Combat Tactics & Flourishes
Combat Tactics is the skill that enables the creation and use of Flourishes. Flourishes in turn allow players, working with their Storyteller, the freedom of creating custom abilities that can further enhance or uniquely identify their characters and add to the roleplay narrative. They are special moves, bard songs, signature finishers and other special abilities, written by the player for their character and approved or amended by the Storyteller, for use both in and out of combat.

Players may select or write a Flourish for each skill point spent in Combat Tactics.

As a player: Present any Flourishes written for your character to your Storyteller for review and approval before a game session. Once agreed or amended, the player may use them with their character, but keep in mind that their implementation and effectiveness are always at their discretion of the Storyteller.

When it is their turn and the player wishes to use a Flourish, they will declare such as their intent before any dice roll. Any Stamina and or Faith costs associated with the Flourish is immediately deducted from the character’s pool, regardless of the outcome.

Skill Name Attribute Description or Purpose
Combat Tactics Intelligence Your ability to see through the fight and dominate.

Creating Flourishes
The following table provides a base guideline for the creation of custom flourishes. As you write a flourish for your character, consider the effect desired: what is the outcome of the flourish? Does it add some damage? An extra attack? Does it stun the target? Each of these add to the base cost of a flourish, while making the Flourish situational by adding a prerequisite, such your character being the only one left standing, decreases the cost to Stamina and/or Faith.

Effect Desired Stamina/Faith Cost – based on Combat Tactics skill level
Novice Journeyman Expert Master Legendary
Make Flourish Situational – per instance* -1 -1 -2 -2 -2
Minor Effect 2 2 1 1 1
Add Half of Skill Level to Roll 3 2 1 1 1
Add Skill Level to Roll 4 3 2 1 1
Add Skill Dice to Roll 6 5 4 3 2
Special Effect (Blinding, Stunning, Etc.) 6 5 4 3 2
Area Effect – Melee Range 6 5 4 3 2
Area Effect – at Range 8 7 6 5 4
Extra Attack 8 7 6 5 4
Encounter flourishes 10 8 6 4 2
Daily flourishes 12 10 8 6 4

* Situational instances are up to Storyteller approval. Examples of valid situational examples are: flourishes only usable during night, flourishes only usable when raining, flourishes only usable when adjacent to 3 or more enemies, or flourishes only usable after taking damage or dealing damage. Requiring a specific weapon equipped is not generally considered a situational instance.

Minor Effect: Minor effects are ones that are less than other effects listed on the table, and act as a way of specializing a flourish and tailoring it to a character’s style. While the possibilities are endless, examples of minor effects would be adding 1d6 Fire damage to an attack, or making an enemy stumble to limit their movement by 1/2 speed.

Adding Skill Level to Roll: As part of a flourish, characters can add or subtract their Combat Tactics Skill Level to certain rolls. However, the bonus can never exceed the Skill Level in the associated skill the roll is being made for (or as makes sense, and approved by Storyteller). For example, a character has a Skill Level of 4 in Combat Tactics and a Skill Level of 3 in Combat Form, Single. If the player wants to add their Combat Tactics Skill Level to their Combat Form, Single damage roll, they can only receive a bonus up to 3.

Adding Skill Dice to Roll: Alternatively, players can add their Combat Tactics Skill Dice to rolls. This increases the maximum output, but is also unpredictable. The same rule applies in terms of only being able to use the Combat Tactics Skill Dice up to the Skill Dice of the associated skill. For example, a character has a Skill Level of 5 in Combat Tactics, and a Skill Level of 4 in Combat Defense. If the player wants to add their Combat Tactics Skill Dice to their Combat Defense roll, they could only add 2d6, and not 2d8.

Special Effects: Rather than just dealing extra damage, or receiving bonuses on saves, flourishes can be used to deliver special effects and inflict conditions on enemies. A list of conditions can be found in the Storyteller Checks and Challenges section. Special Effects usually require an opposed roll between the player and the target. For example, if a player want to inflict the Bleed condition on a target, the player would roll a Combat Tactics (+VIR) against a Vigor save from the enemy.

Area Effect Melee: These flourishes are costly and situational, but can prove to be extremely powerful if done in the right circumstances. Melee flourishes will affect all enemies within the player’s reach (normally 5’).

Area Effect Ranged: Ranged Area Effect flourishes act much like their Melee counterpart, with the exception that they are done from a distance. These flourishes should generally only encompass an area equivalent of the Melee Area Effect if deployed at a distance, or 30’ outward from the character in a burst.

Extra Attack: This aspect of a flourish allows the player to make an additional full attack in the same round.

Encounter Flourishes: Encounter flourishes are special abilities that can only be used once in a single encounter. Characters should have no more than 2 encounter flourishes. The power of these are subject to Storyteller approval, but should be more powerful than the combined sum of the effects.

Daily Flourishes: Stronger than Encounter flourishes, Daily flourishes can be considered the “bread and butter” or “finishing maneuver” for a character. Characters should have no more than 1 daily flourish. The power of these are subject to Storyteller approval, but can be especially powerful.

Some flourishes may require a skill or attribute check and all must cost either Stamina and or Faith to use.

Each should clearly list any requirements it may have (which may include a minimum skill level or a certain weapon or item being equipped), its impact or effect (and any associated saves or checks for the target of the ability) and its cost to use.

Martial Examples
Note: All examples assume character is a Novice in Combat Tactics.

Shield Bash
Stamina Cost: 3 (Includes -1 for Situational: On successful attack)
Faith Cost: –
Required Items: Shield, Equipped
Effect: Additional damage on successful attack equal to character’s skill level in their equipped shield type. The amount of bonus damage applied may not exceed the character’s skill level in Combat Tactics.
Full Description: Upon a successful attack, the character uses the momentum of battle to swing her shield around to bash the same target unexpectedly, adding additional damage equal the character’s skill level in Combat Tactics (not to exceed skill level of type of shield equipped). Character must be equipped with a shield.

Second Swing
Stamina Cost: 7 (Includes -1 for Situational: On missed attack)
Faith Cost: –
Required Items: Weapon
Effect: Additional attack made after an attack is missed.
Full Description: The character digs deep for extra energy to slice back at his opponent in a quick motion to strike his enemy when he least expected it.

Stunning Strike
Stamina Cost: 5 (Includes -1 for Situational: On successful attack)
Faith Cost: –
Required Items: –
Effect: Upon successful hit, perform a Combat Tactics skill check against target Fortitude skill check. If successful, target is stunned until the beginning of the target’s next turn.
Full Description: The character adds extra force and precision behind his strike to deal a concussive blow against the enemies’ weak spot, attempting to stun the target.

Savagely Wound
Stamina Cost: 5 (Includes -1 for Situational: On successful attack)
Faith Cost: –
Required Items: Weapon
Effect: Upon a successful hit, perform a Combat Tactics skill check against the target’s Fortitude skill check. If Successful, target gains the Bleeding effect: dealing the attacker’s Combat Form skill level in additional damage (this amount cannot exceed the skill level in Combat Tactics).
Full Description: The character angles their weapon just right as to puncture their target deeper than usual to further drain the target of their life’s essence.

Find a Blind Spot
Stamina Cost: 12 Stamina (+6 for Skill Level Dice to Damage Roll, +6 for Area of Effect Range)
Faith Cost: –
Required Items: –
Effect: Grant allies within twenty feet a bonus to all damage done on a single target equal to the character’s Combat Tactics skill dice.
Full Description: The character studies a foe intensely in the heat of combat, and notices something about the target that could be used by allies to deal significant more damage to a vulnerable area.

Feigning Death
Stamina Cost: 5 Stamina (Includes -1 to Situational: Bonus only applies if feign death is successful.)
Faith Cost: –
Required Items: –
Effect: Move Action. Player rolls a Combat Tactics skill check, and any other character who can see the feigning character may roll a Prudence skill save. Characters whose Prudence skill check is higher than the feigning character’s roll can see through the feint. Characters whose Prudence skill check is lower than the feigning character’s original roll will believe that the player is dead. The feigning character may add the dice associated with their skill level in Combat Tactics as a bonus to their next attack roll against each target who believed them dead.
Full Description: The character stumbles as if a final blow had been struck, and appears to be fatally wounded and are dead.

Distracting Dance
Stamina Cost: 6 Stamina
Faith Cost: –
Required Items: –
Effect: Target must make a Steadfast roll to beat the attacker’s Combat Tactics roll, or else miss their next turn.
Full Description: The character begins to spin and dance with their weapon, displaying an act of gracefulness that distracts a nearby enemy whom the character has set their gaze upon.

Double Hitter
Stamina Cost: 7 Stamina (-1 for Situational, targets must be adjacent)
Faith Cost: –
Required Items: Weapon
Effect: Strikes two adjacent enemies. Player rolls a single attack roll. Targets defend themselves separately. Upon each successful hit, the player will roll damage as normal.
Full Description: The character raises their weapon to attack and seizes on the opportunity of making a single, forceful horizontal slice in the air to effect an adjacent enemy simultaneously.

Precise Strike
Stamina Cost: 10 Stamina (1/Encounter)
Faith Cost: –
Required Items: Weapon
Effect: Instead of rolling next attack, player assumes they rolled the maximum result. If the attack is successful, they will roll damage as normal.
Full Description: The character hones in on their enemy and presses forth with all of their might to make one near-certain strike against their sworn enemy.

Precise Strike Overload
Stamina Cost: 12 Stamina (1/Day)
Faith Cost: –
Required Items: Weapon
Effect: Instead of rolling next attack, the player assumes they rolled the maximum result, and if a successful attack, will also assume they rolled the maximum damage result.
Full Description: The character hones in on their enemy and presses forth with all of their might to make one near-certain strike against their sworn enemy with the most force they can muster.

Constructor Examples

Frostfire
Stamina Cost: –
Faith Cost: 2 (+2 Minot Effect)
Required Items: Skill in Constructor, Fire and Constructor, Cold
Effect: Deals Constructor, Cold damage, plus 1d6 Constructor, Fire damage.
Full Description: The character hones in on their enemy and presses forth with all of their might to make one near-certain strike against their sworn enemy.

Confusion
Stamina Cost: –
Faith Cost: 6 (+6 Special Effect)
Required: Skill in Constructor, Distortion
Effect: Player rolls the dice associated with their skill in Constructor, Distortion. Target must then succeed on a Steadfast skill check, or gain the Confused condition.
Full Description: Whispers of torment enter the mind of the target, confusing them on what is real and what is not real. The lines between friend and foe begin to blur.

Rain of Fire
Stamina Cost: –
Faith Cost: 8 (+6 Skill Level Dice to Roll, +2 Minor Effect)
Required: Skill in Constructor, Earth and Constructor, Fire
Effect: Deals Fire and Earth (normal Skill Level dice) damage to single target. At beginning of targets next 1d4 rounds, they take additional damage equal to their skill level in Combat Tactics. (This cannot exceed the Skill Level in Constructor, Fire.)
Full Description: Fragments of molten earth rain down from the sky on the target, scolding and searing their flesh. The remnants continue to burn at the target.

Inspire Courage
Stamina Cost: –
Faith Cost: 12 (+8 Ranged Area Effect, +4 Skill Level to Roll)
Required: Skill in Constructor, Empathy
Effect: Allies within 30’ of Constructor gain a bonus equal to Constructor’s Skill Level in Combat Tactics to all rolls until the beginning of the Constructor’s next turn. (This bonus cannot exceed the Skill Level in Empathy.)
Full Description: The character speaks words of encouragement, laced with empathetic power, that inspire her allies to fight harder than before.

Dark Bomb
Stamina Cost: –
Faith Cost: 12 (1/day)
Required Items: Skill in Constructor, Force and Constructor, Shadow
Effect: Target takes full possible damage of Constructor’s Force and Shadow. Target must succeed on a Steadfast skill check against the attacker’s Constructor, Shadow skill roll, or gain the Blinded condition.
Full Description: The constructor forms a ball of shadow energy that pulses with power before launching it at the target, exploding as darkness blocks out the target’s vision.