Interesting Battle Sashes
The tradition of Battle Sashes is only a century or two old. It started in Celedor by the River, but it has been adopted in every part of the WestLands. Given the presence of blood, spirit and honor, it was only a matter of time until magic became involved.
Note if you have not read Battle Sashes, do so.
"Interesting" Battle Sashes is the "code word" for sashes that have something odd, like magic, associated with them. Since magic is often frowned upon, yet still desirable, nobody want to say it is magic outright.
Most of these pieces are spontaneous magic, born of blood and spirit. Their magic follows the pattern of the important event, reinforced by tales, belief, and the occasional battle (To quote the Troupadores, "...quenched in blood, the magic formed and hardened like magesteel".) Along those lines, some are simply haunted by the spirits of previous owners. (Bound spirits giving advice or skill or just bemoaning their fate awaiting to be freed are not just the thing of hearth tales.) Yet there are those that are purposeful. These are carefully enchanted by Household Magicers for their family members. These are easier to spot, as they have starstones woven into them or as bead accents.
The powers of most Battle Sashes are minor when compared to greater items enchanted by Wizards and Gods. They will have one, maybe two low level powers.
Known Powers
These are not going to be strange or unusual in most cases. They are fairly straight forward, with most being simple skill charms (minor positive modifiers). Exotics and strange powers are possible, but harder to justify.
> Spirit Blade/ Strike to Astreal - The weapon will touch things of the spirit OR strike to creatures bonded by magic. This is quite common actually, as spirit makes the sash magical.
> Attunment of Honor: This will double or triple the honor modifier generated (this includes the negative). This is perhaps the second most common ability after strike to the astreal.
> Honor activation: The magical effects will only come into effect if the character is properly following the honor code. Sashes with such limitations, will normally have two to four powers.
> Skill Gift: The spirit in the sash grants technique to the wearer. Listening to the Story Tellers, this is the most common power. Reality is different. In the stories, it gifts every technique a master learns (junior/ basic and advanced/ senior manuvers), granted to the novice to do "great things". In reality, it might grant one or two advanced techniques.
> Road to Mastery: The spirit in the sash assists the wearer in learning or improving their techniques. This is a bonus to any teaching/ learning rolls (+2 or so) or exp bonus (+5-10%).
> Favored Action - Bonus to Strike - +1 or 5%
> Favored Action - Bonus to Defend +1 or 5% to either block or dodge as appropriate.
> Favored Action - Bonus to Manuver +2 to a specific manuver's DRs. The favored or famed manuver of the previous owner normally. Sometimes, this will allow people to be taught the restricted manuver.
> Favored Action - Bonus to Skill +2 or so to skills provided by the school. Some schools teach leaping, tumbling, swinging, and acrobatics of various types. Dance is also a supporting skill at times, so this would add to those rolls to provide the supporting skill modifers.
> Negation of the Unwary/ Quick to Ready: The character can draw the weapon and attack on the same action.
> Biting Blade: The blade recieves a +1 to +2 Damage Modifier, showing a harder strike. This bonus could be traded away to penetrate hardened armors (negating their bonuses).
> Turning Blade: The wearer recieves a small bonus to their protection, but only if their weapon is out, at the ready, and they are able to defend. This is the equivalent of wearing cloth/ soft leather armor.
> Deflecting the Feathered Death: The character can now block missile weapons (arrows/ bolts) and other ranged weapons with a normal blocking die roll.
> Deflecting the Wizard's Weapon. The character can now make a blocking roll against incoming spells, be this missles, attacks, or just regular spells.
> Eye of Strategem: Wearing the sash allows for strategy rolls to predict what their opponent will do next, giving them a chance to either counter or take advantage.
> Danger Awareness: The character can now make perception rolls to become aware of threats they would normally miss.
> Luck of the Duel: The character gains the ability to reroll one die roll over the course of the duel/ battle.
> Wink of the Knowing: The character gains bonuses for certain actions that are usually non combat while wearing the sash, but only when they are engaging in certain activities. So if the sash is empowered by a romantic, you would gain bonuses in dealing with women, scaling the walls to reach them, and avoiding angry husbands. If the sash was owned by a chess player, it will grant bonuses when playing the game and perhaps bonuses to logic and rhetoric. It is all based on the spirit empowering.
> Calling of the Like: The character only recieves the bonuses if they have the same advantage/ gift or disadvantage/ flaw or roleplaying trait as the empowering spirit. So if the empowering spirit was a drunkard, only someone who drinks heavily will have the bonuses. If the empowering spirit was a pious man, only the pious will recieve its gifts. Items that have this ability normally have two to four other powers.
>Spirit Bound: The spirit of the previous owner not only empowers the sash, its personality follows it. Some are strong enough to communicate directly with the person (It would be like having an invisible friend you are always talking). However, most can only communicate is "interesting" situations or when the wearer is in a twilight state. This can be a source of advice or even pointers on your technique. It is also a roleplay source that can be overused, so GM's need to be careful.
> Insert magical ability: Enchanted sashes will have any available magic effect to the enchanter they want to put in. This varies from setting/ game to setting/game.
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? Responses (10)
Might be better if presented as a scroll, then some of the other strolenites might be able to submit their own unique Battle Sashes.
You should all feel free to add anything I forgot. If you want to do an actual write up of a specific sash, post it and I will make a scroll out of this one.
I like the idea.
Good post. Lots of different choices there.
These are mostly 'charm' level items. They give a slight plus, or perhaps a roleplay bonus, rather than have powers. That is why they are mix and match of avaiable powers... so it shows the low level abilities it possesses.
Updated: update on a few spelling errors.
These are simple, efficient magic items that are both logical to have developed, as well as useful in their purpose. Bumpage for such a great post.
Hm, interesting, especially paired with the main article. I get queasy, though, thinking about enchanting something as flimsy as a sash. Could you elaborate on the weaving technique? Perhaps strengthening it with heavy metallic thread, or placing a durability enchantment on the cloth.
Did you read the second paragraph?
I would assume that it would be made of a more durable fabric than just some flimsy cotton. Sashes might gain some durability if they are interesting. Even without it, There are sashes used by various king fu schools that are nearly 100 years old. I would assume that they could last longer.
