Creating Your Own Dueling Styles

Making your own Dueling Styles is actually rather

easy. Choose the type of blade and stance favored by
the style and five Maneuvers that are “trademarks”
of the style. Give it a special ability that works when
properly armed, such as a mitigated penalty, or some
sort of +1 bonus. For the final secret, use the other
styles as examples. Usually they involve something
special that happens on a Mighty Success, or an
ability to spend Fortune Points to do something out of
the ordinary. Come up with a story about the founder
of this style, and what its guiding philosophy is (i.e.
why those Maneuvers, blade, and stance were chosen).
What nuances describe how a fencer of this style fights
that sets him apart from other fencers? Where did the
style originate and where is it popular today?

Social Combat & Repartee

Marquise de Merteuil: I became a virtuoso of deceit. It
wasn’t pleasure I was after, it was knowledge. I consulted
the strictest moralists to learn how to appear, philosophers
to find out what to think, and novelists to see what I could
get away with, and in the end, I distilled everything to one
wonderfully simple principle: win or die.
–Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
the Merchant career, while a fancy dress ball would
They say the pen is mightier than the sword—but the utilize Courtier, or a scientific debate would utilize
tongue is a close second. A few quick words can send Scholar as the most important career.
one’s enemy into a rage, or make them cower with
fear. Repartee is as much a part of a swashbuckling The Time Frame: The GM should set a time frame
duel as swordplay! Being able to get under your foe’s during which the Social Combat takes place. It could
skin can force them to make a crucial mistake and be over a few minutes or it could be over several
lead to your victory. Likewise, there is more than one hours. It could even take place by correspondence
kind of duel. A sharp tongue can make a lady of the over a period of months! Unlike normal combats
court more feared than any duelist, as she shames which usually continue indefinitely until one side or
nobles who cross her. the other is defeated, Social Combats usually only
last for a certain number of rounds. Unlike combat
rounds, Social Combat rounds may represent varying
Social Combat amounts of time, decided by the GM. A typical Social
The Object: In a peaceful social situation, a PC may Combat lasts 5 rounds, while a longer one would last
nevertheless find themselves in a hostile environment, 10 rounds. The GM decides based on the enormity
where friends and enemies are indecipherable. A of the task. The more rounds it lasts, the more likely
character might engage in “social combat” of insults, the Social Combat will end with a definitive result. It
retorts, veiled threats, gossip, flattery, etc. Here the is not unusual for a Social Combat to end with neither
“attacker” is trying to bully, trick, or persuade the participant being completely beaten. These sorts of
other party to do something they otherwise wouldn’t. events, where a person storms out of a room, should
Instead of attacking Lifeblood, the attacker tries to be rare.
make them lose all Composure, whereupon they are
defeated. Just like a regular combat, you roll initiative; In Social Combats, characters only have Major
though in this case the Careers that would be useful Actions. They may choose to use it to attack, defend,
for breaking ties are based on the sort of social or recover. A character may also Split their action
situation involved. A business deal might utilize (but not to recover).
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The Attack: When you engage in Social Combat, Social Defense: When you are attacked, your
the GM has you roll Flair, possibly aided by Careers, Daring, Savvy, or Flair will act as a sort of passive
against one of the opponent’s Qualities (usually defense. However, you can also choose to actively
Daring, Savvy, or Flair). In addition to rolling dice, defend, by using your Major Action. This works like
role-play what you are saying/doing. If it’s good, the a verbal Parry, where you essentially cut off the other
GM may give a +1 bonus to the roll. If it’s fantastic, person and leave them dumbstruck before they can
the GM may give a +2 bonus to the roll. Tip: if you finish their barrage. To do this, roll using the Quality
aren’t as sharp-tongued as your character, it may be that was being attacked along with any appropriate
a good idea to have a few clever remarks prepared Career. This is a contested roll against the opponent’s
ahead of time. Books, movies, and TV shows are all attack. If it equals or exceeds their attack is stopped
good inspiration for this. dead. If you get a Mighty Success, you may make a
free Social Combat attack against them (a truly witty
A successful attack indicates the opponent loses 1
riposte). If you roll a Calamitous Failure, you lose 2
point of Composure. A Mighty Success would be 2
Composure instead of 1.
points. A Calamitous failure means that the attacker
trips on his own words or makes a serious error and Recovering Composure: A character can use
loses 1 Composure. a Major Action to regain 1 point of Composure, or
The Quality the opponent uses to defend depends on alternatively spend 1 Fortune Point to regain 1
the nature of the attack. Daring would be used to Composure without using an action.
resist intimidation, veiled threats, etc. Savvy would Winning and Losing: A character whose Composure
be used to avoid flattery, deception, or seduction. has been reduced to 0 has lost all Composure and
Flair would be used to resist insults, gossip, or peer cannot regain it for the rest of the scene. In social
pressure. The defender may also add an appropriate situations, a character is “defeated”. An insulted
Career to their defending Quality. noble might storm off in a huff, a criminal might
As a character loses Composure, they become so reveal information you were trying to pry from them,
shaken that they begin making a lot of mistakes. a maiden may give in to your seduction, or a foe may
Each time you lose a point of Composure, you get -1 fall for your bluff and surrender, etc. However, the time
penalty to all rolls; except those that aid you in fleeing frame may expire before there is any clear “winner”.
the scene or giving up. This penalty accumulates to a When a PC is defeated in a Social Combat, the GM
maximum of -3, when all Composure is lost (which should ask the player to describe what they do in
ends a Social Combat). Once a new scene begins, all response. Players don’t really like losing control over
Composure is restored. their characters’ actions. Let the player say “I storm
Hangers-On: Just like a physical combat, Social out of the room” or “I throw my drink in his face” or “I
Combats allow characters to have pawns aid them in challenge him to a duel” as they see fit. If the response
their attacks. These sycophants will laugh or posture is appropriate, award a Fortune Point. If the response
menacingly on cue, following the lead of whomever is is inappropriate, explain this to the player and give
their leader. Each pawn adds +1 to the attacker’s roll, them a chance to try again. Try framing the situation
up to a maximum of +3. from the perspective of the character. “Margarite has
just been totally humiliated by this man. She can feel
Pawns can likewise be targeted by Social Combat, everyone in the room staring at her, and even hears a
but only have 1 Composure. An insulted pawn will few of them begin to laugh. What does she do?”
make their excuses and leave immediately if an attack
succeeds against them. A Mighty Success causes If a Social Combat ends up instigating a duel, treat
1d6+1 pawns to leave. Multiple pawns may be defeated this as a new scene. So everyone’s Composure is
serially per turn as well. After one pawn is defeated, restored. Anyone who had “lost all Composure” right
the character may attack another at -1. If that one is before the duel began would begin with 1 less point of
defeated, they may attack another at -2, etc. until they Advantage, though, as a result of being rattled.
“miss” or all the pawns have left.

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 Taunt
If you are trying to taunt, mock, or anger your
opponent, roll Flair + any appropriate Career against
their Flair + appropriate Career. If you succeed, your
opponent shows embarrassment and frustration, and
loses 1 Composure. Instead of a penalty to all dice
rolls, however, Composure lost to a Taunt instead
gives a penalty to Defense, as his anger makes him
reckless.

Example: Garrett is in a duel with a man who accused him of

sleeping with his wife. Wanting to upset the opponent so he’ll
make a mistake, Garret says, “If you survived a duel with every
man who slept with your wife, you must be the best swordsman
in all England!” Garrett’s Flair is 2 and he has 2 points in the
Performer Career, which the GM decides would be helpful here,
for a +4 roll. Garrett’s opponent has a Flair of 1 and 1 in Noble,
which the GM also decides is useful in this Repartee—making
Garret’s roll a difficulty of -2. With a net +2, Garret rolls a 7,
succeeding in causing his opponent to fume with anger, and lose 1
Composure. Garrett’s opponent now has -1 to his Defense.

Trick
If you try to trick, distract, or deceive your opponent,
roll Flair + appropriate Career vs. the opponent’s
Savvy + Career. If you succeed, the foe has fallen for
your deception and is taken aback by it. Instead of
losing Composure, he gets a Penalty Die on his next
roll, even if that is an initiative roll. These effects are
not cumulative with other tricks.

Example: Gaston is fighting a leader of some bandits. Knowing

Repartee in Physical Combat the fellow isn’t very bright, he tells him his shoes are untied, at
Just as you can use verbal barbs to sting an opponent which the bandit looks down, and realizes he’s wearing boots—
in Social Combat, you can also use them to fluster an allowing Gaston to seize the initiative and deal him a crippling
opponent you are fighting physically. When you bring injury before he can attack.
Social Combat into a physical fight, this is called
“Repartee”. Repartee works very similarly to Social Intimidate
Combat, but there are a few differences. If you try to intimidate, frighten, or worry your
opponent, use Flair + Career vs. the opponent’s
A foe who lost all Composure in combat does not give
Daring + Career. If you succeed, the foe is scared, and
up, but retains the penalties until they spend actions
loses 1 Composure. The penalties from Composure
to Regain Composure, their attacker is defeated, or
loss to intimidation do not apply to rolls to escape
the scene ends. The penalties accrued in Repartee are
the scene.
situational (see below).
Using Repartee to insult, intimidate, taunt, or in Example: A young noble has challenged Gaston to a duel.
other ways goad an opponent uses a Major Action, just Wanting to unnerve him to gain the upper hand before they start,
as if they had spent it swinging a sword. Like most Gaston says, “of course, I’ll ensure you receive a decent funeral.
other actions, you can choose to split your action, but The undertaker gives me a discount for bringing him so much
only one may be used for Repartee. Repartee Attacks business.” Gaston has Daring 2 and Soldier 2, which the GM
and Defense are handled just like they are in Social thinks will help intimidate. Gaston’s opponent has a Daring of 0
Combat. Below are the main modes of attack in and no appropriate Career. Gaston rolls a 6 on 2d6 +4 getting
Repartee. a 10, enough to cause his opponent sufficient alarm that he loses
1 Composure.
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