[MA] Technique Mastery for DWA?

[vierasmarius]

Originally Posted by DangerousThing

DWA is already a technique that is allowed to be improved to the limit of the defining skill.

And so is Kicking. You can't improve kicking past Karate (or Brawling if it's a technique of Brawling also).

And as GM I wouldn't allow kicking to be extended because I feel that kicking is also a core use of Karate. Buying off the -2 penalty with a technique is fine, but making Kicking even better sounds wrong to me

Originally Posted by MA pg 52

A skill’s core uses aren’t eligible; e.g.,
Technique Mastery (Judo Throw) and Technique
Mastery (Kicking) are fine, but Technique Mastery
(Judo Grapple) and Technique Mastery (Karate
Punch) aren’t.

By RAW, Technique Mastery is unambiguously allowed for Kicking (if allowing TM at all). So, where would you draw the line? How about Upper Cut, Knee Strike, or Exotic Hand Strike? Those certainly aren't "core" techniques, but after improving them they may replace basic attacks. And if barring those, what would you allow, if anything?

The sense I get from this whole discussion is that people think TM is a point crock and shouldn't be allowed at all. I haven't had that experience with it. As Peter says, it's helpful to represent some of the hyper-specialized martial artists from fiction.