Cavalryman Discipline

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The Cavalryman is a discipline for Fourth World, a "drift" of Dungeon World for playing in the setting of Earthdawn. This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.

Several PDF versions of this playbook can be downloaded from the Fourth World 1.5 page.

Stats

Damage Die: d8
Favored Stats: str, cha
Load: 12
HP: 10+Constitution

Look

Gaze: confident, empathetic, steely
Appearance: tousled, dashing, noble
Accoutrement: muddy, pragmatic, ornamented
Body: slight, sturdy, athletic

Species

Dwarf: Your maximum HP are increased by one.

Elf: Your long lifespan prepares you for loss. If your favored mount dies, you may bond to a new one within days, and do not reduce your maximum HP .

Human: You may make moves using your banner that would normally require you to be mounted while not mounted.

Ork: Your base damage is always d10.

Troll: When you deal damage while mounted on your favored mount, deal +2 damage.

T’Skrang: When you would become unseated from your mount, you may use your tail to stick with your mount and bring it back under control.

Windling (astral sight): When you volley from a flying mount, deal +2 damage.

Flags

Select 2 flags.

Starting Moves

No Secret So Close

You have a deep connection to a mount appropriate to your species and size (with GM approval), likely one you have raised from birth. You have connected your pattern to your mount’s with a thread, gaining the benefits of that bond:

  • spend few minutes in physical contact to take any amount of damage in order to heal your mount by that amount
  • meditate with closed eyes to discern realities using your mount’s senses, no matter the distance between you
  • meditate to whisper a short message, which you mount will hear no matter the distance between you

You treat your favored mount as a follower with a starting loyalty of +3, and a cost of love, affection and care from you. Their quality is always equal to your effective CHA (including the impact of debilities). You may spend karma when your favored mount does their thing and, when you whistle loudly for your mount when it is not nearby, it will quickly arrive at your side in a dramatic fashion.

When mounted on your favored mount:

  • Your damage becomes d10
  • You ignore the clumsy tag on your armor
  • Your mount becomes fearless .

Should your mount die, you lose a piece of yourself (permanently reduce your maximum HP by one). If you choose, after a suitable period of mourning, you may spend several months developing a connection to a new mount.

You have a personal banner which displays your personal colors and a symbol representing the bond between you and your favored mount. What does it look like? When you, seated on your favored mount, rally those around you under your banner to perform a task, such as a charge into battle, a last stand, the start of a long journey, and so on, roll+ CHA . On a 10+ , choose three. On a 7–9 , choose one. You may spend karma to make one additional choice, even on a miss:

  • allies on mounts improve attempts to order their mounts by a step while the task is going to plan
  • allies take +1 ongoing to order followers while the task is going to plan
  • allied followers take +1 ongoing to do their thing while the task is going to plan
  • A witness of your choice becomes very impressed with you.

As I Do

Add the following to the hack and slash list:

  • Choose an ally to inspire, giving them +2 forward.

Expressions of Joining

When you create art with body painting or braiding , take +1. If you use the result in a successful greeting ritual, the recipient takes +1 forward to control a mount.

Talents

You may weave threads into talents, if you meet their requirements:

☐ throwing steel in place of kisses

When you charge your favored mount at a mounted rider who is also charging at you, roll+quality. On a 10+ , choose three. On a 7–9 , choose one. You may spend karma to make one additional choice, even on a miss:

  • Deal your damage to the rider. If you are using a forceful weapon, you also unseat the rider.
  • Unseat the rider. If you are using a forceful weapon, you also knock the mount off its stride.
  • You avoid taking damage from the rider.
  • You stay on your mount.
  • A witness of your choice becomes very impressed with you.

☐ Upon the Sightless Couriers of the Air

When you carry a message or package on a perilous journey , choose one:

  • the journey’s scout, navigator, and quartermaster all take +1
  • improve the result of either the scout, navigator, or quartermaster by one step
  • during the journey, you make a discovery

☐☐ Where Grace is Served With Muscle

When you defend using a shield bearing your banner symbol , roll + CHA instead of + CON .

Second thread (requires circle 6): While on your favored mount, when you defend on 7+, add your mount’s Loyalty to the amount of hold you gain.

☐☐ Bones of the Horse

When you ride a mount , you gain +1 armor.

Second thread (requires circle 6): You gain +2 armor instead.

☐ Dangerous at Both Ends

When you roll +DEX or +CON while on a mount , you may roll +Quality instead.

☐☐ Hide Thy Spurs

When you rally your troops under your banner for a charge into combat that you lead, add the following choice:

  • allies take +1 ongoing during the charge, and +1 forward after

Second thread (requires circle 6): Also add:

  • those under your banner take +2 armor forward.

☐☐☐ Hot and Fiery Steed

Your favored mount learns a special trick. Work with the GM to add a move to represent it.

Second thread (requires circle 4): Select a second move.

Third thread (requires circle 6): Select a third move.

☐☐ Incision in Their Hides

When you deal damage while mounted , deal +1d4 damage.

Second thread (requires circle 6): Deal +1d4 even while not mounted. When mounted, roll damage twice and take the better result.

☐☐ Summon Up the Blood

When you muster soldiers to your banner , roll+ CHA . On a hit , you gather a band who will fight for you for one battle. On a 10+ , choose three. On a 7–9 , choose two.

  • The band is as large as you could hope for
  • The band will follow you into the jaws of hell
  • The band is well equipped
  • All members of the band have mounts
  • All members of the band are veterans
  • The band will not expect a great reward at battle’s end

Second thread (requires circle 6): Make an additional choice on a hit. You may also spend one karma to make an additional choice, even on a miss. Also add the following choices:

  • The band will bring mystic powers or potent artifacts to bear
  • The band will follow you as long as your bring them victories
  • The band will carry on your agenda after you leave them

☐ Three Feet Higher

When you enter a steading on your mount with your banner displayed , roll+ CHA . On a 10+ , choose three. On a 7–9 , choose one. You may spend karma to make one additional choice, even on a miss. For each choice, someone of importance in the steading (selected by the GM )…

  • …fears you.
  • …respects you.
  • …lusts after you.
  • …will help you.
  • …has something for you.
  • …needs something from you.

☐ Exemplar

When you rally allies under your banner , add the following choice:

  • choose one of your talents; any of your allies can use this talent while they ride by your side, until you lower your banner.

☐ by Gentleness Confined

When you and your mount spend a moment to reassure each other in a desperate situation, roll+ STR . On a 10+ , choose two. On a 7–9 , choose one. You may spend karma to make one additional choice, even on a miss.

  • Heal yourself 1d8 HP
  • Heal your mount 1d8 HP

☐ Madly Off in All Directions

When you ride your favored mount waving your banner and shouting encouragement, roll+ CHA . On a 7–9 , choose three allies who can see you; they cease to be afraid, panicked, cowed or otherwise incapacitated by emotion. On a 10+ , all allies who can see you are so affected.

☐ Rolling Thunder

When you ride your favored mount into numerous enemies , any time you take out and enemy, gain 1 hold. Lose all hold when you rest but, while you remain in the fracas, spend hold to:

  • make your mount leap much farther than it has any right to go
  • use one of your mount’s moves, just like that
  • give an attack the messy and forceful tags
  • close the distance to a goal, unscathed
  • pull an ally onto the mount, unscathed

Gear

appropriate artisan tools (1 weight)

Choose your defenses:

☐ chainmail (1 armor, worn, 1 weight), adventuring gear (uses: 5, 2 weight)☐ scale mail (2 armor, worn, clumsy, 3 weight)

Choose two weapons:

☐ lance (reach, astride, forceful, 2 weight)
☐ spear (reach, thrown, near, 1 weight)
☐ long sword, battle axe or flail (close, +1 damage, 2 weight)
☐ crossbow (near, +1 damage, reload, 3 weight), bundle of bolts (ammo: 3, 1 weight)☐ fine bow (near, far, 2 weight), bundle of arrows (ammo: 3, 1 weight)Choose two:

☐ 2 healing potions
☐ shield bearing your banner symbol (+1 armor, 2 weight)
☐ antitoxin, poultices and herbs (uses: 2, slow, 1 weight), dungeon rations (uses: 5, ration, 1 weight)☐ 17 coins