GURPS: Church and State Martial Styles

Cinematic Skills and Techniques

Cinematic Skills and techniques are available. A PC must first have an advantage that allows it (Wpn mastery, or trained by a master) or magery. The skills would be considered magical skills. A person who exhibits skill in Wpn mastery, or Trained by a Master, Imbuements, or cinematic skills and techniques is considered a physical adept; they have molded their magic capabilities towards physical skills rather than spell casting. There is little way to formally teach this, unlike spellcasting, so a master must be found whose done some of this, or learn without one at twice the normal rate.

In Church and State, Wpn mastery and Trained by a Master are considered special forms of magery that allow you to become a physical adept only. Both will not work in low mana, and can be drained via mana-drain spells etc. (buy with magery power mod (-10%)).

Martial Styles

Many martial styles are used and taught in Church and State. Mages make good use of those styles that support the staff spell on their weapons. Note alternate rules for Staff spells under GURPS: Church and State Magic. Any of the following would be acceptable: (in order they appear in MA). There is a lot of variation learned from one teacher to the next, and a given knight, or thane who instructed the art might have added a technique or two of difference (this is GM permission to make light modifications to styles...send me what you're looking for). Other styles will easily be considered considering the history of the Quani occupation and what might still be known today.

• Armatura
• Armatura Equestrius
• Boxing
• dagger fighting
• escrima (developed by wizards for use with short sticks with staff spell)
• shillelagh (same, use African Stickfighting)
• knightly mounted
• longsword fighting
• archery
• masters of defence
• polearm fighting (for use with dueling polearms using the staff spell)
• pankration
• poleaxe
• quarterstaff (or other staff styles, there's enough variation that any of them would be fine. Staff fighting is a fine art in Argoth)
• savate
• shortsword
• spear (any)
• sword and buckler
• sword and shield
• wrestling (combat wrestling is very common, it's quite useful against armored opponents when you've lost a weapon, or can't penetrate armor)

FICTIONAL styles

• deatfist (or something similar is not unheard of from magical styles incorporating HtoH for melee spell use)
• smasha (really only the Merghast)

Common tactics, weapons and armor

Fencing weapons make an occasional introduction every few hundred years, and while they are great for dueling, they make very poor tools for the battlefield, and smiths tend to forget the required techniques during the intervening dark ages.

Cavalry still provides the single best way to outmaneuver your opponent, but it is not the end all variable that it was. Many magic spells will make very short work of a cavalry charge. The preferred military disposition of force (given you have the resources) is about 1/4 the cavalry in reserve to deliver the fatal blow once the lines are broken, and 1/4 is employed as light cav to harass their lines (particularly concentrations of mages trying to do ceremonial magic, or ranged attacks (bowmen and artillery)).

The single biggest change is that knights and men-at-arms don't mass up to deliver a fatal heavy cavalry charge. Many (the other 1/2 unaccounted for) of the horsemen with any decent skill in magic will be employed in the lines, spaced apart to spread the effect, and they will be expected to cast spells to break the enemy lines or hold their own, such as grease, glue, bravery, mass daze, etc. They are usually protected by a small element, normally called a Fist, of 4-8 thanes who guard the spell caster allowing him to cast the spells to effect.

Older casters, those with typically more skill, and most women casters, will not be in the line, but will form small groups (circles) who cast ceremonial magic at range behind the lines to induce large area affects on the enemy lines.

Once the enemy lines appear to be breaking, the cavalry in reserve is committed to shatter them and pursue the defeated.

Levies are not as effective. Peasants break too often under the effects of magic to hold the line for sustained combat. They are still used, but will normally not constitute more than 40-50% of the total force. Much more reliance is made on professional soldiers. This is in part possible because agrarian magic creates greater crop yields, freeing up more men to be something other than farmers.

Rotbrueck makes good use of heavy infantry (his professional soldiers), who use a modified sword and shield style (TBP). They incorporate maces and spears into their training. Spears to receive a charge with, and maces to throw at enemy formations right before they close. Rotbrueck (generations ago) has also instituted laws that every freeman (status 0 yeomen) must train in a militia, using spear and bow. The form a fairly competent bulwark of archers and light infantry. Rotbrueck can field about 250-300 heavy cavalry from his knights and men-at-arms. (about 5/estate for those doing the math). Rotbrueck can further field about 1500-2000 heavy infantry, and maybe the same in mustered militias. On the field, Rotbrueck would call it a good day if he could put together 4 competent circles with his assembled army.

• Heavy Infantry- broadsword, mace, spear, shield, and light scale if they can afford it.
• light infantry militia- spear, a mix of bow, most regular, but about 20% short, and Maguirian bowyers in Stonedale know how to do composite, so about 20-30% composite. Longbow's are not unheard of, but usually imported as there are not good trees for longbows in Rotbrueck)
• heavy cav- dble mail hauberk (often with some limb covering too), lance, axe or mace, broadsword and shield.

Rotbrueck Hvy Inf martial style

Modified Sword and Shield style:

• Skills: Broadsword; Shield; Wrestling; Spear; Axe/Mace; Thrown weapon (Axe/mace).
• Techniques: Arm Lock; Armed Grapple (Spear or axe/mace); Counterattack (Broadsword or Spear); Disarming (Any skill in style); Feint (Any weapon skill in style); Hook (Axe/Mace); Sweep (Spear); Retain Weapon (Any weapon skill in style); Targeted Attack (Axe/Mace Swing/Leg); Targeted Attack (Broadsword or Spear Thrust/Neck); Targeted Attack (Broadsword or Spear Thrust/Vitals Chinks);.
• Cinematic Skills: Kiai; Power Blow.
• Cinematic Techniques: Dual-Weapon Attack (Broadsword, axe/mace, spear or Shield); Dual-Weapon Defense (Broadsword, axe/mace, spear or Shield); Flying Lunge (Broadsword or spear).
• Perks: Shield-Wall Training; Sure-Footed (Uneven); Teamwork; Weapon Bond.

Optional Traits

• Advantages: Combat Reflexes; Enhanced Block; Enhanced Dodge.
• Disadvantages: Duty.
• Skills: Acrobatics; Brawling; Knife.

C&S use of magical materials for warfare

Essential Wood is fairly easy to get from any parish priest (with Hearth and Field) to cast on a bow, polearm, staff etc. Makes it nigh unbreakable. Often used for gates and doors to keeps, castles, manors, bridges, rams...and sometimes even for saddles.

Essential Stone- for very old castles, keeps and such, there is a fair chance that over the years, they have had mages casting this stone by stone. Rotbrueck bridge is entirely essential stone, as are the towers and corner stones on Rotbrueck castle. Often also used for the keystone in an arch.

• Orichalcum- (essential metal, from essential earth spell)(GURPS Fantasy 23). Only good for armor. Similar to bronze, so base template is bronze breastplate, greaves, armband, and corselet. Costs 30 times normal. The normal standard is for twice DR at 2/3's weight. Cannot be further enchanted to greater DR (effectively has a max Fortify on it already). Most nobles and the richest knights will wear orichalcum. Many pieces of it will find use in the same family for generations. Bronze in color.

• Mithril- 20 times cost. Any steel item, same DR, 1/2 weight. Looks like steel, but more silvery in color.

• Adamantine- 20 times cost. If made into armor, +30% weight, same DR, but hardened (repels an armor divisor of 2). As a weapon, +20% weight, +1 St to use, and has an armor divisor of (2) if imp or cut damage...pretty useless for cr weapons. Dull gunmetal black and very hard to work, -5 on smith skill. Prized for hacking through orichalcum armor.

• Ironwood- Gani grown hardwood tree that is watered once a month with alchemical mixture. The heartwood is harvested to make a wooden weapon that is just like a metal one, except it will take a staff spell. Ironwood swords and such are highly prized by eldritch knights who want a broadsword that will carry their wither limb or shocking touch spell. No known market; gift or loot. Will also affect those creatures with vulnerabilities, notably undead, lycanthropes, summoned creatures. Further enchantment comes with some limitations.

• Cold wrought iron- Only useful for weapons x2 cost. -1 dam, but will affect lychanthropes, summoned creatures and the insubstantial (spirits and such). Not useful vs corporeal undead, other than as a poor quality normal weapon. Cannot be enchanted. A poor knights wpn against the paranormal.

GURPS: Church and State