Welcome to Martial Arts Companion. This book is designed to allow Gamemasters to incorporate a wider range of martial arts into the Rolemaster Standard System (RMSS). Inside you will find rules for introducing unarmed combat systems and new martial arts skills. For ease of integration into the Gamemaster's campaign, the optional rules and skills introduced in this book are categorized into the three separate power levels: Core, Heroic, and Fantastic.
When first reading this book, concentrate on reading and understanding the core rules. Any text that is not marked as heroic, or fantastic serves as core or background information, it will be helpful to at least to skim through these sections to get a broad overview of the scope and purpose of this companion.
Pay special attention to the examples covering everything from character creation to combat. After you gain an understanding of the material, create a few sample characters using the core rules before tackling the optional heroic and fantastic rules and options in this companion. Afterwards, feel free to dive into the optional sections of the rules. Each optional ruling has a brief discussion of their impact upon the RMSS that should make the job of choosing what options to include (or exclude) in a campaign much easier for the Gamemaster. Some of the key features that are covered by Martial Arts Companion include the following:
History of martial arts
Guidelines for using martial arts within a campaign
Two new variant Monk professions, the Taoist and the Zen monk, each with new spell lists
New and revised background options for martial arts characters
New and redesigned martial arts skills for the Rolemaster Standard System
Rules for creating your own martial arts style with a point cost system
Examples of historical martial arts styles
Introduction of Chi Powers skills to model fantastic feats of martial arts
Guidelines for using martial arts in combat
New weapon attack tables
New critical tables
New and revised training packages
Sources
Martial Arts: Traditions, History, People, John Concoran and Emil Farkas The History and Philosophy of Kung Fu, Eart C Medeiros
Classical Bujutsu: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan, Volume 1. Donn Draeger
Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan, Volume 2. Donn Draeger
The Fighting Arts. Howard Reid and Micheal Croucher
Zen and Confucius in the Art of Swordmanship, Reinhard Kammer
Asian Fighting Arts. Donn Draeger and Robert Smith
Phoenix-Eye Fist: A Shaolin Fighting Art of South China. CheongChengLeong and Donn Draeger
Recommended Reading
Outlaws ofthe Marsh, Volumes 1 and 2. Shi Nai'an and Luo Guanzhong
Fax Volant ofthe Snowy Mountain. Jin Yong
Recommended Viewing
Once Upon a Time in China I, II, III, IV
Last Hero in China
The Swordsman I. II
For readability purposes, the book uses the standard masculine pronouns when referring to persons of uncertain gender. In such cases, these pronouns are intended to convey non-gender specific meanings: he/she, her/him, etc. In addition, it is not the main goal of this work to present absolutely correct and historically verifiable information about each martial arts style. Where possible, historical accuracy has been preserved but some of the information regarding special strikes, maneuvers, and abilities of the martial arts practitioners has been created by the author to make each style unique and interesting to play. For those interested in a more in-depth discussion of the historical role of martial arts and deeper knowledge of a certain style, please review the sources and recommended reading list provided in the appendix.
A special thanks goes out to all the people who have helped to make this product a reality. All the participants on the Rolemaster Internet mailing list have been very helpful. A special thanks goes out to the brave group of Internet play testers—Robert Brott, Nicholas Caldwell, and Kent Krumvieda. I have not met any of you in person, but I have found all of your suggestions and ideas extremely useful. I would also like to thank my parents for all of their support and help in everything I do. A special hello goes out to the Ithaca role playing community, Scott, Laurie, Jim, Diane. Bob, J.P., and Nick. It has been a lot of fun, good luck in Ithaca and beyond! And a final thanks goes out to James Martinez for all the help and support throughout this project and my life—you are the best!
Welcome to Martial Arts Companion! This book details rules for creating and running characters thai employ martial arts techniques within the Rolemaster Standard System, Martial Arts Companion uses the standard notation from the following Rolemaster Standard System products: Rolemaster Standard Rules, Arms Law, Spell Law, and Gamemaster Law. It is also compatible with Talent Law, Castles and Ruins, Weapon Law: Firearms, Treasure Companion, Arcane Companion, and Races and Cultures: Underground Races. Within these pages you will find a wealth of information detailing how to use, create, and run martial arts in your campaign. In addition, there is also a great deal of information regarding the historical progression and development of martial arts that may be applicable to any game system.
This book is geared to be a useful reference for both the Gamemaster and the player. As with all companions, the rules detailed within these pages are optional. It is not recommended that the average Gamemaster use every option and rule presented in this companion. In most games, only a certain subset of the rules and guidelines presented in this companion will be used. Players wishing to introduce rules presented in this companion into a game must be aware that their inclusion may upset the gamebalance and direction intended by the Gamemaster. In this event, the wishes of the Gamemaster should be respected. Likewise, Gamemasters wishing to include the new rules and options presented in this companion within their games have an obligation to clearly explain to the players the ramifications they present to the players present and future characters.
This book tries to model the different approaches to martial arts within a consistent framework. To this end, a common set of martial arts rules and skills serve as the foundation for this book. Because of this structure, it is possible to embrace the many complexities of martial arts. It is important, therefore, for the Gamemaster to fully understand the power level of martial arts that he wishes to allow within his campaign. It is equally important that he convey his expectations of the capabilities of martial artists to his players to avoid misunderstandings. With both the players and the Gamemaster starting from a common set of assumptions, a campaign becomes much more stable. There are three power levels in this companion and they are the following:
Core Power Level — The Core power level assumes a near real-world expectation of martial arts. The martial arts are treated as unarmed combat with all the inherent advantages and disadvantage that come with that expectation. The Core power level is well integrated with the entire RMSS.
Heroic Power Level — The Heroic power level assumes a slightly larger-than life expectation of martial arts. The martial arts at this level are more effective than they actually are in the real world, allowing players to accomplish extraordinary acts more easily. In most cases, the Heroic power level is the average level at which a role playing campaign is run,
Fantastic Power Level — The Fantastic power level assumes an unrealistic expectation of martial arts. Martial arts are presented as the supreme form of combat and are practiced by the majority of the heroes of the campaign world. Martial arts masters can accomplish supernatural feats through the focus of their inner power. The Fantastic power level is the most potentially imbalancing option with respect to the rest of the RMSS.
While players have a wide variety of options to choose from when using this book, it is noteworthy that the mechanisms used for resolving martial arts attacks are quite simple. In summary, Martial Arts Companion was created to enhance the enjoyment of Rolemaster players by expanding on and enhancing the martial arts system first introduced in RMSS. Furthermore, the assumptions used in creating the rules and guidelines in this book are outlined below to help the Gamemaster understand the foundation from which the rules have been generated.
The following is a list of assumptions for this book.
This book was created to benefit any profession in RMSS. Therefore, all martial arts abilities can be used by any profession, albeit at a price.
This book was created to expand the alternatives available to players having characters who specializing in martial arts. As a result, a system for creating unique martial arts styles was created to emphasize the uniqueness of the martial artist.
The changes in this companion will imbue the martial arts character with more depth and versatility, which will make this character more interesting to operate. To accomplish this, three changes were instituted:
Finally, the standard RMSS combat round system with a 100% limit on activity and three actions per round limit is still being used to resolve combat? Note, however, that variant combat systems used in some Rolemaster campaigns may require some modification to complement the rules in this companion. Especially important to recognize are the changes reflected in this companion from previous editions of Rolemaster. These are outlined below.
The areas that have changed in Martial Arts Companion include professions, guidelines, skills, and weapon attack and critical tables. These are explained below.
While the Monk profession introduced in RMSR remains a valid profession, two new variant professions based on the Monk are introduced. These include the Taoist monk and the Zen monk, both of whom specialize in unarmed combat. These introductions were motivated by the argument of whether the Monk profession was better modeled as an Essence-based or a Mentalism-based spell caster (Charltonian versus Amthorian view). The original Monk profession's spell lists still retain a fair balance between the two variant professions, thus offering the most flexibility to the starting character. However, players now have the option to choose between Monk professions, depending on which heightened attributes they wish their characters to possess.
The Taoist monk is a new Essence-based spell casting martial artist that differs from its RMSR predecessor in its ability to manipulate and create elemental forces. The advantage the Taoist monk gains in elemental control is balanced by his lesser effectiveness both at controlling his body and focusing his will when compared to the standard Monk's own ability to master these traits. The Zen monk, a new Mentalism-based spell casting martial artist, on the other hand, is blessed with a superior ability to focus his will and use the power of his mind to influence the perceptions of others that out shadows even that of the standard Monk. However, the Zen monk does not have the standard Monk or Taoist monk abilities at special moving maneuvers.
Some new guidelines dealing with specialized combat situations are detailed in this companion. They cover everything from competing in challenges to Fighting on top of a teetering building while it is raining. These guidelines are meant to help the Gamemaster resolve the strange and interesting situations in which players invariably find themselves.
The most important change to the original martial arts skills found in RMSR is the elimination of the four-tiered degree skill system used for martial arts attacks. For simplicity, this has been replaced with a single skill for each general type of attack, of which there are four: martial arts striking, martial arts sweeping, locking holds, and nerve strikes. While the RMSR's original damage threshold system is still present in this book, it is now embedded in the Martial Arts Style skill. The Martial Arts Style skill allows the martial artist to create a specialized unarmed attacking system. The Martial Arts Style skill is also placed in a new skill category under the umbrella Martial Arts Group called the Martial Arts Combat Maneuvers skill category. Many other specialized martial arts skills are included in this skill category. Additional new skills are included in a wide range of skill categories, ranging from General Lore skills to Special Defenses skills. An important addition is the Weapon Style skill to the Combat Maneuvers skill category. The Weapon Style skill allows the user to create unique weapon-using fighting systems, much like the Martial Arts Style skill allows the use to create unique unarmed combat fighting systems.
An optional type of skill called a Chi Powers skill has been introduced to model some of the amazing feats performed by martial artists in history and legend. These skills are found in many different skill categories and are listed in their own section in this book.
New weapon attack tables offer the martial artist a greater range of choices in traditional martial arts weapons that have as of yet not been created in Arms Law format. The additional weapon attack tables for the katana, nunchaku, tetsubo, sai, kris, wakizashi, chigiriki, kusarigama, chain, thorn staff, short stick, dart, spring sword, three-sectioned staff, butterfly knife, and metal whip are listed in this companion. Other specialized martial arts weapons are profiled as well. Furthermore, two additional critical tables, Locking Holds and Nerve Strikes, are introduced as well to offer more effective martial arts attacks.
A martial art is an individual fighting style that is systematized and defined in a formal manner. Martial arts require long practice and rigid self-discipline to master. With this discipline comes the mental focus and accuracy necessary for success. Examples of martial arts can be found throughout history and legend from David's smiling of Goliath with his sling to the accounts of ancient Chinese fighting masters. The skills and techniques employed in martial arts are different from those used in warfare. While martial arts are driven by the dictums of accuracy and speed, mass combat or warfare is driven by the dictums of strength and firepower. Whereas the weapons used in warfare are large and heavy and fighting can take days, the combat practiced by the martial artist is free of restraint and swift, with the focused objective of neutralizing the foe as quickly as possible.
The true beginnings of martial arts are clouded in myth, since most ancient martial arts masters kept little records. Instead, techniques were handed down from master to disciple. Because of a master's untimely death or failure to locate a gifted protege, many unique martial arts styles and their origins have been lost. It is generally agreed, however, that martial arts; first took root in the Asian cultures of the East. Furthermore, it is believed that the religious traditions and medical knowledge practiced in this area were instrumental in developing the forms and style of martial arts we recognize in all the evolved forms of martial arts preset today.
The omnipresent element of inner strength and focus in all martial art forms is attributed to the Eastern practice of meditation and the system ofbreathingthat accompanies it. This is believed to empower an individual with the proper relaxation and focused abilities that allow for the proper channeling of strength, coupled with the accuracy and speed, needed to excel in any confrontational situation. In addition, the increased medical knowledge allowed for the identification of those body areas that would sustain the most damage from the punishing strikes perfected through the art of mediation. While martial arts styles are typically classified as hard or soft, both techniques incorporate a small measure of the other.
Before detailing the differences of each style, the following example taken form the animal kingdom might illustrate the contrast between the two opposing styles. Picture a confrontation between a mongoose and a snake. The mongoose jumps quickly from spot to spot, radiating energy as it tests the defenses of the snake with lightning attacks and retreats. The mongoose is clearly displaying the hardstyle.The snake, on the other hand, waits patiently, giving no indication of when or where it is to strike. It simply sways back and forth before its sudden unexpected attack. This is the essence of the soft style. The differences are further detailed below.
Hard arts typify force opposed by force. In unarmed combat, this force is accomplished by propelling the entire body, or part of it, against the opponent, since added momentum is gained by sending the weight and motion of the entire body after a punch or kick? Various strikes are leveled at the opponent, but the most effective are those whose forces are propelled in a straight line. Blocks that forcefully deflect or stop incoming blows often precede countermoves in a hard style, while the countermove itself rapidly follows the block with direct punches or kicks. This approach is very straightforward and is the basis for many martial arts styles, including karate, Korean tae kwon do, and the hard arts of Chinese kung fu.
To the trained martial artist, however, the hard style does present one flaw. Because of the muscular tension displayed and the momentum of their bodies, the stance of the martial artist can reveal their next intention to their opponent. In addition, while the breathing techniques of the hard arts (focusing breathing to a point between the solar plexus and the upper chest) allow the martial artist to focus his energy into explosive releases, there exists the danger of draining the user of strength. Therefore, in a clash between martial artists using hard styles, there is an emphasis on instinctive and trained reactions using physical strength to quickly end the conflict.
Circular motion is the forms the basis of the soft arts. Like the snake in the above example, a master of the soft arts is still and relaxed. Unlike the tensed muscles of those martial artists exercising the hard style, a master of the soft arts does not reveal his intentions. In addition, the soft arts masters also seek to use incoming force against itself, instead of opposing the force. For example, the bodily momentum initiated by a striking opponent could be further increased and used against him by simply stepping to one side and pushing the opponent towards the ground. In a clash between two martial artists using soft styles, the emphasis is on using the mind to outwit the opponent.
Correct breathing techniques are very important to the soft arts. Unlike the breathing employed in the hard arts, in the soft arts breathing is initiated low in the body, two inches below the navel, where the center of vital energy or chi is believed to reside. By training the mind to use the muscles of the diaphragm to draw air into ihe lungs in this manner, it is possible to evoke a tremendous force that radiates from within the body to the extremities, where it can be used to deliver punishing blows to opponents.
The next sections are devoted to the profiling the culture and fighting systems of many different countries of the world. These include Chinese martial arts, European martial arts, Japanese martial arts, Indian martial arts, Indonesian and Malaysian martial arts, Korean martial arts, and Okinawan martial arts. Each region has a brief history of each region and how martial arts developed in that region and interacted with the culture. If a martial arts system is further profiled later in this companion, it is distinguished by its name in bold-faced type,
It is important to realize that martial arts arose in a time when present-day nations were nothing more than mere assortments of independent states or clans, and warfare was small and localized, so that individual fighters attained greater importance due to the small number of troops in conflict. Warfare was ritualized and in some cases settled by single combat. One need only consider the prestige and honor bestowed upon even a slave in Roman times for his expertise as a gladiator to comprehend the allure of this ancient fighting art form.
In the following section, note that the Asian-inspired martial arts are grouped alphabetically by region, whereas the European-inspired martial arts are listed in chronological order.
This is a brief discussion of the history of Asian martial arts.
The great Songshan ShaoJin Temple and monastery at the foot of the Songshan Mountains of Central China is the place where Chinese martial arts are believed to have taken root. Although there exists scholarly doubt about the accuracy of this legend, it is widespread among the martial arts community. It is believed that an Indian monk by the name of Bodhidharma arrived to teach the Chinese a new approach to Buddhism that involved intense long periods of meditation, from which the meditative schools of Ch'an in China and Zen in Japan are said to have arisen. One commonly cited story asserts that Bodhidharma stared at the wall of a cave for nine consecutive years. To help the monks of the Temple withstand the long hours of meditation, Bodhidharma taught them exercises and movements to strengthen their bodies, and the Shaolin Temple Boxing technique was born.
At the height of its prosperity, the Shaolin Temple had 1,500 monks, 500 of who were fighting monks. They led simple lives, supporting themselves by farming the land they owned. It wasn't until 1674, after 128 of these monks assisted the Ch'ing Emperor in battle, that their highly effective fighting techniques were seen as cause for alarm. This was further heightened when they rejected the titles offered to them by the Emperor in favor of returning to their temple. The Emperor became persuaded that it was dangerous to let such an effective fighting force exist in the center of his empire that he did not fully control. Shortly thereafter, an army led by a renegade Shaolin monk surrounded the temple and burnt it to the ground. It is believe that five of the surviving monks subsequently founded China's infamous secret societies known as the Triads. Thereafter, martial arts became linked with Chinese secret societies.
The first of these to materialize were the White Lotus and White Lily societies. Each society was associated with a specific style of martial arts and would often practice at night during its secret meetings. Like the various secret societies formed afterwards, these two societies were instrumental in helping various factions rise to power, only to be ruthlessly suppressed by the same faction they supported. This antagonistic relationship dotted China's history with ever-changing dynasties in power, since the Chinese government wavered between embracing the advantage of having a large group of highly skilled fighting men in times of need and then feeling the need to suppress the same fighters to guard its power. The preferred martial arts style adopted by these fighters evolved from the Shaolin boxing and is known as the Shaolin kung fu tradition.
The Shaolin kung fu tradition is divided into two schools, northern and southern. While the two traditions might have evolved from separate schools, most Chinese attribute geography for the manifestation of the northern and southern kung fu styles. Northern China consists mainly of open plains where walking or riding great distances was customary, so that individuals' already developed legs became their main means of attack and defense. Southern China, on the other hand, is riddled with large numbers of waterways, requiring adept rowing and poling skills, which led to greater arm strength. As a result, the southern styles relied on the fists as the main means of attack. The main differences between the northern and southern schools of kung fu will be discussed below, as well as some of the techniques that arose form each school.
Graceful and smooth movements are characteristic of the northern style of kung fu. In fact, the northern styles provide much of the basis for the martial arts styles used in Peking Opera. Stances are usually very wide and open, and arms are usually fully extended on both attack and defense, Leaps, turns and other sweeping movements are also incorporated in to this style. Movements displayed by animals have influenced the development of certain styles in this school and include: Crane, Dragon, Eagle, Horse, Praying Mantis, and Wing Chun styles among others.
One of the most striking characteristics of the northern styles is their emphasis on kicking. Northern stylists are trained to jump high and deliver one, two, or three kicks to an opponent before landing. Flying sidekicks are also taught, although their original use was to dismount cavalry. Northern styles use long formal sequences of attacks and counters as training aids that cover a wide area of ground. While some locks and grapples are used, most northern styles use strikes and kicks with the arms or legs fully extended. Weapons are also used and include swords, spears, staffs, scimitars, halberds, and war-fans. The forms used with weapon practice are open and graceful, but still effective.
Maintaining a solid stance and balance is of the utmost importance in the southern style. Like the northern schools, the southern schools also looked to the animal kingdom for inspiration. The southern school, however, developed styles based on the animals' sudden and overpowering attack movements and these include: the Cobra, Monkey, Leopard, Snake, and Tiger styles among others.
Southern-styles fighting are usually done in close quarters and consist of rapid, sequential punches, low kicks, and blocks. There is lighting-speed reaction and action, with great emphasis placed on simultaneous attack and defense. For example, while the left arm may block a punch, the right will slide into the opponent guard and attempt to deliver a blow to the face or chest. The essence of southern-style kung fu lies in the ability to instinctively attack and shower an opponent with blows while avoiding an opponent to grab any limbs. Southern martial artists believe that the speed and power of their attacks will defeat any foe.
Another unique characteristic of Chinese martial arts schools is the role of the lion dance. The lion is comprised of a highly decorated, stylized lion mask "head" made of paper-mache and a long silk "body" that conceals a second person who helps maneuver the lion. The wearer of the lion mask must be a member of a kung fu school. There are two kinds of lion heads, the young or black lion and the old or multi-colored lion. If a school displays the young lion, it is considered a form of hostility or insult to the other schools of the area.
Traditionally, the lion represents the soul of the kung fu school. During festivals and holidays, the lions from the various schools of the area roam the streets. The lions are tested by various challenges, such as the ability to maneuver past obstacles without breaking the team of the head and body. The performance of the lion serves to reflect the reputation of the school.
India has always had a rich history of martial arts and warfare. Like early China, India was separated into many small warring kingdoms. Warfare remained on a small scale with ritualized combat between forces. There does not appear to be a large degree of military specialization like that found in China. Rather the martial arts were taught as part of the complete training for the accomplished noble. India has always had a rich history of individual self-development. One of the most important influences of India was the promulgation of the religion of Buddhism. Buddhism while an important religion in India never achieved the overall influence it gained after it was introduced in China.
Indian martial arts showcase some unique fighting tactics. In silambam, or stick fighting, the attacker will strike the ground first before attacking his opponent. This allows the strike to enter from below as well as confuses the opponent. Single and paired stick forms are studied as well.
Other unique weapons taught in Indian martial arts are the bundi dagger, a grooved double-edged blade; three-directional knives, very useful for blocking attacks and efficient at slashing attacks; and the urumi or spring sword, kept coiled up and when released it is whipped through the air to produce extraordinary noise, dust, and sparks.
The martial art of Kalaripayit was first developed in India. It is a true unarmed combat system that emphasizes evasion of blows followed by hand or foot attacks. The blocks used in this style are mainly circular, seeking to deflect a blow to the side rather than stop it strength to strength. Like Chinese martial arts, the terrain where this art was practiced had a great influence on its form. The kicks used in this style vary depending on whether the Northern or Southern forms are followed. The kicks taught in the Southern style are low and delivered to the front of the body, while in the Northern style the kicks are very high and are often accompanied by acrobatic leaping attacks. In both styles, a great emphasis is placed on evading blows rather than blocking and coming from low stances into kicking or punching attacks. The origin for the difference in styles comes primarily from the terrain. The southern portion of India is hilly and has uncertain footing so attacks involving high leaps and kicks are not pursued because of the danger of losing one's balance. While in northern India, the ground is more level and firm and as a result the more acrobatic attacks could be used without a great fear of losing one's balance.
In fact, many forms taught to students involve movements that begin as a crouch, progress into a leap or a twist, and then end in a crouch that mimics evading a blow, leaping to attack and then evading another blow. A sophisticated system of grappling is taught in both styles, which involves locks, throws, and nerve points. The study of nerve points is called marma-adi and is regarded as a secret art taught only to masters.
The region of Indonesia and Malaysia is home to many different types ofcombat systems. For example, Indonesia's three thousand islands are spread across three thousand miles of ocean encompassing many different kinds of weapon systems — from the Balak of Sumatra's expertise with (he blowpipe to the Sea Dayaks of Boreno use of the mandau (long knife).
The kris is considered to be the national weapon of both Indonesia and Malaysia, It is a double-edged dagger a length of 12 to 16 inches. The blade may be either wavy or straight (with wavy blades being more common). For a full description and combat tables, see Sections 13.0 and 18.0, This weapon is associated with many myths and legends in both cultures. It is said thai given the proper incantation water can be drawn from the weapon. A kris is said to be able to kill a designated victim by simply pointing at him. Stories are also told of a kris jumping out of its sheath to protect its owner or raiding within its sheath lo warn of danger. The incredible feats associated with the kris are attributed to the supernatural power of the weapon. Each kris is connected to its true owner from the time of the forging of the blade. The tuju (kris sorcery) also allowed the owner to kill a man by stabbing his shadow or his footprints. It has also been said that the kris can control fire by influencing its direction of motion.
All the magical properties attributed to the kris are to be used only in true need and never for display. The selection of a kris is a time-consuming and deliberate action. The fame of the maker of the kris, the pattern of the blade, the number of times Ihe blade has shed blood, and other marks help the prospective owner determine if the blade is right for him.
The kris occupies a central portion in the cultures of this region. In Java during the nineteenth century, criminals were executed by kris and the wearing of the kris was considered a mark of social distinction.
Similar to the myths and legends associated with the kris are also stories of the mystical power of the spear. Legends speak of a spear chasing a band of enemies for three miles and killing all but one of them. The Sea Dayak of Borneo wields Ihe mandau, a long single-edged blade similar to the machete. The handle of this weapon was usually adorned with human hair. The scabbard of this blade is brightly colored and is usually also adorned with human or animal hair or teeth.
Missile weapons used in this region revolve around the use of the blowpipe and the bow and arrow. The blowpipe is a common weapon in Java, Sumatra, the Celebes, and Borneo? What made the blowpipe such a dangerous weapon was the poison on the tips of the small missiles. This poison was usually derived from a species of stingray native to the waters of this region.
The national form of defense of Indonesia is pentjak-silat. This combat system appears to have first developed in the Sumatran Minangkabau kingdom in Indonesia. Over the following centuries it spread to the rest of the island of Indonesia. Some scholars say that the inspiration for pentjak-silat is due to the Chinese martial arts that strongly mimicked animal attacks. Local legend says that a peasant woman first discovered this combat system when she watched a tiger and large bird fight to the death.
The word pentjak means "a system of self-defense" and silat as "fencing, to fend off. " Pentjak is practiced alone or with a training partner in a carefully controlled exercise, not unlike the Japanese kata forms. An unusual feature of this training exercise is that the use of percussive instruments as background music and training aids are frequently used. This can help the new student learn his timing and focus in this martial art. Silat can also be practiced separately, but it is most commonly practiced against a partner. There are over 150 recorded slyles of penljak-silal. Almost all the penljak-silat techniques operate on a responsive and adaptive style of fighting. The movements of this system are based on the movements of animals or people. These styles make no use of warming up or preparatory exercises because it recognizes that in combat a person will have no time for these types of exercises.
This is a brief overview of Japanese martial arts.
Like China, Japan possesses a long history of martial arts tradition. The bugei or martial arts were founded and taught by family organizations called ryu and later by non-bloodline organizations called ryu-ha. Each ryu or ryu-ha had its own unique perspective on the bugei it taught. Scholars have calculated that at one point in history over seven thousand unique ryu and ryu-ha schools existed in Japan. One of the most important ryus in Japanese history is the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto ryu. The founder of this ryu, lizasa Choisai lenao Scnsei, was born in 1387 in Chiba Prefecture, forty miles from present-day Tokyo. As a young man he became a skilled fighter and served as a retainer to the Chiba family. He took part in many battles and saw the destruction of numerous family lines. When Chiba fell, he retreated to seclusion in the Katori Shrine at the age of 60, where he engaged in daily worship and martial arts training. After a period of one thousand days, Choisai founded the teachings that became known as Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu. The prefix "tenshin shoden" means heavenly, true correct tradition and was used because Choisai Sensei believed he had assembled the correct and true teachings. He lived until he was 102 years old and left behind a great body of martial arts and philosophical teachings that were deeply rooted in Zen philosophy. These teachings, in turn, were avidly followed by Japanese professional warriors known as bushi. After the Muromachi period (1392-1573), these warriors were referred to by a more commonly known name: samurai.
The feudal Japanese warrior presented a fierce sight. He approached battle with an immovable will and a desire for displaying his combat skills to win personal glory and provehisloyaltytohismaster.WhiletraditionalBuddhism is generally based on compassion and gentleness, bushi were militant warriors. Zen, however, was one of the less militant sects of Buddhism in feudal Japan that survived because most of the bushi followed its teachings? The noted Japanese scholar, D. T. Suzaki, offers this insight:
In Japan, Zen was intimately related from the beginning of its history to the life of the samurai. Although it has never actively incited them to carry on their violent profession, it passively sustained them when they have for whatever reason entered into it. Zen has sustained them in two ways, morally and philosophically. Morally, because Zen is a religion that teaches us to not look backward once the course is decided upon; philosophically, because it treats life and death indifferently.
Zen taught the bushi to become self-reliant, self-denying, and above all, single-minded to the degree that no attachments or fears could sway them from their course. Zen also contributed to the development of the bushi with its concept of mushin no shin or "mind of no-mind "By entering into this state of meditative awareness, the bushi could react without any conscious thought to danger. The concepts of implicit trust in fate, submission to the inevitable and composure in the face of adversity were well ingrained in the bushi. Another factor that heavily influenced the acts of the bushi was the concept of bushido, the way of the warrior?
Bushido was developed after centuries of military experience and philosophical influence from other Asian countries. It was never developed as an explicit written code but rather, was communicated directly from leader to follower. Bushido incorporated Confucian ideas such as ancestor respect and filial piety. Furthermore, the rise ofthe military brought the idea of a bond of loyalty based on honor rather than kinship. A true follower of bushido was said to possess these seven virtues: justice, courage, benevolence, politeness, veracity, honor, and loyalty. It's interesting to note Chat amongst all this tradition, superstition managed to play a role in the life of the bushi. This was based on the nine signs or kuji no in.
The nine signs or kuji no in is a practice of a Buddhist sect followed by many Japanese martial artists. Each sign has a name and each corresponds to a special meaning. By making the hand gestures of the nine signs followed by a secret tenth movement, a warrior was said to gain good fortune. The sign name and the corresponding meaning follow.
| Rin | — | Signifies physical strength |
| Pyo | — | Is associated with the channeling of energy and is though to deflect objects |
| To | — | Achieves harmony and inner peace |
| Sho | — | Promotes healing |
| Kai | — | Is associated with premonition or foreseeing |
| Jin | — | Allows for the opening of one's awareness to the thoughts and intentions of others |
| Retsu | — | Is associated with the mastery of time and space |
| Zai | — | Signifies control of both will and mind |
| Zen | — | Advances enlightenment |
To be effective in battle, however, the Japanese warrior could not leave everything to fate. While the nine signs might have been practiced by all bushi, it was the extensive and rigorous training in martial arts or bugei that helped them attain both personal glory the handsome monetary rewards for services rendered. Before listing the bugei that bushi engaged in, it is important to distinguish the bugei, which are martial arts initiated in tenth century Japan, from the budo or martial ways that were developed in twentieth century Japan,
The bugei include the jutsu forms as well as other combat systems. The bugei were developed for maximal effectiveness in a combat situation. The budo, which includes the do forms, such as kendo, judo, karate-do, and iai-do, were developed from the existing bugei and are more concerned with attaining spiritual discipline through which individuals can attain self-perfection. Budo are less combat-oriented and lack the practical aspect of their predecessors. In some cases, the budo have deviated so far from their origins to have almost no value in a combat situation. Unlike budo, however, the bugei are intensely combat-driven fighting systems and include the following:
| Ba-jutsu | — | Horsemanship |
| Bo-jutsu | — | Staff art |
| Chigiriki-jutsu | — | Technique of using a ball and chain on a short stick |
| Fuki-baki | — | Technique ofblowing small needles by mouth |
| Gekigan-jutsu | — | Technique of using a ball and chain |
| Genkotsu | — | Assaulting vital points |
| Iai-jutsu | — | Swordsmanship |
| Jitte-jutsu | — | Technique using a short metal rod |
| Jo-jutsu | — | Stick art |
| Ju-jutso | — | Fighting with minimal use of weapons |
| Ken-jutsu | — | Swordsmanship |
| Kusarigama-jutsu | — | Technique using a ball, chain, and sickle weapon |
| Kyu-jutsu | — | Bow and arrow technique |
| Naganati-jutsu | — | Halberd technique |
| Sasumata-jutsu | — | Technique using a forked staff to hold a foe |
| Shuriken-jutsu | — | Technique of throwing small bladed weapons |
| Sodegarami-jutsu | — | Technique using a barbed pole to catch a foe |
| So-jutsu | — | Spear technique |
| Sumai | — | Armored grappling |
| Tessen-jutsu | — | Technique of using a small iron fan |
| Tetsubo-jutsu | — | Technique of using a long iron bar |
| Uchi-ne | — | Throwing the arrow by hand |
Of all the fighting systems incorporated under bugei, the two most important ones to master were ken-jutsu and iai-jutsu. The reason was the Japanese sword was the most important weapon for any warrior to master.
The bushi carried two blades, the o-dachi or long sword and the ko-dachi or short sword. The dimensions of the swords varied over Japanese history but some generalizations are possible. The long sword had a blade a little over two feet long and was generally a foot longer than the short sword. The blades were one and a quarter inches thick and tapered to a razor edge. The back of the blades sometimes contained a blood grove to make withdrawal from an enemy's body easier and to collect the blood on the blade. The types of swords most commonly associated with the bushi are the kaiana and wakizasha swords. These are grouped under the tachi swords and are known for their long blades and curved single-edged shape.
A great deal of ritual and customs dealt with the care and handling of these weapons. When confronted with a person with unknown intentions, the bushi kept his long sword close at hand. When kneeling in respect, if a warrior positioned his sword to the right he signaled noble intentions. If on the other hand, the sword was positioned on the left of the kneeling warrior, he signaled hostility or lack of trust of his host. In the house of a friend, the bushi might leave his long sword in the custody of a retainer but he would continue to carry his short sword. The host would keep his swords in easy reach at all times even in his own house. If a guest placed his sword with the handle facing his host, it was considered an insult against the skill of the host. To step over the sword of another as it lay on the ground was also considered to be an insult. The Japanese warrior considered the his sword to be his "soul." To touch or dishonor another's sword in any way was to invite a duel to the death.
The armor of the bushi was equally regarded, as it reflected his worth and prowess in battle; therefore, they were religiously maintained. The armor of the bushi was lightweight to provide the maximum amount of mobility and speed needed for combat. The armor was typically made of thin sheets of iron, hides, lacquered paper, cloth, and sharkskin. The armor covered the vital areas and was designed not to restrict his movement. Unlike European armor, bushi armor was not designed to withstand powerful direct strikes. Rather, it was designed to survive glancing blows and weak attacks. The breastplate was typically made of overlapping iron plates bound with metal clamps or silken cords. It was decorated with family crests and colors. The helmet of the bushi was a bowl-shaped device made of iron and secured to the head with silk cords. Notable bushi had ornate front pieces attached to their helmets signifying their clan or leadership. The shins were protected by flexible coverings, as were the arms. The body armor as a whole was usually decorated with a strong and impressive color scheme that usually had some significance to the house or clan the warrior was associated.
Korea possesses a rich history of martial tradition. The Korean combat systems have traditionally favored empty-handed techniques and missile weapons. The reasons for this development are due to the heavy influence of calvary techniques that used the bow and the relatively late introduction of metallurgy techniques to Korea. Chinese cultural influence played a strong part in the development of Korea's unarmed combat systems. Korean philosophical thought also lead to the ideas that inspired the code of Bushido in Japan.
Okinawa has always been a center for the exchange of ideas and trade between Japan and China, being situated just off the East China Sea and very close to Japan as well. In the late fifteenth century, a new king arose to power in Okinawa and banned the carrying of weapons by any one not associated with the government to quiet rebellion at the Start of his reign. This ban remained in force throughout most of Okinawa's history up to the nineteenth century? These restrictions lead to the development of karate, a rich martial art technique practiced by the native Okinawans. Many new types of weapons were pioneered by Okinawan martial artists due to the restrictions placed upon them, including the nunchaku, sai, kama, and tonfa.
Traditionally European fighting systems have been less well developed than their Asian counterparts. Where an Asian fighting system may be seen as a "way of life," the European fighting system is seen as a system of mechanical movements or simple recreation. In spite of this, Europe still has some interesting martial arts that have been developed in its rich history.
The earliest martial disciplines developed in Europe were the events centered on the Greek festivals, the most famous of these being the Olympic games. Some of the events included javelin throwing, boxing, and wrestling? The pancratium was a contest that involved both wrestling and boxing and sometimes ended in the death of one of the combatants. In general these events were seen as public entertainment or a recreational sport, and were not considered to be true fighting systems.
During the Middle Ages, a specialized class of warriors called the knights rose to prominence. The knight could be considered to he the European equivalent of the Asian martial artist. Medieval knights lived by a code in which skill at arms played a central part. Mounted fighting skills formed the core of chivalry. The budding knight primarily learned his skills from within the family. Young nobles practiced their fighting skills every day. The martial skills of the knight were displayed at the tourney. These tournaments could become very dangerous affairs often resulting in deaths.
Knights formed exclusive societies like the Knights Templar and the Knights of Malta. These groups of knights blended their martial skills with religious conviction, not unlike their counterparts in Asia.
A codified fighting system for European martial arts did not develop until the end of the Middle Ages and the start of the Renaissance. In the Renaissance era, armor became lighter and fighters began to rely on their skill and agility in combat. The nobles and the new middle class began to practice and learn (or be tutored) the art of self-defense and combat with the blade. The influx of the new middle class lead to the formation of fighting schools that taught them the skills needed for combat. The change from heavy armor cleaving weapons to lighter blades formulated fundamental changes in fighting strategy. The superiority of the point and quickness asserted itself and the art of fencing was born.
In European history there were many schools of fencing. The earliest and most famous schools came from Spain and Italy. The Italian schools of fencing attempted to simplify the cuts and thrusts of the blade. The Spanish schools of fencing mystified fencing through the inclusion of geometry and natural science. Because of their more practical bent, the Italian schools soon surpassed the Spanish schools of fencing.
The early teachers of fencing did not teach a codified method of fighting, but rather taught secret maneuvers and tricks that they had learned. Like other martial arts masters, the teachers of fencing were secretive, holding back their best tricks and maneuvers for their most worthy (or wealthy) students.
Unlike the unarmed fighting systems of the East, the unarmed fighting systems of Europe have been viewed more as sports than actual deadly fighting systems. Unlike the Eastern fighting styles, the European unarmed fighting systems have not been closely linked to medicine.
Savate or chausson was developed in France during the 19th century. Of all the European martial arts, savate bears the closest resemblance to the Asian fighting systems. It is believed to be developed from a folk combat art in which punching, kicking, and tripping were permitted. Despite its similarities, it has been confined to recreational uses and it has never been offered as a "way of life" to its practitioners. Savate also taught the use of the walking cane in its unarmed combat techniques.
This section is meant to offer suggestions on how to incorporate martial arts into the campaign. Because the average martial arts specialist character can spend up to half his development points per level in refining his martial arts skills, it is important ensure the player will have ample opportunity for character development and role playing. Each player should have a share of the story and plot of the campaign. For a more in-depth discussion of campaign management and character development, the interested reader should refer to Gamemaster Law.
All too often, the martial artist is relegated to the position of an outsider within the campaign structure since he usually comes from an exotic or distant culture. By definition an outsider is disconnected from the normal flow of events.This can make playing martial artists difficult when the campaign setting has a strong influence on the involvement of the players. These circumstances make it easy to fall into the role of observing the campaign rather than participating directly in it. The player of the martial artist should not need to totally rely on his character's combat skills as the only way to interact in the campaign. Some of the ideas and suggestions presented in this section offer ways for the Gamemaster to incorporate martial arts into his campaign without relegating the martial artist to the unenviable position of the outsider.
Sometimes Gamemasters ban martial arts from their campaigns because they simply do not have a good idea on how to integrate martial arts into their current campaign. Section 3.4, which details how to create new martial arts cultures, should give the overworked Gamemaster some ideas for creating new societies that support martial arts. Section 11.5 on player concepts should also give the Gamemaster some story ideas and plot hooks that can be used to allow the martial arts character to be integrated with the current gaming group. There are some more general topics that concern the overall campaign theme and campaign metabolism that need to be addressed as well. This section will attempt to answer some of the complexities that arise when including martial arts into a current campaign setting.
Depending on the general campaign theme, the Gamemaster can incorporate martial arts in a variety of ways into the campaign. It can be very beneficial to have the martial artist integrated into the campaign in some other manner than fighting or hired muscle. Here are some common general campaign themes and ideas on how to incorporate martial arts into them.
Free-form adventure campaigns are the most common type of campaign. In this type of campaign, player actions determine more of the plot than Gamemaster scheming. The Gamemaster tailors his campaign style to play to his player's desires and goals. In this type of campaign, martial arts can become an easy fit. The martial artist simply brings another set of skills to the player group that can help them accomplish their goals. Other than creating the cultural background for the martial artist (if none existed in the campaign before this), the Gamemaster does not have to do very much more than manage the group as before.
Mystery campaigns are a little more rare than other types of campaigns as they require a significant amount of advance preparation by the Gamemaster to ensure that the campaign flows smoothly. In most cases, mystery campaigns revolve around many non-combat skills. This can put the dedicated martial artist at a disadvantage since he must spend more development points than most other types of characters to have effective combat skills. In the case of mystery campaigns, it is might be best to have the martial artist's homeland located fairly nearby. The reasoning behind this is that, in order for the martial artist to have equal story leverage with the other characters in the party, it will probably be necessary to have the martial artist's order or organization involved in the mystery to some degree. Another possible avenue is to have the martial artist have personal contacts with important figures in the involved mystery. Perhaps the martial artist once served as their bodyguard or taught them martial arts at some point in the campaign. In this way, the martial artist can use his contacts or his organization to help the party solve the mystery. In the case of the mystery campaign where the martial artist's order or organization plays a role, it is very important that the Gamemaster put a fair amount of time into creating the organization, culture, or order from which the martial artist learned his skills. It is not always necessary for the order or organization to be directly involved with the campaign-spanning mystery; they may only have a piece of the puzzle. For example, the martial artist's order or organization could simply point towards the involvement of another martial order or organization that is truly involved.
Political campaigns are probably the rarest type of campaign as they take the most effort in terms of world creation and plotting on the part of the Gamemaster, Like mystery campaigns, political campaigns revolve around non-cornbat skills. Intrigue skills and role playing become important for every character whose player wishes to have the character fully involved in this aspect of the campaign, Many of the suggestions outlined for mystery campaigns can be followed for political campaigns. In some ways, a martial artist is out-of-place in political campaigns, since many political campaigns de-emphasize combat. Since a martial artist must spend a significant portion of his development points to keep his combat skills effective, it may be more appropriate to play another profession like a Rogue or Thief. However, with a little extra effort by the Gamemaster, this does not have to be the case. Again we turn to the order or organization that trained the martial artist, perhaps the martial artist can gain real power by challenging his superiors to ritual combat to take their position in the organization. By linking the martial artist with the political power of his organization, he can compete on an equal basis with the other players. Or perhaps the martial artist can serve as the bodyguard to a powerful NPC that can afford him access to the NPC's resources and backing. Perhaps the current campaign setting allows dueling and challenges and the martial artist is a feared duelist who is employed by other powerful organizations to further their own interests? The possibilities are endless if the Gamemaster and player should sit down before the start of the campaign and discuss how this character can fit into the overall campaign theme.
Quest campaigns are probably the most common campaign type encountered next to the Free-Form campaign. Quest campaigns have the benefit of focused structure and common goals. The martial artist's combat skills can be useful as the party attempts to overcome obstacles that hinder their success. It is also important to have the martial artist's culture or organization involved in the overall quest plotline. The martial artist's contacts and knowledge of his organization and culture should prove important to the eventual success of the party's quest. Some of the ideas listed in the mystery and political campaign types may prove useful in quest campaigns as well.
These suggestions are of course not only for martial artists. Other professions and character types should also be integrated into the campaign structure similarly.
When designing a campaign for the players it is important to carefully consider each player's goals and integrate these goals into the campaign structure. Ideally each player will have certain goals for his character that can tie in with other player goals to move the campaign forward with minimal effort by the Gamemaster.
There are several character themes that are particularly appropriate to martial artists. These themes would make good individual goals for martial artists within the campaign structure. Players are of course encouraged to make up their own individual goals whenever possible. Section 11.5 on character concepts may offer some additional ideas for character goals.
A typical goal for a martial artist character is the goal of self-enlightenment and inner peace. The martial artist attempts to attain a tranquil state of mind where his actions flow without conscious direction. This state of mind leads to inner peace and tranquillity.
A related goal to self-enlightenment is the goal of self-mastery for martial artists. Self-mastery involves the martial artist controlling his body' s natural responses to threats and pain. The most important goal for a martial artist striving for self-mastery is the development of an iron will and determination that will allow him to achieve his goals.
Another common goal for martial artist characters is the goal of martial prowess. The martial artist's goal is to become the most talented practitioner of his martial arts style or weapon style in the world. He wishes to meet and defeat all other martial arts masters of different schools and traditions to prove his mastery.
In a martial arts campaign, there should be plenty of opportunity for players to interact with local and foreign martial arts champions in contests and exhibitions. If the Gamemaster takes the time to develop some rivalries between martial arts schools and annual martial arts contests for insertion into the campaign, he will be rewarded well in terms of player feedback and participation.
Historically, challenges were a central part of a martial arts master's existence and could not be refused. The challenger could stipulate whether an armed or unarmed match was desired and the host had to accept. Further, the guest could decide whether the match would end in mere defeat or death? Although a master could not refuse a challenge, if the challenger was a stranger of unproved merit, he could be referred to a senior student. Often masters would do so for the opportunity to study the challenger's style and technique. The chief reasons for having senior students accept challenges from unknowns were to avoid fights with brash young inferior fighters. If such a challenger did fight the resident master and lost, he would often leave with a phrase such as "two years" or "five years"—indicating how long he would train before retuming for another bout. Due to the prevalence of challenges, many masters would keep the ultimate secrets of their martial arts to themselves for fear of being challenged by their own students.
Challenges can be inserted into the campaign to provide many plot lines and plot hooks for martial artists. Perhaps the characters are senior students of a respected master, and as a result are continuously challenged by local toughs who wish to improve their reputations. An interesting variant plot line would be having a character's teacher lose to an ill-mannered braggart. The master mysteriously became ill before the match, but decided to continue with the fight. His illness got worse during the match and he was defeated easily. The braggart then set about starting his own school and bad mouthing the character and his fellow students. The master's students might suspect foul play and investigate the situation on their own.
Annual contests are also a great source for campaign ideas and memorable moments. Perhaps the players wish to have their characters enter the famous martial arts tournament. Will they succeed and defeat all challengers or will they fail and bring shame to their school ? Some ofthe ideas in Section 14.7, which details cinematic combat, might be useful for staging ideas. Perhaps the contest is held on wooden scaffolding twenty feet above the ground so the spectators can see the combatants and the fighters are in constant danger of falling to the ground.
An interesting role playing option available to martial artists is the task of finding a master to teach them martial arts skills. The Gamemaster may make the players act out the process, or he may say that they find and establish a relationship with a teacher and take the role playing from there. The martial arts teacher can provide a great NPC for campaigns, not only as a source of training, but a source for the Gamemaster to introduce new plot lines.
Historically, one of the most difficult challenges facing a prospective student of a martial arts style was finding a master to accept him as a student. Most masters taught only a few students at a time, and those that accepted students usually taught very slowly. Usually, if a new student was accepted, he would be taught by to a senior student for years, until it was decided that he had learned enough to benefit from the master's instruction. Many masters followed the dictum, "never tell too plainly," when teaching their students. Often the concept they were trying to teach would be clouded in metaphor and double-meanings. There were several reasons behind this inefficient teaching style. Master's often followed traditional teaching methods, teaching their students as they were taught. A master could be hiding his lack of true knowledge of a style behind a cloak of secrecy and ill-defined techniques. The master might simplybe ill-natured or unwilling to teach his secrets to his students. Because many students ended up challenging their masters, this fear was not unwarranted. Many martial arts styles died with their final masters because of this need for secrecy,
The Gamemaster is encouraged to create his own special cultures and societies for his campaign world that have their own unique martial arts. This section offers some examples for creating your own societies and how to model martial arts within them. For a more general discussion of how to create fantasy worlds and societies, refer to Gamemaster Law. For more information on the historical development of martial arts and how martial arts interacted with the cultures in which they developed, please see Section 2.0.
When introducing martial artists into your campaign, it is necessary to decide where their skills originated if these skills are not normal to the current campaign setting. To make sure that the campaign feels authentic, it is necessary to develop some extra background for the campaign to explain the martial artist's place within it. Even if there is a pre-existing culture or society that will be a good fit, it is still recommended that the Gamemaster take time to answer the questions in this section.
The easiest way to determine how the martial arts interact with a new culture or society is to ask some simple questions, like the following.
Does the culture or society have a rich heritage of martial arts? This question asks whether martial arts existed for most of the culture or society's existence ? Depending on the answer, the Gamemaster gains an immediate understanding of what level of martial arts might exist.
Answering this question helps to cement the place of martial arts in a society. For example, martial arts could have been developed as a response to oppression from the ruling classes, or it could have developed after challenges and dueling became widespread in the society. Another possibility is that martial arts could have developed for another reason altogether (e.g., strengthening exercises) and later evolved into fighting arts.
What type of martial arts does this culture specialize in? This question asks whether the culture focuses on a specific type of martial arts. For example, a culture could focus more on martial arts involving weapons than unarmed combat, or the reverse.
Does this culture have knowledge of rare martial arts skills, like the Chi Powers skills, or other Restricted martial arts skills? It is suggested that one region not have access to all the martial arts skills in the campaign world, or if such a region does exist, that martial arts skills be taught in other regions and cultures as well. Following this suggestion offers a little more diversity and depth to the created society.
This question really involves several decisions that must be answered before this question can be fully addressed. Are martial arts taught to everyone in the culture or are they taught to a subset of people in the culture? To pass the skills and knowledge necessary for the continued evolution of martial arts there must be some way to train other students who will later become masters. This training can follow many different avenues. The Gamemaster can decide that there exists one primary organization that trains most of the martial artists in the culture? Or the Gamemaster can decide that there are many independent organizations that train their members in the martial arts. It is even possible to say that the primary teaching method for martial arts revolves around individual teacher/student relationships.
Does this culture have knowledge of certain martial arts skills that are not readily available to other cultures and societies? For example, is this the only culture that has knowledge of Chi Powers skills ? Does this culture have a bias against certain types of skills? For example, the culture could have a bias against Maneuvering in Heavy Armor skills or Missile Weapon skills. Does this culture Specialize in certain types of martial arts skills? For example, a culture that specializes in Weapon Style skills could have their Basic Weapon Style skill style point range from 0 to 35 rather than the standard 0 to 30 style point range. For some examples where martial arts skills are specialized in specific cultures, see Section 16.1.
What is the place of martial arts in the culture? If the ruling class developed advanced martial arts skills, these skills will be most likely held in higher regard than if the common people (usually in response to oppression from the ruling class) developed the same skills.
Does this culture honor and recognize manial arts? This is an important question that helps to define the place of martial arts within the society. If most of the martial arts skills were developed by the ruling class, then it is more likely that martial arts will hold some position of honor and respect within the society. If most of the martial arts skills were developed by the general populace of the culture, then it may be likely that martial arts are suppressed as a challenge to the noble's power.
Depending on the culture's view of martial arts, what types of career paths are available to martial artists? Can a martial artist open his own school of martial arts and make a comfortable living? Can a martial artist make a living as an instructor and martial arts consultant? Must the martial artist always be working (as a bodyguard, warrior, etc.) to make a living?
What are the place of challenges and contests in this culture? If the society allows challenges to decide points of law or dispute, then the role of martial arts in the society becomes very important. Also if challenges are legal, then martial arts become a survival skill for the social class that is most involved in challenges. When the Gamemaster decides the place of challenges in the new culture, he should also think about any forms or conventions that are also associated with a challenge. Arc challenges only performed with certain weapons? Are there restrictions on who can challenge whom? When is a challenge illegal or unlawful?
It is important for the Gamemasier to fully understand the power level of martial arts that he wishes to allow within his campaign. It is equally important that he convey his expectations of the capabilities of martial artists to his players so there is no chance for misunderstanding. With both the players and the Gamemaster starting from a common set of assumptions, a campaign becomes much more stable.
The Core power level assumes a near real-world expectation of martial arts. The martial arts are treated as unarmed combat with all the inherent advantages and disadvantage that come with that expectation. The Core power level is well integrated with the entire RMSS. The basic components of the Core power level are as follows.
The Heroic power level assumes a slightly larger-than life expectation of martial arts. The martial arts are treated as a little more effective than they actually are in the real world. The Heroic power level lets players accomplish extraordinary acts more easily. In most cases, the Heroic power level is the average level at which a role playing campaign is run. The basic components of the Heroic power level are as follows.
The Fantastic power level assumes an unrealistic expectation of martial arts. Martial arts are presented as the supreme form of combat and are practiced by the majority of the heroes of the campaign world. Martial arts masters can accomplish supernatural feats through the focus of their inner power. The basic components of the Fantastic power level are as follows.
It is important to recognize that the Fantastic power level is the most potentially unbalancing option with respect to the rest ofthe RMSS. Inclusion ofthe options given for this power level will create some imbalances in the system as the role of martial arts skills achieves a greater prominence over other types of skills.
Who can use this companion ? Make no mistake here, the rules and skills detailed within are applicable to all professions available to players. There is absolutely no reason why a Healer or a Thief can not also become an accomplished martial artist. This fact underscores one of the greatest strengths about the design of the Rolemaster system: anything is possible:
Certain selections of text in Martial Arts Companion contain an additional identifier Core, Heroic, or Fantastic. These headings have been inserted to help Gamemasters keep a consistent power level when using martial arts in their campaigns. Those sections that do not have any additional headings present general information that is useful for any one of the three power levels. The actual criteria of the headings are explained below;
Most of the information in this companion can be considered as part of the core rules for martial arts. The Core sections encompass the basic framework of martial arts as they are presented in this companion, and are necessary for this companion to he used effectively. The Core rules encompass most of the revised skills, professions, martial arts styles, weapon styles, and combat rules. With a little modification, the Core rules can be also used to run martial arts in modem campaigns. Refer to the section 15.0 on running martial arts in modern settings for more information.
The Heroic sections introduce many of the common options used in Rolemaster campaigns such as training packages, background options, and talents and flaws. The heroic sections should be used in addition to the core companion rules. Additional information is provided for incorporating Heroic style martial arts in current campaigns in Section 3.5.2. The heroic martial arts campaign is likely to be the most common type of campaign chosen by Gamemasters.
The Fantastic sections present a high-powered version of the martial arts in fantasy campaigns with the inclusion of Chi Powers skills. The chi powers are high-powered skills that allow the martial artist to accomplish incredible feats. The Fantastic sections should be used in addition to the Core and Heroic rulings. Additional information is provided to the Gamemaster for running high-powered martial arts in a campaign without disrupting game balance. Refer to Section 3.5.3 for more details.
The rules presented in Martial Arts Companion should be considered for use as the Gamemaster sees fit. Every effort has been made to present a balanced set ofrules, but as always the Gamemaster is the final judge of what he will include in his campaign.
Martial Arts Companion makes some additions and a few significant changes to the Rolemaster Standard Rules.
The Everyman and Occupational skills for the Warrior monk and Monk professions have undergone changes. In addition, the Monk profession has two new variant professions, the Taoist monk (an Essence-based monk) and Zen monk (a Mentalism-based monk). Each new profession has a set of new base spell lists. Refer to Section 6.2 for further details on the new and changed professions. Players must choose which type of monk to play (Monk, Taoist monk, or Zen monk) when choosing this type of profession.
Martial Arts Companion presents new training packages for characters that are training in the martial arts. In addition, some of the training packages presented in the Rolemaster Standard Rules have been revised for inclusion in this companion. Refer to Section 18.0 for more details on the new training packages.
Martial Arts Companion presents new and revised skills within several existing skill categories and introduces a new skill category, Martial Arts Combat Maneuvers. The following skill categories or groups have either had skills added or have had skills wilhin them modified: Combat Maneuvers, Lore Group, Martial Arts Group, Self Control, Special Attacks, and Special Defenses. Section 7.0 presents the new skills in detail,
Martial Arts Companion presents some new rules and options For characters using martial arts in combat situations in the game. Section 14.0 presents rules for running martial arts in combat.
Martial Arts Companion presents several new spell lists as well as revised versions of the Spell Law Monk spell lists. All the new and revised spell lists have been printed in Section 20.0.
Martial Arts Companion provides many descriptions of new martial arts weapons. Each martial arts weapon described is given either a corresponding attack table from Arms or an entirely new weapon attack table. Sections 13.0 and 18.0 includes both all the martial arts weapon descriptions and the new weapon attack tables.
Martial Arts Companion reviews the play balance discussion first presented in Gamemaster Law between the Fighter and Warrior monk professions in light of the changes made to martial arts rules in this companion. Section 17.0 addresses this discussion in full. In addition there is a wealth of information presented throughout this companion to help the Gamemaster create new cultures, societies, and organizations that use martial arts, as well as integrate martial arts into the overall campaign structure.
Martial Arts Companion presents new talents and flaws, designed to be used with Talent Law. Random tables are also included for readers who do not have Talent Law. Refer to Section 11.0 for more details.
Martial Arts Companion details rules and guidelines for running martial arts in a modern or pulp setting. Section 15.0 explores this concept more fully.
Martial Arts Companion includes a section on using martial arts with racial special attacks (e.g., horns, claws, etc.).
Martial Arts Companion does not present any special rules for integrating martial arts and firearms (Weapon Law: Firearms), any special rules for Arcane magic (Arcane Companion), any special rules for alchemy (Treasure Companion), or any special rules for castle life (Castles and Ruins).
Martial Arts Companion introduces two new variant Monk professions: the Taoist monk (an Essence-based monk) and Zen monk (a Mentalism-based monk). This companion also changes some of the existing professions slightly through the modifications of some of the skill category costs, as well as offering a host of new and revised skills and other options for martial arts.
To paraphrase a certain English playwright, "The character is the thing." Never has this statement been truer than in the case of role playing games. Players wishing to create characters skilled in the martial arts will find a host ofnew Options and capabilities to explore that will add depth and enjoyment to any campaign. Once again, all professions can benefit from the new rules and skills within these pages.
The chart on page 25 presents the revised development point costs for all the professions introduced into RMSS. The two changes presented in this chart are the inclusion of a new skill category called Martial Arts Combat Maneuvers and the revision of the Special Defenses skill category costs for all professions. The Combat Maneuvers, Martial Arts Strikes, Martial Arts Sweeps, Self Control, and Special Attacks skill categories are included for ease of reference even though their costs have not changed, since there are many new and revised skills introduced in these skill categories.
All professions not specifically mentioned in Section 6.3 remain unchanged except for the inclusion of the new Martial Arts Combat Maneuvers skill category and the revision of the Special Defenses skill category costs. Each profession can use any of the skills presented within this companion as they would any skill presented in the RMSR without any additional restrictions or qualifiers.
A new concept presented in this companion is the idea of variant professions, A variant profession is a profession that is closely related to an existing RMSS profession but with a unique twist or bent that makes it different. This book introduces two variant Monk professions—the Taoist monk and the Zen monk. The concepts behind these two variant professions share some similarities with the original Monk profession presented in RMSR.
The original concept of the Taoist monk springs from Chinese philosophical thought. Taoism provided great influence on the development of Chinese martial arts. The doctrine of Tao is one of naturalism. Taoism teaches that the only means of attaining a full life is through the observation of nature and living according to the ways of nature. In Taoism, nothing should be done contrary to the natural order of the world. There are also two supporting doctrines of Taoism, first stated by its founder Lao Tzu. The first doctrine is the concept of the "Uncarved Block. ? The "Uncarved Block" represents man in his original state of existence, unpolluted by concerns of the world or hatred. Taoism strives to return man to his unconditioned natural state. The other doctrine is the concept of non-action. Non-action does not imply doing nothing, rather it implies taking no action against natural law. This doctrine shows that force is futile in some circumstances and it is sometimes better to yield to strength than to be destroyed by striving against it. The Taoist monk profession deals more with the natural world and elemental forces than the original RMSR Monk profession. Many of the spells used in the base lists of this profession take their inspiration from the natural world.
The original concept of the Zen monk springs from Japanese philosophical thought. Meditative Buddhism or Zen provided a great influence on the development of Japanese martial arts. The doctrine of Zen teaches the practitioner to become self-reliant, self-denying, and above all to be single-minded to such a degree that no attachments or fears couid sway him from his course, Zen also introduced the concept ofmushin no shin or "mind of no-mind." Also important to the concept of the Zen monk is the tradition of Shingon Buddhism in Japanese society that uses mystical incantations and practices to accomplish incredible feats. It is the attributed powers of this obscure and secretive sect of Buddhism that provides much of the inspiration for the Zen monk's base lists.
It is possible to have all three professions within a campaign; each profession has its own unique focus and approach to the martial arts and life that should make them easily distinguishable. The original RMSS Monk profession remains the most flexible of the three professions. The Taoist monk profession focuses more on the elements and the natural world. The Taoist monk can also create mystical effects that can not be attributed solely to self-discipline or willpower. The Zen monk profession focuses on mental discipline and willpower that allows the user to transcend the limitations of his body and influence the perceptions of others.
Fighters are non-spell users who will find it relatively easy to develop a variety of different weapons and to wear heavier types of armor. They are less skilled in maneuvering and manipulating mechanical devices such as locks and traps (although they are still superior to most spell users in these areas). They have the greatest difficulty learning anything connected with spells.
Prime Stats: Constitution and Strength
The Fighter has no base lists, though he may learn (at a high development point cost) spells from his chosen realm of magic.
Everyman Skills: Situational Awareness: Combat, Leadership, Frenzy, any one non-Restricted Combat Manuever, Boxing, Wrestling
Occupational Skills: none
Restricted Skills: Channeling (if the character’s chosen realm is not Channeling), all skills in the Martial Arts Combat Maneuvers skill category
Warrior Monks are non-spell users who are experts at maneuvering and martial arts. Warrior Monks may learn to use normal weapons, although not as easily as others in the realm of Arms. Rather they prefer to utilize unarmed combat
Prime Stats: Quickness and Self Discipline
The Warrior monk has no base lists, though he may learn (at a high development point cost) spells from his chosen realm of magic.
Everyman Skills: Sense Ambush, any one Combat Maneuver or one non-Resrticted Martial Arts Combat Maneuver skill
Occupational Skills: none
Restricted Skills: Boxing, Wrestling, Channeling (if the character’s chosen realm is not Channeling)
Monks are semi spell users who combine the realm of Essence with the realm of Arms. Their base spells deal with personal movement, the control of their own body, and mind while their arms capabilities are concentrated in unarmored, unarmed combat.
Prime Stats: Self Discipline and Empathy
The Monk has six base spell lists found below. Full descriptions of these lists can be found in Spell Law (pages 111-116). For a slightly higher development cost, he may also develop Open Essence spell lists. Other spell lists may be developed, but will cost a larger number of development points.
Body Reins: Allowing the caster to perform abnormal feats (e.g., breathe underwater).
Body Renewal: Incresaing the healing rate of the caster’s body.
Evasions: Allowing the caster to make incredible evasive maneuvers.
Mind Over Matter: Hardening the caster’s body, resulting in more lethal blows and tougher defense.
Monk’s Bridge: Allowing the caster to move in unusual fashions.
Monk’s Sense: Enhancing the caster’s senses.
Everyman Skills: Time Sense and choice of one on-Restricted Martial Arts Combat Maneuvers skill
Occupational Skills: Meditation
Restricted Skills: Channeling
Taoist monks or Essence-based Monks are semi spell users who combine the realm of Essence with the realm of Arms. Their base spells deal with personal movement, the control of their own body, and the natural world while their arms capabilities are concentrated in unarmored, unarmed combat. A Taoist monk is reclusive and disdains much of the comforts of civilization, seeking to gain enlightenment through the observation of the natural world. A Taoist monk will tend to specialize in unarmed combat styles that mimic the attacks of animals.
"All life should be as the blade of grass in the wind, effortless, smooth, natural. The blade of grass does not resist but bends with the wind. Thus should life be lived,"
Prime Stats: Self Discipline and Empathy
The Taoist monk or Essence-based Monk has six base spell lists found below. The full description of these lists may be found in Section 20.1. For a slightly higher development cost, the he may also develop Open Essence spell lists. Full descriptions of these lists can be found in Spell Law (pages 111-116). Other spell lists may be developed, but will cost a larger number of development points.
Body Renewal: Increasing the healing rate of the caster's body.
Evasions: Allowing the caster to make incredible evasive maneuvers.
Inner Eye: Enhancing the senses of the caster and the ability to sense magical phenomena.
Nature's Forms: Allowing the caster to change his body and take on characteristics of the natural world.
Nature's Harmony: Allowing the caster to influence the natural world.
Monk's Bridge: Allowing the caster to move in unusual ways.
Everyman Skills: Time Sense and choice of one non-Restricted Martial Arts Combat Maneuvers skill
Occupational Skills: Meditation
Restricted Skills: Channeling
See Section 17.0 for a listing of TP costs for this profession.
Zen monks or Mentalism-based Monks are semi spell users who combine the realm of Mentalism with the realm of Arms. Their base spells deal with personal movement and the control of their own body and mind, while their arms capabilities are concentrated in unarrnored, unarmed combat. The Zen monk uses his incredible mental focus and concentration to accomplish his incredible feats. The Zen monk gains his incredible powers of self-mastery through long sessions of practice and mediation.
"Do not focus on your defeating your enemy, remain calm and he will defeat himself."
Prime Stats: Self Discipline and Presence
The Zen monk has six base lists. The full description of these lists may be found in Section 20.2. For a slightly higher development cost, he may also develop Open Mentalism spell lists. Full descriptions of these lists can be found in Spell Law (pages 137-146). Other spell lists may he developed, but will cost a larger number of development points.
Body Renewal: Increasing the healing rate of the caster's body.
Evasions: Allowing the caster to make incredible evasive maneuvers.
Body Control: Allowing the caster to alter his appearance and perform special attacks.
Monk's Awareness: Enhancing the senses of the caster and the ability to sense the thoughts of others.
Mind's Illumination: Allowing the caster to unlock the power of his mind.
Monk's Focus: Allowing the caster to resist pain and focus his physical and inner strength.
Everyman Skills: Time Sense and choice of one non-Restricted Martial Arts Combat Maneuvers skill
Occupational Skills: Meditation
Restricted Skills: Channeling
See Section 17.0 for a listing of TP costs for this profession.
The new and revised martial arts skills form the foundation of this companion. It is important that the Gamemaster gain a firm understanding of the contents of this section, as these skills will change the skill selection strategy of players who wish to develop characters proficient in the martial arts.
Between the first and second printing of RMSR, there was an important change in the definition of Everyman, Occupational, and Restricted skills. For those readers that do not have the second printing, the changes are briefly summarized below:
In the RMSS, skills are classified as Normal, Everyman, Occupational, or Restricted. Normal skills are developed per the standard rules outlined in RMSS, Each rank purchased with development points by the character translates to a single new rank in the skill. Everyman, Occupational, and Restricted skills are handled differently. For Everyman skills, each rank developed in that skill actually results in two skill ranks. For Occupational skills, each rank developed in that skill actually results in three skill ranks. For skills classified as Restricted, every two ranks developed in that skill actually results in a single skill rank. Note that developed skill ranks are those "purchased" with development points (i.e., not gained through training packages, adolescence, etc.).
Listed here is the overview of the affected skill categories and skills. In each following section, each category is shown with all of the new skills that belong to that category (old skills are not listed).
New skills are introduced in this skill category, as well as some skills are slightly revised to accommodate the new rules presented in this companion. The new skills introduced are Blind Fighting, Weapon Style (Basic), and Weapon Style (Advanced). The revised skills are Missile Deflecting, Tumbling Evasion, and Two-Weapon Combat.
A few new skills are introduced in this skill group. The new skills in Lore General are Martial Styles Lore and Weapon Styles Lore. The new skill in Lore Obscure is Vital Points Lore.
This new skill category introduces some new skills. The new skills introduced are Adrenal Deflecting, Adrenal Evasion, Blind Fighting, Martial Arts Style (Basic), and Martial Arts Style (Advanced).
This skill group is drastically different from its original presentation in RMSR. Aside from the addition of the Martial Arts Combat Maneuvers skill category, the four separate Degree skills for Martial Arts Strikes and Martial Arts Sweeps have been replaced with a single skill for each type of attack. The Nerve Strikes skill is introduced in the Martial Arts Strikes skill category and the Locking Holds skill is introduced in the Martial Arts Sweeps skill category.
Some new skills are introduced in this skill category. The new skills are introduced are Feint and Racial Attacks. In addition, the Disarm Foe skill is revised according to the new method for resolving special attacks, which is further explained in Section 14.3.
This skill category presents a single new skill — Adrenal Resistance. In addition, Adrenal Defense and Adrenal Toughness have been revised according to the rules presented in this companion.
Chi Powers skills comprise an optional set of skills that allow the practitioner to transcend the limitations of his body to accomplish supernatural feats. As such, not all chi powers skills may be suitable for all campaigns. Chi Powers skills are presented separately in Section 10.0.
Standard Skills: Weapon Style (Basic), Two-Weapon Fighting
Restricted Skills: Blind Fighting, Missile Deflecting, Tumbling Evasion, Weapon Style (Advanced)
Applicable Stat Bonuses: Ag/Qu/SD
Skill Rank Progression: Combined
Skill Category Progression: 0 • 0 • 0 • 0 • 0
Group: None
Classification: Static Maneuver, Special, and OB
The Blind Fighting skill allows its practitioner to overcome some of the penalties associated with not being able to see one's opponent. This skill trains the practitioner to use senses other than sight during combat. Normally a character will have at least a -100 modifier to his OB if he is fighting an opponent he cannot see. A successful Blind Fighting static maneuver can be used to offset the OB penalty for not being able to see one's opponent. To determine the effect of such an attempt, roll (open-ended) and add the Blind Fighting skill bonus. Then refer to the Maneuver/Movement Table (T-4.1) using the "Extremely Hard" column. If the result is a number, that number is used to offset the current penalty for vision. Successful use of this skill will never increase the wielder's OB; it can only offset penalties due to not being able to see one's opponent, A failure result when attempting this skill will result in the character not being able to take any action this round. An extraordinary success when attempting this skill will allow the character to completely offset the penally for not being able to see his opponent. (SD)
This skill provides a bonus for using the body or a weapon or a shield to deflect or even catch a thrown weapon or missile directed at the user. To determine the effect of such an attempt, roll (open-ended) and add the Missile Deflecting skill bonus. Then refer to the Maneuver/Movement Table (T-4.1) using the "Extremely Hard" column against thrown weapons or the "Sheer Folly" column against missile weapons. If the result is a number, it is subtracted from the weapon's attack roll (in addition to the normal DB). If the missile or thrown object misses, the character has a chance of catching the item. Roll d100 (open-ended) and add the modification received earlier from the Movement/Maneuver Table; if the result is over 100, the item has been caught; if desired. The Missile Deflecting skill requires a 100% activity action. The roll is modified by -20 for each additional missile that the character wishes to try to deflect that round. Resolve each missile attack separately. {SD}
This skill provides a bonus for evading attacks by using tumbling maneuvers. The skill rank (not the skill rank bonus) is added to the tumbler's DB for all other attacks. The Tumbling Evasion maneuver is resolved during the round it is actively used and it requires a 60% activity action. {Ag}
This skill allows a combatant to fight with two weapons simultaneously. He is allowed to make two weapon attacks for each melee attack action, and may engage two opponents providing neither opponent is receiving any positional combat modifiers for their OB (e.g., if either opponent is receiving a +15 bonus for Flank Attack or a +20 bonus for Rear Attack the attacker would not be able to strike both opponents in the same round).
Two Weapon Fighting skills must be developed for each two-weapon combination (e.g., shortsword/handaxe, rapier/dagger, etc.). The OB for each weapon attack is equal to the skill bonus for the Two-Weapon Fighting skill for the combination of those two weapons or one of the individual weapon OBs, whichever is the lesser bonus.
Against 1 Opponent: There is no negative attack modification against one opponent.
Against 2 Opponents: There is a -20 modification to both attacks.
Parrying or Special Attacks: The user must reduce both weapon OBs by the same amount (i.e., the amount of his parry or special attack). Against one opponent, the user increases his DB by the amount of his parry. Against two opponents, the amount of his parry must be split between the two opponents as the user sees fit.
Using the off-hand: The two-weapon combination is developed for a specific weapon and hand combination. For example, a Rogue trained in a rapier/dagger combination might have decided to use the rapier left-handed and ihe dagger in his right. Switching either weapon to the other hand incurs the normal -20 penalty for using the off-hand for each weapon.
This skill allows the wielder to become more skilled in combat with his chosen weapon. The Advanced Weapon Style skill incorporates the most difficult combat techniques. The Advanced Weapon Style skill bonus represents the offensive bonus of the character while using his weapon in the manner prescribed by the weapon style. Each weapon style must be developed separately. Refer to Section 8.0 for more on weapon styles. {Ag}
This skill allows the wielder to become more proficient at fighting with his chosen weapon. The Basic Weapon Style skill incorporates very effective combat techniques. The Basic Weapon Style skill bonus represents the offensive bonus of the character while using his weapon in the manner prescribed by the weapon style. Each weapon style must be developed separately. Refer to Section 8.0 for more on weapon styles. {Ag}
Standard Skills: Martial Arts Style Lore, Weapon Style Lore
Restricted Skills: none
Applicable Slat Bonuses: Me/Re/Me
Skill Rank Progression: Standard
Skill Category Progression: Standard
Group: Lore
Classification: Static Maneuver
This skill provides a bonus for recognizing a particular martial arts style. This skill allows the user to anticipate the most common types of attacks of a martial arts style, as well as recognize the respected masters of martial arts styles. Successful lore static maneuvers may allow the user to anticipate attacks of a person using a manial arts style. A successful Martial Arts Style Lore static maneuver will give the character a special +2 bonus to his initiative roll for the duration of the combat providing the opponent continues to use the same martial arts style. This skill requires 25% activity action in the round that it is attempted. Obscure, secret, or forgotten martial arts styles will impose a negative modifier on the use of this skill. {Me}
This skill provides a bonus for recognizing a particular weapon style. This skill allows the user to anticipate the most common types of attacks of a weapon style as well as recognize the respected masters of weapon styles. Successful lore static maneuvers may allow the user to anticipate attacks of a person using a weapon style. A successful Weapon Style Lore static maneuver will give a special +2 bonus to the initiative roll for the duration of the combat, provided the opponent continues to use the same weapon style. This skill requires 25% activity action in the round that it is attempted. Obscure, secret, or forgotten weapon styles will impose a negative modifier on the use of this skill. {Me}
Standard Skills: Vital Points Lore
Restricted Skills: none
Applicable Stat. Bonuses: Me/Re/Me
Skill Rank Progression: Standard
Skill Category Progression: Standard
Group: Lore
Classification: Static Maneuver
This skill provides a bonus for recognizing the vital points ofattack on a foe. This knowledge is very specialized and is often guarded jealously. The study of vital points is very complex and takes into account the time of day, season, and emotional state of the target in some of the more advanced and esoteric techniques. This skill must be taken for each general type of foe (i.e., humanoid, reptile, etc.). A successful Vital Points Lore static maneuver against an opponent can allow the practitioner to modify his next critical roll by 2 points during melee combat in the current or following round. This skill requires a 25% activity action in the round that it is attempted. {Me}
Standard Skills: Adrenal Deflecting, Martial Arts Style (Basic), Adrenal Evasion
Restricted Skills: Martial Arts Style (Advanced), Blind Fighting
Applicable Stat Bonuses: Ag/Qu/SD
Skill Rank Progression: Combined
Skill Category Progression: 0 • 0 • 0 • 0 • 0
Group: Martial Arts
Classification: Static Maneuver, Special, and OB
This skill provides a bonus for using the body, weapon, or a shield to deflect or even catch a thrown weapon or missile directed at the user. To determine the effect of such an attempt, roll (open-ended) and add the Adrenal Deflecting skill bonus. Then refer to the Maneuver/Movement Table.T-4.1, in the Rolemaster Standard Rules book, using the "Extremely Hard" column against thrown weapons and the "Sheer Folly" column against missile weapons. If the result is a number, it is subtracted from the weapon's attack roll (in addition to the normal DB). If the missile or thrown object misses, the character has a chance of catching the itern. Roll d100 (open-ended) and add the modification received earlier fromthe Movement/Maneuver table; if the result is over 100. the item has been caught; if desired. Every Adrenal Deflecting attempt requires 60% activity action. The roll is modified hy -20 for each additional missile to he deflected that round. Each missile attack must he resolved separately. {SD}
This skill provides a bonus for evading a single attack by using a tumbling maneuver. To determine the effect of such an attempt, roll (open-ended) and add the Adrenal Evasion skill bonus. Then refer to the Maneuver/Movement Table. T-4.1, in the Rolemasier Standard Rules, using the "Hard" column against melee and thrown weapons and the "Extremely Hard" column versus missile weapons. If the result is a number, it is subtracted from the attack's roll (in addition to the normal DB). The skill rank (not the skill rank bonus) is added to the tumbler's DB for all other attacks. The Adrenal Evasion skill is rolled for during the round it is actively used and it requires 60% activity action. {Ag}
This skill trains the practitioner to use senses other than sight during combat. Normally a character will have at least a -100 modifier to his OB if he is fighting an opponent he can not see, A successful Blind Fighting static maneuver can be used lo offset the OB penalty for not being able to see one's opponent. To determine the effect of such an attempt, roll (open-ended) and add the Blind Fighting skill bonus. Then refer to the Maneuver/Movement Table (T-4,1) using the "Extremely Hard" column. If the result is a number, that number is used to offset the current penalty for vision. Successful use of this skill will never increase the wielder's OB, it can only offset penalties due to not being able to see one's opponent. A failure result when attempting this skill will result in the character not being able to take any action this round. An extraordinary success when attempting this skill will allow the character to completely offset the penalty for not being able to see his opponent, {SD}
This skill allows the user to become more skilled at a specific type of unarmed combat. The Advanced Martial Arts Style skill represents the most difficult unarmed combat techniques. The Advanced Martial Arts Style skill bonus represents the offensive bonus of the character while using his martial arts attacks in the manner prescribed by the martial arts style. Each individual martial arts style must be developed separately. Refer to Section 9.0 for more information on martial arts styles. {Ag}
This skill allows the user to become more proficient at a specific type of unarmed combat. The Basic Martial Arts Style skill represents very effective unarmed combat techniques. The Basic Martial Arts Style skill bonus represents the offensive bonus of the character while using his martial arts attacks in the manner prescribed by the martial arts style. Each individual martial arts style must be developed separately. Refer to Section 9.0 for more information on martialarts styles. {Ag}
Standard Skills: Boxing, Martial Arts Striking
Restricted Skills: Nerve Strikes
Applicable Stat Bonuses: St/Ag/St
Skill Rank Progression: Normal
Skill Category Progression: Normal
Group: Martial Arts
Classification: Offensive Bonus
The Boxing skill represents using one's fists to strike at an opponent's upper body and torso, while protecting oneself from similar blows. This skill uses the Arms Law Martial Arts Strikes Attack Table and may not exceed the Degree 1 damage threshold. {St}
Optional Rule [Core]: If hard or spiked protective coverings (e.g., the Roman cestus) are worn, use the Degree 2 damage threshold on the Martial Arts Strikes Attack Table.
This skill represents the attacking forms of the "hard" martial arts. This; skill uses the Arms Law Martial Arts Strikes Attack Table and may not exceed the Degree 1 damage threshold. Accompanied by a Weapon Style skill or Martial Arts Style skill, this skill can exceed the Degree 1 limitation. All criticals should be rolled on the Martial Arts Strikes Critical Table. {St}
Optional Rule [Core]: If the character has 10 or more skill ranks, he can use the Degree 2 damage threshold on the Martial Arts Strikes Attack Table rather than the Degree 1 damage threshold, but he must suffer a special -20 modifier.
This skill provides an offensive bonus to strike an opponent precisely at a vulnerable nerve cluster. Depending on the resolution of the attack, the opponent can be put in extreme pain, temporary paralyzed, or even killed. This skill uses the Arms Law Martial Arts Strikes Attack Table with the Nerve Strikes Critical Table substituted for the Martial Arts Strikes Critical Table. This skill may not exceed the Degree 1 damage threshold unless a Weapon Style skill or Martial Arts Style skill that allows the user to exceed this limitation accompanies it. {Ag}
Standard Skills: Martial Arts Sweeping, Wrestling
Restricted Skills: Locking Holds
Applicable Stat Bonuses: Ag/St/Ag
Skill Rank Progression: Normal
Skill Category Progression: Normal
Group: Martial Arts
Classification: Offensive Bonus
This skill provides an offensive bonus to render an opponent helpless with an immobilizing technique. This technique is usually only effective while the martial artist is applying constant force and pressure to maintain the locking hold. This skill uses the Arms Law Martial Arts Sweeps Attack Table with the Locking Holds Critical Table substituted for the Martial Arts Sweeps Critical Table. This skill may not exceed the Degree 1 damage threshold unless a Weapon Style skill or Martial Arts Style skill that allows the user to exceed this limitation accompanies it. {Ag}
This skill represents the attacking forms of the "soft" martial arts. This skill uses the Arms Law Martial Arts Sweeps Attack Table and may not exceed the Degree 1 damage threshold. This skill accompanied by a Weapon Style skill or Martial Arts skill can exceed these limitations. All criticals should be rolled on the Martial Arts Sweeps Critical Table. {Ag}
Optional Rule [Core]: If the character has 10 or more skill ranks, he can use the Degree 2 damage threshold on the Martial Arts Sweeps Table rather than the Degree 1 damage threshold, but he must suffer a special -20 modifier.
This is the skill of using one's arms and legs to grapple an opponent and immobilize him. Note that it is not normally intended to be injurious to either partner, though injury may result. This skill may be used to immobilize an opponent who does not wish to be immobilized, but it is assumed that injury is not the intent. Attacks are resolved on the Arms Law Martial Arts Sweeps Attack Table and may not exceed the Degree 1 damage threshold on the Martial Arts Sweeps Attack Table. All criticals are resolved as Grappling criticals. {SD}
Optional Rule [Core]: If the wrestler's body size is considerably larger than his opponent's, he may use the Degree 2 threshold on the Martial Arts Sweeps Attack Table. If the wrestler's body size is considerably smaller than his opponents, he suffers a special modifier of-20 to his OB and he must use the Degree 1 damage threshold on the Martial Arts Sweeps Attack Table.
Standard Skills: Disarm Foe (Armed), Disarm Foe (Unarmed), Feint (Armed), Feint (Unarmed)
Restricted: Racial Attack
Applicable Stat Bonuses: St/Ag/SD
Skill Rank Progression: Combined
Skill Category Progression: 0 • 0 • 0 • 0 • 0
Group: None
Classification: Static Maneuver and Offensive Bonus
See Section 14.3 for details on how to use special attacks during a combat round.
This skill provides a bonus to remove a foe's weapon with your weapon. If the disarming skill check is successful, the opponent will drop his weapon. Depending on how successful the character is in his disarming attempt, the Gamemaster may decide to let the player decide where the disarmed weapon will go. To determine the success of the disarming attempt, make a static maneuver and add the character's skill bonus. The opponent's total usable OB (e,g., his OB before delegating parry or special attacks) with his weapon is taken as a negative modifier to the static maneuver. There are four separate skills for the user to develop, representing weapon categories against which a character can be trained: 1-Handed, 2-Handed, Pole Arm, and Two-Weapon Combination. {Ag}
This skill provides a bonus to remove a foe's weapon while unarmed. If the disarming skill check is successful, the opponent will drop his weapon. Depending on how successful the character is in his disarming attempt, the Gamemaster may decide to let the player decide where the disarmed weapon will go. To determine the success of the disarming attempt, make a static maneuver and add the character's skill bonus. The opponent's total usable OB (e.g., his OB before delegating parry or special attacks) with his weapon is taken as a negative modifier to the static maneuver. There are four separate skills for the user to develop, representing weapon categories against which a character can be trained: 1-Handed, 2-Handed, Pole Arm, and Two-Weapon Combination. {Ag}
This skill provides a bonus to trick your opponent to react to a false melee attack and weaken his defenses. A successful feint maneuver may result in a temporary reduction in the total DB of the target. To determine the success of the feint attempt, take the amount of the character's Feint skill bonus committed to the attack and make a static maneuver roll. The opponent's total usable OB (e.g., his OB before delegating parry or special attacks) is subtracted from this roll. Then refer to the Maneuver/Movement Table T-4.1, in Rolemaster Standard Rules, using the "Extremely Hard" column. If the result is a number, this number is subtracted from the target's normal DB.
A Feint maneuver may negate some or all of a target's DB due to shield bonus (including magical shields), parrying actions, skills that increase the DB of the target, or the target's Quickness modifier. Any positional DB or inherent DB of a target will not be reduced by a Feint maneuver. Examples of positional DB are fighting from higher ground or being behind some sort of cover. An inherent DB could be general magical protection or high quality armor, both of which cannot be affected by a feigned attack.
If the Feint maneuver is successful, half of the OB committed for the feint is regained for the normal melee attack. If the feint fails, all OB shifted to the feinting maneuver is lost for this round. However, the player must still make his attack action. {Qu}
If the character develops Situational Awareness: Feinting, he may apply this skill bonus against Feinting attacks made against him in addition to any other modifiers.
This skill provides a bonus to trick your opponent to react to a false melee attack and weaken his defenses. A successful Feint maneuver may result in a temporary reduction in the total DB of the target. To determine the success of the Feint attempt, take the character's Feint skill bonus committed to the attack and make a static maneuver roll. The opponent's total usable OB (e.g., his OB before delegating parry or special attacks) is subtracted from this roll. Then refer to the Maneuver/Movement Table T-4.1, in Rolemaster Standard Rules, using the "Extremely Hard" column. If the result is a number, this can be used to negate some of the target's DB.
A Feint maneuver may negate some or all of a target's DB due to shield bonus (including magical shields), parrying actions, skills that increase the DB of the target, or the target's Quickness modifier. Any positional DB or inherent DB of a target will not be reduced by a Feint maneuver. Examples ofpositional DB are fighting from higher ground or being behind some sort of cover. An inherent DB could be general magical protection or high quality armor, both of which cannot be affected by a feigned attack.
If the Feint maneuver is successful, half of the OB committed for the feint is regained for the normal melee attack. If the feint fails, all OB shifted to the feinting maneuver is lost for this round. However, the player must still make his attack action. {Qu}
If the character develops Situational Awareness: Feinting, he may apply this skill bonus against Feinting attacks made against him in addition to any other modifiers.
This skill provides a bonus to use a natural weapon attack available to the character. The bonus of this skill is treated in all ways like a normal OB for purposes of attacking, parrying, using other special attacks, etc. Examples of natural weapon attack are horn attacks, claw attacks, tail lashes, or even biting attacks. Generally, all races with a special racial attack may learn this skill as an Everyman skill regardless of profession. The relative strength and effectiveness of each racial attack will vary by race and must be determined by the Gamemaster. See Sections 8.0 and 9.0 for more details on how to integrate racial attacks into weapon styles and martial arts styles.
Standard Skills: Adrenal Defense
Restricted Skills: Adrenal Toughness, Adrenal Resistance
Applicable Stat Bonuses: None
Skill Rank Progression: Combined
Skill Category Progression: 0 • 0 • 0 • 0 • 0
Group: None
Classification: Special
The Adrenal Defense skill allows the user to avoid attacks with missile or melee weapons during combat. The skill bonus ofthe defender is added to his DB versus melee attacks. Against missile attacks the skill bonus is halved and added to his DB. To use Adrenal Defense, an individual must be aware that he is under attack. In addition, the character must not be wearing armor and can not have a shield or large object in his hands. To represent the division of concentration necessary to avoid multiple attacks targeted at the user in the same round, Adrenal Defense requires 40% activity action in the combat round. {None}
This Adrenal Defense activity does count as one of the three allowable actions in a tactical round (this restriction may be negated by using the proper Weapon Style or Martial Arts Style skill). The 40% activity required for Adrenal Defense does apply against the 100% activity limit for the round (this restriction may be lessened by using the proper Weapon Style or Martial Arts Style skill).
The Adrenal Resistance skill enhances a character's inner strength to resist negative modifiers due to pain or wounds. To determine the penalty that can be offset, make an open-ended roll, adding this skill bonus, and all other applicable modifiers. Take the resulting number and refer to the "Extremely Hard" column of the Maneuver/Movement Table T-4.1, in Rolemaster Standard Rules. If the result is a number, it can be used to reduce any negative modifiers due to the pain from concussion hit loss or wounds by the amount shown. This skill requires a 20% preparation action in the round it is attempted, and the effects last up to an entire hour. Note that the Gamemaster may decide in the case of using this skill to resist pain from extremely serious wounds that there may be a risk of further aggravating the injury. {None}
This skill requires a 10% activity action each round it is used, regardless of the amount of negative modifiers from wounds offset. The Adrenal Resistance activity does not count against the three-action limit in a tactical round. The 10% activity action required for this skill does apply against the 100% activity limit for a given round.
The Adrenal Toughness skill allows the user to toughen his body to withstand blows that would otherwise inflict damage. This skill requires taking a 20% preparation action in the round immediately prior to the use of this skill (or during the snap action phase of the same round). Then the character must make a static maneuver modified by the skill bonus. If successful, the individual may reduce the severity of any critical by one during the next round or the remainder of the current round. (In the case of an 'A' critical, the critical is modified by -20). In addition, any Self-inflicted critical stemming from the individual striking a surface or object with his hand or foot is nullified completely. {None}
Nothing broke the silence except the hissing of blades and the sharp exhalation of breath as the pack of thugs circled their prey warily. The old swordsman held his blade aloft as he stood his ground before his numerous adversaries. He moved in a slowly turning circle, keeping his foes from attacking directly at his back, and he rotated his blade through the seven positions of guard. The young toughs were armed with a variety of weapons from awards to clubs to chains, and several suffered in silence the pain from their wounds that were inflicted when they had first rushed the old man.
The crash of arms echoed once again down the deserted street and the faint sound of the city guard's alarm could be heard approaching. The city guard would be here soon. The old man's face remained calm as his sixfoes rushed at him simultaneously, trying to bring down their prey before the advent of the guard. The old man pivoted smoothly to his left, leaving empty air for the most impetuous of his attackers. His blade then shimmered in the air, a solid arc of metal, as it cut through the arm of the bravo holding a spiked club who had moved to attack from the side. The two thugs armed with swords found themselves holding their stomachs as the old man ducked low under the hissing attack of the chain-wielding man and spun low under their guard, bringing his blade around in a deadly arc.
Momentary silence was broken by the sound of weapons dropping to the ground andfeet racing down the cobblestone street. The old man raised himselffrom his crouching position and calmly cleaned his weapon as he watched the bandits attempt to flee from the newly arrived city guard. They would not get far and he would know the reasonfor this attack soon enough. They were new to this city or very well paidfools,since no sane man would attempt to ambush the weapons master of the royal guard unless he did not value his life.
The Weapon Style skills are a new concept presented in this companion. Each Weapon Style skill offers a set of Unique capabilities and benefits to the practitioner in cornbat. The additional training required by the weapon style allows its user to become more efficient and economical in the use of his weapon.
The weapon stylist's advanced training in the use of his weapon allows him to exceed certain limitations that restrict the common practitioner of his specific weapon. For example, a weapon stylist can have a reduced fumble range or bonus to melee initiative as a benefit of his training.
The mechanics of using weapon styles are the same as any other Combat Maneuver skill. When in combat, the weapon stylist will always use the lesser of his Weapon Style skill OB or his Weapon skill OB. As long as the weapon stylist is using his Weapon Style skill, he can receive the special benefits conferred by this skill.
Any modifiers that directly affect a character's OB will also affect his Weapon Style skill OB (except professional category bonuses that only affect Weapon skills). Allowable OB modifiers to weapon styles include spells, item bonuses (assuming it is the primary weapon of the style), and some skill bonuses (e.g., a +10 OB bonus due to a successful Adrenal Strength maneuver).
Any bonuses that a weapon style confers upon a character are only applicable while the character is actively using that Style (i.e., the character is attacking using the weapon Style). If a player decides to not use his Weapon Style skill to attack, none of the benefits of that weapon style will be available even if the player chooses to use the weapon associated with that particular weapon style. See Section 14.2.1 for further discussion.
Gamemasters are encouraged to create their own weapon styles for use in their games. The rules and guidelines detailed here will help to make the process easier and provide game balance. Weapon styles are created using a point-based system. These points are referred to as "style points" and they are only used during the creation of the weapon style skill. After a weapon style is created it will either be classified as a Basic or Advanced Weapon Style skill (based on its total style point cost). Section 8.3 presents some examples of created weapon styles.
Basic Weapon Styles can range from 0 to 30 style points.
Advanced Weapon Styles range can from over 31 to up to 60 style points. It is not advised to create a weapon style that uses more than 60 style points.
The first step in creating a new weapon style is choosing the general focus of the weapon style. The style can be based on can be an individual weapon, a group of related weapons, or a weapon category. The broader the range of weapons the style includes, the more expensive the weapon style will be to learn. In addition, the type of weapon chosen will dictate some of the options available for the weapon style. If the weapon style is based upon a two-handed weapon, any options that require the practitioner to have a hand free will not be available within this specific weapon style. Choose one of the following weapon categories as the primary focus of the new weapon style.
One-handed Edged or One-handed Concussion Weapon Categories — Allowed choices for the weapon style: Standard options; Melee weapon options; One hand free options
Two-handed or Pole Arm Weapon Categories — Allowed choices for the weapon style: Standard options; Melee weapon options
Missile Weapon Category — Allowed choices for the weapon style: Standard options; Missile weapon options
Thrown Weapon Category — Allowed choices for the weapon style: Standard options; Thrown weapon options; One hand free options
Artillery Weapon Category — It is not possible to create a weapon style with the Artillery Weapon category.
This section presents a series of charts that show the costs for the various standard options that are available. If a cost shows as a dash ("—"), that option may not be selected.
This list shows other options that are available when "building" weapon styles that use melee weapons. All the Advantages gained from these options are only available when a character is using his weapon style. The style point cost is shown in brackets ("[]" after each entry).
Adrenal Defense, Greater—The character has specialized in integrating his Adrenal Defense techniques within his weapon style. The character may ignore restrictions for objects in his hands while using Adrenal Defense if he is using weapons associated with this weapon style. In addition, an Adrenal Defense maneuver only requires 10% activity and it does not count against the three actions per round limit (though he must still allocate no more than 100% activity to all of his actions). [30 points]
Adrenal Defense, Lesser—The character has specialized in integrating his weapon attacks within his Adrenal Defense techniques. The character may ignore restrictions for objects in his hands while using Adrenal Defense if he is using weapons associated with this weapon style. Additionally, an Adrenal Defense maneuver only requires 30% activity and it does not count against the three actions per round limit (though he must still allocate no more than 100% activity to all of his actions). [10 points]
All-Around Attack—The character can make attacks against foes who have a positional modifier (such as flank or rear) against him without changing his facing or position. The OB is penalized by double the positional bonus of the opponent (i.e., attacking a foe to the rear results in a -50 OB modifier). [15 points]
All-Around Defense—The character can choose to negate one positional bonus that a foe has against him during a combat round by taking a 10% action. [15 points]
Weapon-Breaker—The character has learned to incorporate special maneuvers into his attacks that are designed to cause his opponents' weapons to break. Any foe fighting the character has his breakage numbers increased by one for the duration of the combat (e.g., if the weapon's breakage numbers are normally 1 through 5 they will be 1 through 6 while the foe is fighting this character). In addition, the foe must modify the weapon strength rolls by -10. [10 points]
This list shows other options that are available when "building" weapon styles that use missile weapons. All the advantages gained from these options are only available when a character is using his weapon style. The style point cost is shown in brackets "[ ]" after each entry.
Movement—Movement penalties to OB are halved while using this weapon. For example, if using this weapon, a character may move using a 40% action and only suffer a -20 to his OB with the weapon, [10 points]
Reloading, Lesser—The reload action for this missile weapon takes 10% less activity (to a minimum of 20%). [10 points]
Reloading, Greater—The reload action for this missile weapon takes 20% less activity (to a minimum of 20%). [20 points]
This list shows other options that are available when "building"weapon slyles that use thrown weapons. All the advantages gained from these options are only available when a character is using his weapon style. The style point cost is shown in brackets "[]" after each entry.
Movement—Movement penalties to OB are halved while using this weapon. For example, if using this weapon, a character may move using a 40% action and only suffer a -20 to his OB with the weapon. [10 points]
This list shows other options that are available when "building" weapon styles. All the advantages gained from these options are only available when a character is using his weapon style. The style point cost is shown in brackets "[]" after each entry.
Additional Melee Weapon Attack—This weapon style allows two distinct weapon strikes per attack action. Through extensive training the character can use a one-handed weapon in your off-hand along whenever the character uses his weapon style. The cost for this option is triple the base weapon style cost for the secondary weapon type (see Section 8.2.1). Skill with this weapon must be developed separately as a normal weapon skill. When a character takes an attack action, he makes an attack roll for each weapon with the restrictions shown below. [varies]
The OB for each weapon attack is the lesser of the Weapon Style skill bonus or the skill bonus for the weapon.
Any penalty for parrying or special attacks must modify both weapon OBs equally. If the character is attacking two separate foes, the amount of OB dedicated for the parry or special attack may be split between them,
The character can strike one opponent with both attacks at no extra penalty.
The character can attack two separate opponents as long as neither of the opponents is receiving a positional bonus against the character. The character must take a -20 modifier to both weapon OBs (this is applied after restriction #1).
Example: If a weapon style includes additional attacks with a mace held in the off-hand, the cost for this option would be 15 style points (5 x 3). The character could choose to attack with each weapon against the same opponent or to attack two separate opponents with a special -20 modifier.
Paired Weapon Attack—This weapon style allows enhanced combat strikes by using two weapons. Unlike the additional melee attack option, the paired weapon attack does not allow an extra strike but makes each strike more deadly. For purposes of determining the melee OB for the single attack, the lesser of the Weapon Style skill bonus and the primary weapon OB is used.
Any attack that delivers a critical will do an additional critical of two levels less severity (using the same dice roll). If the normal critical result is an 'A' critical, the secondary critical is treated as an 'A' critical modified by -40 (modified rolls less than zero result in no effect). If the normal critical result is a 'B' critical, the secondary critical is resolved as an 'A' critical modified by -20 (modified rolls less than zero result in no effect). The type of additional critical delivered should be determined by the GM (but is normally the most common type for the paired weapons). When fighting creatures that take Large or Super Large criticals, no additional critical is delivered. The cost for this option is double the base weapon cost of the secondary weapon. [varies]
Additional Unarmed Attack—This weapon style specializes in using strikes, kicks, and other unarmed fighting techniques while in melee combat. The unarmed attack skill must be developed separately. The cost for this additional attack is 10 points for a Degree 1 damage threshold and 15 points for a Degree 2 damage threshold (damage thresholds cannot be taken higher than Degree 2). When this style is created, the type of unarmed attack (either Striking or Sweeping) must be chosen. When a character, takes an attack action, the restrictions shown below must also be observed. [10 or 15 points]
The OB for the unarmed attack is the lesser of the Weapon Style skill bonus or the skill bonus for the unarmed attacking skill.
Any OB penalty for parrying or special attacks must modify both attacks equally. If the character is attacking two separate foes, the amount of OB dedicated the parry or special attack may be split between them.
The character can strike one opponent with both attacks at no penalty.
The character can attack two separate opponents as long as neither opponent has a positional bonus against him. In addition, he must take a -20 modifier to both his weapon OB and unarmed attack OB.
Additional Thrown Weapon Attack—This weapon style specializes in thrown weapons in melee combat. The thrown weapon skill must be developed separately. The cost for this additional attack is triple the base cost of the thrown weapon attack. When a character takes an attack option, the restrictions shown below must also be met. [varies]
The OB for the thrown weapon is the lesser of the weapon style bonus or the skill bonus for the thrown weapon.
Any penalty for parrying or special attacks must modify both weapon OBs equally. If the character is attacking two separate foes, the amount of OB dedicated to the parry or special attack may be split between them.
The character can strike one opponent with both attacks at no penalty.
The character can attack two separate opponents as long as neither of the opponents has a positional bonus against him. In addition, he must take a -20 modifier to both weapon OBs.
Example: If the weapon style includes an additional thrown weapon attack that includes all short knives, the cost for this option would be 30(10 x 3).
Defensive Ward—This style specializes in using a particular weapon or object to parry incoming attacks. The character may not attack with his secondary weapon or object, while using those benefits to his defense. Each round, the character can choose one of the following options. [10 points]
Increase the normal DB from his secondary weapon by 10 against one opponent (e.g., a normal shield would give +30 DB instead of +20).
Affect an additional opponent with his DB due to his parrying item. The additional opponent cannot have a positional bonus on the character.
Example: A weapon style that incorporates a main-gauche as a defensive weapon coutd use the passive DB of the main gauche against two opponents or he could use it with an additional +10 DB against one opponent.
Shield Training—This style specializes in using a shield to its maximum potential during combat. One type of shield must be picked when this option is chosen. Available shield types are target (this includes all "buckler"-sized shields), normal, full, and wall shields. Each round, the character can choose one of the following options. [20 points]
He can increase his shield DB against one opponent by 15.
He can affect an additional opponent with his shield DB. The additional opponent cannot have a positional bonus on the character. This option cannot be chosen with a style that uses wall shields.
Example: A weapon style that incorporates the use of a full shield could increase its DB by 15 against one opponent, or use his normal shield bonus against two opponents.
He can make a Shield Bash attack on the Ram/Butt Attack Table. The maximum result is limited by the Small damage threshold (target shields also suffer an OB penalty of -20 to reflect their small size and weight). The weapon skill for the shield must be developed separately as a one-handed concussion weapon.
Here are some sample weapon styles that illustrate how the styles work. While these sample weapon styles draw inspiration from historical weapon systems, they are only approximate models of the historical systems. For the historical evolution of weapon styles, see Section 2.0.
The format of the each weapon style example is as follows:
Name of Weapon Style
Whether the weapon style is Basic or Advanced, followed by the total style points used to create the weapon style (in brackets,"[]").
A description of the weapon style's origins and history follows this information. Also included are some of the more common combat techniques that the style uses.
A list of skills that a character will probably want to develop along witht his weapon style. These skills are not "required" but will probably be desired to take full advantage of the style.
A breakdown of the abilities and costs for the weapon Style (costs are shown in brackets, "[]"). These abilities are listed as "Core" because they define the style and should be used with all power levels.
Japanese weapon fighting systems were highly developed throughout the history of this small island nation. As a result, the style points ranges for Japanese weapon styles may be changed from the original ranges given for the skills in Section 8.1.
Optional Rule [Core]: When designing Japanese weapon styles, Basic Weapon Styles range from 0 to 35 style points and Advanced Weapon Styles range from 36 to 45 style points.
Basic Weapon Style [30 style points]
Description—This weapon style specializes in the use of the staff as a weapon. The wooden staff, while inelegant compared to the sword, was nevertheless an effective weapon in combat and could not be neglected by the bushi (warrior class) in feudal Japan. The standard length of staff for training was the six foot staff that was also known as the rokushaku-bo.
While the art of bo-jutsu focuses on tactics that can be used to subdue an aggressive swordsman, it is also useful against other types of weapons. The training concentrates on methods of blocking, parrying, and thrusting against an opponent. The wielder is also taught to use the longer range of his weapon to keep foes at bay and to prevent foes from closing the range to a point where the staff becomes ineffective.
Formal training in the use of the staff as a weapon was taught in over threehundred different traditions in feudal Japan. For more information on the historical development of the Japanese martial arts, see Section 2.4
Recommended Skills—Bo (Quarterstaff) weapon skill
Weapon Style Abilities [Core]—Bo (Quarterstaff) melee attack [5 points]; +2 bonus to initiative [10 points]; All-around defense [15 points]
Advanced Weapon Style [55 style points]
Description—Iai-jutsu is the Japanese art of sword fighting that seeks to perfect the single deadly stroke of a sword. The essence of this system is the focus on lightning speed and unwavering accuracy with the goal of cutting down an enemy with one stroke. Much of the training involves defensive maneuvers to protect the adept from unexpected attack. Unlike many other Japanese martial arts, much of the training for this style is done as a solo exercise. Because this style seeks to prepare the wielder to react to unexpected attacks, much of the training begins from a low crouching position to simulate combat that starts from a sitting position.
There are four distinct areas of emphasis in the art of iai-jutsu. The first is the nukitsuke, or draw; the second is the kiritsuke, or cutting action; the third is the chiburi, or removal of blood from the blade; and the fourth is the noto, or return of the blade to the scabbard.
This discipline teaches the swordsman to evade multiple attacks from the front, side, and rear. The adept of this weapon style spends several hours each day practicing his draws and attacks with his blade. A central goal of this style is to reach a state of meditative awareness in which the adept can react instantly to any attack. Over four hundred formal traditions taught the art of iai-jutsu in feudal Japan. See Section 2.4 for more information on the historical development of Japanese martial arts.
Recommended Skills—Katana weapon skill, Quickdraw, Meditation, Alertness, Sense Ambush, Adrenal Defense
Weapon Style Abilities [Core]—Lesser Adrenal Defense [10 points]; Katana melee attack [5 points]; Reduce fumble range by 3 (to minimum fumble range of 01-02) [15 points]; +10 bonus to Quickdraw maneuvers [10 points]; All-around defense [15 points]
Advanced Weapon Style [60 style points]
Description—Ken-jutsu is the Japanese art of offensive sword fighting. In feudal Japan, the slightest error in combat with a skilled opponent meant death. To survive in a sword fight to the death, the Japanese warrior codified and practiced many strikes and counters that he might encounter in a duel. After time, these techniques were standardized and incorporated into a growing canon of swordmanship. Most individual schools of ken-jutsu practiced a policy of secrecy regarding their attacking techniques to preserve an advantage over their competitors. The result of this practice was that individual swordsmen seeking to improve their skills would travel from school to school in feudal Japan, fighting with other students and learning what new techniques they could in the case of a defeat.
Ken-jutsu is an extremely deadly and focused fighting style. Techniques in ken-jutsu involve cutting (kiri) and thrusting (tsuri). Like most Japanese martial arts, training was always done in natural terrain against opponents to mimic combat conditions.
Some ken-jutsu styles taught two-sword combat. At the height of the waning states period in Japan, there were over seventeen hundred distinct styles of ken-jutsu. See Section 2.4 for more information on the development of Japanese martial arts.
Recommended Skills—Katana weapon skill, Meditation
Weapon Style Abilities [Core]—Katana melee attack [5 points]; All-around attack [15 points]; +2 bonus to initiative [10 points]; +2 to all critical rolls inflicted [30 points]
Advanced Weapon Style [35 style points]
Description—The kusarigama is several weapons in one. It is at once a bladed weapon, a stick weapon, and a flail. The user of a kusari-gama can slash or cut the enemy with his blade, entangle him with his chain, club him with his hardwood handle, and strike him with the iron weight at the end of the chain. The use of this weapon required expert skill and patience to overcome better-armed opponents. The most important skill taught is the ensnaring or maki technique. The wielder was taught to entangle his opponent at the moment of his attack. The versatility of this dangerous weapon required extensive training and practice to learn properly. See Section 2.4 for more information on the development of Japanese martial arts.
Recommended Skills—Kursarigama weapon skill, Disarm Foe
Weapon Style Abilities [Core]—Kusari-gama melee attack [5 points]; +15 bonus to Disarm Foe (1H-edged) attempts [10 points]; Reduce kusari-gama fumble range by 3 (to minimum fumble range of 01 -02) [10 points]; +2 bonus to initiative [10 points]
Advanced Weapon Style [35 style points]
Description—Kyu-jutsu is the Japanese art of bowmanship. The longbow has long had an important place in Japanese history. At the end of the tenth century, Masaisugo Zensho formalized techniques for the bow and arrow. The dai-kyu or traditional bow used by Japanese archers possessed an asymmetrical shape; up to two-thirds of the bow's length was above the archer's left hand. The bow itself was made of a combination of wood and bamboo toughened by fire treatment. The bow's great length required several men to string it successfully. Three- and four-men bows were the most common type of bows used by archers. The arrows used by Japanese archers while of a uniform three feet in length, possessed several different types of heads depending on their use. Some arrows made noise as they flew and were used to either terrorize the enemy or as signals. Other arrows were specifically designed to penetrate armor or to cut through cords.
The yugamae, or correct posture, was of the utmost importance in the battlefield effectiveness of the Japanese bowman. The bowman was trained to unify with his target and his bow to release his arrows with the maximum accuracy. The mechanical movements of reloading the bow and drawing the bow were formalized and practiced often so that they became unconscious actions of the bowman. In addition, the archer was trained in sustained long distance shooting to pin enemy forces down.
See Section 2.4 for more information on the development of the Japanese martial arts,
Recommended Skills—Dai-kyu missile weapon skill, Meditation
Weapon Style Abilities [Core]—Dai-kyu missile attack [5 points]; Reduce dai-kyu range penalties by 10 [10 points]; Reduce dai-kyu reloading time by 20% [20 points]
Basic Weapon Style [20 style points]
Description—In Japan, the naginata (similar to a halberd) became an effective weapon against mounted or unmounted foes in the hands of an expert. In open terrain, the naginaia was an excellent weapon because its reach allowed the warrior to keep his foe at bay while at the same time launching attacks against him. In combat, the wielder of the naginata used short slashes and circular movements to harry and attack his foe. As with most Japanese weapon systems, training with the naginata was on open terrain to simulate battlefield conditions. However in wooded or close terrain, the naginata became much less useful. See Section 2.4 for more information on the development of Japanese martial arts.
Recommended Skills—Naginaia weapon skill
Weapon Style Abilities [Core]—Naginata melee attack [5 points]; +4 bonus to initiative [15 points]
Basic Weapon Style [25 style points]
Description—This weapon style specializes in learning how to throw shuriken (Japanese throwing weapons) accurately and quickly at a target. This weapon style incorporates special throwing techniques to ensure more accurate results. Shuriken range in appearance from iron bolts that can be thrown for greater range and penetration to the familiar bladed star that can be thrown for a greater chance to hit the target.
This weapon style also covers the techniques for readying ashuriken secretly for a quick attack against an unsuspecting opponent. The wielder uses his own body to shield the preparation of the weapon, until his foe is within range and then he unleashes with a deadly attack. The master of shuriken-jutsu is taught to throw quickly and accurately at the vulnerable parts of the body rarely covered by armor: the face and neck.
Typically this weapon style is taught as part of training in the art of the ninja (the ninja were spies and assassins in feudal Japan), For more information on the historical development of the Japanese martial arts, refer to Section 2.4.
Recommended Skills—Thrown Shuriken weapon skill, Missile Deflecting, Quickdraw
Weapon Style Abilities [Core]—Shuriken thrown attack [5 points]; Reduced shuriken range penalties by 10 [10 points]; +10 bonus to Quickdraw maneuvers [10 points]
Basic Weapon Style [30 style points]
Description—The yari or spear is one of the oldest weapons used in Japan and figures prominently in the religious and cultural traditions of Japan. The spear did not initially come into wide favor with the bushi, or professional warrior since they associated the sword and ken-jutsu with their rank and station in life. However, the warrior-priests of Japan known as so-hei embraced the weapon and developed sophisticated techniques using the spear.
The warrior using the yari, or spear, trained to become skilled with his thrusts (tsuki) and in maintaining the correct combat distance for the effective use of the spear. The spear was used from the ground or horseback in most cases. A benefit of the training in the use of the spear was that the warrior became very skilled in anticipating tactics of his foes and in closing the engagement distance so that he could use his primary weapon (usually a sword).
Only after the Muromachi period in feudal Japan was the spear welcomed by the bushi class and taught formally in schools. Some four hundred formal traditions taught the use of the spear by the end of Japan's feudal era. See Section 2.4 for more information on the development of Japanese martial arts.
Recommended Skills—Yari weapon skill, Feint, Adrenal Defense
Weapon Style Abilities [Core]—Lesser Adrenal Defense [10 points]; Yari melee attack [5 points]; +10 bonus to Feint maneuvers [5 points]; +2 bonus to initiative [10 points]
Basic Weapon Style [30 style points]
Description—The tetsubo was a solid iron bar used in much the same manner as a staff. The tetsubo was of varying lengths and shapes. It often had a circular or hexagonal cross-section. The bar would taper from one end to the narrower handle. This weapon required immense physical strength to wield properly and could be dangerous to the wielder if not treated with respect. The art of tetsubo-jutsu concentrated on using (and maintaining) the tremendous force generated by swinging the staff while attacking.
The drawback to this weapon was that its immense weight could be a liability to the wielder if faced with a quicker opponent. The wielder had to swing his weapon very rapidly to prevent quicker opponents from taking advantage of openings in his defense. See Section 16.3 for more information on the development of Japanese martial arts.
Recommended Skills—Tetsubo weapon skill, Adrenal Strength
Weapon Style Abilities [Core]—Tetsubo melee attack [5 points]; +10 bonus to Adrenal Strength maneuvers [10 points]; Reduce tetsubo fumble range by 3 (to the minimum fumble range of 01-02) [15 points]
Basic Weapon Style [20 style points]
Description—This weapon style specialized in the use of the fan as a weapon. In feudal Japanese society, the fan was considered part of the dress and equipment of the professional warrior. In some social situations, a warrior might be required to leave his swords with his host, but with a fan (tessen) carried in his sash he was never totally unarmed. If need required it, the warrior could defend himself with his tessen from attackers. In actuality, the fan referred to by this weapon style only appeared to be the classical fragile fan; in fact, the actual fan used by practitioners of this weapon style was different. The tessen came in two types. The first type only appeared to be a fan, as it could not be opened. The second type could be opened. In both cases, iron was used to construct the tessen to give it the strength and durability it needed to survive combat. The solid (or unopenable) tessen was the more popular type to use since it had greater strength.
In combat the tessen was used in much the same manner as a short stick. It was used to block incoming attacks and retaliate with poking attacks against vital points. The wielder of this style carefully selected sashikata (or the proper way of wearing the tessen) to have it instantly available if need arose. Training with the tessen involved learning how to block attacks (uke) parry incoming attacks (nagashi), striking (uchi), and thrusting (tsuki). However, the tessen was primarily viewed as a defensive weapon, for use only when the warrior's true weapons were not available.
Almost one hundred different traditions formalized the use of the tessen in combat in feudal Japan. For more information on the historical development of the Japanese martial arts, see Section 2.4.
Recommended Skills—Tessen weapon skill, Quickdraw
Weapon Style Abilities [Core]—Tessen (Iron Fan) melee attack [5 points]; +1 bonus to initiative [5 points]; +10 bonus to Quickdraw maneuvers [10 points]
European cultures did not develop fighting systems to a high a degree as Asian cultures. As a result, the style point ranges for European weapon styles may be reduced from the original ranges given for the skills in Section 8.1. Though European weapon styles are more highly devel oped than their European martial arts styles, they still far below the average level of sophistication of Eastern weapon fighting systems.
Optional Rule [Core]: When designing European weapon styles Basic Weapon Styles range from 0 to 25 style points and Advanced Weapon Styles range from 26 to 45 stylepoints.
Advanced Weapon Style [35 style points]
Description—Many fencing schools arose in Italy, France, and Spain to teach the effective use of the blade. While different fencing styles did exist during the golden age of fencing, they also shared many traits. The common stance for single rapier fencing is to present only the weapon arm and side of your body to your opponent to limit his targets for attack. The use of the point, rather than the edge is also emphasized. Fencing emphasizes straight-line attacks with the target being the face or stomach of the opponent. The later fencing techniques introduced the lunge, a quick strike made by extending the arm as the lead foot extends out and bends to attack your opponent from a greater range. Unlike Olympic fencing, combat fencing is a much more cautious affair. The true winner is he who strikes without being hit in return, not just he who strikes first without regard for personal safety. See Section 2.7 for more on the development of European martial arts.
Recommended Skills—Rapier weapon attack, Feinting, Disarm Foe (1H Weapons)
Weapon Style Abilities [Core]—Lesser Adrenal Defense [10 points]; Rapier melee attack [5 points]; +2 to Initiative rolls [10 points]; +10 OB Bonus to Feint [5 points]; +10 OB Bonus to Disarm Foe (1H Edged) [5 points]
Basic Weapon Style [20 style points]
Description—Many fencing schools arose in Europe to teach the effective use of the blade. Some of the first fencing schools were opened in Italy. Common with Italian fencing masters was the teaching of techniques for using a secondary object in the off-hand to parry attacks. When fencing with a dagger in the off-hand, the dagger was used as a defensive weapon to parry the thrusting attacks of the opponent rather than an additional offensive attack as might be first thought. In fact, the object carried in the off-hand was not always a dagger, in some cases a cloak or buckler was used instead. The reasoning behind this teaching was direct and simple. The blade had the longest reach and as such should be used for attacking the opponent. It was considered unwise to maneuver close enough to your opponent to thrust a dagger into his ribs when you could do the same from a much greater range with the blade. The use of these items in combat was to parry incoming attacks so that the blade would be free to attack in turn. Fighting cloaks were made out of stiff material and were smaller than normal cloaks of the period. The cape was be sturdy enough to withstand the abuse of being cut or thrust with a rapier. Typically the cape was held either by the collar or at one edge close to the hem. The cloak could be used offensively to entangle a blade or twirled or flicked at your opponent to confuse them. The bucklers were likewise very small shields that were primarily used defensively though a wielder could punch a foe with a buckler. See Section 2.7 for more on the development of European martial arts.
Recommended Skills—Rapier weapon skill, Feinting, Disarm Foe (1 H Weapons)
Weapon Style Abilities [Core]—Rapier melee attack [5 points]; Defensive ward (using a dagger or a cloak to parry incoming attacks) [10 points]; +1 to initiative [5 points]
The slow rhythmic beating of the drum began as the two masters bowed to each otherfrom opposite sides of the rough dirt ring. Arrayed in a semi-circle behind their masters, their students held banners and signs proclaiming the strength and power of their schools. One master was a slender young man in a white robe embroidered with wading and flying cranes, I later learned his name was Chu Ho and that he was the youngest man to be awarded the rank of master ofthe Imperial Tiger style in overforty years and as such he was known as the Young Master to hisfriends. Hisface appeared impassive as he stared at his adversary across the ring. The other master, an older man in an ornate but threadbare robe stood motionless on the other side of the ring. 1 later learned his name was Hsieh Fu and that he was known as the Iron Palm in the martial arts world.
Their students yelled and clamored behind their masters, urging each to victory. I narrowly avoided being caught in a fight between some of the more impetuous students from each side. Luckily another bystander intervened and calmed the students down. When I looked back at the ring, the masters were circling slowly around each other as the pace of the drumbeats began to increase,
Suddenly Chu Ho moved closer to Hsieh Fu and launched a lightning-like volley of hand strikes aimed at his head and throat that I recognized from the teachings of my master as the feared Seven Claws of the Tiger attack. Hsieh Fu ducked back and raised his arms to deflect most of the blows, but one slipped through and hit him on the side of the head. Momentarily dazed by the blow Hsieh Fu let his attention waver for an instant and the younger Chu Ho sensed his advantage. Chu Ho crouched low and unleashed a viscous spinning kick against the older master's legs. Hsieh Fu was knocked down on his side, but he used his motion to tumble awayfrom Chu Ho. Chu Ho followed the path of the older master's retreat, stamping and striking at the rolling form that was barely out of his reach.
Somehow the Young Master made a mistake; perhaps he wasfollowing too closely or became overeager sensing his foe's imminent defeat. In any case, he launched his trademark Seven Claws of the Tiger attack once more against Hsieh Fu. At the same instant, Hsieh Fu reversed his roll and tumbled inside the Young Master's defenses. Hsieh Fu then unleashed a twisting and spinning kickfrom the ground that simultaneously knocked the Young Master back a few steps and put Hsieh Fu back on his feet. Before Chu Ho could guard himself, Hsieh Fu closed with him again and launched one blow into the center of the Young Master's chest. Chu Ho flew fifteen feet back from the center of the ring into the suddenly quiet group of his students. I now recalled why Hsieh Fu was called the Iron Palm in the world ofmartial arts.
Hsieh Fu bowed again to the judges and the unconscious Chu Fu before striding out of the ring. Half the crowd followed him and his students back to his small school at the outskirts ofthe city. I think that this week, Hsieh's school of martial arts will be getting a record number of new students.
—From the Writings of Chiang Shun
The Martial Arts Style skills are a new concept presented in this companion. Each Martial Arts Style skill represents a set of unique capabilities and benefits to the user in combat. Training in a martial arts style allows its user to become more efficient and economical with his unarmed attacks.
The martial artist's advanced training in unarmed combat allows him to exceed certain limitations to which the common unarmed combatant is bound. For example, a martial artist could have improved attack skills or a bonus to initiative as a benefit of his training.
The mechanics of using martial arts styles are the same as any other Martial Arts Combat Maneuvers skill. When in combat, the martial artist will always use the lesser of his Martial Arts Style skill OB or the appropriate unarmed martial arts attack OB. As long as the martial artist uses his Martial Arts Style skill, he can receive the special benefits conferred by this skill.
Any modifiers that directly affect a character's unarmed combat OB will also effect his Martial Arts Style skill OB. Allowable OB modifiers to martial arts styles include spells and skill bonuses that affect OB (e.g., a +10 OB bonus from a successful Adrenal Strength maneuver).
Any bonuses that a martial arts style confers upon a character are only applicable while the character is actively using that style (i.e., the character is attacking using the martial arts style). If a player decides to not use his Martial Arts Style skill to attack, none of the benefits of the martial arts style can be used. See Section 14.2.1 for further discussion.
Gamemasters are encouraged to create their own martial arts styles for use in their games. The rules and guidelines detailed here will help to make the process easier and more game-balanced. Martial arts styles are created using a point-based system. These points are referred to as style points and they are only used during the creation of the Martial Arts Style skill. After a martial arts style is created, it will either be classified as a Basic or Advanced Martial Arts Style skill (based on its total style point cost).
Basic Martial Arts Style skills range from 0 to 30 style points.
Advanced Martial Arts Style skills range from 31 to up to 60 style points. It is not advised to create a martial arts style that uses more than 60 style points.
The first step in creating a martial arts style is deciding what types of martial arts attacks will be available in the style. The martial arts style can be based on several different degrees of martial arts attacking techniques. The more techniques that a martial arts style encompasses, the more expensive the martial arts style will be to learn. Section 9.3 provides some examples of created martial arts styles.
This section presents a series of charts that show the costs for the various standard options that are available. If a cost shows as a dash ("—"), that option may not be selected.
| BASE COST MARTIAL ARTS STYLE COST | |
|---|---|
| 0 points | Allow up to 2 degrees of attacks [maximum damage threshold of Degree 2] |
| 5 points | Allow up to 5 degrees of attacks [maximum damage threshold of Degree 3] |
| 10 points | Allow up to 7 degrees of attacks [maximum damage threshold of Degree 4] |
| 20 points | Allow up to 11 degrees of attacks [maximum damage threshold of Degree 4] |
The degree thresholds may be associated with any of the following skills: Martial Arts Striking, Martial Arts Sweeping, Nerve Strikes, and Locking Holds (in any combination; so if a character is taking 7 degrees of attacks, he could take 4 in Martial Arts Striking, 2 in Martial Arts Sweeping, and 1 in Locking Holds). The damage threshold for Nerve Strikes must be less than or equal to the damage threshold for Martial Arts Striking and the damage thresholds for Locking Holds must also be less than or equal to the damage thresholds for Martial Arts Sweeping. The martial arts attacks are cumulative, so if a player wishes to allow Degree 3 Martial Arts Striking attacks he can also use the Degree 1 and Degree 2 damage thresholds if he wishes
Optional Rule [Core]: If the Gamemaster desires, he can allow a player to receive a special +5 modification to OB for each damage threshold below the maximum for his style that he decides to use in an attack.
| COST FOR MODIFYING INITIATIVE ROLLS | |
|---|---|
| 5 points | +1 initiative bonus |
| 10 points | +2 initiative bonus |
| 15 points | +4 initiative bonus |
| COST FOR BONUS TO SPECIAL ATTACKS | |
| 5 points | +5 OB to one Special Attacks skill |
| 10 points | +10 OB to one Special Attacks skill |
| COST FOR BONUS TO SELF CONTROL | |
| 5 points | +10 bonus to one Self Control skill |
| 10 points | +15 bonus to one Self Control skill |
| COST FOR BONUS TO NON-RESTRICTED SKILLS | |
| 5 points | +5 bonus to one specific skill that is not classified as Restricted (excluding skills in the Special Defenses skill category) |
| 10 points | +10 bonus to one specific skill that is not classified as Restricted (excluding skills in the Special Defenses skill category) |
| COST FOR BONUS TO RESTRICTED SKILLS | |
| 10 points | +5 bonus to one specific skill that is classified as Restricted. |
| 15 points | +10 bonus to one specific skill that is classified as Restricted. |
This list shows options that are available when "building" martial arts styles that use the Adrenal Defense skill. All the advantages gained from these options are only available when a character is using his martial arts style. The style point cost is shown in brackets "[]" after each entry).
Adrenal Defense, Greater—The martial artist has specialized in integrating his Adrenal Defense techniques within his martial arts style. The martial artist may ignore restrictions for objects in his hands while using Adrenal Defense if he is using weapons associated with this martial arts style. In addition, an Adrenal Defense maneuver only requires 10% activity and it does not count against the three actions per round limit (though he must still allocate no more than 100% activity to all of his actions). [20 points]
Adrenal Defense, Lesser—The martial artist has specialized in integrating his martial arts attacks within his Adrenal Defense techniques. The martial artist may ignore restrictions for objects in his hands while using Adrenal Defense if he is using weapons associated with this martial arts style. Additionally, an Adrenal Defense maneuver only requires 30% activity and it does not count against the three actions per round limit (though he must still allocate no more than 100% activity to all of his actions). [10 points]
This list shows special options that are available, when "building" martial arts styles. All the advantages gained from these options are only available when a character is using his martial arts style. The style point cost is shown in brackets "[]" after each entry.
Additional Strike—The martial artist can make an additional martial arts strike during his attack action. The cost for this option varies according to the highest damage threshold in the martial arts style. A Degree 1 attack costs 5 style points, a Degree 2 attack costs 10 style points, a Degree 3 attack costs 15 style points, and a Degree 4 attack costs 20 style points. Each of the restrictions listed below must be followed to use this ability. [5, 10, 15, or 20 points]
The OB for both strikes is the lesser of the Martial Arts Style skill OB or the martial arts attack skill OB used in either strike.
If the martial artist attacks one opponent with both attacks,
If the martial artist attempts to attack two separate opponents, each attack suffers a -20 to the attack roll. The martial artist may attack two separate opponents as long as neither is receiving any positional bonus (note that the All-Around Attack ability can eliminate this requirement),
If the martial artist decides to parry or attempt a special attack, he must reduce that OB for each attack by the amount ofOB dedicated to his parry or special attack. Against one opponent, a parry simply increases his DB, against two opponents he may split his parry as he sees fit.
All-Around Attack—The martial artist can make attacks against foes who have a positional modifier (such as flank or rear) against him without changing his facing or position. The OB is penalized by double the positional bonus of the opponent (i.e., attacking a foe to the rear you results in a -50 OB modifier). [10 points]
All-Around Defense—The weapon stylist can choose to negate one positional bonus that a foe has against him during a combat round by taking a 10% action. [10 points]
Weapon Kata—The martial artist can use a weapon with his martial arts style. A weapon kata represents a weapon attack that is taught as part of the martial arts style attack. The martial artist uses cither his Martial Arts Style skill OB or his martial arts attack skill OB, whichever is the lesser of the two, with an additional -20 modifier as his total OB using the weapon. The martial arts style must include at least a Degree 2 martial arts attack skill to include this option (Degree 3 if the weapon requires two hands to wield or if the kata uses two-weapons kata or paired weapon kata). The martial artist uses the normal fumble range for his weapon while he is using the weapon kata (unless modified by the martial arts style). The weapon's normal attack table is used to determine the result of the strike (instead of the martial arts attack tables). Any criticals delivered are the determined normally for the weapon. Refer to Section 9.2.4 for more options for weapon katas. [5 points]
These options only apply if the martial arts style has the Weapon Kata option and while the martial artist is using his weapon along with martial arts style. These options do not apply to normal unarmed attacks made with a martial arts style incorporating weapon katas. The style point cost is "[]" after each entry.
| COST FOR REDUCING FUMBLE RANGE | |
|---|---|
| 5 points | Reduce fumble range by 1 |
| 10 points | Reduce fumble range by 2 |
Note: Fumble ranges cannot be reduced by 01-02 with this option. | |
| COST FOR MODIFYING CRITICAL ROLLS | |
| 15 points | ±1 to the critical roll |
| 30 points | ±2 to the critical roll |
Note: Modification is chosen by the attacker after the critical roll is made. | |
Two-weapon Kata—The martial artist has learned how to fight with paired weapons while using his weapon katas. Both weapons must be included as weapon katas for the martial arts style being used. In addition, the martial artist must abide by all restrictions for two-weapon combat. [15 points]
The OB for each weapon kata attack is the lesser of the Martial Arts Style skill OB or the martial arts attacking skill OB. The -20 modifier to OB due to weapon katas still applies,
There is no modification for attempting two attacks against the same opponent.
If the martial artist attempts to attack two separate opponents there is an additional -20 modifier to both attack rolls. The martial artist may attack two separate opponents as long as neither is receiving any positional bonus (note that the All-Around Attack ability can eliminate this requirement).
If the martial artist decides to parry or attempt a special attack, he must reduce the OB for each attack by the amount of OB dedicated to his parry or special attack. Against one opponent, a parry simply increases his DB, against two opponents he may split his parry as he sees fit.
Paired Weapon Kata—The martial artist has trained to fight with identical paired weapons using his weapon kata. Unlike the Two-Weapon Kata option, this does not allow the martial artist two separate strikes; instead, the one attack is more lethal.
Any attack that delivers a critical will do an additional critical of two levels less severity (using the same dice roll). If the normal critical result is an 'A' critical, the secondary critical is treated as an 'A' critical modified by -40 (modified rolls less than zero result in no effect). If the normal critical result is a 'B' critical, the critical, the secondary critical is resolved as an 'A' critical modified by -20 (modified rolls less than zero result in no effect). The type of additional critical delivered should be determined by the GM (but is normally the most common type for the paired weapons). When fighting creatures that take Large or Super Large criticals, no additional critical is delivered. [5 points]
Weapon-Breaker—The martial artist has learned to incorporate special maneuvers into his attacks that are designed to cause his opponent's weapons to break. Any foe fighting the martial artist while the martial artist is using his weapon kata has his breakage numbers increased by one for the duration of the combat (e.g., if the weapon's breakage numbers are normally 1 through 5 they will be 1 through 6 while the foe is fighting the martial artist). The foe must also modify weapon strength rolls by-10. [10 points]
Special maneuvers are a Heroic option for martial arts in his campaign. For each martial arts style, there can be a number of assorted special maneuvers reflecting special attacks, defenses, or techniques associated with the particular martial arts style. The creation of special maneuvers is left to the Gamemaster's imagination, but a few caveats should apply.
For Basic Martial Arts Styles, there should be at most one special maneuver available. For Advanced Martial Arts Styles, there should be no more than three special maneuvers available. Including too many special maneuvers in a martial arts style will tend to dilute the focus of the style, and impose unnecessary bookkeeping on both the Gamemaster and players. Special maneuvers should add uniqueness and flavor to a martial arts style, but not overshadow it.
If a special maneuver has an effect that is similar or better than an already existing skill, it should be balanced in one of two ways. Either the special maneuver should rely on the bonus of the similar skill, or it should have a more limitedapplicability,
Here are some martial arts styles that illustrate how martial arts styles may be developed. White these styles draw inspiration from actual martial arts styles, they are only approximate models of historical systems. For a historical evolution of martial arts styles, please see Section 2.0.
The format of the each martial arts style example is as follows:
Name of Martial Arts Style
Whether the martial arts style is Basic or Advanced, followed by the total style points used to create the weapon style (in brackets, "[]").
A description of the martial arts style's origins and history follows this information. Also included are some of the more common combat techniques that the style uses.
A list of skills that a character will probably want to develop along with this martial arts style. These skills are not "required" but will probably be desired to take full advantage of the style.
A breakdown of the abililies and costs for the martial arts style (costs are shown in brackets,"[]"). The abilities are listed as "Core" because they define the style and should be used with all power levels.
Finally, any special maneuvers or techniques used by the martial arts style are listed as well as any special skills that might be learnt by practitioners of the martial arts style. These abilities should only be used in games of Heroic or Fantastic power levels.
The Chinese martial arts have a rich history of excellence. The introduction in Section 2.0 as well as the historical information on Chinese martial arts in Section 2.1 serve as a good background for this section. If desired some of the style points ranges for Chinese martial arts styles may be changed from the original ranges given for the skills in Section 9.1.
Optional Rule [Core]: When designing Chinese martial arts styles, Basic Martial Arts Styles range from 0 to 35 style points and Advanced Martial Arts Styles range from 36 to 60 style points.
Basic Martial Arts Style [25 style points]
Description—The Choy Lee Fut style was developed during the nineteenth century in China. It started as primarily a Southern style and it later spread to Northern China. This style was originally taught to secret rebel societies trying to overthrow the Manchu Dynasty in the nineteenth century. Therefore this style was developed with a desire to teach the basics of martial arts to its students in the shortest possible amount of time. The Choy Lee Put style focuses on aggressive punching and kicking attacks until the opponent is conquered. This style uses long-range attacks to defeat foes quickly. It is best known for its knuckle jabs, uppercuts, and round-house swings. High and low kicks are used, as well as several types of kicks with 360 degree spins are featured as well. The Choy Lee Fut stylist tries to throw an opponent off-balance by moving directly at him all the while throwing hard strikes. Many of the moves of a fighter using this martial art look strikingly similar to techniques of Western boxing. See Section 2.1 for more information on the historical development of Chinese martial arts.
Recommended Skills—Martial Arts Striking, Martial Arts Sweeping, Adrenal Defense
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—Lesser Adrenal Defense [10 points]; Degree 3 Martial Arts Striking attacks and Degree 2 Martial Arts Sweeping attacks [5 points]; +2 to initiative rolls [10 points]
Special Maneuvers—None
Basic Martial Arts Style [30 style points]
Description—The Cobra style is an ancient Chinese martial art. It is designed to be totally defensive in nature, modeled after a cobra lying in the grass. A master of the Cobra style will not execute acrobatic defensive maneuvers; rather he will expend as little energy as possible to avoid attacks. Most attacks against the stylist will be sidestepped rather than blocked directly. The attacks of the Cobra stylist are relentless and deadly when they are finally executed. These quick and deadly attacks are focused on the eyes and throat with hand strikes. It is said that Cobra stylists have developed deadly dim mak techniques that allow them to kill or maim with merely a touch.
The basic stance of the Cobra style is a defensive one, with the adept keeping his stance low to the ground and raising his hands and arms near his chest. This position mimics a cobra rising from the ground with an outspread hood. A variant of the Cobra style is the King Cobra style. See Section 2.1 for more information on the historical development of Chinese martial arts.
Recommended Skills—Martial Arts Striking, Adrenal Defense, Contortions, Nerve Strikes
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—Lesser Adrenal Defense [10 points]; Degree 3 Martial Arts Striking attacks and Degree 2 Nerve Strikes attacks [5 points]; +10 OB bonus to all Feint maneuvers [5 points]; +1 to initiative rolls [5 points]; Dagger weapon kata [5 points]
Special Abilities—This style has a signature attack (the Strike of the Cobra). In addition, if the GM is allowing Chi Power skills, this style allows access to Chi Power: Distance Strike.
Strike of the Cobra—The Cobra style teaches the martial artist to strike without mercy when his foe is hurt. If the Cobra stylist inflicts a critical against his opponent, he gains a special+10 bonus (non-cumulative) to his OBfor his next attack against that same opponent.
Basic Martial Arts Style [10 style points]
Description—The Cotton Fist style is a northern style of Chinese kung fu. The name of this martial an conveys weakness, softness and slowness. This style is taught to its students very slowly. A saying about this style is "Cotton Fist, ten years stay at home," means that a student will need to practice for ten years to be able to defend himself. The cotton fist emphasizes soft training and perfection of movement. While this style is not perfect for the goal of self-defense, it is important in teaching the mental aspects of martial arts.
Recommended Skills—Martial Arts Sweeping, Adrenal Defense, Meditation
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—Lesser Adrenal Defense [10 points]; Degree 2 Martial Arts Sweeping attack [0 points]
Special Abilities—If the GM is allowing Chi Power skills, this style should allow access to either Chi Powers: Falling Leaf or Chi Powers: Sticking Hands.
Advanced Martial Arts Style [55 style points]
Description—The Crane style is an ancient Chinese martial art whose movements originally were formed to develop both muscular control and spiritual strength. The Crane style emphasizes rapid footwork and evasive techniques, coupled with relentless attacks. While the Crane style is considered to be the most beautiful of all Chinese Kung Fu martial arts styles, it is also one of the most complex with over ten thousand movements contained in ten basic form sets.
Folklore states that the Crane style was developed after a monk observed a fight between an ape and a white crane. Initially the monk expected the ape with its greater physical strength to easily crush the crane. But the white crane managed to avoid the powerful attacks of the ape and inflict accurate painful blows with its beak. The crane maintained its perfect composure as it used its short wings for balance and the long-range attack of its beak against the larger ape. Finally the ape retreated back to the forest after being severely hurt and the unharmed white crane resumed the protection of its eggs.
In combat, the Crane stylist will almost arrogantly disdain any physical contact with an opponent, instead opting for a single fierce blow, usually delivered from long range. The elusive footwork of the Crane stylist serves to help him avoid the attacks of his opponent. In most cases, a forceful opponent will be thrown off balance by such evasion as he strikes air. Once the opponent has lost his balance by missing his target, the Crane stylist will be ready to strike at the weakest point exposed by his off-balance foe. If a Crane stylist instead chose to physically block an incoming attack with strength, his foe could use the block to stabilize himself and deliver an immediate counter-attack. By concentrating on avoiding blows, the Crane stylist can rob an opponent of his trained block and counter-punch techniques.
The basic stance of the Crane style is the royal pecking form. The Crane stylist raises both arms up parallel to his body and forms the shape of a crane's beak with his hands. One foot of the stylist is kept raised to quickly strike or block. This stance actually mimics the warning posture of the true white crane. Should the strike of a Crane stylist miss, he will always attempt to retreat and set up another long-range strike rather than close with his opponent and grapple. Variants of the Crane style are the Black Crane and the Imperial Crane styles. The Black Crane style emphasizes footwork and the basic hand and foot strikes while the Imperial Crane style emphasizes the use of weapons within the traditional Crane style. See Section 2.1 for more information on the historical development of Chinese martial arts.
Recommended Skills—Martial Arts Striking, Martial Arts Sweeping, Nerve Strikes, Adrenal Defense, Feint
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—Greater Adrenal Defense [20 points]; Degree 4 Martial Arts Striking attacks, Degree 4 Martial Arts Sweeping attacks, and Degree 3 Nerve Strikes attacks [20 points]; + 10 OB bonus to Feint maneuvers [10 points]; Broadsword weapon kata [5 points]
Special Abilities—This style has a special maneuver (Wading in the Reeds) and a special attack (Beak of the Crane). In addition, if the GM is allowing Chi Powers skills, this style allows access to either Chi Powers: No Shadow Attack or Chi Powers: Continuous Strikes.
Wading in the Reeds—The Crane stylist practices elusivefootwork to prepare attacks. When an attack completely misses a Crane stylist (i.e., no hits or criticals are delivered), the stylist gains a special +75 modification to his OB if he chooses to attack the foe that missed in the next combat round.
Beak of the Crane—The Crane stylist learns how to focus his energy to deliver punishing blows to his opponent. If the martial artist takes a 15% preparation action in a given round, he may attack during the following combat round with a special +75 modification to his OB.
Advanced Martial Arts Style [60 style points]
Description—The Dragon style is an ancient Chinese martial art originally designed to develop alertness and concentration. This martial arts style emphasizes controlled breathing with powerful attacking movements. The Dragon stylist uses flowing movements that explode into powerful strikes using entire force of his body. The Dragon style uses continuous advancing and retreating motions, like the movements of a serpent to prevent the opponent from landing a solid blow. The powerful hissing sound emitted by the stylist is a product of his concentrated breathing and focusing of energy.
The Dragon stylist trains his hands to have powerful grasping strength to grab or twist limbs with great force. The grip of an advanced Dragon stylist is said to be almost unbreakable. In addition, the legs are used to deliver powerful lashing kicks. The Dragon style emphasizes simultaneous attack and defense techniques during combat. While one hand is attacking, the other hand is held at guard, ready to grab or twist an attacker's incoming limb.
In defense, the Dragon stylist withdraws before a strike, absorbing its power and retaliating only when he believes his foe has over-extended himself. The dragon crouch is the basic blocking technique of the Dragon style. The stylist crouches low with his hands set in the dragon claw form and positioned in front of him. In all the varied forms of this style, the martial artist's eyes appear to look directly outward like the eyes of a reptile, no matter how much his head moves about. See Section 2.1 for more information on the historical development of Chinese martial arts.
Recommended Skills—Martial Arts Striking, Martial Arts Sweeping, Locking Holds, Adrenal Defense, Meditation
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—Greater Adrenal Defense [20 points]; Degree 3 Martial Arts Sweeping attack, Degree 2 Locking Holds attack, Degree 2 Martial Arts Striking attack [10 points]; Quarterstaff weapon kata [5 points]; Metal whip weapon kata [5 points]; Broadsword weapon kata [5 points]; Reduce weapon fumble range by 2 for all kata weapons (to minimum fumble range of 01- 02) [10 points]; +10 bonus to all Adrenal Strength maneuvers [5 points]
Special Abilities—This style has two special attacks (Lash of the Dragon and Claws of the Dragon). In addition, all Adrenal Strength maneuvers only take a 10% preparation action. Finally, if the GM is allowing Chi Power skills, this style should allow access to either Chi Powers: Cloth Lance, Chi Powers: Fists of Iron, or Chi Powers: Resist Pain.
Lash of the Dragon—By rapidly spinning a length of cloth (at least a six-foot length of cloth), the Dragon stylist can attack on the Whip Attack Table with a -20 modification to his normal OB.
Claws of the Dragon—The Dragon stylist can choose to attack on the Medium Claw Attack Table instead of his normal Martial Arts Striking Attack Table. The martial artist suffers a special -20 modifier to his OB white using the Medium Claw Attack Table and the Martial Artist must use the lesser of his Martial Arts Striking skill OB or his Dragon style skill OB for the attack.
Advanced Martial Arts Style [40 style points]
Description—The Eight Drunken Fairies or Drunken Boxing style is a very deceptive martial arts style. While using the techniques of the Drunken Boxing style, the martial artist appears to stagger and lurch without any control over his body. In actuality, the martial artist is in complete control of himself at all times during this display. The apparently uncontrolled movements of the adept of this style serve to distract and bewilder his opponent, allowing the martial artist to strike unexpectedly.
The Drunken Boxing style uses equal amounts of striking and locking attacks. Many of the striking techniques involve punching, but some unique kicks are included as well. It is difficult to master without superb balance and coordination, but it is a quite effective style in combat.
Recommended Skills—Adrenal Defense, Martial Arts Striking, Martial Arts Sweeping, Adrenal Strength
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]:—Greater Adrenal Defense [20 points]; Degree 3 Martial Arts Striking attacks and Degree 2 Martial Arts Sweeping attacks [5 points]; +1 to all initiative rolls [5 points]; +15 bonus to Adrenal Strength maneuvers [10 points]
Special Abilities—This style has a special attack (the Drunken Fist) and a special defense (the Drunken Stagger). In addition, all Adrenal Strength maneuvers only take a 10% preparation action (this does not affect the Drunken Fist attack). Finally, if the GM is allowing Chi Power skills, this style should allow access to either Chi Powers: Rise of the Phoenix, Chi Powers: Fists of Iron, or Chi Powers: Resist Pain.
Drunken Fist—By focusing his internal energy and striking an opponent, a master of the Drunken Boxing style can do triple normal concussion damage to his foe. To successfully accomplish this feat, a special Adrenal Strength maneuver must be made with a 40% preparation action. If the maneuver is successful, the next round the martial artist can attack with a +10 OB modifier and do triple concussion damage.
Drunken Stagger—By moving in unpredictable patterns, an adept of the Drunken Boxing style learns how to launch unexpected attacks against his opponent. Ifan adept takes a special -20 modifier to his OB, his attack happens in such an unexpected manner that his opponent will lose half of his DB against the attack.
Advanced Martial Arts Style [35 style points]
Description—The Hsing-i style is an ancient Chinese martial art that has also been called Hsing-i Lu-ho Ch'uan or I Ch'uan. Most records suggest that Hsing-i was created in the mid-sixteenth century in Shanghai, China. Hsing-i is composed of five basic movements. Beyond these basic five movements, Hsing-i has an additional twelve sets of movements based on animals— Dragon, Tiger, Monkey, Horse, Water-skimmer (insect), Cock, Hawk, Snake, Eagle, Bear, Swallow, and Leopard. Hsing-i uses linear movements with strong fundamental balance. When attacking, an adept strikes like a wave crashing on the shore—rising, striking, falling, and overturning.
The five basic postures correspond to the five basic elements in Chinese philosophy—fire, water, metal, wood, and earth. The fire stance is an explosive posture from which attacks can be launched with either hand or foot. The metal stance is defensive and can be used easily to block an opponent's attack. The water stance is a very stable, wide stance in which the adept can attack with his fists. The wood stance is a very low stance that is flexible enough for the adept both to be protected from attack and able to attack. The earth stance is a wide stance that allows the adept to deflect attacks easily.
The practitioner of Hsing-i uses punches, low strikes, and stances similar to those of the Shaolin hard martial arts. Like the hard schools of martial arts, the student is also taught to advance in a straight line; however, the Hsing-i body posture is unusual, as the shoulders are kept rounded and many low stances are used. In this martial arts style, blocking is through circular motions that seek to deflect incoming attacks rather than directly opposing them. In addition, the practitioner mimics the actions of an animal much more closely than in hard schools that are based on animal attacks. The true master of Hsing-i learns how to see into the forms of the various animal styles and grasp their essences. This intuition can then be used to read the intent of the opponent. At the highest level of mastery, the Hsing-i stylist will be free of form and thought and be able to react instinctively to any threat. This state of mind is called "no form, no meaning."
There exist several similar branches of this style that espouse philosophic and stylistic differences. The Wang Hsiang-chai branch teaches that the postures are not as important as the focus of the will. The Sun Lu-t'ang branch simplifies and merges many of the basic movements and forms to provide a less complicated martial art. See Section 2.1 for more information on the historical development of Chinese martial arts.
Recommended Skills—Martial Arts Striking, Martial Arts Sweeping, Locking Holds skill, Adrenal Defense, Adrenal Speed, Meditation
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—Lesser Adrenal Defense [10points]; Degree 3 Martial Arts Striking attack, Degree 3 Martial Arts Sweeping attack, and Degree 1 Locking Holds attack [10 points]; +15 bonus to Adrenal Speed [10 points]; +1 to initiative [5 points]
Special Abilities—This style has a special technique (State of No Mind). In addition, all Adrenal Speed maneuvers only take a 10% preparation action. Finally, if the GM is allowing, Chi Power skills, this style should allow access to either Chi Powers: Light Feet, Chi Powers: Sense Weakness, or Chi Powers: Fantastic Leap.
State of No Mind—The Hsing-i stylist teams how to anticipate the attacks of his opponents. Any successful Martial Arts Style Lore or Weapon Style Lore static maneuver results in twice the normal combat bonus (because of the stylist's superior ability to read the intentions of his attackers).
Basic Martial Arts Style [25 style points]
Description—The King Cobra style is a variant style of the Cobra style (see above). The unarmed attacks and movements of this fighting system are very similar to the Cobra style. Where the King Cobra style differs is in its heavier reliance on weapons. This style also teaches its students how to prepare and use poisons (such as snake venom) in combat to disable their foes. Throwing knives and daggers are often used by adepts of this martial arts style.
Recommended Skills—Adrenal Defense, Martial Arts Striking, Martial Arts Sweeping, Thrown Dagger attack skill, Poison Lore, Using/Removing Poison
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—Lesser Adrenal Defense [10 points]; Degree 3 Martial Arts Striking attacks and Degree 2 Nerve Strikes attacks [5 points]; Dagger weapon kata [5 points]; Paired-weapon dagger kata [5 points]
Special Abilities—This style has a special attack (the Spit of the Cobra). In addition, if the GM is allowing Chi Power skills, this style allows access to Chi Powers: Poison Fist.
Spit of the Cobra—The King Cobra stylist learns how to integrate his thrown weapon attacks into his martial art. The stylist can make an additional thrown weapon attack during his normal attacking action if he has a weapon ready. This additional attack would be subject to all the normal restrictions outlined in the "Additional Thrown Weapon Attack" option profiled in Section 8.2 under One Hand Free Options.
Advanced Martial Arts Style [50 style points]
Description—The Iron Robe martial arts style is a very disciplined and difficult style to learn. The student spends many years learning how strengthen his body against attacks from all directions and ignore pain. This style of martial arts requires the student lo subject himself to intense physical pain to learn how to control his reactions and still function in combat. Offensively this style relies on strong hand and foot attacks, and very few locking or throwing techniques are used. Adepts of this style rely upon their defensive skills and the ability to outlast their opponents to win challenges.
The name of this style comes from the ability of the adept to absorb blows that would seriously injure or even kill an unarmed man. An adept of the iron robe style does not fear weapons and would never resort to armor, as it would imply that he did not think his martial arts abilities were enough to protect himself from harm.
Recommended Skills—Martial Arts Striking, Martial Arts Sweeping, Adrenal Defense, Adrenal Strength, Stunned Maneuvering, and Chi Power: Resist Pain (if Chi Powers skills are used)
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—Lesser Adrenal Defense [10 points]; Degree 4 Martial Arts Striking attacks and Degree 3 Martial Arts Sweeping attacks [10 points]; +15 bonus to Stunned Maneuvering [10 points]; +10 bonus to Adrenal Strength [5 points]; +10 bonus to Adrenal Toughness [15 points]
Special Abilities—This style has a special maneuver (Inner Air) and a special attack (the Toppling Kick). In addition, all Adrenal Strength and Adrenal Toughness maneuvers take only a 10% preparation activity to use (this has no effect on the Inner Air maneuver). Finally, if the GM is allowing Chi Power skills, the style should allow either the Chi Powers: Invincible Stance, Chi Powers: Invulnerability, or Chi Powers: Rise of the Phoenix skills.
Inner Air—With a successful Adrenal Toughness maneuver using a 40% preparation action, the Iron Robe adept may reduce any one critical by two levels. An 'A' critical is resolved as an 'A' critical with a special modification of -40 (with modified rolls ofless than 01 resulting in no extra damage). A 'B' critical is resolved as an 'A' critical with a special modification of -20 (with modified rolls of less than 01 resulting in no extra damage).
Toppling Kick—The Iron Robe stylist can attack with a unique spinning kick that rises from the ground to strike an opponent. The stylist gains a special +2 modifier to initiative if he uses this attack, but he must also suffer a special -10 modifier to his OB.
Basic Martial Arts Style [30 style points]
Description—The Monkey style is a Chinese martial art that traces its origins back to the early twentieth century in Peking, China. It is said that the Monkey style was created when Kua See, Chinese fighting expert, killed an officer when he resisted being drafted into the Manchu army. Kua See surrendered to police and was placed in jail in Peking. At that time, Chinese authorities used monkeys as "watchdogs." If a prisoner broke out, the monkeys sounded a loud chattering alarm that alerted the prison guards. Kua See began to study the movements of his simian jailers over the course of his ten years of imprisonment and ended up designing a fighting style.
The appearance of the Monkey style is very deceptive. It appears comical at times, but is actually an extremely effectivemartial arts style. The Monkey style specializes in attacking from the ground using techniques that are physically very demanding. A Monkey stylist learns how to handle falls and unleash powerful kicks from a prone position. Spinning and twisting movements are used to conceal the a target of an attack. Hand attacks are modeled after the clawing and scratching hand attacks of a monkey. Unlike many Chinese martial arts, the Monkey style uses very low defensive crouches to avoid attacks and aggressive leaps when attacking.
The Monkey style uses a basic defensive stance in which the stylist is ready to roll away from attacks against him. Several different variants of the Monkey style exist: Stone Monkey Style, Wooden Monkey style, and Drunken Monkey style. Of the three, the Drunken Monkey style is the most exotic. In the Drunken Monkey style the practitioner fakes drunken staggers and weaves, all the while ready to unleash a surprise attack. See Section 2.1 for more information on the development of Chinese martial arts.
Recommended Skills—Martial Arts Striking, Adrenal Defense, Adrenal Evasion, Adrenal Balance, Adrenal Leaping, Climbing, Acrobatics
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—Greater Adrenal Defense [20 points]; Degree 2 Martial Arts Striking attacks [0 points]; +10 bonus to Adrenal Evasion maneuvers [10 points]
Special Abilities—This style has two special maneuvers (the Monkey's Leap and the Monkey's Evasion), Also, if the GM is allowing Chi Power skills, this style allows either the Chi Powers: Fantastic Leap, Chi Powers: Leaping Strike, or Chi Powers: Lizard's Climb skill.
Monkey's Leap—The Monkey stylist can attack while leaping towards or away from his foe. The result of this maneuver is that the Monkey may also position himself up to 10' away, suffering only a -20 modifier to his OB. A Monkey stylist could use this maneuver to attack and then scale a wall for instance. If the maneuver is successful, the stylist's DB is doubled against one foe.
Monkey's Evasion—With a successful Adrenal Evasion maneuver against an attacker, the Monkey stylist gains a +15 flank positional bonus for his next round if he so desires (this is in addition to the normal benefits gained from Adrenal Evasion). The stylist can gain this positional bonus on any target within normal attack range when he starts his Adrenal Evasion maneuver. The Monkey stylist can also choose as a result of this maneuver to position himself up to 10' away from one opponent.
Advanced Martial Arts Style [50 style points]
Description—The Pa Kua Chu'an style is an ancient Chinese martial arts style. The name of the style literally means the "eight trigrams." Legend holds that an emperor of China, Fu His (2,953-2,838 BC), invented the eight symbolic trigrams after pondering the scarred markings on the back of a tortoise shell. These trigrams were later incorporated into the I Ching. The eight trigrams figuratively express the evolution of nature and its cyclical changes — representing heaven, earth, metal, wood, water, fire, soil, and man. The Pa Kua stylist attains mastery of his art through the practice of the eight fundamental postures of the martial arts style. These postures are based on an ingenious inspiration of applying various animal forms to the eight trigrams. Each fundamental posture demonstrates the key actions of the dragon, snake, stork, hawk, lion, monkey, and bear.
Just as life's expressions are found in the eight trigrams of the I Ching, a Pa Kua adept asserts that all possible bodily movements are found within the eight fundamental postures. This is practiced by "walking the circle," the principle exercise leading to the perfection of Pa Kua Ch'uan, This martial art does not contain specific fighting techniques like most other martial arts styles. Instead, Pa Kua Ch'uan is a system of defense designed to avoid aggression though constant movement. The master may perform elusive circular gyrations that allow him to circle behind his attacker for a fraction of a second, sufficient time to fell his attacker with a single blow of the palm. The stylist's internal energy is focused into his palm strike, enough to stun even the most hardy foe.
The chief stance of this style involves "walking the circle." The Pa Kua stylist uses his footwork to walk and rotate his body while going through the complicated hand movements of the style. Fighting a skilled practitioner of this style can be very bewildering as your opponent will seem to spin away out of your field of vision before you can strike him. See Section 2.1 for more information on the development of Chinese martial arts,
Recommended Skills—Martial Arts Striking, Nerve Strikes, Adrenal Defense, Subduing, Meditation
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—Greater Adrenal Defense [20 points]; Degree 4 Martial Arts Striking attack and Degree 3 Nerve Strikes attack [10 points]; All-Around Defense [10 points]; +10 OB bonus to Subduing attacks [10 points]
Special Abilities—This style has a special maneuver (Walking the Circle) and a special attack (Stunning Strike). Also, if the GM is allowing Chi Power skills, this style allows access to either the Chi Powers: Buddha's Palm or Chi Powers: Distance Strike.
Walking the Circle—The Pa Kua adept continuously trains to avoid and sidestep blows. His elusive footwork allows hint to negate positional bonus modifiers that foes have against him per combat round by taking a 10% activity action during the combat round. This ability can he used against up to two foes per round.
Stunning Strike—By focusing his energy into one precise blow, a Pa Kua stylist can stun an opponent. When attempting a Subduing attack, the stylist can receive a special +2 modification to a critical roll (if any).
Advanced Martial Arts Style [55 style points]
Description—The Praying Mantis style is a Chinese martial arts style said to be created 350 years ago by a Chinese fighting master named Wang Lang. The story goes that Wang Lang was a skilled fighter who traveled to the Shaolin Temple to challenge its monks in combat but he suffered several humiliating defeats at the hands ofthe monks. While he was mediating upon his failures, he observed a fragile-looking praying mantis engaged in combat with a much larger cicada. Wang decided to capture the insect and use its defensive and offensive movements as the basis for a new fighting style. Wang observed that the insect could defend itself from attacks from all directions. Armed with his bewildering array of insect moves, Wang overwhelmingly defeated the senior monks of the Shaolin Temple. Wang's Praying Mantis school of martial arts became one of the most prominent schools of martial arts in China during his lifetime.
The Praying Mantis style is a very effective close-combat fighting style, A Praying Mantis stylist does not attempt long-range attacks against his foe, instead he remains in a defensive position until he has closed the distance to his foe. The style leaches the practitioner to launch powerful short-range blows with little preparation or room for motion. Like many Chinese martial arts, the Praying Mantis adept always keeps one hand free to defend at all times. There are few pure blocking movements in the Praying Mantis style. The stylist is taught to strike at an incoming limb while deflecting it or to rely upon elusive footwork to avoid the blow. Once the stylist has closed with his foe, he can then unleash a devastating series of short-range blows. The style primarily uses elbow and hand strikes since these types of attacks are very effective in close quarters. Some waist high kicks are also taught, but they are not primary attacks in of this style.
The on-guard position of the Praying Mantis style mimicsthe actual insect's fighting position, with the hands resembling the poised feelers. The original Praying Mantis style is called the Seven Stars style (so named for its footwork pattern). Variants of the original style are the Six Harmonies style that incorporates softer and more circular movements, and the Eight Steps style, which alters the footwork pattern of the original style. See Section 2.1 for more information on the historical development of Chinese martial arts.
Recommended Skills—Martial Arts Striking, Martial Arts Sweeping, Locking Holds, Adrenal Defense, Adrenal Speed
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—Greater Adrenal Defense [20 points]; Degree 3 Martial Arts Striking attack, Degree 2 Martial Arts Sweeping attack, and Degree 2 Locking Holds attack [10 points]; + 10 bonus to Adrenal Speed maneuvers [5 points]; Three-sectioned staff weapon kata [5 points]; Broadsword weapon kata [5 points]
Special Abilities—This style has a special attack (the Mantis Punch) and a special defense (Stance of the Mantis). In addition, any Adrenal Speed maneuvers only take a 10% preparation action. Finally, if the GM is allowing Chi Power skills, this style allows access to either the Chi Powers: Sticking Touch or Chi Powers: No Shadow Attack skills,
Mantis Punch—The Praying Mantis adept learns how to focus his energy to deliver several precise strikes within one punching attack. The result of this attack is that the opponent will also take an Unbalancing critical of two levels less severity than any critical inflicted by an attack table (same roll). While using this ability, a special modifier of -20 is applied to the OB of the Mantis stylist (to represent the increased control find focus required for executing this technique successfully).
Stance of the Mantis—The Praying Mantis stylist learns how to use his martial arts expertise to maneuver and attack in very close confined spaces. The stylist suffers half the normal penalty for fighting within a cramped or enclosed space (see Section 14.6). In addition, as a result of this close inward stance, all Martial Arts Sweeping attacks against the martial artist suffer an additional -20 modifier due to the stylist's understanding ofstances.
Advanced Martial Arts Style [60 style points]
Description—The Snake style is an ancient Chinese martial art originally developed to help practitioners develop endurance and concentration. It is also an effective fighting art. The Snake style emphasizes controlled breathing and flowing movements that incorporate elaborate finger and hand movements. The movements or forms ofthe Snake style actually resemble the motions of a snake. In comparison to the Cobra style, the Snake style is much more expressive. The adept will coil his body and twist his arms to mimic the motions of the snake. Like the Cobra style, the main attack of the Snake style is hand attacks that strike at the weak points of an opponent, like the throat or eyes. The defensive postures also emphasize avoiding attacks rather than blocking.
When an attacker strikes at the Snake stylist, the Snake stylist is taught to strike the attacker's limb as it comes into range or to quickly sidestep the attack and deliver a pin-point strike of his own. A Snake stylist will almost never trade blows with an opponent. Rather he is taught to attack and retreat to avoid counterstrikes. There are several variants of the Snake style but common to all of these styles are precise strikes and twisting arm motions intended to disguise the true target of the attack.
Unlike flashier martial arts, there are few preparatory stances or threatening gestures in this style. Rather, the Snake stylist will avoid and sidestep attacks until an opportunity presents itself and then quickly and ferociously attack at a weak point. The lack of flamboyant or threatening moves in this martial arts style can be seen as a strength; a foe will not know what style ofmartial artist he is facing until it is most likely too late. See Section 2.1 for more information on the historical development of Chinese martial arts.
Recommended Skills—Martial Arts Striking, Nerve Strikes, Adrenal Defense, Contortions
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—Greater Adrenal Defense [20 points]; Degree 4 Martial Arts Striking attacks and Degree 3 Nerve Strikes attacks [10 points]; Additional martial arts attack [20 points]; +1 to initiative [5points]; Dagger weapon kata [5 points]
Special Abilities—This style has a special attack (Hidden Strike) and a special maneuver (Snake Rising from the Grass). Also, if the GM is allowing Chi Power skills, this style allows access to the Chi Powers: Poison Fist skill.
Hidden Strike—The Snake stylist has spent years learning how to disguise the true target of his attacks. If the martial artist has taken a 20% preparation action in the previous round, he may attempt to make a "Very Hard " static maneuver to mislead his opponent about the true target of his strike this round (against another Snake stylist, the difficulty of this maneuver roll is "Absurd"). If successful, he will gain +6 initiative and +15 OB against the foe.
Snake Rising From the Grass—The Snake stylist can use this maneuver to regain his feet from a prone position with only a 25% activity action. This maneuver is treated as a "Hard" Moving Maneuver. Failure means that the martial artist must expend the normal 50% activity action to regain his feet.
Basic Martial Arts Style [30 style points]
Description—The Tiger style is an ancient Chinese martial art originally developed to strengthen the bones, tendons, and muscles. The Tiger style is a brutal attacking style that uses both powerful kicks and clawing motions. The Tiger stylist is taught to fight ferociously, attacking any unguarded portion of his opponent.
The Tiger style concentrates on hand attacks and powerful kicks. The main hand attack is called the claw of the tiger. The Tiger stylist also practices using his hands to disarm or hold his enemy's weapons to unleash powerful kicking attacks. These attacks emphasize strength and muscular tension in the martial artist.
The Tiger style uses an upright stance with the hands set in the claw of the tiger form. There are many variants of the Tiger style that have been developed throughout the years. Some of the most common variants are the Leopard style, White Tiger style, Imperial Tiger style, and Drunken Tiger style. See Section 2.1 for more information on the historical development of Chinese martialarts.
Recommended Skills—Martial Arts Striking, Martial Arts Sweeping, Adrenal Defense, Disarm Foe (Unarmed), Adrenal Strength
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—Lesser Adrenal Defense [10 points]; Degree 3 Martial Arts Striking attack and Degree 2 Martial Arts Sweeping attack [5 points]; +10 bonus to Adrenal Strength maneuvers [5 points]; +10 OB bonus to Disarm Foe (1 H-edged) maneuvers [10 points]
Special Abilities—This style has a special attack (Claw of the Tiger). In addition, all Adrenal Strength maneuvers only take a 10% preparation round. Finally, if the GM is allowing Chi Power skills, this style allows access to the Chi Powers: Leaping Strike and Chi Powers: Continuous Strikes skills.
Claw of the Tiger—The Tiger stylist may choose to attack on the Claw Attack Table (with a Medium damage threshold) instead of the Martial Arts Striking Attack Table while attacking with this style. The martial artist suffers a special -20 modifier to his OB while using the Claw Attack Table and the Martial Artist must use the lesser of his Martial Arts Striking skill OB or his Tiger Martial Arts Style OB.
Basic Martial Arts Style [30 style points]
Description—This martial art was developed in China and it takes its name from the mechanics it uses to attack. This martial art stresses the use of double attacks that use the momentum and speed generated by each other to overwhelm the defenses ofan opponent. The almost rhythmic nature of the timing of the strikes leads to the name of "Two Instruments" to describe this boxing style. Despite the very aggressive foundation behind the striking techniques used in this style, it remains an internal style that focuses on the use inner energy to provide power behind the blows, A skilled adept of this art can generate an exhausting array of attacks without seeming winded through the judicious use of his inner energy. Refer to Section 2.1 for more information on the historical development of Chinese martial arts.
Recommended Skills—Martial Arts Striking, Martial Arts Sweeping, Adrenal Defense
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—Lesser Adrenal Defense [10 points]; Degree 3 Martial Arts Striking attacks and Degree 2 Martial Arts Sweeping attacks [5 points]; Additional strike (up to Degree 3) [ 15 points]
Special Abilities—if the GM is allowing Chi Power skills, this style allows access to either the Chi Powers: Fists of Iron skill or the Chi Powers: No Shadow Attack skill.
Basic Martial Arts Style [15 style points]
Description—The Wing Chun style was first developed over two hundred years ago. The story behind the founding of this martial art is very interesting. The originator of this style is a woman named Yim Wing Chun who was the daughter of a food merchant. She was very beautiful and due to be wed to her love Leong Bok Chao. A powerful warlord heard of her beauty and demanded that she become one of his wives. Faced with the threat of death, her father agreed to the match. Wing Chun was shocked at the news but became resigned to her fate, she did not want to see her father or her true love die trying to defy the warlord. Fate intervened at this point. Wing Chun encountered Ng Mui a Shaulin nun who had been taught the fighting arts of the crane and the dragon. When Ng Mui heard the unfortunate Wing Chun's story, she decided to help the girl. The nun counseled the young girl to delay the wedding by a year and sum to undergo training in the martial arts. Due to the turmoil in the country at that time, the warlord accepted a delay of a year to break the existing betrothal to her true love, Leong Bok Chao. Wing Chun trained hard in the arts that Ng Mui taught her. For her part, Ng Mui simplified and streamlined the existing martial arts she already knew into this new system. After a year the warlord appeared to claim his bride, the father explained that Wing Chun had studied martial arts since she was young and would refuse to marry any man that could not defeat her in unarmed combat. Sure of his strength the warlord agreed to the challenge. His impulsive rush towards Wing Chun resulted in his defeat and he left in shame. Wing Chun married her true love and the martial art of Wing Chun was born.
There are three basic forms in this martial arts style. The first consists of simple arm blocks and strikes. The second form consists of more advanced blocking techniques that seek to deflect an opponent's attacks rather than match them strength to strength. The basic low kicks of the martial an are introduced as well. The last form teaches the use of finger strikes and other hand forms in attacks. This form also introduces more footwork includ- ing more low kicks and stances. While this martial art may seem very simple to the novice, the experienced martial artist can admire its elegant simplicity.
Recommended Skills—Martial Arts Striking, Martial Arts Sweeping, Adrenal Defense
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—Lesser Adrenal Defense [10 points]; Degree 3 Martial Arts Striking attacks and Degree 2 Martial Arts Sweeping attacks [5 points]
Indonesia has a rich tradition of martial arts based on the system of fighting called pentjak-silat. All of pentjak-silat is evasive. Its normal responses to an attack are quick deceptive movements that seek to avoid direct contact with the opponent's strikes. Nearly all the movements taught in this style of combat may be performed unchanged, either empty-handed or armed. The krisand parang (machete) are blades often used with this fighting system. The penljak-silat stylist is alert and reactive to attacks. Alt pentjak-silat styles are practiced with rhythmic music that serves to heighten the atmosphere during training sessions. Most pentjak-silat movements are based on the movements of animals. The pentjak-silat stylist does not go through warming-up exercises, it is structured so the stylist can react without an opportunity to warm-up. To achieve this degree of readiness, the stylist practices and trains to achieve flexibility and strength. When sparring, the pentjak-silat stylist is taught to view his partner as his "enemy" it; preparation for actual combat. This martial art has more than twenty separate hand forms. Some of the more esoteric hand forms have descriptive names like the arrowhead fist, the beak hand, the tiger's claw fist, and the crane fist. Full-arm extensions during striking are rarely done. The pentjak-silat stylist is wary of locking his arm in a straight line, preferring to stop before his arm is fully extended.
Basic Martial Arts Style [25 style points]
Description—This style of pentjak-silat developed in the coastal area of Sumatra that has firm ground. The Baru stylist concentrates on developing and maintaining secure footholds while fighting. Often during combat, the stylist will dig his feet into the ground to offer a firm foothold. By using his strong footholds, the stylist can attack with great speed and power. This martial arts style uses a good balance of leg and arm tactics to attack opponents. For more information on the history of Indonesian development of martial arts, see Section 2.3.
Recommended Skills—Martial Arts Striking, Martial Arts Sweeping, Adrenal Defense, Adrenal Strength
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—Lesser Adrenal Defense [10 points]; Degree 4 Martial Arts Striking attacks and Degree 3 Martial Arts Sweeping attacks [10 points]; +10 bonus to Adrenal Strength maneuvers [5 points]; Kris weapon kata [5 points]
Basic Martial Arts Style [30 style points]
Description—The uneven and slippery ground found in the region of Sumatra has had a great influence on the development of this martial art. The Harimau (or tiger) fighter considers an upright posture during combat as ineffective it is easily to lose one's balance on the slippery ground. The stylist prefers to get close to the ground. In some cases the stylist hugs the ground, using his legs, arms, and his back, side, or belly for support. The fighter practices attacking from this low posture with powerful kicks and other attacks. He may also spring up quickly at his enemy, surprising him with powerful clawing attacks. For more information on the history of Indonesian development of martial arts, see Section 2.3.
Recommended Skills—Martial Arts Striking, Martial Arts Sweeping, Adrenal Defense, Adrenal Balance
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—Lesser Adrenal Defense [10 points]; Degree 3 Martial Arts Striking attacks and Degree 2 Martial Arts Sweeping attacks [5 points]; +10 bonus to all Adrenal Balance maneuvers [5 points]; +1 to initiative [5 points]; Kris weapon kata [5 points]
Special Abilities—This style has one special maneuver (Balance of the Tiger). In addition, if the GM is allowing Chi Power skills, this style allows access to the skills Chi Powers: Leaping Strike and Chi Powers: Light Feet.
Balance of the Tiger—The Harimau stylist suffers half the normal penalty for fighting on slippery or unstable surfaces (see Section 14.6), In addition any Unbalancing criticals suffered by the stylist while he is using this martial arts style are reduced by one level of severity. If he receives an 'A' Unbalancing critical, resolve as an 'A' critical with a special modification of -20 (modified dice less than 01 result in no extra damage).
Basic Martial Arts Style [30 style points]
Description—The loose and sandy soil found in the region of Sumatra has strongly influenced the development of this martial art. This version of pentjak-silat prefers to use an upright stance. This style uses an effective balance of arm and leg attacks, but often arm strikes only serve to distract the opponent, setting him up for a powerful kick. Stylists sometimes slap a free hand against a thigh or throw sand to distract their foe. The skillful footwork found in this style sets up the powerful leg strikes found in this system. The almost rhythmic movements of this style can lull the opponent to underestimate the fighting skill of the adept. For more information on the history of Indonesian development of martial arts, see Section 2.3.
Recommended Skills—Martial Arts Striking, Martial Arts Sweeping, Adrenal Defense
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—Greater Adrenal Defense [20 points]; Degree 3 Martial Arts Striking attacks and Degree 2 Martial Arts Sweeping attacks [5 points]; Kris weapon kata [5 points]
Special Abilities—If the GM is allowing Chi Power skills, this style allows access to the skill Chi Powers: Light Feet.
This is an overview of a sampling of Japanese martial arts styles.
Basic Martial Arts Style [15 style points]
Description—Ju-jutsu is an ancient Japanese martial art that stresses unarmed techniques. Ju-jutsu includes methods of kicking, striking, throwing, and joint-locking. From within the ju-jutsu forms came the systemized development of striking vital points called atemi. This Japanese system of classifying vital points remained less developed than the Chinese methods due to the restriction of these techniques to the warrior class, which predominately focused its energies on swordmanship. Many different versions of ju-jutsu exist, but they are all considered more defensive than offensive. For more aggressive attacks, most Japanese warriors would use other forms of martial arts. See Section 2.4 for more information on the development of historical Japanese martial arts.
Recommended Skills—Martial Arts Striking, Martial Arts Sweeping, Adrenal Defense
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—Lesser Adrenal Defense [10 points]; Degree 3 Martial Arts Sweeping attacks and Degree 2 Martial Arts Striking attacks [5 points]; +1 initiative while using this style [5 points]
Basic Martial Arts Style [30 style points]
Description—The ancient art of Nin-jutsu covers a wide array of techniques and styles. The focus of the style is reflected in the traditional role of the ninja, who was a trained spy in Japanese feudal society. The ninja used his skills to accomplish his missions, which usually involved spying or sabotage. Nin-jutsu also taught hand-to-hand combat techniques. A ninja was trained early in life to master the many skills required in his training. The first phases of training emphasized balance, mental toughness, endurance, and athletic abilities such as swimming, jumping, and climbing. In later phases, the ninja began to learn to use weapons and practice unarmed combat. Most ninjas were taught the use of the sword, staff, spear, chain, and the shuriken. The final phases of training involved the arts of disguise, camouflage, poison, and map-making. Ninjas were taught to be self-reliant and to act independently over long periods of time.
The unarmed combat of the ninja focused on learning how to deliver punishing attacks to unarmored foes and how to escape capture from more heavily armored guards. Most of the stances and attacks taught to a ninja were very practical and direct. Koppokitsu or bone-breaking techniques were also taught at the advanced levels of training within this martial arts style. See Section 2.4 for more information on the historical development of Japanese martial arts.
Recommended Skills—Martial Arts Striking, Martial Arts Sweeping, Nerve Strikes, Adrenal Defense, Adrenal Strength, Stalking and Hiding, Climbing, Swimming, Contortions, Adrenal Leaping, Adrenal Concentration, Adrenal Balance, Poison Lore, Disguise, Thrown Weapons, Ambush, Sense Ambush
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—lesser Adrenal Defense [10points]; Degree 3 Martial Arts Sinking attacks, Degree 2 Nerve Strikes attacks, and Degree 2 Martial Arts Sweeping attacks [10 points]; +10 bonus to Adrenal Evasion maneuvers [10 points]
Special Abilities—This style has a special maneuver that is signature technique (Yodo Aruki). In addition, if the GM is allowing Chi Power skills, this style allows access to the skills of Chi Powers: Falling Leaf, Chi Powers: Hold Breath, Chi Powers: Light Feet, Chi Powers: Lizard's Climb, and Chi Powers: Resist Elements
Yodo Aruki ("Sideways Walking")—The ninja learns how to walk quickly with unique steps and foot motions to avoid easy tracking by guards. Those unfamiliar with these techniques suffer -30 to any Tracking maneuvers made against the ninja.
Basic Martial Arts Style [25 style points]
Description—The art of sumai is an ancient Japanese form of wrestling that is today known as Sumo. Sumo also relies on close quarter grappling but is much less danger- ous than its ancient precursor. Sumai uses grappling in conjunction with kicking, butting, and striking attacks. The sumai attacks are based on strength and weight rather than many martial arts techniques that emphasize speed and mobility, Sumai is designed to knock one's opponent to the ground where they may be trampled. The martial artist uses his hips and legs to throw his opponent off balance, then immobilizing or dispatching his foe with a small blade slipped into the gaps of the armor. Sumai is practiced standing with an emphasis on wide, powerful stances. See Section 2.4 for more information on the historical development of Japanese martial arts.
Recommended Skills—Martial Arts Striking, Martial Arts Sweeping, Adrenal Strength, Adrenal Toughness, Stunned Maneuvering
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—Degree 3 Martial Arts Sweeping attacks and Degree 2 Martial Arts Striking attacks [5 points]; +10 bonus to Adrenal Strength [5 points]; +15 bonus to Stunned Maneuvering [10 points]; +5 bonus to Adrenal Toughness maneuvers [10 points]
Special Abilities—This style has a special defense (Rooted in Earth). In addition, all Adrenal Strength and Adrenal Toughness maneuvers take only a 10% preparation action. Finally, if the GM is allowing Chi Power skills, this style allows access to the skills of Chi Powers: Resist Pain and Chi Powers: Invulnerability.
Rooted in Earth—The Sumai stylist has learned to keep his balance and stance no matter how fierce the blows against him, As a result, alt successful Adrenal Toughness maneuvers may reduce any Grappling or Unbalancing criticals against the adept by two levels of severity.
Korean martial arts have traditionally focused on empty-handed techniques for fighting. The unarmed fighting systems listed here represent only a small sampling of Korean martial arts. For some more information on Korea, refer to Section 2.5.
Advanced Martial Arts Style [60 style points]
Description—Hwarang-do is an ancient Korean martial art. It is also a healing art. The original system was conceived by a Buddhist priest and taught to the young members of the royal family and other nobles. Collectively these men were known as the hwarang, their ranks included famous generals and leaders who inspired the rest of the country with their deeds. The name hwarang-do means "way of the flowering manhood" and its members followed a code of ethics that promoted loyalty to country and parents, trust and brotherhood between friends, courage, andjustice. During the Yi Dynasty, the teaching of this art was discouraged and its masters and practitioners retreated to remote monasteries in the mountains to continue their teachings. This continued until 1960 when the first public school was opened in Korea.
The study of this martial art encompasses the development of inner energy through meditation and breathing. The fighting techniques of this system are complex, involving thousands of different combinations. For example, over three hundred separate styles of kicks are taught. More advanced training teaches the use of pressure points and joint locking. The adept of this style also strives to develop his inner energy to increase his awareness of his surroundings. Also important in this martial art is the study of the healing arts. Since the practitioner of hwarang-do is required to have an advanced knowledge of the human body to use some of the advanced attacking techniques, he also studies the ways to heal the body. Herbal medicine, bone setting, acupuncture, and other traditional medicines are taught to the hwarang-do adept. For more information on Korea and Korean martial arts, refer to Section 2.5.
Recommended Skills—Martial Arts Striking, Martial Arts Sweeping, Nerve Strikes, Locking Holds, Adrenal Defense, Adrenal Strength, Meditation, First Aid, Prepare/Use Herbs
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—Greater Adrenal Defense [20 points]; Degree 4 Martial Arts Striking attacks, Degree 3 Nerve Strikes attacks, Degree 2 Martial Arts Sweeping attacks, and Degree 2 Locking Holds attacks [20 points]; All-Around Attack [10 points]; +10 bonus to all Adrenal Strength maneuvers [5 points]; Broadsword weapon kata [5 points]
Special Abilities—If the GM is allowing Chi Power skills, this style allows access to the skills Chi Powers; Buddha's Palm, Chi Powers: Sense Weakness, and Chi Powers: Resist Elements,
Basic Martial Arts Style [30 style points]
Description—Tae kwon do is a martial art that emphasizes using the entire body to attack. Punching, jumping kicks, blocks, and dodges are all used in this martial art. Training consists of practicing the attack and defense forms and hardening the body. This unarmed combat system still survives to present day. For more information on Korea and Korean martial arts, refer to Section 2.5.
Recommended Skills—Martial Arts Striking, Martial Arts Sweeping, Nerve Strikes, Adrenal Defense, Adrenal Leaping
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—Lesser Adrenal Defense [10 points]; Degree 4 Martial Arts Striking attacks, Degree 2 Martial Arts Sweeping attacks, and Degree 1 Nerve Strikes attacks [10 points]; +1 initiative bonus [5 points]; +10 bonus to all Adrenal Leaping maneuvers [5 points]
Special Abilities—If the GM is allowing Chi Power skills, this style allows access to the skill of Chi Powers: Leaping Strike.
Okinawa has a long history of martial arts. It is ideally situated between mainland China and Japan and as a result has benefited from ideas and techniques from both countries.
Basic Martial Arts Style [30 style points]
Description—Karate is an aggressive martial art that seeks to disable an opponent as quickly as possible. Karate emphasizes kicks and strikes in extensive training to improve strength, speed, and flexibility. Primarily front and side kicks are emphasized, though flying or jumping kicks are also taught. Blocking techniques emphasize deflecting strikes or stopping them directly to set the opponent up for a fierce counter-attack. Many unique weapons have also been introduced into forms of karate, some of which include the nunchaku, sai, tonfa, and kama. See Section 2.6 for information on Okinawan martial arts.
Recommended Skills—Martial Arts Striking, Martial Arts Sweeping, Nerve Strikes, Adrenal Defense
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—Lesser Adrenal Defense [10 points]; Degree 4 Martial Arts Striking attacks, Degree 2 Martial Arts Sweeping attacks, and Degree 1 Nerve Strikes attacks [10 points]; Nunchaku weapon kata [5 points]; Reduce nunchaku fumble range by 1 [5 points]
European cultures did not develop fighting systems to as high a degree as Asian cultures. As a result, the style points ranges for European martial arts styles may be reduced from the original ranges given for the skills in Section 9.1.
Optional Rule [Core]: When designing European martial arts styles, Basic Martial Arts Styles range from 0 to 20 style points and Advanced Martial Arts Styles range from 21 to 40 style points.
Basic Martial Arts Style [15 style points]
Description—Savate is a French form of unarmed combat that focuses on leg and fool attacks. The influence of English style boxing eventually added some more effective hand strikes. This martial art was not followed as a primary form of combat. It was seen as a gentleman's sport that was used for exercise, sparring, and self-defense when a weapon was not available. This martial art also incorporated the use of the gentleman's walking cane or stick into its attack and defense techniques.
Recommended Skills—Martial Arts Striking, Feint
Martial Arts Abilities [Core]—Degree 2 Martial Arts Striking attacks [0 points]; +10 OB bonus to Feint maneuvers while using this style [10 points]; Club weapon kata while using this style [5 points]
The Chi Powers skills are an optional set of skills for use with this companion. The purpose of Chi Powers skills is to represent the incredible feats that have been associated with martial artists. The Chi Powers skills are presented in three levels of power Core, Heroic, and Fantastic. Not all the Chi Powers skills may be appropriate for the Gamemaster's game (each Gamemaster should evaluate each skill to determine its fate in his world).
If a player or Gamemaster wishes to develop new Chi Powers skills, keep in mind several guidelines that were used in the creation of all the Chi Powers skills presented in this companion. No Chi Powers skills give automatic combat capabilities to unskilled practitioners. These skills are used in concert with other combat skills that the wielder possesses. All Chi Powers skills require a significant investment in time and effort to learn. No Chi Powers skill should create a spell effect that is greater than an average 10th level spell presented in Spell Law.
A Chi Powers skill is developed after instruction in the secret techniques needed to cultivate the specific power, and then is further developed by the student undergoing a rigorous training regimen that may take many years to complete. The effects of Chi Powers skills should be considered as magical in nature and thus should be detectable by users of magic or possibly even with Power Perception static maneuvers.
The following two examples are taken from actual training methods used by martial artists in ancient China for the development of incredible skills. In ancient China there are recorded descriptions of the training practices followed by martial artists to develop their chi powers, the time required for complete mastery of a single technique could be anywhere from five to twenty years ofcontinuous training. This brief section is designed to give the Gamemaster some ideas of how characters in his campaign might train to develop Chi Powers. The word kung used in the titles of these samples is Chinese and loosely means "method of training." Both of the examples given show ways that characters might develop the Chi Powers: Distance Strike skill. See Section 2.1 for further information on the historical development of Chinese martial arts.
The Red Sand Palm Kung allows the adept to make motions of striking an opponent with his palm from a distance and directly injure his target through the force of the adept's Chi, In most cases, death will result in a matter of weeks.
Initially the training begins with a basin of very fine red sand. The student trains by scooping up the fine sand with both of his hands and closing his palms together while he attempts to crush the grains of sand. The student will practice this exercise for hours every day until, after years of continuous training, the student can cause the fine sand to move without touching it while holding his hands at a distance of several inches. The student would then repeat this training with coarser sand until he could achieve the same results at a distance of roughly one foot. Next the student would replace the sand with small iron beads and follow the same process. After success was achieved with the beads, larger iron balls would be placed in the basin. When a student is finally able to cause an iron ball to jump out of the basin by merely rubbing his palms sharply over the basin, he will have achieved mastery ofthis skill. At this point, the new adept can now focus his power to injure an opponent from a distance.
The One Finger Kung seeks to achieve effects similar to the Red Sand Palm Kung. In this form of training, the student begins by attempting to move a large iron bell by pressing it with one finger. After continuous practice, the student is soon able to make the iron bell move with only the lightest touch. The next goal of the student is to practice this exercise until he can make the iron bell move from a distance of several feet by merely pointing at it with his finger. The final stage of the bell training involves the student practicing until he can cause the clapper to ring inside the iron bell without the bell moving.
The next stage of training involves attempting to extinguish the flame of a lighted candle from a distance often to twenty feet away. When the student can accomplish this feat, a glass lantern with a lit candle inside is substituted for the final phase of training. When the student reaches a level of mastery at which he can extinguish the candle without breaking the glass of the lantern, he will have achieved mastery of this skill. At this advanced level of skill, an opponent can be injured even if a door or other obstacle stood in one's way.
Each new Chi Powers skill is detailed in this section. Following the skill name, the recommended power level (Core, Heroic, or Fantastic) for each skill is shown in brackets. These are suggestions for the Gamemaster and may not be suitable for all campaigns. Only the new Chi Powers skills are shown in each category.
Standard Skills: Chi Powers Lore
Restricted Skills: None
Applicable Stat Bonuses: Me/Re/Me
Skill Rank Progression: Standard
Skill Category Progression: Standard
Group: Lore
Classification: Static Maneuver
This skill provides a bonus for recognizing and knowing the capabilities of chi powers. In addition, this skill also illuminates some of the esoteric training techniques used to develop chi powers. Successful use of this skill will allow the user to be able to observe whether chi powers are being used. {Me}
Standard Skills: Chi Powers: Cloth Lance, Chi Powers: Leaping Strike
Restricted Skills: Chi Powers: Sticking Touch
Applicable Stat Bonuses: Ag/Qu/SD
Skill Rank Progression: Combined
Skill Category Progression: 0 • 0 • 0 • 0 • 0
Group: Martial Arts
Classification: Static Maneuver, Special, and OB
The character learns how to spin a wet ten-foot length of cloth rapidly enough to serve as a weapon. The tightly wound cloth can serve as a staff. The wieider of the cloth lance can attack on the Quarterstaff attack table. The wielder can also release the tension in the cloth to attack on the Three-Sectioned Staff attack table. {Ag}
The character learns how to focus his internal energy to make incredible leaping and tumbling attacks. Upon a successful use of this skill, the character may cover up to 30' through a series of leaps and rolls and attack an opponent with no penalty to his OB. This skill requires a 20% preparation action in the previous round. {Ag}
The character learns to synchronize his movements with his target's actions. A successful static maneuver will allow the character to move in concert with his opponent's every move. Any attempt by the character to stay in contact with his opponent is considered to automatically be successful. If his opponent moves in a way that the character physic ally cannot move, the sticking touch is broken. {Em}
Standard Skills: Chi Powers: Hold Breath, Chi Powers: No Shadow Attack, Chi Powers: Resist Elements, Chi Powers: Resist Pain
Restricted Skills: Chi Powers: Falling Leaf, Chi Powers: Fantastic Leap, Chi Powers: Light Feet, Chi Powers: Lizard's Climb, Chi Powers: Sense Weakness
Applicable Stat Bonuses: SD/Pr/SD
Skill Rank Progression: Standard
Skill Category Progression: Standard
Group: None
Classification: Static Maneuver
The character learns to focus the power of his mind to accomplish incredible feats of levitation. A successful static maneuver will allow the character to reduce the severity of a fall by his skill bonus times two in feet. The severity of a fall may never be reduced below that of a 1' fall. A 20% activity action is required the round after the fall to recover (assuming the character is alive and conscious). {Em}
Example: If a character has a bonus of +45 and makes a successful static maneuver to use this skill, he may take 90' off the distance of any fall. If the character is facing a fall of 110' he may treat it as a fall of 20' (110-90). If the character is facing a fall of 12', he may treat it as a fall of only 1' (the minimum distance afall can be reduced to with this skill).
The character learns to focus his power to accomplish incredible leaps. A successful static maneuver allows the user to leap up to 20' horizontally or 15' vertically. This skill requiresa 20% preparation action in the previous round. {Ag}
Normally, a character can hold his breath for 5 rounds plus his temporary Constitution stat (not bonus) divided by 10. Thus, a charac ter with a 90 temporary Constitution stat can hold his breath for 14 rounds (or just around two and a half minutes). The character can make a static maneuver to increase the amount of time he can hold his breath. If the maneuver is successful, he can hold his breath up to twice as long as normal. This skill requires a 20% preparation action in the round prior to holding breath. {SD}
The character learns to focus the power of his mind to make his steps light and quick. A successful static maneuver will allow the character to run on snow, sand, or a similar unstable surface without a movement penalty due to terrain. Also, the character can avoid any applicable penalties associated with fighting on these types of terrain. {Ag}
The character learns to climb vertical walls with his back facing the wall. A successful static maneuver allows the user to make a Climbing maneuver with only half the normal activity required. This skill requires a 20% preparation action in the round prior to climbing, {SD}
The character learns how to focus his internal energy to deliver lightning-quick attacks to his opponent. A successful static maneuver allows the character to roll an additional die for initiative. The character may choose which die to use for his initiative roll. This skill requires a 10% preparation action in the previous round. {Qu}
The character can ignore effects of normal heat and cold through the use of this skill. In addition, the character can make a static maneuver to gain a bonus of +20 to RRs versus magical fire and cold attacks. To gain this benefit, this skill requires active concentration by the character (e.g., a 50% action) while it is being used. The character will expend exhaustion at double the normal rate while using this skill (whenexhausted, this skill cannot be used). Examples of normal ranges of heat and cold that can be resisted through the use of this skill would be walking on hot coals or ignoring the effects of near zero temperatures. {SD}
The character can make a static maneuver to ignore the effects of pain. If the maneuver is successful, the character may ignore any penalties from loss of concussion hits for 10 minutes per point of Constitution bonus (with a minimum of 10 minutes). This skill requires a 20% preparation action in the previous round. {SD}
The character learns to sense weak spots in his opponent's defenses. A 40% preparation action is required to attempt to sense the vulnerable spot. A successful static maneuver will allow the character to possibly inflict more damage on a successful attack in the following round. The character may re-roll any one critical inflicted in an attack made in the following round. If the critical is re-rolled, the character must abide by the result of the second roll {In}
Standard Skills: Chi Powers: Continuous Strikes
Restricted Skills: Chi Powers: Buddha's Palm, Chi Powers: Distance Strike, Chi Powers: Fists of Iron, Chi Powers: Elemental Fist, Chi Powers: Poison Fist
Applicable Stat Bonuses: St/Ag/SD
Skill Rank Progression: Combined
Skill Category Progression: 0 • 0 • 0 • 0 • 0
Group: None
Classification: Static Maneuver and Offensive Bonus
The character learns how to focus the internal energy of his body to strike an opponent with this deadly attack. This skill requires a 30% preparation round to focus and marshal the internal energy needed. Upon a successful static maneuver, the character may severely disrupt an opponent's internal energy. If, in the following round, the character makes a successful unarmed attack, his opponent receives a special negative modifier to all Chi Powers and Self Control maneuvers. For each level of critical inflicted by the martial arts attack, a special -20 modifier is applied to the opponent (e.g., a 'C' critical would result in a special -60 modifier to the opponent). This negative penalty reduces by 10 points per round after it is first inflicted (to a minimum of 0). {None}
The character learns how to use his inner energy to lengthen the duration of his attacks. This skill requires a 60% preparation action. On the round after this preparation (with a successful static maneuver), the minimum percentage activity needed for a melee attack is halved (to 30% for melee attacks and 15% for missile attacks). {Qu}
The character learns to project the force of his attacks without making physical contact with his opponent. If the static maneuver is successful, the character may make a normal melee attack with his chosen melee weapon or martial arts attack. The opponent may not parry this strike (but all other defensive bonuses apply). See the chart below for other modifiers. This skill requires a 40% preparation action in the previous round. {Em}
| DISTANCE STRIKE MODIFIERS | |
|---|---|
| Range to target | -2 per 1' |
| Striking through an interposing object | -70 |
The character learns to summon the power of the elements while attacking. A successful static maneuver allows the user to inflict an additional elemental critical (Cold, Heat, Electricity, or Impact) of equal severity each time he attacks with an unarmed attack. This skill requires a 40% preparation action in the previous round. This skill must be developed separately for each type of element. {Em}
The character learns how to focus the power of his mind into his attacks. A successful static maneuver allows the user to resolve all unarmed martial arts attacks during that combat round on the Mace Attack Table. This skill requires a 20% preparation action in the previous round. The damage threshold of the Degree being used by the martial artist also modifies his OB (as shown in the chart below). {Pr}
| FISTS OF IRON MODIFIERS | |
|---|---|
| Degree 1 attack OB | -60 |
| Degree 2 attack OB | -40 |
| Degree 3 attack OB | -20 |
| Degree 4 attack OB | 0 |
The character learns how to channel his inner power to deliver punishing damage to an opponent. This skill requires a special 30% preparation round to focus the internal energy necessary. Upon a successful static maneuver, the character's next unarmed attack in the following round will cause his opponent to suffer a debilitating injury. The opponent suffers a special -10 modifier to all skills and maneuvers for each level of critical inflicted by the unarmed attack (e.g., a 'C' critical would result in a special -30 modifier to the opponent). This negative penalty remains for one round for each concussion hit of damage delivered with the attack. This skill does not effect magical creatures or opponents with the Large or Super Large critical type. {Em}
Standard Skills: Chi Powers: Invincible Stance
Restricted Skills: Chi Powers: Invulnerability, Chi Powers: Rise of the Phoenix
Applicable Stat Bonuses: St/Ag/SD
Skill Rank Progression: Combined
Skill Category Progression: 0 • 0 • 0 • 0 • 0
Group: None
Classification: Static Maneuver and Offensive Bonus
The character that masters this skill learns how to use his own inner power to resist the effects of other Chi Powers skills. Any Chi Powers skill that someone attempts to use against him, suffers a special penally equal to the number of skill ranks the character possesses in this skill. {None}
This skill allows the character to focus his inner energy to resist attacks. The type of attack that this skill resists must be chosen when this skill is first developed (e.g., Edged weapons, Concussion weapons, Unarmed attacks, etc.). The character can harden his body to this type of attack through practice and inner strength. This skill requires taking a 20% preparation action in the round immediately prior to the use of this skill (or during the snap action phase of the same round). Then the character must make a static maneuver. If successful, the individual may half the concussion damage delivered from the attack and reduce the severity of any critical by two levels of severity. If the critical result is an 'A' critical, treat it as an 'A' critical modified by -40 (modified rolls less than zero result in no effect). If the critical result is a 'B' critical, resolve it as an 'A' critical modified by -20 (modified rolls less than zero result in no effect). {None}
The character learns how to summon the power and strength of the legendary phoenix into his body. This skill requires a special 40% preparation action in the round immediately prior to the use of this skill (or during the snap action phase of the same round). Upon a successful static maneuver, the character may temporarily ignore the effects of any one critical that he has received. The character may delay the effect of this critical for up to two rounds per point of Self Discipline stat bonus (with a minimum of two rounds).
This section outlines the new options available for character creation in RMSS using this companion. Some guidelines for including martial arts skills in the Adolescent development stage are briefly stated. For those players their who wish to use new talents and flaws, new tables are introduced that focus on the martial arts. Some character concepts that fit well into martial arts are briefly profiled to spark player or Gamemaster imaginations. In addition a number of random tables for generation of martial arts organizations and teachers are included in the next section to make the Gamemaster's job even easier.
The stats, potential stats, and stat bonuses use the same generation rules as presented in RMSS. The determination of race and culture remains the same as presented in RMSS. The determination of profession remains the same as in RMSS.
Example: Melissa is generating a new character far a campaign. Having just read through the contents of this companion, she decides that she wishes to make a Warrior Monk character. This campaign is using the point total character creation method, and Melissa has 660 points available to spend. Melissa chooses to play a Common Man culture in the campaign world that is known for its knowledge of martial arts. Noting that the prime requisites for the Warrior monk are Quickness and Self Discipline, Melissa decides to spend her points asfollows (potentials are in brackets, fallowed by total modification far stats):Melissa has the foundations of a strong character here. Melissa decides her Warrior monk character will be known as Ming Te, the Ginger Blossom.
Stat Value Stat
ModRace
ModTotal
ModAG 90 [95] +5 = +5 CO 75 [92] +2 = +2 ME 65 [84] = 0 RE 55 [82] = 0 SD 90 [100] +5 +2 = +7 EM 25 [64] -2 = -2 IN 35 [68] = 0 PR 55 [94] = 0 QU 92 [93] +6 = +6 ST 76 [89] +2 +2 = +4
With the advent of many new martial arts skills in this companion, players and Gamemasters may wish to allow a certain race or culture to gain martial arts skills during adolescence to reflect a race's or culture's preoccupation with martial arts. This is acceptable as long as only non-Restricted skills are taken. Remember during adolescence development that characters are assumed to be products of their race and culture and not of their profession. Therefore any martial arts skills granted during adolescent development are representative of the expertise of the race or culture in its entirety. A balanced solution is to allow a race or culture with a high degree of integration with the martial arts to gain martial arts skills as hobby ranks.
Example (continued) Melissa decides that her character, Ming Te, comes from a region in the campaign world that has a great knowledge of the martial arts. The Gamemaster decides to model her character's culture as a Ruralman culture with the following additional standard hobby skills: Meditation, Martial Arts Strikes, Martial Arts Sweeps, Basic Martial Arts Style, Adrenal Concentration, Adrenal Leaping, and Martial Arts Lore.
Melissa has 12 hobby ranks to spend and she decides to spend them as follows: Acrobatics 1, Climbing 1, Cooking 1, Dancing 1, Stalking 1, Swimming 1, Weapon Skill 1, Martial Arts Strikes 2, Martial Arts Sweeps 1, Basic Martial Arts Style 1, Martial Arts Lore 1.
Some new background options are available to characters created using this companion.
In addition to the normal background options as listed in RMSR, there are a number of new background options available to the martial artist. A player can choose to roll on the Martial Arts Talents Chart instead of the normal talent tables provided in RMSR. See Section 11.3.3 and 11.3.4 for the Martial Arts Talents and Flaws charts.
If you decide to use the Talent Law point-based system instead of RMSR's background options, Talent point costs are also included for each new talent and flaw included in this companion.
For one background option (or 10 Talent Points if using Talent Law), the character may choose to purchase a single training package at half cost. The training package will be learned in half the normal amount of time as well. This is a one-time bonus; if the training package is purchased again, it must be purchased at full cost and will require the full amount of time to learn. See Section 18.0 for the new training packages introduced in this companion.
Roll on this chart (or use the point totals in brackets if using Talent Law). If the player is not using Talent Law, treat the talents listed here as Major Talents for purposes of determining the cost of the talent in background options.
Roll on this chart, or use the point totals if you are using Talent Law.
If players have picked flaws that do not actually restrict their characters in any real way, the Gamemaster should feel free to have the player roll for another flaw or choose one for them. There is nothing wrong with allowing players to change flaws during the course of the campaign, but a flaw should always be detrimental to a character in some "real" way. The flaws listed here correspond to Major Flaws if Talent Law is not being used.
Example (continued) Melissa has 6 background options to spend (or 60 talent points if using Talent Law), She chooses to spend her points as follows?
She spends three background points to select the Inner Chi talent and rolls far her randomly selected flaw that turns out to be the Family Enemy flaw. She spends a background option to gain extra languages since her character will be from a foreign culture compared to the rest of the party. She spends another background option to gain a special +5 bonus in the Martial Arts Combat Maneuvers skill category. Her last background option she spends to half the cost and time of the Martial Arts Opera Performer training package.
Apprenticeship character development remains unchanged from RMSS. This companion includes new training packages for characters who wish to specialize in the martial arts.
The martial artist can use any of the standard training packages presented in RMSR except for the Martial Artist and Weapon Master training packages, which have been revised in this companion. See Section 18.0 for the new training packages introduced in this companion.
It is very important to determine a character's role within the campaign. The ideas presented in this section do not target how to use the rules or skills to your best advantage when creating a character who uses martial arts. Rather, they concentrate on creating good character concepts that will be fun to play campaign. Here are some sample character concepts for martial artists. They are meant to serve as inspiration for player characters as well as non-player characters (NPCs).
When you first started training in the martial arts, you were interested in learning how to make yourself more powerful. Finally after years of training, you have reached one of the highest levels of accomplishment in your chosen martial art. However, you no longer have the desire to fight others to prove your strength and power. The more you learned about the natural functions of the body and how to heal it, the more fascinated you became. Your master recognized your interest and began to teach you the deeper secrets of the body. Your calm and unruffled demeanor hides a great martial arts talent, but you are more interested in avoiding combat than showing your prowess.
Quote: "I am sorry I had to do that to you but you would not listen. Sit still and I will get some medicine to fix your arm—at least it is a clean break. Whoever taught you to lunge with a knife in that manner?"
The healer is an interesting type of character concept to play. It couples the aggressive nature of the martial arts skills presented in this companion with an enlightened restraint. This character concept allows for a lot of fun role playing opportunities. Interestingly enough, traditionally skilled martial arts masters were also the local doctors of their communities due to their advanced knowledge of the body.
Since you were little you have always been afraid of others and confrontation. Admitting your fear to yourself, you then set out to become the best fighter you could possibly become. You never act in a manner to give offense, even though your martial arts skills are very advanced. If you are forced to defend yourself, you attack without mercy until your foes have fallen. Most of your opponents do not last long, victims of both your skill and their overconfidence.