Wicker-wise

So my first question about the wicker-wise is: in what sense is "Inflict 2 Harm upon another, unwilling, with no
benefit of armor" a "sacrifice"?

I mean it might be a sacrifice, if there's no one around you want to inflict 2 Harm on. But it might also be a direct-damage attack on an enemy that you don't have to roll for. Is that the intention? Indeed, this "sacrifice" might be the primary effect you want out of the charm, in that case.

You're facing an enemy who is wounded but will yet see another sun rise. He's wearing armor; you're tied to a tree, and he's drawing a bead on you with his longbow from 20 paces away.  So you just do something random -- charm the peasant girl watching from behind the bush to fall in love with a sparrow in the tree above her, but only for an hour or less (the first sacrifice) -- so that you can do 2 harm to your enemy, past armor, as the second "sacrifice". Bam. The enemy drops dead, and you wriggle free of your bonds. Charming the peasant girl was just for amusement value, to watch her desperately woo the sparrow as it hops from branch to branch. The "sacrifice" was the real point of the action.

Note that the enemy in question could be a PC, who you just offed, and you didn't have to roll for it (so there wasn't even anything to interfere with, if the game had interfering).

Is this the intent? Or is it the intent that the sacrifice be an actual sacrifice -- like, "inflict 2 Harm upon an ally, servant, or friend, unwilling, with no benefit of armor"?

my take is that you must be able to perform the sacrifice in order to get the charm.
You must inflict the 2 Harm to your enemy. I don't see how you can do that if you are tied to a tree.

It's a weird way to phrase it, sure, but I'm pretty sure it just means that you can't count the harm armour absorbs as part of the sacrifice.

Unless the spirits in question just really like the sound of metal breastplates being hammered, I guess.

my take is that you must be able to perform the sacrifice in order to get the charm.
You must inflict the 2 Harm to your enemy. I don't see how you can do that if you are tied to a tree.

Ah, I see. This interpretation makes sense. But do you also, then, have to cut yourself with a knife to make the sacrifice "take 1 harm with no benefit of armor"? What does "with no benefit of armor" mean? Does it mean, as DWeird suggests, "past armor"? That seems an odd way to phrase it.

So in this interpretation, I can wallop someone with a hammer in battle and offer up the 2-harm that got past his armor as a sacrifice to cause them to fall in love with me? Still a funny gloss on the word "sacrifice". When I need to do some ceremonies, can I head for the local tavern and start a brawl -- smack three chairs over different people's heads, and that's enough sacrifices to power my ritual of Good Fortunes?

yes, it states "Performing a charm takes only a few seconds, but you must choose and make 2 sacrifices"
So I don't see problem if you make a sacrifice in a brawl.
But it does not mean that you are able to stop the same brawl...

But it does not mean that you are able to stop the same brawl...

This is my read too. The brawl idea is reasonable under the rules. It's a sacrifice because now you're in the middle of a brawl with at least one person very upset with you. Or maybe you dragged a peasant down an alley and stabbed him. Or were forced to wade into an on-going battle you had no intention of entering.

Answers! You're right that the text is unclear. I'll fix it.

You must be able to perform the sacrifice.

The unwilling victim must be helpless. "Without benefit of armor" is a copy & paste. Consider it to say "unwilling but helpless" or "unwilling but unarmored and unable to defend themselves" or something like that.

It's definitely possible to do this in combat, but normal combat violence won't serve. You have to get an enemy helpless and steal a few seconds to perform ritual violence.

-Vincent

Another good question would be: can you double-up on sacrifices?

For example, let's my Wicker-Wise wants to perform the Charm of Blood-Thirst on the Dragon-Herald's lance. Could I choose to "take 1 Harm with no benefit of armor" twice to pay for the move?

I don't think so.

We had another question about wickerwise - do you have to touch the thing you are charming?  If you want to set an enemies clothing on fire, does that require a roll, or just 2 sacrifices?
 

Ask the wicker wise.

We had another question about wickerwise - do you have to touch the thing you are charming?  If you want to set an enemies clothing on fire, does that require a roll, or just 2 sacrifices?

So far as my games go, I simply require you to either see who you are charming, or be holding something that belongs to them.