Feedback on a swordman's school :)

[Harliquinn]

Hey I posted this at Revenant's but thought I'd ask here also of you intelligent folk!

Just a framework at the moment, but wanted some thoughts. A player is looking for an option of a non-sanctioned swordsman school based around science and fighting. The character is a member of the IC and a teacher of natural sciences. Here are my thoughts:

First, I'll be coming up with a selection (4-5) of different grenade types. These would include things like:
A) Smoke bombs (obscuring an area for a number of phases)
B) Flash bombs (blinding people in an area for a bit)
C) Defeaning bombs
D) Explosives

School: Name to be determined
Skills: Dirty Fighting, Bomb Making
Knacks: Arc (Grenades), Conceal, Throw (Grenades), Exploit Weakness (Though I was thinking it might be interesting to make this one more like "Bomb Knowledge" and each rank would allow the character to create a different type of bomb, since an exploit weakness on this school would be rather odd).

Apprentice: Can draw and throw (grenade) as one action. Free raise on Conceal (Grenades) per mastery level.

Journeyman: Make Contested Roll of your Finesse + Conceal versus your target’s Wits + Ambush to gain Free Raise on Throw (Grenade). No off-hand penalty for Throw (Grenade).
The "Contested roll" was modified from the other school I just did. I'd like to have a tie to dirty fighting here, but wasn't sure how to do that.

Master: Can create a single grenade that has 2 effects.
I need another 'capstone' ability here. +1 to Throw just didn't seem fitting and the school is more about distractiong, disabling and confusion than it is damage so increasing damage didn't seem fitting. I thought about the ability to throw 2 grenades with 1 action, but that and the listed Master ability are redundant, but I suppose throwing 2 might be more interesting than throwing 1 with 2 effects.
Another option might be that the character can combine the throwing of a grenade with any Attack (improvised weapon) attack which would tie in with dirty fighting.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
John

[salamanca]

Yeah, a few thoughts. Exploit is perfect here. It is all about forcing the hesitation on timing the fuses so they go off away from the target. Another issue is that all grenades in this era need to be lit then thrown. That being the case I would remove your draw and toss ability. Instead I think you need a timing mechanic of light and then X rounds until detonation. Ranks in throw (grenade) or mastery level in the school reducing the burn time. I also think that instead of fussing with types, you do it like rogers and each mastery allows development of a new type.

[Harliquinn]

As to the fuses part, would it make sense, and I'm not a chemistry major here, to be able to mix certain chemicals in a glass/clay jar that when A) exposed to air, B) impacted against something, or C) mixed with another chemical, could produce effects such as 1) Smoke, 2) Blinding Flash, or 3) anything else like that?

John

[salamanca]

Well, a phosphorus type flash could go off pretty much on impact. A bang powder would also work out and there are some knacks in a couple of the sourcebooks that could help in mixing those. (rilasciare, cathay, maybe IC). The smoke and such still need time to mix, activate and spread. And regardless, at times they will just want a good old fashioned dose of BOOM. Advancement should also reduce the chance of accidental activation.