To allow for narrative flexibility, martial art entries focus on the overall feel of the style, along with descriptions of common stances. Our goal is to help create evocative descriptions through the course of an action scene. With these descriptions, each martial art will look at various combat maneuvers that fit the feel of the given style.
The Combat Maneuver entries will attempt to correlate the language of martial arts with the mechanics of gameplay. Each discusses the broader combat maneuver and how they may pair with individual strikes, blocks, techniques.
There are overlapping strikes between some Maneuvers. One way to look at this is gauging the goal of the strike. It is also important to note that these strikes are not meant to be exhaustive for each Maneuver. Finally, there is no imperative requiring a strike to be paired with a Maneuver. Most strikes can be used as a standard Attack.
This article also includes two new Combat Maneuvers: Crippling Strike, for bone breaking power plays, and Set Up, a fast leading attack to prime the martial artist for their next strike.
Bypass Armor
One integral technique of many martial arts styles is the ability to get past a foe’s defenses. Bypass Armor, represents finding a weak point in an opponent’s defenses and utilizing this to maximum efficiency. This can be interpreted as striking vital organs, slipping between a foe’s guard, or other means of targeted attacks where the martial artist’s foe cannot fully protect themselves.
Example Attacks: Repositioning, or shifting stances, feints may also fit. Follow up attacks often include the crane beak strike, knife hand, overhand punch, ridge hand
Crippling Strike (New Maneuver)
Some Attacks are designed for punishment. A Crippling Strike is less about inflicting direct damage, and more about leaving a foe unable to continue the fight. Crippling Strikes typically follow a Grapple, but this is not a requirement.
Roll: The character rolls their normal Attack -30 against the Target’s Defense.
Grappling: When Grappling the Target, the character rolls their normal Attack -20 against the Target’s Defense.
Action: If the Attack would have inflicted 9 Damage after Armor is applied, reduce the Damage by 9 and select an Injury based on the description of the Attack.
Example Attacks: Arm or leg breaks, direct hits to the ribs, spine or head, ear pop, eye gouge
Grappling
Multiple martial arts focus on immobilizing foes in a grapple or lock. Locks are handled in the same way as a Grapple as the martial artist must devote their concentration to maintaining the hold.
Notes:
A number of styles will use quick grabs or holds to shift either their position or the positioning of their foe before striking. These are not Grapples in the since of the mechanical Combat Maneuver and can considered part of the description of an attack or in a combo without adding additional mechanical parts.
Attacks that leave a foe paralyzed or otherwise unable to move without impairing the attacker is some was are probably better treated as the Stagger Maneuver or a Trapping Power.
Example Attacks: Arm or leg locks, bear hug, clench, lock up, half or full Nelson
Heavy Blow
Every offensive style uses a combination of fast and slow strikes, often using quick hits or evasive maneuvers to set up a foe for more powerful strikes. Heavy Blow represents those attacks that are a split second slower but provide a lot more power.
Example Attacks: Backfist (Spinning), blows to the head, double fist punch, elbow strikes, hook, roundhouse kick, uppercut. The following often apply two or more instances of Heavy Blow, bolo punch, haymaker, jump kick, superman punch or elbow
Power Strike
Used to represent slow powerful attacks, it’s easy to see Power Strikes as hail mary blows that if they land can cripple an emamy. In the context of martial artists this may be considered a sacrificial blow that allows the fighter to strike what should be a finishing blow, but leaves them completely open. Another way to look at Power Strikes is a combination of Bypass Armor and Heavy Blow.
New Option: Tactical Strike: The Martial Artist may increase the penalty to their Attack Roll to -30. Doing so, removes the Exposure penalty following a Power Strike.
Example Attacks: Blows to the throat or other vital organs, crane beak strike, leopard vitals punch, palm strikes, pressure point strikes, spear hand, temple strike
Set Up (New Maneuver)
Not every punch or kick is intended to completely destroy their opponent. Some are meant to allow the fighter to reposition, or prepare for their next attack.
Roll: The character rolls their normal Attack -10 against the Target’s Defense.
Action: On a successful hit, the character reduces their Damage, after Armor, by half. Doing so gives the character a +15 to their next Attack, Active Defense or Movement roll.
Example Attacks: Crescent kick, eagle claw, feint, jab, push kick
Stagger
The Stagger maneuver is meant to leave an opponent dazed or off balance. This is often visualized as a strike to the head or sensory organs. Alternatively, this can be seen as striking a foe in a way that turns them or puts them off balance.
Rules Clarification: After making a Successful Attack Roll, the player should be informed how much Damage remains after Armor is applied before making the decision on how much Damage to trade for the Stagger.
Example Attacks: Blows to the head, or solar plexus, eagle strike, ear pop, temple strike, partial sweeps
