[Martial Arts] Skill of the week: Lizard Climb and Sensitivity

[johndallman]

Lizard Climb is the DX/Hard esoteric martial arts skill of climbing flat surfaces very quickly. The prerequisites are Trained by a Master and both Acrobatics and Climbing at 14+. The skill first appeared in Martial Arts for 4e.

Sensitivity is the Per/Very Hard esoteric martial arts skill of being very aware of an opponent's actions and intentions, and using that against them. The prerequisites are Trained by a Master or Weapon Master. The skill first appeared in Martial Arts for 3e.

Both of these are "internal" skills, boosted by Inner Balance talent. Neither has a default, and no skills default to them.

You can use Lizard Climb facing the surface, or with your back to it, using heels and elbows. Roll every second, during which you can stay still, or move half your Move, up, down or sideways. This is not the Clinging advantage, and you can't stick to ceilings. Modifiers include encumbrance penalties, +2 for Claws or artificial equivalents if facing a non-smooth surface, -2 for each hand or foot not in contact with the surface, and a special set of modifiers for surface roughness, slipperiness and verticality. If you fail, you fall off the wall; on a critical failure, you're too far from it to try to stop yourself. While you continue to succeed, you can dodge and retreat normally, and if you have a hand free, you can attack and parry at no penalty. However, any combat result that would make a standing person fall knocks you off the wall.

If you're falling within reach of a wall, and are not stunned or otherwise incapable of acting, you can try to use Lizard Climb to stop yourself. You need a successful DX roll to get orientated and a Lizard Climb roll at -1 per five yards you've fallen so far, applying any shock penalties and normal Lizard Climb modifiers. If you succeed, you stop your fall, but you only get one try.

If climbing something easier than a flat surface, a successful Lizard Climb roll gives a bonus of half its margin of success (round down, minimum 1) to Climbing. If the campaign uses Martial Arts' chambara or wuxia rules, gravity can be defied fairly readily, while you can keep on making your skill rolls.

While the simple ability to climb mostly-flat vertical surfaces isn't actually cinematic -- it's remarkable what modern free-climbers can get up with soft rubber boots and plenty of chalk for the hands -- the ability to do it quickly and in combat certainly is.

To use Sensitivity, pick an opponent who's visible, touching you, or detected with Blind Fighting, and is in close combat with you. Roll the skill, which is a free action if you have it. Success gives +1 to close combat attack and defence rolls, plus Blind Fighting, Immovable Stance, Precognitive Parry, and Push rolls against that opponent, and success by 3 or more, or a critical success, doubles that bonus. You can re-roll each turn if you want to, and must re-roll when you change opponents. If you don't re-roll, the effects last while you and your opponent are in close combat; if you leave and return to close combat, you must re-roll. Failure obviously gives no bonus, but the skill says nothing about the effects of critical failure.

The modifiers for Sensitivity are +2 each for Vibration Sense and Sensitive Touch; the better of Telepathy or Inner Balance talents, and -1 for each failure against that opponent in the current fight.

Naturally, these skills only appear on templates for cinematic martial artists. Lizard Climb is used as an example in Adaptations, Aliens: Sparrials has a martial art that uses the skill, and it's an option for Gun-Fu masters. Technical Grappling's martial art for vampires includes both skills, and Yrth Fighting Styles inevitably gives the Dragon Fighting style (used by Reptile Men) Lizard Climb. Power-Ups 3 and 7 have a Talent and a Wildcard skill for these skills, and Chinese Elemental Powers offers options for using them with powers.

I haven't used these skills, since I've never played or run a cinematic martial arts campaign. What have you done with them that was strange or cool?

* * *

That's the end of Skill of the Week. It's been fun, and I hope it will continue to be useful. I've always been keen on the style of GURPS that is just people with skills and equipment, without much in the way of cinematic or supernatural abilities, and looking hard at each skill has taught me quite a few tricks for that kind of game.

I've gained the impression, scanning over PDFs for mentions of skills, that some GURPS authors, such as Kromm and Bill Stoddard, are either really good at thinking of uses for skills, or will scan through the skill list as part of outlining a book. The latter seems worthwhile for most GURPS projects.

My next project is a Technique of The Week series, since Techniques for non-combat skills could use some development. This will consist of going through skills, thinking about tasks and penalties, and inventing more Techniques.

[corwyn]

I love Lizard Climb. A couple of years ago I played a martial artist (a pastiche of Lee in Enter the Dragon but mostly Shang-Chi - the son of Fu-Manchu working for Neyland Smith from the comics of the same name).

He used it once in an epic foot chase vs. one of Fu Manchu's main henchmen. Mostly I used it to Retreat up walls when cornered or outnumbered to limit attackers or as a tactical withdrawal and various times to reach upper floor windows.

I really wish I'd thought to use it, besides other cinematic skills, with my Gunslinger/Gadgeteer in the Victorian Monster Hunters game that recently ended.

[RogerBW]

Originally Posted by johndallman

Lizard Climb is the DX/Hard esoteric martial arts skill of climbing flat surfaces very quickly. The prerequisites are Trained by a Master and both Acrobatics and Climbing at 14+. The skill first appeared in Martial Arts for 4e.

I wouldn't feel hard done by if there were just mundane Climbing skill at which you could get really really good if TBAM, and then the next step up were the Clinging power (with various limitations at low power levels). I'm not convinced that this intermediate stage is necessary. But then I haven't played in this style of game.

Originally Posted by johndallman

That's the end of Skill of the Week. It's been fun, and I hope it will continue to be useful. I've always been keen on the style of GURPS that is just people with skills and equipment, without much in the way of cinematic or supernatural abilities, and looking hard at each skill has taught me quite a few tricks for that kind of game.

It's been fun for me. Thank you.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by johndallman

That's the end of Skill of the Week. It's been fun, and I hope it will continue to be useful. I've always been keen on the style of GURPS that is just people with skills and equipment, without much in the way of cinematic or supernatural abilities, and looking hard at each skill has taught me quite a few tricks for that kind of game.

I've gained the impression, scanning over PDFs for mentions of skills, that some GURPS authors, such as Kromm and Bill Stoddard, are either really good at thinking of uses for skills, or will scan through the skill list as part of outlining a book. The latter seems worthwhile for most GURPS projects.

My next project is a Technique of The Week series, since Techniques for non-combat skills could use some development. This will consist of going through skills, thinking about tasks and penalties, and inventing more Techniques.

Been useful and fun for me as well and I thank you for your efforts.
I look forward to the Techniques set. While both know the system pretty well I would guess the latter and yes its a good idea.

[Christopher R. Rice]

It's taken you three years to do this and I want to say from at least this GURPSer - it's immeasurably helpful. Thank you.

[johndallman]

Thanks for all the good wishes. It's been more a matter of persistence than creativity, but I'm glad to know it's helped.

[Humabout]

Thank you for all of your work on this. I use it as a reference all the time and keep the index bookmarked. It's got to be one of the most useful resources we have on the forums.

[simply Nathan]

Originally Posted by RogerBW

I wouldn't feel hard done by if there were just mundane Climbing skill at which you could get really really good if TBAM, and then the next step up were the Clinging power (with various limitations at low power levels). I'm not convinced that this intermediate stage is necessary. But then I haven't played in this style of game.

My general preference is in favor of supernatural skills that do cool stuff over advantages that do cool stuff where applicable, but as Lizard Climb isn't in the Basic Set I've never experimented with it.