Another Martial Arts Thread

[Sabre]

I've had more than a few martial arts buffs in my game (and I'm kind of one myself), so ever since I got my copy of Rules of Engagement years ago, I've been tinkering with martial arts fighting systems in the Star Wars universe. For those of you unfamiliar with Rules of Engagement (RoE), you may want to find a copy of that manual as I will only post a portion of the rules from there in this thread.

A few changes came to mind almost immediately after running the rules direct from RoE:
~ Martial Arts does NOT work as a specialization. I treat any Martial Arts style as its own skill--like in Metabarons (Which I bought for the D6yness rather than the setting). Like Force skills, the advancement cost doubles without a teacher, and techniques are not learned automatically with every D without a teacher.
~ Using most of the optional rules is advisable. Those rules are:
--Character Points cannot be used for Martial Arts skill rolls (FPs can)
--Martial Arts can be used for attack and defense.
--Available Techniques can be limited through 'style packages'. Purchasing outside techniques costs 10 CP per technique (I changed the cost to reflect how some techniques are more valuable/more difficult to learn than others, see below).

I will use the following template to describe the new styles

Style Name:
Meta Story: (how I came up with the style)
SW Story: The origen and description of the style.

Some of the techniques are too powerful for starting characters to reasonably know. To limit this, I've added 'strata' which is like the belt systems used in many Japanese and Korean martial arts.

Strata: (name of strata) (Skill level requirement in D)
Block: A defensive technique
Instant: An instant effect technique
Kick: Kicks or footwork techniques
Punch: Striking techniques (not necessarily with the hands)
Acrobatic: Techniques involving jumping, etc.
Special Attack: Techniques that don't fit any other category or are additional to another technique in the strata.

You can add or remove technique slots within a style. A sample style based on the techniques list from RoE would look like this:

Special Forces Unarmed style aka SpecFu
Meta Story: This is just all the techniques from the RoE book with my system overlayed onto it.
SW Story: Rebel Special Forces never know what to expect on a mission, and sometimes they find themselves mixing it up in close with no suitable weapons, or out of ammo in hostile territory, or needing to take down a target quietly or with minimal force. To meet these needs, specforce sergeants pieced together a modern fighting system based on numerous styles common throughout the galaxy.
---------------------------------------------
Strata: Basic, Cost per move: Free w MA
Block: Use Martial Arts when parrying
Instant Effect: None
Kick: From STR+2 to STR +1D
Punch: From STR+1 to STR +2
Acrobatic: None
Special Attack: None
---------------------------------------------
Strata: Beginner, Cost Per Move: 5 CP, 2D
Block: None
Instant Effect: Instant Stun
Kick: Spinning Kick
Punch: Elbow Smash
Acrobatic: Instant Stand
Special Attack: Disarm
---------------------------------------------
Strata: Novice, Cost Per Move: 7 CP, 4D
Block: Reversal
Instant Effect: Hold/Grapple
Kick: Foot Sweep
Punch: Headbutt
Acrobatic: None
Special Attack: Shoulder Throw
---------------------------------------------
Strata: Intermediate, Cost Per Move: 9 CP, 6D
Block: None
Instant Effect: Instant Knockdown
Kick: None
Punch: Flip
Acrobatic: Flying Kick
Special Attack: None
---------------------------------------------
Strata: Advanced, Cost Per Move: 11 CP, 7D
Block: Weapon Block
Instant Effect: Instant Wound
Kick: None
Punch: Multiple Strikes
Acrobatic: None
Special Attack: None
---------------------------------------------
Strata: Master, Cost Per Move: 15 CP, 8D
Block: Power Block
Instant Effect: Silent Strike
Kick: None
Punch: Nerve Punch
Acrobatic: None
Special Attack: Blindfighting

Some clarifications at this point:
Learning from outside styles: Double the CP Cost per move for the strata of the style you are learning the technique from. To learn advanced or master level techniques from another style, you must have at least 4D of skill in that style as well as a level of D equal to master rank in your own style or the style you are attempting to learn from (whichever is higher)

Disarm - A disarmed opponent may not use the weapon they lost in the round they are disarmed (although they may attempt to recover it at the expense of all further actions).

Silet Strike - Represents an attack on a surprised opponent. This technique may not be used against an opponent who is aware of the attacker. Alien species with Natural Armor require a moderate al

Some styles may have attribute level requirements, or additional penalties or bonuses. Further style examples are forthcoming.

[Sabre]

Style: Mua Shuum

Mua Shuum was created as detail for a group of Ithorians I used to populate the planet Zog located in my homebrew sector. It was used by a couple of my players and on some NPCs and characters I never got around to playing.

In the days of the Sith, an ideology arose on Ithor which rejected complete pacifism and held that harming other creatures in self-defense was acceptable. Representatives from the standard Ithorian philosophy met with these radicals, and in the end both parties agreed that exile was a just solution to their differences. The exiles from Ithor eventually settled on the planet Zog in the distant Shrikatti sector. It was these limited pacifists who developed the fighting style known as Mua Shuum--for while they believed in the right to self-defense, they still thought it best to disable rather than kill one's opponents. Mua Shuum is most effective when fighting only one target as most of its best moves are holds. Mua Shuum can be Strengh or Dexterity based. Mua Shuum practitioners are forbidden the use of killing weapons (blasters, vibroblades, etc.) against any living thing. All practitioners vow not to teach Mua Shuum until attaining mastery level, at which point they learn the ultimate defensive move of Mua Shuum 'Soul Read'. Masters use this skill to determine if a potential apprentice has used killing weapons since taking the vows of the art, and will refuse to teach anyone who has broken their vows. It is impossible to learn new skills beyond the intermediate strata without instruction from a master, and the cost of increasing Mua Shuum doubles again beyond the cost of regular martial arts if the student has no teacher.

---------------------------------------------
Strata: Basic Cost per move: Free w Mua Shuum
Block: Use Brawl (S) MUA SHUUM to parry
Instant Effect: Instant Stun - E
Kick: STR+2
Punch: STR+1
Acrobatic: None
Special Attack: +5 when defending, -2 when attacking
---------------------------------------------
Strata: Beginner, Cost Per Move: 5 CP, 3D
Block: Defensive posture: Add additional 1D to block. This is the only action that may be performed this round.
Instant Effect: Instant Knockdown-M
Kick: Trip-M A surprise maneuver that, like Instant Knockdown, causes target to lose all actions for the remainder of the round. Target must beat the martial artists roll with an awareness/PER check and a reaction check. If the opponent has Instant Stand, they may use it to negate Trip.
Punch: None
Acrobatic: Instant Stand-E
Special Attack: Disarm-M (Must be countered with Brawl Parry or Brawl Style)
---------------------------------------------
Strata: Novice, Cost Per Move: 10 CP, 5D
Block: Catch (Block and put opponent in hold/grapple)
Instant Effect: Instant Stun x 2
Kick: Foot Sweep-M
Punch: None
Acrobatic: Leg Tangle (From ground or when grappled, trip opponent)
Special Attack: Hold/Grapple-M plus O STR
---------------------------------------------
Strata: Intermediate, Cost Per Move: 12 CP, 6D
Block: Weapon Parry-O
Instant Effect: Reversal-O (STR or BRAWL may be used)
Kick: None
Punch: Knockback-Knocks an opponent back equal to one full move. Opponent must dodge this move rather than blocking it to fully negate its effect. In game terms, an opposing roll is made. If the defense roll beats the attack by 5-0, the attack is merely blocked and the opponent suffers the knockback effect. If the attack roll is greater than the defense roll, the defender is knocked back and suffers a dazed result. If the defense roll beats the attack by 6 or more, the attack is dodged and no effect is suffered.
Acrobatic: Tackle-O (Knockdown and immediately hold/grapple any enemy within 1 full move)
Special Attack: Blindfighting-VD
---------------------------------------------
Strata: Advanced, Cost Per Move: 15 CP, 7D
Block: Defensive posture: All attacks -10, all defenses +10 while declared.
Instant Effect: Incapacitate-D (Instantly inflict unconsciousness on an opponent for a number of rounds equal to a mua shuum roll minus the target's stamina roll)
Kick: None
Punch: Multiple Knockdowns - Mua Shuum practitioner may make one roll to apply the instant knockdown skill to all opponents within 1/2 move. All affected opponents may roll brawl parry or martial arts to resist. Opponents gain +1 to their defense roll per target beyond the first affected by this attack.
Acrobatic: None
Special Attack: Nerve Punch -VD
---------------------------------------------
Strata: Master, Cost Per Move: 18 CP, 9D+
Block: Read Soul-O. A Mua Shuum master can read their opponent's moves before they make them! The obvious use for this is to react to the enemy before they even begin to make their move. The effect is +20 to all defense rolls (including ranged or even vehicle reaction skills) if the master is successful in assessing their opponent's attack patterns. Read Soul can also be used against Con rolls or as part of an Interrogation or Persuasion skill check, or other skills based on communication as the GM sees fit. In cases where read soul is used to read something other than a fighting style (con, interroagation, etc.) Mua shuum may be substituted for the normal skill OR (exclusive OR) Mua Shuum master may take a +2D bonus to the regular skill check. Players who accumulate more than three dark side points lose the ability to empathize with the target enough to use this skill.
Instant Effect: Immobilize-VD. Completely immobilize target. If target's STR is users's STR+3D or less, the target may not make an opposed STR roll to break immobilize. User may roll Mua Shuum instead of STR to keep stronger targets immobilized. May not immobilize targets of greater scale. (IE: Ithorian vs Rancor)
Kick:
Punch: Multi-Daze - Mua Shuum practitioner may make one roll to apply the 'instant daze twice' skill to all opponents within 1/2 move. All affected opponents may roll brawl parry or martial arts to resist. Opponents gain +1 to their defense roll per target beyond the first affected by this attack.
Acrobatic:
Special Attack: Interrupt (requires Read Soul). The master may, as a reaction, roll Mua Shuum vs opponent's Martial Arts or Brawl parry to negate any action before the opponent can make it.
---------------------------------------------

Addendums I:
Martial Arts can be given availability/legality ratings like weapons. For example, Mua Shuum is a style that would be around in the Imperial era, but would be known to very few. Since it adopts a philosophy that views aggressive force negatively, the Empire would declare Mua Shuum practitioners as dissidents making the availability 4,r or x in the Imperial era. If nothing else, this makes for a good story factor.

You may have noticed that the strata levels are different for Mua Shuum than for Spec Fu. To reach Novice level in Mua Shuum requires 5D while in Spec Fu it requires only 4D. Similarly, the cost of moves in each strata may be raised or lowered to reflect the difficulty of learning that style.

[Sabre]

Style: String Martial Arts

This style was developed by a player for his character throughout a long-running campaign. The player was a great guy, and his character was extremely weird and random in a very amusing sort of way. He insisted on relating everything in the universe to string. The style itself reflects this string-obsession by renaming RoE moves after string-related terms. The player in question ran one mission for our group in which all of the characters wake up in a bar after a devastating night of partying to find that our shoes were stolen, and one of the PCs characters has been kidnapped. We make our way outside to find our vehicles are gone and many of the city's streets have been freshly repaved with steaming hot asphault. We travel about one block when suddenly two cargo planes packed full of glass collide head on in midair spreading glass all over the area, while at the same time a smurf decapitates a man with a trenchcoat on top of a nearby building, sending out a mysterious electrical surge which shatters all of the building's windows sending out more glass around our immediate area. Further along, a speeder truck full of thumbtacks has overturned and rolled 16 times spreading tacks along the street we have to cross. Basically the entire mission is about improvising ways of not dying of blood loss through your feet. Anyway, in spite of the character's strange antics, he had a very high martial arts skill, and since the player was putting his style together I worked with him to turn some of the things he would attempt in-game into moves for his developing martial arts style. String MA is the final result.

The obscure togorian martial artist known only as 'Shim' travelled the galaxy doing perplexing deeds during the time of the Empire, and insisting that everything in the universe was made of string or held together with invisible string. Despite his questionable sanity, Shim's success in various martial arts competitive arenas was undeniable. He developed a following of martial artists who attempted to immitate his unpredictable style by studying various holorecordings of his fights. Although there are many schools which use his name and have managed to duplicate some of his techniques, no school has pieced together the entire style. It is known that Shim travelled with companions, but it is not known if any of them were his students.

Game Notes: Only those who learn directly from Shim or a student of Shim's will be able to learn the style's special attack techniques. Derivative schools may pick one technique per strata. Any technique of Shim's that is a renamed version of an RoE equivalent gains a +3 bonus to the martial artist's roll.

PER Based
---------------------------------------------
Strata: Basic Cost per move: Free w String
Block: Use Brawl (S) STRING to parry
Instant Effect: None
Kick: From Str +2 to Str+1D
Punch: From STR+1 to STR +2
Acrobatic: None
Special Attack: Drunken Boxing - String Martial Arts is based in unpredictability. Roll String MA vs an Opponent's PER. If the String roll is greater than the PER roll, opponent suffers a -1D penalty when attempting to hit the martial artist, or when defending against the martial artist's attacks.
---------------------------------------------
Strata: Beginner Cost Per Move: 5 CP 2D
Block:
Instant Effect: Tripwire (Instant Knockdown)
Kick:
Punch: Entangle (Hold/Grapple)
Acrobatic: Safety Twine (Instant Stand)
Special Attack: The more you fight, the more you become entangled... (+1 to skill checks for every 3 rounds of fighting)
---------------------------------------------
Strata: Novice Cost Per Move: 7 CP 3D
Block: The Net Effect Add additional +1 to parry rolls for every 3 rounds of fighting.
Instant Effect: Stinging Lash (Instant Stun)
Kick:
Punch:
Acrobatic: Sling Kick (Flying Kick)
Special Attack: Strangle Hold. Hold/Grapple that causes STR+1D damage per round target is grappled. Add +1 per round beyond the first that target is grappled.
---------------------------------------------
Strata: Intermediate Cost Per Move: 9 CP 4D
Block: Backlash (Power Block)
Instant Effect:
Kick:
Punch: Threading the Needle (Easy). An eye poke attack that causes blindness for 2D rounds and inflicts +1D extra damage to the eyes.
Acrobatic:
Special Attack: Final attack, Bind: Bind two targets by tying them together using their limbs causing STR+2D damage to both. Both targets must be in range. Bound targets lose all actions in the round they are bound and must spend the next round untangling themselves. If one is unconscious a difficult Brawl Parry or Martial Arts roll must be made to untangle.
---------------------------------------------
Strata: Advanced Cost Per Move: 11 CP 5D
Block:
Instant Effect: Razor Strings! (Instant wound)
Kick:
Punch: Unseen bonds (Nerve punch)
Acrobatic:
Special Attack:
---------------------------------------------
Strata: Master Cost Per Move: 15 CP 7D
Block: Cat's Cradle: Martial artist gains +1D to defensive actions. If attacked, the martial artist may place the attacker in hold/grapple automatically.
Instant Effect: Ultimate attack: The Hangman's noose (Silent strike)
Kick: Wirewalk - Martial Artist can move up to high speed across extremely narrow places at easy difficulty.
Punch: Whipping Force - Punch damage increased to 1D, Kick Damage increased to 2D.
Acrobatic: Swing - Double jumping distance. May use String MA for all Jumping rolls.
Special Attack: Mind Bind - Make a String attack against an opponent's WILLPOWER. If the attack succeeds, the opponent has become disoriented and intimidated by the martial artist. The opponent suffers -2D in any opposed roll against the martial artist or -1D to any other action for a number of hours equal to the martial artists String MA dice.
---------------------------------------------

[Sabre]

Rol N'or

This is a toy I gave for players to use in a 'miniseries' style campaign I ran online in another homebrew sector. The game eventually fell apart because the players didn't show and I got involved in running a game that was actually active, but I kept my notes on it. The plot revolved around the players being abducted by pirates then sold to slavers and eventually gaining freedom by joining a private army of assassins looking to change the order of the sector.

Rol N'Or is one of many assassination techniques originating in the Seileis sector, but is differentiated from its related styless in that one of its masters sold his art to a merchant guild, who then spread it throughout the galaxy, opening schools throughout the old republic and teaching military personnel throughout the galaxy. Rol N'Or is designed for fighting with a sword or knife in one hand with the other hand open. Sword moves are integrated into the fighting style. Rol N'Or is dexterity based. If a Rol N'or practitioner is disarmed, they incur a -5 penalty when attempting any Rol N'or martial arts move. 'Blade' attacks are also disabled if unarmed.

---------------------------------------------
Strata: Basic Cost per move: Free w Rol N'Or
Block: Use Rol N'or when parrying.
Instant Effect: None
Kick: From STR+2 to STR +1D
Punch: From STR+1 to STR +2
Acrobatic: None
Special Attack: None
Blade: Weapon Parry: Use Rol N'Or to block melee attacks, with or without a weapon.
---------------------------------------------
Strata: Beginner Cost Per Move: 5 CP 1D
Block: Reversal
Instant Effect: Instant Stun
Kick: Spinning Kick
Punch: Elbow Smash
Acrobatic: Instant Stand
Special Attack: Disarm-due to the extremely fast movement required by this technique, an opponent unskilled in martial arts will be less able to detect it until it is too late. Thus, martial arts or brawl parry MUST be used to counter disarm.
Blade: Counter/Add: If attacked and the difference between the attack roll and the defense roll is 5 or more in martial artist's favor, the martial artist may counter attack with Rol N'Or at no additional penalty. If attacking and your attack is blocked by 3 or less, you may add a kick at no additional cost. This effect is automatic and need not be declared.
---------------------------------------------
Strata: Novice Cost Per Move: 7 CP 2D
Block: Power Block
Instant Effect: Instant Wound
Kick: Foot Sweep
Punch: Headbutt
Acrobatic: None
Special Attack: Shoulder Throw
Blade: Vital Aim. Adds 5 to the difficulty to hit or to opponent's defense roll, but if the hit is successful, 1D is added to the damage, regardless of maximum damage values.
---------------------------------------------
Strata: Intermediate Cost Per Move: 9 CP 3D
Block: Block and Counter with Move.
Instant Effect: Instant Wound X2
Kick: Double Kick (roll damage twice)
Punch: Multiple Strikes
Acrobatic: Flying Kick
Special Attack: None
Blade: Catch-Break. Catch an opponent's weapon and attempt to break it. Opponent must have attacked, and the defense roll must beat the attack roll by 5 or more. Roll both weapons' body strength's, opponent's at -1D. Difficulty of performing this move is difficult, and it does add to multi-action penalty. If the broken weapon is a limb, no attacks may be made with that limb. If the limb is a leg, move is reduced by half. If the head was used to make the attack, Catch-Break becomes a fatal move.
Damage to Weapons with Catch-Break:
Attacker Vs Defender roll beaten by:
-11+ Attacker's weapon Body reduced by 3D
-6 to -10 Attacker's weapon Body reduced by 2D
-1 to -5 Attacker's weapon Body reduced by 1D
0 Attacker and Defender's weapon Body reduced by 1D
1 to 5 Defender's weapon Body reduced by 1D
6 to 10 Defender's weapon Body reduced by 2D
11+ Defender's weapon Body reduced by 3D
At 0D of body, a weapon breaks and is unusable. A damaged weapon's damage code is reduced by 1D until fixed. Typical weapon body strength is 2D for metal.

---------------------------------------------
Strata: Advanced Cost Per Move: 11 CP 5D
Block: None
Instant Effect: Silent Strike
Kick: From STR+1D to STR+1D+1
Punch: From STR+2 to STR+1D
Acrobatic: Arial Double Kick. (Attack anyone within one full move at no extra penalty. Roll damage at STR+2D twice)
Special Attack: None
Blade: Hidden Blade Attack. Quickly draw and strike with a blade in the same round with no penalty. Difficulty is difficult. Opponent must roll PER or a brawling style and beat difficult difficulty to see it coming, or may not react.
---------------------------------------------
Strata: Master Cost Per Move: 15 CP 7D
Block: Defensive Posture-+2D to all defensive skills until wounded. -2D to all attacks while declared. A user may drop defensive posture and attack with no additional penalty, but then they cannot re-activate defensive posture until the next round.
Instant Effect: None
Kick: From STR+1D+1 to STR+2D
Punch: Empty Hand - Negate penalty for being disarmed. May use 'blade' attacks up to Intermediate strata even without a weapon.
Acrobatic: None
Special Attack: Blindfighting
Blade: Four Strikes: A Very Difficult manuver that grants the user four strikes for the cost of one (even for figuring multi-action penalties), each strike becoming more difficult to block than the last. The first strike is always an attack with the blade. To determine what each successive strike is made with, roll 1D. 1-2 is a punch with the free hand, 3-4 is a kick, and 5-6 is another attack with the blade. Melee or Weapon parry must be used to counter the blade attacks, brawl parry or a brawling style must be used to counter the other attacks. For each attack blocked, the difficulty of blocking the next increases by +5. Multiple reactions may be made, but the penalty is cumulative for the defender making the Rol N'Or four strike maneuver almost impossible to block.