Just another Fighter (GLOG) + D10 weapons

30 Sep, 2023

Equipment: One weapon of your choice, leather armor
Skill (1d4): Farmer, Mercenary, Soldier, Sailor

A - Cleave, Weapon Mastery, +d8 HD
B - Parry, +1 Weapon Mastery, +d8 HD
C - Know Your Weapon, +1 Weapon Mastery, +d8 HD
D - Extra Attack, +1 Weapon Mastery

Cleave
One perfect strike begets more.
When you kill a creature or roll a critical hit, you can make another attack.

Weapon Mastery
A weapon is much more than a tool, it is a trusted partner in combat.
Choose a weapon type. When you attain a total of 10 kills with a weapon type, you unlock the first template for that weapon. Keep track of your kills and weapon templates on the back of your character sheet.
When taking Weapon Mastery again, you may choose another weapon type to begin tracking kills for, or to further specialize in your first weapon to gain more templates for it depending on the number of kills (20 for 2 Masteries, 30 for 3 Masteries, 50 for 4 Masteries).

Parry
Knowing offense is knowing defense.
Once per day, you can reduce the damage taken from an attack by 1d12. You may sacrifice a piece of equipment that you are wearing or wielding at the time of the attack to use this ability without consuming its usage.

Know Your Weapon
Magic cannot confuse one’s connection to their weapon.
You can identify the magic abilities of a magic weapon whose weapon type you have a Weapon Mastery on by swinging it and destroying/killing something.

Extra Attack
Proper attacks leave room for another.
You can attack twice each round.

D10 Weapons One Could Reasonably Want to Master

1- Kanabo (1d10+STR, 2-h)
A - When you deal 6+ damage with this weapon, you may attempt a Combat Maneuver to shove the enemy to the ground, leaving them prone.
B - When hitting a prone opponent, you can destroy 1 item the target is carrying or reduce their AC by 1.
C - You automatically attempt a Combat Maneuver to shove enemies that are in your way when walking in a straight line.
D - Ignore AC on prone enemies.
Δ Red Demon’s Rage
Drink from the same cup as a Red Oni, then refill the cup with red. Become one with the demon. If you refuse a battle or festivities, start over.
-Your skin turns red and you grow horns. Humans fear you and onis despise you.
-You gather blood with every attack hit. For every blood, increase your Speed by 2 for the combat.
-If you have a Weapon Mastery on Kanabo, increase your critical range by 2 for every blood gathered when hitting a prone opponent. On a critical hit, reset your blood count.
Δ Blue Demon’s Regret
There is a Red Oni crying out there somewhere. Show him the reason his suffering shall never end.
-You can never become drunk. As much as you try, the alcohol does not wash problems away.
-Onis have a friendly disposition towards you. They seem to pity you, regardless if there’s a reason to do so.
-If you have a Weapon Mastery on Kanabo, your attacks freeze enemies in place on a critical hit.

2- Swordbreaker (1d6, light)
A - You can reduce the damage taken from bladed weapons by 1d6 while wielding this weapon. You may count a Parry with this weapon that has reduced the damage to 0 as a kill for the purposes of Weapon Mastery.
B - When your parry with this weapon reduces the damage of a bladed weapon’s attack to 0, you may attempt a Combat Maneuver to grab the enemy. This grab can be removed if the enemy drops their weapon.
C - Increase your parry dice to a 1d12 for this weapon.
D - When attacking a grappled enemy while wielding this weapon, you may use the grappled weapon’s dice for the damage and deal the amount of damage your latest parry reduced as bonus damage on the attack.
Δ Contract Written in Rust
Offer your most valuable sword to Ferrugon, the Demon Lord of Rust. If you repair any metal weapon, start over.
-Your touch rapidly rusts metal. Metal weapons that damage you deal -1 damage until repaired.
-Rusted weapons are as good as new to you, working like regular weapons except breaking on a critical hit.
-Dwarves and any being from the Plane of Metal can smell your heresy. -If you have a Weapon Mastery on Swordbreaker, any damage reduced by a parry with the weapon reduces the weapon’s damage by the same amount until repaired. If a weapon’s damage is reduced to 0, it is destroyed.

3- Maul (1d10+STR, 2-h)
A- Attacks with this weapon ignore 2 Armor Bonus on AC.
B- On a critical hit with this weapon, push the enemy 10 feet in any direction. If the enemy is wearing heavy armor, you may stun them instead.
C- When hitting an enemy with heavy armor with this weapon, you may freely attempt a Combat Maneuver to push or grab the opponent.
D- This weapon’s second attack deals extra damage equal to the opponent’s Armor Bonus.
Δ Natural Protection
Consume the scales or chitin of a magical beast of equal or higher level. Survive the ordeal. If your armor is broken, start over.
-Your skin grows stronger to match the magical energy of the beast you’ve consumed. You gain a natural Armor Bonus equal to half of that creature’s, every hit reduces this Armor Bonus by 1. Your natural armor is broken when it is reduced to 0.
-Rangers are weirdly interested in you. They might not be hunting you, but they seem eager to be near you in case you die.
-If you have a Weapon Mastery on Maul, you may reduce your natural Armor Bonus by 1 when hitting an opponent to destroy 1 item they’re carrying or reduce their AC by 1.
Δ Glorious Tuft
Reach valhalla. Find your way out of there, but taste the glorious afterlife mead before doing so.
-Dwarves feel an innate respect for you and will gladly help or give you discounts. You can’t quite tell the reason why.
-You grow a thick beard and mustache. If you are not a dwarf, you also grow half a foot shorter.
-If you have a Weapon Mastery on Maul, you may treat it as a throwable weapon.

4- Nodachi (1d10+STR, 2-h)
A- You have double reach with this weapon while attacking enemies that are at a higher or lower ground than you.
B- Non-intelligent mounts of enemies killed are friendly to you.
C- While riding a mount, you make an additional attack to a different target during the movement of your horse.
D- Once per turn, you may move as if you were riding a horse before an attack.
Δ 燕返し
Kill a swallow mid-flight using your blade. Abandon your real name and cover your face for the rest of your life. If your identity is discovered, start over.
-Once per turn, you may reroll a missed attack roll with a blade.
-Your deeds shall never be recognized, your only mark in history being dying to a better warrior.
-If you have a Weapon Mastery on Nodachi, you may attack a second time (or third time if you have Extra Attack) during your turn. You must be standing on equal ground to your enemy to do so. Your target gets to attack you an additional time during their turn.
Δ Vampiric Aspect
Switch your fangs to the ones of a vampire you have slain. Endure their curse. After the next full moon, start over.
-Your bite deals 1d6 damage and heals you by the same amount. Every round of combat you do not bite an enemy, roll a 1d6. On a 6, become Exhausted.
-You must get rid of these fangs within a moon cycle and be blessed by a cleric, or turn into a vampire.
-If you have a Weapon Mastery on Nodachi, your attacks with the weapon count as a bite and heal you by half their damage.

5- Mace (1d6+STR)
A- Attacks with this weapon ignore 1 Armor Bonus on AC.
B- When rolling max damage with this weapon, you can destroy 1 item the target is carrying or reduce their AC by 1.
C- Increase the Armor Bonus ignored to 2.
D- On a critical hit, break a bone from the opponent’s body. Roll a 1d4. (1. Leg = Slowed, 2. Arm = Disarm, 3. Chest = Bleed, 4. Head = Stun)
Δ Wolf-bellied
Accumulate 100 homunculi in pots of milk. Mix them all together when ripe, then eat all of the contents as soon as their consciousness becomes one.
-You must eat 10 times more food every day. If you don’t, you’ll hear complaints inside your head and will lose the benefits of this Template until you do so.
-Your howl is loud enough to be heard from over 10 miles away, deafening those within 15 feet of you for 1 minute.
-If you have a Weapon Mastery on Mace, once per day, you may slam your mace on the ground to cause an earthquake. The trembling causes your belly to rumble.
Δ Redeemer of Evil
Become a bishop to any religion of good. Kill an evil enemy in battle while knowing the exact path that has led them astray while feeling deep remorse for the inability of saving them. If you kill a good or neutral creature (as decided by your deity), start over.
-When you pray while touching someone on the head, they remember their worst regrets and feel inclined to repent, if it isn’t too late.
-You receive a lesser boon from your deity.
-If you have a Weapon Mastery on Mace, enemies killed by your mace are reborn keeping their personality while losing their memories that are tied to their acts of evil. A clean slate for good to be put on.

6- Javelin (1d6+STR)
A- You can throw this weapon without any penalties or the use of a spear-thrower.
B- You may throw this weapon as an extra attack after a critical hit with this weapon.
C- Your thrown javelins never break.
D- Your thrown javelins pierce enemies on kill, hitting additional target(s) behind them.
Δ Hound’s Blasphemy
Murder a famous and beloved hero across a whole region. Take their head and drink the juices out of it. If a hero rises to an equal level of fame in the region, start over.
-On a critical hit with a throwing weapon, you may do an extra attack by throwing a weapon of the same type.
-You began a cycle of revenge. There is now an adventurer training to hunt you down.
-If you have a Weapon Mastery on Javelin, your thrown javelins can melt through wood and stone.
Δ Thunder Rocker
Survive a lightning strike while pointing your weapon to the sky and riding a horse.
-During a lightning storm, you may raise your weapon to the sky to infuse it with the power of lightning. Your next attack ignores Armor AC and cannot be parried.
-You are only capable of writing in an unknown ancient language that no one understands anymore.
-If you have a Weapon Mastery on Javelin, once per day, you may treat your attack roll as a success before rolling.

7- Bich’hwa (1d6, light, free-hand)
A- You can easily conceal this weapon in your sleeve, making it hardly noticeable until used.
B- You roll attacks with advantage against targets unaware of this weapon’s presence.
C- While this weapon has poison applied to it, reroll 1s on attack rolls.
D- Enemies unaware of this weapon's presence critically fail poison saving throws without rolling.
Δ Scorpion's Tail
Slay a giant scorpion and bathe on its venom. Allow the venom to enter your body and crawl under your skin. Survive the ordeal.
-Your skin turns pale and sickly, your green veins are easily visible through your skin. Humans avoid you.
-Your veins serve as a reservoir of poison. You may inject yourself with poisons to later exude onto your weapons. When damaged with a critical hit from a bladed weapon, your poisoned blood spills and the enemy must roll a poison saving throw.
-If you have a Weapon Mastery on Bich’hwa, damage from poison applied by your Bich’hwa has exploding dice.
Δ Demonic Infusion
Bind a demon’s heart to the material plane. Transplant the demon’s heart into your own chest. If the demon’s body or heart dies, start over.
-Your body is physically immortal and can recover from even the most grotesque of injuries, the only thing that can break is your mind. WIS now defines your HP, which represents your mental fortitude. On death, your character becomes a shambling zombie.
-You can freely remove or break your body parts as you see fit.
-If you have a Weapon Mastery on Bich’hwa, you may infuse the weapon into your hand as a sharp sixth finger. Beware of the six-fingered hand’s symbolism.

8- Ngulu (1d6+STR)
A- By decapitating the corpse of an enemy, gain +1 to their best saving throw for 1 minute.
B- By decapitating the corpse of an enemy, heal HP equal to one of their HD.
C- Decapitating the corpse of an enemy triggers Cleave.
D- On a critical hit against a prone or grabbed enemy, they must roll a death save or get decapitated.
Δ Ritualistic Sacrifice
Spread the influence of an extinct deity throughout a large region. If you begin worshiping a different deity, start over.
-Your faith has brought a deity back to existence. Their influence is small, but they’re extremely thankful. Receive a Minor Boon from the deity.
-You need to keep expanding the deity’s influence across the region otherwise they might stop existing again.
-If you have a Weapon Mastery on Ngulu, your decapitated foes count as a sacrifice towards your deity. Gain a lesser boon for 1 day after decapitating the corpse of an enemy.
Δ Proficiency Consumption
Become accepted in a primalistic circle. Participate in a cannibalistic ritual and learn the secrets behind inheriting the power through consumption. If your relationship to the circle or nature is broken, start over.
-You are taught the secret magical effects of eating parts of magical creatures. You may now attempt to roll for Primal Magic.
-You’ve become insensitive to the taboo topic that is cannibalism. While this won’t affect your relationships within the circle, modern society will hate you for it.
-If you have a Weapon Mastery on Ngulu, you may add a 1d6 to your Harvest rolls for the purpose of extracting the material for Primal Magic.

9- Sickle (1d6, light)
A- When missing an attack with this weapon, you may attempt a free Combat Maneuver check to grapple the opponent.
B- You may grapple enemies even without a free hand.
C- Grappled enemies cannot attack you.
D- When rolling max damage, you may grapple the enemy without rolling.
Δ Farmer’s Gift
Turn an infertile piece of land into having fertile soil. Plant stuff in it, then let it rot. Perform the farmer’s ritual. Face the consequences.
-Food grown on your piece of land never rots. Well, at least not visually.
-Every season, the culmination of rot awakens on your soil.
-If you have a Weapon Mastery on Sickle, slain foes turn into wheat.
Δ Moon Child
Distract an unbeatable foe to help someone, risking your life in the process. If you perish, 1% chance a deity rewards your courage.
-Stronger enemies are more likely to focus on you. You’re the perfect distraction.
-You’re a lot more emotional for some particular reason.
-If you have a Weapon Mastery on Sickle, you may grapple enemies that would normally be too large to do so with the weapon.

10- Kusarigama (1d6, 2-h)
Weapon Masteries on the Sickle also apply to this weapon, but the kill count must still be fulfilled separately.
A- Your attack range with this weapon is tripled. You deal blunt damage when attacking from far away.
B- You may perform Combat Maneuvers using this weapon’s range.
C- On a critical hit with this weapon from far away, the target becomes stunned.
D- After successfully using a Combat Maneuver, you may freely pull the enemy closer and attack.
Δ Gyokuto
Meet the rabbit on the moon. Befriend it and get a taste of its food. If you treat it poorly, start over.
-Once per night, if you can see the moon, you can infuse your weapon with lunar energy. Your weapon glows in the dark and ignores 2 Armor AC for 1 hour.
-Whenever you hear someone wishing something under the stars, you feel deeply motivated to make it come true.
-If you have a Weapon Mastery on Kusarigama, the rabbit blesses your weight with gravity magic. Your attacks now deal 1d6+STR damage from far away.
Δ Yatagarasu
Meet the three-legged crow in the sun. Figure out where it’s trying to lead you. If you treat it poorly, start over.
-Once per day, you may ask the sun for a question and you shall find your answer in its sunspots.
-Crows keep following you for some reason, always watching you.
-If you have a Weapon Mastery on Kusarigama, the crow blesses your weight with eternal flame. Your weight now works as a torch and deals 1d4 extra burning damage.

Design Notes

This is my first GLOG class and also my first time doing Δ templates. At first, I thought choosing the Fighter would be the easiest route, since it is the simplest of the classic classes. However I can’t stress how complicated it was to break down what a Fighter means to me in order to rebuild it.

In the end I decided to lean in on the “I’ve studied the blade” aspect of the class. As such, my Fighter is a perfectionist with a deep desire of mastery or optimization in combat.\ I guess I should call it "Weapon Master" or something like that instead.

Most of the templates like Cleave, Parry or Extra Attack are what I've seen in most versions of the fighter. To be honest, it makes a lot of sense. Killing more monsters and taking less damage is exactly what the class is about.

Weapon Mastery: At first I wanted to make a d100 table just to be quirky but as I started making my own setting, I decided to cut that idea to focus on other stuff. I'll just make more weapons as I run sessions with this class.
This is pretty much Notches but crunchier in a way that satisfies my brain.

Kanabo: This one was quite easy to make as I have a personal “Kanabo fantasy” in my head from Japanese media, which is shoving people to the ground then hitting them from a higher position.
For the deltas, I took them from tales about Onis as the weapon itself is often associated with them. As for their skills, the first one is a reference to Dead by Daylight. The second one is a play on the idea of a Blue Oni being cold and calculating.

Swordbreaker: This one was both easy and hard, because everyone thinks about catching swords with this weapon, so the Masteries overall were simple to play into that fantasy.
For the deltas, I genuinely had no idea what to do. This weapon was barely even used in history. So I just played into the misconception of the weapon actually breaking swords and made a single delta.

Maul: Another quite simple one, what’s the fantasy of a maul? Making a fool out of armored knights. Just played into that.
For the deltas, I decided to go a little bit wild. The first one is taken from Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat X, where he can explode his armor to deal more damage. The second one is playing the weapon’s association with dwarves in fantasy settings.

Odachi: This one was quite challenging. While researching the weapon, all I could really find is how useful it was at being anti-cavalry while also being a cavalry weapon. So I decided to play into that, a weapon to kill people on horses. One that you will also use when you steal said horses.
For the deltas, I went back to looking at my favorite media. The first one is inspired by Fate and the history of Sasaki Kojirou, while also fitting the theme of Odachi being a weapon that leaves you wide open. The second one is inspired by Nagoryuki from Guilty Gear.

Mace: Quite easy and hard. In a way, it’s just a weaker maul as it has the same utility but doesn’t require two hands to use. It might be a bit boring but that’s what maces kind of are: easy to use anti-armor weapons.
For the deltas, the first one takes inspiration from Duryodhana. As for the second, it is inspired by the weapon’s association with clerics (idea stolen from Molochrome on GLOG discord)

Javelin: A simple one, the fantasy in here is just “throw javelin real hard” to me and that’s easy to implement.
For the deltas, the first one is inspired by Lugaid, the killer of Cú Chulainn. The second one is inspired by Odin.

Bich’hwa: Not much information to play with, so I decided to really play into the “hidden dagger tied to your hand” aspect of it.
For the deltas, the first one is inspired by the actual name of the weapon meaning “Scorpion’s Tail”. The second is me thinking out of the box and being a bit inspired by Havik from Mortal Kombat.

Ngulu: This one was quite hard. The weapon’s main use seems to be tied to executions which were often for cannibalism as well. Since it isn’t a weapon meant for combat, I made its mastery templates weak by being in the “win more” mentality.
For the deltas, I most played off the cannibalism and execution parts of the weapon to slight extremes.\ Harvesting and Primal Magic are the main mechanics for the Ranger and Primalist classes in my setting. Think of it as a glorified loot table on monsters and blue magic respectively.

Sickle: Another challenge to design. Sickles just aren’t designed for combat so they’re inherently at a disadvantage, so their fantasy is mostly just… grappling the opponent’s weapon to avoid dying and then finishing them off. This mastery might not make the weapon perfect for combat, but it shouldn’t be anyway.
For the deltas, the first one is just me playing off it being a farming tool. The second one is inspired by the cancer sign because sickles kind of look like a crab’s claw.

Kusarigama: This weapon is pretty much a sickle with extra steps, so I decided that mastery in one weapon should transfer to another which also freed up design space for the Kusarigama’s templates to be all focused around using its extra range and the weight added to the sickle.
For the deltas, I used yokais as inspiration for both because I’ve been playing too much Nioh.