Samloyal23
Adventurer
Sure, but where are they statted?
Non-Asian Martial Artists?
- Thread starter Samloyal23
- Start date
Sure, but where are they statted?
landsknects were known for their two handers, guns, and beards not for being unarmed specialist same goes for swiss war munsters who i've never even heard of but sounds like they fought in a similar way to modern soldiers (to get back to your weapon after dealing a blow).
compare that to shaolin monks who fought japanese pirates unarmed or at best a staff.
Halivar
First Post
Unfortunately, as cool as those zweihanders were, only the guards of standard-bearers were allowed to use them. All other troops were explicitly banned from using them, and preferred shortswords and long pikes.
Err, sort of. Modern soldiers are actually trained in a variety of martial arts techniques, but not nearly as much as the landsknechts, who practiced their techniques every day. War meisters encouraged wrestling for sport as a way of honing these techniques.
Shaolin monks used weapons just as much as Europeans. Due to Buddhist principles, they could not use traditional weaponry. Instead, they adapted a number of farming implements into bladed weapons (a technical evasion of the religious strictures) that they used predominantly in warfare.
Unfortunately wrestling isn't all that smart of a tactic in combat anyway especially without some sure fire way to kill that person in one hit.
also Shaolin monks had as many weapons as europeans and a few did use normal non farming implement weapons such as melon hammers, daos, and jian. But at that point in history the shaolin were contracted by the government, which ment they had to equip a field their monks with what ever money they were given. the monks, lacking armor beyond a simple wicker shield at most would rely on light weapons the lightest being their fists which proved deadlier than the slow fire guns of the untrained wokou who were ashigaru following low ranking bushi into exile.
Infact later on during the tokugawa shogunate buddhist monks slaughtered christian missionaries and converts disproving their care of their own religious strictures.
What im saying is that the monks deliberately nerfed themselves.
eitherway im getting away from the point, You see asia had long periods of peace allowing martial arts schools to become public, think of if Marines came back from iraq and began making money by opening MCMAP schools, This allowed martial arts to flourish and diversify.
so while you can pull out a few dozen units that had a distinct form of hug and punch it's so similar that it just known as medieval european martial arts. There is a reason why it died out, this is because IT WAS WEAPON BASED, when the weapons stopped being used the teaching of the martial arts stopped. the feats in D&D as presented showcase the martial arts as you describe without all of the specifics of weather or not their hand was opened or closed. The only reason other forms of wrestling survived is because they got absorbed into Greco-roman and became olympic sports or became cartoonish flanderizations of themselves made up comepletely one hit kill moves with no practicality what so ever.
also Shaolin monks had as many weapons as europeans and a few did use normal non farming implement weapons such as melon hammers, daos, and jian. But at that point in history the shaolin were contracted by the government, which ment they had to equip a field their monks with what ever money they were given. the monks, lacking armor beyond a simple wicker shield at most would rely on light weapons the lightest being their fists which proved deadlier than the slow fire guns of the untrained wokou who were ashigaru following low ranking bushi into exile.
Infact later on during the tokugawa shogunate buddhist monks slaughtered christian missionaries and converts disproving their care of their own religious strictures.
What im saying is that the monks deliberately nerfed themselves.
eitherway im getting away from the point, You see asia had long periods of peace allowing martial arts schools to become public, think of if Marines came back from iraq and began making money by opening MCMAP schools, This allowed martial arts to flourish and diversify.
so while you can pull out a few dozen units that had a distinct form of hug and punch it's so similar that it just known as medieval european martial arts. There is a reason why it died out, this is because IT WAS WEAPON BASED, when the weapons stopped being used the teaching of the martial arts stopped. the feats in D&D as presented showcase the martial arts as you describe without all of the specifics of weather or not their hand was opened or closed. The only reason other forms of wrestling survived is because they got absorbed into Greco-roman and became olympic sports or became cartoonish flanderizations of themselves made up comepletely one hit kill moves with no practicality what so ever.
Jackinthegreen
Explorer
Those trained in lethal wrestling (or martial arts) can easily break bones and dislocate joints.
Have a link: 6 Great Martial Arts for Killing a Man With Your Bare Hands | Cracked.com
Samloyal23
Adventurer
Awesome link...
...But let's get back to the subject of martial artists in the game. What are some good variants of the monk that don't look like Caine from Kung Fu?
Jackinthegreen
Explorer
Fist of the Forest is a great PrC for unarmed combat. Any Fighter with Improved Unarmed Strike and later Superior Unarmed Strike would be classified as a martial artist. The City Brawler Barbarian variant in Dragon Mag 349 trades away martial weapons, medium armor, and shield proficiencies for IUS and TWF while fighting unarmed.
If you want a Monk without the whole "meditation" stuff, then you should say so directly. In which case, you should just toss the actual Monk class out the window and focus on actual combat abilities. There are no Monk variants that will satisfy you because that's just how the class is.
FWIW, I used the OA Shaman to do a Voodoo priest who knew Capoiera and Escrima...
Which reminds me! DCv1 has the Battledancer, which is basically a Chaotic monk with a more "Carribbean" feel.
Which reminds me! DCv1 has the Battledancer, which is basically a Chaotic monk with a more "Carribbean" feel.
Samloyal23
Adventurer
Is there an online version of the Battledancer?
Can't say I know of any. I do know that there are some sites that have versions of it, but I think they're HRed/"fixed" versions.
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