Weapon Master (FiD)

Starfox's Blades in the Dark fan page

As a weapon master you focus on a single weapon, turning its use into an art form.

Touchstones The hero who develops the use of a single weapon to heroic proportions. A recurring trope in Japan, it can represent the later renaissance sword masters of Europe that focused on the use of one weapon. Also known as a kensai or sword saint.

Kill Bill Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 (2003-2004), Zatoichi (2003), Highlander (1986).

Special Abilities

1. Blademaster: You may expend your Special Armor to resist harm or to push yourself when striking with your Focus Weapon.
2. Dauntless: When you push Skirmish, choose one: perform a near-superhuman feat; engage a larger force ignoring scale (p.211); or deliver one flawless strike, treating a partial success in an opposed roll as a full success for that single blow.
3. Focused: Gain +1d when resisting a consequence when wielding your Focus Weapon in combat.
4. Mystic Touch: Your unarmed attacks are potent. Improve position against Power effects and supernatural enemies. If you have the Blademaster, Focused, or Tenacious special abilities, you can benefit from them even when fighting without your Focus Weapon.
5. Reflexes: When there's a question about who acts first, the answer is you (two characters with Reflexes act simultaneously).
6. Sixth Sense: You automatically notice when someone is about to attack you or your companions, and can make an immediate Survey roll to locate the attacker. You can use Survey to gather information about people just by looking at them.
7. Tenacious: While wielding your Focus Weapon, ignore the penalties from the first instance of level 1 or level 2 harm you suffer in a conflict. If you take additional harm of those levels, their penalties apply as normal.
8. Untouchable: Reduce harm from attacks that lack potency by one level. You cannot use regular armor, but you may still use Special Armor.

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. Using it in situations where tying, securing, or climbing would help grants +1d to the relevant action.
• Focus Weapon ☐ or ☐☐: Your signature, masterwork weapon. It grants improved effect for you and is potent against supernatural threats, but is only a fine weapon for anyone else. Typically a sword, it can be a one-load hand weapon (☐) or a two-load great weapon (☐☐). Once chosen, your Focus Weapon remains the same. 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. If you have the heraldry break when making a resistance roll, this negates the stress cost of resisting. 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