Martial Arts Abilities

[David Bofinger]

The more fantastic martial arts movies allow martial artists to do some crazy stuff. For instance, in one scene of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon two characters run across the forest on the tips of the trees, fly through the air, run on water, etc. What should the crazy abilities be?

[Bill_in_IN]

The movies do get carried away, don't they?

Even with my more inclusive interpretation of the TFT Unarmed Combat Talents, nothing like that would occur without magical help.

[hcobb]

What other combat styles combine empty hands with limited carried iron?
Spellcasting heroes don't even get staff spells so there's lots of empty space in their hands.

[David Bofinger]

I think a lot of movie martial artist abilities could be explained by a limited anti-gravity like a gargoyle's. It would let them leap from ground floor up to a first floor, or walk on trees, or balance on someone else's sword as in Kill Bill 2.

So my theory is that the secret ingredient of those martial arts dojo communal breakfasts is gargoyle gall bladder.

[TippetsTX]

I model wuxia-style abilities using a combination of Spells and Powers in my game.

See the thread for my 'Mystic Monk'...
https://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=161578

[hcobb]

Just use the flight potion that requires no fatigue if you land the turn after you take off.

[David Bofinger]

Second draft:

Delete the ladder:

• Delete Talents: Unarmed Combat I, Unarmed Combat II, Unarmed Combat III, Unarmed Combat IV, Unarmed Combat V.

And for now keep the armour restrictions, though they are a problem because wrestling in plate is definitely a thing.

• All talents in this section are subject to the armour restrictions given in the second paragraph of Unarmed Combat I, ITL*39.

Brawling just doesn't work in RAW. Maybe someday I should try fixing it, but not sure how.

• Delete Talent: Brawling.

Break up the Unarmed Combat into tracks for boxing...

• Boxing (IQ 9, cost 1) All unarmed attacks do an extra 1d-2. Stops 1 hit against any unarmed or subdual attack (ITL*126, Taking Prisoners, paragraph 2).
• Expert Boxing (IQ 11, cost 2) ...
• Kick (IQ 10, cost 1) Kick attacks are DX -3, damage +1d. Kick attacks without this talent are DX -4, damage +1d-2.

... and wrestling:

• Wrestling (IQ 10, cost 1) You may “shield-rush” without a shield. Use the shield-rush rules, but if your target falls, you may immediately move on top of them to attempt HTH. Subtract two dice from own pin attempts. Add two dice to pin attempts against you.
• Expert Wrestling (IQ 12, cost 2) ...

And the gradually weirder stuff:

• Nerve Strike (IQ ?, cost 2) ...
• Nerve Strike Master? (IQ ?, cost 3) ...

And the qing gong wire fu - first level is probably similar to Tippets' Master of Air but more movement focused rather than a bit of movement and a bit of combat modifier:

• Lightness (IQ 12, cost 2) One die off climbing, can jump further, etc.
• Lightness Master (IQ 14, cost 3) ...

[David Bofinger]

Originally Posted by TippetsTX

See the thread for my 'Mystic Monk'...
https://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=161578

You probably won't be surprised to hear that I don't want to have a ladder which leads you through different elements in an order chosen by the game designer. That's OK in a story where there's only one avatar and the reduction in agency is no big deal, but IMO it's bad in an RPG.

I want different characters to purchase different subsets of the menu. If there's five elements then I want them to be able to choose to specialise in the one or several they prefer.

[TippetsTX]

Originally Posted by David Bofinger

You probably won't be surprised to hear that I don't want to have a ladder which leads you through different elements in an order chosen by the game designer. That's OK in a story where there's only one avatar and the reduction in agency is no big deal, but IMO it's bad in an RPG.

I want different characters to purchase different subsets of the menu. If there's five elements then I want them to be able to choose to specialise in the one or several they prefer.

My Powers work both ways, though. It's a ladder if you want to climb all the way to the top of a single portfolio, but most players (in our playtesting over the last few years) will typically mix and match Powers from different portfolios (supplemented by various Talents and Spells) to create unique combinations. For example, we have a UC channeler of positive energy who also pursued the fire mastery path... he calls himself a Fist of the Divine Flame.

No character is ever locked into specific progression path unless they choose to do so.

It's also worth noting that you don't have to aquire both Powers from a lower tier in order to select one from the next tier up.

And also, also... my framework allows for as many (or as few) Power sets as the GM wants for their campaign. Creating new UC-themed portfolios wouldn't be difficult.

[Steve Plambeck]

I've written my own simplified replacements for all the UC talents, still dithering with the names:

• Martial Arts 1 (or just "Martial Arts")
• Martial Arts 2 (or just "Martial Arts Expert")
• Martial Arts 3 (or just "Martial Arts Master")

Each one will be the prerequisite to the next. To me three levels is enough -- IMO TFT isn't meant to be too granular. While they confer bonuses to barehanded attacks, I won't preclude those barehanded attacks just because there's a weapon in one hand or any armor is worn. Defensively I've written rules for a "Throw" option to counter incoming barehanded attacks which could work out to be fun - it gets a little wilder as the expertise level rises, with the Master pretty much tossing people around at will.

Nothing as major added as in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, but I will be writing rules for the Master/MA3 level to include running straight up walls (about 12 ft?) jumping roof-to-roof (also about 12 feet?), and walking/running along tightropes -- those seem like they should be automatic advantages at the Master level.

Totally separate from those and from each other I've come up with

• Street Fighting (which may be taken twice for increased bonuses)
• Wrestling

I've written Wrestling to be fairly intense, so I won't be doing a Wrestling 2 or Expert. All the wrestling advantages come in HTH combat, whereas the Martial Arts advantages are more about staying on your feet, or getting back to your feet quickly, so there's no real overlap. I take that back, both confer advantages to avoid HTH or disengage from it more easily, although the wrestler may not want to avoid it, especially not if the opponent doesn't have the talent too because that's when the wrestler will kick the most butt. As I've written Street Fighting it has a few advantages similar to but less potent than both Martial Arts and Wrestling (some overlap gets unavoidable), but it runs cheaper than learning the others. Street Fighting is the compromise for those that don't want to spend too much IQ on barehanded abilities, but still want to have some agency if they are disarmed.