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<blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 6194597" data-attributes="member: 4937">I think that there is a far far stronger option and it involves recognizing that 'Martial Artist' isn't a class.&nbsp; If we are imagining an Eastern setting, who knows eastern martial arts?&nbsp; Well, basically... everybody.&nbsp; Eastern martial arts wouldn't be the exclusive domain of any class.&nbsp;&nbsp; Some classes might no more, and some less, but everyone would know some.&nbsp; This has a very simple reason - 'martial artist' is pretty much exactly the same as 'knowing how to fight'.&nbsp; Eastern martial arts aren't special except when viewed from the outside.&nbsp; In the eastern setting, they are just normal fighting arts.&nbsp; And for this reason, a western inspired setting is exactly the same.&nbsp;&nbsp; Who knows how to fight?&nbsp;&nbsp; Well, to some extent, everybody does.&nbsp;&nbsp; Some fight less well than others, but fighting is not the exclusive domain of any class - even the fighter.&nbsp;&nbsp; In an eastern setting, 'Martial Artists' are just 'Fighters', and therefore there really isn't any need for a different class than Fighter to represent them.&nbsp;&nbsp; All that is needed is access to combat maneuvers and abilities that feel distinctively 'eastern' in their style and presentation.As for the Western romanticism of oriental martial arts, I think that the original 1e AD&amp;D Oriental Adventures guide recognizes the essential problem well when it considers the 'Ninja' class.&nbsp; When people say 'Ninja', they mean just too many things.&nbsp;&nbsp; Some are meaning 'warrior ninjas', and some are meaning 'stealthy ninjas', and some are meaning 'magical ninjas'.&nbsp; There is no way to create a remotely balanced single class that lets players fulfill all of these imaginations and wishes.&nbsp; Instead, the designer recognized that Ninja wasn't a single class, but inherently a multi-classed option that extended the abilities of another class.&nbsp; You could be a Bushido/Ninja a Thief/Ninja or a Wu Jen/Ninja.&nbsp; What you couldn't possibly be is a warrior/thief/wizard/ninja because well, then you were everything.&nbsp;&nbsp; But of course, at some level, that's what the fans of Ninjas wanted.&nbsp; I mean, after all, the whole concept behind the Ninja was they were just better than everyone else.&nbsp;&nbsp; Because well, ninja, duh.It doesn't work for an RPG to work that way.&nbsp; It violates the fundamental law of RPGs- 'Thou Shalt Not Be Good At Everything'.&nbsp; So sure, you can play a priestly martial artist, or a warrior martial artist, or a rogue martial artist or a martial artist with wizardly powers.&nbsp;&nbsp; It's called multiclassing.&nbsp;&nbsp; Or you could just realize that the priest, rogue, warrior, and wizard are all martial artists.&nbsp; We all have Kung Fu.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Celebrim, post: 6194597, member: 4937"] I think that there is a far far stronger option and it involves recognizing that 'Martial Artist' isn't a class. If we are imagining an Eastern setting, who knows eastern martial arts? Well, basically... everybody. Eastern martial arts wouldn't be the exclusive domain of any class. Some classes might no more, and some less, but everyone would know some. This has a very simple reason - 'martial artist' is pretty much exactly the same as 'knowing how to fight'. Eastern martial arts aren't special except when viewed from the outside. In the eastern setting, they are just normal fighting arts. And for this reason, a western inspired setting is exactly the same. Who knows how to fight? Well, to some extent, everybody does. Some fight less well than others, but fighting is not the exclusive domain of any class - even the fighter. In an eastern setting, 'Martial Artists' are just 'Fighters', and therefore there really isn't any need for a different class than Fighter to represent them. All that is needed is access to combat maneuvers and abilities that feel distinctively 'eastern' in their style and presentation. As for the Western romanticism of oriental martial arts, I think that the original 1e AD&D Oriental Adventures guide recognizes the essential problem well when it considers the 'Ninja' class. When people say 'Ninja', they mean just too many things. Some are meaning 'warrior ninjas', and some are meaning 'stealthy ninjas', and some are meaning 'magical ninjas'. There is no way to create a remotely balanced single class that lets players fulfill all of these imaginations and wishes. Instead, the designer recognized that Ninja wasn't a single class, but inherently a multi-classed option that extended the abilities of another class. You could be a Bushido/Ninja a Thief/Ninja or a Wu Jen/Ninja. What you couldn't possibly be is a warrior/thief/wizard/ninja because well, then you were everything. But of course, at some level, that's what the fans of Ninjas wanted. I mean, after all, the whole concept behind the Ninja was they were just better than everyone else. Because well, ninja, duh. It doesn't work for an RPG to work that way. It violates the fundamental law of RPGs- 'Thou Shalt Not Be Good At Everything'. So sure, you can play a priestly martial artist, or a warrior martial artist, or a rogue martial artist or a martial artist with wizardly powers. It's called multiclassing. Or you could just realize that the priest, rogue, warrior, and wizard are all martial artists. We all have Kung Fu. [/QUOTE]

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