What does a Martial Artist do?

[GMMichael]

I need some game design ideas, because I created a broken rule.

The 1.30 version of Modos RPG contains a perk called Martial Artist, which allows its beneficiary to take an extra action to make an unarmed attack each round.

It doesn't sound bad at first, because that's what martial artists do, right? Make unarmed attacks? Well, the problem is that gaining an extra action each round happens every 5 levels, on average. Since anyone can take any perk, this means that low level characters (1-4) can take the same number of actions as level 5+ characters, provided they don't mind that action being an unarmed attack. To put it conservatively, it's unbalancing.

So what can I turn a "Martial Artist" perk into that isn't unbalancing? Attribute bonuses are out. So are skill bonuses, since becoming a better martial artist can mean putting your skill points in the Fight (Unarmed) skill, and perks lose their cool when they do the same thing as skills.

Martial Artist. What's the first idea that pops into your head?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Thought #1: most martial arts include weapon training.

Thought #2: most martial arts include unusual fighting techniques that can reap benefits as attacks can come from unexpected angles or at unexpected times.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

You could tone down the strength of unarmed attacks, such that adding it as an extra action is no longer unbalancing.

Alternatively, you could tie it to another action, to limit cheese. For example, this ability gives you a free unarmed attack as an extra action if you spend your regular action to make an unarmed attack - and then you balance making two unarmed attacks as very slightly preferable to making one attack with some other weapon.

Or you could just flat-out increase the damage from your unarmed attacks. If an unarmed attack is normally weaker than other weapons, but you can't drop or be disarmed of it, then someone who spends a perk to increase unarmed damage would be in roughly the same place as someone who uses a traditional weapon and spends a perk on disarm-immunity.

 

[GMMichael]

Thought #2: most martial arts include unusual fighting techniques...

This has me thinking of Virtua Fighter 2 - especially the mantis fighter and the drunken master. The unusual-timing aspect has me thinking that the Martial Arts perk might be required to make parries against opponents who make unarmed attacks and also have the Martial Artist perk.

For example, this ability gives you a free unarmed attack as an extra action if you spend your regular action to make an unarmed attack - and then you balance making two unarmed attacks as very slightly preferable to making one attack with some other weapon.

This has potential! The "combined action" rule in the game allows for better attacks, but only during a character's turn, and unarmed attacks are 1d4 by default. So if he's adding his extra action to a combined action, the martial artist gets a per-round damage bump up to 2d4 - which is avoidable if the opponent wants/can afford to use another defense on it.

Or you could just flat-out increase the damage from your unarmed attacks. If an unarmed attack is normally weaker than other weapons, but you can't drop or be disarmed of it, then someone who spends a perk to increase unarmed damage would be in roughly the same place as someone who uses a traditional weapon and spends a perk on disarm-immunity.

This is what I was looking at, and you're touching on the inherent value of unarmed attacks; as long as you can move, you always have them. Inherent disadvantage (not emulated in the game): unarmed attacks have poor range.

What about a more peaceful approach? (I know, "martial" art.) Is there a benefit that martial artists have over non-martial artists, that doesn't necessarily relate to attacks and defenses?

 

[Janx]

Thought #1: most martial arts include weapon training.

Thought #2: most martial arts include unusual fighting techniques that can reap benefits as attacks can come from unexpected angles or at unexpected times.

Assuming an RPG like D&D where pretty much everybody uses weapons, I would design it that "Martial Arts" as a perk covers unarmed combat, basically the thing that isn't covered by every PC usually.

The usual differences between a person with martial arts training (aka a new white belt) compared to somebody with considerable training (aka a brown belt or better) is the following:

more control, punches and kicks hit more accurately, soundly, more often
more power, the brown belt's better aim, timing and strength make each hit hurt more

From a D&D perspective (sorry, that's what I know), I'd assume untrained punching/kicking does less damage than most weapon (say 1d2 or 1d3). A trained martial artist would either get a bonus (+1 or 2 to that) or use a higher dice class, as if they held a weapon.

That would pretty much cover a 1st level fighter with or without the perk, and a 10th level figther with or without, and it wouldn't seem to be over-powered. I still would rather use a sword, but having the perk would be better than not having the training in a bar fight.

Now technically, martial arts in the non-weapon zone still covers a
wide variety of activities:
trips/sweeps/takedowns, kicking/punching, holds/bars/grabs/traps

historically, people being trained in european style weapons (say claymores) also had a lot of experience in takedowns and holds, as a good chunk of the weapon techniques transitioned sword strikes leading to stepping in and closing for some wrestling style action.

So assuming there's those 3 categories, I'd design a perk for each category (rather than making a single perk), and thus encourage fighters to be good at their sword AND have one of those perks so after they hit or block, they can step in and trip,sweep or bar somebody. A good many of the Jo and Bo moves also work with swords.

So, perhaps these moves exist on their own combat, having the perk lets you follow up a single hit with this "other" kind of attack.

 

[GMMichael]

I'd assume untrained punching/kicking does less damage than most weapon (say 1d2 or 1d3). A trained martial artist would either get a bonus (+1 or 2 to that) or use a higher dice class, as if they held a weapon.

Good assumption. Unarmed attacks in this game are the least lethal, ringing in at 1d4 damage. Tiny weapons tend to add a +1 to that, and then you have small weapons starting to deal 1d6 physical damage. One idea was to give a damage bump for those unarmed attacks, but that's still a little dry, allowing a character to have a (effectively) small weapon at all times. So I thought I'd sweeten the deal with a bump to unarmored defense as well (up to 1d4, which is normally 0). But damage/protection buffs might be too vanilla?

Now technically, martial arts in the non-weapon zone still covers a
wide variety of activities:
trips/sweeps/takedowns, kicking/punching, holds/bars/grabs/traps

So assuming there's those 3 categories, I'd design a perk for each category (rather than making a single perk), and thus encourage fighters to be good at their sword AND have one of those perks so after they hit or block, they can step in and trip,sweep or bar somebody...

So, perhaps these moves exist on their own combat, having the perk lets you follow up a single hit with this "other" kind of attack.

Each of the activities you list are covered by the Fight (Unarmed) skill. It's up to the player to define what that skill means to his character. But the end of your post points to an earlier one: allow the combination of attacks. I think yours goes a little further: allow a bonus attack even for warriors who are wielding weapons. Cool idea, but I think it would be unbalanced if I added it on top of the current framework. The normal rules allow you three actions, so if you want to follow up your sword swing with a BOOT TO THE HEAD, you use two actions to do it.

 

[GameNightLife]

When I think martial artists actually fighting, I tend to think of those who can use their environment to their advantage (like Jackie Chan), or can move into more advantageous positions (like a ninja).

I'd think that they could get some kind of unusual movement bonus, and flank their opponent more easily.

Part of me thinks that if you enjoy lots of perks, you could theme them to the actual martial art style, since there's a zillion of those. Like each style can do a different thing: one does takedowns, one does damage, one does holds, and so on. Restricting the options they have with the extra attack makes it more balanced.

Or you could give a restriction-type tradeoff WITH the perk. Like, "You have to have both hands free at the start of your turn to use the extra attack action," or "and you trained somewhere that you had to take a vow to never use weapons at all" (meaning that the Sword of MacGuffiny Power is forever out of their hands).

 

[Balesir]

This is what I was looking at, and you're touching on the inherent value of unarmed attacks; as long as you can move, you always have them. Inherent disadvantage (not emulated in the game): unarmed attacks have poor range.

Poor range is actually a potential key element. In a fight between a swordsman and a dagger wielder, the dagger wielder will only really be able to attack by striking the swordsman's weapon first. The swordsman, on the other hand, will be able to force a response by attacking.

A good mantra to remember when considering western (or, actually, any fight-to-kill) martial art is "control the weapon, then break the man". Consider how you are going to do the first, taking account of how you might exploit that to do the second. In the case of a dagger or other short weapon like a fist, this frequently means prepare for (maybe even tempt out) an attack which you defend against and grab or shove aside your opponent's weapon - then exploit from close in, where the opponent's weapon is restricted.

All very good waffle, but what about game ideas?

1) Give martial artists with 'short' weapons a 'free' attack if their opponent misses them with an odd die roll

2) Allow matrial artists with free hands to take an opponent's weapon if they execute a successful disarm, instead of the weapon simply being dropped

3) Allow martial artists to take a 'free' step each time an opponent misses them

4) Allow martial artists who succeed in an attack to declare themselves and their target to be "grappled", meaning both may make only unarmed (including weapon pommel) or short weapon attacks

Do any of those help?

 

[GMMichael]

When I think martial artists actually fighting, I tend to think of those who can use their environment to their advantage (like Jackie Chan), or can move into more advantageous positions (like a ninja).

Jackie Chan! Now that's inspirational (and so are his outtakes)...

you could theme them to the actual martial art style, since there's a zillion of those. Like each style can do a different thing: one does takedowns, one does damage, one does holds, and so on. Restricting the options they have with the extra attack makes it more balanced.

Or you could give a restriction-type tradeoff WITH the perk. Like, "You have to have both hands free at the start of your turn to use the extra attack action," or "and you trained somewhere that you had to take a vow to never use weapons at all" (meaning that the Sword of MacGuffiny Power is forever out of their hands).

It would be sweet to have oodles of martial arts perks! Tae kwon leap! I believe, though, that this sort of variety is already under the player's control with customizable skills and hero points. You might be on to something with the limitation, though. If skills are going to be wide open, that positions perks to be the limits. "Gain an extra fight (unarmed) action each round to hold an opponent down if you used another fight (unarmed) action to pin that opponent earlier in the round."

1) Give martial artists with 'short' weapons a 'free' attack if their opponent misses them with an odd die roll
2) Allow matrial artists with free hands to take an opponent's weapon if they execute a successful disarm, instead of the weapon simply being dropped
3) Allow martial artists to take a 'free' step each time an opponent misses them
4) Allow martial artists who succeed in an attack to declare themselves and their target to be "grappled", meaning both may make only unarmed (including weapon pommel) or short weapon attacks

Yup, good waffle! A little too technical for my game, though. So:

1) Extra action "if": much more usable than a blanket extra action.
2) This one's more up to the narration (GM AND player) than the rules.
3) Steps are one of the liberties of the game, but this could be written up in terms of the abstract-positioning system (postures). Hmm...
4) This is a tricky one, because it leads down the path of 3.5 grappling rules which, I hear , were not too popular. Let me ponder this one.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Extra action "if"

I don't know your game's action economy, but I like this.