Kicks and stuff in melee?

[Hexer]

I still dont know all the rules that well (still focussing on those I need right now) so if this is well described already, its ok to just point me in the right direction of course.

I havent played a melee char so far but I was thinking about this:
A good fighter/martial artist/whatever will most probably use all the advantages he can get in melee. This includes using their feet. I'm not even talking about flashy, artistic Kung Fu style kicking but stuff like a quick kick to the lower leg to throw an opponent off balance, steping on his foot when you're close to drastically reduce his manouverability, a kick to the side of the knee to break it or at least make his move/stance instable for a moment or distract, a knee to the upper leg to slow him down and also destabilize his stance, stuff like that.
The lawful good paladin might not do such things maybe but the experienced mercenary, barbarian, martial artist, rogue, and many others would surely use stuff like this.

Is stuff like that part of the rules? Or is it just something you could use as descriptions of what your char is doing in combat while using standard stuff?

I know that second hand actions are ruled (off hand punches, 2 weapon fighting (maybe with an empty second hand), shield strike and stuff like that but how about feet?

 

[Dandu]

I like to convey this sort of thing by taking the Improved Trip feat and tripping someone.

 

[Hexer]

Maybe this also is a good place to additionally ask another thing:

What are good melee, combat, warrior classes with some martial arts touch?
The Monk comes to mind of course but I read so much about it sucking rules-wise and also its not exactly what I'd be after fluff-wise

 

[Dandu]

Tome of Battle classes, Psychic Warrior, Totemist, and Barbarian make good martial arts classes, though in the case of the Barbarian you have to prestige into Fist of the Forest or Frost Rager. Giving some of the classes (namely the last three) a martial arts touch is an exercise left to the player.

 

[Hexer]

Found a nice little article about all the standard special attacks.

Here is part 1 (its 4 parts):
Tactics and Tips: Fightin' Dirty (Part 1)

 

[Jimlock]

Is stuff like that part of the rules? Or is it just something you could use as descriptions of what your char is doing in combat while using standard stuff?

Under "unarmed strike" a character can perform any kick, punch, headbutt... whatever "hit" you wish, but it will always do the given amount of damage an unarmed strike does. What i'm saying is that you can describe/picture/story-tell a character's unarmed strike however that pleases you, given the style and experience of the character.
For further effects, you character has to take some other sort of action like:
Trip, Grapple, Overrun, disarm, bull rash, feint, sunder, shield bash...
...and if your character wants to be good in any of those... There is an "Improved X" feat for any of the actions above.
Certain (if not all) of the actions above can be described however you wish, just like unarmed strike, but they always have a given effect.
For combinations/alterations of the above, or even some for new effect you can always talk to your DM and you can both find a way of "house ruling" something out, if the above do not satisfy your needs. (But before taking this step, make sure you understand how the above work, cause it's highly likely that you'll find what you want in there somewhere).

As for the Monk... well yeah he does suck rules-wise. As for the Monk's fluff you can still take it wherever you wish... You do not necessarily have to go "oriental"...

Psychic Warrior

Other than being a Psyonist, the PW does not fit the profile of "a warrior classes with some martial arts touch"...

Having said that, it's probably one of the most powerful martial classes out there.

 

[Dandu]

I disagree. Simply call PP ki, talk about how you learned your art at a monastery, challenge people to fights constantly, and you're good to go.

 

[Hexer]

Should I ever play such a char in a game my current DM is DMing I guess we actually could come up with some houseruling for stuff we find lacking as we are both interested in martial arts and also have some RL experience.

Yea well I dont need to translate a Psychic Warrior into a fantasy Shaolin guy. I think several classes will work well depending on what flavour you're going for. I mean "warrior with some martial arts touch" could be some eastern martial arts champion or specialist for more exotic weapons but could just as well be the spartan warrior as seen in the movie 300 or a tribal warrior of some kind or whatever. (personally I have some RL experience in Kali, a martial art native to the philipines and originating from tribal clan warriors for example)
I just dont know those classes well yet, thats why I was asking for suggestions as to which to have a look at.

oh btw: is there any class besides Monk who can get a lot out of empty hands combat?

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Should I ever play such a char in a game my current DM is DMing I guess we actually could come up with some houseruling for stuff we find lacking as we are both interested in martial arts and also have some RL experience.

Yea well I dont need to translate a Psychic Warrior into a fantasy Shaolin guy. I think several classes will work well depending on what flavour you're going for. I mean "warrior with some martial arts touch" could be some eastern martial arts champion or specialist for more exotic weapons but could just as well be the spartan warrior as seen in the movie 300 or a tribal warrior of some kind or whatever. (personally I have some RL experience in Kali, a martial art native to the philipines and originating from tribal clan warriors for example)
I just dont know those classes well yet, thats why I was asking for suggestions as to which to have a look at.

oh btw: is there any class besides Monk who can get a lot out of empty hands combat?

Tome of Battle suggests an adaptation for Swordsage where you add Monk's Unarmed Strike progression and swap out it's Light Armor proficency.

Also, the Fist of the Forest PrC Dandu recommended is a solid choice in my experience.

 

[Celebrim]

I know that second hand actions are ruled (off hand punches, 2 weapon fighting (maybe with an empty second hand), shield strike and stuff like that but how about feet?

Personally, I consider attacking with feet to be simply a variant primary or off-hand unarmed strike differing from using your hands only in color.

Now, there are feats that have the explicit color 'you are attacking with your feet' and some feats, like Improved Trip, can have this color implicitly. If you really want to capture a martial arts feel of a guy who is deadly with his kicks, a feat is a good way to add that extra color. I've always looked at feats as a somewhat more balanced way to achieve what the martial arts techniques in 1e OA were going for when they attempted to differentiate fighting styles. For example:

CIRCLE KICK [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You can kick two attackers at the same time.
Prerequisite: Dex 15, base attack bonus +3, improved unarmed strike
Benefit: As a full round action you may make an unarmed attack on any opponent in your threat range. If your attack succeeds, you may add one and a half times your normal strength modifier to the damage and you may immediately make a second attack with the same attack modifier on any other opponent within your threat range at the time of the first attack. If this attack succeeds, you also add one and a half times your normal strength modifier to the damage you do.

FLYING KICK [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
Prerequisite: Str 13, Power Attack, Improved Unarmed Strike, 4 ranks of jump
Benefit: You may make an unarmed charge attack on any opponent within range of your jump (if you fail to jump far enough, the attack is wasted.) If the attack succeeds, you may do unarmed damage as if you were two size classes larger than normal, and you may add twice your normal strength modifier to the damage you inflict.

ROUNDABOUT KICK [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You can follow through on a successful unarmed attack.
Prerequisite: STR 15+, Improved Unarmed Strike, Power Attack
Benefit: If you make a successful critical hit with an unarmed strike, you may immediately get another unarmed strike on that opponent at the same base attack bonus. Each time you do so, you must expend one of your attacks of opportunity for the round.

I've always thought the fighter should make a great martial artist, but unfortunately official rules for getting there are lacking. Exactly how you go about implementing the necessary mechanics is an excercise best negotiated with your DM. In my case, I don't mind adding unarmed combat options, just so long as you understand you'll probably be disadvantaged versus an equivalent level martial artist using a sword. Other DM's may be perfectly content to let you bash with your hands and feet just as effectively as you could slice and dice with a sword.