Sword is the third month of summer in Ancardian calendar.
Symbolism[]
Combat, Execution, Tactics, Strategy
Bonus[]
Positive modifiers from Tactics settings are increased by 10%, costs to increase melee weapon skills are reduced by 20%, +1 to the initial Learning score.
Bonus evaluation[]
Positive modifiers from Tactics settings are increased by 10%[]
Unlikely to have a noticeable impact on the early game when the PC doesn't have high-end equipment, but useful in the late game, especially if Tactics skill was acquired.
Costs to increase melee weapon skills are reduced by 20%[]
The 20% discount is quite substantial and is obviously targeted for melee fighters. Sword-born Farmers can easily achieve Grand Mastery in pole arms, as their class ability (20% discount on pole arm weapon marks) stacks with the star sign. From a pure statistical standpoint (calculating a number of successful weapon hits to achieve Grand Mastery) Sword is more effective for spellcasters, but in practice the synergy is relatively shallow.
+1 to the initial Learning score[]
Learning is considered to be one of the most important attributes, making even a +1 bonus attractive for some race and class combinations. Unlike starting talents, the bonus is applied before character creation, which can push "dim" PCs enough to start with the valued Literacy skill.
Conclusion[]
All in all, the Sword star sign is much more fit for fighter types, slightly increasing their below-average Learning and allowing them to better use their melee capabilities. While spellcasters may use the Sword bonuses to remedy their innate class disadvantages in using melee combat, the usual play style associated with these classes will unlikely benefit much.