._-._-.-.--.-.--.-.--.--,-.-._-. -.--.-.--.-,-.MARTIAL PRACTICES / Beyond the exploits for which they're famed, martialheroes can push the bounds ofwhat is possible forordinary mortals by mastering challenging tech·niques called martial practices. Using these raremethods, an adventurer can run for days, swim togreat depths, and even create magiC items. Althoughmartial practices approach what's possible with ritu·als, they exist wholly in the realm of martial power.A martial practice is similar to a ritual. To use amartial practice, you must acquire it, master it, andperform it. The component costs sometimes includehealing surges. After you finish performing a prac·tice, you gain its benefit.ACQUIRINGMARTIAL PRACTICESYou can learn the rudiments of martial practicesfrom a master or purchase them on the open market.Unless you find the practice as part ofa treasurehoard, you'll pay something for it.Learn through Training: Any character whohas mastered a martial practice can teach it to you.The instructor can be another player character or anonplayer character you meet. Training is costly andarduous. Usually, you pay the cost in gold or othertreasure. Learning a martial practice costs half themarket price ifyou learn it from another player char·acter. In such a case, you are paying for the suppliesneeded for training, not for your ally's work and time.Purchase: Ifyou can find a merchant that deals inrare goods, you can pay the market price ofa martialpractice to acquire it.Find in Treasure: You might also find martialpractices inscribed in ancient manuals hidden awayin dusty libraries or haunted castles. Practices con·tained within these texts offer detailed instructionsso that with careful study you can master them. YourDM accounts for the market price ofa martial prac·tice you find in the treasure you acquire.MASTERINGMARTIAL PRACTICESYou must master a martial practice before you areable to perform it. To master a practice, you must:• Acquire the martial practice.• Have the Practiced Study feat.• Meet or exceed the practice's level requirement.• Be trained in at least one of the key skills for thepractice.• Study the martial practice for a total of 8 hours.The studying process differs depending on how youacquired the martial practice. Ifyou acquired itthrough training, the study period takes place at thesame time as acquiring the practice. Ifyou boughtor found the practice, the time is spent closely study·ing the manual and repeating the lessons and stepswithin the text.PERFORMINGMARTIAL PRACTICESThe steps to perform a martial practice correspond tothe headers of the practice's description.Time: <strong>Martial</strong> practices take time to perform. Youmight have to adopt the right physical and mentalstate, sweat over a forge to craft an item, or painstakinglycamouflage your party's campsite.Component Costs: <strong>Martial</strong> practices are strenu·ous. Unlike rituals, which usually require only amonetary component cost, most martial practicesrequire an expenditure of healing surges. This costreflects the strain on your body and mind.A few martial practices also require materials toproperly perform them. When a practice has a com·ponent cost, you must pay the price from your storeof treasure, whether you're spending gold, gems, orother valuables. The component cost represents theprice ofequipment and raw materials.You pay the component cost, including both themonetary cost and the healing surges, when you com·plete a practice. Ifyou cannot pay the full cost, thepractice has no effect.Skills: Each practice has one or more key skills,and you must be trained in at least one ofthese skillsto master and perform the practice. Some practicesalso require skill checks to determine your effort'seffectiveness. Usually, the practice succeeds regard·less of the check result, and high check resultsproduce the hest effects.Unless a practice says utherwise, you make yourskill check at the end ufits performance. As with ritu'als, you cannot take 10 on this check.EFFECTS OF A MARTIAL PRACTICE After you finish performing a practice, you gain its benefit for the practice's duration. Sometimes the duration is instantaneous: You have learned the information or completed the task. Other times, you ga in a henefit for a set amount oftime, or you create a permanent object. ASSISTANCE Typically you must perform a martial practice with· out help. C HAPTER 5 I <strong>Martial</strong> Options
INTERRUPTING A MARTIAL PRACTICEYou can stop performing a martial practice at anypoint before it's completed without expending anyhealing surges or other component costs. Once youstop, you cannot resume the performance; you muststart the entire process over again.How TO READA MARTIAL PRACTICENAME AND FLAVOR TEXT Under each martial practice's name, a short description covers what the practice does. LEVEL This entry gives the minimum level required for a character to master and perform the practice. TIME Performing a martial practice takes a specific amount oftime to complete. DURATION A martial practice's effects usually last longer than those ofa power. This entry tells you how long the practice's effects last. COMPONENT COST This entry gives the number ofhealing surges or the amount ofgold (or both) required to perform the practice. MARKET PRICE This entry describes the cost you pay to purchase a martial practice. This amount also tells a OM the value ofa practice ifhe or she wants to give it out as part ofa treasure parcel. KEY SKILLThis entry gives the skill you must be trained in tomaster and perform the practice. If this entry endswith "(no check)," then performing the practice doesnot require a skill check.Ifa practice has more than one key skill, youchoose which skill to use.EFFECTSThe remaining text details the benefit you gain whenyou finish performing the practice.MARTIAL PRACTICES BY LEVELLvi <strong>Martial</strong> Practice Key Skill1 Master Artisan Athletics1 Temporary FixAthletics or Thievery1 Tracker's EyeNature or Perception1 Travel SenseNature2 EmbalmHeal2 Survivor's Preparation Nature3 Speech without Words Diplomacy3 Warded Campsite Nature or Thievery4 Forge ArmorAthletics4 Forge WeaponAthletics5 Fortify BeastNature5 Hidden PocketThievery5 Precise Forgery Thievery5 Reliable Balance Acrobatics5 Thorough Search Perception5 Uncanny Strength Athletics or Endurance6 Decipher Script History or Streetwise6 Long-Distance Runner Athletics or Endurance8 Alter EgoBluff. 8 Feign DeathBluff or Endurance8 Handle SteedNature11 Word on the Street Streetwise12 Peerless Exploration Stealth15 Use ScrollThievery17 Survivor's Assurance NatureThe practice descriptions use the words "character" and "creature" interchangeably. ALTER EGOWith a little makeup and a bit ofmisdirection, you canappear to be anyone.Level: 8Market Price: 27 5 gpTime: 1 hourKey Skill: BluffDuration: 24 hoursComponent Cost: 50 gp plus 1 healing surgeYou alter your own appearance or the appearance ofan ally who is present throughout your performance ofthe practice. The disguise ca n alter facial and physicalfeatures and appear to modify height and weight by upto 10%. You can also use this martial practice to disguisegender, race, and age.Make a Bluff check with a +5 bonus. Your resultdetermines the InSight check a creature must make todetermine that the person you are disguised as is not whohe or she appears to be.You can use this practice to impersonate anotherhumanoid. When you interact with a creature that isfamiliar with the person you're imitating, that creaturegains a +10 bonus to its InSigh t check.CHAPTER 5 I <strong>Martial</strong> Options