Optional rule: Weapon Mastery

A character may attach up to three Weapon Mastery options to each martial ES and use them in battle, subject to the following rules:

• A character may learn up to three options per martial ES.

• Each option requires a minimum score in the martial ES: 2 for the first option, 5 for the second, 8 for the third one

• Each option has a level; the sum of the option levels for a single martial ES may never exceed the character’s level.

• Option rank limits learning order: once an option is chosen within a martial ES, any subsequent option must have a higher rank (i.e. lower‑rank options cannot be learned later).

• An option takes effect only when the character successfully hits a target, unless stated in the description, it is not necessary to declare it since it is applied during the execution of the action.

Options are available to all martial ES and may be used with their associated weapons, provided the use is plausible (e.g. Bleed cannot plausibly be applied with a warhammer).

Some weapons (such as the garrote and the blackjack) follow a special rule, as few or none of the options listed below can be applied to them. For these weapons, each option instead grants a non‑cumulative bonus of +1, +2, or +3 to ARC, depending on its level (1, 2, or 3 respectively). The GM may apply the same rule to any other weapon that cannot reasonably be used with the options presented below.

Weapon Mastery options are learned when the character increases the relevant martial ES score. Learning a Weapon Mastery option follows the same costs and time requirements as those defined for the acquisition of a new ES. The level of the option determines whether it is considered simple, standard, or complex (see VI.4, Level‑Up).

The first table below describes the effects produced when an option is used:

The second table below lists application details, including examples of weapons for which the option is plausible (these indications are guidelines, not restrictions if not clearly stated):