Country of Origin: Montaigne
Salon: Charouse (Average)
Founded: 1671
Sanctioned: 1672

Description: The Renoir School is one of the newest in Charouse, but it has proven hugely popular due to its focus on fighting multiple opponents. Some Swordsmen disdain the school, not because its style lacks finesse or is easy (far from it, in fact) but because it is not a true dueling style. Those who must enter group combat on a regular basis care little for the School’s pedigree if what they learn will keep them alive.

The style focuses on solid defense and sweeping slashes designed to drive foes back and inflict maximum damage. When outnumbered, the last thing one has is time to toy with opponents: “kill them quickly and reduce the odds” is one of the School’s mantras. Students are not given instruction in one-on-one fighting. From the moment they enter the School they fight first against two opponents, slowly building up to greater numbers as they develop mastery of its techniques. Claude Renoir, son of the founder and the current head of the School, once fought seven opponents simultaneously during a battle against Castillian Swordsmen and emerged with only minor cuts (or so the story goes).

Monsieur Renoir makes it clear that the longer a Swordsman is surrounded, the greater the chance his opponents’ attacks will strike home. As a result, movement is a key part of any battle, especially if it reduces the number of foes who can attack you afterward. A Renoir Swordsman who is denied the opportunity to maneuver will quickly tire, making his attacks easier to parry and the Swordsman himself more susceptible to counterattack.

Basic Curriculum: Fencing, Knife
Knacks: Exploit Weakness (Renoir), Flurry (Fencing), Riposte (Fencing), Wall of Steel (Fencing/Knife), Whirl (Fencing/Knife)

New Swordsman Knack: Flurry. When attacking an enemy, you can declare a Flurry. You roll Resolve + Flurry, and must roll a number of Raises equal to your enemy’s Resolve in order for your Flurry to be successful. If you are successful, he cannot avoid the attack using any Active Defense. The Raises taken on this roll add Unkept Dice to your damage roll as usual.

Apprentice: When facing multiple opponents, the more weapons a Swordsman has at his disposal, the more likely it is he will make it out alive. The Apprentice suffers no off-hand penalty when wielding a main gauche in conjunction with a rapier. In addition, the School’s focus on defense provides the Apprentice with a free Raise on any Parry Active Defense he attempts.

Journeyman: The Journeyman of Renoir learns to kill his enemies before they can gang up on him. Once per Round, so long as he has at least one Action Die remaining, the Journeyman may, without spending an Action, make an Attack (Fencing) roll against an opponent who moves into the range of his weapon. This attack occurs immediately, regardless of the Journeyman’s Initiative Total.

Master: A Master of Renoir perfects the technique he learned as a Journeyman. He may use his Journeyman technique during the Surprise Round (“Phase 0”), and he does not need to have any Action Dice remaining to use the technique. In addition, if the Master’s free attack inflicts a Dramatic Wound, the target’s Action is lost, along with any additional movement he had planned to make after passing within reach of the Master. Thus, if the target had planned to charge past the Master and attack his ally (or, for that matter, simply charge in to attack the Master himself), the target is stopped once he reaches the Master, his attack is lost, and he loses his Action Die.