Swordsman Schools

Ah, Swordsman Schools! I seem to have a particular affinity for these (I don't know why). This PDF is a bit old, but has most of the (unchanged) schools.

On Designing Good Swordsman Schools

At one time, the following was a well-circulated e-mail from Kevin Wilson:

"The issues I look at when I'm designing a Swordsman School are as follows:

Swordsman Knacks:

  1. Am I putting any Knacks together that combo particularly well? If so, I should make sure to count that as part of the School's power level.
  2. Are any of the Knacks left 'dangling'? I.e. are there any Knacks that don't have anything to do with the rest of the school? I try to avoid danglers.
  3. Are there 4 Knacks? If not, there's a game balance issue. I usually put an Exploit Weakness (school) Knack on schools, but there are a few lately where it just doesn't make any sense, so it's not a must.

Apprentice Ability:

  1. Is the Apprentice ability immediately useful? (I boned one or two of these early on and I've been careful ever since).
  2. Is the Apprentice ability worth between 1 and 4 points? If so, good. Otherwise it needs to be toned down. (I consider off-hand penalty negation a point or so, a Free Raise to one specific combat thing to be worth 2-3, and bigger abilities like the (new) Aldana ability to be pushing the upper end of the scale.)

Journeyman Ability:

  1. This is where I try to get in some serious 'cool' for the school. A Journeyman ability should increase the Hero's power level substantially. The Eisenfaust ability and the Aldana ability are two good examples of how powerful to aim for. (I consider them to be worth 7-10 points once acquired.)

Master Ability:

  1. The Master ability of a school should ideally fundamentally change the way in which the combat mechanics apply to the character. Eisenfaust, Leegstra, and Valroux are all examples I particularly like. One adds a powerful side-effect to a basic mechanic of the game (holding Actions becomes much more powerful), another changes a basic mechanic (number of Dramatic Wounds inflicted), and the last lets a character ignore an existing restriction (going up to a 7 Panache). I consider them to be worth 15-20 pts. once acquired. And, for those who are curious, yes, I'm intending to use the Valroux master ability once for each Trait, but never again after that.
  2. Master abilities are often the heart and soul of a school. They should be closely tied into the theme/flavor of the school. Finnegan is a good example, as is the Aldana ability. Each has a mechanic tied into the feel I or John wanted for the School.

Other Issues:

  1. Re-using Old Abilities - With the notable exception of the Valroux Master ability (which will have one incarnation for each Trait), I NEVER reuse Master abilities. Journeyman abilities can sort of be reused, but the mechanics need a strong tweak to make them different. Apprentice abilities are often reused in part (off-hand, free raise to blah, etc) but they shouldn't be reused in entirety. For an exception to that rule and how to deal with it, see the Desaix school in the Rose and Cross book.
  2. Ease of Use - A swordsman school should ideally add no dice rolls to the game. If it must add one, keep it simple and don't make too many modifiers to it.
  3. Drama Dice Spending - I'll probably never do this again. The players hated it immediately. You'll notice that the Eisenfaust Journeyman ability busts both rule 2 and 3. You have to learn as you go, I guess.

In addition, I (Jon) would reccomend the following (in no order):

  • Don't tread on other schools' feet - if one school has a schtick that you want to modify a bit, carry the idea further. How can you modify it to the point where it's an independant school? Remember: it's not about squishing lots of foes; it's about squishing them with style.
    Alternatively, if you think the mechanics of a school are no good, and feel you have a better idea, consider simply revising the school and passing it by your GM or players for approval/improvements.
  • Oftentimes, the Basic Curriculum determines an integral aspect of the school. If you can get away with something other than Fencing and Athlete, do so.
  • Addendum to KW's "No Drama Dice" rule: if the school has Tagging, Double-Parry, or some other form of easy Drama Dice generation, then don't fret too much about requiring the use of a Drama Die for a powerful ability.
  • After Apprentice ability, simple bonuses are bland. Adding range to a missile weapon, free raises, etc. should be left to apprentice level benifits.
  • Be sure not to simply "rework" an old ability into a new one. For example giving a Journeyman ability that grants a free rank in a swordsman knack is really just a cold rehash of the Gallegos Journeyman ability.
  • If Exploit Weakness doesn't make any sense for the school (e.g. if the students would never face each other [Gellingen], if the style's weaknesses are inherent to the weapons [Rifle and crossbow schools], etc.), either modify it or simply replace it with something else.
  • Swordman Knacks tend to use fencing terms for names, even if the mechanics have nothing to do with the actual usage in fencing.
  • Shoot for school abilities and knacks that work together, but don't make the school too powerful. Swordsman schools are about fun, not massive bonuses.
  • Personalities and histories often give a good deal of flavor to a school, and can help give it direction (e.g. Veronica Ambrogia).
  • Consider if the school would even exist in the first place. Would there be enough students and teachers to carry on the tradition? If the school uses fantastic weaponry or silly tactics, it may not be believable.
Last updated: April 1, 2004
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