The Craft of War

Written by Titus Sulla, Grand Marshal of the Teccan Empire, this book attempts to summarize all knowledge about combat and warfare in a single text. It is a very thick tome, copied by hand and richly illuminated. Those who follow the dogmas and philosophies laid out within affectionately refer to it as the Swordonomicon. Only a handful complete and intact copies are known to remain.

Legate-Marshal Sulla worked his way up from low-born legionnaire to supreme commander of all Teccan Legions using only his singular gift of martial prowess, both as an individual duelist, and as a commander of armies. His exploits are the stuff of legend, such as when he allegedly routed a force of five thousand rebels by simply waiting around in an open field with his small patrol, pretending that reinforcements were about to arrive when in fact the nearest Teccan forces were over two days away.

If you study the tome's battle tactics for 100 hours, you gain the following benefits:

• The last blow is as important as the first: You gain two extra superiority dice, and one extra use of your Second Wind feature.
• A good fighter is versatile, and always prepares for the task at hand: When you finish a long rest, you can change all your maneuver selections.
• Good equipment does not make a good fighter, but it makes a good fighter into a great one: If you deliver a maneuver that requires a saving throw using a weapon with a bonus to attack and damage rolls, that bonus is also added to the DC of the saving throw.
• Study the battlefield in detail before commiting to any course of action: When you use your Know Your Enemy feature, you also learn of any resistances, immunities, or vulnerabilities the creature has.

Only a Battle Master fighter can gain the benefits from studying the book.