Striking ST and Templates

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Spartan506

I was wondering why the Buccaneer class in DFD:S does not have Striking ST as an option, since all the other variant Swashbuckler templates do (as well as Barbarians, Holy Warriors, Knights in both DF and DFRPG, while Martial Artists have access to the functional equivalent Mantis Strike).

Just because buccaneers already have ST 13 vs. all the other swashbuckler variants' ST 10-11. You'll note that ST + maximum Striking ST = 13 on all the templates in the book. The idea is to keep swashbucklers in the realm of "finesse fighters" so they remain distinct from "power fighters" like knights and barbarians.

Originally Posted by Spartan506

I assumed it was a design choice, but I wonder...without it, a Buccaneer could not get other Springing Attack, which seems thematically appropriate.

Nothing keeps a buccaneer from having Springing Attack. All swashbuckler subtypes can have all the power-ups in Chapter 2; only the basic power-ups get shuffled a little. The specific prerequisite of Springing Attack is "Trained by a Master or Weapon Master," and buccaneers start with Weapon Master.

[InexplicableVic]

Originally Posted by Kromm

Just because buccaneers already have ST 13 vs. all the other swashbuckler variants' ST 10-11. You'll note that ST + maximum Striking ST = 13 on all the templates in the book. The idea is to keep swashbucklers in the realm of "finesse fighters" so they remain distinct from "power fighters" like knights and barbarians.

Ah, ok, I suspected that might have been the case and that it was a deliberate design choice, but wasn't sure. That clarification confirms what I originally thought, but I wanted to make sure.

Originally Posted by Kromm

Nothing keeps a buccaneer from having Springing Attack. All swashbuckler subtypes can have all the power-ups in Chapter 2; only the basic power-ups get shuffled a little. The specific prerequisite of Springing Attack is "Trained by a Master or Weapon Master," and buccaneers start with Weapon Master.

I also see that I (embarrassingly) didn't read carefully enough and misread Springing Attack--it is built with Striking ST 2, with a 10% discount because it takes extra time, plus the Giant Step Option, to make it a 10 point advantage, but doesn't require Striking ST 2.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Kromm

Just because buccaneers already have ST 13 vs. all the other swashbuckler variants' ST 10-11. You'll note that ST + maximum Striking ST = 13 on all the templates in the book. The idea is to keep swashbucklers in the realm of "finesse fighters" so they remain distinct from "power fighters" like knights and barbarians.

Fortunately, half-ogres exist to fix this problem :)

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Fortunately, half-ogres exist to fix this problem :)

For sure. Half-ogre buccaneers seem right, somehow.