe she tries melee combat nearly every time (in The Phoenix Guards and 500 Years After, at least). And nautical movies have canons and pistols as well as swords (zorro, at least, doesn't use a gun, though). In the end, what seems to define the swashbuckling style is repartee -- which means not fireballing your named foes from 400 paces. But it seems like some short range effects are workable while retaining flavor.

[brianrogers.livejournal.com]

I think prestige classes were originally intended to be campaign-world specific -- and this campaign world just cries out for them.

Well, they were also intended to only be accessible to PCs of 5th level and up. Since the campaign is only running to 6th level I could include a pile of them and still not have any appear. Besides, I like the standard classes - they balance well, they're iconic and they're well tested. I'm not much for prestige classes that can be duplicated by a simple multi-classing (such as a Fighter/Sorcerer who gets access to buffing and touch attack spells).

Remember also that this is a 3.0, not 3.5 game (why? all the players own 3.0, ad I don't own 3.5). The more I mine from more contemporary sources the greater the chance I have to stumble some unexpected problem. Paladin, Assassin and Shadowdancer all make good target prestige classes for PCs to aim for (though Assassin is less than ideal, as it duplicated by taking Knowledge - Poisons and a level in Wizard every once in a while).

Re lack of undead: No undead pirates? I agree that the usual squad of of undead scum aren't amazingly appropriate, but there certainly are types that are.

Not this time around - I've done that before. I'm planning to have the chaos monsters be human/animal crossbreeds, so I can have sahaugin pirates if I need pirates more monstrous than human.

I don't really understand canal style

The main point is to illustrate the philosophical differences between styles, and how they evolve over time. The Ferratino master didn't believe in feinting, but some people who built on him did, and they teach Improved Feint and expect their students to learn some Bluff to back it up - there needed to be some way to get Sorcerers access to feats and tactics that supported their high Charisma scores while giving a in-game rationale. Now there's a reason for style-sneering between wizard and sorcerer fencers.

The fake touch attack is included just as a bit of color - it is less than ideal, but it does have some potential. Also, at low level vs. low level opponents with legal reasons to not kill, making a surprise punch could well end the fight. But yes, the whole point is to get in a sucker punch without drawing a attack of opportunity.

As for there not being a lot of touch attacks: Shocking Grasp, Ghoul Touch, Vampiric Touch. That's one a level up to 3rd, which is as high as the game will see. Not tons, but more than 'Ray' has in 3E. And any cleric can cast Cause Wounds - they just have to pray for it rather than default to it.

Also, what are you trying to do re ranged attacks?
There are firearms, but they're expensive and controlled by the military, so I won't have to worry about them right away. Plus, the standard D&D Crossbows, which have a low enough reload time to be acceptable. By ending the game at 6th I don't have to worry too much about the big boom ranged spells, so my main concern is actually Sleep. That's no way for a Swashbuckler to win a fight.

From what Bec told me her sorcerer is going to start with Mage Armor, Magic Missile and Ray of Frost, so she will clearly have some ranged capability. Hr having a decent magical AC backed by a good weapon, tactical savvy and a heroic attitude will keep her in play longer.