[Martial Arts] Style building - book fighting

[Postapocalypse]

The type of book should also play a role in combat.

You just can´t compare a common cooking book with the dreaded Necronomicon. To be able to wield the latter, you should at least fulfill the requirements for a full-blooded (or rather palid) necromancer. Just imagine what ghoulish horrors might pop out of the book when the fighting gets really intense.

[tbone]

Originally Posted by Postapocalypse

Just imagine what ghoulish horrors might pop out of the book when the fighting gets really intense.

Pop-up books! Surely those would have some powerful magic. (The next DF or DFRPG Magic Items book just might want to have a pop-up book with ever-changing and wondrous – or disturbing – paper creations.)

Anyway, I don't know how far the OP wants to take the "scholars' martial art" concept, but Shortsword for wielding sturdy scroll cases, Throwing Art for sharp-tipped pens, and other fun things come to mind.

(And on the topic of whether this isn't all a bit silly: Yeah, probably, but fun, and not totally crazy, either. As was noted, farming tools and other mundane items have been pressed into use as serious weapons. And from the world of literature, in King's The Dark Tower books there's a school of fighting centered on hurling the oriza, a decapitating dinner plate. Definitely fictitious and weird, but it's not played for laughs.)

[Pursuivant]

Even a relatively thin hardcover book makes for a decent improvised shield. A thick hardcover book like a textbook is capable of stopping low-caliber/low velocity bullets.

The main problem is the really clumsy grip. You'd need to use it two-handed to block or parry unless you've got a really strong grip. In any case, your fingers are exposed.

A book inside a case with a well-designed handle or strap on the back turns it into a very effective buckler (DB0 or 1).

Once you've got a good grip, the book/case combo turns into a decent fist-load which you can use to make shield bashes or hooks.

So:

Primary Skills: Brawling, Shield.
Secondary Skills: Axe/Mace, Karate.
Background Skills: Acrobatics*, Throwing, whatever color skills you want: Artist (Calligraphy, Engraving, Printing), Connoisseur, Literature, Pro skill (Bookbinding, Printer, etc.), Research, Theology, etc.

* For balancing the books . . .

[Donny Brook]

Okay, it's been a while but I finally polished off these write ups. One thing I'm not 100% sure about is the purpose and need for Form Mastery in these styles, so please give me any thought on that.

Both styles rely to a substantial extent on the use of a 'defensive' (two-handed) grip, the relevant rules for which say:

"... a “strong” two-handed grip that sacrifices side-to-side movement for frontal defense ... gives +1 to parry attacks from the front but an extra -1 to parry attacks from the side (for a net -3; see Defending Against Attacks from the Side, p. B390).

... using this grip with a fencing weapon (a weapon with “F” in its Parry statistic), it becomes possible to parry flails at the usual penalties."

So without further ado, two book-fighting styles:




Fighting for Female Operatives (FFO) (3 or 5)

During WWII and in the Cold War that followed, female intelligence agents and assets were an integral part of the operations of various national intelligence services. One country recognized early on that these brave women might find themselves confronted by hostile persons and needing to physically defend themselves. The training program developed in response was named FFO, Fighting for Female Operatives.

FFO plans for its practioners to be less physically large and strong than many opponents. It recognizes that a small fighter can typically sustain less punishment and so emphasizes gaining an early advantage in a fight, by being "in the fight before it starts" and not shying from fighting dirty. FFO tries to avoid the pitfalls of unarmed combat by training with a readily available size and common shaped object as a weapon~.

In the development of FFO it was assessed that the first hand-to-hand attacks practioners would confront in a fight would probably be intended to either control or punish rather than to kill or disable. FFO trains practitioners to make use of this initial 'safer' combat timeframe to use sudden high aggression (all-out or committed attacks, often two-handed) to
defeat aggressors before they adopt potentially lethal means.

FFO trains practioners to use a book or similar object (such as the agency's own design, the Reinforced (rigid) Clutch Purse Mk.2) using forms based on the (Main-Gauche skill) Slashing Wheel (MA228). An important part of the form involves switching to two-hand grip, both for defensive reasons and to improve damage dealt. The style includes techniques to mitigate negative aspects of the two-hand grip, as well as switching the weapon from hand to hand.

FFO can be trained in two forms, Rudimentary (for erstatz operatives or any situation where time for taining is limited) and Complete (for operatives given extensive training, contemplating long or multiple
mission deployments).

Rudimentary Required Skills: Main Gauche, Brawling.
Required Perk: Grip Mastery (Main Gauche)
Complete Required Skills: add Judo and Tactics (Optional Specialization: Infiltration and Exfiltration)

Rudimentary Techniques: Defensive Grip Attacks (Main Gauche) (defaults at -2), Defensive Grip Side Parries (Main Gauche) (defaults at -1), Aggressive Parry, Armed Grapple (Main Gauche), Bind Weapon (Main Gauche),
Targeted Attack: Thrust-Neck/Throat (Main Gauche), Targeted Attack: Swing-Face (Main Gauche), Targeted Attack: Knee-Groin, Eye-Rake (Brawling), Hammer Fist (Brawling), Kicking (Brawling), Retain Weapon (Main Gauche),
Two-Handed Punch (Brawling).

Complete Techniques: Break Fall, Choke Hold, Arm Lock, Finger Lock, Evade (all Judo), and In-the-fight-before-it-starts^^.

Cinematic Techniques: Hand(Book)-Clap Parry (Main Gauche), Lethal Kick (Brawling).

Perks: Improvised Weapons (Brawling), Dirty Fighting, Exotic Weapon Training, Quick Swap (Main Gauche).

~Weaponized Book Stats

Main Gauche (DX-5)

Hardcover Book (Slashing Wheel mode): thr+1 cr; Reach C; Parry 0F; $?; 1lb.; ST5

Hardcover Book (very Short Baton mode): sw-2 cr; Reach C, 1; Parry -1F, $?; 1lb. ST5
OR thr cr; Reach C; Parry -1; ST5

With either mode, the two-handed defensive grip will give its usual effects. In fact, a defensive (two-hand) grip is the usual grip for short-baton mode; when used one-handed in this mode, if suffers a -1 penalty for an unweildy grip.

^^New Technique
In-the-fight-before-it-starts (Tactics -6)
This is trained tactical awareness that lets the user anticipate and be readier when combat begins. Make a roll on this technique as a free action on your first turn in a combat. If you pass, then you successfully used your situational awareness and get the same benefits as if you had already made an Evaluate maneuver on your putative prior turn, provided you had a suitable target available to Evaluate.




Teeth of the Tome (6?)

In the Kingdom of Krith there is a mountain plateau with a quite circular lake on it. Near the center of the lake is an island which is the holiest site and sole desitnation of pilgrimage for hundreds of thousands of Egramite faithful spread out through the entire seven states of the continent. Unfortunately for the Egramites, many have been subject to hardships and predation along their travels. Many is the Tome of Egram that lies shreaded on the S'corzo Trail, let me tell you!

Orthodox Egramites observe complete pacifism while on pilgrimage, but under pressure of constant harassment, a faction emerged among them which undertook more direct measures. They call themselves The Teeth of the Tome.

Teeth of the Tome train to secrete themselves among other pilgrims in teams from 3-30 individuals depending on the level of threat they expect. When a pilgrim caravan is threatened, they leap into action employing a sudden coordinated burst of aggression using their omnipresent Tomes* to surprising effect. The style is flashy and encourages fighting with the practioners' whole body using the tome as a shield, weapon, and mobility aid. Practionsers switch on the fly from Two-Handed Sword skill to Shield skill, interspersed with acrobatic leaps and kicks (all accompanied by their shouts of unsettling Egramite scripture).

Required Skills: Two-Handed Sword, Shield, Acrobatics
Required Perks: Skill Adaptation (Acrobatic Kicks), Grip Mastery (Tome), Form Mastery?

Techniques: Acrobatic Stand, Aggressive Parry (Tome), Breakfall, Close Combat, Elbow/Shoulder punch, Evade, Jump Kick, Kicking,
Push Kick, Spinning Attack, Sweep (Book).

Cinematic Techniques: Flying Lunge, Pole-Vault Kick, Whirlwind Attack.
Cinematic Skills: Kiai, Push, Power Blow

Perks: Exotic Weapon Training (Tome)**, Power Blow, Iron Body Parts (often fingers), Push, Combat Vaulting (Tome), Shoves and Tackles, Teamwork.



*Weaponized Tome of Egram

Every Egramite pilgrim carries a Tome of Egram, some large, some small, some ornate, some plain. However the members of the Teeth all carry a big, hefty, durable version, with dimensions of about 22-26 inches long, usually maximum 16 inches wide or less, and about 1-2 inches thick. Used with either possible skill, the grip is unweildy and suffers a -1 penalty**.

Typical stats are:

Two-Handed Sword (DX-5)
Tome: sw+2 crush, Reach 1, Parry -1, $500, 8lb,s ST11†
OR thr+1 crush, Reach 1, Parry -1, ST11†

Shield (DX-4)
Tome^: Bash thr cr, Reach 1, Parry No, $500, 8lb., ST11†
OR Bash w. edge sw-2 cr, Reach 1, Parry No, ST11†

When used as a shield: (a) the Tome allows a Block defense, (b) the way the Tome has to be held (two-handed etc.) approximates the same effect as a 'Defensive grip'. Apply those effects on top of the shield statistics given above. The Tome provides DB1 irrespective of the skill used.