Monowire Whip Styles
 

Hi all, I'm trying to write up a character for a new game we're playing. Its TL 10 with a little added weirdness (Our party include a Mage though the GM stresses they are Very Rare.) and in a cinematic mode, though again, nothing too over the top, characters are 200pts with -50 in disadvantages, so I can't go too crazy on that budget.

As part of the crew I took the position as the ships Doctor but I've always wanted to play a Monowire Whip Fighter and after okaying it with the GM now seems the perfect time. Having a quick flick through Martial Arts, none of the styles jump out as particularly fitting to adapt to the Monowire Whip and I was wondering if anyone had developed a style or could think of something to adapt to it? I must admit that Walter C. Dornez from Hellsing is probably my chief inspiration (Short video of him fighting style can be seen here.).

I was thinking techniques could include entangle, target location, disarm etc. but I am unsure as to the physical limitations of the weapon, would it be possible to string monowire whips across a corridor - with the obvious advantage of them being near invisible - for enemies to run straight into/through? Any ideas to add to the versatility of the weapon would be welcome.

The other cool thing about Walter is that in classic anime style he has cranked it up to 11, wielding monowire whips on each of his fingertips hidden in his gloves. It would be very cool to replicate this - my first thought is adding RoF 4 or 5 to the monowire and multiplying it's cost accordingly but I am somewhat unsure how much this will affect it's usage? Should I make attacks at -2 per each wire currently in use? or perhaps just make a Monowire Glove-DX/VH skill for it?

As for the survivability of the character I was thinking of leaning towards stealth rather than heavy armour. Nanoweave bodysuits with invisibility surfaces and a holdout laser for inaccessible enemies.

Re: Monowire Whip Styles
 

This sounds like a hilarious and wonderful character. Definitely more cinematic than most of my games, but I bet he'll be great fun to play... What in particular do you want to discuss?

Re: Monowire Whip Styles
 

I'd suggest adapting Force-Swordsmanship on p.209 to a Monowire style.
Something along the lines of:

Monowire Whip Mastery

5 Points

Skills: Acrobatics; Monowire Whip; Whip; Parry Missile Weapons.
Techniques: Back Strike (Monowire Whip); Choke Hold (Whip); Crack (Whip); Entangle (Whip); Feint (Monowire Whip); Return Strike (Monowire Whip); Targeted Attack (Monowire Whip/Arm); Targeted Attack (Monowire Whip/Leg); Targeted Attack (Monowire Whip/Neck).
Cinematic Skills: Blind Fighting; Body Control; Flying Leap; Kiai; Mental Strength; Power Blow; Precognitive Parry.
Cinematic Techniques: Binding (Whip); Dual-Weapon Attack (Monowire Whip); Dual-Weapon Defense (Monowire Whip); Whirlwind Attack (Monowire Whip).
Perks: Acrobatic Feints; Chi Resistance (Any); Grip Mastery (Monowire Whip); Off-Hand Weapon Training (Monowire Whip); Special Setup (Power Blow works with Monowire Whip); Sure-Footed (Slippery); Sure-Footed (Uneven); Weapon Bond.

Re: Monowire Whip Styles
 

Since the essential feature of monowire is it cuts through things, I don't think you can do a Choke Hold with one (though a decapitation move, perhaps modeled on Neck Snap would be a reasonable alternative). Likewise for Entangle or Binding. And I really don't see where the internal stuff is coming from.

Crack is of course *the* unique whip technique, so add that.
Fast length changes are characteristic of the classic fictional forms, so Reach Mastery is probably a good idea for most forms, though for this guy, with the multiple whips and hence the dual weapon stuff maybe not.
Some versions use the whip as an acrobatics tool, so some sort of equivalent to setting a grappling hook, a variation of Climbing Line and/or an Acrobatic technique improving Swinging seem possible.
Several versions also use a weight on the end of the wire to allow less lethal crushing attacks - effectively turning the whip into a bola perdida, so consider (1 handed) Flail.
And yeah, stringing the thing across an opening as an invisible trap is so traditional that Traps skill, or at least some sort of Skill Adaptation covering that specific trap, is at least optional.

Re: Monowire Whip Styles
 

I think I forgot to leave a normal Whip skill in there, I'll fix that...

Re: Monowire Whip Styles
 

Yeah, Walter from Hellsing is evidently able to turn his monowire whips into normal whips on command - sometimes they slice through people like butter, but he's shown choking people and restraining them too... maybe he's just really careful? Of course, you need non-monowire whips to do swinging or use it as a climbing line too.

Some sort of special gear? A perk (you can treat your monowire whip as not monowire when you want)? Clearly cinematic...

Re: Monowire Whip Styles
 

Thanks, that style looks great, I'll probably give him freefighting too to compliment it (also whats cooler than fighting with monowire whips than fighting in zero gravity with monowire whips... then again, it seem liable to get messy very quickly...)

Any advise on modelling Monowire Gloves?

Re: Monowire Whip Styles
 

Yes well, I think those whips are more like force whips than monowire whips, depending on the setting you could sub in "Force Whip" for the weapon skill.

In a non-force whip setting you could allow a perk to switch between monowire whip and normal whip, you could also allow a Weapon Adaptation perk for using whip with monowire whip skill.

You're going to have to explain that one, all that comes to mind is stumps...
*grin*

Re: Monowire Whip Styles
 

Ahh sorry, yes I guess its not the most descriptive way to explain them. Walter wears gloves with a monowire whip in each of the tips of the digits. I think the best way to model them would be adding RoF 5 to them and a -4 penalty to use them to make sure the wires don't become tangled or some such.

Re: Monowire Whip Styles
 

I think rather than a choke attack, a monowire whip would more likely deliver Targeted Attack/Neck. What other horrible things could you do? Maybe an improved version of Deceptive Attack called Invisible Wire or something like that; it's hard to parry what you can see only by inference. Whirlwind Attack seems like a natural, too.

Camouflage, Stealth, and Holdout seem like good secondary skills. Fast-Draw (monowire whip). Traps, of course.