Over the past few months I’ve enjoyed watching the Ultimate Self-Defense Championships, organized by Rokas Leonavicius. The series gathered six martial arts YouTubers to run through a series of challenges at Western Combatives in Kingswood, Australia. (Watch the full series.) Spoilers for Episode 4 from here on out.
Episode 4 takes a break from the challenges to have the competitors fight zombies in an infected warehouse. While not exactly self-defense, it’s a fun video. In it, one of the martial artists, Icy Mike, to use a modern expression, goes ham. Now, I’m not going to harp on the ex-cop being the only person to “kill” an innocent survivor, but man did I get Cube flashbacks in that moment. Rather, a moment afterwards where Mike uses a broken down box as a makeshift shield. This struck me as really inspired, as it doesn’t have to be the best armor, just enough to prevent your skin from being marked, i.e. bitten by a zombie. So let’s take an already larger than life personality, and skilled martial artist and superfie them for fun.
Icy Mike, Undead Hunter
Campaign: Ultimate Self Defense Championship
Power Level: Classic
Attributes: Mundane
Talents: Ace
Taken from the Martial Arts Journey Page
Age: 41
Height: 5.5 / 165 cm
Weight: 150 / 68 kg
Training: Kickboxing Coach, Former Police Officer
Biography
Icy Mike began his martial arts journey when he was 11 years old. His first main martial art was Kuk Sool Won, but later in his life, he felt pushed to test his martial arts skills and became a fighter at the “Street Beefs” league.
Icy Mike has studied self-defense extensively with some of the best experts in the world and also served as a police officer where he gained real-life experience.
He is currently the head coach of “RKM Training” at Myrtle Beach, SC and successfully runs his YouTube channel “Hard 2 Hurt“
Supersizing (Issue 0)
(Inspired by the events of the USDC Episode 4)
Infected by the deadly Pithovirus Sibericum Z-Virus while at an martial arts exhibition in Australia, Icy Mike was presumed dead. However, by sheer force of will, the veteran fighter managed to retain some portion of their free will. While they are filled with the urge to consume the flesh of the living, they battle on, to rid the world of the larger undead plague hiding just below the surface of humanity.
Attributes
History 11 Strength 9 (1 AP) Dexterity 6 Constitution 12 Sense 6
Fortune 5 Wisdom 6 Intelligence 6 Mental 12 (2 AP) Expression 4
Backgrounds
Origin: Too Stubborn to Give Up (Dedication) 11
Catalyst: Infected by the PSZ Virus 8
Drive: Face Any Challenge 5
Drive: Hunger For Living Flesh 1
Career: Self Defense Instructor 3
Talents
Area of Influence: Series Fans 2 Background: Ex-Police Officer 2 Discipline 10
Fitness 2 Etiquette 2 (S) Speaking with Authority 2 Forensics 10 (1 AP) (S) Bypass Armor 7 Law 7 Outlast 12 Perception 7 Perseverance 10 Provoke: Bravado 5 (1 AP) Scrounging 5 (1 AP) Tactics 10 (1 AP)
Drawbacks
Painful Power Loss: Must Consume Living Flesh
Boons
Combo: Crushing Strike: Bypass Armor – Heavy Blow TY
Combo: Slip Jab Kick: Interrupting Attack – Heavy Blow TY
Critical Skill: Provoke MA
Tactics Supports Supports Heavy Blow MA
Perseverance Supports Interrupting Actions MA
Cost: 1+ 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 = 9 AP
Fighting Styles
North American Street Kickboxing 8 (1 AP)
- Parent Attribute: Strength
- Primary Role: Offense
Secondary Role: Defense (Full Role) MA2
Secondary Role: Support: Perception MA
(S) Combo: Crushing Strike 4
(S) Combo: Slip Jab Kick 4
(S) Got Your Timing 4
(S) Heavy Blow 4
(S) Interrupting Actions 7
Combining the eight limbs of Muay Thai with practical experience as a police officer, along with time as a bouncer and amateurcage fighter, Icy Mike has developed a surprisingly deceptive style that allows him to evaluate his opponents then pick them apart.
Cost 1 Power + 12 Selections + 6 AP
Powers
Hard to Hurt the Dead 11 (2 AP)
- Parent Attribute: Constitution
- Primary Role: Defense
Absorption: Painful TY
Armor (Boost Armor) MA2
Passive Defense MA
Secondary Role: Offense MA
Secondary Role: Support: Constitution (Full Role) MA
Cost: 1 Power + 13 AP
Stamina 27
Willpower Current: 6 Max: 11
Starting AP 30 + 3 (Mundane)
Attributes 3 + Talents 4 + Boons 8 + Powers 19 – Drawbacks 1
Combat Summary
Initiative: 13 (Sense 6 + Perception 7) Dice 3
Defense
Surprised Defense: 16 (Fortune 5 + HtHtD 11) Dice 3 Armor 7
Normal Defense: 31 (Constitution 12 + NASK 8 + HtHtD 11) Dice 3 Armor 8
Mental Defense: 12 (Mental 12) Dice 2 Armor 1
Defense Notes:
Painful Absorption: Once per Turn, gain 1 Willpower whenever suffering more Damage than half their Power after Armor (5 Damage).
Etiquette: Once per session, use Etiquette (2) as a Supporting Characteristics when Defending against Mental Attacks that bypass normal Defenses. Additional uses Cost 1 Willpower.
Law: Once per session, use Law (7) as a Supporting Characteristic when resisting or breaking free of any form of mental control. Additional uses Cost 1 Willpower.
Outlast: Outlast (12) may be used as a Supporting Talent for Injury Checks.
Perception: Once per session, use Perception (7) as a Supporting Characteristic for Normal Defense. Additional uses Cost 1 Willpower.
Perseverance: Add Perseverance (10) to any Normal Defense roll after suffering 10 Damage. This lasts for 1 turn and may be used once per session. Additional uses Cost 1 Willpower.
Provoke: Once per session, take 1 Action to describe how they are Provoking others. Foes within Close Range suffer a -5 penalty when taking actions against people other than Icy Mike. When acting against Icy Mike, foes use the Provoke (5) Talent as a free Supporting Characteristic. This effect lasts 2 Turns. Additional uses Cost 1 Willpower.
Critical Skill: Forgo the Damage Bonus from rolling two 6s to instead treat their Attack roll as a use of Provoke in addition to the Attack.
Offense
Favored Attack: Front Kick (Which Does Not Work) 26 (Strength 9 + NASK 8 + HtHtD 5 + Tactics 10 + (S) Heavy Blow 4 – Heavy Blow Maneuver Penalty 10) Dice 5 Range Close Damage 13 Notes
Secondary Attack: Crushing Strike 18 (35) (Strength 9 + NASK 8 + HtHtD 5 + Tactics 10 + (S) Crushing Strike 4 + (S) Heavy Blow 4 – Combo Penalty 10 – Heavy Blow Maneuver Penalty 10 (+ Forensics 10 + (S) Bypass Armor 7)) Dice 4 (5) Range Close Damage – / 19 Notes Bypass Armor inflicts no Damage, Target’s armor is halved until they take an Active Defense. Values within () indicate the use of Forensics.
Additional Attack: Slip Jab – Kick 27 (Strength 9 + NASK 8 + HtHtD 5 + Tactics 10 + Perseverance 10 + (S) Slip Jab to Kick 4 + (S) Heavy Blow 4 + (S) Interrupting Actions 7 – Combo Penalty 10 – Interrupting Action Penalty 10 – Heavy Blow Maneuver Penalty 10) Dice 5 Range Close Damage 16 / 19 Notes Interrupting Action is rolled against the opponent’s Attack. Attack hits twice. Interrupting Attacks do not count towards Got Your Timing.
Additional Attack: Basic Strikes 22 (Strength 9 + NASK 8 + HtHtD 5) Dice 3 Range Close Damage 6 Notes Included as a baseline for Improvised Weapons, or feeling out opponents.
Offense Notes:
Got Your Timing: After being Attacked two or more times by a single foe, add Got Your Timing (4) to all Attack rolls against this Target. As with any added Characteristic, increase Damage by 2 as well.
Discipline: Add their Discipline (10) to any Strength roll or Physical Attack roll after suffering 10 Damage. This lasts for 1 turn and may be used once per session. Additional uses Cost 1 Willpower.
Forensics: Once per session, the character may use Forensics (10) as a Supporting Characteristic for Bypass Armor and a follow up Attack. Additional uses Cost 1 Willpower.
Scrounging: Add 1 Damage using improvised weapons. (Don’t let this man get a flashlight.)
Tactics: Once per session, spend a turn to lay out a strategy. On the following turn all Allies add 2 additional Damage on any Attack assisted by another character and 2 additional Armor any Defend Others Action.
Combat Playstyle
While trading blows is rarely a long term strategy, opening with a Front Kick or Crushing Strike gives you time to study an opponent. Due to Icy Mike’s undead nature, he can take a lot more punishment than most, and with Painful Absorption, taking a few hits at the start of a fight can pay off massively thanks to the added Willpower.
Reserve your Slip Jab – Kick until you have an opponent’s timing, which requires them attacking Icy Mike at least twice. It’s easy for Mike to draw fire, and keep pressure off your team by using the Provoke Talent which encourages foes to focus on Icy Mike. If you want to focus on offense, Icy Mike’s Front Kick comes with an impressive 5 dice, and any attack with Two 6s can be treated as a Provoke by giving up that bonus damage.
With a foe’s timing down, and their Armor Bypassed, Icy Mike can now lay into opponents, mixing Front Kicks and Slip Jab – Kick Combos.
