For several years now, many of the Duelmasters veterans have eschewed the warrior attribute of Speed. The Rogue She-Puppy of the Galaxy once summed up this sentiment by declaiming that (paraphrased): Anything Speed can do, Deftness can do better; many weapons have a Deftness minimum, but none have a Speed requirement. This article covers aspects of Speed which may have been overlooked by many other Duelmasters managers.
Other articles have covered how Speed will affect a warrior's decisiveness. I won't belabor the point, except to say that the higher the Speed, the better the chance of "getting the jump" on an opponent. However, Speed without a moderate level of Deftness will generally get a warrior in trouble. The converse of this axiom is that a HIGH Deftness, combined with a HIGH Speed, will give a warrior a definite advantage.
Perhaps the greatest advantage in developing a high-Speed warrior is the "VERY HIGHLY COORDINATED" statement which can be derived therefrom. If SP + DF > 31, the VHC statement will appear on the warrior's overview. On its own, the VHC statement does little more than aid decisiveness, responsiveness, and dodging. But, if SP and DF are both > 31 and either SP or DF > 14, then the VHC statement will be modified by "with the ability to use a weapon in each hand." So, not only will a warrior generally get the jump on his opponent, but if the opponent dodges towards your warrior's off-hand, this warrior will get a free shot at his opponent with the off-hand weapon. For parry-types, using a bladed weapon (dagger, hatchet, short sword, etc.) for parrying purposes can oft times be the difference between winning or losing. The opponent is generally caught off guard and succumbs to the unexpected threat.
The greatest advantage to this high-Speed attribute can be seen in Strikers. Due to their innate endurance bonus, Strikers can be shorted in both CN and WL. Combine this with a small SZ, and your warrior can load up on ST, WT, SP and DF. Try something like 13-5-10-13-9-17-17. This will make an awesome Striker.
For parry-types, reduce ST and add to WL. (Obviously, this cultivation of Speed should not be applied to Total Parry warriors...unless you desire a Total Pud!) Example: Parry-Ripper 7-6-7-17-15-17-15; five WT Statements; Incredibly Quick; Very Highly Coordinated; born Expert in Riposte. This warrior fights well at 4-2-6 HE-HE-R, 7-3-6 HE-HE-L (desp) with EP and off-hand SH, and ALE. A born initiative-stealer with great learns!
As for Slashers, this technique will usually result in an additional bonus: The "SENSATIONALLY QUICK" statement; however, this will usually be accompanied by the "does LITTLE DAMAGE" statement. Slashers will get the jump, but they would do well to train up their ST if they want a winning record. ST = 9 is a safe bet, as this will get you a scimitar. Combine this with an off-hand hatchet and go for the legs.
Experiment a little with this and you can turn an otherwise DA-bound rollup into a Speed Demon. Just pray that your warrior doesn't get HOSED! I hate when that happens! :)
-- Kalkin