In the High Elven kingdom of Ulthuan, in the province of Saphery, where the most powerful mages in the Old World train, there is a great tower in honor of Hoeth, the Elven god of wisdom and knowledge. The Loremaster of Saphery is the keeper of this tower, the Tower of Hoeth, as it is called, a library which contains the greatest collection of lore and books in the known world. The Tower is protected by some of the most powerful Elven warriors in Ulthuan: The Swordmasters of Hoeth. These Elves have mastered the art of fighting with and without weapons, but specialize in using two-handed swords, and surpass any known fighter with these weapons. This fact makes them deficient in skills with other weapons, of course, but if facing one in hand to hand combat, this fact seems to matter little.
The Swordmaster of Hoeth begins the game with exactly the same stats as the Wardancer.
The Swordmaster starts out carrying a two-handed Elven Longsword, which gives him +1 Strength. The damage caused by this weapon is therefore 1D6+4 Wounds.
The Swordmaster wears a full coat of Scale Mail, granting him +2 Toughness.
The only equipment the Swordmaster begins with is a blank tome and a quill with which to record his adventures. This is for the sake of the Loremaster, and only bears real relevance in the Advanced game.
The Swordmaster is so quick with his blade that he can often swipe away an arrow before it hits him. All enemies armed with bows or crossbows are -1 to hit when attacking him with those weapons. This skill only works if the Swordmaster wields a two-handed sword.
Swordmasters will never use any other weapon besides a sword. They cannot wear armor other than their Scale Mail unless it is of Elven origin and will NEVER carry a shield, but they may wear any helmet. The Swordmaster can use any treasure that a Ranger Knight can use, within his weapons and armor limitations. If he finds the Sword of Hoeth, he rolls 2D3 rather than 1D6 when determining its ability.
The Swordmaster of Hoeth increases his skill with two-handed swords and gains attribute increases as he goes up battle-levels.
Swordmasters of Hoeth can go to the Weaponsmith (swords only), the Armorer (helmets only), the Animal Trader, the General Store, the Elf Ranger's Noble House (roll as a Knight), and the Alchemist. He may visit the Elf Quarter, but he will not buy healing herbs or any weapons or armor he is not allowed to use. He can also visit the High Elf Estates (see High Elf Mage, coming soon), and a new special location, the Shrine of Hoeth, which is detailed below.
There is a small Shrine of Hoeth found in every Saphery Estate. The Shrines are small counterparts of the main Shrine found inside the Tower of Hoeth in Ulthuan. In these small shrines, Lorekeepers collect information from Swordmasters and other worthy High Elves in cities throughout the Old World and send it to Ulthuan to the Loremaster. This is necessary to maintain the Tower of Hoeth as the greatest source of information in the world. Swordmasters who brave their way through the Old World's dungeons often have much to offer the Lorekeepers, who in turn show them ancient Elven fighting secrets. If the Swordmaster shows the Lorekeeper his tome, and offers a donation of (1D6+battle-level) x 100 gold, he may prove worthy enough to gain a special fighting edge for the next adventure. Roll 2D6 on the following table.
| 2-3 | The Lorekeeper accepts your donation, but your tome does not tell him anything of interest or importance. You gain no benefits. |
| 4 | +1D6 Damage on 1 attack next adventure. |
| 5 | Attack first, regardless of Initiative or possession of the lantern, for 1 combat. |
| 6 | Automatically escape from pinning for the duration of one battle. |
| 7 | +1 Weapon Skill for 1 combat. |
| 8 | +1 to hit for 1 combat. |
| 9 | All enemies are at -1 to hit for one battle. |
| 10 | +1 attack each turn for one full combat. |
| 11 | +2 Strength for one battle. |
| 12 | +1D6 damage on a natural hit roll of 6 for the next whole adventure. |
The Shrine of Hoeth also offers specialized swords and a few pieces of armor for sale to Swordmasters and other High Elves who visit. They are detailed on the following table. Note that if any High Elf who is not a Swordmaster buys any of the swords, he is at -1 to hit when wielding them. They are all two-handed Elven blades, and require the specialized training unique to the Swordmasters in order to be used properly.
|
Item |
Price (Buy) | Price (Sell) | Stock | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longsword | 1500 | 100 | 5 | +1 Strength |
| Bastard Sword | 3000 | 200 | 6 | +2 Strength |
| Broad Sword | 4500 | 300 | 7 | +3 Strength |
| Greatsword | 6000 | 400 | 7 | +4 Strength |
| Elf Warhelm | 3000 | 200 | 7 | +2 Toughness, deflect blow on roll of 6 |
| Scale Mail | 1500 | 100 | 5 | +1 Toughness |
| Coat of Scale Mail | 3000 | 200 | 6 | +2 Toughness |
| Suit of Elven Mail | 5000 | 325 | 9 | +2 Toughness, ignore 1's and 2's for damage |
The Swordmaster of Hoeth trains at the Shrine of Hoeth under the guidance of the local Lorekeeper. He gains characteristic increases exactly as the Wardancer, with the exception of skills. The Swordmaster gains a skill at every even level, rather than at every single level. To find out what skill he learns at each even level, roll 2D6 on the table below. His combat skills may only be used when wielding a two-handed sword.
| 2 | Warcry of Tiranoc The Swordmaster gains +1 to hit in the first round of every combat. |
| 3 | Vengeance of Khaine Once per adventure, the Swordmaster may trade in all his attacks and make one attack rolling (his battle-level) D6 for damage dice, rather than his normal damage dice. |
| 4 | Shield of Caledor The Swordmaster makes a Weapon Skill test against each monster attacking him. When attacked by a monster who failed the test, he gains a Toughness bonus equal to the Strength bonus of the weapon he's carrying. |
| 5 | Loreseeker The Swordmaster becomes even more obsessed with finding ancient lore. Any time any scroll, book, or anything that could possibly contain any worthwhile knowledge is found as treasure, the Swordmaster will try to get it, whether by paying or trading treasure with the other warriors. For every item of such treasure he brings to the Lorekeeper he gains +1 to his roll on the Shrine of Hoeth Table. |
| 6 | Perfect Aim The Swordmaster now attacks with two-handed swords the way a Dwarf does with his Great Axe, rolling an extra dice for damage and discarding the lowest dice. If all the dice come up ones, he has lodged his sword in his opponent's armor and must spend the rest of the turn pulling it out. Enemies are at +2 to hit him while he does this. |
| 7 | (Lorekeeper skill) Roll on the Shrine of Hoeth Table, re-rolling 2's, 3's, and 12's. Whatever ability is rolled can now be performed once per adventure. |
| 8 | Death Dealer The Swordmaster is taught to fight without the aid of his precious swords. If ever disarmed, he may add his Strength to damage and add +1 to his base Toughness because of his skill with bare-handed fighting. |
| 9 | Turn Blow The Swordmaster may sacrifice attacks in the Warrior's Phase in order to parry melee attacks in the Monster's Phase. For each attack sacrificed, he may turn one blow in the Monster's Phase if he makes a successful hit roll on the monster who attacked him. This is not affected by the Bladestorm skill. |
| 10 | Guard Swordmasters are trained in being guards of the Tower of Hoeth. This may come through in battle in the dungeons, as well. He will now choose one member of the party he's in and guard that person. He will always choose Elves over Humans, High Elves over Wood Elves, and magic users over non-magic users. He will never guard an "evil" warrior or a Dwarf. The Swordmaster will always try to stay within 2 spaces of his chosen warrior. When placing monsters, any monsters that are placed around the Swordmaster's chosen warriors and are adjacent to him will attack him instead, as he taunts them and draws their attention to him. If the warrior the Swordmaster is guarding is ever reduced to zero Wounds, the Swordmaster will try to kill the guilty monster as soon as possible. He goes into a Frenzy, gaining double attacks, until that monster is dead. |
| 11 | Bladestorm When attacking in the Warrior's Phase, keep track of how many natural 6's the Swordmaster rolls when rolling to hit. For every 6 rolled, he gets an extra attack, after all his normal attacks are finished. If 6's are rolled to hit for these attacks, there is no further effect. |
| 12 | Deathstrike The Swordmaster now causes an extra 2 Wounds on a natural hit roll of 5 or 6. |
The Swordmaster is a quiet, meditative warrior, often carrying some books of his into the dungeons to read up on ancient lore. He is a fierce and frighteningly fast and powerful fighter. He will be somewhere in between a Barbarian and an Elf for most physical characteristic tests. He will automatically read almost any language, unless it is some sort of encryption. Swordmasters will be able to identify most weapons as well, being so well-read.
Swordmaster of Hoeth inspired by Warhammer (TM) character, written by Luminos