Fencer

The fencer is a path of the warrior: one thrusting sword, no shield, and the point goes where the armour is not. He wins by precision and loses by attrition.

• Who: a warrior of level 20 or more, of a race no larger than medium (size), whose dexterity can be trained to 22 or more. The path is chosen once per life; a remort clears it.
• Weapons: one one-handed sword that thrusts (pierce damage), and not a katana. No shield and no second weapon; the other hand may hold anything else. With other weapons in hand the fencer skills do not work.
• Lost: dagger, axe, mace, flail, whip, lash, polearm, spear, bow and staff; of the weapons only swords, hand to hand and throwing weapon stay. Also lost: bash, shield block, shield cleave, smash, berserk, second weapon and cross block. Neither race gifts nor the gods give them back. Counter turns into riposte, and what was practiced in it passes over.
• Gained: feint (level 20), critical strike (level 25), riposte (level 28), taunt (level 32) and lunge (level 38). With his sword in hand the fencer parries as the agile classes do: he turns the blow aside with dexterity instead of meeting it with strength, for half the moves.