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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Driddle" data-source="post: 3519272" data-attributes="member: 3447">Although I’m mostly inactive in playing D&D with others lately, I do still get a lot of entertainment and satisfaction from reading the books and crafting characters. One of my favorite pasttimes -- or rather, a second-tier pasttime -- is interpreting game system mechanics to real sport fencing. I’m an epee fencer of about 10 years experience. I’m fairly competitive at the regional level (can’t afford to attend a lot of national tourneys). I’m also certified through the USFCA (coaches association) and I’m experienced enough to teach technique and tactics. It’s safe to say I love my sport dearly.So the other day as one of my non-training studies, I picked through the Iron Heroes feats for those that would seem most appropriate for sport fencing. I’m posting these notes here merely for your amusement, and because I don’t have any fencing peers who would appreciate the gaming cross-over. Keep in mind that “flavor text” and game mechanics don’t always translate directly. Sometimes a particular mechanic can have an entirely different interpretation than originally intended, but still yield the same effect overall. Remember, too, that in sport fencing we’re not concerned with hurting the opponent or whittling away his “hit points,” so feats that involve damage are totally inappropriate for adaptation.ENDURANCE - “hours of work and struggle do not faze you.” ... +4 bonus on various checks and saves would be handy to make it through a day-long tournament without getting tired.ARMOR MASTERY - “make the most of wearing your armor. Others simply expect it to absorb attacks. You know that you must move with your protective gear to maximize its effectiveness.” ... Not a very strong parallel to sport fencing, but master levels 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 might suggest you’ve spent time investing in the best gear possible and/or keeping it in good condition (this is a stretch however). Mastery level 4, “you feel comfortable wearing armor, to the point where a suit that restricts someone else’s agility has little effect on yours,” seems like a valid adaptation to sport fencing with a +1 maximum dexterity bonus for those with competitive experience. And likewise mastery level 6, “you can move with surprising speed while wearing armor,” looks good with the benefit of lighter armor category for calculating speed reduction.COMBAT EXPERTISE - “you handle your weapon with the elegant speed, agility and skill of a true master.” ... Mastery level 1, with its shifting of up to -5 on attack rolls to +5 bonus on defense, would seem to suggest the simplest parries (sans riposte) and defensive fighting.  Level 2 is just the inverse, suggesting risky counter-attacks and fleches. At mastery level 3 and above, the parry token pool becomes significant and appropriate, providing one token for each time the opponent misses an attack (while you’re using combat expertise to increase your defense). So at level 3, spending one token for +1 bonus to hit implies a standard riposte. By expending tokens at level 7, you can negate the opponent’s active defense bonus (i.e. his natural agility), suggesting that you pulled distance at the last minute and left him off-balance. Master level 8 is a stronger riposte option, allowing automatic (albeit minimal) damange whenever the opponent attacks; an attack roll is not necessary to inflict the damage, which means the riposte itself is always successful. Of special note, I’m amused that the authors chose the wrong terms in the original text: “As a foe attacks, you use a stinging, painful parry to slash back.” It’s actually the riposte that would be stinging and painful, not the parry.COMBAT REFLEXES - Mastery level 1 is potentially translatable to sport fencing because you get to make additional attacks of opportunity instead of just one per round as normally allowed by the (game) rules. This could be seen as counter-attacks learned through refined training to the point of automatic reflex -- the extra pokes to the opponent’s wrist, for example, as you retreat.DEVIOUS MANIPULATOR - “even the sharpest minds have trouble telling your deceptions from the truth.” ... This can be interpreted as the ability to manipulate the referee and possibly the opponent and/or his coach. In combat, you can use the bluff skill to trick the opponent “into misreading your attacks and defense,” with a +1 bonus to your attacks or -1 to his. Out of combat, you can gain bonuses to bluff checks or extend the amount of time a target (the ref) believes you.DODGE - “you are quick on your feet” ... Mastery level 1 and 2 both simply suggest the ability to pull distance and displace target. When the opponent misses, you gain a dodge token that can later be used to further improve your defense score. Mastery level 6, with its tumble skill bonus, suggests infighting ability or passing your opponent on the strip without being touched. Likewise with level 7, which allows a one-square move if your opponent misses. HEALING LORE - “you can treat injuries with greater-than-normal efficiency and speed.” ... Normally, I’d pass up this feat entirely, but mastery level 1 at the very least could be interpreted as someone who has studied sports medicine or an effort to better understand his own physiology and physical quirks. Between bout touches, he could set aside some of the problems associated with a twisted ankle, for example, or a sprained elbow or a really obnoxiously bruised muscle. Mastery levels 3, 5, 7 and 9 compound that bonus. Level 2 suggests correcting more serious strains that could be debilitating in a competition (although still not life-threatening). Other feat levels would require out-of-tourney attention.IMPROVED FEINT - “using misdirection to wreck an opponent’s defenses.” ... This feat, at levels 2 and 9 (sport fencing would not involve an ally at mastery level 5), seems a strong candidate for translation in intent and game mechanics. It is very simply a feint, or misleading body language.MOBILITY -  At basic level 1, the defense bonus against attacks of opportunity for moving through a threatened area would seem to translate as very quick footwork in and out of close range. At mastery level 3, your footwork improves considerably. Mastery level 7, however, really cranks the fencing skill up a notch by allowing the tactic of counter-time (probably with a parry-riposte in prime or fleche-like attack, ala “you dart around him”). Level 9, with its reference to tumbling, once again suggests infighting.OVERWHELMING PRESENCE - “With a single glare, you strike terror into others.” ... Normally I would pass this by, but I’ve actually seen competitors try to intimadate each other (and sometimes succeed). The base mastery level would be appropriate, “at the start of an encounter,” before the bout begins.POLITICAL MASTERMIND - “personality and cunning, you can manipulate others to your will.” ... This base mastery level could translate to the fencing strip, if the diplomacy check was applied to interactions with the referee. The application of tokens would be most appropriate in swaying the ref’s opinion in a questionable decision.TACTICS OF THE MIND - “You may use intelligence instead of your key ability.” ... This feat group lends itself particularly to smart fencers or veterans who aren’t quite as athletically fit as their younger opponents. At level 2, the token pool suggests tactical analysis before and during a bout, and an ability to lure the opponent into counter-time faults. By mastery level 3, the fencer has become so skilled in his technique that he can pull a closer distance without as much risk.WEAPON FINESSE - I mention this feat only because it should be the default attitude in a sport fencing bout: “Apply your dexterity modifier instead of your strength modifier on attack rolls.” There are some fencers who use their natural size and strength to drive a blade to target, and of course the elite-level fencers are in excellent physical condition (with weight training). But for the most part, fencers do not rely on pure brute strength.WEAPON FOCUS - Mastery levels 1, 4, 8 and 10 simply suggest greater skill overall.Finally, it’s worth noting the bonded weapon trait, which would suggest those fencers who have a natural talent for the sport, with an uncanny tactical insight (ala Tactics of the Mind) based on intelligence or wisdom.</blockquote>

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