Damosel (Original)

I recently redid the Damosel class for the GLOG, which is what I write in nowadays, but old hands will remember that the class was originally written years ago for Cloak and Sword, now sadly defunct. There has been a swelling of interest in the old hack, including in things like the Esprit table (remember that old thing?!), so I thought it would be appropriate to reprint the original here before all is lost to time. 

Damosel (Original)

 

Gear: an exquisite jacket and expensive clothing, a rapier, a thin knife, a +1 pistol, cosmetics. 

Skills: formal etiquette, informal flirtation, the code duello. 

+1 to hit and +1 defence when you fight against a single opponent.

Artifice: In cities and towns, you have +1 to your reaction rolls per 500s of finery you wear, to a maximum of +3. You get an additional flat +1 for nobles, or eligible bachelors who have seen you fight. This is a +3 if it was the eligible bachelor who fought you. 

Duelist: For each turn you fight an opponent one on one, you gain +1 to hit, and +1 defence against them, to a maximum of +3. This bonus persists between fights for individuals - if you've fought against someone, your bonus against them is for life. 

Hunter, Hunted: Poets, teenagers of a certain temperament, and birds of prey hold Esprit for you. You hold Esprit for anyone you fall in love with, and for anyone who refuses your advances. Romantic rivals who you respect hold Esprit for you, and you hold it for them. If someone loses Esprit for you, for any reason, you suffer minus d3 max hp for a month while you recover. If you love someone, and they love you, neither of you hold Esprit for anything else - in addition, both of you roll on the death and dismemberment table at disadvantage. 

Cruel Barb: You may parry up to two attacks per turn - roll an attack against your opponent, and if you hit, the attack is mitigated. If you parry all of your opponent's attacks, you may make a single riposte of your own, essentially an attack out of sequence. The damage dealt by this riposte explodes. 

Exterminate all the Brutes: You make two attacks instead of one against: police, the clergy, doctors, lawyers, judges, and the family of those you hold Esprit for. You cannot receive blessings of any kind, nor would you if you could. 

Crueler Barb: If you kiss someone who you love, and who loves you, they can never lie to you again, nor you to them. This will lead you to ruin and doom.

Natural Born Killers: If you can see your lover, and they still hold Esprit for you, you cannot be killed while you clutch a weapon. You still roll on the death and dismemberment table as normal, you simply don't die until your sword, dagger, pistol, table leg, shard of glass, etc. are torn from your shrieking, vengeful, bloody grasp.