| Paladin's Pad > Rutegur's Valley > Rutegur's Tactics |
Blade Catch - Based on Unarmed Combat(Rank: Pending) - 0/2 strain - A character engaged in unarmed combat may use Blade Catch to stop an incoming attack. A character who wins initiative against his/her opponent may choose to wait for the opponent's attack and make a Blade Catch test at no strain. If the defender takes an action or does not win initiative, the cost is two strain. The character using Blade Catch then makes an Unarmed Combat test against the result of the opponent's attack test. A good success or better results in the catching of the attacker's weapon(or appendage in the case of an attacking animal) and the nullification of the attack. On an average success, the attack is nulled and the attacker and defender become hopelessly entangled as the defender moves fast enough to evade the attack but catches the attacker's arm and not his/her weapon. The defender may take no additional action in the round of entanglement. A failure results in an armor-defeating hit by the attacker, as the defender fails to catch the weapon and is caught flat-footed.
The Ritual - The ability Forge Destiny uses a Weaponsmith ritual during the forging of a Weapon to weave a small part of the world's magical aura to empower the weapon with a Forging Destiny. The weaponsmith begins by either forging or carving the material into the basic shape of the weapon-to-be. In the test of Metal, the Smith or Weaponsmith smashes a clay pot with the weapon, making a Forge Blade test against the weapon's normal damage step. The smith or Weaponsmith then continues forging or carving the weapon-to-be. In the second test, that of Shape, the nearly complete weapon is used to attack a marionette which represents in the Smith's mind a destined enemy, making a Forge Blade test against the weapon's normal damage step plus one. Then begins the final forging or carving phase, The Test of the Maker. During this phase, the smith must and the Weaponsmith may choose to assign an Agent of the Weapon's Destiny. The smith does this by placing on the forged material or a groove in the carved weapon three drops of the Agent's blood which cost the Agent three damage that can only be healed as explained below. A Weaponsmith may choose not to empower an Agent, but to do so only requires one drop of the Agent's blood and thus one damage point. The Weaponsmith may choose to be the Agent himself/herself. As the final hammer blow sounds or the last touch is made on the weapon, the Smith makes the Maker's Test using Forge Blade against the weapon's normal damage step plus two. Immediatly afterwards, the Agent or the Weaponsmith brandishes the weapon with a flourish and strikes the Smith's anvil in the Test of Destiny, requiring a Forge Blade test against the normal damage step of the weapon plus three. During all three forging/carving phases, the Smith envisions the weapon being used to do deeds and attack foes, starting with general ideas in the first, progressing in the second phase to specific deeds, and in the final phase imagining a climactic battle that combines the deeds the weapon is to perform.
The Use - An Agent empowered to use a weapon with a Forging Destiny automatically gains the ability to use its powers. A weapon created by a Weaponsmith with no Agent can be used by any individual. A Weaponsmith must first instruct the individual on the four aspects of a weapon, Metal, Shape, Maker, and Destiny. The Weaponsmith who created the weapon must recount all images envisioned during the creation process to the one who wishes to carry the weapon. The individual must then spend three uninterrupted hours examining the weapon, at the end of which he/she will be able to use the weapon. An individual without this knowledge may use the weapon, gaining neither benefits nor incurring penalties, with the exception of Shattered Destiny. The powers and destiny of the weapon are hidden. Any Weaponsmith may make a Weapon History test to discover that the weapon has a Forging Destiny.
Powers of Forging Destiny - The weapon gains the following abilities:
1. Pattern Seeking - The weapon recognizes patterns and events forming patterns involved with its Forging Destiny. The user of the weapon is notified using a signal envisioned by the Smith during the first phase of creation, typically a shuddering or ringing which only an entitled user can feel or hear. This signals that the weapon is activated and alerts the user of potential trouble. Whenever the weapon's user comes within range of any of his/her senses of an aforementioned pattern, the individual is signaled. Examples: The user of a weapon forged to defend(either generally or a certain race, item, etc.) passes within ear shot of a battle involving the destined object. A user of a sword forged to slay ogres enters an abandoned ogre's cave but can detect the effects of recent inhabitation. A user of a club carved to slay a specific race or those of a certain country sees an individual of that race or place.
2. Virtual Indestructibility - The temporary pattern of the weapon is actually a part of the pattern of the world's magical aura. As such, short of destroying the world's pattern, the weapon cannot be physically destroyed. The pattern is also virtually impossible to unweave, since it involves tampering with the much greater pattern. To destroy the weapon requires the separation of the temporary pattern from the weapon without replacing it with a new pattern.
3. Quick Forging - An excellent success on any of the initial three forging tests results in a plus one bonus to the weapon's final step. Each bonus counts as one use of the Forge Blade talent on the weapon.
4. Karma Use - The entitled user may use Karma Points in attack and damage tests using the weapon against an opponent or in a situation involving the weapon's Forging Destiny. Only one Karma Point may be used if the situation is generic as described in the first phase of the weapon's creation, two if specific as described in the second phase, and three if the opponent or situation shows the true destiny as described by the third phase.
5. Destiny Realization - A weapon used in a manner as described by the third phase of its creation, the realization of its destiny may gain a pattern of its own. If this happens, the temporary pattern fades away, along with the weapon's virtual indestructibility and karma use, leaving a pattern based on the temporary pattern augmented with aspects of the user's pattern. The pattern recognition remains, as do the Quick Forging bonuses.
Weakness of Forging Destiny - The weapon has the following weaknesses: 1. Limited Lifespan - The weapon lasts for one year and one day. If the weapon does not gain a sufficient true pattern in that time, the segment of the world's pattern coaxed into forming the weapon's temporary pattern slowly returns to its orginal state. On the final day, the weapon fades from existence. An Agent may renew the temporary pattern by repeating the final step, the Test of Destiny with the Smith who originally created the weapon(or alone, if he/she is the Smith). Otherwise, the weapon ceases to exist, but the damage points may be healed.
2. Decline - The weapon exists because it has taken on a piece of the magical aura of the earth in the form of a pattern of the Smith's design. When the weapon takes on a pattern fitting its destiny, if it fails to function in its destined manner, the temporary pattern it has taken on loses cohesion and the magical aura seeks balance, slowly returning it to its pre-forging condition unless an action reinforces the temporary pattern. If the weapon alerts the user to take action(an intense signal) and the user chooses not to or if the user passes up a thorough investigation as signaled by the weapon, the weapon goes into a period of Decline for one week. During this week, the weapon continues to signal pattern recognition as normal, but any Karma points spent on attack or damage tests, though rolled as normal, are not counted. The user is entirely unaware of the Decline, and the magic of the Karma Points is absorbed by the weapon in an effort to maintain its tie to its temporary pattern. If the user failed to take a necessary action on an intense signal, then the user has to find the object of the signal within the week and act or the weapon fades from existence. If the user simply failed to investigate a signal and fails to do so again within the week, then the weapon will fade from existence short of action on an intense signal in that time. If the user does not fail to investigate any for the week, then the weapon will regain its power. Any Weaponsmith who examines the weapon may determine that it is in Decline, and with a few hours of examination and a successful Weapon History test may learn the event that caused the Decline and determine a remedy.
3. Shattered Destiny - If the user of the weapon uses it in a manner opposite to its destiny, the weapon is immediately destroyed. For this reason, the vision of the Smith is usually specific and controlled to prevent the danger of this violation. Since the weapon is an impatial judge, a destiny that is too general may pit the weapon against a loyal comrade of years who happens to match some aspect of the pattern envisioned so that the first act aiding this friend destroys the weapon. The event in which a weapon is used counter to its temporary pattern causes that part of the world's pattern to immediately return to its original shape without the subtle, carefully guided efforts of the Smith used in forging or the slow process of natural return. This causes a catastrophic release of energy and the weapon shatters, embedding shards in the user that cause a number of damage points equal to the damage step of the weapon. These points cannot be healed until the Smith who forged the weapon removes the shards, a long and painful process. Anyone but the forging Smith is unable to find all the shards and only inflicts further damage on the afflicted individual. A Weaponsmith may examine the shards and upon a successful Weapon History test determine the Smith who forged the destroyed weapon. Any user, even an ignorant one, may incur this penalty.
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