Day 14 of my Adventure Calendar. For 24 days, up until Christmas, I plan to release a lil bit of RPG content. Want to join as well? Join the jam!
Image: Senshi no mori by Job Menting
Last post was about a legendary sword. Let’s create an interesting NPC to guard it – the wandering warrior! Notes I am aiming to hit:
- An old sentinel of a devastating weapon
- Deceptively powerful – almost as if he’s the main character of another story, that has long since ended
- The curse and weight of the power to deal violence
Block, Dodge, Parry doesn’t feature traditional leveling. Instead, you’ll have to seek out those who can bestow their skills upon you. An idea that I like with the Wandering Warrior (heck, your world might have multiple): They can grant unique skills and carry a legendary weapon, but the player cannot easily access both. Training requires the teacher’s respect, and the weapon will only be obtainable if the teacher dies.
I imagine our old wandering swordsman to have a few conditions to accept a duel for either his respect or his weapon:
- The challenger needs to be sufficiently challenging.
- The swordsman seeks an honorable duel.
Let’s also tie this into the duel challenge rules:
- Challenging: In BDP terms, they need to have at least 9 HP. In other RPGs, they might need to be of a certain level. If the challenger has less than 9 HP, add a -1 modifier to the challenge roll.
- Honor: If the challenger’s honor is below 12 (on a 1-20 scale), add a -1 modifier to the challenge roll.
Both these elements should be conveyed by the DM within the fiction, through dialogue of the Wandering Warrior. The Wandering Warrior can also explicitly prompt a Honor Check before the actual challenge is made – “Will you grant me an honorable fight?”. On a failure, add -2 to the Challenge roll, on a success, +2.
The core idea here is that if the Wandering Warrior does not respect his opponent, he can and probably will cut down this nobody without hesitation.
Depending on the outcome of the Challenge roll, several types of duels can take place. If there’s a vibe of disrespect, I’d give the Wandering Warrior a brief speech like
“You wield your blade as if you are the executioner of fate itself, yet you forget – in doing so, you also appoint yourself as judge. Those who presume to judge are often blind to their own judgment. You may live by your sword, relishing its cold justice, but beware, for by mine, you shall meet your end.”
And if there’s mutual respect between the combatants, have it be like
“Ah, the burden of our swords, heavy with purpose and sorrow. They are not mere tools but curses we bear, destined to deal in death that life may flourish. I see the weight of this truth in your eyes, the resolve in your stance. Let us cross blades and discover the true mettle of your spirit. Let’s see how steadfast your shoulders are – and whether you can bear the weight of a legacy etched in steel.”
I’d have one Staredown / Draw / Clash take place, and then run the duel as regular combat. As for the Wandering Warrior’s stats, I’d use
Wandering Warrior
18 HP, 16 STR, 17 DEX, 17 WIL. Katana (D8, Quick 2).
Can Block, Dodge & Parry. Has 7 empty slots for Fatigue.
Hard to Kill. Once per day, rolls his save for Critical Damage with Advantage.
Save Strikes. Make an Enhanced attack at the cost of 1 Fatigue.
Patient Strike. In a situation where a DEX Save would be made against an opponent to see who goes first, you can choose to fail before rolling. Your strike will be Enhanced.
Note that Patient Strike is a new skill/signature skill, not found in the normal Skill List. It’s bonus content within the bonus content!
The Wandering Warrior could train players in his skills, or unlock the secret to having more than 12 HP. That is, if the duel isn’t to the death, of course.
Finding the Wandering Warrior
I would add him to random encounter tables for taverns, roads, and cities, with a very low chance. Seeking him out on purpose would probably qualify as a Complex Task, 4d4+8 steps, with each ‘step’ reaching a waypoint where he was last seen (so that each step could take several days of travel, even).