Path: Elegance of the Blade

**__Elegance of the Blade__**

CONCEPTION: "The Elegance of the Blade" is an ancient tome depicting the various forms with which one can use a sword. Though most of the techniques within have been improved upon, reworked, renamed, reimagined or just plain discarded due to changes in sword and armour designs, a core few have survived the ages. Typically this is relegated to the more unusual techniques, such as high speed charges and flurries, as well as attacks that focus on ridiculing the opponent in some way, either through disfigurement or through taunting. Strangely enough, the techniques based on combining insult with injury have taken a strange hold on a certain island far off the coast, where the most insulting thing you can do is compare someone to a producer of dairy products.

This martial path uses Coordination+Sword. It can only be used with one-handed weapons.

Tier 1: Aggressive Negotiations

You may make two sword attacks without a penalty. This technique can be used with any of the other techniques in this path.

Tier 2: Introspective Assault

This technique enhances a Disfiguring Strike maneuver. You do not take the usual penalty, and deal an additional point of Shock damage.

Tier 3: Diplomatic Follow-Through

This technique enhances a combined Threaten/Attack. You can combine these techniques without the usual -1d penalty. You may use Fascinate, Graces, Jest, or Lie instead of Intimidate, and you may also use this if battle has already been joined. If you succeed at both, you may squish the Threaten roll by 1 in either direction.

Tier 4: Accelerated Agreement

This technique enhances a Charge maneuver, but only if performed on foot. In addition to the usual effects, your attack is treated as if its Width was equal to the combined Widths of your Run and Sword pools. Furthermore, you may make your attack at any point during the movement.

Tier 5: Strike And Press

As Introspective Assault or Accelerated Agreement, but not both at once. If you make a successful attack against location 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 or 10, you may instead damage each of those locations as if its Width was one. Any bonuses to damage you may have apply only to the location you would have originally hit.