Warrior

Warrior

Though combat requires much action, success starts in the mind. Victory requires not only aggression, but endurance and adaptability; a Warrior trains in all three until their instincts are sharper than their opponent’s blade.
Starting Skill: Athletics. If you choose Warrior as your starting path, gain a free skill rank in Athletics.

Vigilant Stance (Warrior Talent)

Prerequisite: None.
Activation: 1 Action
You study special fighting styles to face various foes and strategies. The most basic of these postures emphasizes alertness and quick responses to oncoming threats.
When you acquire this talent, you learn to use stances.
You begin with Vigilant Stance, which you can enter as 1 Action:
Vigilant Stance. While in this stance, reduce the focus cost of your Dodge and Reactive Strike reactions by 1. Additionally, you can enter another stance you know as a Free Action.
You can enter a stance you know by using that talent’s stated number of actions. Your stance ends if you either end it as a Free Action, enter another stance, or end the scene. While in a stance, you temporarily gain any actions, bonuses, and other effects it grants; these effects end when the stance does.
By default, you can only use stances during combat, not during other scenes.
Leads to:

• Surefooted & Grappler’s Stance (Brawler)
• Aegis Stance & Valiant Intervention (Bulwark)
• Flamestance & Practiced Kata (Duelist)
• Combat Training & Flicker Stance (Infantry)
• Cautious Advance & Combat Training (Soldier)
  

Brawler

Baleful

Prerequisite: Grappler’s Stance
Activation: Always Active
With a severe stare, you crack the resolve of all but the most composed adversaries.
To resist your influence, a character must spend additional focus equal to your tier.
Leads to: Bruiser's Stance, Pulse of Battle

Battle-Hardened

Prerequisite: Athletics 3+; Bruiser's Stance
Activation: Special Activation
You’ve spilled blood—both yours and your foes—across many arenas, and you’ve survived through ferocity, grit, and hard-earned instincts.
Once per round, you can reroll one of the following dice when its result is lower than your ranks in Athletics: a recovery die, a damage die for an unarmed attack or improvised weapon, or an injury roll’s d20.

Bruiser’s Stance

Prerequisite: Intimidation 2+; Baleful
Activation: 1 Action
You shift your weight and position to fend off multiple foes, staying alert to threats from all directions.
When you acquire this talent, you learn a new stance, which you can enter as 1 Action:
Bruiser’s Stance. While in this stance, increase your Physical defense by 1 for each enemy within your reach (maximum of +5). Additionally, when an enemy triggers a Reactive Strike, you can make that Reactive Strike without spending a Reaction. When you do, you must spend focus as usual, and you must attack them with an unarmed strike or improvised weapon. You can only attack each enemy in this way once per round.
Leads to: Battle-Hardened

Grappler’s Stance

Prerequisite: Intimidation 1+; Vigilant Stance key talent
Activation: 1 Action
You position yourself to seize and toss your foes, ready to spring in close or push aside the barrel of a gun as fast as your enemy can draw it.
When you acquire this talent, you learn a new stance, which you can enter as 1 Action:
Grappler’s Stance. While in this stance, you gain an advantage on non-attack Athletics tests, and you can Grapple or Shove as 1 Action (instead of 2 Actions). Additionally, an enemy within your reach must spend an additional when they draw a weapon or use an action to attack with a ranged weapon. (If multiple characters in Grappler’s Stance can reach that enemy, this effect doesn’t stack.)
Leads to: Baleful

Pulse of Battle

Prerequisite: Baleful
Activation: Special Activation
When you get into the flow of the fight, time seems to slow. You instinctively deflect glancing blows and sense when to lean in for a counterattack.
Before you’re grazed by an attack, you can choose one of the following effects (no action needed):

• Increase your deflect value against that attack by 1, and recover 1 focus.
• Spend 2 focus to gain an additional Reaction.
  

Leads to: Wallop

Roll With the Punches

Prerequisite: Athletics 2+; Surefooted
Activation: Free Action
You use your enemy’s ferocity to your advantage, moving nimbly through the gaps created by their strikes.
After you’re hit or grazed by an attack, you can use this Reaction to move up to half your movement rate without triggering Reactive Strikes.

Surefooted (Brawler)

Prerequisite: Vigilant Stance key talent
Activation: Always Active
You move through treacherous terrain with confidence and speed.
When you acquire this talent, increase your movement rate by 10.
Additionally, before you take damage from dangerous terrain or falling, reduce that damage by 2 × your tier.
Leads to: Roll With the Punches

Wallop

Prerequisite: Intimidation 3+; Pulse of Battle
Activation: Reaction
You slide past an attack to deliver a devastating counterpunch that disorients your foe, disarms them, or even knocks them off their feet.
After an enemy within 10 feet of you misses or grazes you with an attack, you can use this reaction and spend 2 focus to move up to half your movement rate, then make an unarmed attack against the Spiritual defense of your attacker. When you roll damage for this attack, add an extra 2d6 damage. This attack ignores your target’s deflect value.
You can spend Opportunities from this attack to apply one of the following effects:

• Bellringer. The target becomes Disoriented until the end of your next turn.
• Disarm. The target must succeed on an Agility test (DC equals your attack test result) or drop one weapon they’re holding. You can either pick up that weapon or push it up to 10 feet away (no action needed).
• Knockdown. The target is knocked Prone.
  

Your Wallop becomes more powerful as your tier increases: at tier 3, you can target an enemy within 15 feet and you roll an extra 4d6 damage (instead of 2d6); at tier 4, you can target an enemy within 20 feet and you roll an extra 6d6 damage; and at tier 5, you can target an enemy within 25 feet and you roll an extra 8d6 damage.

Bulwark

Aegis Stance

Prerequisite: Discipline 1+; Vigilant Stance key talent
Activation: 1 Action
When you acquire this talent, you learn a new stance, which you can enter as 1 Action:
Aegis Stance. Your Deflect increases by 1. Terrain within your melee reach is difficult terrain for your enemies. Adjacent allies can Brace behind you or your shield.
Additionally, gain expertise in shields and an armor of your choice.
Leads to: I'm Not Done With You

Behind You!

Prerequisite: Valiant Intervention
Activation: Reaction
Honing your keen eye for danger and constant awareness of your surroundings, you skillfully anticipate threats and direct your allies out of harm’s way. When a willing ally you can sense and influence meets the conditions for the Avoid Danger or Dodge reaction, you can use that reaction as if you were in their space, spending the reaction and any focus costs on their behalf, and otherwise granting them the benefits of that action instead of you.
Additionally, at the beginning of combat and at the start of each of your turns, you gain an additional Reaction, which you can use only for this talent’s effect.

Hardy (Bulwark)

Prerequisite: Valiant Intervention
Activation: Always Active
You’ve trained your body to endure pain and fatigue, keeping you in the fight until the bitter end.
When you acquire this talent, your maximum and current health increase by 1 per level. This applies to all previous and future levels; for example, if you choose this talent at level 6, retroactively increase your health by 6.
Leads to: Imposing Stance, Wary

I'm Not Done With You

Prerequisite: Intimidation 2+; Aegis Stance
Activation: Always Active When you successfully hit with a Reactive Strike, you can spend 1 focus to force your target to remain in their original location. They are immobilized until the end of their next turn.

Imposing Stand

Prerequisite: Intimidation 2+; Hardy
Activation: Special Activation
Valiant Intervention prevents Reactive Strikes against you. Spend focus up to your ranks in Intimidation to add that many targets for Valiant Intervention.
Leads to: Iron Will

Iron Will

Prerequisite: Discipline 4+; Imposing Stand
Activation: Reaction
Before your health drops to 0, it instead becomes equal to your Discipline modifier. You must complete a long rest before you can use this again.

Valiant Intervention

Prerequisite: Vigilant Stance key talent
Activation: 1 Action
You dauntlessly approach your opposition, daring them to ignore you at their peril.
Spend 1 focus to move up to 10 feet, then make an Athletics test against the Spiritual defense of an enemy you can influence. On a success, they gain a disadvantage on tests against your allies until the end of the target’s next turn.
A target can resist this influence, but after they do, you gain an advantage on your next test against them until the end of your next turn.
Leads to: Behind You!, Hardy

Wary (Bulwark)

Prerequisite: Discipline 3+; Hardy
Activation: Always Active
Through your experience living in dangerous locations, you’ve learned to stay focused and respond quickly to unexpected hazards.
While you have 1 or more focus, you can’t be Surprised.
Additionally, when you resist influence or lose focus involuntarily, reduce the amount of focus lost by your ranks in Discipline (to a minimum of 1 focus lost).

Duelist

Feinting Strike

Prerequisite: Intimidation 2+; Flamestance
Activation: 1 Action
You intimidatingly press your opponent’s defenses—and their nerves—hoping to expose a fatal gap.
Spend 2 focus to make a melee weapon attack against a target’s Cognitive defense. On a hit, your target also loses 1 Reaction and loses focus equal to your ranks in Intimidation. On a graze, they lose half as much focus (rounded up) and doesn't lose the Reaction.
You can spend an Opportunity from this test to gain 2 Actions, which you can use only to Strike or activate a stance.
Leads to: Vinestance, Wit's End

Flamestance

Prerequisite: Intimidation 1+; Vigilant Stance key talent
Activation: 1 Action
You enter an aggressive, squared stance that favors swift flurries of decisive blows.
When you acquire this talent, you learn a new stance, which you can enter as 1 Action:
Flamestance. While in this stance, you gain an advantage on Intimidation tests. Additionally, while there is exactly one enemy within your reach and none of your allies are within the reach of that enemy or you, you can use a Free Action to gain 1 Action, which you can spend only to Gain Advantage or use an action that includes an attack test targeting that enemy.
Leads to: Signature Weapon, Feinting Strike

Ironstance

Prerequisite: Athletics 2+; Practiced Kata
Activation: 1 Action
You hold your weapon high, prepared to deliver a crushing blow downward when your opponent shows weakness.
When you acquire this talent, you learn a new stance, which you can enter as 1 Action: Ironstance. While in this stance, you gain an advantage on Insight tests. Additionally, when a character within your reach misses you or grazes you with an attack, you can use Reactive Strike against them as if they had voluntarily left your reach.
Leads to: Surefooted

Practiced Kata

Prerequisite: Vigilant Stance key talent
Activation: Special Activation
Your study of martial kata and other forms has taught you that your stance in conversation is as important as in battle. With practiced poise, you project the exact attitude you want through body language and positioning.
When you acquire this talent, you can use fighting stances in conversation and endeavor scenes, in addition to combat. Activating or changing a stance during a conversation or endeavor costs 1 focus and counts as your contribution for the round.
Additionally, if you aren’t Surprised when a combat, conversation, or endeavor scene begins, you can enter Vigilant Stance at the beginning of that scene (no action required).
Leads to: Ironstance

Signature Weapon

Prerequisite: Flamestance
Activation: Always Active
You have trained extensively with a particular weapon and can exploit all the advantages it offers.
When you acquire this talent, gain one weapon expertise. Then choose one weapon type in which you have an expertise and denote it in parentheses after this talent’s name on your character sheet; for example, “Signature Weapon (Longspear).”
Your Opportunity range for tests using this weapon type expands by 1. When you reach tier 3, this Oppor­tunity range instead expands by 2.

Surefooted (Duelist)

Prerequisite: Ironstance
Activation: Always Active
You move through treacherous terrain with confidence and speed.
When you acquire this talent, increase your movement rate by 10.
Additionally, before you take damage from dangerous terrain or falling, reduce that damage by 2 × your tier.
Leads to: Roll With the Punches

Vinestance

Prerequisite: Athletics 3+; Feinting Strike
Activation: 1 Action
You assume a flexible stance, allowing you to quickly switch between inexorable advances and rapid reactions to wear down your foe.
When you acquire this talent, you learn a new stance, which you can enter as 1 Action:
Vinestance. Your Physical and Cognitive defenses increase by 1. Additionally, after you’re hit or grazed by a melee attack, you can use to make an Athletics test against your attacker’s Cognitive defense. On a success, your target loses 1d4 focus, and you can push them horizontally up to 5 feet × your ranks in Athletics.

Wit’s End

Prerequisite: Intimidation 3+; Feinting Strike
Activation: 2 Actions
Battles are won and lost in moments of brief inattention or exhaustion. You create and exploit these opportunities, patiently waiting to vanquish your foe in a single stroke.
Spend 1 focus to move up to half your movement rate, then make a melee weapon attack against the Cognitive defense of a target who has 0 focus. This attack ignores your target’s deflect value and deals an extra 4d6 damage on a hit. It can’t graze, only miss or hit.
This talent becomes more powerful as your tier increases: at tier 3, you roll an extra 6d6 damage (instead of 4d6); at tier 4, you instead roll an extra 8d6 damage; and at tier 5, you instead roll an extra 10d6 damage.

Infantry

Bastion Stance

Prerequisite: Athletics 2+; Combat Training
Activation: 1 Action
When you acquire this talent, you learn a new stance, which you can enter as 1 Action:
Bastion Stance. While in this stance, you gain an advantage on Insight tests.
Additionally, when a character grazes or misses you, you can make a melee or ranged Reactive Strike against your attacker. If your Reactive Strike is a ranged attack, raise the stakes.
Leads to: Swift Strikes

Combat Training (Infantry)

Prerequisite: Vigilant Stance key talent
Activation: Special Activation
You’ve been trained in the basics of weaponry and elementary battle tactics.
Once per round, when you miss on a weapon attack, you can graze one target without spending focus.
Additionally, when you acquire this talent, gain a weapon expertise and an armor expertise of your choice, and gain a cultural expertise in Military Life.
Leads to: Hardy

Comrades in Arms

Prerequisite: Wary
Activation: Special Activation.
Soldiers, warriors, and characters with the Military Life expertise must spend additional focus equal to your ranks in Discipline to resist your influence.
Additionally, when you successfully influence such a character, you gain an Opportunity.

Flicker Stance

Prerequisite: Discipline 1+; Vigilant Stance key talent
Activation: 1 Action
When you acquire this talent, you learn a new stance, which you can enter as 1 Action:
Flicker Stance. While in this stance, you gain advantage on Finesse tests.
(CHANGE? Additionally, your weapons with the Reconfigure trait gain Quick Draw, and you can activate the Reconfigure weapon trait as ▷.)
Leads to: Terrifying Jolt, Wary

Hardy (Infantry)

Prerequisite: Combat Training
Activation: Always Active
You’ve trained your body to endure pain and fatigue, keeping you in the fight until the bitter end.
When you acquire this talent, your maximum and current health increase by 1 per level. This applies to all previous and future levels; for example, if you choose this talent at level 6, retroactively increase your health by 6.

Swift Strikes (Infantry)

Prerequisite: Bastion Stance
Activation: 1 Action
You instinctively follow the tempo of battle, keeping the pressure on your foes at critical moments.
Spend 1 focus to make a second Strike action with a hand you already used for a Strike this turn.

Terrifying Jolt

Prerequisite: Athletics 2+; Flicker Stance
Activation: Always Active
You place your shots for maximum psychological effect, keeping your enemies’ heads down even when you can’t hit them.
After you graze a target with an attack that deals keen damage, they lose 1 focus. If this reduces their focus to 0, they become Surprised until the end of their next turn.

Wary (Infantry)

Prerequisite: Discipline 3+; Flicker Stance or Hardy
Activation: Always Active
Through your experience living in dangerous locations, you’ve learned to stay focused and respond quickly to unexpected hazards.
While you have 1 or more focus, you can’t be Surprised.
Additionally, when you resist influence or lose focus involuntarily, reduce the amount of focus lost by your ranks in Discipline (to a minimum of 1 focus lost).
Leads to: Comrade in Arms

Soldier

Cautious Advance

Prerequisite: Discipline 1+; Vigilant Stance key talent
Activation: 2 Actions
You understand the hazards in your environment and the flow of battle, helping you find the safest path across the battlefield.
Move up to half your movement rate, ignoring difficult terrain, then gain that can be spent only on the Brace or Gain Advantage actions.
Leads to: Defensive Position

Combat Training (Soldier)

Prerequisite: Vigilant Stance key talent
Activation: Special Activation
You’ve been trained in the basics of weaponry and elementary battle tactics.
Once per round, when you miss on a weapon attack, you can graze one target without spending focus.
Additionally, when you acquire this talent, gain a weapon expertise and an armor expertise of your choice, and gain a cultural expertise in Military Life.
Leads to: Devastating Blow, Hardy

Defensive Position

Prerequisite: Athletics 2+; Cautious Advance
Activation: Always Active
You’ve learned when to withdraw and when to commit to a position, holding it unflinchingly.
The Brace action adds two disadvantages to attacks against you, instead of one.
Additionally, while you’re using a shield to Brace, allies within 5 feet of you can Brace as if they had cover or a shield.
Leads to: Formation Drills, Wary

Devastating Blow

Prerequisite: Athletics 3+; Combat Training
Activation: 2 Actions
Delivering a fatal strike requires not only skill, but resolve. You’ve learned to set aside any natural aversion to harming others, and when you strike to kill, you do so without mercy or hesitation.
Make a melee weapon attack against the Physical defense of a target. When you roll damage for this attack, add an extra 2d8 damage.
This talent becomes more powerful as your tier increases: at tier 3, you roll an extra 3d8 damage (instead of 2d8); at tier 4, you instead roll an extra 4d8 damage; and at tier 5, you instead roll an extra 5d8 damage.

Formation Drills

Prerequisite: Discipline 2+; Defensive Position
Activation: Always Active
You coordinate your allies to march in a defensive formation with you.
While an ally within 10 feet of you benefits from the Brace action, they also benefit from your Defensive Position as if they had that talent themself.

Hardy (Soldier)

Prerequisite: Combat Training
Activation: Always Active
You’ve trained your body to endure pain and fatigue, keeping you in the fight until the bitter end.
When you acquire this talent, your maximum and current health increase by 1 per level. This applies to all previous and future levels; for example, if you choose this talent at level 6, retroactively increase your health by 6.
Leads to: Swift Strikes

Swift Strikes (Soldier)

Prerequisite: Hardy
Activation: 1 Action
You instinctively follow the tempo of battle, keeping the pressure on your foes at critical moments.
Spend 1 focus to make a second Strike action with a hand you already used for a Strike this turn.

Wary (Soldier)

Prerequisite: Discipline 3+; Defensive Position
Activation: Always Active
Through your experience living in dangerous locations, you’ve learned to stay focused and respond quickly to unexpected hazards.
While you have 1 or more focus, you can’t be Surprised.
Additionally, when you resist influence or lose focus involuntarily, reduce the amount of focus lost by your ranks in Discipline (to a minimum of 1 focus lost).