[Types]

Knife Fighter

Adversaries (especially those who are sword trained) often underestimate someone armed only with daggers. If they challenge you, they learn their error when you flick a knife into their eye before they can even draw their oversized weapons. Maybe you prefer to be called a Quicksteel or a Shank, like some of your fellow students of the dagger, but in the end, Knife Fighter describes what you are as expeditiously as a knife thrust.

You’re probably one more combatant in your group, though your ability to be among the first in a conflict to draw blood gives your comrades cover as they make their own attacks. It’s especially useful if you can pin a foe to the wall or floor for a moment, because that could signal your allies who they should attack next.

For a Knife Fighter, a knife is any kind of light bladed weapon.

Background Options

• You first picked up a knife as a street urchin in a sprawling city. You learned to be motivated by simple survival.
• You were muscle on a job to con a wealthy merchant two weeks ago but never got paid.
• A horrific extradimensional entity started whispering to you a year ago, but you mostly ignore it.
• When your parents’ caravan was overrun, you spent years wandering treacherous wildlands with only a pet bear as your companion, until a hunter killed it.
• You and your sister joined a bandit gang; after she was killed a year ago, you left the life behind.
• Recently, the priest who took you in when you were orphaned died of a mysterious illness.
• You recovered an inlaid metal chest from the old ruins weeks ago but still can’t get it open.
• You were trained as an enforcer for a cutthroat gang and now want to retire from violence.
• However, the world leaves you no choice but to use your knife to survive.

Knife Fighter Abilities

You gain all of the following benefits:

• Able to take three more minor wounds and one more moderate wound
• Add +4 to Speed Pool
• Add +1 Edge in Pool of your choice
• Freely use all knives
• Freely use light armor Gain one weapon of your choice
• At tier 3 and tier 6, choose an ability from the Fantasy Genre Abilities list

Expert Combatant Enabler

You are trained in a specific weapon attack of your choice, such as swords, axes, or bows; or in a broader category of attacks such as light bashing weapons, light bladed weapons, light ranged weapons, medium bashing weapons, medium bladed weapons, medium ranged weapons, and so on.

At tier 2, you can choose to become specialized in the same attack method you chose at tier 1, but you must gain the skill normally.

At tier 6, you can become an expert in a specific attack method (either the one you chose at tier 1 or another weapon skill you're already specialized in), but you must gain the skill normally.

Gut Ripper (1 Speed) Action

You attack with a knife in a way that has a greater risk of making an error but gains an additional benefit. Your GM Intrusion range for this attack increases by 2 (from 1 on a d20 to 1– 3 on a d20), but if you `hit you can choose one of the following additional effects:

• Deep Slice: The foe takes +2 damage.
• Let Them Bleed: The wound bleeds; on your next turn, the foe takes 2 damage that ignores Armor.

Hindering Throw (3 Speed) Action

Your successful ranged knife attack sticks in the target, catching in their clothing, their flesh, the floor, or another adjacent surface in a way that deals normal damage and hinders their tasks on their next turn.

Knife Fighter Equipment Bundle

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment

Five daggers, appropriate clothing, a backpack, a bedroll, 50 feet (16 m) of rope, a knife belt, three torches, rations and water for three days, a tinderbox, and enough extra currency to buy a moderately priced item.