Fighters & Weapon Proficiencies

"If you get caught by two Guardsmen on patrol you'll have a chance to get away. If the alarm bells are rang they will likely arrive with reinforcement and lethal arms. If you really dagger things up they'll set themselves upon the mechanical siren-horns, which will put the local military garrison in high alert -- you'll be better off just jumping straight into the sewers if that happens!"
-Polly the Burglar, advising a novice group on their heist. . .

Fighters, through their training at the Academies across the Mother Empire gain access to Weapon Proficiencies, specialized methods of employing their arms in combat. Some Weapon Profiencies are a basic skillset for a particular weapon type -- others are a specialized focus on a particular weapon. Still further Weapon Proficiencies deal with certain Styles of combat that opens up still further options.

Some examples of Weapon Profiencies: Weapon Proficiency: Swords, Weapon Proficiency: Daggers, Weapon Style: Twin Weapons, Mixed Weapon Style: Daggers, Weapon Specialization: Light Blades, Twinned Weapon Style, Shield Proficiency.

Each Weapon Proficiency gives a Fighter access to an Advanced Attack and a Power Attack when equipped in a manner specific to that Proficiency. A Fighter may learn many Proficiencies across his lifetime, limited only by his funds and time devoted to further study at the Academy or a private Arms-Master. The one caveat is that a Fighter may only retain one of any sort of overlapping Proficiency. For instance: A Fighter may only know Weapon Proficiency: Swords OR Weapon Specialization: Light Blades. Also: Some Proficiencies are a prerequisite for another. For example, access to training in Light Blade specialization is only possible AFTER having trained in the basic Proficiency in Swords.

A Fighter learning the Mixed Weapon Style from her Arms-Master

The beginning set of Proficiencies available to the Fighter in the playtest will include options for basic Proficiency in the included weaponry, as well as Style Proficiencies in Two-handed Weapons, Twinned Weapon Style and Shield use. I have included some examples below of two such proficiencies directly from my draft notes.

Weapon Proficiency: Maces (Requires: Strength 1, Agility 1)
You have learned how to capitalize on the tremendous crushing power of Maces.
Advanced Attack: You must NOT move as part of this attack. Make one attack against two different targets in Melee Range.
Power Attack: You must have Poise to employ this move. Make an attack against one target. If it hits, you Stun the target in addition to double normal damage. If it misses, you do normal damage as if you hit.

Weapon Proficiency: Swords (Requires: Strength 1, Agility 1)
You have honed your skill in blades so as to cause maximum effect with their edges.
Advanced Attack: You must have Poise to employ this move. Make an attack. If it hits, you cause Bleeding equal to (Agility * Damage Grade of Weapon used) that requires a Standard Save to remove.
Power Attack: You must be Flanking your target to make this attack. Attack one target, if it hits you cause Bleeding equal to (Agility * Damage Grade of Weapon used * 2). You also deal an additional 2d6 Damage with this attack if it connects successfully.

Note: Weapon Proficiency -- like most all abilties within Sophia's Children -- is NOT an effect of "Character Building" and is NOT limited by "skill points" (no such pretense exists in the System) et cetera (except in case of "overlapping" Proficiencies as noted above). The character pays for this training and looks for access to trainers during the play of the game itself. Indeed, a Fighter may find in her adventures special Arms-Masters that can teach alternate variations of certain Proficiencies and still more exotic Specializations.