Earthdawn 4E: Rules Variant 22 - Blade Juggle Rebuild

This is the twenty-second Rules Variant, part of an ongoing series about Earthdawn Fourth Edition. Introduction and Index.

Everything contained here is the work of a fan and not associated with FASA Games.

Blade Juggle.

I almost feel like that's both the setup and punchline to a joke for those familiar with Earthdawn through the editions. This isn't a rehash of that history. You're welcome. Despite my best efforts to simplify Blade Juggle from the previous incarnations without fundamentally changing it and simplifying it into the process, it didn't work out... well. All the previous are true, but it is still the source of significant confusion about how it works and if it's even worth taking. The answer to the latter is almost always "no" often because of the former.

So, I'm burning it down and starting again.

This variant focuses on making Blade Juggle useful and relatively simple. Something you can use without the game coming to a crashing halt. The Blade Juggle variant breaks the previous functions into different pieces; basic functionality (bonuses) remain in the talent, while the other functions are in knacks. Making these discrete rather than rolled into one should make using them easier. There's also a bunch of new functionality included.

A bit of musing on constrains and complications: There are two difficulties when looking at some of these weird talents with multiple functions. The first is most of these remain mostly unchanged from their initial incarnations in 1E before knacks existed. Next, lacking knacks in the Player's Guide means some of what should be mostly core functions can't be easily cut out from the talent, because their form as a knack doesn't exist yet. Doing post-hoc design on these is comparatively easy because all the necessary pieces exist.

Special thanks to Brett Bowen for helping with this.

Blade Juggle
Step: Rank+CHA
Action: Simple
Strain: 1
Skill Use: No
Keywords: Karma.

The adept begins quickly juggling small weapons, using the ring of steel to close the gaps in their defenses and launch attacks at their opponents from unexpected directions. They make a Blade Juggle (10) Action test. If successful, the adept gains +1 per success to Attack tests using the juggled weapons and their Physical Defense until the end of the round.

The adept may juggle up to the Blade Juggle rank weapons (minimum 3) and can only juggle weapons below their one-handed size limit with this talent (yes, this means windlings cannot use this talent). This knack requires at least three weapons to use. If the adept has less than three weapons being juggled, the talent and all benefits end. Juggled weapons can still be used for close combat and ranged combat; thrown weapons do not end the talent if they return to the adept’s hand.

This cannot be combined with Acrobatic Defense or Anticipate Blow.

Encore
Talent: Blade Juggle
Requirements: Rank 5
Restrictions: None
Step: Rank+CHA
Action: Simple
Strain: 2
Skill Use: No
Keywords: Standard Effects. Unrestricted.

The bonuses to Physical Defense last until the end of the next round or Blade Juggle is used again, whichever comes first. This knack can be combined with other Blade Juggle Knacks.

Shadow Juggle
Talent: Blade Juggle
Requirements: Rank 6
Restrictions: None
Step: Rank+CHA
Action: Simple
Strain: 2
Skill Use: No
Keywords: Standard Effects. Unrestricted.

The adept creates shadow copies of one juggled weapon, filling up their hands with weapons (total weapons is their Blade Juggle rank). These weapons can be thrown or used in the adept’s off-hand, and have the same abilities as the copied weapon, though effects (e.g. bonus to Physical Defense) do not stack with the original’s effects. The copies disappear at the end of the round. This knack can be combined with other Blade Juggle Knacks.

Split Revenge
Talent: Blade Juggle
Requirements: Rank 8
Restrictions: None
Step: Rank+CHA
Action: Free (Response)
Cost: 3 Strain
Skill Use: No
Keywords: Attack. Limited. Unrestricted.

If an attack test misses the adept’s Physical Defense (this does not include using active defenses), they may make a Split Revenge Action test as an attack against the attacking opponent’s Physical Defense. The opponent must be within range of the adept’s weapon and it must be made at the same range; i.e. a close combat attack against the adept requires a close combat attack in return. The adept’s Split Revenge Step is cannot be higher than their Melee Weapons Step for close combat and Throwing Weapons Step for ranged combat (is limited by them).

This knack can be used once per round and can be combined with other Blade Juggle knacks.