Thursday, August 5th

The Daily Report

Well, I hit an important monthly milestone sometime in the past couple of days: first sale on Amazon. On a more personal milestone, I've apparently stopped feeling forlorn when the sales drop from whatever to 0 overnight on the first of the month. I think this is only the second time this month I looked at my sales figures.

Today for work I'm going to be focusing on e-book conversions, getting Omnibus II ready for e print dot internet and getting the stories and books I have into different formats, which is an important step in my commercial operations and the eventual fulfillment of the fundraiser perks.

The State of the Me

My sleep last night was pretty terrible: shallow, late, and fragmented. I think I waited one day (or rather night) too many to go back to my parents' house. I just didn't want to miss any of my moving prep days... now I'm not sure how much I'll actually get done today. On the plus side it's a wet and gray day (though still projected to hit the 90s) which means I might be able to sleep more during the day, and it won't be as draining to do physical activity. It's just that ideally I would be doing that right now when it's still below 70 degrees, and I don't think I'm at all up for it.

What makes the sleep thing worse is that my cat is really clingy right now because I've been bouncing in and out of the house. He doesn't sleep with me, partly because I'm such an active/mobile sleeper and partially because he likes to be higher up and I sleep on the floor, but if he notices that I'm awake he'll sometimes come over to give/demand affection... well, when he's clingy, "sometimes" is "every time".

Plans For Today

I'm going to focus on Omnibus II first and foremost, because I'm only going to have a laptop again for the next few days and it's the biggest file I have to deal with. I'm also thinking about stuff I can do that will at least make more room up here but not require a lot of exertion.

AWW: Fenced In

Today's CQ preview is the Fencer. This one might be harder to make sense of without knowing the minutiae of the combat system, because this is a quality that is all about leveraging the minutiae of the combat system.

In keeping with the game's whole approach to weapon and character design, there's not a limit on what specific types of weapons can be used with fencing abilities, but rather a definition that they must fulfill: they must have the nimble trait (which aids attacks for effect) and the defensive trait (which aids parrying), and they must not be either heavy or huge. The inclusion of two-handed weapons in the definition is meant to allow for stickfighters.

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FENCER
NOTE: For purposes of all the following abilities, "fencing weapons" must be close weapons that are not heavy or huge, and have the nimble and defensive traits. If you have any unarmed combat training, your hands (and other built-in striking surfaces) also count as fencing weapons. All close attacks you make with a fencing weapon are defined as either thrusting or swinging, at your choice. A weapon does not need the swinging trait to be swung, but any attack that benefits from that trait is a swinging attack, obviously.
Basic Abilities
[A] Fencer's Weapon: You can either have a close weapon (one-handed or two-handed) with the nimble, defensive, and superior traits or you can add these traits to a weapon that otherwise fits the definition of a fencing weapon. Any traits that are redundant can be made extra or replaced with a Martial Combat Technique applicable to the weapon. Alternately, you can take any three Martial Combat Training or Technique details that deal with unarmed combat.

[A] En Garde: When you fight with a fencing weapon, you have a +1 bonus to parry and to effect using that weapon. From level 1, you can add half your level to this bonus. When you make a focused defense or focused attack, use your full level instead.

Standard Abilities
The Primacy of the Point: When you make a thrusting attack with a fencing weapon, cut the interrupt penalty by half your level. If your weapon is quick, also add its quickness bonus to attack.

The Power of the Swing: When you make a swinging attack with a fencing weapon, add a damage bonus equal to half your level (round up). If your weapon has the swinging trait, use your full level.

Effective Counter: When you parry with a fencing weapon against an enemy you are not attacking during the round, your next attack against that enemy with a fencing weapon before the end of the next round takes your level as an attack bonus. You can only have one such bonus at a time.

Touche: When you score a glancing hit with a fencing weapon, you can forego any damage or effect it would inflict. If you do so, you gain bonus equal to your level to an attack of a mental against the same target made before the end of the next round. If the attack is for effect only, treat the bonus as an effect bonus.

Advanced Abilities
Level 2 Lunge: Once per round you can move up to 1D before attacking an opponent with a fencing weapon and still be considered to be standing still for the round (assuming there is no other movement). You must be capable of movement to do so. You take your full movement bonus for this round as if you were running but no movement penalty. This allows you to take advantage of abilities that require you to be still, or to make a focused attack while still moving, or make a surprise attack without taking a penalty for movement.

Level 4 Unbalancing Defense: Once per round when you parry a close attack with a fencing weapon or dodge a close attack, you can use your Defense Check as a check to set-up the target.

Level 6 Offhand Riposte: Once per round when you parry an attack with a fencing weapon, you can make an immediate unarmed attack, mental attack, or attack with another weapon you're holding as a reaction. This attack can gain the benefit of Effective Counter without "overwriting" an existing bonus. Similarly, if you set your opponent up using Footwork on the same attack, the effect points gained can be used immediately without wiping out effect points held against another enemy.
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Note: setting up a target (as referenced in the Level 4 ability) is a way of doing a multi-stage attack for effect. If you can't get enough effect points to, say, disarm an opponent (the more skilled they are, the more effect points your attack has to score to achieve this), you can set them up this round (scoring extra effect points against them in advance) and then attack them to try to disarm them the next.

As with everything else in the game system, set-up is an abstract mechanic that can cover a lot of different things. Setting up a trick shot with a ranged attack might just be a Perception Check to scope out the lay of the land, it might be a Deception Check to lure a target into just the right position, it might be a distracting feint, and in the case of the Fencer's Unbalancing Defense ability it simply takes the form of effective footwork in a dodge or a parry that forces an opponent off balance or loosens their grip on their weapon.

The "Touche" ability is effectively another type of multi-stage attack, where an attack that might have only inflicted a small amount of damage can be converted into an impromptu set-up for your next attack... effectively, the bonus here represents the sting of pain and/or humiliation as you toy with your opponent. Mental attacks include social/verbal attacks, so the effect here is that you tear their clothing, trim their hair, or simply sting their skin and then taunt them about it. This is especially useful against opponents who would be able to effectively ignore small amounts of physical damage... or large amounts. While the ability is triggered on a glancing hit, you don't need an ability to turn a solid hit into a glancing one if you desire.

This CQ has some interesting crossover potential with the Brawler, especially if you level up Brawler to level 3, when you can pull a fencing-suitable improvised weapon out of the environment. Even before that, though, both CQs allow a mix of unarmed and armed attacks. Basically, this combination is meant to allow for a Jackie Chan movie-style fighter who relies on wild improvisation to keep foes on their toes (until they can be knocked off of them).

AWW: Scholastic achievements.

I'll do two of these today, because I'm too tired physically to do what I had set aside for today.

Scholar--like Coward and Fool--was one of the first things I came up with as a definite strong yes archetype to be included that didn't fit neatly into a character class, and it's only gone through some minor thematic adjustments. In particular, its connection to magic has been strengthened slightly.

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SCHOLAR
Basic Abilities
[A] Scribal Training: You can write in elaborate and pleasing calligraphic styles, and are assumed to carry a sufficient quantity of parchment, ink, and quills or other suitable materials for writing, drawing maps, etc., which you can do in an exceedingly fine hand. For any check that involves writing or drawing in ink, you can roll twice and use the better result and you can complete the task in half the time. If you have training in painting or another artistic medium that can be done on paper or canvas, you can also roll twice for that. You can also roll twice for any check to decipher languages, to recognize written forgeries, any check that benefits from a tome or reading materials, or other checks that hinge on reading.

[A] Studious Nature: You can double the bonus for taking extra time on a Mind Check, Perception Check, or Willpower Check and eliminate the possibility of a flub when taking two or more levels. However, anytime you use this ability, you grow unaware of events around you and fail any reactive checks while you're engaged in the task.

Standard Abilities
Book Learning: For each level, you gain one Knowledge Detail and either the ability to speak, read, and write one language or the ability to read and write two languages. You can add your level to any Knowledge Check you make, any check you make to decipher text, and any check made to locate a book, file, or record, or find information within a book, file, or set of records. You can also add half your level to any check to activate, deactivate, or manipulate runes.

Think Fast: Once per round, you can make a Perception Check, Mind Check, or Willpower Check for reasons other than an attack or spell as an extra action or reaction. Outside of a fight scene, whenever you have to make a reactive Perception, Mind, or Willpower Check, you can also roll a check on another of those attributes and use the better result.

Portable Library: For each level, you have two Gear Points that can be spent on books of any kind (including wizards' implements, but not traits for said implements), spell focuses of the scroll/page type, or other written materials. You can reserve up to half of these Gear Points to be used spontaneously during adventures as the need arises. You can also add your level to any check to locate a rare text or works on a subject.

Bibliomancy: You can add a +1 bonus to Spell Checks that benefit from a grimoire or scroll spell focus. When doing so and taking at least two levels of extra time, you can use Mind for Spell Checks, though you must subtract 2 from the extra time bonus. If you are using Magic rather than Mind, you can double any extra time bonus you take.

Advanced Abilities
Level 2 Triumph of Reason: Once per scene, you can substitute a Mind Check or Perception Check for any non-Spell Check. Apply all normal bonuses but also add half your level to the check.
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Level 4 Applied Physics: You can add Mind or Perception to any other attribute for purposes of damage modifiers in combat, or use either attribute for any attacks for effect. Alternately, as an extra action you can add your Mind or Perception to an ally's attribute for damage modifier purposes. Outside of fight scenes, double the benefit you give when you aid a check for some physical action with a Mind or Perception Check.

Level 6 A Place To Stand: Once per round, you can set up an opponent using Mind or Perception as an extra action, as long as you aren't attacking them that round. You can use Mind or Perception for Influence Checks and social attacks. Enemies will react as if these are a soft approach if they succeed but hard if they fail.
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Note that a lot (but not all) of the Scholar's abilities can use Perception or Mind. Combine with Tracker and you've got a TV detective.

The ability to cast spells from books and scrolls without Magic given enough time allows you to make a "low magic" magician as opposed to a full-fledged wizard... think Giles compared to Willow. A spell focus is restricted in nature (only sleep spells, only fire spells) but a grimoire is simply an implement in the form of a book, so a Scholar who lugs one around is a complete but slow substitute wizard. This ability does not require you to use your own grimoire, so if you've got a Scholar traveling with a wizard and the wizard is incapacitated or unavailable but left their spellbook lying around, or the party is able to locate one mid-adventure (which the Scholar is better at doing anyway) then the Scholar can pinch-hit.

For actual wizards who are also Scholars, the bonus for using written materials isn't classed as an element bonus, which means it stacks with all wizardly specializations. Also note that the ability to substitute attributes is transitive, so if you're a Necromancer Scholar with no Magic, you can use your necromancy bonuses with spells you cast from your grimoire using Mind as well as with spells you cast directly using a Necromancer-compatible attribute.