Bladedance
Bladedance is in the whirl and flash of metallic song, the cut and jab of flourishing a rapier, and the staccato steps within flawless footwork. With their songblessed swords in hand do all Bards whether journeyman or master embrace unconventional fighting techniques that drive studious masters to despair. Acrobatic and athletic from Sunrise to Sunset, by following the tempo of battle like musical notes upon a sheet the storytellers of Achaea manifest a style as unorthodox as it is effective. The skill of Bladedance is available to members of the Bard class, along with Composition and Sagas (or Woe).
Abilities in Bladedance
Gripping | Strong hands will save your life. | Lessons: 9 |
Syntax: | GRIP | |
Cooldown: | 2.30 seconds of balance | |
Details: | While utilising this ability, you will prevent items from being knocked out of your hands. |
Jab | Control the distance. | Lessons: 23 |
Syntax: | BLADE JAB <target> <LEFT ARM | |
Works against: | Adventurers and denizens | |
Cooldown: | 2.30 seconds of balance | |
Details: | The simplest of techniques with the rapier, this swift jab teaches the student to gauge distance accurately while also inflicting piercing wounds to an adversary. As with other bladedance techniques, the jab will have different results based on your position in relation to your partner and where the jab lands. These results are as follows:
From the front:
At the arms: the limb will be broken. From the side:
At the arms: afflicts with clumsiness. From the back:
At the arms: gives weariness. If the jab breaks the arm, deals bonus damage.
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Tune | Just the right pitch. | Lessons: 29 |
Syntax: | BLADE TUNE | |
Cooldown: | 3.00 seconds of balance | |
Details: | Weave song about your person, warding off all forms of damage to an
extent. |
Punctuate | Emphasis is key. | Lessons: 45 |
Syntax: | BLADE PUNCTUATE <target> | |
Works against: | Adventurers and denizens | |
Cooldown: | 3.00 seconds of equilibrium | |
Details: | This swift flurry of jabs with the rapier is used to break the defences of your partner. It will destroy barriers to further bladedance techniques if they are present.
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Hound | The dance isn't over. | Lessons: 289 |
Syntax: | BLADE HOUND <target> | |
Works against: | Adventurers | |
Cooldown: | 3.00 seconds of balance | |
Details: | Sometimes when you get behind a partner they're just going to try to make a run for it. With this technique you'll hound their steps, and, so long as you have their back still(*), you'll be able to charge back into
the dance inflicting quite the damage while stunning them.
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Tonal | First the edge, next the sound. | Lessons: 356 |
Syntax: | passive | |
Details: | When you deal particularly powerful blows, the tonal resonance of your songblessed rapier shall cause terrible trauma to the impact site beyond even the norm:
The head: afflicts with impatience.
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Flick | Sometimes steel, sometimes song. | Lessons: 467 |
Syntax: | BLADE FLICK <target> | |
Works against: | Adventurers | |
Cooldown: | 2.30 seconds of balance | |
Details: | This flick with the blade is rarely used as a killing stroke, instead permitting the bard to channel the nature of their song blessed weapon to greater affect. If successful your foe will be struck down with certain deadly conditions:
From the front: crescendo, an enthralling condition which will only grow more dire the longer they dance to your tune(*). From the side: earworm, a condition that is sure to grow worse over time(**). From the back: both crescendo and earworm.
against a target afflicted with earworm. This damage increases the longer the earworm remains uncured. |
Flourish | You're mesmerising, you are. | Lessons: 669 |
Syntax: | BLADE FLOURISH <target> | |
Works against: | Adventurers | |
Details: | This elegant flourish with your blade may not inflict any harm, but it'll certainly give you the opportunity to adjust your footwork while your partner is spellbound by your peerless grace. In practice, you will advance two positions through the bladedance immediately (so from front to back, side to front, back to side). |
Highsun | A high point of the day. | Lessons: 704 |
Syntax: | BLADE HIGHSUN <target> <HEAD | |
Works against: | Adventurers and denizens | |
Cooldown: | 2.30 seconds of balance | |
Details: | A downward strike with the edge of the blade aimed at the head or arms of a partner, the highsun strike delivers the first affliction that your foe does not have from:
When aimed at the head: When aimed at the arms:
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Heelsnap | Two legs are for amateurs. | Lessons: 773 |
Syntax: | BLADE HEELSNAP <target> <LEFT | |
Works against: | Adventurers and denizens | |
Cooldown: | 2.30 seconds of balance | |
Details: | This low lateral slash with the rapier is aimed at one of the legs of your partner. As with other techniques with the rapier, it has various affects based upon your position in relation to your partner:
From the front: breaks the leg in question. From the side: if aimed at the left leg, afflicts with healthleech. If aimed at the right leg, afflicts with sensitivity. From the back: afflicts with hamstrung and dismounts your partner if they are mounted. |
Sunrise | Down goes your partner. | Lessons: 980 |
Syntax: | BLADE SUNRISE <target> <LEFT | |
Works against: | Adventurers | |
Cooldown: | 2.30 seconds of balance | |
Details: | As the sun ascends to greet the dawn, so too shall your rapier rise to meet your adversary. Delivered not as a traditional lateral or vertical slash but as a diagonal blow to the hip and up into the torso, this strike can be utterly devastating. If the torso and leg adjacent to the hip you are aiming at are sufficiently damaged(*), both will be brokenas a result of this strike, and tonal trauma takes place upon both limbs.
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Sunset | Light on falling steel. | Lessons: 1290 |
Syntax: | BLADE SUNSET <target> <LEFT | |
Works against: | Adventurers | |
Cooldown: | 2.30 seconds of balance | |
Details: | As the sun descends at the close of day, so too shall your rapier fall upon your adversary. Delivered not as a traditional lateral or vertical slash but as a diagonal blow down upon either the left or right shoulder, this strike can be utterly devastating. If the head and arm adjacent to the shoulder you are aiming at are sufficiently damaged(*), both will be broken as a result of this strike, and tonal trauma takes place upon both limbs(**).
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Deathfrombelow | From earth to sky with blade and voice. | Lessons: 1738 |
Syntax: | DEATHFROMBELOW <target> | |
Works against: | Adventurers | |
Cooldown: | 3.00 seconds of balance | |
Details: | Sometimes those of lesser footwork will think to take to the skies or trees, foolishly believing that surely you cannot be as sublime in such environs as your peerless grace upon the ground. You will soon disabuse them of this folly, for with a single bound and a cry(*) you will bring them straight back down to your level with a strike of your blade(**).
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Dance Moves
Footwork | Poetry in motion. | Lessons: 5 |
Syntax: | passive | |
Details: | Your footwork is the envy and ambition of lesser dancers: poetry in motion to make even the most cold-hearted soul stop and regard. As you enter the deadly dance with a partner, you will take the front position. As you strike, you will move around them, taking the side position, and eventually entering their blindspot in the back position. The novice bladedancer will move into side position after five strikes in the front position and into back position after two further strikes. They will return to the front position after a single attack in the back position.
Most bladedance techniques function differently against your partner depending on your position, and your partner will be unable to parry attacks entirely performed from their blindspot. Note that if your partner escapes you, reengaging swiftly will let you preserve your positional sense, but if they evade you for too long you will need to return to the front position. |
Backflip | You make it look so easy. | Lessons: 67 |
Syntax: | BACKFLIP <direction> | |
Details: | With the casual grace that only you possess you can flip over obstructions such as adventurers blocking you or icewalls. |
Acrobatics | Stay light, stay mobile. | Lessons: 134 |
Syntax: | ACROBATICS <ON | |
Cooldown: | 3.0 seconds of balance | |
Details: | With this ability, you will exercise your dexterity, becoming far more difficult to hit. Be warned that it comes with a serious endurance drain. |
Dodging | For the toughest of crowds. | Lessons: 178 |
Syntax: | DODGING <ON | |
Details: | This ability will allow you to dodge attacks from the air. |
Tempo | Timing is everything. | Lessons: 245 |
Syntax: | TEMPO <ADAGIO | |
Cooldown: | 2.0 seconds of balance | |
Details: | The tempo of your footwork is of prime importance for any dancer of the
blade. The three styles will dictate how rapidly you may transition between positions, and all have their place: Adagio: 4, 4, 3. Moderato: 3, 2, 2. Allegro: 2, 1, 1. No tempo: 5, 2, 1.
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Hawkstep | Move and strike, move and strike. | Lessons: 876 |
Syntax: | DANCE HAWKSTEP | |
Cooldown: | 3.0 seconds of balance | |
Details: | This dance is one of swift motion and exacting precision. When dancing the hawkstep attempts to hinder your escape from a room (by such things as rites of piety and the like) shall be less likely to succeed.
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Somersault | Keep it moving. | Lessons: 911 |
Syntax: | SOMERSAULT <direction> | |
Cooldown: | 4.0 seconds of balance | |
Details: | An advanced form of tumbling, you may quickly somersault passed barriers or similar, even when bound(*).
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Balancing | Poise weeps at your perfection. | Lessons: 1394 |
Syntax: | BALACING <ON | |
Details: | With this ability, you will have superior balance, making it much more difficult to knock you off your feet with abilities such as sweepkick, or the earthquake vibration. There is a mana drain associated with it, however. |
Harrying | The show is not over. | Lessons: 1600 |
Syntax: | DANCE HARRYING | |
Cooldown: | 3.0 seconds of balance | |
Details: | The dance of the harrying is one focussed on swift blows of the rapier to keep your enemy pinned within your deadly encirclement. Though these blows typically do no real harm, the threat of your blades point will make it difficult for even the fleetest foe to escape your lethal performance. |