Martial Arts

[Crell Damar]

Pages 116 and 117 of Rules of Engagement the Rebel SpecForce Handbook have custom optional rules for martial arts as a specialization.


Optional Rule: Custom Martial Arts

The Star Wars Roleplaying Game has long had a martial arts skill, though it has remained loosely defined. Since SpecForce troops are trained in unarmed combat, a more detailed system of martial arts is called for.

For every 1D that a character increases her martial arts skill, she may pick one of the hand-to-hand techniques described below. The character may only pick one hand-tohand technique for every die of skill improvement; increasing a skill by one or two "pips" is not sufficient advancement to select a hand-tohand technique. Characters who martial arts skill is increased during character creation are eligible to select from the hand-to-hand techniques.

Example: A Twi'lek Spec, Nareel Dre'lara, has a brawling: martial arts die code of 3D+2 during character creation, she increases her brawling: martial arts skill to 5D+2. She may select two hand-tohand techniques. After successfully surviving her first mission, she spends character points, increasing her martial arts die code to 6D. This is not sufficient to select a new hand-to-hand technique until her martial arts die code is increased to 6D+2.

Characters must also declare which hand-to-hand technique they are using prior to making the required skill roll (unless otherwise indicated)


Basic Moves: Punch (inflicts Strength+1D Damage); Kick (inflicts Strength+2D damage)

Hand-to-Hand Techniques

Blindfighting - The character is trained to use senses other than sight to locate a target. - Difficulty: Very Difficult - If the character makes the required skill roll and is within striking distance of the target, she may ignore the effects of blindness. She cannot see, but can hear or smell a target well enough to strike. This may be used as a reaction skill.

Disarm - The character is trained to force an oponent to drop a weapon or object. - Difficulty: Moderate - If the character's attack is successful (and is not parried or dodged_ and if teh skill roll meets the required difficulty number, the target character is disarmed.

Elbow Smash - The character is trained to deliever a powerful blow with her elbow. - Difficulty: Very Easy - Ther character can add +1D to her damage roll if the skill roll is successful.

Flip - The character can throw a target who has grappled her from behind. - Difficulty: Moderate - A successful skill check indicates that the target is hurled to the ground (provided the attack is not parried or dodged). The target suffers 3D damage. This technique may be used as a reaction skill.

Flying Kick - The character is trained to leap to deliver a crushing kick. Difficulty: Difficult - The character can add +2D to her kick damage roll if her skill roll exceeds the difficulty number. Failure to beat the difficulty number indicates the character is off-balance and her opponent may make an additional attack this round with no multiple action penalty.

Foot Sweep - The character can trip an opponent - Difficulty: Moderate - A successful attempt indicates the target is tripped falling to the ground. The character must remain prone for the remainder of the round.

Headbutt - The character can use her head to strike a target, even if she is held, pinned or bound. - Difficulty: Easy - If the character's skill roll meets the difficulty number, she may use her head to strike the target (inflicting STR+1D damage); can be used if the character is bound or held; can be used as a reaction skill.

Hold/Grapple - The character is trained to grapple and hold a target immobile. - Difficulty: Moderate plus an opposed Strength roll - The character attempting to grapple with a target must make a Moderate martial arts roll to hold her opponenet. For every round the target is held, the character must make an opposed Strength roll. If the target beats her strength roll he breaks free of the hold.

Instant Knockdown - The character knows how to maximize impact, knocking the target to the floor. - Difficulty: Moderate - If the character's attack is successful (and is not parried or dodged) and if the skill roll meets the required difficulty number, the target is knocked to the ground. The fallen character must either wait one round to stand or suffer multiple action penalties.

Instant Stand - The character is trained to negate the effects of a fall and return to a standing, combat-ready position. Difficulty: Moderate - If a character is tripped or knocked down, she may use this technique to return to a standing position. Successful use of this technique indicates that the character can stand without suffering a multiple-action penalty.

Instant Stun - The character is trained to strike at critical pressure points that affect breathing or the nervous system, stunning the target. - Difficulty: Moderate - If the character's attack is successful (and is not parried or dodged) and if the skill roll meets the required difficulty number, the target is stunned for one round.

Instant Wound - The character knows how to strike to maximum effect, inflicting sever damage on the target. - Difficulty: Difficult - If the character's attack is successful (and is not parried or dodged) and if the skill roll meets the required difficulty number, the target character sufferes a wound. (Effects of the wound are cumulative.)

Multiple Strikes - The character can deliver multiple blows. - Difficulty: Moderate - The character can make a second attack with no multiple action penalties; the second atttack inflicts 3D damage.

Nerve Punch - The character knows the location of nerve clusters striking in such a way as to render a target's limb numb. Difficulty: Very Difficult - If successful, the character's attack renders an opponents limb (arm or leg, specified prior to making the atttempt) unusable for 3D minutes. Any items held in the affected hand are dropped. If the character beats the difficulty number by 15 or more, the target character is rendered unconscious.

Power Block - The character is trained to parry attacks in a manner which inflicts damage. - Difficulty: Moderate - A successful parry inflicts STR + 1D on the target this technique can be used as a reaction skill.

Reversal - The character is trained to turn the tables on an opponent who is attempting to grapple. Opposed Strength or Brawling: martial arts roll (whichever is higher) The character can employ this technique only when she is held. If she breaks the opponent's grip, she may in turn hold the taret immobile or imploy another technique. This technique may be used as a reaction skill.

Silent Strike - Provided the character can successfully sneak up on a target, she can instantly kill him or render him unconscious. - Difficulty: Difficult - The character must be within arm's reach of the target. The character must declare if this is a killing or stunning attack prior to making the attempt. A successful skill roll indicates the target is neutralized.

Spinning Kick - The character is trained to perform a powerful kick. - Difficulty: Moderate - The character can add +1D to her kick damage if her skill roll exceeds the difficulty number. Failure to beat the difficulty number indicates that the character is off-balance and her opponent may make an additional attack this round with no multiple action penalty.

Shoulder Throw - The character can throw a target. - Difficulty: Moderate - A successful skill check indicates that the target is hurled to the ground(provided the attack is not parried or dodged), suffering 3D damage.

Weapon Block - The character is trained to parry melee attacks, even when she does not posess a melee weapon. - Difficulty: Opposed martial arts vs. melee combat roll - if the character makes the required difficulty roll, she successfully blocks a melee attack.

Additional Optional Martial Arts Rules:

Martial Arts Styles: Using the above system, it is unlikely that a character will ever possess all the hand-to-hand techniques. (On average, an extremely advanced character will likely only possess 13-15 of the hand-to-hand techniques.) However, gamemasters can limit the number of techniques a character can possess by developing martial arts "style packages." and players must select from that list. Learning a technique from outside a style costs 10 Character Points and takes three weeks of training.

Parrying: To speed the combat procedure (and to more accurately reflect the deadly nature of martial arts), trained combatants can use brawling: martial arts to both parry and attack.
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"For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times... before the Empire. "

Obi-Wan Kenobi

[Urhart the Fallen Angel]

I just looked at this and I was wondering, isn't Martial arts an advanced skill?
_________________
'God gave you grace to purge this place
And peace all around may be your fortune
Oh oh children of the land
Love is still the answer take my hand
The vision fades a voice I hear
Listen to the madman!'

[Crell Damar]

negative, In rules of engagement, Martial Arts is a brawling specialization
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"For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times... before the Empire. "

Obi-Wan Kenobi

[Urhart the Fallen Angel]

Suddenly it occurs to me, does the damage bonus do that to inanimate objects? If so an esoomian could do 11D damage with a flying kick, so much for AT-STs... .

Can you learn martial arts without a teacher? Like just suddenly doing martial arts out of thin air...

Also you dont get any moves a character creation? I would give the learner 1 move.
_________________
'God gave you grace to purge this place
And peace all around may be your fortune
Oh oh children of the land
Love is still the answer take my hand
The vision fades a voice I hear
Listen to the madman!'

[Loc Taal]

[Ray]

Sorry guys, but I have to say what I always say about Martial Arts in RPGs...

< Bad Kung-Fu Movie Dubbing >"HA! Your Choking Chicken style is worthless against my Dirty-Monkey-Feces-Flinging style!!!" < /Bad Kung-Fu Movie Dubbing >

Sad part is... I was actually able to say that in a D&D Game with a Monk...

[Urhart the Fallen Angel]

Heh, sorry bout that... Guess I forgot about that, sorry...
_________________
'God gave you grace to purge this place
And peace all around may be your fortune
Oh oh children of the land
Love is still the answer take my hand
The vision fades a voice I hear
Listen to the madman!'

[Volo Enrunk]

i think there's an optional rule to make martial arts an advanced skill i think it should be it takes alot of time and dedicated training to inflict serious damage in the heat of a fight none of the guys in my group have asked about martial arts yet but they know ( i think) that its an advanced skill to me i don't like it being a specialization cuz then its easier to learn then brawling. i don't agree that its easier to learn than just swinging like a madman.
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Sabbac anyone?

[Urhart the Fallen Angel]

You mean like having it add to your Brawling skill? That would make more sense, and in it's own way be easier to do.
_________________
'God gave you grace to purge this place
And peace all around may be your fortune
Oh oh children of the land
Love is still the answer take my hand
The vision fades a voice I hear
Listen to the madman!'

[Crell Damar]

if you look under the brawling skill in R&E, under brawling specializations they have martial arts and boxing... but up until i found that rule, it was pointless to take a martial arts specialization.
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"For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times... before the Empire. "

Obi-Wan Kenobi

[Son of Fire]

Exactly...what’s the point of spending the pip's in a specialization if you don't get at least some kind of bonus?
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"My schooling not only failed to teach me what it professed to be teaching, but prevented me from being educated to an extent which infuriates me when I think of all I might have learned at home by myself." - George Bernard Shaw

[Crell Damar]

well, you do get a form of hand to hand fighting that is at a higher skill rating than your normal brawling skill, and I suppose it had style points or whatever. In the long run, I think that using brawling as a specialization can work out, because everything ends up getting to be expensive cp wise, and a lot of characters that i've had that had the martial arts specialization never really raised it, because they could pretty much take out most guys they used it on... with a 6D or 7D skill.
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"For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times... before the Empire. "

Obi-Wan Kenobi

[Son of Fire]

How would those specializations bonuses have applied before the Martial Arts special rules came into effect?
_________________
"My schooling not only failed to teach me what it professed to be teaching, but prevented me from being educated to an extent which infuriates me when I think of all I might have learned at home by myself." - George Bernard Shaw

[Crell Damar]

You get Brawling: Martial Arts at 1D higher than your brawling skill... that's it...
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"For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times... before the Empire. "

Obi-Wan Kenobi

[Son of Fire]

But what the crap is that good for?
You get a bonus when describing something that might be construed as “martial art-ish?”
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"My schooling not only failed to teach me what it professed to be teaching, but prevented me from being educated to an extent which infuriates me when I think of all I might have learned at home by myself." - George Bernard Shaw