"Sir! This slur is too much! I demand Satisfaction! The parade ground. At Dawn"

"Very well. Rapiers, Sir…"

Combat in the Palladium Role Playing Game is heroic: Paladins rain death blows on demons, whilst Assassins surge through the defences of their victims. Raw strength and speed (attributes) are often more of a determining factor than skill and experience (Level).

The same is not true of the Royal Court’s duellists…

'Pure' Fencing, the 'noble' skill of the blade, is normally performed under highly controlled conditions: There is little advantage to be had in strength or battlefield experience, and magical (and psionic) powers are strictly forbidden. Fencers are usually not armoured, unless the fighting is "just for sport".

This is how fights are resolved in the courtrooms of Timero - The form of fencing presented here is exclusively an 'Eastern' thing. At a later date, fencing forms for the southern (Knife fighting), western (Throwing Blades and Bucklers) and Northern courts (Spears and Axes) will be considered.

To fence, both fighters must be fighting in a fencing style. You can not fence against somebody swinging a two handed sword and hope to live. This is represented by the lack of bonuses presented in the Hand to Hand Fencing skill. Most bonuses come from the Fencing weapon skills.

When fencing, no normal Hand to Hand or OCC bonuses apply. The only skill modifiers will come from Fencing hand to hand skill, and two weapon skills: Fencing Blade and Fencing Off-Hand.

Initiative, strike and parry bonuses will come from IQ (calculated on the PP scale), modified by the weapon used - the Foil is quick, the Long-sword, slow. Some weapons are easier to use than others.

Damage is based upon weapon type, modified by PP (calculated on the PS scale) - how well the attack is landed is everything, not brute force. Strength doesn't help. Damage will be direct to Hit Points,

Fencing Skills

Fencing is not a skill restricted, as most Hand to Hand forms, by Occupation (O.C.C.) Rather, the skill is limited by social class: The lower your standing, the more the skills cost.

Anybody can learn to fence, but you social standing will determine how hard it is to find and adapt to the teaching. For Nobles, Fencing costs 1 Other Skill, or may be taken instead of Hand to Hand: Basic. Those of the Middle Classes (Clergy, Land Owners, Officers) must pay 2 other skills, whilst commoners pay 3. The Weapon skills cost 1 skill apiece.

Hand to Hand: Fencing

Hand to Hand: Fencing does not provide an education of how to survive a real fight, hence the benefits it gives are fairly poor compared to basic hand to hand training. The bonuses a fencer gets come from WP: Fencing Blade, and to a lesser extent, WP: Fencing Off-hand

Fencing's greatest limitation in a Melee (See below) is it's inability to focus on multiple opponents - the form looses auto-parry if fighting multiple opponents who are not fencing. Several fencers can still be auto-parried though.

WP: Fencing Blade

Fencing Blade provides many bonuses. These simulate the fact that fencing is only useful against another fencer (No bonuses other than those from the hand to hand skill against non-fencers), but a trained fencer will cut the uninitiated to ribbons.

Fencing Blades

Three blades a common in the courtrooms of Timero - the Foil, the Rapier and the Long Sword. In a melee, these swords may be used with the skill WP: Large Sword.

The Foil is the lightest blade, and is often considered a training weapon, or a child's toy. Its light weight makes it easy to use (+2 Initiative and Parry, +1 Strike) but there is a limited target area for the foil, reducing it's ability to damage (2D4). Foils have the same dimensions as a Long-sword, but are only half the weight (and cost).

The Rapier is the 'normal' blade of choice. It gives no modifiers to initiative, strike or parry, and does 2D6 damage. Rapiers are 2/3 the weight of Long-swords, costing the same.

Of the 3 fencing blades, the Long Sword is the heaviest and most damaging. The weight makes it slower than other blades to fence with (-2 to Initiative and Strike, -1 to parry) but the most damaging (2D6+2). Due to it's military applications, this is often the choice of officers.

Whilst training, many fencers will favour one type of blade over another. These fencers gain 1 effective level in one weapon at the cost of loosing 2 effective levels in the others, gaining no bonuses in the other blades until 3^rd level is achieved. E.g. Sir Fenry, a 4^th level Knight or the realm, specialises in the long-sword. He uses is considered to be 5^th level when calculating his WP: Fencing bonuses for the long-sword, but only 2^nd level for the other fencing blades.

WP: Fencing Off-Hand

When fencing a superior bladesman, many will resort to using a second weapon: Sometimes, this will be a fencing weapon, such as a Main-Gauche or Triple dagger, or an item of opportunity, such as a cloak.

Some weapons give the opportunity to disarm or entangle the opponent's weapon. Others give the opportunity to either parry easier, or strike more often - the fencer has the option of weather to gain a parry bonus, or extra attacks with the off-hand weapon.

Disarm and Entangle: +1 at levels 1, 6, and 12.

Bonus Attacks or Parry Bonus: +1 at levels 1, 4, 9 and 15.

As these weapons are taught in conjunction with fencing blades, use the blade skill bonuses to strike and parry.

If the weapon allows blinding, this may be attempted at the cost of 2 actions. It requires a natural strike roll of 12 or more, and the victim must make a save of 14 (Adding initiative bonuses) or loose 1 attack and be partially blinded until the end of the round (-5 to strike, parry and dodge).

Fencing weapon specialisation (see above) does not effect the off-hand skill.

The Off-hand skill is similar to the Paired Weapons skill, but not quite. It doesn’t reflect the ability to simultaneously strike an opponent - this would be cheating against a single armed opponent. Rather, it simulates the better ability to defend yourself, and the more options of striking that are gained with two weapons.

Off-Hand Weapons

Daggers are the accepted off-hand weapon in Timero. The Bodkin is the most common (No modifiers, 1D6 Damage), with variations being the Poignard (a triangular stabbing blade, +1 to Initiative and Strike, -1 to Parry, 1D6+1 Damage) and the Main Gauche (a Parrying dagger, -1 to Initiative and Strike, +1 to Parry, 1D4+1 Damage).

The Triple Dagger a blade with two spring-loaded spurs, able to catch and sometimes break blades, +2 Parry, 1D4 Damage) is becoming more common, but is considered by some to be bad sport.

On the street, second weapons are not always to hand. In these cases, cloaks (-2 to Initiative and Strike, blinding and entangling attacks only) and lanterns (-2 to Initiative, Strike and Parry, blinding attacks or 1D3 damage) are often used.

A blinding attack done with a lantern in a dark environment will leave the victim blinded for 1D4 rounds, as their eyes will need longer to adjust.

Court Rules

In Timero, Fencing Duels will often be performed within Warded areas and with 'house' blades, preventing the use of magic and enchanted blades. A Judge will often be appointed to run the fight - calling the fencers to the fight, checking the blades, and enforcing any rules such as the giving of mercy. Armed warriors, archers or even wizardry may be used to enforce a Judges decision that one side is cheating - often a fatal mistake.

If available, a psychic will fulfil the role of Judge, watching out for the miss-use of mental powers, but this is often not possible due to their rarity. The only opportunity to cheat under such circumstances is the use of poison (See below) or to buy the Judge.

The person declaring the fight will call out his opponent, naming a location and time . (Ladies of the court are not allowed to fight. Openly…) The opponent has the choice to decline, or accept, and may specify a blade to be used. Either opponent then has the option to withdraw, publicly accepting defeat. Failing to show at the arena is the last way a fencer may withdraw.

Before the fight starts, weapons are chosen. The most senior noble will choose which house blade to use if the fight is on common ground, or the visiting fencer if the arena is associated with one of the fencers.

Each duellist is allowed a "second", who’s role is to attend to the fencer’s needs - tending their wounds if they survive, or bearing witness to their death. If the fencer fails to turn up to a duel, the second may take their place.

A fight may either be to "First Blood" (the first successful strike that causes damage), "Mercy" (the fight continues until either side ask for mercy, which may or may not be given, depending upon the fencers morals and court’s rules ) or To The Death.

Fights to the death will often be completed ceremonially: Each fencer must carry a Misercorde - a dagger that it is forbidden to use in the fight. The misercorde’s first function in a fencing duel is to deliver a killing blow if the opponent has been incapacitated. It’s second function is for suicide - if a fencer is hopelessly out classed, or has fallen out of grace with the court, suicide with a misercorde is seen as a sign of repentance, and will often gain the fencer’s family honour.

Poison

In the royal courts, where the use of magic and psychic powers is not possible, poison may often be the ‘cads’ last line of defence. That is., if threatening, bullying and bribing the opponent, or kidnapping their loved ones and stealing their possessions doesn’t work first.

Poison may also be used when the aim of a duel is to murder the opponent, or to win at any cost.

As house blades are often used, poison can only normally be applied to the blade after the start of the fight. Such chances occur when one fencer is receiving medical aid or has requested a stop for a rest, or when a blade has broken.

Alternatively, a rogue may arrange to have a particular blade envenomed, if he knows he is to choose the first blade. Failing this, the fencer may try to poison the blade within plain view of the witnesses - this requires the successful use of Palming (to conceal the application) and Use Poison (at -10% due to the rush).

The judge may make a perception check to notice the use of poison. This requires an 18 to casually notice poison, 8 if inspecting the blade, and an automatic pass if actively checking for blade venom.

Being found with a poisoned blade carries harsh penalties. The perpetrator automatically looses the fight. He will then be charged with assault if the venom wasn’t lethal, or attempted murder if it was. When these crimes are committed against nobility, the sentence is normally torture and death for a commoner, or death or exile for a noble.

Duelling is "rough and ready" fencing. It uses the same principles of courtly fencing, but has fewer constraints. This is how the royal guard resolves matters of honour.

Bonuses are still derived from the Fencing Hand to Hand and fencing weapon skills, but damage bonuses may be calculated from physical strength (PS), rather than physical prowess (PP). Other bonuses (such as OCC bonuses and Boxing) may be applied.

Duels will often be fought wherever they were declared with whatever arms and armour are to hand. Full suits of heavy armour will often be stripped completely, if circumstances allow. Dwarven, kobold and magical fencing weapons are a rarity, but may be commissioned by wealthy nobles, merchants and military officers.

Sometimes 'Pure' Fencing duels will degrade to common duels as combatants get more aggressive and desperate. For player characters, it is up to the player to decide when he or she is desperate enough to start slashing wildly. An NPC fencer may start duelling when his Hit Points have been reduced to his ‘nerve threshold’: an amount equal to twenty minus his Mental Endurance (20 - ME). Under such conditions, roll a D20 at the end of each round. If the roll is greater than the number of hit points the fencer has remaining, he will start duelling.

For example, Sir Grey (ME 14) is fencing, and has just been reduced to 12 hit points by his opponent. As 12 is greater than his nerve thresh-hold of 8 (20 minus 12), Grey continues to fence. The next round, Grey’s shoulder is pierced, reducing his Hit points to 6. Each round, a D20 is rolled: if a 7 or greater is rolled, Grey stops fighting with finesse, and starts lashing out with his blade (Duelling).

It should be noted that "spoiling the noble art" in such a way will often get the dueller regarded as the looser of a fight, even if his opponent is bested.

Attempting to use your fencing skills against a 'normal' attacker is not wise. Bonuses from the Fencing Hand to hand skill apply, but not the fencing weapon skills - Normal weapon skills are required. It would be suicide to attempt to fence a battle-axe-wielding troll... It is considered bad form to melee a fencer in court - the perpetrator would be considered to have lost, even if the opponent was struck down.

In competition, stiffened leather armour and masks are worn, and blunted blades are used. Blows may sting, but no damage is taken, unless a critical strike is landed. If a critical strike lands, the blow has pierced the armour, and real damage has been taken - it is possible for a fencer to be killed this way.

Judges will determine when a fatal blow has been landed - fight combat as normal, but all damage is imaginary. This is, unfortunately, open to abuse, as the judges favour can be purchased, or bias, even unintentionally.

Competitions can either be fought using 'pure' or duelling rules.

As blades are not ‘live’, and protective armour is worn, this is often how minor matters of honour (insults, slurs, debts and wagers) are settled. After all, a king would not allow duelling at all if his court decided to cut itself to ribbons over matters of honour. Matters of family and state honour often warrant real duels. Some are to first blood. Some are to death.

Fencing is not a common skill amongst the people, so it is not often a public sport. It may occur at state celebrations, where nobles of differing houses and nations meet. Competition is normally "friendly" - it is not the intention of the fencer to kill the opponent, just beat him.

Under "traditional" wilderness and dungeon adventures, fencing opportunities would be few. The skills are of better use in a city based or political adventure.

That is, unless the Referee decided engineer situations. For example; how about an adventure where a dragon was disguised as a noble for many years. Back in his hidden lair, the party falls foul of him, and can't hope to beat him in a straight fight, but he's willing to duel for their freedom...

The point of these skills is that it allows nobles to fight, without descending to the common Melee. There are much more effective ways to kill people (such as paired gladius, or claymore and full plate mail) but the nobles aren't interested in that - that what the common soldiers do. In real life the most effective fighters are those who do whatever is necessary to win. (For example, a Jujitsu martial artist will beat most others, as they don't ban any moves). By fencing, you are limiting the moves you will practice and that will be acceptable. If both fighters keep to these rules, the most experienced fencer will have the advantage. Take away these restrictions, and the most experience Warrior will win.

Optionally, Referees may give an bonuses to a skilled fencer fighting in a 'normal' way (e.g. Hand to Hand Soldier). An initiative, strike and parry bonuses of +1 at levels 1, 5, and 12 may be gained. Referees may like to remove the restrictions on fencing all together. This would make fencing more fantastical, but Palladium is a game of Fantasy, after all….

Thanks to Allison Higgins (higginsa@lafvax.lafayette.edu) and the Palladium FRP list (Palladium-frp@free-inter.net) for banging my head against the wall until I finally got this right.