Country of Origin: Crescent Empire
Salon: Iskandar (Large)
Founded: 1504 AV

Description: The Sersemlik School uses a massive curved sword called a dilmekiri. Most people use this sword with two hands due to its great length, but the Swordsmen of this style spin their weapons constantly, allowing the angular momentum of their blades to provide the force necessary to chop or slash an enemy. They are so proficient that they usually have only one hand on their blade at a time, and perform trick maneuvers that use a change of hands to throw off an opponent’s guard. Despite the dilmekiri’s size and weight, the Swordsman is able to wield it with pinpoint accuracy.

The weakness of this School is its dependence on momentum to provide extra power for its attacks. When one of the Swordsman’s blows connects, or if he suddenly has to change the direction of the sword’s path, he is momentarily vulnerable.

Basic Curriculum: Athlete, Heavy Weapon
Knacks: Exploit Weakness (Sersemlik), Feint (Heavy Weapon), Sidestep, Tagging (Heavy Weapon), Whirl (Heavy Weapon)

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: Once a Sersemlik warrior gets his blade moving, he is able to overcome its weight and bulk. He may wield a dilmekiri in either hand, and may change hands without taking an Action to do so. If he wields the dilmekiri in his left hand, he receives the benefit of the Left Handed Advantage and suffers no off-hand penalty. Additionally, the Apprentice may spend an Action to perform a sword-twirling display of prowess in an attempt to cow his opponents, attempting an Intimidate Repartee Action with a number of Free Raises equal to his Mastery Level.

Apprentices receive an extra Rank in one of their Swordsman Knacks in lieu of membership in the Swordsman’s Guild.

Journeyman: Journeymen of the Sersemlik School spin not only their swords, but their entire bodies, becoming a virtual cyclone of bladed death. Journeymen receive a free Rank of the Whirl Knack. This may increase their Rank in the Knack to a six; if it does not, they may increase it from a five to a six later by spending 25 XP.

Master: Masters have learned to apply their skill at dispatching large groups of unskilled enemies when facing individual combatants with more talent. They may add the bonus to their attack rolls provided by the Whirl Knack when attacking a Henchman, Hero, Scoundrel, or Villain who is supported by a Brute Squad. Furthermore, They may add their Rank in the Whirl Knack to all damage rolls, whether their opponent is supported by Brutes or not.