Warriors are fighters trained to use magic to enhance their techniques. They often join other Warriors in groups called orders, living in seclusion in self-sufficient settlements similar to monastic orders.
Karma Ritual
To perform his Karma ritual, a Warrior sits crosslegged, holding a weapon above his knees. After a few minutes of meditation, he levitates as if using the Air Dance talent. The ritual use of this talent does not cause Strain . The Warrior then performs a series of four execrises called the earth defense, the water defense, the fire attack, and the air attack. The ritual ends as soon as the Warrior completes the final move of the air attack.
Karma: The Warrior may spend Karma on Willpower tests.
Talents
Thread Weaving
Down Strike
Fifth Circle
Spell Defense: Increase the Warrior's Spell Defense by 1.
Talents
Missile Weapons
Swift Kick
Sixth Circle
Recovery Test: The Warrior gains an additional Recovery Test per day.
Talents
Analyze Opponent
Life Check
Seventh Circle
Physical Defense: Increase the Warrior's Physical Defense by 1.
Talents
Cobra Strike
Tactics
Eigth Circle
Spell Defense: Increase the Warrior's Spell Defense by 1.
Talents
Second Action
Spirit Strike
Ninth Circle
Karma: The Warrior may spend Karma on Dexterity and Strength tests.
Talents
Cat's Paw
Missile Twister
Ease Wound
Tenth Circle
Karma: The Warrior may spend Karma on Damage tests.
Karma Focus:
When performing her Karma Ritual prior to a significant battle, the Warrior may psychically prepare to improve her chances in battle. For this, make a Karma Ritual test (use Willpower for the attribute). The Warrior gains Karma points equal to the result of this test for the Karma Ritualeven if that brings her over her maximum Karma. Compare the test result to the Warrior's Spell Defense and add the Success Level to her Karma step for the battle, with an Average Success being a 0 step bonus. Failure to fight or fighting dishonorably (by the Warior's own code) in the anticipated battle (including if the battle is averted) reduces the Warrior's Karma step to zero (regardless of other bonuses) until she successfully performs her Karma Ritual again.
Talents
Body Blade
Elemental Tongues
Eleventh Circle
Social Defense: Increase the Warrior's Social Defense by 1.
Physical Defense: Increase the Warrior's Physical Defense by 1.
Talents
Stone Skin
Vitality
Twelth Circle
Initiative: Increase the Warrior's Initiative dice by 2 steps.
Talents
Chameleon
Vital Strike
Thirteenth Circle
Karma: Increase the Warrior's Maximum Karma Points by 25.
Death Stand:
When the warrior makes a Life Check Test, but before the player rolls the talent dice, the player may declare that the warrior is making a Death Stand. Death Stand allows the player to spend as many Karma Points as he wishes for the Life Check Test. He must choose how many points he will spend before rolling any dice. Damage is healed by the results of the Life Check Test as normal.
At the end of each round after the player anounces his character will use Death Stand, the player may again spend as many Karma Points as he wishes to reduce damage taken that round. The warrior dies at the end of the combat or when she runs out of Karma Points. This death cannot be avoided by using a Death Cheat blood charm.
Talents
Safe Path
Multi-Strike
Fourteenth Circle
Physical Defense: Increase the Warrior's Physical Defense by 2.
Initiative: Increase the Warrior's Initiative dice by 1 step.
Talents
Elemental Hold
Aura Armor
Fifteenth Circle
Spell Defense: Increase the Warrior's Spell Defense by 1.
Social Defense: Increase the Warrior's Social Defense by 1.
Physical Defense: Increase the Warrior's Physical Defense by 1.
Talents
Elemental Dance
(unknown)
Original source: Earthdawn, Earthdawn Companion; FASA Corporation
Author: FASA
(Modified 1996.10.23). Notes:
Summary of Changes: Matrix Strike is demoted to a Knack. Earth Skin is removed because there are already 2 other versions of the same talent. Gliding Stride is removed because it is stupid. Second Attack and Second Weapon are replaced by Second Action. Unmount is removed because it is just wrong. Several Talents added, many talents moved about, some holes remain to be filled.
New Talents:
Analyze Opponent: Step: Rank + Pereception Step. Action: Yes. Skill Use: Yes. Requires Karma: No. Strain: 1. Discipline Talent Use: Warrior, Swordmaster. This talent is functionally identical to the Creature Analysis talent, but is not restricted to animals, and may only refer to physical abilities (ie the adept may determine an opponent's Melee Weapons Step, but not his Spellcasting Step).
Second Action: Step: Rank. Action: Yes. Skill Use: No. Requires Karma: No. Strain: 1. Discipline Talent Use: None. The adept may take one additional action in the round, involving any action that otherwise requires a combat action. This does not increase the adept's allowed movement (unless the adept uses a talent which does) and the adept may not perform the same action twice (or?). Any abilities used during a round where Second Action is used have their Rank reduced to the Second Action Rank, unless their circle is higher than the Second Action Rank, in which case their Rank is reduced to the Second Action Rank, minus the difference. (Note: this effectively means the other Talent Rank is reduced to the Second Action Rank or double the Second Action Rank minus the Circle of the other Talent, whichever is lower.)
Ease Wound: Step: Rank + Toughness Step. Action: Yes. Skill Use: No. Requires Karma: Yes. Strain: 1. Discipline Talent Use: Warrior. This talent allows an adept to remove the ill effects of a single wound. The adept must choose which Wound to Ease, and then makes an Ease Wounds Test against his Toughness Step. If the Success Levelexceedsthe Rank of the Wound then that Wound will no longer bleed and the adept will suffer no penalties for that Wound, although the adept is still considered to have a Wound even if all current Wounds have been successfully Eased. Eased Wounds must still be healed normally.
Alternative Ease Wound, suggested by Rene Hanke for people not using our Wound Rank option: Step: Rank + Toughness Step. Action: No. Skill Use: No. Requires Karma: No. Strain: 1. Discipline Talent Use: Warrior. This talent allows the character to ignore the effects of up to Rank Wounds. Directly after taking a wound, the character may decide to ignore the wound and rolls his dice in Ease Wounds against his Toughness Step + already taken wounds. The effect lasts for 24 hours. The character may ignore a wound after the 24 hours period for another 24 hours, but has to roll again and Strain is increased by one per extension. Only successfully ignored wounds may be further ignored.
Multi-Strike: No attacks may be made after the warrior fails a Multi-Strike Test, like Quick Shot and Claw Frenzy.
There are still several unfilled talent slots, and unwritten Talents: Tactics is imilar to the Skill Tactics, but probably not quite so ridiculous in application. Elemental Dance allows the Warrior to join with the elements via a complex merging of dance and combat forms, it should allow a Warrior to fight through a burning building or an avalanche or allow the Warrior to move into a large tree to hide or ambush. I'm definitely still toying with this one, but really, it's fifteenth circle.
This modified version of the Warrior Discipline addresses some of our concerns with the Warrior's Talent selection as published. In particular, we feel that Warriors do not receive their fair share of discipline talents, and many talents are not justified by the Discipline description or are inappropriate to the circle at which they are reached. We also wanted a "cool discipline ability" that could actually be used.
Part of the motivation for the above changes is the idea that Swormasters are meant to win duels and display their skill while Warriors are meant to win or at least survive in larger battles. Probably the most significant changes are the advancing of Multi-Strike and replacement of Second Attack and Second Weapon. I felt Multi-Strike is a pathetic ability, sucking strain like a vacuum for something Beastmasters have been doing since seventh circle. Also, the late learning of Second Attack and Second Weapon and the fact that they are Discipline only for the Swordmaster indicates to us that they do not mesh properly with the Warrior's way of life, so I replaced both talents with the single "Second Action" talent, which is meant to allow Warriors to execute the more complex battle maneuvers and tactics which should be expected of them. Also, we treat Swift Kick as the Unarmed Combat equivalent of Second Weapon rather than just an unmodifiable kick as many people seem to. The removal of Second Attack and Second Weapon also help justify the advancement of Multi-Strike which definitely replaces both. I am hoping that a slightly stronger Swift Kick and many Knacks available will be sufficient to make the longer span before a weapon oriented ability presents itself more survivable and palatable.
Also, I could go on quite extensively about how the Warrior discipline gets the shaft almost universally in talent selection and definition, but I'll spare you that.
Thanks to Rene Hanke for suggestions and comments.