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Master of Kung Fu

Pbartender

First Post
EditorBFG said:
Do you know if it would take a lot of converting to use Pan-Asian Collective with Spycraft 2.0?

Any kung-fu rules that were worth anything are, for the most part, either already converted into the SC2 rulebook, or easily emulated by what's in there... So no rules conversion is really necessary.

As another plug for SC2, I recently ran a Star Wars game using the SC2 rules. My wife played a Force-sensitive Hacker/Snoop, who wanted some martial arts training on the side. She had the unarmed proficiency and focus, started with Kicking Moves for added oomph, and Mark of Strife(?) (which, amongst other things, effectively increases your BAB for purposes of determining pre-requisites for unarmed feats). Later, she picked up Spirit Moves and Martial Arts (Force) to represent her using her Force-sensitivity whenever she went kung-fu.

Even as a "second-string" combat character, she was kicking ass at first level and only got better.
 

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EditorBFG

Explorer
Pbartender said:
Any kung-fu rules that were worth anything are, for the most part, either already converted into the SC2 rulebook, or easily emulated by what's in there... So no rules conversion is really necessary.
Yeah, but in Pan-Asian Collective the crunchy bits represented real stuff like the Five Animal Styles of Kung-Fu, so I guess I would have to do some work to find which bits made the jump between Editions and give them back their old names.

Pan-Asian Collective had a Department called "Disciple of Wong Fei Hong." That was it, you could just have Wong Fei Hong as your sensei by picking that Department. That alone won my love for PAC.
 

Morgenstern

First Post
*Chuckle* You know I do requests, right :)?

New Specialty
Disciple of Wong Fei-Hung: Cleaving to the traditions and teachings of one of China’s greatest heroes, you have honed you fighting arts to the utmost so that you may carry on in his defense of the Middle Kingdom.
• Bonus Feat: Any Unarmed Combat feat. Your Base attack bonus may be considered to be +3 for the purpose of determining which feats you meet the prerequisites of.
• You gain the Unarmed weapon proficiency and forte.
• Your base defense increases by 1.
• Your action dice are considered to be one die-type larger to a maximum of d12s (e.g. d6s become d8s) when spent to add to the results of any unarmed or melee attack check or damage roll.

The animal stance feats (Crane, Drunken, Eagle, Mantis, Monkey, Phoenix, Snake, and Tiger)are pretty much useable as written, though because the unarmed combat feats have in general become more comprehensive in 2.0, I'd drop the Martial Arts feat from their Prerequsites, allowing them to be acquired a bit sooner. Give me a few minutes and I'll try to sketch a more comprehensive update.
 

Pbartender

First Post
Morgenstern said:
The animal stance feats (Crane, Drunken, Eagle, Mantis, Monkey, Phoenix, Snake, and Tiger)are pretty much useable as written, though because the unarmed combat feats have in general become more comprehensive in 2.0, I'd drop the Martial Arts feat from their Prerequsites, allowing them to be acquired a bit sooner. Give me a few minutes and I'll try to sketch a more comprehensive update.

The other real easy way to emulate the animal forms would be to simply take the SC 2.0 Basics and Moves feats for the two Basics prerequisites for each PAC feat...

Or at least, that's that sort of thing the book (and Morg, above) already suggests :D ...

Morgenstern said:
Several feat suggestions follow for those interested in modeling a real world martial arts style. These feats are listed in the order in which they might typically be taught (or chosen). They’re only suggestions, as many styles — kung-fu in particular — include countless variations and sub-schools. GCs and players are actively encouraged to go beyond these lists to experience to full potential of this powerful system.
 

Morgenstern

First Post
Hypersmurf said:
Palladium's Heroes Unlimited, with the Ninjas and Superspies expansion.

... what? :D

Actually, I found Ninjas & SUperspies and the follow-on, Mystic China were good, inspirational reads... but my experience has been they are unbearable in actual play.
 

Morgenstern

First Post
Here, try these on for size when looking at the last bits of the Pan-Asian COllective that need to be converted to 2.0~


Crane Style
You are skilled at avoiding harm by using your enemies as shields.
Prerequisites: Spirit Basics, Submission Basics.
Benefits: You do not become vulnerable as a result of grappling. Further, you gain the following stance.
Crane Stance (stance): You receive 3/4 personal cover while grappling if you won the last opposed grapple check, but may not run while in this stance.

Drunken Style
The foe that underestimated you doesn’t last long.
Prerequisites: Boxing Basics, Rolling Basics.
Benefits: Your maximum vitality points are increased by one-half your ranks in Bluff (rounded down) and you gain the following stance.
Drunken Stance (stance): While in this stance you gain the drunken condition and DR 2/- against melee and unarmed attacks, but you may not run or take more than one Standard move action per round.

Eagle Style
Your hands are like talons!
Prerequisites: Spirit Basics, Vital Point Basics.
Benefits: Your unarmed damage is not divided by 2 when determining the Damage Save DC of inanimate objects. Further you gain the following stance.
Eagle Stance (stance): You are considered to be crouching while in this stance and your unarmed attacks gain the bleeding quality.

Fluid Arts
You are able to fight in a number of stances, moving from position to position with fluid grace.
Prerequisites: 4 unarmed combat feats that provide stances.
Benefit: Each time you succeed with an unarmed attack against an opponent, you may enter an unarmed combat stance as a free action.

Mantis Style
You’ve train to deliver, precise, nerve-tingling strikes even in close quarters.
Prerequisites: Submission Basics, Wrestling Basics.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to all imitative rolls and the following stance.
Mantis Stance (stance): While in this stance, you inflict an additional +1d6 subdual damage every time you inflict damage during a grapple and with every successful trip action.

Master of Eight-Steps
You’ve mastered a bewildering array of fighting stances, merging them into your own style.
Prerequisites: Fluid Arts.
Benefit: Choose any 4 stances provided by Unarmed Combat feats. You gain those stances. If you later gain the feat that provides a stance gained in this fashion, you may choose an additional stance provided by this feat.

Monkey Style
You are capable of outrageous acrobatics in combat.
Prerequisites: Footwork Basics, Rolling Basics.
Benefit: Your maximum vitality points are increased by one-half your ranks in Acrobatics (rounded down) and you gain the following stance.
Monkey Stance (stance): While in this stance, you may end your movement in an opponent’s square. While you and your opponent remain in the same square, you are considered adjacent to each other. Further, while you remain in the same square as your opponent, you gain a +2 dodge bonus against the opponent’s attacks and a +2 bonus to your unarmed attack checks against the opponent. Finally, you and your opponent may not take bonus 5-ft. steps while sharing a square.

Phoenix Style
You’ve learned to slip up under your opponent’s guard.
Prerequisites: Rolling Basics, Wrestling Basics.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on all tripping checks and gain the following stance.
Phoenix Stance (stance): You are considered to be crouching while in this stance. Once per round, you may return to a normal stance from this stance to gain a +5 bonus to the damage you inflict with your next unarmed attack made this round.

Snake Style
Your hand-speed is so fast it’s unlikely that anyone but a master saw what just happened.
Prerequisites: Boxing Basics, Vital Point Basics.
Benefit: Your maximum vitality points are increased by one-half your ranks in Sleight of Hand (rounded down) and you gain the following stance.
Snake Stance (stance): While in this stance the threat ranges of all your unarmed attacks are increased by 2, however the damage of your unarmed attacks that do not inflict a threat or critical hit is reduced to one-half normal (round up).

Tiger Style
You always fight from a position of strength, utterly crushing every enemy in your path.
Prerequisites: Fist Basics, Kicking Basics.
Benefit: Your threat ranges of all your unarmed attacks against standard characters are increased by 1 and you gain the following stance.
Tiger Stance (stance): While in this stance, if one of your unarmed attacks renders an opponent unconscious or dead, you may immediately make 1 “cleave” unarmed attack against another opponent. You may gain this benefit any number of times per round.


Hope you like :)!
 

Dannyalcatraz

Schmoderator
Staff member
Supporter
Actually, I found Ninjas & SUperspies and the follow-on, Mystic China were good, inspirational reads... but my experience has been they are unbearable in actual play.

The Palladium books in general are known for their creativity but also for their clunky rules.

IOW, love the fluff, hate the crunch.
 

Vigilance

Explorer
Games of Deceit and Death

Time for me to use my unfair advantage*

Shang Chi (Dedicated Hero 3/Tough Hero 3/Strong Hero 4/Warrior Monk 10): CR 20; Medium-size humanoid; HD 3d6+6 plus 3d10+6 plus 4d8+8 plus 10d8+20; HP 131; Mas 14; Init +5; Spd 30 ft; Defense 33, touch 33, flatfooted 24 (+0 size, +5 Dex, +4 Wisdom, +14 class); BAB +18; Grap +19; Atk +24 melee (2d8+3, Circle Kick), or +23 ranged (1d8+0, Kung Gsin); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL Self Defense; SV Fort +15, Ref +15, Will +11; AP 10; Rep +6; Str 13, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 18, Cha 10.
Occupation: Military (Hide, Move Silently)
Skills: Balance +13, Climb +7, Concentration +13, Hide +25, Intimidate +3, Jump +15, Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) +4, Listen +10, Move Silently +25, Pressure Points +16, Sense Motive +10, Spot +10, Survival +7, Swim +4, Tumble +13
Feats: Archaic Weapons - Chinese, Archaic Weapons - Japanese, Back Kick, Blind-Fighting, Circle Kick, Combat Expertise, Combat Martial Arts, Flying Kick, Heart Punch, Heel Kick, Improved Combat Martial Arts, Instant Stand, Jump Kick, Kung Fu, Meditation, Poise, Power Attack, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Weapon Focus
Talents (Dedicated Hero): Empathy, Skill Emphasis (Move Silently)
Talents (Tough Hero): Second Wind, Damage Reduction 1/—
Talents (Strong Hero): Melee Smash, Improved Melee Smash
Talents (Warrior Monk): Ultimate Weapon, Hard Kick 1, Hard Kick 2, Accurate Kick 1, Accurate Kick 2, Accurate Kick 3
Possessions:Kung Gsin (Chinese bow)

Background: Shang Chi was raised by his father, the infamous Fu Manchu to be the perfect assassin, capable of entering an opponent's dwelling by stealth and killing in complete silence. Since he needed no weapon to accomplish a killing, metal detectors and physical searches would also be useless in preventing him from killing a target.

Shang Chi was taught to believe that his father was a good and righteous man, whose enemies were evil and needed to be killed. Following his first mission, in which he killed Doctor Petrie, Shang Chi learned his father's true nature and set off on his own, constantly hounded by agents of the villainous Fu Manchu.

Eventually he was recruited by Sir Denis Nayland Smith of MI-6. Despite swearing never again to participate in "games of deceit and death", Shang Chi accepted employment with MI-6 to accomplish an even more important goal: the destruction of his father's criminal empire.

Call me Shang-Chi, as my father did when he raised me and molded my mind and my body in the vacuum of his Honan, China retreat. I learned many things from my father: That my name means 'The Rising and Advancing of a Spirit', that my body could be forged into a living weapon through the discipline of Kung Fu, and that it might be used for the murder of a man called Dr. Petrie.

Since then I have learned that my father is Dr. Fu Manchu, the most insidiously evil man on earth…and that to honor him would bring nothing but dishonor to the spirit of my name.

*I actually own an almost complete run of Master of Kung Fu
 

SteveC

Doing the best imitation of myself
As someone who owns both Spycraft 2 and Blood and Fists, I'll tell you that they are both exceptional products. Blood and Fists was my first exposure to PDF purchasing, which to a certain extent is like having Cowboy Beebop as your first exposure to Anime: it ruins a lot of it because you've just seen the best that is out there.

I have also played and run Spycraft 2 and what it does, it does amazingly well. The campaign qualities/NPC system it uses are something that WotC should pay the guys at Crafty big bucks to use for D&D 4.0.

So either one of them will work for what you want to do, and will work very well. I would suggest asking yourself if you like the VP/WP mechanic for hit points, and how "mission based" you want your games to be. If you like VP/WP and mission based gaming, go with Spycraft. If you prefer a more typical D20 Modern setup go with Blood and Fists. In any case, I don't think you will be disappointed with either product, because they are some of the best books available for any game, period...not just for the OGL/D20 market.

Oh, and both of them have their authors present on ENWorld, too!

--Steve
 

EditorBFG

Explorer
Morgenstern said:
*Chuckle* You know I do requests, right :)?

New Specialty
Disciple of Wong Fei-Hung:....

Well, that was fast...!

Right on, man, these conversions are great. If my M&M players get mad when I say I think we should start playing Spycraft instead, I'll tell them to blame you.

Seriously, thanks a lot. PAC is one of my favorite all time d20 books, and it just gained new life.
 

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