Updated: April 17, 2018
version: 1.1
Authors: Dan Comstock
Approved By: Joseph Valenti
Objective: This playtest supports the Slash Five Playtest’s Math Streamline objective.
Secondary Objective: Add Character Specialization / Options: high cost skills/talents relating to character concept/theme. These should not add significant amounts of power, but make characters shine in certain situations. These should be available to new characters.
Summary: This playtest is to be used in conjunction with the Slash Five playtest. It introduces an alternate system for back attacks and critical attacks. Any number of critical attacks/back attacks may be purchased, and sold back to pay for proficiencies/backstabs. Proficiencies/Backstabs may be used with any weapon. Characters may specialize their combat role by learning Maneuvers, skills which let them spend their critical attacks and back attacks in different ways. After using five critical attacks, back attacks, or maneuvers, a character needs to rest for a few minutes before they can use them again.
This playtest replaces the Slash Five playtest’s notes about weapon proficiencies and backstabs.
Note
Absolutely no magic items may duplicate maneuvers or other abilities in this playtest. (Including Local Chapter Only items)
Page 89, table 6-2
Add the row “Weapon Strike” to the “Weapon Blow” category.
Tagline: “Weapon Strike
Example: “Weapon Strike Weakness”.
Page 89, under the heading “Special Abilities”
“Weapon Strike
Some characters have the ability to deliver a status effect with their weapon. These effects work just like a physical version of a spell, but they are delivered with a weapon strike to a legal target. Like a regular weapon
swing, this effect can be stopped by a Magic Armor, Parry, or blocked like any other weapon swing. All weapon safety rules must be followed. The user must have the in-game skill to wield the weapon in order to use the
Weapon Strike. For example, if the user is under a game effect that prohibits the use of in-game skills, then they cannot use a Weapon Strike. Also, if the Weapon Strike is delivered by a non-ranged weapon, then the attack will not affect creatures under the effects of a Sanctuary, and Desecrate, as appropriate.
All Weapon Strikes are considered “physical” attacks (and can be removed by a Remove Physical Affliction spell) unless another attack type is specified. For example, “Weapon strike poison drain” can be blocked by a poison shield and cured by purify blood. “Weapon strike weakness” can be removed by Remove Weakness or Remove
Physical Affliction.
Archer’s Stance
This maneuver allows the character to spend a Back Attack or a Critical Attack to enter a stance that is good for pinning your targets in place. It requires the use of a bow. To activate the Archer Stance, spend at least three seconds firmly planting one of your feet on the ground.
While in this stance, you may shoot two arrows for “physical pin” and two arrows for “lesser physical pin”.
You may only have one stance active at a time. The stance ends if your foot moves from that spot, the battle ends, or you lose consciousness.
Back Attack
This skill allows the character to do two extra points of damage against any one opponent from behind for the duration of the battle (which is defined as “Line of Sight” as per spells) once per day for each time this skill is taken. This bonus applies to any weapon. You must be behind and able to see the victim’s shoulder blades to do a Back Attack; you cannot reach around from the front or from the side.
Some skills, called maneuvers, allow you to spend back attacks in different ways. Multiple abilities may not be stacked on one weapon swing.
After you have used any combination of five back
attacks, critical attacks or maneuvers, you are
fatigued. You cannot use back attacks or maneuvers
again until you have rested for five minutes. The
rest is interrupted if you run, use game skills, or
take body damage.
Backstab
[Replace second paragraph and example with the
following]
A character may trade in any number of Back
Attacks towards the cost of a Backstab.
For example: Nira the Rogue has worked her way up
to the point where she has learned one Backstab.
She now does +2 damage for every hit from behind
with any weapon she can use. Her next backstab
will cost 45 build. She then begins to learn Back
Attacks again. For each Back Attack she learns now,
she can do another two points of damage to one
opponent, so when she uses these skills, she does
+4. When Nira has has spent at least 45 build on
Back Attacks, she can trade them in for Backstab
+4.
Blackjack
This maneuver allows the character to spend a Back
Attack in order to briefly stun an opponent from
behind. The victim of a blackjack will be dizzy for 10
seconds unless given a Remove Physical Affliction
effect. This attack can be performed with any
NERO-safe non-ranged One Handed Short weapon
that the character can use. You must be able to see
the victim’s shoulder blades to perform a Blackjack,
you cannot reach around from the front. The
character using this skill must call out the attack
verbal by stating “Weapon Strike lesser vertigo”.
Bodyguard
This maneuver allows the character to spend a
Critical Attack to guard another character. Place a
weapon on your ward’s shoulder and say “You are
under my guard.” You must stay within weapon
reach of him or her, or this ability will end. While
the bodyguard maneuver is active, you may negate
two weapon attacks against your ward by calling
“Parry for
standard weapon damage or weapon strikes, not
any expendable attack such as slay, assassinate,
waylay, or physical attacks. After you have used
these parries, the bodyguard ability ends.
Debilitating Wound
This maneuver allows the character to spend a
Critical Attack to hit an opponent’s muscle, their
weapon swings less effective. The character using
this skill must call out the attack verbal by stating
“Weapon strike weakness”.
Defender Stance
This maneuver allows the character to spend a
Critical attack to enter a stance that is good for
defending oneself. It requires the use of a shield. To
activate the Defender Stance, spend at least three
seconds stretching and getting into a fighting
posture.
White this stance is active, you gain threshold 2 (If a
weapon strikes you for two damage, you may call
“threshold’ and only take 1 point). The skill
Bodyguard, grants you an additional parry. After
you have entered the stance, the first time you use
the skill Skilled Block, your threshold raises to 3.
You may only have one stance active at a time. The
stance ends if the battle ends or you lose
consciousness.
Critical Attack
This skill allows the character to do one extra point
of damage against any one opponent for the
duration of the battle once per day for each time
the skill is taken. Battle duration is defined as “Line
of Sight” as per spells. This bonus applies to any
weapon.
Some skills, called maneuvers, allow a character to
make an attack in place of gaining +1 damage.
Any offensive weapon strikes that consume a
critical attack (such as Knockback, Powerful Blow,
and Injure Limb) must be activated in the same
style as a Slay. Before using the Weapon Strike, the
character must call out “I challenge you!” (this is an
OOG statement and can be made even while
silenced). The Weapon Strike is considered used as
soon as the statement is made. The Weapon Strike
will be active until the blow is landed, or five
minutes pass. If the blow is landed, the Weapon
Strike can be negated by other game defenses such
as Phase, Dodge, Parry, Magic Armor, etc. The 5
minute time period cannot be shortened by any
other means, including the weapon being dropped
or destroyed, calling a defense, killed and then
Life’d, falling unconscious, etc. When engaging new
opponents you must announce “Active Challenge”.
This is an OOG statement and can be made even
when silenced. A player hit by a Weapon Strike who
does not die from it must announce that the
Weapon Strike was successful by saying “Hit” or
role-playing appropriately. This informs the
character using the Weapon Strike that he or she
must then begin calling regular damage again
Multiple abilities may not be stacked on one
weapon swing.
After you have used any combination of five back
attacks, critical attacks or maneuvers, you are
fatigued. You cannot use any of those skills again
until you have rested for five minutes. The rest is
interrupted if you run, use game skills, or take body
damage.
Cunning Strike
This maneuver allows the character to spend a Back
Attack to deliver a powerful weapon strike to your
opponent’s back. You may make one swing for +6
damage. This may not be coupled with any other
weapon based abilities such as Back Attack, Critical
Attack, Slay or Powerful Blow .
Disengage
This maneuver allows the character to spend a
Critical Attack to deliver an attack which will make
an opponent lose their grip on their weapon. The
character using this skill must call out the attack
verbal by stating “Weapon Strike Fumble” and
landing a legal hit.
Dueling Stance
This maneuver allows the character to spend a
Critical Attack or Back Attack to enter a stance that
is good for fighting with a single one handed
weapon. It requires a free hand. To activate the
Dueling Stance, spend at least three seconds
stretching and getting into a fighting posture.
While this stance is active, and one of your hands is
free, you gain +1 to all damage you deal with a one
handed weapon (except Slays and Assassinates,
which always deal 20 damage). This does not stack
with Critical Attack, Martial Attack, Back Attack, or
any other weapon-based abilities other than
Weapon Proficiency and Backstab. When you use a
maneuver which consumes a critical attack or back
attack, and you have not yet used another
maneuver, you may switch your weapon to your
other hand and use the maneuver again at no cost.
While this stance is active, the skill Footwork grants
3 points of dexterity armor instead of 2.
You may not enter any other stance while this skill
is active. The stance ends if the battle ends or you
lose consciousness.
Escape Artist
This maneuver allows the character to spend one
Back Attack to recover from the effects of one
binding effect (pin, bind, web, or confine). Stand
still and concentrate for 60 seconds while
roleplaying that you are wiggling out of the effect.
At the end, you say “physical release” and are cured
of all binding status effects. You must be conscious
to use this skill.
Footwork
This maneuver allows the character to spend a Back
Attack to gain 2 points of Dexterity Armor which are
not restricted by the character’s maximum wear
points. These points may not be refit or recovered
in any way. To activate this ability, the character
must stand still and stretch for one minute. The
character may not use any other maneuvers while
Footwork is active.
Fortitude
This maneuver allows the character to spend one
Critical Attack to recover from the effects of
physical attacks. Stand still and concentrate for 60
seconds while roleplaying that you are overcoming
the effect. At the end, you may say “physical
remove physical affliction” and are cured of all
status effects that included the word “physical” in
their verbal. You must be conscious and able to
move to use this skill.
Free Ally
This maneuver allows the character to spend a
Critical Attack to free an ally from a physical binding
spell. If you see someone get hit with a physical pin,
bind, web, or confine, you may cut them free of it.
Roleplay that you are cutting them out for three
seconds, then say “Weapon Strike Release” and hit
them with your weapon. This does not require you
to activate it by saying “I challenge you” like other
weapon-strike based maneuvers. This will not work
against a physical imprison.
Hamstring
This maneuver allows the character to spend a Back
Attack to deliver a single blow to an opponent
which will prevent them from running. The
character using this skill must call out the attack
verbal by stating “Weapon Strike Disease”. While
this type of bleeding injury is not technically a
magical illness, it may be cured by a remove disease
spell.
Injure Limb
This maneuver allows the character to spend a
Critical Attack to disable an opponent’s limb. The
character using this skill must call out the attack
verbal by stating “Weapon Strike lesser wither limb