#sellsword

[leafaske]

some exploratory sketches in the early process of designing new Brawlhalla characters

[scrubben]

what do you fight for, sellsword?

[alethianightsong]

I've been thinking about how ridiculous the Yunkish soldiers are and then it hit me: Yunkai and Astapor haven't been to war in centuries.

It's been a while since I've read ADWD part 2 but I know that the army had a rotating roster of enslavers and they all had a gimmick. Some kept their soldiers chained together, one guy had soldiers on stilts, and one had half-naked soldiers with erotic shields. It's a ridiculous pageant that would quickly fall apart when faced with real combat. I kept wondering if the Yunkai'i and Astapori were that stupid until it hit me that they've been letting the Unsullied do most of their fighting for the past few centuries and probably use enslaved Unsullied generals who went with Dany. Yes, they have a few thousand enslaved soldiers defending their walls but I don't think they've been on the offensive since Valyria conquered them. They have no real experience with how combatants should dress or be equipped and since they're entitled slavers, they're not gonna stoop to asking one of their enslaved soldiers if they're waging war correctly. The sellsword companies they hired to fight for them must be annoyed as hell cuz they're professional killers being dictated to by squabbling rich idiots who are dressing their enslaved soldiers in the Essos equivalent of clown costumes. Which brings me to how I think Barristan Selmy will win the battle outside of Meereen. The slavers' army is a mix of mercenaries and gimmicky slave soldiers that are definitely going to trip up the sellswords, assuming they don't say "Screw it" and start cleaving their way through their own allies so they can fight without fools underfoot. Predictably, the Wise Masters will bemoan their "destroyed property" and demand reparations but the sellswords will all switch to Dany's side once she returns cuz their current employers are fucking ridiculous.

[at-twilight-at-sea]

Sellsword Demo

Wrote this on a long drive so sorry if it sucks

Instinct dice:

Instinct is defined by a die level, from d4 to d20. When your instinct is incremented, you'll change the die to the next highest die (d4->d6->d8->d10->d12->d20); decrement is the same in reverse. 

Wounds

When an instinct roll is under your number of accumulated wounds, decrement your instinct. 

After a duel, roll a number of d4s equal to your resistance & add the results. If your number of wounds is over the result, you die.

Resistance

Resistance is how many effects you can ignore in a round of a duel. Average person has a resistance of 0. 

If your resistance is negative, every attack against you automatically inflicts +1 wound.

Parrying

If your opponent makes an attack, you can spend points of your resistance to roll an equal number of instinct dice. If one of the instinct results is over your opponent's roll, reverse any attack effects onto them. You can spend resistance into the negatives, but parrying will not reverse the automatic wounds.

Death

The average person is no longer considered a player after death.

Inflicting instant death is against the samurai code. 

Duels:

At the start of most duels, opponents roll instinct; highest goes first. Each killer gets a turn in a round, which allows them the chance to strike. 

When you strike, roll your instinct. 

On a 1, your enemy chooses an effect that is applied to you

On a 2-3, choose an effect that is applied to you

On a 4-5, choose an effect that is applied to your target

On a 6+, choose 2 effects that are applied to your target. 

If you roll 10+, choose the two effects, then roll a strike again with the next lowest die level. If your resistance is 3+, consider the last roll in your turn as the only extra result; if your resistance is 2-, consider every roll as a result.

Effects:

1.) +1 wound

2.) incapacitate

3.)-1 resistance 

4.)decrement instinct

5.) scar (scars permanently change a character's path; removing a limb, traumatizing, instilling lust for vengeance, etc)

6.) death

Survival

If you survive a duel, increment your instinct, and gain +1 mastery.

If your mastery goes over your current resistance, gain +1 resistance and reset your mastery to 0. 

Further Mechanics/Setting

probably FitD-inspired.

Gain rep as a sellsword, samurai, or kingpin on the streets of Goldmine.

Vibes

Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai, Wu Tang Clan, RZA, Samurai Champloo, Ten Thousand Days For The Sword, Nine Sols, Blue Eye Samurai, Kill Bill, Neon White

[fault-classic]

Sprite work from January.

Now with animation!

[domjordanillustration]

marta lopata, mercenary

[ashensparrow]

[scifi-fantasy-horror]

by  Riccardo Moscatello