Difference between revisions of "Weapon Master (FiD)"

Latest revision as of 15:30, 25 November 2025

As a weapon master you focus on a single weapon, turning its use into an art form. Full mastery of a weapon is both a physical and a spiritual journey. You hone your mind and body, in the end finding unity with your weapon and becoming a weapon in yourself.

Also known as a kensai or sword saint. The Mystic Touch ability can turn this into an unarmed fighter.

Touchstones: Kyūzō (Seven Samurai 1954), Connor MacLeod (Highlander 1986), Jen Yu (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2000), Zatoichi (Zatoichi 2003).

Special Abilities

Bulwark (Serene Swirl)

When using your Focus Weapon, reduce your Effect. If you achieve at least Limited Effect, you control an Area defined by your tier (p. 211). Human-sized foes you can see directly in this Area cannot move away from you, but may still move up to you or those in between.

Dauntless (Centered Will)

Push Skirmish using your Focus Weapon and add one of these to a successful roll: strike a hidden or pinpoint-precise target — fight a gang at scale (p 211) without penalty — deliver a single decisive strike, treating partial success as full success.

Flowing Step (Rushing Current)

When you Push Skirmish, you may move unhindered as part of the action. You may reappear at any point within your Area (p. 211) that you could reach along the ground, ignoring intervening obstacles but not solid floors, walls, or vertical surfaces.

Focused (Courageous Arc)

Gain +1d when resisting a consequence when wielding your Focus Weapon in combat.

Mystic Touch (Echoing Strike)

Gain improved Position against Powers and supernatural foes when using your Focus Weapon or your unarmed attacks. Your unarmed attacks become potent hand weapons and can benefit from Bulwark, Dauntless, Focused, and Reflexes.

Reflexes (Flash of Clarity)

When there's a question about who acts first while you are using your Focus Weapon, the answer is you. (Two characters with Reflexes act simultaneously.)

Sixth Sense (Wind’s Whisper)

You automatically notice when someone is hostile to you or your companions, and can immediate roll Survey roll to locate them. You can use Survey to gather information about people just by looking at them.

Untouchable (Immovable Stream)

Reduce Harm from any source that lacks Potency by one level as long as you don’t wear armor. Ignore penalties from the first instance of Harm for one minute; this can even keep you active with a mortal wound.

Additional Playbook

Select another playbook. You gain immediate access to its Inventory and XP conditions. From now on, you can choose its Special Abilities. You can take this special ability multiple times, each time selecting a new playbook. Prerequisite: To select a playbook, you need an action rating of one in each of its starting actions.

Encounters on the Path

˄ ˅ Ashen, a weaponsmith.

˄ ˅ Caldrin, a fabulist.

˄ ˅ Fenric, a sage.

˄ ˅ Rynar, an informer.

˄ ˅ Sorin, a teacher.

Inventory

☑ Binding Cloth.

☐ or ☐☐ Focus Weapon.

☑ Heraldry.

☐ Light Camping Gear.

☑ Touchstone.

☐ Whetstone.

Binding Cloth ☑: A sturdy length of cloth (about 5 meters) that can serve as a rope or be worn as a belt.
Focus Weapon ☐ or ☐☐: Your signature, masterwork weapon. It is Potent grants improved effect for you, but is only a Fine weapon for anyone else. Typically a sword, it can be a hand weapon (☐) or a great weapon (☐☐). Once chosen, your Focus Weapon remains the same, but can be upgraded. Playbook.
Heraldry ☑: A recognizable symbol of your identity — a painted banner, an embroidered sash. You are displaying your heraldry until it breaks, which is represented by using it. Breaking the heraldry allows you to make a resistance roll with no stress cost. Consumable, Playbook
Light Camping Gear ☐: Bedroll, cooking pot, tarpaulin, fishing line, snares, all personalized and chosen to be lightweight. Roughing it out with this gear allows a single downtime action to remove stress. Lacking this does not allow any effective rest.
Touchstone ☑: A small personal item reminding you of your goals and motivation. With a minute of meditation this reduces stress by one once per score. Playbook.
Whetstone ☐: A fine-grit sharpening stone. Used to maintain your Focus Weapon. Can also be used as a makeshift tool for scraping or starting fires. Before a score you can work over blade weapon carried by your crew, rendering it temporarily fine. Playbook.

XP

Every time you roll a desperate action, mark xp in that action's attribute.

At the end of each session, for each item below, mark 1 xp (in your playbook or an attribute) or 2 xp if that item occurred multiple times.

You addressed a challenge using violence or observation.
You expressed your beliefs, drives, heritage, or background.
You struggled with issues from your vice or traumas during the session.

Starting Actions

Skirmish 2

Survey 1

4 points by choice, no higher than 2 in any one

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-{{wip}}{{FiD}}
+{{FiD}}{{tocright}}
-The Weapon master is the embodiment of physical prowess, martial skill, and sheer force of will. Whether honed on the battlefield, in gladiatorial arenas, or through a life of rigorous training, the Weapon master stands at the forefront of conflict. The ultimate master of weapons, the weapon master can use a wide variety of weapons to fit different combat roles.
+As a weapon master you focus on a single weapon, turning its use into an art form.
+Full mastery of a weapon is both a physical and a spiritual journey. You hone your mind and body, in the end finding unity with your weapon and becoming a weapon in yourself.
-'''Touchstones
+Also known as a kensai or sword saint. The Mystic Touch ability can turn this into an unarmed fighter.
-A soldier, legionnaire, ex slave soldier, or gladiator.
-An adaptation of the Cutter and D&D Weapon master.
+'''Touchstones:'''
-Unlike a Weapon master, this version is not automatically versed in ranged combat, see Ranger and Soldier for that.
+Kyūzō (''Seven Samurai'' 1954),
+Connor MacLeod (''Highlander'' 1986),
+Jen Yu (''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'' 2000),
+Zatoichi (''Zatoichi'' 2003).
 === Special Abilities ===
-# '''Battleborn:''' You may expend your '''special armor'''to resist harm or to push yourself using your Focus Weapon.
-# '''Brave:''' When you push Skirmish you can do one of the following: ''perform a physical feat that verges on the superhuman—engage a gang at your scale (p 211) on equal footing—engage a specific opponent.''
-# '''Focused:''' Gain +1d when resisting a consequence when holding your Focus Weapon.
-# '''Vigorous:''' Ignore the penalties from level 1 harm. Permanently fill in one of your healing clock segments. Take +1d to healing treatment rolls and rolls to resist Prowess harm.
-# '''Berserker:''' Reduce all harm from physical attacks that lack potency by one level. You cannot use regular armor but you can still use special armor.
-# '''Rush:''' You can push Wreck to do one of the following: ''perform a physical feat that verges on the superhuman—push through the ranks of the enemy—frighten onlookers with your ferocity.''
-# '''Spirit Warrior:''' Improve position against Power effects and supernatural enemies.
-# '''Daredevil:''' When you roll a desperate action, you get +1d to your roll.
-# '''Flamboyance:''' When you push yourself on a daring feat you can do one of the following: ''avoid anything in your way—attract the attention of all—have a moment alone with someone—mysteriously disappear afterwards.''
-# '''Idol:''' When you push a Consort roll you soon find someone willing to act as a temporary contact.
-# '''Reflexes:''' When there's a question about who acts first, the answer is you (two characters with Reflexes act simultaneously).
-=== Dangerous Friends ===
+==== Bulwark (Serene Swirl) ====
-: ˄ ˅ Cade, a teacher.
+When using your Focus Weapon, reduce your Effect.
-: ˄ ˅ Gray, an armorer.
+If you achieve at least Limited Effect, you control an Area defined by your tier (p. 211).
-: ˄ ˅ Marlen, a bard.
+Human-sized foes you can see directly in this Area cannot move away from you, but may still move up to you or those in between.
-: ˄ ˅ Rune, a mountebank.
-: ˄ ˅ Voss, a sage.
+==== Dauntless (Centered Will) ====
+Push Skirmish using your Focus Weapon and add one of these to a successful roll: ''strike a hidden or pinpoint-precise target — fight a gang at scale (p 211) without penalty — deliver a single decisive strike, treating partial success as full success.''
+==== Flowing Step (Rushing Current) ====
+When you Push Skirmish, you may move unhindered as part of the action.
+You may reappear at any point within your Area (p. 211) that you could reach along the ground, ignoring intervening obstacles but not solid floors, walls, or vertical surfaces.
+==== Focused (Courageous Arc) ====
+Gain +1d when resisting a consequence when wielding your Focus Weapon in combat.
+==== Mystic Touch (Echoing Strike) ====
+Gain improved Position against Powers and supernatural foes when using your Focus Weapon or your unarmed attacks.
+Your unarmed attacks become potent hand weapons and can benefit from Bulwark, Dauntless, Focused, and Reflexes.
+==== Reflexes (Flash of Clarity) ====
+When there's a question about who acts first while you are using your Focus Weapon, the answer is you.
+(Two characters with Reflexes act simultaneously.)
+==== Sixth Sense (Wind’s Whisper) ====
+You automatically notice when someone is hostile to you or your companions, and can immediate roll Survey roll to locate them. You can use Survey to gather information about people just by looking at them.
+==== Untouchable (Immovable Stream) ====
+Reduce Harm from any source that lacks Potency by one level as long as you don’t wear armor.
+Ignore penalties from the first instance of Harm for one minute; this can even keep you active with a mortal wound.
+==== Additional Playbook ====
+Select another playbook. You gain immediate access to its Inventory and XP conditions.
+From now on, you can choose its Special Abilities.
+You can take this special ability multiple times, each time selecting a new playbook.
+''Prerequisite'': To select a playbook, you need an action rating of one in each of its starting actions.''
+=== Encounters on the Path ===
+: ˄ ˅ Ashen, a weaponsmith.
+: ˄ ˅ Caldrin, a fabulist.
+: ˄ ˅ Fenric, a sage.
+: ˄ ˅ Rynar, an informer.
+: ˄ ˅ Sorin, a teacher.
 === Inventory ===
-: ☐ or ☐☐ Fine and Potent Weapon.
+: ☑ Binding Cloth.
+: ☐ or ☐☐ Focus Weapon.
+: ☑ Heraldry.
+: ☐ Light Camping Gear.
+: ☑ Touchstone.
+: ☐ Whetstone.
-* '''Focus Weapon''' ☐ or ☐☐: This is the weapon you are focusing your training on. It is a masterwork weapon you have adjusted to, improving its effect. Your spiritual focus also makes it potent against supernatural threats. To others it is a fine weapon. This can be a hand weapon or great weapon, usually a sword. '''Playbook.'''
+* '''Binding Cloth''' ☑: A sturdy length of cloth (about 5 meters) that can serve as a rope or be worn as a belt.
+* '''Focus Weapon''' ☐ or ☐☐: Your signature, masterwork weapon. It is Potent grants improved effect for you, but is only a Fine weapon for anyone else. Typically a sword, it can be a hand weapon (☐) or a great weapon (☐☐). Once chosen, your Focus Weapon remains the same, but can be upgraded. '''Playbook.'''
+* '''Heraldry''' ☑: A recognizable symbol of your identity — ''a painted banner, an embroidered sash''. You are displaying your heraldry until it breaks, which is represented by using it. Breaking the heraldry allows you to make a resistance roll with no stress cost. '''Consumable, Playbook'''
 * '''Light Camping Gear''' ☐: Bedroll, cooking pot, tarpaulin, fishing line, snares, all personalized and chosen to be lightweight. Roughing it out with this gear allows a single downtime action to remove stress. Lacking this does not allow any effective rest.
+* '''Touchstone''' ☑: A small personal item reminding you of your goals and motivation. With a minute of meditation this reduces stress by one once per score. '''Playbook'''.
+* '''Whetstone''' ☐: A fine-grit sharpening stone. Used to maintain your Focus Weapon. Can also be used as a makeshift tool for scraping or starting fires. Before a score you can work over blade weapon carried by your crew, rendering it temporarily fine. '''Playbook'''.
 === XP ===