Martial Arts and Styles

A few things I notice my group has not resolved;

Should we incorporate fighting styles into a specific martial arts, and what about Tasha's Unarmed style, which is CLEARLY better at 1st level!
 

log in or register to remove this ad

What are you thinking about with regards to incorporating fighting styles into specific martial arts? As for Tasha's, I cannot speak for your group regarding Tasha's. Personally, I don't like the Tasha's Unarmed Style and will not be using it.
 

A few things I notice my group has not resolved;

Should we incorporate fighting styles into a specific martial arts, and what about Tasha's Unarmed style, which is CLEARLY better at 1st level!
What are you think about with regards to incorporating fighting styles into specific martial arts? As for Tasha's Unarmed Style, I can't speak for your group. Personally, I will not be using it.
 

What are you think about with regards to incorporating fighting styles into specific martial arts? As for Tasha's Unarmed Style, I can't speak for your group. Personally, I will not be using it.
Yeah the Tasha's causes unarmed damage to go too high (1d8) in comparison to the monk class, which would not gain that benefit until 11th level.

And we were looking at the fighting styles as a way to express the flavor of a specific style, just making things up, say a "Mystic Archery Style" could gain the Archery fighting style, a defensive martial arts being able to use the Protection style without a shield.

Blind-fighting or Interception could also be flavored for martial arts.

Our thoughts were, it would be too much to add to the feats, making them OP, and we dont want to give them to a martial art school for free. Taking a level of fighter to qualify is to pricey, although it would fit a fighter who was a martial artist just fine.

So for now we are going to not worry about it being associated with a martial art, unless a new character needs it for their "style".
 


By the way, I plan on using the same "feat" approach to maneuvers to develop swordsmanship schools, fencing academies, certain famous teachers style, etc.
 


Interesting. - So all the martial arts in your setting are unarmed and monk-themed?

?
Aren't these just martial arts as well?
I use the term "martial arts" in the common vernacular of hand to hand, unarmed, kung-fu or karate.

Its true that all combat endeavors are "martial" arts, and I am developing fencing schools and other styles.

As you can see, they are mainly a collection of battlemaster skills, flavored into various styles and gained by feats.
 

Of late, I have been working on the following changes, specifically to replace Monks Martial Arts (I've been doing changes elsewhere to affect fighters, so you build martial artist warriors who don't get the supernatural abilities).

(Note: I dumped the static unarmed damage increase, and made it that at 10th level you get a damage increase and at 5th & 15th level an extra attack.)

### Martial Arts
Starting at 1st level, due to your combat training you gain a martial arts fighting style of your choice from the options below.

Regardless of the number of times you hit a target, they only make one saving throw against any carrier effects from your unarmed attack. The saving throw for any special style effect is equal to your Ki saving throw.

You can use shortswords and simple weapons that are not two-handed or have the heavy property with your style special abilities.

#### Burning West Wind Style
You can use Strength, Dexterity or Wisdom for attack and damage rolls, and your unarmed strikes deal 1d8 bludgeoning damage.

#### Clawing Tiger Style
You use Strength or Dexterity for attack and damage rolls, and your unarmed strikes deal 1d8 piercing damage. Also, when you hit an enemy you can choose to start a grapple against the target for free.

#### Drunken Monkey Style
You can use Dexterity or Wisdom for attack and damage rolls, and your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 bludgeoning damage. As a reaction, when an enemy misses with an attack roll, you gain advantage against that enemy until the end of your next turn.

#### East Wind Flurry Style
You use Dexterity or Wisdom for attack and damage rolls, and your unarmed strikes 1d4 bludgeoning damage. When you use the attack action to make unarmed strikes, you can make two attacks instead of one. You only apply your damage modifier to one of the attacks. When you gain the extra attack ability or use Flurry of Blows, you can make one more additional attack than normal.

#### Frozen South Wind Style
You use Dexterity or Wisdom for attack and damage rolls, and your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 bludgeoning damage. Also, on a hit you can force a target to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the target's speed is reduced by 10 feet and it has disadvantage on any reaction it takes until the end of their next turn.

#### Furious Bear Style
You use Strength for attack and damage rolls with your unarmed strikes, however they deal 1d12 bludgeoning damage on a hit. Also, on a hit you can force a target to make a Strength saving throw. On a failure, the target is moved your Strength modifier x 5 feet in a direction of your choice.

#### Graceful Crane Style
You use Dexterity or Wisdom for attack and damage rolls, and your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 bludgeoning damage. Also, on your turn you can take the Disengage or Dodge action as a bonus action.

#### Iron Mountain Style
You use Strength for attack and damage rolls, and your unarmed strikes deal 1d8 bludgeoning damage. As a reaction, when you are successfully hit by a melee weapon attack you can reduce the damage by 1d6 + your proficiency modifier.

#### North Star Strike Style
You use Strength, Dexterity or Wisdom for attack and damage rolls, and your unarmed strikes deal 2d4 slashing damage. Also, on a hit you can force a target to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the target cannot take a reaction until the start of your next turn.
```
```
#### Pouncing Leopard Style
You use Strength or Dexterity for attack and damage rolls, and your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 bludgeoning damage. Also, on your turn you can take the Dash or Disengage action as a bonus action.

#### Rising North Wind Style
You use Dexterity or Wisdom for attack and damage rolls, and your unarmed strikes deal 1d8 bludgeoning damage. Also, on a hit you can force a target to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the target is restrained until they succeed a Constitution saving throw at the end of their turn.

#### Roaring Dragon Style
You use Strength, Dexterity or Wisdom for attack and damage rolls, and your unarmed strikes deal 1d8 bludgeoning damage. Also, on a hit you can force a target to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the target is frightened. At the end of its turn, the target may repeat the save to end the condition.

#### Rushing River Style
You use Strength or Dexterity for attack and damage rolls, and your unarmed strikes deal 1d8 bludgeoning damage. On a successful hit, you can move up to 15 feet after the attack without provoking an attack from your target.

#### Slashing Mantis Style
You use Strength or Dexterity for attack and damage rolls, and your unarmed strikes deal 1d10 piercing damage. Also, on a hit you can force a target to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the target takes disadvantage on its next attack roll.

#### Stinging Scorpion Style
You use Dexterity or Wisdom for attack and damage rolls, and your unarmed strikes deal 1d4 piercing damage. Also, on a hit you can force a target to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the target is poisoned and takes damage equal to your Wisdom modifier at the start of its turn. The target must succeed a Wisdom saving throw at the end of each of its turn to end the condition.

#### Striking Snake Style
You use Strength or Dexterity for attack and damage rolls, and your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 piercing damage. Also, on a hit you can force a target to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the target takes 1d4 poison damage.

#### Tranquil Valley Style
You use Wisdom for attack and damage rolls, and your unarmed strikes deal 1d4 psychic damage. As a reaction when an enemy makes a melee attack against you or an ally within 5 feet, the attacker takes bludgeoning damage equal to half the damage it inflicted on you or the ally if the attack hits. If the enemy's attack missed, they take 1d6 psychic damage instead.

#### Whispering Woods Style
You use Dexterity or Wisdom for attack and damage rolls, and your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 bludgeoning damage. As a reaction, you gain a bonus to your AC equal to your proficiency modifier until your next turn. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier before you must take a long rest to regain all uses of this ability.

<EDIT: spoilered >
 
Last edited:

@SkidAce Hopefully, I will get a chance to post some ideas this week should I get a chance to organize them. What I am considering involves synthesizing your maneuvers with ideas from both Oriental Adventures 1e and d20M Blood & Fists (perhaps, even Khaalis's light armored fighter). I tried to post the basic ideas the other day, but had difficulty putting them to page (yay, post Covid brain fog) and the rest of my week, beginning today, involves more doctors and tests (including preparation for a class test to which I am not looking forward given the time it to me write this post or a few paragraphs on an an artist and one exampe of his work).
 

Remove ads

Top