Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 fnordbear Aug 07, 2006 6:58:30	I do not know if anyone else has had a chance to paruse the new Tome of Battle, The Book of Nine Swords, but I am willing to say this seems like it would be a perfect fit on Athas. A qucik rundown, the 3 martial adept classes in this book use a form of "magic" very akin to the "magic" seen in wuxia and chanbara movies. That is to say rather than blatantly slinging spells they instead pull of feats of super human martial prowers. That said the book presents 3 classes, the Crusader, Warblade, and Sword Sage. The Crusader is a class focused on following of ideals and drawing strength to fuel martial feats from their belif and fanatism. On Athas this could easily represent followers of the champions during the cleansing wars and even elite warriors who oppose them. The Sword Sage focuses more on technique, learning the secrets of blade mastery and manuvers, this could easily be someone who fights in the arenas for the sheer challenge and test of mettle or even the desert hermit that shuns "civilization" and lives a life of conflict among the horrors of the desert. The Warblade is a warrior, plain, simple, no frills in attitude or concept. They are consumate fighters that live simply for the glory of battle. On Athas this would be found almost exclusively in the arenas or in the armys of a Sorceror King. Now all these classes in the flavor do have a slight element of magic to them, though it is never distinguished in terms of Divine or Arcane. Given the nature of magic on athas it would be very simple to state that these classes simply draw on the natural (if often latent) psionic ability found in the wastelands peoples. Just thought I would throw this out to others to help build some ideas.
#2 xanthus Aug 07, 2006 12:34:43	So you feel that the Tome of Battle could be used in Dark Sun without it being weird? Also, over all, what do you think of the book? I've been debating getting it and my friend is running a Dark Sun game currently... just need to see if there are some good viable options in there. -X
#3 fnordbear Aug 07, 2006 14:28:29	Yes, I think Tome of Battle with very minimal alteration would be a perfect fit for Darksun. What alteration that need be done would strictly be flavor text, rather than blade magic simply calling is psychic swordsmanship is pretty much all that need be done to remove any question of preserving or defiling.
#4 Oninotaki Aug 08, 2006 14:35:31	oops double post
#5 Oninotaki Aug 08, 2006 14:37:18	I was actually thinking of having this be the "magic" that gave rajaat the idea that their might just be something else out there. Sort of a psudo arcane magic, that uses very little life energy and instead of memorizing complicated hand gestures and words, the use memorizes complicated stances. Its an idea that I am only just starting to work on.
#6 burningspear Aug 08, 2006 20:50:54	Oni, i totally dig your idea, he has to get his ideas from somewhere, and this is such a "simple" idea, that it might actually be fitting for a origin... and i love the basic ideas about the weapon masters FnordBear gave, Keep it up guys...