Martial Arts

[suburbaknght]

I've been a bit disapointed by the Martial Artist in d20 Modern; it's a good class and allows customization for different martial arts with the feats but it doesn't really define existing martial arts in d20 terms. To that end I have written "Martial Arts Styles" in the same format as Oriental Adventures for existing martial arts. Opinions would be appreciated.

Note: This uses feats from Oriental Adventures.

The Martial Artists described in the D20 Modern book are the principal practitioners of unarmed martial arts in D20 Modern, while Soldiers (and to an extent Body Guards) are the experts in armed martial arts. Characters of all classes (and advanced classes), however, can learn at least some of the techniques of martial arts – and in a D20 Modern campaign, they do so in the context of well-defined schools and traditions. Learning a martial art is more than selecting a couple of interesting feats. It involves commitment to a particular style of fighting – one that emphasizes kicks over blows with the hand, for example, or one that teaches throws rather than strikes.

A martial arts style is a collection of feats that practitioners of that style learn to enhance their prowess in combat – armed or unarmed. The class-based selection of bonus feat that may be learned are broad martial arts styles, generally emphasizing certain techniques of armed combat. The Strong Hero, for example, emphasizes physical strength and stamina by teaching feats such as Brawl and Power Attack. The Fast Hero, by contrast, emphasizes speed and skill by teaching the Dodge and Combat Expertise feats.

Similarly, schools of unarmed combat have certain styles reflected in the specific feats they teach. One fundamental difference between styles is the distinction between hard forms and soft forms. Hard forms emphasize the use of muscles and bones for power, relying on direct movements and offensive focus. Hard styles often build on the Power Attack feat. Soft forms rely more on inner power, utilizing fluid and circular motions and redirecting an attackers movements with a more defensive approach. Soft styles often build on the Combat Expertise feat. Many styles use a combination of hard and soft forms, and may or may not make use of Power Attack and Combat Expertise.

Within each form, styles make use of certain methods of attack and defense. These methods, and the feats associated with them, are listed in Table 2: Martial Arts Styles.

No style makes use of only one method. Table 2: Martial Arts Styles illustrates sample styles for the world of D20 Modern based on real life martial arts styles (such as Aikido, Mai Tai kick boxing, and Kung Fu) including armed styles (such as Kenjitsu and Kung Fu). The feats of a style can be learned in any order, except in the case of feats with prerequisites.

Following the path of a martial arts style has certain benefits. A character who masters the feas with a style gains a mastery ability related to the techniques of that style. Some styles have one mastery ability; others have multiple abilities that a character gains as she masters different aspects of that style. Mastery abilities are a bit like the synergy bonuses a character gains if she has several ranks in certain skills: characters who learn certain combinations of feats gain an extra edge for doing so.

A Martial Artist may select a feat instead of a class ability in order to continue progressing towards a style mastery. If a Martial Artist selects a feat instead of a class ability and the class ability is a higher die of damage, the next time she gains increased unarmed damage as a class ability it is only one die increase (i.e. if Roxanne chooses Combat Throw instead of Living Weapon d6, when she gets Living Weapon d8 she only gains the benefit of Living Weapon d6). A Martial Artist may also select any feat from Table 1 as a bonus feat.

Martial Arts Styles
Mastery Ability Name
Basic description of the style.
Prerequisites: Feats and (in some cases) skills or other abilities required for a character to master the style.
Benefits: The benefit a character gains for mastering the style.

Aikido
You have mastered Aikido (IE-kee-doe), a soft style which aims to disable attackers rather than hurting them. To this end Aikido utilizes a series of throws, trips, and disarming techniques.
Prerequisites: Agile Riposte, Combat Throw, Dodge, Defensive Martial Arts, Grappling Block, Improved Disarm, Improved Grapple, Unbalance Opponent, 6 or more ranks in Balance and Tumble.
Benefits: Once per day, you can make yourself unmovable. You automatically win an opposed Strength check when an opponent attempts to bull rush you. A creature with the improved grab ability must move into your space to grapple you, since it cannot pull you into its space. No spell or other effect can force you to move. If you become frightened or panicked, you suffer the full effect of the feat but do not run away. You cannot move, even to make a 5-foot step, while this ability is in effect. T his ability lasts for 1 round per level, but you can end it at any time.

British Bareknuckle Boxing
Oft neglected as a fighting style, Bareknuckle Boxing is a seamless blend of finesse and brutal, dirty fighting techniques
Prerequisites: Brawl, Combat Martial Arts, Improved Brawl, Improved Combat Martial Arts, Improved Feint, Improved Knockout Punch, Knockout Punch, Street Fighting.
Benefit: The bonus die of damage from Streetfighting is increased to a d6. Also, you can use brawl and martial arts techniques together without penalty.

Choy Li Fut
You have mastered Choi Li Fut (chow lee fue), also known as “Drunken Boxing.” By moving around as if half drunk you are able to dodge attacks with greater – and often unexpected – precision and launch attacks from seemingly awkward stances.
Prerequisites: Combat Expertise, Defensive Martial Arts, Dodge, Elusive Target, Mobility, Spring Attack, Unbalance Opponent, Dex 14+.
Benefits: When using Combat Expertise gain an additional +1 bonus to Defense (i.e. if you take a –2 penalty to attack you get a +3 bonus to Defense). You must take at least a –1 penalty to attack to use this ability.

Judo
You have mastered Judo (JUE-doe), a modern version of the ancient Japanese martial art Jujitsu developed by Dr. Jigoro Kano in 1882. Judo is most well known for its throwing, grappling, and wrestling techniques.
Prerequisites: Brawl or Combat Martial Arts, Choke Hold, Combat Throw, Defensive Martial Arts, Earth’s Embrace, Improved Combat Throw, Improved Grapple, 5 or more ranks of Escape Artist.
Benefits: When you deal damage while grappling, if you choose to deal non-lethal damage you may add your wisdom modifier to the damage.

Karate
You have mastered Karate (kah-rah-TAE), a hard form fighting method involving a variety of techniques, including blocks, strikes, evasions, throws, and joint manipulations. Karate masters are most well known for their Karate shouts and katas (forms).
Prerequisites: Combat Martial Arts, Combat Throw, Defensive Martial Arts, Fists of Iron, Flying Kick, Greater Ki Shout, Ki Shout, Stunning Fist.
Benefits: Your Ki shouts can effect opponents with Hit Dice equal to or less than your level (normally Ki shouts can only effect opponents with fewer hit dice than you have levels). Also, if before entering combat you spend an hour practicing your katas you gain a +1 to attack rolls and to your defense for the first 3 rounds of combat.

Kenjitsu
You have mastered Kenjitsu (ken-jet-SUE), the direct descendant of samurai katana techniques. It has been made into kendo – a sport using wooden bamboo swords (called shinai) to practice the martial techniques used hundreds of years ago. Kendo students may gain the benefits of Kenitsu.
Prerequisties: Archaic Weapon Proficiency, Combat Expertise, Exotic Melee Weapon Proficiency (Katana), Power Attack, Superior Combat Expertise, Weapon Focus (Katana)
Benefits: You are adept at wielding a weapon for both attacking and defense. When you wield a melee weapon you have selected as the beneficiary of Weapon Focus you gain an additional +1 to attacks and gain a +1 dodge bonus to Defense against melee attacks.

Krav Maga
You have mastered Krav Maga, a modern hard martial art stressing combat preparedness and physical fitness was developed in the 1940’s for use by the Israeli Defense Force (I.D.F.). Krav Maga includes techniques utilized in Aikido, Karate, boxing, Judo, and Jujitsu, adapted for use in modern combat situations.
Prerequisites: Athletic, Combat Martial Arts, Defensive Martial Arts, Combat Expertise, Improved Combat Martial Arts, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Streetfighting, Base Attack Bonus +6 or higher.
Benefits: For the first round of combat you gain a +20 to your initiative check. After the last person has gone recalculate your initiative for the rest of combat.
Special: Soldiers may take any of the prerequisite feats for Krav Maga as bonus feats or in place of Soldier special abilities if a member of a military force that teaches Krave Maga (i.e. I.D.F., Mosad, Israeli Police Forces, and various allied military forces).

Kung Fu
You have mastered Kung Fu – a hard/soft form emphasizing weapon use and strikes to pressure points.
Prerequisites: Archaic Weapon Proficiency, Combat Martial Arts, Falling Star Strike, Fists of Iron (or the Martial Artist’s Iron Fist ability), Freezing the Lifeblood, Improved Combat Martial Arts, Stunning Fist, 6 or more ranks in Jump and Tumble.
Benefits: The saving throw DC of your stunning attack and other pressure point attacks is increased by 2. You also gain Weapon Focus as a bonus feat; you must already have proficiency with the weapon and you must select one of the following weapons for the feat to apply to: chain, cleaver, club, knife, nunchaku, quarterstaff , shortsword, spear, three section staff tonfa, unarmed strike.

Mai Tai Kickboxing
You have mastered Mai Tai (MIE-tie), a hard form emphasizing empty strikes with the hand and quick kicks.
Prerequisites: Advanced Combat Martial Arts, Combat Martial Arts, Fists of Iron (or the Martial Artist’s Iron First ability), Flying Kick (Or Martial Artist’s Flying Kick Ability), Improved Combat Martial Arts, Roundabout Kick, Weapon Focus (Unarmed Strike), Living Weapon d6.
Benefits: Your unarmed damage increases by one die type, as if you were one size category larger than you are.

Old Damage (each) New Damage
1d2 1d3
1d3 1d4
1d4 1d6
1d6 1d8
1d8 1d10
1d10 2d6
1d12 2d8
1d20 4d6

Tai Chi Chuan
You have mastered Tai Chi Chuan (tie chee chwan), an ancient Chinese martial art known for its health benefits and high level of effectiveness in combat.
Prerequisites: Alertness, Combat Throw, Defensive Martial Arts, Dodge, Endurance, Focused, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, 6 or more ranks of Concentration.
Benefits: Every time you gain a level you gain +1 hit points.

If people have suggestions or other martial arts forms I'd appreciate their sharing.

 

[Enforcer]

Isn't it Muay Thai? I thought Mai Tais were cocktails. I'm only messing with you, relax.

 

[takyris]

At first I was worried that someone would be able to take "mastery" of a bunch of different martial arts, but that doesn't seem like too big a deal, given the pre-reqs you put in there.

However, I'm not sure why you created feats that imply mastery of a particular martial art. It seems like it'd be easier to just take the pre-reqs you put in there and, if someone says that they're practicing a particular martial art, tell 'em to take the feats from that pool.

Then, when they're high enough level, if you still want to separate martial artists into different style categories, create a prestige class for those martial arts that think are worthy. Or create one punch/kick prestige class and one throw/lock prestige class, and work from those.

You get a lot of feats in d20, but you're asking them to spend a TON of their feats on these things. I've been taking martial arts for eleven years, and am currently a fifth degree black belt, but I've also had time to, well, do other stuff.

-Tacky

 

[comrade raoul]

Some time ago, I've had a similar thought but approached it differently -- rather than providing synergy bonuses for feats, I rebuilt the martial artist advanced class to make it highly customizable. Instead of providing a given ability progression (that is, increased living weapon damage dice with extra abilities like flying kick, flurry of blows, and iron fist along the way), I gave the martial artist the ability to choose from a large set of "martial arts abilities" that were like feats, but more specialized.

Under this system, martial arts styles are just themed selections of martial arts abilities -- they're more roleplaying concerns ("I'm building a karate practicioner, so I'll take such-and-so ability now") rather than strict rules modifications. Because I designed lots of abilities with varied effects, it's possible to construct just about any sort of style you want, with room for variant styles ("My specialized school of karate teaches Circle Kick when others would learn Eagle Claw.")

Let me know what you think.

 

[comrade raoul]

eh...misattached it. here's the attachment.

 

[suburbaknght]

One of my views regarding d20 is that the less the original system is altered the better. It keeps things simpe and minimizes the amount of rules that need to be learned or, worse yet, looked up in fast-paced situations. This is why the martial arts styles presented in Oriental Adventures appealed to me so much; the majorit of a martial art is based on existing game mechanics. Anyone who learns Aikido may take the aikido feats but only a master (someone who learns all the feats) will gain the special ability of each style. Furthermore, the special abilties were intended to be unique abilities, particular to masters of a style. Hence they should NOT be based on existing mechanics.

Also, by basing martial arts on feats, rather than a class, you reflect real life - that anyone may learn a martial art (Strong and Fast Heroes are very suited to it, for example) but only someone who specializes in it (a Martial Artist) will gain rapid proficiency.

While I like the presentation of themed abilties I thought it was more complicated than it was worth (I've never been a fan of "choose a special ability at each level" classes, but that's just me) and contributed relatively little to the game. In addition, I think the ki abilities imply a mystical aspect which, while present in many Eastern disciplines, is unwarranted in a real-life game (especially Deflect Bullets).

This is not to say the class is bad, only that it is not one I would choose to use in a game I was running (though I would happily play in game where another player was using it).

 

[comrade raoul]

That's fair. Your system works too, and I like its elegance. But I don't think our versions are all that different, except that, where you allow martial artists to drop a "given" martial arts ability for a feat, I have them drop them for newer and more specialized powers. (Come to think of it -- can I choose any feat in place of a martial arts ability? If not, where's the list?) And can my kenjitsu swordfighter continue to substitute feats for martial arts abilities after he's gotten all the abilities in his style? (Note that he's got no interest in fast and powerful punches and kicks, so he'd prefer not to take the existing class powers.)

I think there are good reasons to use each system. Yours does an admirable job of staying close to the existing rules, though I think your feat-substitution makes your martial artist even more customizable than mine (it may not be a "choose a special ability at each level" class, but, unless my reading is off, it's certainly a "choose a feat at each level," which doesn't seem to be all that different). I'll stick with mine, though, as I like an advanced class that provides interesting abilities unavailable to other characters, and I prefer the slightly-unusual flavor of a specialized set of martial arts abilities.

A few more things. Note that my martial artist is explicitly not intended to be useful for every kind of d20 Modern campaign, but rather for those in which martial arts play an especially prominent role. You're right -- the added detail often does add very little, though I imagine it being very helpful in a d20 Modern game that was pretty close, thematically, to Palladium's old "Ninjas and Superspies." Yours would be a lot better, I think, for more mainstream d20 Modern games, and for the three FX settings.

And, by the way, the "ki ability" language was just a stand-in for variants of Iron Fist -- that is, just about any ability powered by action points. And my version isn't married to specific techniques: if one doesn't like certain abilities (if Deflect Bullets is too "mystical," say), they can be disallowed individually without harming the integrity of the class.

 

[takyris]

Yo Knight,

I think that my biggest concern right now is the difficulty you've presented in getting to those levels, and the relatively small benefits that taking that Master fear gives. I think that with the d20 Modern system as written, someone could take the Martial Artist advanced class, take whatever feats they want, and declare that they're taking Jujitsu or Karate just based on the feats that they take. With this system, people are going to start feeling as though they HAVE to take those feats in order to be a "real" Karate or Aikido master in your campaign.

It's as if someone introduced a feat called "Spinning Kick", that allows you to use a full-round action to do one unarmed attack that gets a +1 bonus to hit and to damage, and treats opponents as flat-footed. It's not a bad feat, but until you introduced it, people might have been saying "I do a spinning kick and knock the bad guy on his butt!" as part of their normal attacks. Now you've declared that they can only do what you've just described by taking a particular feat.

Right now, I see the martial arts abilities as interesting and balanced and fun. With the setup you've got, I'm worried that one of two things will happen:

1) Because of the difficulty and strict requirements associated with the feats, only NPCs will take them -- so that you can hit your players with tricked out Master Martial Artist bad guys.

2) Because of the "planning from first level" requirements associated with the progression, players starting at level one will never take them -- so only people who come in late, and can make a 9th level character from scratch, will put it all together.

I don't think your defiling the spirit of the game or anything like that. I'm not as vehement as I might sound at the moment. You've obviously put a lot of thought into the progressions. I'm just concerned that you're putting too tight a mechanic on something that ought to be left to flavor text.

And on a side note: in most good martial arts, the higher levels are all about the individual style of the practitioner. There are two 5th-degree students at my school:

Featwise, I would have something like the off-hand fighting progression, and some of the defensive feats like agile riposte or defensive martial arts.

The other fifth-degree student would have the power attack chain, toughness, and improved damage threshold.

Both of us are good examples of Kenpo martial artists, but we also have our own distinct styles. Maybe if you lightened the feat requirements and then said something like "these three feats, plus any three of the following" on your requirements? Maybe if you just wrote down which feats were considered "martial arts feats", and then all styles required two or three feats, plus three of any of the martial arts feats?

And I'll reiterate: you can get very very good at the martial arts -- good enough to be considered a master -- without sacrificing everything else. I wouldn't want to change the d20 system so that you couldn't be a good writer or a fast-talker without sacrificing martial arts abilities...

-Tacky

 

[Pagan priest]

I think that my biggest concern right now is the difficulty you've presented in getting to those levels, and the relatively small benefits that taking that Master fear gives. I think that with the d20 Modern system as written, someone could take the Martial Artist advanced class, take whatever feats they want, and declare that they're taking Jujitsu or Karate just based on the feats that they take. With this system, people are going to start feeling as though they HAVE to take those feats in order to be a "real" Karate or Aikido master in your campaign.

It's as if someone introduced a feat called "Spinning Kick", that allows you to use a full-round action to do one unarmed attack that gets a +1 bonus to hit and to damage, and treats opponents as flat-footed. It's not a bad feat, but until you introduced it, people might have been saying "I do a spinning kick and knock the bad guy on his butt!" as part of their normal attacks. Now you've declared that they can only do what you've just described by taking a particular feat.

Right now, I see the martial arts abilities as interesting and balanced and fun. With the setup you've got, I'm worried that one of two things will happen:

1) Because of the difficulty and strict requirements associated with the feats, only NPCs will take them -- so that you can hit your players with tricked out Master Martial Artist bad guys.

2) Because of the "planning from first level" requirements associated with the progression, players starting at level one will never take them -- so only people who come in late, and can make a 9th level character from scratch, will put it all together.

I don't think your defiling the spirit of the game or anything like that. I'm not as vehement as I might sound at the moment. You've obviously put a lot of thought into the progressions. I'm just concerned that you're putting too tight a mechanic on something that ought to be left to flavor text.

And on a side note: in most good martial arts, the higher levels are all about the individual style of the practitioner. There are two 5th-degree students at my school:

Featwise, I would have something like the off-hand fighting progression, and some of the defensive feats like agile riposte or defensive martial arts.

The other fifth-degree student would have the power attack chain, toughness, and improved damage threshold.

Both of us are good examples of Kenpo martial artists, but we also have our own distinct styles. Maybe if you lightened the feat requirements and then said something like "these three feats, plus any three of the following" on your requirements? Maybe if you just wrote down which feats were considered "martial arts feats", and then all styles required two or three feats, plus three of any of the martial arts feats?

And I'll reiterate: you can get very very good at the martial arts -- good enough to be considered a master -- without sacrificing everything else. I wouldn't want to change the d20 system so that you couldn't be a good writer or a fast-talker without sacrificing martial arts abilities...

-Tacky

I'd like to address some of these issues. In a game I am currently playing I am running a martial artist (actually an inkyo monk from Rokugan) I started at 1st level, and I did indeed plan the characters feat progression to achieve mastery in one of the Oriental Adventures Martial Arts Styles. Even though my character does not have the Circle Kick feat from Sword and Fist, I can stil describe an attack of his as a circle kick... I just don't get any of the benefits of using the feat.

This is not the first character that I've had that followed the MA style rules from OA either, it is certainly not something that will only be used by NPC's. In fact, I'll probably use the styles presented here in my own D20M game, for both my own characxters and for NPC's.

As far as being forced to limit choices, well that's always been part of the game. If you want to be a great computer wiz, then you will not be very good at combat or vise versa. Yes it is ossible to find examples in real life of people who are great at several different things, but the majority of the great at any one field are great in only that one field and must suffer to be only good at other things, possibly even being bad at somethings. The steriotypical football jock that need remidial reading classes, or the computer nerd who can't even hit the backboard with a basketball, these are real world examples. How many mathmaticians can replace a blown head gasket? How many auto mechanics can solve a differential equations?

As far as two 5th degrees from the same school having different styles, is it really a problem? While the system as written does not show it, it is easy to see that there can be many different MA styles, even within a particular art. How many different forms of Karate are there? I think it is safe to say that all forms of Kendo have certain elements the same, (katana proficienty for example) even as other elements are different (power attack versus combat expertise maybe).

Regardless of all this, if you are running a game, make what changes you and your players can agree best make the game better. Have fun!