Sword School - Tempered Steel

[Marr965]

Turning the other cheek is a common tenet of many of what might be called the more civilised religions, but there comes a point where even the least combatative person finds himself saying "No More". These people likely keep no weapons, or even objects likely to be used as weapons in a pinch, so they have to rely upon what they always have: their own two (or possibly more) fists.

The key skill of Tempered Steel is Persuasion, the ability to talk others out of doing harm to you, even when they're in the midst of swinging a sword at your neck. The first user of the school of Tempered Steel was a religious hermit whose home and the community near it were threatened by raiders. It is said that, without taking up a single weapon, he drove the entire band away, shortly before expiring from his wounds.

Level 1: Apprentice
Weapon (Brawl)	-	Use Unarmed attacks with your martial manoeuvres.
Action (Full Defense)	-	Use Full Defense actions in martial manoeuvres. Any attack-related advantages applied to this special attack are instead applied to the next attack you make that isn't a special attack.
Level 2: Initiate
Reed Bends With The Wind	1*	Increase your AP by 1 until your next turn for each time you take this advantage.
Wounded Bear Roars Defiance	-2	This attack may only be made if you have taken one or more Wounds since your last turn.
Level 3: Journeyman
Skill (Persuasion)	-1	As part of this attack, make a Persuasion test against the static defense of the target. If it fails, the attack fails.
Mountain Stands Tall	3	Increase your Resilience by 1 until your next turn.
Level 4: Master
Mastery (I-Ching Divination)	-	Whenever you take damage, increase your AP on the struck location by 1 until your next turn.
Water Flows When Struck	3	Until your next turn, enemies that strike you must make a TN 10 Constitution test or take a level of fatigue.
Level 5: Grandmaster
Sun's Rays Burn All	4	The next attack you make after this one deals +X damage, where X is the number of wounds you take between this attack and that attack.