Orchid

“I once met an Almadan gladiator who preferred to fight with an orchid. I’ve forgotten his name, but as I recall, he always wore a mask and was as nimble as a cat.”
— Salim al’Dhalsim, far trader from Thalusa, 1037 FB

The orchid resembles brass knuckles with long steel blades extending from the back of the hand and curving forward like claws. Like brass knuckles, the wearer’s fingers fit through metal rings, but the weapon also is usually strapped to the forearm. Some variants are built onto gauntlets, granting the blades additional stability and providing greater protection for the hand, especially against parries.

Few gladiators fight unarmed in the arenas of southern Aventuria, where it is currently popular to arm them with these spectacular steel claws. Since injuries caused by the orchid resemble those inflicted by a big cat, people suspect that certain deaths attributed to predatory animals might secretly be due to murder by orchid.

“Orchid? It looks more like a cat’s claw. I must have it! Where can I buy one?”

— Rowena of the Transweal, Bornish cat witch

“You realize that only gladiators and scoundrels use orchids, right?”

— Geron Bladebreaker, mercenary

“To some people, witches are scoundrels…”

— Rowena of the Transweal, Bornish cat witch

Technique	Damage	P+T	AT/PA	Reach	Weight	Length	Cost	Complexity
Brawling	d6+2	AGI/STR 15	0/-1	short	1 stn 2 lbs	40 cm 15 inches	60 S	simple

Weapon Advantage: The wielder suffers no damage when an armed enemy parries the orchid, as is usual for Brawling (see Core Rules, page 235).

Weapon Disadvantage: On a confirmed botch, the weapon breaks. This is in addition to any other botch results.