Earthdawn 4E: Companion Discipline Preview 14 - Air Sailor

This is the fourteenth 4E Companion Discipline Preview, 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.

We have the final specialist Discipline this week: Air Sailor. This is intended to offer some insights into the Discipline design. Obviously the actual progression is missing, which is found at FASA Games.

As far as themes go, Air Sailors have a lot of things going on. It's easy to think of them as a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. However, their role is a bit more complex than this. Their primary themes are teamwork and travel. The numerous directions they can pursue through their options allow them to grow into various roles necessary for their group. They also have numerous abilities that either benefit their group as a whole, or aid them when acting with their group. The biggest message here is Air Sailors are an asset to any group, even if not on an airship.

Both Discipline abilities are new, but within the same flavor of the previous abilities. Coordinate Attacks is their new Warden ability, replacing Determined Charge. This change was by no means because Determined Charge was bad - it served as an inspiration for a certain Swordmaster ability - but it didn't have quite the right feel for Air Sailor. While bravado isn't necessarily about of place for these adepts, it doesn't apply to all Air Sailors. It also puts them in the default position of being the primary actor, which also doesn't quite fit the Discipline as a whole. Certain members, without a doubt. Coordinate Attacks emphasizes their teamwork theme to a greater degree and brings a bit more of a tactical element, showing their experience as they gain Circles.

At Master Safe Passage was replaced for a few reasons. First, the nullification of Sky Raider's Lightning Song was weird and lame (your Discipline's Master tier ability has a direct reaction to another Discipline...?), and now irrelevant. As well, there's already the Safe Path talent, and it's not particularly interesting. Kinda the opposite of interesting since it makes things the opposite of it by definition.

Which brings us to its replacement, Windborne Speed. It's function is pretty simple: it makes you travel faster. There are a few interesting pieces. For instance, it doesn't require an airship and can affect land-based travel, though there is a size limit. It's not going to make a behemoth or an army travel any faster, but it will definitely benefit a smallish group. Also, it increases Movement Rate in combat by a flat rate, providing some additional mobility. This particular ability plays into both teamwork and travel and can be of remarkable value when dealing with the types of issues that beset Master tier adepts. Getting somewhere in a hurry, particularly with unexpected speed, can often be a thing.

Five Discipline talents were pulled: Life Check, Second Chance, Shield Beater, Wound Transfer, and Vitality. Of these, Life Check and Second Chance were both moved to Master talent options, Shield Beater and Wound Transfer aren't talents anymore, and Vitality (effectively replaced by Burning Vigor) wasn't a good fit. If nothing else, they don't have enough to spend those Recovery Tests on.

Concentrated Assault, Lasting Impression, Lion Spirit, Second Attack, and Song of Battle are the replacement Discipline talents. Along with the returning Rally and Thought Link, these showcase their primary themes of teamwork and travel. Lasting Impression builds on their versatility and is well suited for anyone who travels, while Concentrated Assault, Rally, Song of Battle, and Thought Link are all group oriented. Lion Spirit helps to ensure they don't get sidelined and can continue supporting their allies, while Second Attack gives them some additional combat capabilities. While they're not a combat Discipline, it is an area they always have competence.

Aura Armor, Elemental Tongues, Endure Cold, Ethereal Weapon, Multi-Tongue, Screaming Arrow, and Sense Danger were all removed as talent options for various reasons (Second Weapon is a Journeyman talent option). Endure Cold, Multi-Tongue, and Screaming Arrow are no longer talents, while Elemental Tongues simply wasn't a good fit. Sense Danger was a victim of being offered too late (it's not terribly appealing so late in the game, particularly with so many Awareness-related talents) and having better options. Finally, Aura Armor and Ethereal Weapon weren't the right fit, the former not quite the defensive flavor (and they have enough other ways to spend Standard actions in a fight), while the latter didn't play into any of their notable themes. They don't have a particular spirituality or connection to astral space (despite gaining the talent option to perceive it), nor are they dedicated enough to mastery of a weapon. Finally, this would lean them a little too combat heavy and there was a desire to maintain a greater diversity of talent options. There are plenty of combat talent options for them as it is.

Their new talent options include: Astral Sight, Blood Share, Critical Hit, Disarming Smile, Fluid Movement, Gliding Stride, Impressive Display, Relentless Recovery, Soul Aegis, Spot Armor Flaw, and Undermine. There are a lot of different ways to go with their talent options as a whole. If you are filling a social role, Disarming Smile, Impressive Display, and Undermine should be high on the list. If you're acting as the scout, Astral Sight and Eagle Eye are what you need. Looking to emphasize their teamwork theme, Blood Share, Cold Purify, and Spot Armor Flaw (with Show Armor Flaw) are good choices. The travel theme is supported by the movement-related talents Fluid Movement and Gliding Stride. Air Sailors as primary combatants are going to want at least some of the following: Champion Challenge, Critical Hit, Defensive Posture, Down Strike, Life Check, Relentless Recovery, Soul Aegis, and Spot Armor Flaw.

Even out of their element, Air Sailors are a fantastic addition to any team, bringing versatility and the ability for the group as a whole to be greater than the sum of their parts. These adepts can contribute in potentially any situation, even if they aren't the star of the show. After all, it's not (always) about them, but about the crew. That's who you look out for and that's who looks out for you.

Earthdawn 4E: Anatomy of a Discipline 06 - Air Sailor

This is the sixth 4E Anatomy of a Discipline, 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.

The Air Sailor in Earthdawn Fourth Edition (ED4) is one of the most versatile disciplines. They have good access to combat, social, and "adventuring" talents, along with a strong emphasis on teamwork. Depending on the talent options selected, they can emphasize any of these roles to fit their goals or needs of the group.

They can also be adapted to other arenas, such as river boats or sailing, by changing their bonus talent, Air Sailing, and Wind Catcher to talents more appropriate to their new environment. For example, an Air Sailor who operates on the Aras Sea would likely have Sailing and Swimming instead. The mechanics for Sailing would be identical to Air Sailing, simply on the water rather than the air, and Swimming is the same as the skill.

Air Sailors are nearly always welcome in any group due to their versatility and teamwork. If you want to support your group first and foremost, and able to participate in nearly any endeavor, this is a discipline worth considering.

Novice

First Circle

• Air Weaving
• Avoid Blow
• Climbing
• Melee Weapons
• Wind Catcher

Abilities

• Durability 5
• Air Sailing
• Karma: On an airship

Second Circle

• Awareness

Third Circle

• Empathic Sense

Abilities

• Karma: Initiative

Fourth Circle

• Wound Balance

Journeyman

Fifth Circle

• Heartening Laugh

Abilities

• Collaborate: 1 Strain, once per round describe specifically how you are working with an ally to achieve a common goal to give them a +2 bonus (GM’s discretion).
• Karma: Interaction tests.

Sixth Circle

• Air Dance

Seventh Circle

• Inspire Others

Eighth Circle

• Lion Heart

Their discipline talents are slightly weighted towards combat with just under half of the talents (Air Dance, Avoid Blow, Lion Heart, Melee Weapons, and Wound Balance). This means all Air Sailors will be capable of contributing to a fight. From there, they are divided between adventuring talents (Air Sailing, Awareness, Climbing, and Wind Catcher) and social/teamwork talents (Emapthic Sense, Heartening Laugh, and Inspire Others).

The selections were made to emphasize their themes and how an Air Sailor is likely to function within the setting. Their adventuring talents, along with Wound Balance, account for the abilities they will need to fulfill their duties on an airship - thus they are all acquired prior to Journeyman. Once the Air Sailor is a Journeyman, they become a more senior member of the crew and their talents reflect this with access to more abilities which promote teamwork: Collaborate, Heartening Laugh, and Inspire Others.

Every Air Sailor is expected to defend their ship, particularly against their nemeses: Sky Raiders. This is why all Air Sailors have default access to a variety of combat talents - every body must be able to protect their fellows and their ship. Their fighting style benefits from speed, which fits with their connection to the air element, particularly with the ability to spend Karma on Initiative tests and access to Air Dance.

Heartening Laugh and Lion Heart are both excellent defenses against the potent fear effects, such as those of Sky Raiders - it simply does not do for the senior crew to show fear in the face of the enemy, particularly in front of the junior crew members.

 It is important to note Air Sailors are not intended to be primary combatants. While they can certainly hold their own in a fight, their mid-level Durability 5 means they will fall behind more combat focused disciplines, such as Sky Raiders, Swordmasters, and Warriors. Talent option selection can make a big difference in what these adepts bring to a fight and are at their most dangerous when actively working as part of a team.

All Air Sailors are social to a degree, hence the Karma on Interaction tests, though the amount of emphasis placed on this depends on the adept. This goes for further combat specialization and those who are interested in leadership positions. If you are interested in focusing further on combat, you will want to keep your combat talent options at the same rank as your discipline talents. This will keep them useful as Defense ratings continue to increase.

• Acrobatic Defense - One of the two ways for an Air Sailor to improve their Physical Defense. The advantage this has over Maneuver is it works against all adjacent opponents. In particular, this gives them a greater ability to tie up a number of weaker opponents while their heavier hitting allies concentrate on the more dangerous adversaries. Any Air Sailor who intends to be combat focused will want to consider this talent.
• Distract - Powerful and dangerous. This talent gives their allies a distinct advantage against one opponent. However, Air Sailors don't have a lot of defensive staying power and this can go sideways. When timed correctly, this can change the momentum of a conflict.
• First Impression - Adepts looking to expand their social influence want to start here. Since Social Defense tends to stagnate compared to Physical and Mystic Defense, the required investment is on the low side. This is the foundation of a social character and is worth considering for every Air Sailor.
• Great Leap - This talent increases battlefield mobility and can be a good compliment to the other combatants in the group. Either by giving them a partner to collaborate with, or someone to harass enemy ranged attackers.
• Haggle - Likely to be one of the less popular talent options overall, it still has a place with the right Air Sailor. That being one who likes to be the quartermaster for the group. Buying supplies isn't sexy, but the money to pay for forged arms and armor must come from somewhere.
• Maneuver - The other talent which improves Physical Defense. While it only works against one opponent, this also improves the adept's attack test. Air Sailors who want to focus heavily on combat will want this talent because of the offensive boost it offers.
• Navigation - If you are interested in really being an Air Sailor, this adventuring talent is for you. It supports a traveling group and doesn't require the same level of continual investment as combat talents to get use out of it. 
• Speak Language - It is generally useful to speak more languages, though social characters and groups who travel quite a bit will likely get the most value from this talent. It requires little investment to keep this talent useful.
• Taunt - A social combat talent from which everyone benefits; this is a good option for every Air Sailor.
• Throwing Weapons - This is the talent I would gently steer new players away from until they get a handle on the system. It will require continual investment to keep it competitive and likely an entirely different set of weapons to use. There are reasons to take this, but the decision should be made knowing it may end up as a resource sinkhole. For adepts willing to make the investment, it can end with some awesome gameplay.

What Novice talent options are right for you? Well, it depends on what direction you want your character to take. A jack-of-all-trades Air Sailor will likely get the most mileage from First Impression, Great Leap, Maneuver, and Taunt.

An adept who wants to be social will likely find First Impression, Haggle, Speak Language, and Taunt the most valuable. This character can easily fill in for a group which doesn't have an Illusionist, Swordmaster, or Troubadour. Here is where I confess I have never played in a game where there wasn't a Swordmaster.

Air Sailors with a combat focus should select Acrobatic Defense, Distract, Maneuver, and Taunt. While still not at the level of a Swordmaster, it comes rather dangerously close.

• Air Speaking - Air Sailors who find communication with each other to be particularly important or difficult may consider this talent. It's primary uses are communicating covertly over a distance and during periods where it may otherwise be impossible. Such over the din of battle or while dropping through the sky onto a target.
• Battle Bellow - Similar to Taunt, this is a talent which every Air Sailor should at least consider. This talent penalizes all of your opponents and improves your allies.
• Conceal Object - Adepts who engage in smuggling will definitely find use for this talent, though only for objects which can be carried on their person. The other primary use is in conjunction with Surprise Strike. If Surprise Strike isn't as appealing to you, this talent is not going to be as useful overall.
• Engaging Banter - This is going to appeal most to social characters in groups which like to get up to no good. Particularly helpful for sneaking things which would otherwise be noticed immediately (e.g. obsidiman Warrior) part guards.
• Etiquette - Socially or travel inclined Air Sailors are going to find the most value here. The ability to adapt quickly to a new culture is very useful for groups which spend a lot of time going to new places.
• Graceful Exit - If you have Engaging Banter, this may be worth considering. While running away is never a player character's default move, this talent can now affect your entire group. This makes the prospect of a retreat less unpalatable in general since no one will be left behind.
• Leadership - While not typically of much value to the average player character, this is invaluable to any Air Sailor who wants to captain their own vessel. It can also find use for rallying faceless masses of NPCs to a cause temporarily.
• Resist Taunt - A must for social characters and also worth considering for combat characters to help with the various social debuffs out there.
• Second Weapon - With the importance of Initiative for Air Dance, the prospect of a shield is not appealing to most Air Sailors. As well, there is variety of attributes which they rely on, meaning they aren't likely to have the strength for two-handed weapons. All of this makes Second Weapon a good talent for every Air Sailor.
• Surprise Strike - This is the only damage booster Air Sailors get in the first two tiers. However, it is also quite limited in application and effectively requires Conceal Object to regular usage. Working as a team with your group can make it more useful and it is also the only talent which can improve damage on both melee and ranged weapons. Anyone serious about throwing weapons will want this over later options.

The talent options available at Journeyman are more specific in application and benefit most from having a clear idea of your direction. It isn't a bad thing to look back on the Novice talents for selections if so inclined. What this does is make it more difficult to offer suggestions since many of these are very useful in specific campaigns, while not broadly useful outside of those campaigns.

The jack-of-all-trades Air Sailor will most likely want Battle Bellow, Etiquette, and Second Weapon. This leaves an open spot depending on the role they tend to be fulfilling; Air Speaking and Resist Taunt could be quite useful. Looking back at the Novice list may be a good idea if neither of those are appealing - characters seeing a lot of combat may be interested in Acrobatic Defense or Distract to help a Thief with their Surprise Strike.

Social Air Sailors will find Air Speaking, Battle Bellow, Etiquette, and Resist Taunt to round out this tier nicely. If combat is becoming more important, Air Speaking can be substituted for Second Weapon.

Those who are most interested in specializing in combat will want Battle Bellow and Second Weapon at the very least. From there, it depends in you want to invest in Surprise Strike or not. If so, Conceal Object and Surprise Strike are best friends. However, if you want to wait for something else, Great Leap should be appearing on this list and Resist Taunt is a good partner to work against your opponents' social attacks.

For a discussion over the general themes of Air Sailor and how they can function in game, see the Third Edition Anatomy of Air Sailor. Example characters: dwarf and t'skrang.

Earthdawn 4E: Example Character 14 - T'skrang Air Sailor

This is the fourteenth Example Character in an ongoing series about Earthdawn. Introduction and Index.

Here is a character which is not a natural fit and outside of the t'skrang sub-race, k'stulaami, virtually unheard. In fact, this discipline has been modified slightly for an entirely different iconic character: the t'skrang Boatman. 

Each Circle saw this character improve one attribute and take a new Talent Option. There are no Thread Items on this character, however unlikely it may be. 

Note: The entries in this series may be updated periodically as I master the coding to fit all eight of the Circles in a fashion which doesn't result in eye melting. Consider these living entries. Please leave comments if there is anyway this could be made more useful.

Discipline: Air Sailor
Race: T'skrang

Attributes:
DEX: 19 (8)   STR: 16 (7)   TOU: 13 (6)
PER: 13 (6)   WIL: 10 (5)   CHA: 18 (7)

Characteristics:
Initiative: 7 (Recommended: Hide [-1])
Physical Defense: 14
Mystic Defense: 8
Social Defense: 11

Physical Armor: 10 (Recommended: Hide, Forged +5 [10])
Mystic Armor: 6 (Recommended: Hide, Forged +3 [4])

Damage: 20 (Recommended: Broad Sword x2, Forged +8 [13])

Unconsciousness: 66
Death: 80
Wound Threshold: 8

Recovery Tests: 4
Knockdown: 7
Karma: 32
Karma: On a river boat, Initiative, Interaction tests.

Talents: 
Air Weaving: 8 (14)
Avoid Blow: 9 (17)
Climbing: 8 (16)
Melee Weapons: 9 (17)
Swimming: 8 (15)
River Boatery: 8 (13)
Acrobatic Defense: 8 (16)
Awareness: 8 (14)
First Impression: 8 (15)
Empathic Sense: 8 (15)
Taunt: 8 (15)
Wound Balance: 8 (15)
Great Leap: 8 (16)
Heartening Laugh: 8 (15)
Second Weapon: 8 (16)
Air Dance: 9 (17)
Surprise Strike: 8 (15)
Inspire Others: 8 (15)
Conceal Object: 8 (16)
Lion Heart: 9 (14)
Graceful Exit: 8 (15)

Let's face it, this character is a river pirate. Two talents (Air Sailing and Wind Catcher) were switched for two talents more appropriate for life on a river rather than in the clouds. Otherwise, this is a good fit.

As far as the river pirate goes, while they are still oriented to their group, they are significantly more aggressive and have little interest in playing fair. They are designed to quickly engage, hit hard, and withdraw easily if things are going to be more difficult than was initially anticipated.

Defensively, they are simply weaker than their dwarf counterpart. They lack quite the same degree of abilities to support the group and handle as wide a variety of situations (specifically Distract). When they can keep the pressure on, particularly if an ally is using Distract, they are quite dangerous. When tides shift against them, there isn't much to fall back upon.

Earthdawn 4E: Example Character 13 - Dwarf Air Sailor

This is the thirteenth Example Character in an ongoing series about Earthdawn. Introduction and Index.

Despite how strange the combination seems, dwarfs are probably the most common Air Sailors in Barsaive. However, I doubt there will ever be a demographic breakdown for each discipline to back up the claim. So let's just go with it for now.

Each Circle saw this character improve one attribute and take a new Talent Option. There are no Thread Items on this character, however unlikely it may be. 

Note: The entries in this series may be updated periodically as I master the coding to fit all eight of the Circles in a fashion which doesn't result in eye melting. Consider these living entries. Please leave comments if there is anyway this could be made more useful.

Discipline: Air Sailor
Race: Dwarf

Attributes:
DEX: 16 (7)   STR: 13 (6)   TOU: 16 (7)
PER: 16 (7)   WIL: 10 (5)   CHA: 16 (7)

Characteristics:
Initiative: 5 (Recommended: Crystal Ringlet [-2])
Physical Defense: 13 (Recommended: Crystal Buckler [+1])
Mystic Defense: 10 (Recommended: Crystal Buckler [+1])
Social Defense: 10

Physical Armor: 12 (Recommended: Crystal Ringlet, Forged +8 [12])
Mystic Armor: 6 (Recommended: Crystal Ringlet [4])

Damage: 19 (Recommended: Scythan Axe, Forged +8 [13])

Unconsciousness: 72
Death: 87
Wound Threshold: 10

Recovery Tests: 4
Knockdown: 14
Karma: 32
Karma: On an air ship, Initiative, Interaction tests.

Talents: 
Air Weaving: 8 (15)
Avoid Blow: 9 (16)
Climbing: 8 (15)
Melee Weapons: 9 (16)
Wind Catcher: 8 (15)
Air Sailing: 8 (13)
Distract: 8 (15)
Awareness: 9 (16)
Haggle: 8 (15)
Empathic Sense: 8 (15)
Maneuver: 8 (15)
Wound Balance: 8 (14)
First Impression: 8 (15)
Heartening Laugh: 8 (15)
Battle Bellow: 8 (15)
Air Dance: 9 (16)
Etiquette: 8 (15)
Inspire Others: 9 (16)
Resist Taunt: 8 (13)
Lion Heart: 9 (14)
Air Speaking: 6 (13)

This is a reasonable example of what you may see from an officer on board an air ship, one with no particular designs on actually being a captain. They can handle social situations, procure and sell goods, work the ship, coordinate allies, etc. Above all else, they are a team player, out for their allies before themselves.

There are a number of different tactics this adept can employ in combat based on the encounter. In protracted encounters, Inspire Others is going to be a key talent. Against stronger opponents, Distract will benefit the group. Air Dance, Battle Bellow, and Maneuver will always be good - though against opponents which are very fast (Beastmaster, Swordmasters, and Warriors), Air Dance is useful only to reduce/prevent the effects of your opponent's talents, rather than have a proactive benefit. With the Strain cost, it may not be worth using every round.

They have a nice selection of defensive talents to help against a variety of attacks, though mystic effects are going to be a weakness as Lion Heart will only help against the control-style effects. Additionally, despite their combat-readiness, they don't have the Strain to last very long and this selection of talents doesn't pack much offensive punch. This adept is going to be at their strongest when supporting their allies.

Earthdawn: Anatomy of a Discipline 06 - Air Sailor

This is the sixth Anatomy of a Discipline in an ongoing series about Earthdawn. Introduction and Index.

Overview

They travel across the world on currents of air. The life of an Air Sailor is romantic and dangerous, and all of them will tell you it is because of their mates that they have made it. This Discipline is something of an unsung hero in the role that they fulfill, but they are not in it for the glory, not like a Swordmaster. What drives an Air Sailor may be different for each individual, but it will inevitably involve their friends, that sense of companionship, to some degree.

An Air Sailor lives by their wits and value the ability to see clearly, think quickly and act with certainty above all else (except for solidarity). Through those traits it is not uncommon for Air Sailors to become the leader of any Group they travel with. Despite having the Talents for it, they may not be the face; they are generally more comfortable out of the limelight and playing a supporting role. They know that a Group can only find success through every member working together and it is their goal to ensure this. Generally, this means their ego must take a backseat to the needs of the whole, but through that quiet knowledge they know their value.

Towards any outside of their Group, Air Sailors are consummate professionals - they would never take any action that could reflect poorly on their friends. By extension, they expect the same of their friends. Even if such a transgression occurs, they will defend their companions in public to the death, for that is what is expected. In private and away from outsiders, there will likely be a severe dressing down regarding expectations.

It is through these attitudes that they naturally gravitate towards leadership roles, along with their ability to see. This is a trait somewhat difficult to describe, but it involves always planning for the future and looking to see what is next. Air Sailors are never solely interested in what is happening now, but always have one eye on the horizon, on what is coming.

Discipline Violations

These are best employed not as a stick, but as a chance for the player to take a deeper look at what it means to follow their Discipline. The Group is the most important concept to an Air Sailor and any act which goes against the Group can be a distinct source of trouble. Any situation that causes the Air Sailor to evaluate what it means to have their individuality subsumed by the greater whole would evoke some soul-searching; finding their place, and determining to what degree they can shape their Group. Conflict with other Disciplines over this facet which is fundamental to an Air Sailor is almost inevitable. What is clearly evident to them may be anathema to another adept's perspective. In all things, a united front must be presented, but what happens when a companion breaks ranks? As well, what of a betrayal?

Of significantly less importance, but still relevant to an Air Sailor, is their code of honor. This is what they hold themselves to, what they expect from all of their companions as well. This code of conduct is often what will guide them during times when their vision is blurry. Developing this, how it involves the treatment of allies and enemies, will be important in the growth of an Air Sailor.
Talents

Initiate
Talent Options: Navigation, Parry, Speak Language, Throwing Weapons, Unarmed Combat

First Circle
Discipline Talents: Air Sailing, Avoid Blow, Climbing, Karma Ritual, Melee Weapons

Novice
Talent Options: Air Dance, Great Leap, Haggle, Heartening Laugh, Missile Weapons, Read/Write Language, Wind Catcher

Second Circle
Discipline Talents: Distract, Durability (6/5)

Third Circle
Discipline Talent: Empathic Sense

Fourth Circle
Discipline Talent: Air Weaving

Journeyman
Talent Options: Acrobatic Strike, Disarm, Etiquette, Lasting Impression, Lion Heart, Riposte, Tactics, Taunt

Fifth Circle
Discipline Talent: Swing Attack

Sixth Circle
Discipline Talent: Wound Balance

Seventh Circle
Discipline Talent: Resist Taunt

Eighth Circle
Discipline Talent: Leadership

Air Sailors can play switch to a number of different roles within any Group, though their Discipline Talents are generally combat related. However, with a strictly average Durability (6/5), they are going to find protracted engagements to be dangerous and that Strain cannot be spent freely.

The primary areas of emphasis for an Air Sailor are combat and social, though they have access to some fun movement abilities as well. They will never excel in combat like a Sky Raider, Swordmaster or Warrior, but with Avoid Blow and Melee Weapons as Discipline Talents, they should be able to hold their own. They even have Swing Attack for some additional combat options and a damage bonus. Access to social Talents is done through their Talent Options, and they have an nice collection, but missing what could be considered key Talents (First Impression is of particular note here).

No matter what direction an Air Sailor is taken, they are strongest as a team player. They can support other characters in their niches and that is where the Air Sailor shines, which is somewhat ironic. Between Empathic Sense and Collaborate (Journeyman Ability), these adepts should be welcome in any Group. In combat, they can employ Distract to grant more combat oriented characters openings to exploit. With Collaborate, it pays for an Air Sailor to at least dabble in other characters' specialties, providing additional bonuses and a back up character when needed.

The Initiate Talent Options are perhaps the only time in an Air Sailor's career where they won't have to make some very difficult choices. They represent some solid choices and any decisions here can easily be based on what the rest of the Group is bringing to the table:

• Navigation - While granted through Half-Magic when on an airship, if no one else in the Group has this it can be very useful.
• Parry - There are some issues with this Talent: Avoid Blow is a Discipline Talent, which means it will be continually improved and Karma can be spent on it. To remain useful, this Talent will require constant improvement, but that still doesn't quite out-weigh the benefit of Karma. As well, two-handed weapons are often unavailable to Air Sailors as they tend to have good attributes across the board and often don't sport the strength to wield them.
• Speak Language - Always one of my favorites, it generally pays to have at least one character in a Group with this Talent. If none of the other Initiate Talent Options are compelling, this is a good choice.
• Throwing Weapons - It requires constant improvement to be useful and Air Sailors get access to a number of movement Talents that make this less valuable.
• Unarmed Combat - This can only be recommended if it fits a character concept; it will require continual improvement as well.

Novice Talent Options are when difficult decisions begin, particularly if there is something from Initiate that is still tempting. At this point, the direction of the character should be somewhat decided - what areas will they be supporting, and what will the be filling in for - and that will make Talent Option selection considerably easier:

• Air Dance - An amazing Talent all around. Boosts initiative and can potentially grant an additional attack. There is little reason to not take this (unless Strain is a continual issue).
• Great Leap - Useful and fun, this Talent grants considerable mobility and the ability to capitalize on skills like Down Strike.
• Haggle - If there is no Weaponsmith, then someone in the Group could stand to have this Talent. Generally Air Sailors have a good charisma, so this is worth taking a second look at.
• Heartening Laugh - At the cost of a Karma, I would generally give this one a pass. There is a Swordmaster in your Group, isn't there?
• Missile Weapons - In the same boat as Throwing Weapons: there are probably better options available to you. That being said, if it goes with the character concept, then by all means.
• Read/Write Language - It is always good to have this paired with Speak Language, if nothing else so you don't have to deal with the potential headaches of "I can speak it, but not read it". Reading is fundamental.
• Wind Catcher - Pair this with Great Leap for fun. You are bound to come up with uses for this Talent, particularly if you don't have it and are plummeting to your doom from an airship.

Even more good Talent Options are to be had at Journeyman. There is a strange detail about some Talents at this tier (including Discipline Talents): it is somewhat later than you generally see Acrobatic Strike, Taunt and Wound Balance.

• Acrobatic Strike - The ability to raise your physical defense is always useful. With Air Dance, gaining initiative shouldn't be an issue to use this Talent. It does require continual improvement and costs Strain, so those should be weighed when considering it.
• Disarm - Powerful in the right situations, it does have some downsides. It requires the constant maintenance of any attack Talent and costs Strain.
• Etiquette - A useful social Talent that fits well into the "leader" theme Air Sailors develop.
• Lasting Impression - If going down the social road, this Talent is going to be important.
• Lion Heart - Rarely will you regret taking this Talent when you need it, it doesn't require much investment to show a return when it comes up.
• Riposte - The costs associated with this Talent are high and the inability to spend Karma on it means you will be unlikely to see much out of it. Which is tragic, because this Talent is really good.
• Tactics - Useful for any Air Sailor that intends to command a number of NPCs, such as on their own airship. Other characters involved in more conventional adventuring won't likely get much out of this.
• Taunt - Probably the best debuff in the game - attacks social, reasonable duration, decent penalities. It rarely hurts to have more than one character capable of using it.

Races

Obsidimen find themselves at odds with the Discipline; they are mostly inclined to stay on the ground and little rigging is going to support almost half a ton of rock man. Nearly all other Namegivers can find a niche within this broad Discipline to fill.

Earthdawn: Part 17 - Versatility

This is the seventeenth part in an ongoing series about Earthdawn. Introduction and Index.

Versatility is the racial ability for humans in Earthdawn and it is the most powerful and most complicated racial ability available. In most settings humans represent a relatively simple, baseline character to become familiar with the setting and system. This is not the case in Earthdawn and effective leverage of their Versatility Talent requires a significant degree of system mastery and an unusual level of character planning will also be useful in getting the most out of this unique Talent. The only drawback of Versatility is that heavy dabbling will stunt character advancement.

For those that are not entirely familiar with the system, Versatility allows you to purchase Talents which you may not normally have access to. There are three primary limitations to this: 1) You may have a number of Talents through Versatility up to your Rank in Versatility; 2) You may not acquire a Talent through Versatility which is a Discipline Talent for one of your Disciplines. Though if you acquire an additional Discipline with a Talent that you purchased through Versatility as a Discipline Talent, it will become a Discipline Talent when you achieve the appropriate Circle and free up a Versatility "slot" after the Discipline Talent is raised to the same rating as the Talent gained through Versatility; and 3) All of these Talents must be taught by an adept that knows them (not necessarily as a Discipline Talent) and you must have at least the Circle when your teacher learned it. For example, if the Warrior teaching you Swift Kick learned it at 6th Circle, then you must be at least 6th Circle to learn it and will raise it as a Journeyman Talent, despite that a Warrior can learn it as early as 2nd Circle as a Novice Talent.

What this functionally means is that humans can bypass the traditional structure where every other Namegiver learns Talents: Disciplines. They can cherry pick Talents to suit their character and acquire what may be key Talents without learning additional Disciplines. The human restricted Journeyman Discipline is an apotheosis of this idea: all they have is two Versatility Talents. This Talent is best used in a two different ways: to provide a greater range of abilities (width) or increase effectiveness in a particular field (depth).

By far the most common and intuitive use for Versatility is for additional functionality in a Discipline. This can include a Nethermancer that wants to dabble in being a merchant and the social game, or a Swordmaster that sees themselves as a hard-boiled fantasy detective. This goal is also relatively easy to attain; it involves determining what areas you would like to expand into and what Talents would be most effective for that. It is always worth weighing if it is worth investing the resources for width if it can be accomplished with a skill to the same degree. If you are looking for no more than 4 ranks, then a skill (if available) is going to be a better choice in the long run. The advantages of Talents are long-term and will likely not be fully realized for minor purchase. No matter what your end goal with Versatility is, having a plan is important.

For the aforementioned Nethermancer, that would include Evaluate and Haggle to be a merchant, but the social Talents will require more time. First Impression is always a good place to start, but from there things can get tricky as there are a number of options (Etiquette, Flirting, Impress, Lasting Impression, Seduction, Winning Smile, etc) and may or may not be appropriate for what the goal for that character is; perhaps a skill may be better for some of these Talents. The Swordmaster is in a similar situation as there are a great number of Talents to gather information in different ways, from Astral Sight, to Direction Arrow, to Evidence Analysis and on to Search. As you can see, having a plan is important.

Here is an example: Erich, a human Warrior, has decided that while being a Warrior is sweet, he wants more to do than just murder. He would like to be more involved in social situations and able to gather useful tactical information for the group. For social Talents, he feels that Etiquette and First Impression will maintain his Warrior persona well, conveying a sense of decorum and strength, while allowing him to contribute. His other goal is a little trickier, but in the end he decides that Call of Harrow (for Horrors and Horror Constructs) and Creature Analysis (for most everything else) will be useful. He considers Astral Sight, but is uncertain how often he would actually benefit from the information, but keeps it in mind. Empathic Sense and Thought Link really appeal to him and what he could do with them, but he has quite a bit for now and isn't certain how he will pay for what he wants already.

Improving the depth of an adept through Versatility is a trickier proposition and there are two ways of going about it: Find what will make you better at what you are already good at, or find the weaknesses in what you are good at and fill those out. A simple example of getting better at something you are already good at is for every spellcaster: learn the Thread Weaving Talents of the other spellcasters. With Nethermancy, Spirit Hold, Spirit Talk and Summon [Ally Spirits], a human Elementalist could easily fake it as a Nethermancer. Now, there are some caveats to this: despite being explicitly allowed, not all GMs might be a big fan of this plan, and with good reason - it represents an amazing expansion of what you can already do, both width and depth. Within setting, most spellcasters will be hesitant to give up their secrets so easily. To minimize your weaknesses, look at what your Discipline does well, then figure out what it does poorly in that realm. Sky Raiders, despite the use of Fireblood, don't actually have much in the way of defensive Talents. A human Sky Raider might think about Life Check and Temper Self, or even Air Dance for both initiative and potentially another attack (both things they aren't so great at).

Here is an example: Elena, a human Swordmaster, has decided that being a Swordmaster is sweet, but she wants to kick even more ass (also be less in danger of falling unconscious constantly). She has a few problems to tackle, but damage, initiative and toughness are the biggest ones. She decides that Cobra Strike will be her best bet on initiative - she is having a hell of a time against Parry and most of her Swordmaster opponents already have a good initiative, so getting an Excellent result will be difficult, but just beating them shouldn't be that hard. Damage is trickier, but Down Strike and Great Leap will be dependable solutions. She has also seen her sister use Swing Attack and wants in on that - it increases damage and is awesome. For taking additional damage, Wood Skin is attractive, but forethought isn't really her wheelhouse, so she goes with Fireblood.

Hopefully this discussion on Versatility will useful in showing how it can be used (perhaps abused) in any game and new ways to think about what can be accomplished with it. As usual, any questions or additional information is always welcome in the comments.