Scholar's Dueling Martial Art Form

By Flash Fire

"And is he a man to encounter Tybalt?"
"Why, what is Tybalt?"
"More than Prince of Cats, I can tell you. O, he is the courageous captain of compliments. He fights as you sing prick-song, keeps time, distance, and proportion; rests me his minim rest, one, two, and the third in your bosom: the very butcher of a silk button. A duelist, a duelist!"
- Mercutio and Benvolio, "Romeo and Juliiett" Act II Scene IV

Entrance Requirements: IQ of 10 or higher

Skill Cost: 5 Skills

Timiro Kingdom, the second oldest human kingdom of the world, has taken a turn towards the decadent. Much like France during the Renaissance, nobles duel over the most inconsequential matters, court has turned towards affairs of state and the heart, and the wealthy rest on their laurels. The bane of success, complacency, has begun to hit Timiro with a vengeance.

The upside of this is the success and flourishing of scholarship. With families stuck with several children each and no wars to get them killed in, Timiro family heads have taken the civilized approach: send 'em to college. A new generation of scholars and well-to do lay around campuses with nothing to do. So what's the spawn of a warrior kingdom to do with education? Use it to kill people.

As colleges spread, so do the powers of reason and science. Scholars take up their swords and look at the conditions they must fight in. Most often, they find that they are forced to brawl in city streets or, more preferably, back alleys (no sense in publicizing glorified murder) behind taverns and in shady sections of town. These conditions make it difficult to swing a two-handed great sword, or even the average long sword. A lighter, more thrust-oriented weapon is better suited to these locales, as are short swords and cutlasses. These weapons were found to provide better control, negating many of the bonuses of wearing heavy armor as skilled swordsmen slipped through the chinks (besides which, few college students can afford full plate mail and its uncomfortable to boot). Legwork became more important than forceful arm strikes. Timing and distance were found to mean the difference between life and death.

Psychological effects also differed in combat between two scholars than it did between two soldiers on the battlefield.

Where a soldier simply advances towards their goal, killing only those that stand in their way, killing and maiming is the goal of dueling. Timiro's tradition of honor and chivalry carried through, though it is most often used to find a reason to fight rather than promote kind and charitable behavior. These, combined with the scholar's tendency towards calm and rational thought, has raised a generation of what 20th century Earthlings would call sociopathic killers. The detached and methodic planned death of one's peers would be considered a typical day's behavior. This contrasts with an unspoken rule of sharing information among duelists. A duelist will share with his opponent (or his seconds if the match had been to the death) what the loser did wrong, in order that the art would be better as a whole.

The Scholar Duelist will approach a fight in a calm and composed manner. They treat fighting with the seriousness and respect that it deserves, and not with the hot-blooded flashiness of the average Errol Flynn movie. They will hold back, preferring to feel out the opponent until they feel they have a good enough knowledge of their opponent's moves before moving in for the kill.

Costume: Street clothes of the locale the character lives in, but the preferred outfit will be loose, allowing for full movement of the legs, crotch, and shoulders. A suit of mail or some other form of armor effective against thrust attacks is also popular.

Stance: Sword between the Duelist and his opponent, with the off-weapon hand held forward to help with parrying (often holding a dagger). Weight is on the balls of the feet and slightly forward, off-weapon side leg forward, back foot at a 45-degree angle.

Additional Skills and Bonuses:

WP: SWORD The character gains WP: Sword automatically. If the character has it already, the character gains an additional level of experience in it. In addition to that, the character gets a base bonus of +1 to Strike, Parry, and Throw with the weapon.
+1 to save vs Horror Factor at levels 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15.
+1 to M.E.
+1 to P.P.
+1D6 to Spd.

Basic Attacks:

Hand Strikes: Average Human Punch (1D4), Backhand Strike (1D6)

Foot Strikes: Average Human Kick (2D4), Knee (1D6)

Body Moves: Body Block/Tackle (1D4 plus Knockdown)

Holds: None

Miscellaneous Moves: Entangle, Disarm

Special Attacks:

Time Thrust (Special!) The Time Thrust is an attack, usually to the wrist, made as an opponent prepares to attack. This move takes one action and is done in place of a Parry.
The Duelist rolls to Strike (using Time Thrust bonuses rather than Strike). If the Duelist gets equal to or higher than the attacker, the Fencer's weapon lands first and interrupts the other, meaning no damage is done to the Duelist. If the attacker gets higher, standard Simultaneous Attack rules apply. The attacker can try to defend against the move, but they must spend an attack to do so and have no bonus to parry, due to the suddenness and surprise of the move.
Base Time Thrust bonus is equal to one-fourth of the character's IQ (round up, maximum of 7) plus the character's PP bonus and any bonuses from the weapon itself. This move can only be used once per melee round.

Lunge (Special!) The Lunge is a fast attack used to close distance quickly. The front foot is thrown towards the opponent, carrying the body and the weapon towards him. The Lunge basically is a standard attack with a weapon that produces a Critical Strike.
Successful or unsuccessful, the Lunge requires a Maintain Balance roll of 5 or better to get back into a position of being able to move. This recovery takes an additional attack, making a total of two required for the move. Attacks and parries can still be made while in the lunge position, but are both at -3 and moving is impossible.

Inquartata (Special!) Called the three point lunge in modern fencing, this move consists of throwing the rear leg back and dropping the whole body under an incoming attack. The non-weapon hand is placed flat on the ground to aid in balance. The weapon is thrust outward into the attack, one that the defender will have to struggle to defend against.
The Duelist rolls first to Dodge, with PP bonuses only applicable. Then, they roll to Strike, once again with PP bonuses only added in (one can add bonuses from Dwarven/Kobald weapons as well). The opponent must use an attack to defend against this move, as Automatic Parry won't work. In addition, the character is at +3 to Maintain Balance after a successful Dodge roll, regardless of the Strike Roll, until they rise back into the guard position.
This move takes only one attack, but can only be used once per melee round.

Paired Weapons: Off-Weapon Hand (Special!) When the character is using a one-handed weapon, the opposing hand can be used to assist in parrying. This works effectively like Paired Weapons with the fighter capable of parrying two attacks at once or parrying and striking simultaneously.
This move is not recommended for obvious reasons of how much it hurts the hand. The character's off-weapon hand will take 1D4 damage (or equal to the weapon's normal damage, whichever is lower) for every time this move is used. Use of mail or sturdy leather gauntlets can negate this, though.

Level Advancement Bonuses:
1st: Two Attacks per Melee to Start, +1 to Strike, +2 to Parry/Dodge
2nd: +1 to Time Thrust, +1 to Roll with Punch/Fall/Impact, +1 to Initiative
3rd: Paired Weapons and WP: Knife
4th: +1 Attack Per Melee
5th: Critical Strike on Natural 18-20, Critical Strike from Behind (triple damage)
6th: +2 to Strike, +2 to Parry
7th: Kick Attacks: Karate Style Kick (2D6) and Snap Kick (1D6)
8th: +1 Attack per Melee
9th: WP: Net/Cloak and WP: Shield
10th: Death Blow on Natural 20
11th: +1 to Time Thrust
12th: +1 to Initiative, +2 to Parry/Dodge
13th: Leap Attack
14th: +1 Attack Per Melee
15th: Critical Strike on Natural 17 through 20

Why Study Scholar's Dueling?
Because it is meant to get the job done in the best and most effecient manner possible. This mindset appeals to those with a practical and analytical turn of mind, making it a favorite of architects, scientists, and scholars.

Why Not Study Scholar's Dueling?
Most of the form's abilities and strikes depend on having a weapon. Lack of a proper weapon will hinder the character dramatically. It's also meant for use against single opponents in relatively tight quarters. Battlefield uses are somewhat more limited.