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Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Veteran Edges- Fighter Leveling Options

Level 9 Fighter
Not all Fighters get to name level and beyond by sole virtue of being the biggest, baddest mofo with the widest neck and the notch-iest sword. Most all good fighters survive to late in their career they way most soldiers have through history: discipline and fitness and combat acumen, of course, but also canniness, awareness, fortune, and strategy. Having a bunch of hirelings to determine, yup, that IS a medusa in that cave, doesn't hurt either.

So: Fighters who receive no Constitution bonus (using the B/X bonus charts) to their HD roll at a given level still get a benefit as long as they have INT 13 or above. Alternatively, a Fighter may always simply forgo his Constitution bonus HP in order to qualify for one of these Veteran Edges.

These aren't quite balanced and each Edge can be taken only once unless specified otherwise. These Edges automatically improve 5 levels after you get them.

Leader of Men- Improve your retainer morale by 1. THEN: Improve your maximum retainers by 1. You can take this Edge twice.

Steel-Eyed- You can determine the place of origin of any forged weapon or armor. THEN: You can determine who made any forged weapon or armor.

Did Hawkeye Steal That Jeep?- In any non-hostile settlement, you can find a horse to buy for cheap. THEN: Any horse you hop on in the heat of combat pursuit is not only combat trained, but is also Just Yours Now, the way wild west heroes' horses are always right there when they need them.

Never Let Your Guard Down- You sleep with your eyes open, and are not helpless while you sleep. NEXT: You sleep with your boots and armor on, still getting a full night's rest in half the time.

Snake Handler- +1 to saves vs. Poison, stacks with other save bonuses. NEXT: Grant others a +1 to saves vs. Poison by sucking the poison from the wound.

Outdoorsman- Your movement is never hindered due to environmental conditions. NEXT: If properly camouflaged, you can surprise an enemy on a roll of 1-3.

Pull- Your shots with a longbow or shortbow ignore long-range penalties. NEXT: Your shots with longbow or shortbow increase short range to-hit bonus by +1. (For XXR firearms translate this into +1 to hit, and then an additional +1 five levels later.)

My Elf's A Little Rusty- You recognize a language the rest of the party has not heard before, though you cannot speak more than three words of it. NEXT: You gain a floating language; the next time the party encounters a language nobody has heard before, you can declare that, actually, YOUR character can speak that language like a native. You can take this Edge three times.

Beware My Blade- Your weapon has a name, and people who know it are suitably impressed when you tell them that, yes, this is Bloodblack. NEXT: Your weapon has a second name, as in Bloodblack the Thane-Hewer, and everyone in the nearby lands knows it and is suitably cowed when you start screaming about your awesome sword. You can take this Edge once for each weapon you own.

You Wanna Know How I Got These Scars?- You can elect to take a permanent, visible, identifying scar from a fight in order to recover a full 1d6 from bed rest. NEXT: On your next successful carousing roll, you can perpetrate one self-serving rumor about how you REALLY got that scar.

Field Triage- You may administer first aid mid-combat. On your place in initiative the target of your good graces must make a saving throw (Paralysis in five-save, Tricky/Medium save for XXR). On a successful save they gain 1HP, on a failed save they lose 1HP. NEXT: The save gets easier (death save/Easy save).

Is It A Man Or Demon?- A named foe you have faced and survived before will always believe you have some preternatural edge - a magic spell, a talking sword, something. NEXT: Said foe must Save vs Spells (Hard save for XXR) when next meeting you or suffer the effects of a Fear spell.

I Know A Guy- Once per session in any settlement or city you know of a person (only by reputation) who can provide a piece of knowledge. NEXT: You have a personal acquaintanceship with someone who can provide a tangible benefit (gear, shelter, supplies, enchantment, etc).

Catlike Bastard- You can see in dim light as normal light for your Constitution x3'. NEXT: Improve to Constitution x6' and you can differentiate details like color and texture.

This Was Before The War- What's the pool up to? I was a teacher. A pastime of peacetime serves you well, and you know 1 fun fact or trade secret that can help you out in a dungeon, like maybe you know about types of spiders or how to properly butcher a stag. NEXT: You know a number of these secrets equal to your Intellect bonus, minimum 2. (In XXR terms this translates to a 1pt improvement to your career skill, then an additional 1pt improvement five levels later.)

Anyway It's All In The Reflexes- You never have to roll to catch anything thrown to you or falling toward you, so long as it is not part of an attack. NEXT: You can even make a saving throw (death/Easy) to catch projectiles you are attacked with.


N-N-N-N-Nineteen- You never suffer from discrimination or judgment based on your age...your skills speak for themselves. NEXT: You never suffer from mechanical disadvantages of aging.

My Father's Watch- You possess a keepsake that can never be taken from you except by supranatural means. NEXT: Even if taken by magic or bullshit you can always find it and reclaim it again.

Steady Nerves- You can roll twice for any check related to alcohol, including carousing rolls. NEXT: You suffer no mechanical penalties for combat or morale due to alcohol.

It's Up To You- When you die you can appoint someone to take over for you, either filling your duties or avenging you. This person is considered to have Charisma 18 when it comes to carrying on your legacy. NEXT: They also gain a permanent +1 to saves to avoid dying the same way you died.

It's A Small Town, You Wouldn't Know It- Whenever you describe where you're from roll 1d20. On a 20 the person you're talking to has for whatever reason a favorable opinion of that place and will behave Non-Hostile toward you. This cannot be used in combat. NEXT: Yes it can be used in combat, and when used outside of combat in a major city roll 1d10 instead.

Good Boy- Instead of training a dog with a number of commands equal to 3+ your Intellect bonus (which is what I often do) you can train them with a number of commands equal to your Intellect. NEXT: You can train them with commands equal to your level if that's higher than your Intellect, and if you have been missing for three days your dog will try to look for you.