Education
or, A Gentleman’s Guide to Self-Improvement
The essential premise in Death Before Dishonor! is a man's ability to advance. The most common means of advancement is by the sword -- by prowess and perseverance the character achieves his goals. However, the Renaissance was made of more than hot-headed bravoes picking fights with each other. Universities and schools were packed with gentlemen who valued education, who preferred Reason to Rashness.
Formal schooling, such as the Seminary, Law School or Military Academy, require a given amount of time to complete the curriculum. This time need not be contiguous, but may be subject to other restrictions (see the appropriate sections for details). Informal schools and academies, such as gymnasiums and fencing schools, have no set curriculum or criteria -- the gentlman may attend as frequently he desires until he has achieved the desired results.
Attending Schools or pursuing studies are all considered Primary Actions, with no allowable Secondary Actions, unless specifically stated otherwise.
Seminary
Before becoming a Priest, one must first become a Student of Theology (SoT). Anyone can become an SoT at any time, and there is no roll required. Characters may be in the Military and be an SoT at the same time, provided all the character's time requirements are met. An SoT must spend at least 24 weeks in study before ordination (see the Seminary Table), and must spend a minimum of one week each month devoted to these studies. The character is exempted form this restriction while at the Front.
If a month passes without at least one week spent in study, the student must begin his studies from the beginning. Fortunately, however, an SoT gains SP for week of study.
- The Order of St. Dominic, better known as the Dominicans, are a largely mendicant order of clergy. The Order of Preachers was founded in 1216 by St. Dominic de Guzman. He adapted the structure monasticism so that his Friars, vowed to poverty, chastity, and obedience, were nevertheless free to move wherever their preaching was needed. Characters belonging to this Order are encouraged to eschew extravagances.
- The Order of St. Benedict, one of the most ancient orders of monasticism, is better known as the Benedictines. As the oldest of the three Orders, it is also the most conservative in its outlook. While the Rule of St. Benedict (the guidelines by which monastic life is conducted) recommends abstinence and simplicity, the recent Benedictine graduates tend to be among the most worldly men of the cloth.
- The Order of the Society of Jesus, or simply Jesuits, are the most recent Order among the lot. In some circles the Jesuits are considered with a mxture of contempt and fear. Founded by Ignatius of Loyola in 1534, they vowed to live in evangelical poverty. Strangely, however, Jesuit priests and monks have become confidants to Kings and arbiters of trade throughout much of the Known World, even as far away as the fabled Japans.
Seminary Schools
Students of Theology must join one of three schools to learn what is necessary to become a Priest. Each of these schools is run by a powerful Order of monastics, and each has its strengths and weaknesses, as can be seen below:
Students of Theology must select one of these three Schools to begin and complete his training. Each school has a minimum SL for an applicant. Anyone meeting or exceeding this SL is automatically accepted as a student. The "SP/Week" column lists the amount of Status gained by an SoT per week of study. Finally, the "Graduation" column lists the roll required on 1d6 for the student to graduate after the 24 week period. Every additional two weeks of study adds +1 to the die.
Seminaries
| Order | Min SL |
SP/week |
Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dominican | 3+ |
1 |
5+ |
| Benedictine | 5+ |
2 |
6+ |
| Jesuit | 7+ |
3 |
7+ |
Should a student fail the graduation roll, he must study for two more weeks before rolling again. Additional weeks of study add the usual modifier (+1 per two additional weeks). Once graduated, the character is Ordained as a Priest. See Chapter Five for the details.
Law School
After the Seminary, Law School is the most prestigious institution in France. From ancient times, rhetoric and disputation were highly regarded sciences, leading to logic and a return to classical philosophy. Only now, in this Age of Reason, have these arts been eclipsed by Mathematics, Astronomy and Physics.
Training in Law gives a gentleman a direct route to Provincial Appointments, and, by extension, the Royal Government itself. Many non-noble "self-made men" have achieved positions of wealth and influence by this route, which has been at the vanguard of the rivalry between Nobility and Education.
Law School may be entered at any time. Once entered, a minimum of one week each month must be dedicated to legal studies. This counts as a Primary Action with no Secondary Actions allowed. The character graduates after 24 weeks of study. Once graduated, the character is granted the degree of Lawyer, and by traditions style himself "esquire". See Chapter Six for more information.
Law school may be entered on an ad hoc basis, as well, in order to improve one's Political Ability. These weeks do not count towards becoming a lawyer; rather, after eight cumulative weeks of study (at a cost of 10 times his current PA per week), he sits for an exam. If the referee rolls a die result equal to or greater than the current score, the Ability is raised by one.
Military Academy
Some men seem to emerge from the womb with the ability to marshal the midwife and doula into an effective military unit, while others seem to lack this talent. For gentlemen who desire to sharpen their military prowess, the Military Academy offers studies designed to develop those skills.
An officer (Captain and up) may elect to go to the Military Academy for 10 × current MA in crowns for each one-week lesson. After 8 weeks of study (not necessarily contiguously) the character sits for an exam. If a d6 rolled is equal to or is greater than the character's current MA, his MA is increased by 1. This places an effective limit on an MA of 7 for Academy training. While it is possible to advance beyond this level, it can only be done with experience.
Field Experience
For each season your character leads troops on campaign (i.e. rolls dice for the unit) as a Major or higher, his Military Ability will increase by one if an 11+ is rolled on 2d6. Military Ability can not increase more than 1 in any single season. This applies to anyone in a command position. See Chapter Four for more details.
Physical Improvement
A characters physical attributes (see Characteristics) may be improved at a Gymnasium, but it is likely to take some time, particularly for more gifted people. Attending a Gymnasium is a Primary Action which permits no Secondary Actions. Each week the character trains, a check is made on two dice, plus the number of previous unsuccessful attempts. If the total exceeds the current score for the characteristic being trained, that score is increased by one (and the number of unsuccessful attempts resets to zero).
It should be noted that only Strength and Constitution may be raised in this way, since Endurance is the profuct if the two. Skills are treated somewhat differently, and Swordsmanship is a special case (see below).
Gymnasium
| Type | Cost/Week |
Roll |
|---|---|---|
| Gymnasium | 25 |
2d6 |
Skill Improvement
Skills, with the exception of Swordsmanship, cannot be trained in a Gymnasium. They are, instead, raised by attending various Academies in Paris. While there are different Academies for each individual skill, the mechanics of each are the same. indeed, with a slight modification, the process is identical it Improving Characteristics, above.
It is similar insofar as the mechanism is the roll of dice is added to the number of accumulated previous failures. If the sum is greater than the current level of skill, the skill score is increased by one and the failures are reset to zero.
It is different, however, in that there are a wider variety of academies to choose from. This simulates the discrepancies between the rigors and discipline of physical training over that of simple practice and education. Of course, those academies with better teachers and facilities are more costly:
Skill Training Academies
| Type | Cost/Week | Roll |
|---|---|---|
| Self Study | Free | 1d6+2 |
| Community/Military | 25 | 2d6 |
| Professional | 50 | 2d6+2 |
| Elite | 100 | 3d6 |
Example: Jean-Claude wishes to train in in Etiquette before attending his first Court Ball and his ability is currently 11.
He can try a community group for 1 week, spend 25 crowns and roll 2D6. If the result is higher than 11, then his ability is raised to 12. If the roll is not higher than his current ability (say the roll was 11 or lower), Jean-Claude may train again in the future. The next time he does so, he spends a week and 25 crowns, then rolls 2D6+1 (for the one week training so far). Should he roll 12 or higher, then he increases his skill level to 12 and starts the training process at the beginning.
If, say, the poor fellow goes 4 weeks without increasing his skill, then the 5th week is rolled with 2D6+4.
Sooner or later his dedication will pay off, and he will increase his level of skill. If this isn't fast enough, he might consider attending one of the more prestigious schools and get better dice rolls by paying higher fees.
Swordsmanship
Technically a subset of skill imporovement, Swordsmanship skill has a couple of distinguishing features worthy of detail. For one thing, it is a symbol of prestige not only to be renowned as a master of the blade, but as a member of an élite fraternity of dedicated scholars and professionals; therefore, great pride and reputation is placed on the school to which he belongs
In a purely mechanical sense, however, Swordsmanship pulls double duty, both as a general skill (that is, it is used similarly to Horsemanship, Marksmanship, or Etiquette), but also has a dedicated system of its own (see The Duel). This obliges us to evaluate two unique aspects: salles d'armes and experience.
Salles D'Armes
Swordsmanship is trained at a special type of school called a "salle", short for salle d'armes (literally, "weapons room"). Each salle specializes in different weapons, and only these skills may be trained in that salle.
To make matters even more complex, each salle has friends and rivals among the other salles of Paris. These rivalries act identically and additionally to regimental rivalries. That is, a King's Musketeer who trained at L'Ours may seek a quarrel with either a Cardinal's Guard, a member of Le Tigre or both.
Once a character has begun training at a particular salle, they will remain on that salle's list of members. Membership lasts until the character voluntarily quits (a Free Action), or until the character begins training at another salle d'armes.
Should the character elect to switch salles, he must roll a 5+ on one die to be accepted to the new school (-1 if applying to an enemy salle, +1 if applying to a friendly one). Failure to apply means the character may not train that week -- the old school has crossed him off their list, and the new one has not yet accepted him.
Applying to a salle is a free action, but training is a primary action. For costs and benefits, see below.
Salles d'Armes
| Salle | Cost |
Roll* |
Weapons | Friend | Enemy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Chat | 60 |
2d6 |
Dagger, Cutlass | L'Ours | Le Cheval |
| Le Cheval | 75 |
2d6+2 |
Cutlass, Sabre | Le Tigre | L'Ours |
| L'Ours | 90 |
3d6 |
Sabre, Rapier | Le Chat | Le Tigre |
| Le Tigre | 110 |
3d6+ |
Rapier, 2H Sword | Le Cheval | Le Chat |
Experience
Duels are harrowing events, demanding physically, mentally, and emotionally. This level of drama and focus heightens the stakes, but also sharpens the mind to learn from errors, and to reinforce successful strategies. Which is a long way of saying that surviving such an ordeal is a learning experience.
To simulate the speed and ease at which one learns by doing, we must turn to the Skill Resolution Table on the Skills & Resolution page.
Since a novice swordsman learns more from a skilled one more quickly than vice versa, the combatant uses his opponent's score versus his own on the table. If the result is "X", no experience is gained. If it is "A", he automatically advances his skill by one point. If the result is a number, the character advances if that target number is equalled or exceeded by rolling two dice.
Comments