Cambridge University Treasure Trap

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Warrior Skills

Warrior Skills indicate that a character has spent considerable time and effort practicing and perfecting their skill with a range of weapons. They may be members of the City Militia, tough mercenaries, foppish duelists - the possibilities are endless. All the Churches have militant orders associated with them who have Spiritual Awakening and other Spirit skills alongside Warrior, and the Guild of Warlocks is always looking for new recruits willing to delay their studies in magic in order to concentrate on the arts of fighting. Besides this, many more traditional mages or priests spend some time studying with their more martially-inclined allies in order to learn how to handle a sword, mace or staff in these dangerous times.

Warrior skills available are:

Armour (6xp) [Warrior n]

Allows incresing amounts of armour to be worn effectively.

Berserker (15xp) [Warrior II]

Allows a character enter a berserk rage that enhances fighting prowess.

Blind Fighting (5xp) [Warrior III,V,VII]

Grants the ability to fight while blinded, with increasing effectiveness.

Brawling (2xp) [Melee I/Streetfighter I]

Grants the ability to fight while unarmed, or with improvised weapons.

Combat Awareness (5xp) [Warrior n]

Provides a point of DAC for each four ranks posessed.

Duelling (3xp) [Warrior n]

Gives a character the ability to avoid blows inflicted during a duel.

Extra Rage (8xp) [Berserker, Warrior IV,VI,VIII]

Gives a berserker character the ability to rage more times per day.

Fitness (6xp) [Warrior n]

Health, Fitness and Fortitude grant a character additional hitpoints.

Fortitude (6xp) [Warrior n]

Health, Fitness and Fortitude grant a character additional hitpoints.

Melee (6xp) [Warrior n]

Grants a character progressively better skills with melee weapons.

Missile Competency (10xp) [Warrior I/Subterfuge I]

Grants a character the ability to shoot missile weapons.

Subdual (10xp) [Melee n/Streetfighter n]

Allows a character to fight in a non-lethal manner.

Thrown Competency (5xp) [Warrior I/Wilderness I/Subterfuge I]

Grants a character the ability to throw weapons effectively.

Two-Handed (10xp) (Melee III)

Grants a character the training needed to use a weapon two-handed for additional damage.

Warrior (15xp)

Grants a character access to skills in the warrior tree.

The following lists the warrior skills in detail.

Warrior (15xp)

This skill represents both theoretical instruction and practical experience in melee combat and allows access to combat skills. This skill may be taken multiple times.

Warrior is a required skill for: Armour, Berserker, Combat Awareness, Duelling, Fitness, Fortitude, Melee, Missile Competency, Thrown Competency, Two-Handed and Blind Fighting.

Melee (6xp) [Requires Warrior of equal level] Expand

Melee is the skill which allows a Warrior to do damage with close combat weapons. It may be purchased multiple times.

1. Experience with a specific single-handed melee weapon, allowing the warrior to call SINGLE naturally when striking with the chosen weapon.
2. Either: a thorough grounding in melee skills, allowing the warrior to call SINGLE naturally when striking with any single melee weapon, including two-handed weapons. Or: the ability to use a shield.
3. If not taken at Level II, then the ability to call SINGLE naturally when striking with any single melee weapon, including two-handed weapons. Otherwise the choice of either Shield Use or Ambidexterity (the ability to use and do damage with a melee weapon in your off hand)
4. Whichever of Shield Use or Ambidexterity has not yet been learnt.
5. Advanced experience in melee skills, giving the ability to do +1 natural degree of damage when striking with any melee weapon.
6. Further training with melee weapons, granting the ability to add one degree of unnatural damage to the character's first weapon blow in an encounter. This refreshes as DAC does.
7. Yet more training with melee weapons, granting the ability to add one degree of unnatural damage to the character's first two weapon blows in an encounter. This refreshes as DAC does. This replaces the ability gained from Melee level 6.
8. Expert experience in melee skills, giving the ability to do a further +1 natural degree of damage when striking with any melee weapon. This replaces the ability gained from Melee level 7.

The Melee skill cannot raise a character's damage call with weapons shorter than 24" above SINGLE. This limit is applied before spells, miracles, and non-Melee skills such as Backstab and Berserk. The longest weapon that may be wielded one-handed, regardless of skill, is 42". The longest weapon that may be wielded two-handed, regardless of skill, is 84". These limits are slightly flexible; 5% or so either way is a good guideline. These lengths are in inches because it is the industry standard. This is the only exception to the rule that all measurements in Treasure Trap are metric.

Armour (6xp) [Requires Warrior of Equal Level]

This skill may be taken multiple times.

The character has spent time accustoming themselves to fighting in armour, and can gain benefit from wearing heavier types on more locations. This skill allows a character to operate in a total armour of 4 plus 4 times the Armour skill level (characters with no skill at wearing armour may wear a total of 3 points of armour). Total armour is calculated by adding the armour level worn on each location, but does not include magical or spiritual floating armour. Hence, to wear a full suit of Plate armour is a total of 24 armour points, requiring 5 levels of Armour. This skill may be taken multiple times.

Subdual (10xp) [Requires Melee (and therefore Warrior) or Streetfighter of equal level] INFO

Killing someone with a weapon generally requires only enthusiasm and a little training. Merely incapacitating them is much harder - a character with this skill knows how to disable an opponent without doing them any lasting damage.

You are allowed to add the call SUBDUE to damage with weapons you use, the greatest degree of Subdual damage you can do being equal to your level in the Subdual skill, assuming it is less than or equal to your maximum damage call. E.g. if you can call SINGLE, and buy the first level of Subdual, then you may call either SINGLE or SUBDUE SINGLE. Buying any more levels of Subdual will have no effect. If, however, you can call DOUBLE, then one level of Subdual will allow you to call SUBDUE SINGLE instead of your normal call of DOUBLE (and of course SINGLE). A second level of Subdual will allow you to call SUBDUE DOUBLE.

This skill may be bought multiple times.

Brawling (2xp) [Requires Streetfighter I or Melee I]

The character is able to engage in a 'bar room brawl' using natural and improvised weaponry. All damage is SUBDUE SINGLE. Natural weapon blows (fist, feet, etc) should not come closer than 6" of target; if it is unclear what you are miming, please call them ('knee to groin', etc) instead of miming in a more aggressive fashion. Please be very careful when using this skill, as over-enthusiastic use can lead to unpleasantness. Do not ever use props that are not larp safe to mimic hitting people. To reduce the number of fists flying during melee combat, you may not employ the Brawling skill on a character with a drawn weapon.

Missile Competency (10xp) [Requires Warrior I or Subterfuge I]

You have received specialised training with ranged weapons, and actually paid attention. You gain the following ability to shoot a bow or crossbow for SINGLE THROUGH.

If you wish to take the Missile Competency skill, you must first pass an OOC safety test, as LARP bows are the most potentially dangerous of all the LARP weapons we use.

Throw Competency (5xp) [Requires Warrior I, Wilderness I or Subterfuge I]

You have learnt to improvise in your surroundings, and can use nearly anything as an effective offensive weapon. You can use larpsafe throwing weapons for SINGLE, if you hit.

Combat Awareness (5xp) [Requires Warrior of the same level] INFO

The character is more aware of the cut and flow of combat than others, and can occasionally anticipate a blow and move to avoid its damage. If you have N points of DAC, you have the option of calling NEGATE to any of the first N blows you take from a melee weapon in combat. You cannot exercise this option if you are halted or frozen, or if the damage call from that weapon includes THROUGH or VENOM.

For every 4 ranks a character possesses in this skill they gain 1 point of global dexterity armour (DAC). This ability still works when wearing armour. This skill may be taken multiple times. You may not buy two levels of Combat Awareness and two levels of Agility to gain a point of DAC, but they will stack if you have four levels of both to give two points of DAC.

Fitness (6xp) [Requires Warrior or Wilderness of the same level]

For every 4 levels of Health (see General Skills page), Fitness and Fortitude (in any combination) you gain 2 extra hit points on your chest and head, and 1 on each limb. This skill may be taken multiple times.

Fortitude (6xp) [Requires Warrior of the same level]

For every 4 levels of Health, Fitness and Fortitude (in any combination) you gain 2 extra hit points on your chest and head, and 1 on each limb. This skill may be taken multiple times.

Duelling (3xp) [Requires Warrior of equal level] INFO

The duelling skill grants a character the ability to ignore "TOUCH" calls during a duel, and inflict "TOUCH" as a damage call instead of any other damage call available. "TOUCH" damage is damage just great enough to draw blood, but not severe enough to cause any real harm.

Duelling I allows a character to call "TOUCH" as a damage call. Each additional level of duelling allows a character to ignore one call of touch. For example, Someone with Duelling V would be able to ignore four calls of "TOUCH" on them before the fifth one caused a slight injury and lost them the duel.

Calling damage more than 'TOUCH' technically wins the duel immediately, but such base treachery on the part of the duelist woud be beneath anyone trained in this noble art. In general, such a shocking breach of etiquette would lead to the cad being forcibly ejected from the premises by anyone present possessed of a shred of honour.

For the Duelling rules and traditions, please refer to the INFO.

Berserker (15xp) [Requires Warrior II]

Berserkers are not the most stable of individuals. A character who has bought the Berserker skill is usually unpredictable, and can fly into a berserk rage at the slightest provocation. Renowned for their fearsome combat prowess, berserkers inspire fear in their enemies.

A character who has bought the Berserker skill may, on occasion, lose control of themselves in combat, or when under threat. A berserk rage has an obvious start and end, the player may choose what triggers the rage, and what actions from themselves and people around them bring it to an end. Typically a berserker will flip out when under physical or emotional threat, but anything can set them off. If you buy this skill, you should discuss with the refs the kinds of things likely to send you into a berserk rage, so they have an idea of when it might happen. During the rage, a berserker usually fights madly with little regard to their own safety, but everything else is up to the player. The rage ends when the player chooses, and the berserker will usually be fatigued for a short period afterwards.

Mechanically, a character who has bought Beserker may add one degree of natural damage to their calls during one berserk rage per day. They may fly into a rage more often than this, but they only gain the advantage in one encounter.

The description above loosely covers the roleplay that comes with being a berserker. However the details of what happens are the prerogative of the player. A character without the Berserker skill can still act in the same manner. If you have bought the Beserker skill, and are unsure as to how to behave with it, speak to the refs.

Extra Rage (8xp) [Requires Warrior IV, VI, VIII]

This skill gives a character the ability to add damage when in a berserk rage one more time per day for each time they buy this skill.

Two-Handed (10xp) [Requires Melee III]

Specialised training and conditioning allows a character to utilise the fearsome might of staves, greatswords and polearms. This skill allows them to do +1 degree of damage with two-handed melee weapons. For safety reasons, under no circumstances may a two-handed weapon be used in one hand either to attack or parry. Shifting your grip and flashy fighting are fine, but you must be holding the weapon in both hands if it contacts either another weapon or another player.

A weapon must be at least 42" long to benefit from the Two-Handed skill; see the Melee section for further discussion on weapon lengths.

Blind Fighting I, II, III (5xp) [Requires Melee III, V, VII]

You gain the following abilities at the given level:

1. The fighter has practiced long and hard at fighting blindfolded, with the resultant benefit that they may defend themselves (OOC: fight with eyes open, but call no damage greater than NOTHING even after all damage bonuses) when suffering the BLIND effect.
2. The fighter's practice with fighting blinded has sharpened their other senses to the point where it scarcely matters whether they can see their opponent or not. Under the BLIND call, such a skilled fighter may fight with their eyes open but must call one less degree of damage.
3. A side benefit of the fighter's progress towards the ultimate fighting style is that they no longer need to be able to see their opponent in order to kill them. The fighter may fight normally with their eyes open under the BLIND call, but is not technically immune to it (that is, the BLIND skill still removes their power of sight for purposes such as reading).