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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ArghMark" data-source="post: 6457510" data-attributes="member: 83266">Hi all,As a SCA and HEMA fencer, (Hi fellow fencers!) I was prompted to come out to this interesting post here.Short advice: Don't bother, just describe fighting styles as best you can. (Some advice to follow).Long advice:I know it's cool to emphasize different fencing styles, but I wouldn't do it other than what is already mechanically in the system.So: for a fighter who wants focuses on being a fencer, the Battlemaster would be for him. For another class who wants to play with swords, the feat allowing the battlemaster moves would be the way. Then just pick and choose. You might say a certain style of fencer might tend to take certain ones... but that's no guarantee. My students fight like me, but not identical to me. Pick and choose you say? Yep.It's an error to say that a style must be followed perfectly. The only person that style is perfect for is the person who made it. For example, Fiori (Italian Longsword master, amongst other weapons) fought a certain way. Another master a generation later of the same style, Vadi, was also good; but had his own differences. In mechanics, they were probably Battlemasters, and Fiori had a, b and c moves. Vadi had b, c and d moves. They follow the same style but they are different.If you have an Englishman with a backsword who wants to drive your Italian out of his fence tricks with downright good blows, then so be it; thats description, not mechanics. You could have your englishman have a few of the battlemasters more brutal abilities, or even have the Athlete to represent the physicality of English fighting. But no two Englishmen will be the same, so I say just use the rules as they are and describe it a bit. Some advice:A Fighter: Most people don't fight from a style, but a mix of styles from all sorts of stuff they've picked up from all about the place. They also don't fight using picture perfect school techniques. If its a good pirate game, people will be kicking, hacking and pushing or wrestling each other around to little or no effect; i.e. a basic attack roll.Italian: Italian fencers can be dirt poor or wealthy, but are most likely to be lower gentlemen, or of close social class. If you have a very Italian style fighter, he is most likely to be using (heavier, bigger) rapier and buckler or rapier and what amounts to a shortsword in D+D - a parrying dagger. He's going to attempt fast and devious attacks, moving his body around to attack openings in his opponents guard. If he's using a more cutting form (bolognese) he's likely to be using multiple slashing cuts (Molinello), driving peoples weapons away and slicing in at angles designed to cut around or through openings, where the opponents weapons or shields are not - or to prompt the opponent to move the weapon/shield and then kill from there. Your cutting italian will take feats or fighting styles around defense or shields. If he's using rapier and dagger in a slightly later form, he's likely to rely on the secondary weapon to defend him as his primary weapon will seek to either strike through openings, or he will deliberately threaten (er... point his sword at) open areas to get the opponent to move, then strike. He's likely to take the duel-wield style feats and fighting abilities. Kicks, throws, punches and wrestles are unlikely but no Italian worth his fettuccine will fail to know how.Spanish: Destreza fighters are probably fairly rare, even in Spain. Destreza was often used against common (vulgar) fencers, and was used in opposition to it - its first creators (perhaps less later on) are relatively upper crust. It's a style based heavily upon maths in its basic theory. Despite having something of a reputation of being defensive, it can be very offensive as required (and does use strait lines.) It can cut or thrust, but will prefer the thrust. A spanish Diestro will enjoy fencing against an opponent who allows the spaniard to touch swords with him. A Destreza fighter wishes his opponent to attack, so he can circle and strike. If his opponent is unwilling, he will use a lot of footwork to gain ground, and attack on angles (usually.) If close, the spaniard is more willing to grab the sword of his enemy or wrench it out of his hand.English: The London Masters of Defense (of which Silver was one) are a pretty rough and ready crew. Their fighters have gruelling prize fights and would need to know many weapons including something called a Morris Pike. Which I assume is used in dispersing Morris dancers. They, like all real fighters, are going to be defensive to a point, but the English fighters are most likely to be strong and athletic, and probably likely to take the single hand bonus damage feat. (Downright good blows!). They'll be very happy to use shields (bucklers) and either rapiers or weapons similar to them. They are plenty willing to scrap physically, and throws and the like (the cross buttock) were well known to English fighters.Good look at a fight from an English style vs. Italian is the movie Rob Roy. Note that many English noble types would have thought Italian or Spanish was much cooler and would have trained in that school of fighting.</blockquote>

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