Country of Origin: Vodacce
Salon: Numa (Average)
Founded: 1637
Sanctioned (Swordsman’s Guild): 1658

Description: Alessandro Capistrano was a contemporary of David Robertson. The two met in 1635, when Alessandro was touring Théah to hone his skill with the rapier and main gauche against opponents with widely disparate fighting styles. The two Swordsmen (even before there was such a term) met in a tavern, had one drink too many, and wound up in a frenetic duel. Neither man was in much condition for fighting, and it did not take long before swordplay turned into shared laughter over even more alcohol. The two were fast friends from that moment on, and Maestro Robertson took the brash youth under his wing, training him to use a cloak instead of a dagger for defense. Alessandro was intrigued by the possibilities this presented, particularly back home in Numa, where the off-hand use of a cloak would baffle and frustrate his countrymen, who were unfamiliar with such a tactic. It did not take long for Vodacce duelists to adapt to Alessandro’s Robertson training, so he applied some of his mentor’s lessons to his own experience, creating his own signature School.

Unlike Robertson, where the cloak is free-flowing, a Capistrano Swordsman wraps his cloak around his hand, turning it into a makeshift buckler. The cloak is used to confuse the enemy, deflect sword blows, and draw his attention away from the rapier at just the right time, a moment before the Capistrano Swordsman attacks. When he is not confounding opponents with his cloak and footwork, the Swordsman dazzles them with flashy bladework that leaves them off-balance and overextended.

A cloak is not a dagger, however, and a Swordsman must protect the fragile garment (and the hand beneath it) if he wants to maintain the advantages offered by his Capistrano training. An opponent who directs his attacks at the Swordsman’s cloak will force a tactical step back, creating an opening for a vicious strike.

Basic Curriculum: Cloak, Fencing
Knacks: Double Parry (Cloak/Fencing), Exploit Weakness (Capistrano), Feint (Fencing), Riposte (Fencing), Sidestep

Revised Swordsman Knack: Feint. When attacking an enemy, you can declare a Feint. You roll Wits + Feint, and must roll a number of Raises equal to your enemy’s Wits in order for your Feint 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: Apprentices of the Capistrano School learn to wield a rapier in their dominant hand, with a cloak wrapped up in the other. They suffer no penalty for using the two items simultaneously, or for using a cloak in the off hand. In addition, use of their cloaks to distract from their rapiers allows Capistrano Swordsmen to add their Rank in Block (Cloak) to any attack rolls made using Attack (Fencing).

Journeyman: Capistrano Journeymen have become particularly adept at deflecting attacks with their cloaks, and receive a free Rank in their Block (Cloak) Knack. This may increase his Rank in the Knack to a six. If it does not, he may increase it from a five to a six later by spending 25 XP.

Master: Masters of Capistrano have a reputation for “feinting an opponent out of his trousers.” After successfully executing a Feint against an opponent, in addition to the usual effects of the Feint, the Target Number of the opponent’s next attack is increased by ten, even if the attack is made against someone other than the Capistrano Swordsman. This penalty lasts until the opponent makes his next attack, or until the end of the Round (whichever comes first).