| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Halisstra Dalael |
Posted - 22 Dec 2004 : 22:09:54
What exactly is a swashbuckler? What are they like? How do they act? and can anyone give me some advice on playing a female halfling Swashbuckler in the Realms? |
| 4 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 23 Dec 2004 : 04:58:45
I'm sorry about the mass italicization there, but I can't fix it. Even if I remove the marker, the glitch just starts at the previous italicization.  |
| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 23 Dec 2004 : 04:53:15
Literally, a "swash-buckler" is a braggart. The term has been used for any flamboyant swordsman, but comes from the words swash and buckler. Now, anyone playing D&D knows what a buckler is (though in Real Life, a buckler was originally large enough to qualify as a shield in D&D, but shrank somewhat in later times; the D&D verson shrank even more). Swash is an old Anglo-Saxon word for "hit" or "strike." A swash-buckler was someone who would strike his shield with his sword (or other weapon), creating a racket.
This was actually a serious insult. It meant, basically, "You can't hit me, so let me do it for you." (So next time you see that sort of thing in a movie, you know there's a reason for it beyond the noise.) The insult is still around today, actually; as anyone who has taken a fencing class would (or at least, should) know, hitting your off hand or anything in your off hand with your foil is considered Really Bad Form -- something like turning around and waggling your rear end at the other person.
A swashbuckler does not necessarily mean a fencer. However, the sort of battle moves typically described as "swashbuckling" (swinging from ropes, climbing over things, carefully-timed ducking) is best done without a lot of weight on you. Also, this vauge fighting style came out along with gunpowder and dense cities. The first makes armor almost irrelevant. For the second, you don't want to be carrying heavy weapons or any sort of armor around all the time if you don't need it, and so when people needed to arm themselves in dense cities, they chose light weapons. This is where the rapier evolved from.
The sabre and the cutlass were similar, but the reason why we associate the first with cavalry and the second with ship-based fighting are, simply, because they evolved differently; at the heart, though, as I said, they're similar. When speed was needed over strength in cavalry, the sabre was developed as a way to attack foes on the ground while on a horse, and also to attack others on horses. It's one-sided, with a slight curve, was rarely used in a thrust; you swung it back and forth to slice instead. The cutlass was made in answer to another problem of little space, this time on a ship. If you've seen Pirates of the Carribean, you get the feel of swashbuckling, but don't believe the ships. Go take a look at Master and Commander instead, and you'll see just how cramped that life was. (Even if you don't want that level of violence, just look at the start to see the miles of rope everywhere and how everyone gets in everyone else's way unless they're skilled at it.)
All three of these weapons are classic "swashbuckler" weapons, except that if you want to use a sabre like that, just use a cutlass and simply call it a sabre. (The sabre used in the FRCS cannot be used with Weapon Finesse. That's a very old sabre for heavier cavalry; I have a real US Army Cavalry sabre, from when cavalry needed to be lighter. That one is most definately a "fencer" type weapon, and I have used it as such.) Another one is a main gauche, a large dagger mainly used for parrying; the D&D version was a martial weapon that gave +2 to Disarm attempts (however, that's in a 3e magazine, not a book).
In the Realms, swashbucklers would mainly be in very large, bustling cities that thrive on trade, and of course at sea. Calimport would have few such persons, while Waterdeep would likely be the city with the most of them in the entire world. However, such fighters are a bit rare. Eberron would be the perfect place to have the Swashbuckler base class from Complete Warrior, but to keep the tone of the Realms, likely you should use either bards or rogues, or fighters with a high number of Dex-based or -themed feats.
Should you wish to put in the Swashbuckler anyway, I still have the Fencer class that needs finishing up . . . . This class is a good "serious" alternative to the Swashbukler, and more likely for elves to take than the official class. (A swashbuckler is basically a rogue crossed with a fighter; the fencer is intended to really stand on its own.)
::looks at to-do list:: So much work . . . .
Now, as to a generalized female swashbuckler, I could think of a few things. Mostly, though, it revolves around a high sense of humor, developed social skills, and high confidence in battle. For example, in The Son of Monte Cristo (a great old black and white movie), our hero is set upon by the Bad Guys, grins, and begins to fight off multiple opponents. He announces "My father was the best sword-fighter in France!" and of course you realize that he's telling them that he lived and breathed this stuff.
Consider where she comes from, first. She almost has to come from a large city, because unless you want a pirate it's the only place to get this sort of character. She has to have either come from moderate privalige -- fencing is a difficult thing to learn, and lessons aren't cheap in a world where there isn't much call for it (though according to The Rage, Impiltur has a lot of duelists) -- or be picked up as an aprentice (such as in The Mask of Zorro, though I'd suggest a much younger age, of course). If you choose the latter, it will bring a much more focused individual; the former lends more to the normal swashbuckler, with high social skills and a biting sense of humor.
For the latter, look to Cyrano de Bergerac as an example. Humor is important to a swashbuckler, because a good one can afford to risk a duel over a biting remark, because it can allow a less-skilled one avoid a duel, and any can use it to rile up the enemy. In fact, if you want this aspect, then don't forget ranks in Intimidate, and roleplay the demoralization action in battle as your rapier wit. (Two swashbucklers trading insults would be basically the both of them making simultaneous demoralizing attempts.)
A swashbuckler would also care about his/her weapons. Since your character is female, you will likely avoid any "sword" insults, unless of course someone says you're doing it as a replacement. (I'm not too fond of the gender equality rules in the Realms; it's very PC, but I don't think that it really fits the tone very well. Women warriors should be just find as PCs, but in "the world" they should be a rarity.) No matter what, get a masterwork rapier (or cutlass, if you prefer) as soon as possible. If you're high enough, then a magical one. Gloves of dexterity[/i] or other such items to increase your accuracy are also must-haves. You depend on your agility to survive, either by dodging blows or striking quickly. A ranged weapon would be secondary, but if you're a rogue, consider a hand crossbow; if not, then a light crossbow. A shortbow is given in the example Swashbuckler in Complete Warrior[/i], but that's a little strange, and I'm not certain that whomever put that in was really thinking about the character.
If you want more advice, I'll need to know what city she's from, how old she is, what her class and level is, etc. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 22 Dec 2004 : 23:05:56
The swashbuckler is a figher-type who cares as much for show as he does for his skills. He wears little or no armor, fights with fencing weapons, and does everything he can to be flamboyant and the center of attention... Think of the many movies featuring the Three Musketeers, and you'll be on the right track.
Also, there are canon halfling swashbucklers in the Realms: the Buckle-Swashers. |
| Kentinal |
Posted - 22 Dec 2004 : 22:18:38
swashbuckler Definition1.a swaggering adventurer, such as a pirate or swordsman..
You play as such, know the sword one does not need to be a thief though. Just flamboyent. A halfling would have a very hard time persenting such a oersonia though. |
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