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Strife of the Lyrical Sword- “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” is a mantra repeated by those unfortunate enough to face the taunts and jeers of the cruel, but to an Adept of the Strife of the Lyrical Sword, a word can cut as deep and as sharp as a blade. Long have men fought with words when swords have failed them, but for a Lyrical Swordsman, the two are one and the same, blending sick flows to the beat of clashing swords. Never a very organized style, practitioners of this martial art often meet for impromptu contests and battles, while every region where it is practiced boasts a slightly different variation of the style, the core concepts remain the same. Many notable heroes have come from the Strife, and the greatest have had their hands in the creation of the true strife, their individual styles creating the techniques that are passed down to new practitioners. Those who wish to practice this style must seek out a master, for without the desire and drive, there can be no Lyrical Sword, and even if for some reason they should attain some mastery, the Strife of the Lyrical Sword is a violent style, and decides mastery by contest alone. Practitioners of this Strife are first taught the sword, then how to cultivate their inner power and strengthen the stroke of their sword though the spoken word. The greatest masters are said to be able to cut with the potency of their rhymes alone. Stylistically, this Strife resembles the swordplay of the region it was taught. The warriors of the 36 Chambers used a Tai-Chi Sword style, while in the infamous and bloody war between the Eastern Bad Men Gang and the Western Temple, made up of former Death Row inmates, saw a dozen styles rise and fall as each warrior attempted to make a name for themselves.

Strife of the Lyrical Sword: Greater Strife- this style disallows the use of armor and may only be practiced with swords. Killer Flows- cut with words. Commit Effort on Turn. The Adept’s attack now counts as magical the and adept may choose to use their voice as a weapon, increasing the range of their attacks out to 50 feet, dealing the same damage as their weapon. Foes defeated with this technique may instead be reduced to 1 HD and flee in shame from the sick rhymes of the Adept, unable to face them for at least 24 hours. The foundation of the Strife of the Lyrical Sword, this technique allows the adept to turn the words into vicious weapons, cutting as easily with truth as with a blade. Midwest Choppas- spit rhymes like a machine gun. Commit effort as an action. Deal fray die to all lesser foes in 50 feet who can hear you, straight to mobs. The adept must use their action on each subsequent turn to continue using this technique. The famed hero Techanina, considered by many to be one of the fastest swordsmen alive, used this technique to great effect. One of the great champions of the Patrian Legions, Techanina was said to spit lyrics so quick and swing his sword so fast that a dozen men would fall before they could even draw their weapons. Forgot About Dre- gain an immunity to area of effect damage. Commit effort for the scene as an instant action to gain an immunity to area damaging effects that the adept is a part of. A technique perfected by the great Lyrical Swordsman known as the Surgeon. He was said to weave such a web of steel and words that anything less than a fully dedicated attempt to break his defense would never touch him. No one ever forgot about Dre. Please Stand Up- call up a pack of doppelgangers. Commit effort for the day to call up a small mob with stats equal to a mob of human soldiers carrying a weapon equivalent to what the Adept carries, though fanatically loyal to the adept and with a Morale of 12. Only one such mob can be present at a time. The great reaver and Lyrical Swordsman of the Ulstang Skerries, Marshal Matherson, known as Gaunt Dark, was said to wield his blade with such fury that to face him was to face an army. A noted user of this technique, Gaunt Dark would often raid the southern lands by himself, bringing back plunder and slaves that even whole warbands would have difficulty pillaging. Alas, both hero and villain, he finally fell to a concentrated effort by the Lomite Anti-Priests, who brought a thousand of their best troops to bring him down. Fortunate they did, for though their number and prowess was great, none of them returned alive. Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems- rally against strong foes. When facing a foe of greater hit dice or levels than the adept, the adept may roll damage dice twice and take the better result. Only one such foe may be designated at a time. The Adept loses the benefit of this technique if any of their allies also attack this enemy. Mobs cannot be targeted with this ability. In the battles between the Eastern Bad Men Gang and the Western Death Row Temple, many a hero made their name. one of the greatest of these warriors was the Notorious, a brutal warrior possessing great skill and little mercy. Known for taking on greater and greater foes, they all fell to his infamous Nine-Ring Sword, Big Poppa. Sadly, like many great warriors, the Notorious fell victim to complacency after his foe, the head of the Western Death Row Temple, was supposedly slain. Bring Da Ruckus- Gain strength through conflict. Commit effort for the day as an action. The adept sends out a wave of such ruin and wrath that it crumbles light construction and deals 1d8 damage per character level or hit dice, up to 10d8, in a 30 foot radius. however, for 3 rounds after, the adept cannot commit effort for gifts, miracles, nor commit effort to automatically save against effects. Battle is at the heart of the Strife of the Lyrical Sword. Glorious conflict and the music of the beat of ringing swords can give a warrior heart, but the greatest of the Lyrical Swordsmen know that the end goal of this Strife is to bring ruination upon their foes. The 36 Chambers knew this, and the greatest of their number, the Razor, perfected this technique to unleash a wave of ruin as a final judgment upon his enemies and the very earth itself upon which they stood. Yet this technique was not without cost, for calling a wave of destruction of this magnitude causes severe karmic imbalances, cutting the adept off from the energy of the universe until they can bring their chakras back into balance.

Strife of the Lyrical Sword: Lesser Strife Initiate- the Initiate can project their voice like a weapon, dealing 1d6 damage out to 30 feet with a successful attack, and whenever the initiate must roll a save against an area of effect, they may roll twice and take the better result Disciple- the disciple gains a 1d4 fray die, and when attacking a foe of greater levels or hit dice, the disciple may commit effort for the scene to roll twice and take the greater result Master- the master gains a 1d6 fray die and may spend effort for the scene to create a double that has half of their hit dice rounded up, up to 5 hit dice. Additionally, once per scene the master gains an extra attack on their turn against a foe who has attacked them in the previous round



Credit to the inspiration for this Strife

Sample Master: Dyol the Vicious Word is an avenger for those who cannot defend themselves. Like the questing knights of old, this warrior from the Howlers has taken it upon himself to walk the lands of Arcem with little but his sword at his side and barbs ready to flow from his tongue. Music and the spoken word has a great importance in the Howler culture, but Dyol has elevated it into a deadly weapon. Learning at the feet of great masters in his youth, Dyol was privy to the many horrors inflicted upon his tribe at the hands of marauding misbegotten, Lomite Death-Squads, and his own Howler brethren. After seeing his tribe massacred, Dyol resolved that he would be the one to journey across Arcem and defend the weak, so that tragedies like this may be averted.

Setting out, Dyol the Vicious Word headed north to the Bleak Reach where there was no shortage of monsters to be slain. Quickly making a name for himself with his mastery of the Strife of the Lyrical Sword, Dyol ventures from village to village, eager lay out his own brand of justice upon those who would seek to make a show of their own strength.

Yet for all his strengths, Dyol of the Vicious Word is still fallible and proud. Some sly individuals have tricked him into setting upon an innocent foe, though he usually pays those scoundrels back in kind. A rivalry of sorts has formed between him and another warrior known only as Smilin’ Pete, a noted master of the Strife of the Lyrical Sword himself.

Dyol the Vicious Word has achieved mastery of the Strife of the Lyrical Sword and his skill and creativity have given him access to the Words of Sword and Music, and he may commit effort to auto-save as a Godbound would. The party may come into conflict with him as they try to expand their domain, as he does not suffer tyrants and marauders, though he may be tricked into conflict with them by a particularly savvy enemy

Dyol the Vicious Word- AC: 5 intrinsic Hit Dice: 25 Attack: +12×2 Damage: 1d10+2 sword straight Move 40’ run Save: 5+ Morale: 10 Effort: 7. Can act 2 times per round