Stunts

Equipment Stunts

In a fight it can make a big difference whether you hold a sword, a two-handed battle axe, or a potato peeler, so we use some rules for equipment, particularly weapons and armor.

A stunt can reflect specialized, high-quality, or exotic equipment that your character has access to that gives them a frequent edge over other characters.

Your character starts with one equipment stunt, which works like a normal stunt but has a few additional options. If a piece of equipment is such an important part of your character, you may even want to name it.

Basic Effects: Equipment stunts can take a form similar to regular or innate stunts.

With skills:

Because I have [describe item], I get +2 when I [pick one: attack, defend, create advantages, overcome] with [pick one: Fight, Shoot] when [describe a narrow circumstance].

or

Because I have [describe item], I can substitute my [pick one: Fight, Shoot] skill for [normally used skill] when I [pick one: attack, defend, create advantages, overcome] when [describe a narrow circumstance].

Stiletto: Because I hide a nasty stiletto in my boot-top, I get +2 to attacks with Fight when my opponent have their back to me.

Knight's Shield: Because I have my knight's shield, I get +2 to defend with Fight from opponents coming from my left.

Sword of Theseus: Because I wield the ancient sword of the hero Theseus, I can use Fight instead of Provoke to create an advantage by intimidating my opponents when they have a clear view of the brandished sword.

With approaches:

Because I have [describe item], I get +2 when I [pick one: Carefully, Cleverly, Flashily, Forcefully, Quickly, Sneakily] [pick one: attack, defend, create advantages, overcome] when [describe a narrow circumstance].

Two-Handed Battle Axe: Because my trusty two-handed battle axe has a mighty arc, I get a +2 when I Quickly attack from above (such as leaping off a building).

My Father's Helmet: Because I have my father's helmet, I get a +2 bonus when I Flashily create an advantage by yelling a short encouragement to my troops on the battlefield.

Round Buckler: Because I have a round buckler, I get a +2 when I Carefully defend when facing only one opponent.

Weapon Combinations: What if you are specifically trained with sword and shield, or are a master of the two-sword technique? Do you need to spend two stunts on the combination, one for each hand? Not necessarily. You could attach a stunt to the combination itself, using the same formula as above.

Florentine Style: Because I fight with sword and dagger, I get +2 when I successfully make a Fight attack against an opponent in single combat.

Sword and Shield: Because I have a sword and shield, I get +2 when I Carefully defend against damage coming from my off-side.

Lethal Damage: Lethal damage does not deal stress points—it goes directly to consequences (more on this in Advanced Conflict below.) If you want to have a weapon stunt that lets you do lethal damage instead of one of the basic effects, it must have the form of:

Because I have [weapon], once per session I deal lethal damage when I make a [pick one: Fight, Shoot] attack successfully.

or

Because I have [weapon], once per session I deal lethal damage when I make a [pick one: Careful, Clever, Flashy, Forceful, Quick, Sneaky] attack successfully.

See "Lethal Attacks" for more.

Damascus Steel Sword: Because my damascus blade holds a fine edge that can pierce armor, once per session I deal lethal damage when I make a Fight attack successfully.

Spiked Morningstar "Skullbreaker": Because my heavy morningstar crushes my foes' bones, once per session I deal lethal damage when I make a Forceful attack successfully.

Poisoned Dagger: Because I have a hollow dagger with a poison reservoir, once per session I deal lethal damage when I make a Sneaky attack successfully.

Zones and Ranged Weapons: An equipment stunt could also be used to affect opponents in other zones, or affect an entire zone with an attack.

Because I have [weapon with long reach or range] I can use [pick one: Fight, Shoot] to attack, create advantage, or overcome in [pick one: my zone and adjacent zones, up to three zones away but not in my zone].

or

Because I have [weapon with long reach or range] I can [pick one: Carefully, Cleverly, Flashily, Forcefully, Quickly, Sneakily] attack, create advantage, or overcome in [pick one: my zone and adjacent zones, up to three zones away but not in my zone].

or

Because I have [a weapon that affects multiple targets], once per session I can attack every opponent in [pick one: my zone, an adjacent zone].

See also "Zones and the Battlefield" for more info about zones.

Hallberd: Because I whirl my hallberd with flair, I can use Fight to attack, create advantages, or overcome in my zone or an adjacent zone.

Bow and Arrow: Because I have a bow and arrow, I can use Shoot to attack, create advantages, or overcome up to three zones away, but not in my zone.

Throwing Knives: Because I wield throwing knives, I can Quickly attack, create advantages, and overcome in my zone and adjacent zones.

Alchemical Bombs: Because I create volatile alchemical concoctions, once per session I can attack every opponent in my zone.

Heavy Shield: Because I have a heavy shield on my right arm, I get +2 to Forcefully push an opponent into an adjacent zone.

Equipment Stunts and Weight: Equipment stunts can also add weight in conflicts. See "Stunts and Weight" for more detail and examples.

Repair and Replacement: Damaged or lost stunt equipment can be repaired in play, or replaced as a stunt transfer as part of normal milestone advancement.

Stunts and Weight

Some stunts can also affect weight. They typically take the form of:

When I use my [talent, advantage, equipment, or riding beast] in [pick as appropriate: social, mental, physical, etc.] conflict, my weight counts as 2 in [narrow circumstance].

Battledress Armor: Because I wear my battledress, my weight counts as 2 when defending against physical attacks.

Wolf Rider: When I ride my faithful dire wolf into battle, my weight counts as 2 in physical conflicts against opponents of individual weight 2 or less.

Princeling: Because I am a princeling by-blow of King Olaf, my weight counts as 2 in social conflicts involving Vikings.

Barbaric Yawp: When I sound my barbaric yawp, my weight counts as 2 in the first round of physical conflicts.

Big-Ass Axe: Because I am a Giant Creature of Destruction that wields a Big-Ass Axe, in physical conflicts my weight counts as 4 when I charge into melee. (Takes two stunt slots, i.e., two points of refresh. An appropriate stunt if playing a cave troll, for instance).

The GM and player can decide at the table if this type of stunt would go into their equipment slot or not, if applicable. Is your Big-Ass Axe considered your only weapon, or do you have that and a great spear?