A doshko is as much a symbol as it is a weapon. The traditional vesk melee weapon, a doshko requires strength to wield and delivers devastating blows in the right hands. The weapon imparts a clear willingness to engage in bloody conflict, which is why fearsome groups like the church of Damoritosh intentionally rely on doshko iconography. Doshko specialists are martial artists who study the history and traditions of the doshko not only to improve their ability to vanquish foes in melee, but to learn lessons of honor and fury that the weapon’s legacy can teach.
Nearly everyone familiar with an arms dealer’s wares knows that doshkos come with anywhere from one to four axe-like blades made of steel or energy, though the three-bladed version is the most common. Few other than vesk martial historians— including doshko specialists—understand that each blade has a specific meaning. Doshko specialists call the weapons’ blades their “teeth,” and each tooth, from the tip down to the haft, must be earned, one at a time, by learning a specific truth about the weapon. Although anyone might purchase a doshko with a variable number of blades, doshko specialists prefer to limit themselves to doshkos with only the number of blades they have earned. Intense rivalries ignite when doshko specialists find themselves on opposite sides of a confrontation.
Most doshko specialists are solarians, soldiers, or vanguards. Such soldiers often have the blitz fighting style, while vanguards might have the cascade or momentum aspects. Many doshko specialists are vesk, although vesk usually appreciate those of other species who strive to embrace the power and legacy of their traditional weapon.
Prerequisites
You must be proficient with advanced melee weapons, such as from the proficiency granted by a class, a class feature, or the Advanced Melee Weapons Proficiency feat. This proficiency imparts a prospective doshko specialist the honor of bearing a doshko with a single blade, which they call the Tooth of Eager Spirit.
If you are a solarian using a solar weapon and choose a doshko for its general design, you can apply the effects of this archetype to your solar weapon as though it were a doshko, as long as it remains as that design.
