Wise Warrior.... Options

[Squinky]

Reading the description of the Wise Warrior Mentor Spirit, it mentions followers having to follow the Warriors code of honor....I know theres probably nothing more mentioned on this in the book, so I was wondering what you guys would include in this code of honor that would be cool for rolepplaying purposes....I'm kinda drawing a blank...

[Nkari]

Keepings ones word.
Fighting Honorable vs honorable enemies.. (ie no ambushes, shooting a unarmed opponent etc..)
As little collateral dmg as possible, both to "civilians" and surrounding property.

And the normal stuff, if you have to steal, dont steal more than you need to survive etc..

And what siege said.. :P

EDIT: spelling etc..

This post has been edited by Nkari: Oct 9 2005, 12:39 PM

[Siege]

It really depends on your GM's interpretation.

Going with the stereotypical, Paladin-esque approach, I'd think:

1. Honor
   • Your word is your bond. Do not take unfair advantage. Do not strike from behind.
2. Bravery
   • Do not flee a battle. Cowardice is death.
3. Loyalty
   • Do not desert your comrades in your arms.

Idle speculation. You may build a particular code based on a particular ethos, pending GM approval.

-Siege

[hyzmarca]

I'd say it would depend on the culture of the individual.

Japanese followers of the Wise Warrior may strongly adhere to Bushido, for example.

European followers may be more comfortable with the code of chivalry.

http://www.astro.umd.edu/~marshall/chivalry.html

[Glyph]

A mage serving Wise Warrior will probably have a strong sense of professionalism and integrity, be loyal to teammates, and refuse certain of the nastier jobs that 'runners get approached for.

But I don't think their code of honor would be too impractical in combat - this is Wise Warrior, not Stupid Warrior. In other words, things like ambushes and retreats would be allowable - they are simply good tactics. Things that wouldn't be allowable would be things like excessively endangering civilians, backstabbing a teammate to collect the bounty on his head, fleeing in panic from a moderate wound and leaving the rest of the group high and dry, etc.

[FrostyNSO]

[blakkie]

[warrior_allanon]

i have to agree with blackie here, i have had team mates turn me in for the 12 million bounty that was on my head, (granted it was alive) of course they then broke me out again and split the cash with me

(tends to happen when you torque off the mob)

[Thorncrow]

Also, those of you who are into martial philosophy should read The Life-Giving Sword by Yagyu Munenori, in it he states flat-out: "Deception is the way of war." This coming from a man who was the personal sword instructor and bodyguard to three generations of shoguns. No man ever questioned his integrity and he definitely fills the role of the "Wise Warrior". So in game context ambushes, assassinations, and "duplicitous" activity all fall under the aegis of waging war through deception and trickery, but I would say in personal combat and a duel type encounter is where the code of combat ethics would come into play.

[Siege]

A soldier tends to be a different breed from the rugged individualist, the archtypical "Hero" warrior of myth and legend.

And that's what Totems are - idealized perceptions of concepts and belief systems.

-Siege

[Crusher Bob]

I alwats assumed that the 'heroic warrori' was dragonslayer. With the 'wise warrior' being the one who works in teams and is willing to use methods other than open combat. The cyclops was blinded, not because Odysseus could take him out mano-a-mano, but because Odysseus was a sneaky bastard.

[Siege]

Would you consider Odysseus a "Wise Warrior" archetype?

Sorry, playing Devil's advocate.

-Siege

[Crusher Bob]

Well, he could qualify as either trickster of wise warrior. However, he often manuvers so that his martial skill can be better applied. He thinks up the Trojan Horse, not as a party favor, but so that he can better kill stuff. Once he arrives back home, he manuvers his way to the martial challenge (the bow shooting).

In short, he frequently applies martial strenght, as well as 'trickery'.

[Siege]

That's Odyesseus the man, not the idiolized, archetypal figure of "The Wise Warrior."

That was my obscure point about soldiers not being the same as the romanticized notion of Knights, Paladins and similar romantic and unrealistic figures.

-Siege

[nezumi]

I think Siege brings up a good point, even if he disagrees with it. We have plenty of warrior characters throughout history and in legend who are tricky before they're direct. Odyesseus cetainly is idolized. Just because he's not King Arthur or Gawain, I don't see why he might not be considered for a wise warrior. Looking back, especially in Eastern cultures (well, Eastern, American and African cultures. Pretty much everyone but Europe), they were smart enough to know that most wise warriors were also deceptive warriors. Sun Tzu talks about this all the time. My memory of Bushido is fuzzy, but I don't recollect anything saying 'you must let your enemy arm himself before attacking', and I do remember 'make sure you have a weapon by you when you take a bath'. Native American braves were definitely trained to be sneaky first, and Shaka of the Zulus achieved fame in part because of his new techniques to hide his people during an attack. Stealth is an indispensable part of combat (unless you're a walking tank like a mounted knight). Try to fight without it, and you're not very wise in my opinion.

And then you have the whole ninja class, who we KNOW are idolized in 2060 as crazy secret fighters who never miss unless there's more than one of them.

Personally, I'd say it depends on the character, but it certainly needs to be something limiting. There's no reason that two wise warriors must have the same code.

[Nkari]

We can debate Martial Honor all day long and come to no common ground that can be applied to everyone. Hence, we should decide what culture the "wise warrior" comes from and wich philosophy we want to act acording to.

Like Nezumi said.. tho its is quite interesting discussing martial honor etc.. :P

[Ophis]

I've always seen Wise Warrior as Athena/Minerva.
Since see was Odysseus's imortal patron, iot would seem to fit okay with him as wise warrior.

[Gothic Rose]

I always assumed Wise Warrior to be Confucius.

[nezumi]

Err... Confuscius wasn't a warrior, as far as I was aware.

I always thought the Wise Warrior was the Monkey King, who peed in Buddha's hand.

[Gothic Rose]

That's what I get for posting when tired and distracted.

I meant Sun Tzu.

[Siege]

Yes, I can see how one could confuse the two. :grinbig:

-Siege