Physical Balance (sage study)

Sometimes, combatants must sustain their attacks under unusual circumstances

Physical balance is a sage study in the field of Mastery at Arms, which describes the practice of conserving equilibrium and maintaining a stable, upright position. In fighting, these characters have a superior defensive ability through holding themselves at the ready at all times. Character with physical balance skills also learn how to recognize faults in an enemy's balance, enabling them to exploit their opponent's weaknesses.

Training includes making the most of the character's strength, flexibility, intuition and overall fitness, in order to build courage, confidence and self-discipline. In part, the study includes exemptions to standard combat rules, enabling the character to move and shift on a battlefield in a manner different from other combatants.

Sage Abilities

The sage abilities below are those acquired by a character through the study, according to status.

Amateur Status

• Balance Load: decreases the penalty of encumbrance against the character.

• Defense I: the character's natural armour class is improved by 2 pts., to AC 8, when the character wears no armour at all.

• Flexibility: provides multiple benefits from the character's overall balance in fighting.

• Stand Ground: when overbearing or being overbeared, the character's weight is counted as 50% higher than it actually is.

Authority Status

• Defense II: improves the character's armour class overall, so that the character is -3 AC when unarmoured.

• Dropping Weight: when attacking an enemy that has been stunned the round before, the character is able to use his body mass to increase the momentum of the next strike, causing an additional 2 hit points of damage if the hit is made.

• Leap: enables the character to jump a distance of two hexes while in combat (1 AP); a backwards leap cannot be made.

• Safe Position: when fighting three or more combatants simultaneously, the character is able to take a position within the hex where one of his enemies will be unable to attack. The same ability also gives a +2 armour class bonus against enemies using weapons shorter than 4 ft. long.

Expert Status

• Bob & Weave: so long as it's not done upon two consecutive rounds, the character may forego the movement penalty for moving out of a melee hex.

• Bound: enables the character to jump a profound distance of three hexes while in combat (2 AP); a backwards leap of two hexes can be made (1 AP).

• Like a Rock: when overbearing or being overbeared, the character's combat weight is counted as double the actual amount.

Sage Status

• Float Vault: enables the character to spring forward five hexes through the air, so long as some surface is touched mid-journey — such as the head or shoulder of an enemy, for example (3 AP).

See also,
Assassin Sage Abilities
Fighter Sage Abilities
Paladin Sage Abilities
Ranger Sage Abilities