Re: Why learn a martial art?
 

If you invent a personal style then surely that should be a style that you know rather than something other than a style.

I feel like fighters who know multiple styles ought to be allowed to say which style they're using when they do something so long as it is a skill or technique that is part of the style the pick. At the very least that simulates cinematic martial artists who switch up styles to confuse opponents.

"You are using Bonetti's Defense against me, ah?"

Re: Why learn a martial art?
 

Right. And they should pay points for that advantage (in a campaign that is using the styles from Martial Arts).

It'd be taking Style Familiarity (My Personal Style) [1], if they wanted to have their own idiosyncratic way of doing things ... which others could learn, either by being taught or by observation, in order to negate its' advantage.

Doing so would probably be more realistic, but its' funny watching a sword-fighter fighting a bow-fighter and having (slight) issues because the bow-fighter doesn't fight like a sword-fighter.

Re: Why learn a martial art?
 

Alternately, you could name what you already know as a style - e.g. Master [My Instructor's Name]'s Combat Style - and buy the Lapsed Stylist perk for it. That should work as well as calling it your own personal style for avoiding the penalty, without suddenly adding any new social advantages (they aren't there in Lapsed Stylist) or needing to claim you invented it.

Re: Why learn a martial art?
 

I see no reason not to allow this. It's blowing a point permanently to have a tiny edge against one foe. It seems eminently balanced. I'd call it "I Studied On Killin' You!"

Re: Why learn a martial art?
 

In my 4e PDF, it's on p. 144 in a box called Ultimate Styles. I haven't found the 20 point advantage that gives familiarity with all styles, though I'd probably allow it.

Re: Why learn a martial art?
 

End of the second paragraph.

Re: Why learn a martial art?
 

Yeah, page 144. I was thinking ahead while I wrote. The advantage is discussed in that box in my hardcopy.

Re: Why learn a martial art?
 

While that is an issue, I'm not seeing a suggestion that doesn't basically work as, I know this style but I have no discernible pattern and so there is no downside for all of these upsides, but it is a downside for people I fight.

And if the people you fight can ignore their style and attack style-free, then the idea of negating DAs and reducing Feints is basically a non-rule that applies to no one.


That is how I'd run it. You need to be able to apply it to the situation to have it make sense and have it count. GM judgement should apply - if you're in a Karate tournament and you also know Kyudo and BJJ and don't use them, it shouldn't be hard to read you. If you do use them, and it's a point-based system that scores proper technique, your bleed through from BJJ might hurt you, not help you. I know I didn't score once in Kendo because of my totally incorrect step, which looked more MMA than Kendo and we weren't fighting, we were trying to apply perfect technique before the other guy did.

Re: Why learn a martial art?
 

Of course, you get exactly the same effect if you have one other style familiarity your opponent doesn't or if you don't have a style familiarity at all or if you've learned a technique outside your style and use it.

If that drawback is supposed to be a huge deal that you can't get out of, it shouldn't be so easy to get out of it. I'm just proposing a way out of it that makes it possible for the same character to fight with 'no' style (which any character without a style familiarity can do) and to have knowledge of styles. I don't think 1 point is too little to pay for the privilege.
Did anyone actually suggest that?

Re: Why learn a martial art?
 

Ayup. I see it clearly now, thank you. If it had been a cliche, it would have bit me.

Unfortunately, in my SF setting, not all martial arts descend from this particular one, though most have taken at least bits and pieces of this one. However, there are very few places and people who use this style, though there is a sport style that includes a lot of the original, but not all. Her teacher made sure she was qualified in the modern version as well so she could always have a job teaching if she wished.

She also has a few style familiarities for arts that she could not study the cinematic parts either because of a lack of True Masters (The Gentle Way - basically Aikijutsu) or because she lacked the ability (Blue Star Striking, where magical control over gravity and time is used to deadly effect). Her master didn't teach her the military martial arts because he really doesn't believe they're useful other than teaching soldiers to understand that pain can be ignored and that it's good excercise: after all why wrap a battle suit or a starship around you and then fight hand to hand?