by Wayne Goldsmithand Dan Salas

plateaus, French sailors brawling on foggyEuropean wharfs. �

Qu’avez-vous dit?Contrary to common belief, martial arts

are not the sole property of the Orient.Nearly every civilization has developed itsown brand of martial arts. As a term,�martial art� applies to any formalized

Martial arts: The phrase conjures upimages of swirling combatants in flowingrobes, black belts smashing boards withtheir bare fists, monks meditating on

4 6 J U N E 1 9 8 7

One of the few soft, Japanese martialarts, aikido is a non-combative art whichrelies on defense and flexibility. The rootsof aikido are founded in Zen Buddhism,which teaches a philosophy of nonvio-lence. Aikido bases its maneuvers on theultimate goal of neutralizing � not

A i k i d o (eye-kee ' -doe)

Despite the fact that some of the styleswere developed by different civilizations,at different times, and for different pur-poses, many share a number of similarmaneuvers (which only goes to show thatthere are only so many ways in which abody can move). Thus, if a player happensto like savate but is discouraged because itwas developed in France, there is no rea-son that a martial artist could not havedeveloped the same style in an Oriental campaign region. Also, if something aboutthe art bothers the player (for example,the player prefers weapon use with hisPC’s martial art), feel free to add thatparticular item to the art. These descrip-tions provide only the basic styles. It is upto the DM to flesh them out to meet spe-cific needs.

Of course, there are as many styles ofmartial arts in the world as there aregrains of sand in a sand castle. Conse-quently, other existing styles can beapplied to the AD&D® game as well. Thisarticle describes a dozen common martialarts styles for monks and other charac-ters.

system of fighting techniques; the phraseis not limited to styles which contain highkicks or purely Oriental fighting tech-niques.

With the introduction of Oriental Adven-tures and its new martial arts system, anew vista was opened to the characterwho wanted to do more than swing asword. PCs now have the option of notonly choosing their weapon, but alsodeciding how to use it. Likewise, PCs arenow able to choose not only which martialarts maneuvers they wish to practice anddevelop � they are also able to decidewhich formalized style they wish to learn.Unfortunately, Oriental Adventures onlygives four examples of martial arts stylesto use (page 101).

Admittedly, it is simple enough for aplayer or DM to generate his own style,but these styles often have the same con-sistency as demons have when createdfrom random generation charts. Also,what if a player wants to base a martialart on a style already in existence and hasno idea what the style consists of? Toalleviate this problem, the following articlelists several martial arts still in practicetoday.

A number of styles listed herein havedeveloped variant or synonymous artsunder different names. As these differ-ences are minor in most cases, the statis-tics for these styles are listed insofar asthey relate to the mother art in its basicform.

1

destroying — the opposing force. Aikidospecialists use circular techniques to redi-rect the opponent’s maneuvers and turnhis own force against him. To accomplishthis, an aikido practitioner is trained tomove in the direction of a push and to givein to a pull. Fighting an aikido expert hasbeen likened to fighting water, which givesin to an opponent’s strikes, then surroundshim from the sides.

Aikidoists extend the art into their lifephilosophy. Their behavior is flexible,easy-going, and generally nonviolent.

Escrima (es-kree’-ma)This ancient and incredibly vast Filipino

art, also known as kali or arnis, stressesweapons use as much as unarmed combat.Together, these techniques make an effec-tive combination of attacks. An escrimastudent initially trains with jo sticks toachieve the intricate striking patterns onwhich the style is founded. As the stu-dent’s skill grows, the sticks are replacedwith short swords and daggers. Only aftermastering these weapons is the studenttaught how to apply the same techniqueswith empty hands and feet.

Though the principal unarmed attackmethod is the strike, escrima uses palmstrikes, finger jabs, and elbow strikesmore than closed-fist punches. The artalso mixes these hand and arm attackswith a variety of low kicks and grapplingtechniques. The end result is a remarkablyadaptive combat skill. Accomplished escri-madors should be allowed to use the jo,stick, dagger, and short sword in anycombination without any penalty to hit ordamage (i.e., single dagger, double stick,sword and dagger, etc.). They should alsobe permitted to perform the specialmaneuver “weapon catch” with any of thestyle’s weapons.

Escrima is commonly known as a stick-fighting art. Experts skilled in speed(Movement 6) are able to use this maneu-ver while wielding a jo stick in each hand.

Hwarang-do (wa-rang’ do)This style combines a wide variety of

techniques into a complete and diversifiedsystem. For this reason, there is no princi-pal method or attack; likewise, there are15 special maneuvers to be learned.

Hwarang-do developed in a warringnation and was used by warriors in com-bat situations. The style’s philosophystresses loyalty, courage, and willpower.Specialists are proud (though not alwaysarrogant) in daily life and fierce in combat.

Monks do not like this style because ofits emphasis on violent behavior. Hwarang-do is practiced mainly by bushi charactersof high social rank. This aristocratic nat-ure allows hwarang-do practitioners togain honor points for having court profi-ciencies as samurai characters do.

Kobu-jutsu (ko'-boo joot'-soo)This Okinawan art specializes in weap-

ons. It was developed by local farmers

The national sport of France, savate isthe only martial arts style native to Europethat still exists in both sport and combat-ive form. Savate was created by streetbrawlers in the 17th century and wassystematized in post-Napoleonic France.Classic savateurs studied with the fencingfoil or, when weapons were legally barred,the walking cane. These weapons wereused to supplement close melee combat,but after using their long-range kicks toclose the gap, there was usually no needfor the savateurs to continue the fight.

Savate (sah-vat')

Pentjak-silat (pent-zhok see'-lot)The national defense sport of Indonesia

has its base in combat forms of the 6thcentury A.D. Most schools train their stu-dents (pandeka) to be proficient with boththe scimitar and whip. The pandeka donot need weapons to be formidable, how-ever. Their flowery, leaping art can senddevastating blows to an opponent fromany angle and from any position. Pandekahave developed ground fighting to deadlylevels; they actually prefer taking an oppo-nent to the ground (usually landing on topof them) and finish the fight from thatposition. Pandeka do not need to be stand-ing to perform any of their special abilitiesand can leap from a prone position.

This is the unarmed combat art of ninjacharacters. It is commonly employed as alast resort, however, since ninjas prefer tofight with weapons.

The art is usually used to get an oppo-nent out of the way so the ninja can passby or escape. Throws and nerve strikesare more effective for this purpose thanregular kicks and punches. Maneuversfrom Movement and Mental and PhysicalTraining (Table 70, page 103, OrientalAdventures) also show the need for practi-cal applications in tight situations.

Ninjutsu (nin-joot'soo)

who had a need for protection but werenot allowed to carry weapons. Since theycould legitimately carry farming tools inpublic, farmers created a style that madeuse of these tools in a combative form.The walking stick became the bo stick, thegrain flail became the nunchaku, thechurn handle became the tui-fa, and thehay blade became the kama. The sai,which resembles several blacksmith tools,was specifically designed to catch and locka sword. There were originally no schoolsof kobu-jutsu; instead, the peasants wouldgather together at night to practice theirart and trade hard-won knowledge ofproper combat techniques. Needless tosay, the disclosure of this art would meanthe further restriction of the meagerweapons the farmers carried. As a result,kobu-jutsu practitioners operate in a high-ly clandestine manner and do not openlydisplay their art except in a life-or-deathsituation.

Shotokan (sho'-to-kahn)This style of karate uses linear attacks

more than circular motions. Strongstances are learned (see Movement 3,Oriental Adventures, page 103), whereasflashy, high kicks are discouraged. Other-wise, this style is similar to karate asdetailed in Oriental Adventures.

Sumai (soo'-my or s’my)Sumai, or sumo wrestling, is the national

sport of Japan. An ancient wrestling art,sumai is practiced by men of large size(rikishi) who use their bodies to push andthrow their opponents. As a sport, sumairequires a rikishi to force an opponentonto the mat or out of the ring. Sportwrestlers are not taught the punches andkicks which were originally included inancient sumai.

Combatant sumai in its ancient form,however, relies on sweeps, stunning slaps,and throws to crush opponents. Combat-ive sumai also allows iron fist and crush-ing blow maneuvers (Strike 1 and 2) asshown on page 103 of Oriental Adven-tures. This combination of fighting tech-nique with such sheer mass results in alethal and often underrated martial artsstyle. Although sumai was traditionallylimited to male practitioners, there is noreason that women rikishi could not existin an AD&D game campaign.

Sumo wrestlers are unusually tall andpowerfully built, and are selected for theirsize and physique. They are trained andconditioned to reach gargantuan propor-tions in stature and power. Rikishi are notthe fat slobs so often portrayed in modernmedia; rather, they are highly skilled war-riors practicing a devastating style.Because of the art’s emphasis on weightand size, sumo wrestlers increase instrength and constitution as cavaliers do(see Unearthed Arcana). Bushi charactersare the most common practitioners of thisstyle.

Thai kick boxing (tie)Thai kick boxing (muay thai) was devel-

oped in Thailand to supplement the pikeand sword in close-range fighting. Thereare no set forms (kata) to muay thai, andtraining consists of constant sparring andheavy bag work. Muay thai is a brutal buthighly effective art. Thai boxers use theirfeet and hands to block and push, but thereal power lies in their shin and elbowstrikes (which slam into opponents withdevastating force). Thai kick boxing is nota pretty style, but it has become the singlemost popular spectator sport in Thailand.Furthermore, its champions are seen asnational heroes.

White craneThis style of kung-fu was inspired by the

behavior of cranes and apes. Pressurepoints are the main targets of the foot andhand strikes, making this art highly effec-tive against humans and humanoids.

D R A G O N 4 72

Wing chun (ing joon)This style of kung-fu concentrates on

hand and arm maneuvers. Basically a softmartial arts style, wing chun allows twoattacks per round due to its double usageof these maneuvers; attacks double asdefensive motions and defensive motions

arms allow practitioners to employ thelocking block. Also, the martial artist’s ACbecomes one point lower per two levelsgained by the practitioner (to a minimumAC of 2). Thus, a monk has AC 6 at 1st and2nd level, AC 5 at 3rd and 4th level, and soon, until the monk’s AC reaches 2 at 8th

Oriental Adventures. The main weaponsof wing chun are the bo stick and thedagger.

[Detailed and variant versions of some ofdouble as attacks.

The intricate weaving patterns of theand 9th level. Afterwards, the monk’s ACis determined by Table 21 on page 18 in

these martial arts will appear in futurearticles in DRAGON® Magazine. — Editor]

Table of Common Martial Arts StylesTable of Common Martial Arts Styles

NameAikido

Numberof attacks

1/1Damage

1-4AC6

PrincipalattackBody

2/1 1-8 5 Body

2/1 1-6 None

2/1 Weapon +4 8 Weapon

2/1 1-8 7 Hand

2/1 1-8 6 Hand andfoot

Savate 2/1 1-8Shotokan 2/1 1-8

88

FootHand

2 / l l -6 7 Body or hand

2/1

1/1

1-8 7

5

None

1-6

Legs andarms

Hand orfoot

Wing chun 2/1 1-6 6 Hand

SpecialmaneuversLock 1,2,3,4

Move 3Throw 1,2,3,4

Mental 1,3Kick 3

Lock 1,2,3,4Movement 2,6

Push 2Throw 1,3Weapon 1

Mental 2,3,4Kick 1

Lock 1,2,3Push 1,2Strike 1

Throw 1,3Vital area 1,2,3

Mental 1,2,4Weapon 1,2

Mental 1

Lock 3Movement 2,5

Strike 1Throw 1,3

Vital area 1,2Mental 2,4

Kick 1Lock1

Move 1,2,5Throw 1,2,3,4

Mental 4Kick 1,2,3

Kick 1Movement 1,3

Strike 1,2,3Mental 1

Movement 3Push 1,2Strike 1,2

Throw 1,3,4Mental 1,5Kick 1,2,3

Move 1Strike 1Kick 1

Movement 6Strike 1

Vital area 1,2,3,4Mental 1Lock 2

Movement 6Strike 1,2,3Mental 1

WeaponsNone

Short swordDaggerJo stick

None

Bo stick.Sai, KamaNunchaku

TuifaNone

ScimitarWhip

NoneNone

Escrima

Hwarang-do

Kobu-jutsu

Ninjutsu

Pentjak-silat

Sumai

Thai kick boxing

White crane None

48 JUNE 1987 3

Kicksand

SticksIntroducing

escrima toOriental

Adventures

by Joseph R. Ravitts

On the outskirts of the known world ofthe Japanese samurai and Chinese monksof history lived the less-sophisticated peo-ples of the Orient (yet more civilized thanthe steppe barbarians). These civilizationshad their own versions of Oriental cultureand the martial arts. In the islands nowknown as the Philippines, a cluster ofrelated tribes did so well at developingindependent systems of self-defense that,to this day, many practitioners of kung-fuand karate incorporate elements of Filipi-no combat into their styles. Filipino mar-tial arts have many sub-styles and manynames. For simplicity�s sake, all referencesmade herein are to one of the better-known styles: the art of escrima.

In the rush to start new campaignsbased on the Oriental Adventures AD&D®game supplement, many DMs may have allof the civilized character classes present inall of the civilized nations of Kara-Tur.Here, then, is a character class that helpsrestore a sense of regional differences.This class should exist only in a limited

area; to parallel the real-world Philippines,this should be a tropical archipelagoadjoining the continent of Kara-Tur. Thereare four subdivisions of the class; first,however, a description of the characteris-tics common to all members of the class isin order.

The escrimadorThe escrimador in an Oriental campaign

is much like a cross between a bushi and amonk. Escrimadores are always human.They have 6-sided hit dice and use thesame attack rate and combat tables asbushi (apart from special attacks, whichare described later). Escrimadores alsoresemble monks in unarmed combat andin their restrictions on wearing armor.Because escrimadores are more dependenton the use of weapons than monks are,they gain an open-handed prowess onlyhalf as quickly as a monk does. Thus, a1st or 2nd-level escrimador has the innatearmor class, alertness against surprise,and open-hand damage potential of a 1st-level monk, while a 3rd- or 4th-level escri-mador equals a 2nd-level monk in theseaspects. Escrimadores do not have thespell-like abilities of monks (except for self-healing) and can never possess powerssuch as the quivering palm or distancedeath. Furthermore, they do not have themonks saving-throw benefits nor theability to dodge missiles. In compensation,however, escrimadores do enjoy defensivebenefits due to their dexterity, and haveoffensive benefits due to their dexterityand strength. Escrimadores also have skillsand ki powers unique to their class.

An escrimador�s initial honor score is 12.First-level escrimadores have six proficien-cies and gain new proficiencies at a rate ofone for every two levels of experiencegained. Those who wish to practice escri-ma must have a minimum intelligence of 7,constitution of 10, strength of 8, and cha-risma of 5. A score of 15 or better isrequired in either dexterity or wisdom(the prime requisites of this class), withthe other score being not less than 9. Anescrimador with a wisdom score of 17 orbetter gains a 10% bonus on experiencepoints.

Escrimadores function best in theirnative environment � in jungles and onislands. The first proficiencies possessedby any escrimador always include survivaland tracking, which are equivalent to abarbarian�s proficiencies. Like the barbari-an, the escrimador�s environment servesas an ally in adventures.

When in a jungle or forest setting, escri-madores can hide in shadows, hear noises,and move silently as ninjas of equivalentlevels (the last two skills apply in all othersettings as well). When fighting in thejungle against any opponent exceptanother escrimador, they gain a +2 bonusto armor class due to their expert timingin ducking behind trees and branches.When traveling in jungles, they can main-

40 AUGUST 19874

tain normal movement speed when othersare slowed by the foliage.

In water, escrimadores can swim 10%faster than other human characters ofequal strength. When fighting on foot inwater between ankle-depth and shoulder-depth, they gain automatic initiative forthe first round against those who are notescrimadores (unless the escrimador wastotally surprised). If the escrimador isalready on his guard at the start of melee,in water at least waist-deep and with aweapon in his hand, he gains a + 3 bonusto hit with his first attack by concealingthe weapon�s initial position just under thesurface of the water. (All these aquaticadvantages, however, are negated if thewater is extremely cold � a condition towhich escrimadores are unaccustomed.)

Because metal is harder to find in thejungle than in other environments, escri-madores often use weapons made partlyor entirely of wood. The vulnerability ofthese weapons to breaking is offset by theescrima method of parrying, which is tocontact the enemy�s hand and arm ratherthan the enemy�s blade. This gives theescrimador a chance against such weaponsas katana swords and even grants a specialadvantage: If a nonescrimador who is notwearing hand or arm protection missesthree consecutive attacks against aweapon-wielding escrimador, the nonescri-mador must save vs. paralysis or lose theuse of his weapon arm for a number ofrounds equal to the escrimador�s strength(the escrimador has successfully struckthe opponent�s arm).

The �signature� weapon of all escrima-dores is the escrima stick, a simple wood-en rod 2-3� long, similar to the jo stick thata monk might use. All escrimadores areproficient with this weapon (in varyingapplications for the three different styles)from the beginnings of their careers.Other weapons typically used are spears,staves, nunchaku, daggers, hand axes,parangs, and rope-weapons similar to theninja kawanaga. Escrimadores can neverbe proficient with long swords, nor withany missile weapons except pellet bows,blowguns, and hand-thrown weapons.

The ki powers of the escrimador are asfollows:

1. For every experience level possessed,the escrimador has a cumulative 5%chance of knowing if he is being watchedby a hidden observer (assuming the escri-mador is conscious and not completelypreoccupied with combat or otherdemanding activity). This is separate fromhis monklike surprise chances, giving theescrimador double opportunities to thwartsurprise. If the escrimador�s intelligence is12 or better, he can even be aware ofbeing magically or psionically observed (asthrough a crystal ball or similar device),but the probability of this sense�s successis but 2% per level, plus 1% per point ofintelligence.

2. At 3rd level, the escrimador can per-form the sinawali prior to the start of a

Escrimador Table

6-side dice forExperience Experience accumulated

points level hit points Level title0 - 2 , 2 5 0 1 1 Bastonero

2,251-4,750 2 2 Bastonero4,751-10,000 3 3 Bastonero

10,001-22,500 4 4 Bastonero22,501-47,500 5 5 Jurimentado47,501-98,000 6 6 Jurimentado98,001-200,000 7 7 Jurimentado

200,001-350,000 8 8 Jurimentado350,001-500,000 9 9 Jurimentado500,001-700,000 10 10 Escrima Master700,001-950,000 11 1 0 + 2 Escrima Master

950,001-1,250,000 12 1 0 + 4 Escrima Master1,250,001-1,750,000 13 1 0 + 6 Escrima Master1,750,001-2,250,000 14 1 0 + 8 Escrima Master2,250,001-2,750,000 15 1 0 + 1 0 Escrima Master2,750,001-3,250,000 16 1 0 + 1 2 Escrima Master

3,250,001+ 17 1 0 + 1 4 Escrima Grand Master

Escrimadores do not advance beyond 17th level.

melee, once per day. The sinawali is onlyperformed against humanoid foes and is arapid sequence of whirling, weaving move-ments with the escrima stick, having anintimidating, quasi-hypnotic effect. This isineffective against fellow escrimadoresunless they are more than one experiencelevel lower than the user, and ineffectiveagainst those who are not escrimadores ifthey outrank the user by more than onelevel or if they have ever previously won afight against an escrimador who usedsinawali. Other opponents, however, mustsave vs. spells or retreat in alarm for oneround (or, if retreat is impossible, theopponent suffers � 1 penalties on �to hit�and armor-class scores for the first meleeround). Even if the save is made, the oppo-nent�s momentary confusion (lasting onesegment) gives the escrimador + 3 on hisinitiative roll, allowing him to make thefirst attack or run away. A 10th- or higher-level escrimador can use sinawali twice aday.

3. At 4th level, the escrimador saves vs.all fear attacks at + 1 ( + 2 after reaching10th level).

4. At 5th level, the escrimador can fighton after being mortally wounded, just as asohei can (Oriental Adventures, page 24).

5. At 7th level, the escrimador can healphysical damage to himself as monks do(Oriental Adventures, page 181, with thesame increase in self-healing ability ( + 1hp per level after the 7th).

6. At 8th level, the escrimador can stayawake for two days without ill effect (orthree days if his constitution is 18). Normalsleep is required afterwards.

7. At 10th level (the rank at which escri-madores first become qualified to teachothers), the character can discern whetherany character he meets is also an escrima-dor � and if not, whether or not that

character (if zero-level) is capable ofbecoming one later. The 10th-level escri-mador is also immune to all enchantment/charm spell effects such as charm person,finger of death, suggestion, geas, and thelike.

8. At 12th level, an escrimador who isnot directly engaged in combat and hasthe opportunity to observe any nonescri-mador in at least one round of meleeaction gains an intuitive feel for that per-son�s reactions in combat. Consequently,the escrimador gains a +2 bonus to hisarmor class if he fights the individual thusstudied. (This advantage does not apply toa future encounter with the same foe,since the foe may have gained new skillsin the interval.) At the referee�s discretion,the escrimador may employ this benefitagainst nonhumanoid beings.

An escrimador�s alignment is usuallylawful or good (or both), since loyalty tofamily and tribe is built into his training.Unlike monks, escrimadores do not prac-tice any sort of monastic withdrawal fromtheir society. Martial instruction is part oftheir family life and is aimed at the protec-tion of the community from enemies. (It isup to the DM to decide if greater enmity isfelt toward peoples altogether outsidetheir homeland or toward rival tribeswithin the region.) The close bonds offamily loyalty give escrimadores one kipower that extends beyond death. If anescrimador is turned into any kind ofundead monster that is not utterly mind-less, and if he encounters someone whowas especially beloved from his formerlife (a parent, spouse, child, etc.), there is abase 50% chance, plus 2% for every pointof the transformed escrimador�s originalwisdom score, that he is able to restrain allmonstrous instincts and avoid harming theloved one. (This also applies if the escrima-

DR A G O N 415

dor is turned into a lycanthrope.)Any Escrima Master who teaches his

tribe�s style to an outsider who is not aformally recognized friend of the tribeforfeits five honor points � and may for-feit his life if this unsanctioned teachingcauses harmful results to the tribe. If theson or daughter of any escrimadorbecomes a different fighting class (monk,samurai, etc.), he or she loses three honorpoints and the parent loses one. No suchdisgrace occurs if the child enters a spell-casting character class, provided suchpowers are used for the tribe�s benefit;also, the dishonor is avoided if the childbecomes a kensai, and uses a weapon thatescrimadores can use.

Escrima styles

of his same style. Failure to attempt this

The four escrimador schools are Lapula-pu style, Humabon style, Kuntaw style,

results in losing nine honor points; if non-

and Alipang style. Each style may be prac-ticed by more than one tribe. As long as

escrimador allies are called in, four honor

there is no cause for serious hostilitybetween different tribes sharing one style,

points are lost; if escrimadores who are

there can be any number of Masters. If,however, there are incompatible moralalignments within one style, or otherpowerful causes for strife, each Master isbound by honor to slay all hostile Masters

allied but of different styles are called in,two points are lost. Above the rank of

ing on who makes the next attack.

Master is that of Datu (meaning �chief�), ofwhich there may be only one per tribe. In

One ki power peculiar to this style is

a psychic duel, a Datu�s strength is treatedas 50% higher than actual.

gained at 10th level: a 10% magic resist-

The Lapulapu style of unarmed com-bat parallels the tae kwon do style for

ance against spells that thwart movement

monks. The first weapon choice for aLapulapu stylist is an escrima stick in onehand and a dagger in the other. Bothweapons can be used simultaneously withno penalty on hit probability, with bothweapons attacking, both parrying, or oneperforming each function. If, at the startof an encounter with humanoid foes notpracticing this style, the Lapulapu escrima-dor can keep foes unaware of his dagger(e.g., by hiding it behind his forearm), headds a + 3 bonus to his attack roll with thedagger on its first use in combat. Onceengaged in combat taking place on sandyground or in water less than knee-deep, aLapulapu stylist of any level can kick sandor water into an enemy�s face withoutusing up one of his attacks. The impair-ment of vision (assuming that the enemyoperates by sight) causes the enemy tosuffer a one-time �2 penalty on either his�to hit� probability or armor class, depend-

(e.g., cause paralysis, repulsion or slow).This resistance increases 2% with eachsubsequent level gained. This ki power iscalled �The Wild Boar Charge.�

The Humabon style parallels kung-fuin open-handed combat. Its primary weap-on choice is also a pair of weapons with nopenalty on simultaneous use � two escri-ma sticks, in this case. Whether using twosticks or one, the Humabon stylist has thisspecial technique: On one of every threestick-attacks made, if the Humabon stylistmisses by only one point on the �to hit�roll, he can make an extra attack in thesame round with the butt end of the stickwith which he attacked. The Humabonstylist can do this on one of every twostick-attacks from the 10th level onward,as well as when using any similar weapon(e.g., the handle of an axe).

The distinctive Humabon ki power, alsogained at 10th level, is �Liquid Body.� Thispower allows the Humabon Master to�flow away� from melee attacks. LiquidBody is usable once a day for a duration ofthree rounds, with an added round foreach subsequent level gained, but neverexceeding 12 rounds. The user of thispower adds + 3 to his armor class againstclose-range attacks and + 1 against mis-siles; he also takes only half damage fromblunt-weapon or open-handed attacks, andsubtracts one-third of all damage done bysharp weapons. If the Liquid Body user isimmobilized or grasped by an attacker,sharp weapons do normal damage againsthim. (This ki power also reduces by halfthe damage received in a fall.)

The Kuntaw style parallels jujutsu inunarmed combat. A Kuntaw stylist�s feetare never used for kicking, but are usedinstead for other maneuvers, particularlysweeping the opponent�s legs from underhim, which can be performed even if theKuntaw stylist is lying on the ground. Infights with non-Kuntaw opponents, leg-sweeping may occur without using up anyof the Kuntaw stylist�s regular attacks; leg-sweeping is usually used if a solitary oppo-nent misses on his first attack, or if theKuntaw stylist falls to the ground (inten-tionally or not) and the opponent tries tomake a follow-up attack. In those cases, aleg-sweep occurs, knocking down theopponent if the opponent fails to make asaving throw vs. paralysis. (Monks, ninja,and other escrimadores get + 1 on thissaving throw, or +2 if their dexterity isgreater than the Kuntaw stylist�s) AnotherKuntaw foot technique, usable only oncein any particular combat, is to step on andtrap one of the opponent�s feet; this istreated as a part of the Kuntaw stylist�sattack in that round, and a successful foot-trap (rolled as an attack vs. AC 10, withthe opponent�s magical-defensive anddexterity bonuses added) gives the accom-panying main attack a + 2 chance to hitand +2 hp on damage.

There are no unpenalized double-weapon proficiencies in the Kuntaw style.The Kuntaw stylist�s favored weapon is a

42 AUGUST 19876

simple escrima stick; however, the Kuntawstylist can keep this one stick shiftingbetween one hand and the other, movingso unpredictably that a shield carried by afoe is rendered useless against the stick.At 6th level, a Kuntaw stylist enjoys thesame advantage with a nunchaku. A Kun-taw stylist of 4th level or higher can jamthe stick against an enemy�s neck andarmpit, levering the foe into a helpless,prone position. This, again, is rolled for asif the enemy was unarmored, but it canonly be used if the Kuntaw stylist has onlyone foe before him. Also, this techniquefails if the intended victim excels the Kun-taw stylist in strength, dexterity, and expe-rience level. All Kuntaw stylists learn the�Instant Stand� technique before reaching5th level (Oriental Adventures, page 104).

A 10th-level Kuntaw stylist gains a kipower called �Sinking the Roots.� Thispower is usable once daily for a durationof five rounds, with an added round foreach further experience level, but neverexceeding 15 rounds. When using thispower, the Kuntaw Master effectivelybecomes four times as heavy as his normalweight with regard to being pushed orpulled by any outside force. Armor class isunchanged, but overbearing attacks andleg sweeps are rendered ineffective. Theuser of this power can still move, thoughnot at a top-speed run. If someone is try-ing to move a Kuntaw Master who is using

this ki power to resist, the Kuntaw Mastercan stop resisting at will by dispelling thepower or merely by moving, thus causingthe enemy to topple as if from a releasedrope in tug-of-war. Sinking the Roots canalso be helpful in other situations, such asin walking against a powerful wind.

The Alipang style uses unarmed com-bat techniques resembling karate in Orien-tal Adventures. Practitioners use a singlestick for sinawali, exactly as in the Kuntawstyle; however, when an Alipang stylistattains the rank of Escrima Master, he isalso able to perform sinawali with aparang or similar short sword.

Every Alipang escrimador is able todetect outdoor traps and snares as a thiefof equal level can, and each will, at sometime before Master level, acquire a profi-ciency in constructing such traps. Anotherskill usual for Alipang stylists is the con-struction of temporary camouflaged shel-ters like hunters� blinds. Concealmentinside these structures gives benefitsequivalent to magical invisibility.

Distinctive ki powers are as follows:Once a day, if an Alipang stylist succeedsin killing, putting to flight, or renderinghelpless an opponent of equal or higherlevel, without assistance and withoutsuffering any damage, he enjoys a boost inconfidence. Thus, for a period equal to thecharacter�s charisma score in meleerounds, he gains +1 on his �to hit� proba-

bility in any combat (which becomes +2 atthe rank of Escrima Master). This advan-tage, once activated, cannot be saved forlater use, but if an Alipang stylist has noreason to expect further combat soonafter one particular victory, it can be ruledthat the ki power was not activated.

If an Alipang stylist of 5th level or higherwounds an opponent with an edged weap-on, the opponent must save vs. spells (at+1 if the victim is an escrimador or +3 ifhe is a fellow Alipang stylist) or suffer adelusion that he has sustained double theactual damage. (After one successful save,no additional saving throw is needed forthat combat.) If such imaginary damagecauses the victim to fall to zero hit pointsor below, though the actually hit-point lossleaves the victim with 1 hp or more, hefalls unconscious for 1-3 melee rounds.

If PC monks make contact with escrima-dores, a DM could allow them to learnsome escrima techniques, just as thefamed movie martial artist Bruce Leelearned Filipino fighting in addition toChinese kung-fu. The real value of escri-madores, however, is as NPCs. After all,the spirit of fantasy involves not onlybeing different sorts of people, but meet-ing different sorts of people. The escrima-dor class is sufficiently monklike to fit intothe Oriental campaign, but differentenough to give a unique flavor to part ofthe world of Kara-Tur.

DR A G O N 437

4 8 N O V E M B E R 1 9 8 7

Twenty martial arts styles based on man,

by Len Carpenter

The martial arts system of OrientalAdventures is among the best new addi-tions to the AD&D® game in years. Withthe many martial style combinations andspecial maneuvers provided on pp. 102-5,the DM can design a number of novelfighting styles for an Oriental campaign.But not every DM has the time to experi-ment with the system until a good selectionof martial arts styles is finally put together.Also, few DMs want to be limited to thefour real-world martial styles on p. 101.Presented here is a collection of 20 differ-ent styles for use in the campaign.

The 20 styles presented are divided intotwo groups. The first 12 styles, named forassorted animals, are among the mostancient styles known in my campaign.These styles are studied by members ofmost Oriental character classes, althoughmonks constitute the majority of the stu-dents. The second group consists of eightnewer styles created to address the spe-cific self-defense needs or martial philoso-phy of a given class. The origins, ideals,and techniques of these 20 styles are dis-cussed later.

Some martial arts styles given hereinclude maneuvers that vary from theofficial rules. These are noted in the styledescriptions below. The DM may wish toconsider how these changes affect playbefore including them in the campaign.

One rule change recommended heartilyis that the naginata be included in the listof weapons able to perform the martialarts weapon style maneuvers (see footnote�f� on p. 42 of Oriental Adventures). Thenaginata is viewed as not just another polearm in the Orient; it is an important closerelative of the spear. The spear and nagi-nata are often taught side by side within aschool or style. Both weapons are wieldedin similar ways and are used to play simi-lar roles. If the spear may be used to per-form the weapon style special maneuvers,then so should the naginata. The nagimaki,a weapon intermediate between the spearand naginata, may also be used to performweapon style maneuvers, although thenagimaki is not nearly as popular as thespear or naginata.

The martial styles presented in thisarticle are not intended as detailed simula-tions of real-world martial arts systems.Although a few bits and pieces of martialarts history and tradition are included in

these styles, as a whole, these styles areunique to my campaign. Accurate compar-isons cannot always be drawn betweenactual martial arts systems and stylescreated for a fantasy world. The tiger stylepresented here is not a depiction of tiger-claw kung fu, but is simply my version ofhow the holy monks and nuns of ancienttimes were advised by the gods to studythe tiger to become great fighters.

The 12 animal styles are but a few of themany martial arts systems founded afterlong, patient study of the combat methodsof animals. A person might spend years oreven decades in the wild, observing ananimal to master every attack, defense,movement, and tactic of the creature.From this single-minded study, ancientascetics developed the first known martialarts systems.

The early monks studied many types ofanimals � mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, and even rare magical beasts. Conse-quently, a wide variety of maneuvers andstyles evolved. Radically different systemsoften arose from studying the same ani-mal, since an animal may teach manylessons to different students. The tigersystem of one school might concentrate onthe tiger�s stealthy moves and grand leaps,while another tiger style might focus onthe great cat�s powerful claws and bite.

Historically speaking, a bewilderingvariety of styles arose to compete for theattention of potential students. Rivalrybetween teachers was fierce. Argumentsoften flared over varying interpretationsof the same style, and bloody feuds werefought between promoters of differentstyles.

Eventually, these many styles coalescedinto major schools with large followings. Apupil would identify their school bydescribing themselves as a student of aparticular animal. These major schoolsgave birth to many variations and sub-styles, but most martial artists could findcommon roots in one or more of the greatanimal styles. Many lesser styles passedinto obscurity with the major schools orthe petty secrecy of teachers who refusedto pass on hidden knowledge.

A number of important new stylesevolved out of the great animal schools.Some styles combined the attacks andmaneuvers of older animal styles to createhybrid systems. Others were created tobest exploit the strengths of newly devisedweapons, such as the nunchaku, tonfa (tui-fa), or sai.

8

nature, and animal.

Some styles were designed to suit theneeds of a specific group. Ninja cultivatedthe secret martial arts systems of ninjutsu.Women of the court practiced with spearand naginata, and learned to use manyunobtrusive weapons to defend them-selves. Holy pilgrims perfected styles that provide the gentle strength to overcomeany aggressor. Of the many specializedstyles to command specialized followings,eight are described below, after the 12animal styles are discussed.

The tables below list the important dataof the 20 martial styles, reflecting theformat of Table 68 on p. 101 of OrientalAdventures. The tables also note whatweapons, if any, are taught in a givenstyle. Other weapons that are sometimesfavored by a given style are discussed inthe style descriptions following the tables.Some weapons are forbidden to certaincharacter classes, of course, so schoolsshould be flexible enough to accommodatethe requirements or limitations of a stu-dent�s character class.

Footnotes indicate special features of orchanges in a particular special maneuver.These changes are discussed in greaterdetail in the style descriptions. Thosechanges deemed unacceptable by the DMmay be ignored or replaced by other offi-cial special maneuvers.

The 12 animal stylesBear. The bear is a fitting teacher for

the student of the wrestling art. The bearstrikes hard, grapples a foe with crushinglocks, and cannot be moved if he does notwish to move. The bear never yields orweakens. The bear thinks only of attack,never of defense.

The student of the bear must emulatethe ferocity and indomitable will of thebear to master this wrestling style. Thestudent learns to strike with crushing orstunning blows and to resist being movedor thrown. But most important, the stu-dent of the bear masters the use of alllocks and holds.

No particular weapons are favored inthis style, and none are commonly taughtto the student. The student uses whateverweapons are common to his class,although the student usually prefers pow-erful weapons that require great strengthto wield, such as the tetsubo, or two-handed sword. This style is popular withbushi and yakuza.

Cat. The cat style was designed afterlong study of the small, quick felines such

as the civet, lynx, and even the commondomestic cat. This style promotes speed,active defense, and deft footwork insteadof the crushing power of those stylesbased on the great cats. The student of thecat learns to attack with speed and sur-prise, overwhelming the foe with a flurryof well-placed blows. The student must beswift on defense, relying on footwork anddeceptive moves to avoid attacks.

The martial artist learns to survive greatfalls and regain his feet instantly, andaspires to become as adept at leaping andspringing as the felines he studies. Thestudent trains hard with a partner to learnto follow and counter any motion made bythe opponent. He also works with histeacher to gain total awareness of hissurroundings, and to move and fight inthe dark as easily as any cat. Through thisgreat awareness, the practitioner is able tokick an opponent behind him by perform-

ing an agile body twist. Students of the cat favor knife fighting,slashing with twin daggers just as the catuses its claws. This style is popular withwomen, who also train with the naginata.The cat style is examined by certain ninjato adapt the Blind Fighting maneuver tomany ninja styles.

Cobra. The student of this style mustspend years in intense study of this deadly,yet shy creature. The cobra picks itsmoment of attack with great care, thenstrikes with exquisite precision and power.The cobra hits its prey where it is mostvulnerable, then locks onto the victim withan unbreakable death grip. The cobrastyle employs pure, offensive power, trust-ing deadly skill to gain victory before itsfoe strikes back.

The student of the cobra must studyanatomy to be able to hit hard at the oppo-nent�s vital points. The jaws of the cobrainspire this style�s powerful locks. Ulti-mately, the student aims to learn the diffi-cult Distance Death maneuver, striking thefoe at range just as the cobra may spitdeath at its prey.

No particular weapons are preferred inthis style. The cobra system is a favorite ofninja and highly aggressive warriors.

Crane. The crane fights with a broadarray of weapons. It can strike vital pointswith its beak, kick with its long, slenderlegs, and smash with its great, sweepingwings. The crane is a canny fighter,retreating when necessary to study anopponent, then returning to strike again.The crane wisely avoids or deflects an

opponent�s attack, then responds with aswift cutting blow to a vital point.

The student of the crane seeks to use allof his natural weapons with equal skill.The martial artist can strike vital areaswith both foot and fist. On defense, thestudent must be able to dodge an attack ordeflect a missile through superb footwork.His mind must be alert and strong.

Just as the crane uses many naturalweapons to best effect, so, too, must thestudent of the crane master differentweapon combinations to give the studentthe most effective mode of attack. A num-ber of weapon sets are taught in the cranestyle. The weapons studied depends uponthe student�s teacher or school. Weaponsare combined in two-hand styles to givethe fighter a broad range of attacks. Com-mon weapon pairs are: two jo sticks, twonunchaku, two sai, sword and jitte, swordand war-fan (gunsen), and sai and chain.Other, stranger combinations are taughtby some schools.

Dragon. The student of the dragonstudies one of the most exciting of allstyles. The dragon teaches his students theuse of powerful kicks by the example ofhis sweeping tail. The dragon�s greatstrength and claw strikes inspire the stu-dent to use his fists with overpoweringforce. The dragon�s crushing jaws instructthe martial artist in the use of an immobi-lizing lock. The student duplicates thedragon�s natural armor by developingiron-hard skin of his own.

Students of the dragon favor weapons ofhigh damage potential, such as the slash-ing naginata or halberd. The kau sin ke istaught in all schools of the dragon style inorder to emulate the sweeping smash ofthe dragon�s tail. The chain is occasionallytaught for the same reason. The dragonstyle is popular with all types of warriors.

Dragonfly. The dragonfly style is per-haps the most mysterious and rarest of allanimal styles. The student of the dragonflystrives to become as light and agile as theflitting insect he observes. The dragonflymoves quickly, strikes precisely, and hastotal control over its motion and energy.

The student must train hard to masterboth his physical and spiritual energies sothat he may master the energies of others.The student allows his ki to flow andmerge with his opponent�s energies, thentakes control of his opponent�s ki so thathe may direct his opponent�s motion andenergy wherever he wills. In this way, thestudent may deflect any attack, follow and

D R A G O N 4 99

Table 1The Twelve Animals

Martial artsstyleBear

Cat

Cobra

Crane

Dragon

Dragonfly

Hawk

5

8

7Leopard

Mantis

Monkey

Snake

Number ofattacks

2/1

3/1

1/1

l/l

1/1

1/1

3/l

2/1

2/1

2/1

2/1

6

6

8Tiger 2/1 1-8

Damage1-6

AC8

PrincipleattackHand

1-4 6 Hand

1-8

1-6

8

5

Hand

Hand &foot

1-8

1-4

1-6

1-6

1-6

1-6

1-4

8

7

Foot

Hand

Hand

Hand

Foot

Hand

Hand

Hand

SpecialmaneuversLock 1,2,3,4Strike 1,2Vital area 2Movement 3Mental 3Movement 1,5Throw 1,2Push 2Kick 3Mental 2,4Vital area 1,2,3,4Strike 1,2Lock 1,3Vital area 1,2,3Weapon 1,2Strike 2Movement 4Mental 1,3Kick 1,2,3Strike 1,2Lock 4Mental 5Push 1,2,3Vital area 3Movement 4Mental 1,2,5,6Strike 2,3Lock 1Vital area 1Kick 2Movement 1,5,6 Strike 1,3Kick 2Lock 2Mental 2Kick 1,2,3Lock 1,2Movement 4,5Mental 1Throw 1,2,3,4Weapon 1Movement 2Lock 1,3Movement 1,2,4,7Lock 1Vital area 1,3Throw 2Strike 1,2,3Lock 1Kick 2Mental 2

WeaponsNone

None

None

Varies

Kau sin ke

None

None

None

None

Bo stick,jo sticks

None

None

counter any move, or send any opponentreeling with but the slightest and mostgentle touch.

The student�s mastery of his own bodyprovides him with superior defense. Thestudent learns the special Mental 51maneu-ver, Flowing Water, which allows the mar-tial artist to become as evasive and agileon defense as the flitting dragonfly. TheFlowing Water maneuver improves the

5 0 N O V E M B E R 1 9 8 7

student�s Armor Class by 2 through swift,defensive moves. The Flowing Water statecan only be achieved when the studentwears no armor and is unencumbered byheavy gear (see Table 2 footnotes).

The ultimate achievement of the dragon-fly style is the ability to levitate. Levitationis taught only to those students who aremost dedicated and who prove worthy ofthis secret teaching.

Weapons are almost always ignored bythe students of the dragonfly in favor ofthe ability to master one�s inner energy.This style is rarely studied by anyoneother than monks or shukenja.

Hawk. The hawk is a hunter greatlyrevered for its swift attack and infallibleaim. The student of the hawk emulates thebirds talons through powerful fist blows,choking locks, and accurate finger strikes

10

Table 2The Eight Specialized Styles

Martial artsstyleBoneBreaker

Dark Hand

Eight-LeggedMan

Eye of theHurricane

Fist withinGlove

Oaken Grip

Silken Spear

Sword Breaker

Number of Principle Specialattacks Damage AC attack maneuvers

2/1Weapons

1-6 7 Hand Strike 1,2 Ninja-Vital area 1 favoredWeapon 2 weaponsLock 3Mental 2,4,5

2/1 1-6 6 Hand Vital area 1,2,3 Ninja-Strike 1 f a v o r e d Weapon 1,2 weaponsThrow 3Mental 2,4

3/ l 1-4 8 Foot Movement 1,2,4,5 NoneKick 1,3Throw 2Mental 2

1/1 1 - 4 5 Hand Throw 1,2,4 NonePush 1Movement 3,6Mental 1,2,3,5¹

1/1 1 - 4 6 Hand Lock 2,3,4 VariesWeapon 1,2Push 1Throw 4Mental 1,2,3

2/1 1 - 6 7 Foot Kick 1,2,3 Varies Weapon 1

Lock² 2,3Movement 4Mental 5

1/1 1-4 6 Hand Weapon 1,2,3 Spear,Vital area 1 naginataM o v e m e n t 2 , 4 3 Throw 4Mental 1,2,3

2/1 1 - 6 8 Hand Lock 1,2,3 Sai, Weapon 1,2 jitteStrike 2Throw 3

1 The Mental 5 maneuver in this style is not the Ironskin maneuver, but is instead the Flowing Water state that improves ArmorClass by 2 through speed and agility.² The Lock maneuvers of this style require the use of a special weapon.3 This Movement 4 is the Arrow Cutting special maneuver that allows a character to deflect missiles when using a weapon.

to nerve centers. The student�s flying kickis inspired by the hawks diving attack.

Students of the hawk usually disdain theuse of weapons, preferring to rely on theirown natural weapons instead. The hawkstyle is advanced by those who consideroffense vastly more important thandefense.

Leopard. The leopard provides lessonsin the importance of speed, cunning, andawareness of one�s surroundings. Theleopard stalks silently, seeks an opening,and strikes with a burst of blinding speed.The great cat�s moves are subtle anddeceptive. The rake of its rear claws is itsdeadliest attack.

The student of the leopard trains his

5 2 N O V E M B E R 1 9 8 7

body to move with grace and rhythm, and who want to combine speed with power into make deceptive feints to produce an a combat system.opening. The student copies the leopards Mantis. Although the mantis is a smallpounce through mighty leaps and flying insect, its great skill enables it to defeatkicks. The leopards trick of trapping its insects much larger than itself. The stu-prey with jaws and foreclaws to rake with dent of the mantis copies the insect�sits rear claws is studied closely, so that the grasping forelegs by using a hooked handstudent may trap his foe with a Locking position that allows the martial artist toBlock maneuver, followed by sharp kicks score blows and make strong arm locks.to the body. The final goal of the student is The hopping movements and footwork ofto copy the leopards sudden attack by the mantis are duplicated by the manymastering the Speed (Movement 6) special kicks and great leaps of the student. Themaneuver. importance of fluid footwork is constantly

Students of the leopard prefer weapons stressed by the teacher, since footwork isthat simulate the leopards slashing claws, the key to the defensive moves of thissuch as the dagger, short sword, or kama. system.The leopard style is popular with those Weapons are occasionally taught to the

11

students of the mantis, though no specificweapon is universally favored. Weaponchoice is a matter of character class or theteacher�s personal preference.

Monkey. The monkey is an agile, acro-batic fighter who defeats his enemythrough trickery and cunning. His decep-tive moves lure a foe into making mistakesthat the monkey takes advantage of. Themonkey uses his environment to the full-est. Trees and foliage may be used toescape a foe, swinging vines to maneuverinto good position, and sticks to smash anopponent at range.

The student of the monkey must masterthe rolls and falls of his simian teacher.The monkey�s grasping hands are studiedfor the student to learn strong throws andcrushing locks. The monkey, stylist oftenbattles from a low, crouched position, andlearns to fight even when forced to theground.

The monkey�s use of sticks and treelimbs as weapons inspires the student tomaster the bo and jo sticks, and occasion-ally other stick- or staff-like weapons suchas the tonfa, kiseru, or tetsubo. But thestudent must thoroughly understand thata cunning mind is always the best weapon.

A few students of this style study avariation called the �horse-monkey,� whichis based on the observation of the stronggreat apes. Students of the horse-monkeylearn the Strike 3 (Eagle Claw) maneuverinstead of the Movement 2 (Prone Fight-ing) maneuver learned by those whoobserve the smaller monkeys. The horse-monkey style has a base AC 7 instead ofthe AC 6 of the monkey style.

Snake. The snake stylist studies notonly the cobra, but a variety of snakes tolearn a great many lessons. Some snakesbite and lock onto their prey, while othersuse a constricting attack, using their entirebody as a weapon. The snake has controlover every fiber of its body. The snakestrikes swiftly on attack, twists away toavoid counterattack, and curls back tostrike again. So superior is the snake�s

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body control that it cannot be held orhindered.

The student of the snake aims to masterevery aspect of his body�s motion. Thestudent must be able to avoid any attackthrough deceptive turns and twists, and toreturn to attack suddenly. Ultimately, thestudent achieves such great physical con-trol that he cannot be magically slowed.

The student learns to strike an oppo-nent�s vital points and to capture his foewith a, choking constriction. The studentcan attack and defend in any positionwithout hindrance, even when forced to aprone position. He can regain his feet asswiftly as the snake rises to strike.

No particular weapons are favored inthis style, though a variety are taught bydifferent schools. The weapons taughtvary from region to region. The snakestyle is sought out by martial artists whowish to combine an evasive defense with asolid offense.

Tiger. The tiger is the most respectedand feared of all hunters. The tiger stylistis taught to overwhelm his opponent withcrushing blows and kicks before the foecan return the attack. The tiger�s jawsinstruct the martial artist in the use of achoking lock. The tiger�s pounce inspiresthis style�s flying kick.

Students of the tiger often employ great,slashing weapons in combat, such as thenaginata or halberd. Weapons are oftendisdained by students, however, as thisstyle does not lack power.

The eight specialized stylesBone Breaker. The bone breaker art is

one of two specialized styles studied exclu-sively within ninja clans. This style com-bines the power of the tiger and cobrastyles with the speed and awareness of thecat style. Masters of the art of bone break-ing learn to score hard fist blows, strikevital nerve points, and disable a limb witha sudden attack. The ninja also trains tosmash an opponent�s weapons with hisown.

The ability to fight at night is crucial to aninja, so the student must master the cat�sability of blind fighting. The ninja alsotrains to toughen his flesh to avoid injury.This Ironskin maneuver seems to be basedon the mystic ki training of ninjutsu ratherthan the study of the noble dragon.

The ninja always learns to perform theweapon breaker maneuver with twoweapons typically taught within the ninjaclan. Popular ninjutsu weapons includethe sai, jitte, spear (shakujo yari), bo stick,and chain.

To teach the bone breaker art to onewho is not a member of the ninja clan isan offense against the clan � one thatcarries a mandatory death sentence.

Dark Hand. The dark hand is also asecret system closely guarded by a ninjaclan. Its origins are similar to that of thebone breaker style, save that this stylerelies more on the attacks of the cobrastyle and the defensive speed of the cat.

The ninja trains in the use of weapons tocatch or shatter an opponent�s weapons.The weapons taught in this style includeall martial arts weapons favored by ninja.To teach this style to an outsider meanscertain death.

Eight-Legged Man. This style finds itsorigin in the footwork and kicks of themantis combined with the offensive speedpromoted by certain feline styles. Thestudent of this style relies heavily on fast,precise footwork to place himself in aposition to attack with as many kicks aspossible. A master of this rare art movesin the manner of a spinning top, deliveringa flurry of kicks to targets in every direc-tion. Variations of this style are likened tothe spider or octopus because of the manyfoot strikes of this system.

The practitioner of this style trusts hisoffensive speed and footwork to overcomeany foe, rather than the crushing poweror active defense of other systems. Thestudent must develop strong, willowy legsto accomplish the difficult kicks andbounding leaps that are taught. Sincefootwork is all important, a downed fight-er must regain his feet without hesitationto remain in the battle. An awareness ofeverything around the martial artist allowshim to lash out in all directions with furi-ous kicks.

Weapons are totally ignored in this style.This style is aggressive and physicallydemanding, and is not popular with gentlepilgrims or those lacking the will to prac-tice constantly.

Eye of the Hurricane. This difficultsystem finds its origin in the dragonflystyle, with important techniques borrowedfrom the monkey and feline styles. Thestudent of this art strives to unite bodyand mind to achieve a state of spiritualperfection and tranquility. In addition tothe necessary physical skills, the studentof this art must learn patience, clearthought, and an understanding of theminds of others. While all else may bechaos and confusion, the student of thisart remains calm and serene within theeye of the hurricane.

This system stresses defensive speed andcontrol of the opponent�s actions above allelse. The student cannot be harmed by theviolent forces around him. Any attack isdeflected away harmlessly, followed by agentle strength that subdues the foe rath-er than injures him. Any attempt to movethe student is met by a mystic ki powerthat roots the martial artist to the ground.

The student can push himself to achievebursts of sudden offensive speed, but hisprimary goal is to always remain swift ondefense. Like the student of the dragonfly,the master of this style learns the FlowingWater maneuver (Mental 5¹), which allowshim to improve his Armor Class by 2 whenunarmored (see Table 2 footnotes).

Weapons are uniformly ignored in thisstyle. The eye of the hurricane system ispopular with monks, shukenja, some wujen sorcerers, and other martial artists of a

54 NOVEMBER 198712

spiritual or mystical mind.Fist within Glove. This style is popu-

lar with mendicant pilgrims, monks, nuns,and other peaceful folk who require a self-defense system that provides good protec-tion without obvious armament. This styleteaches restraint and discipline in allthings, with violence used only as a lastresort. An aggressor should be subduedwith as little fuss and harm as possible inthis style. The student always tries toavoid, or even run from, a potential con-flict; if necessary, though, he can defendhimself or others with his simple pilgrim�sstaff or bare hands.

The student practices with unobtrusiveweapons, such as the bo stick, jo sticks,kiseru, tonfa, or other weapons thatappear as simple agricultural tools orcommon items of the traveler. Peace ismaintained by a gentle and harmlessdemeanor � not by open displays of force.A pilgrim can handle any bandit or merce-nary he encounters, but never displaysany hint of aggression or challenge thatmight invite attack. His true power isalways well-cloaked, like a fist concealedwithin a silken glove.

Another common weapon of the pilgrimis a hardwood flute about 2-3� in length.This flute is treated as a jo stick in combat,but whistles a swirling tune as it is swungabout in battle. Some monks and shukenja

are reputed to carry magical flutes thatallow the owner to transform his ki powerinto spell-like songs, similar to the instru-ments of the bards. Each flute�s set ofspell-songs is unique.

Oaken Grip. This style is inspired bythe kicking and footwork of the dragonand mantis, but promotes the use of pow-erful hardwood weapons. The studentlearns solid footwork for defense andflamboyant kicks for offense. He trains hisbody to be resilient and resistant to injury.

The practitioner of this style uses thethree-piece rod, nunchaku, or tonfa todeliver crushing blows. These weaponsare also used to catch an opponent�s weap-on or to grab an arm or disable a limbwith a lock of oaken strength. When usingone of the weapons of this style, the stu-dent may perform a Locking Blow maneu-ver or an Incapacitator maneuver. Ifattempting a lock maneuver without oneof the aforementioned weapons, theattempt is made at �2 on the �to hit� roll,since the student is specifically trained touse a weapon. No weapons other thanthose mentioned above may be used toperform an oaken lock.

Silken Spear. This style is commonlytaught to women of the court, from anexalted empress to an ordinary handmaid-en. A noblewoman is expected to fightwhen necessary to defend herself or herclan. She must learn to employ weapons,common implements, and her environ-ment to defeat any foe. The use of weapons is essential to thisstyle. The woman is expected to masterthe spear and naginata together to per-

form the weapon-style special maneuvers.The woman also learns the art of ArrowCutting, which allows her to deflect mis-siles with the spear or naginata. In theArrow Cutting maneuver, the martialartist uses the weapon to knock arrowsand other missiles aside, rather than dodg-ing or deflecting missiles with the hands.

The woman may use the steel clothspear (Weapon 3) to perform the otherweapon special maneuvers; she may alsouse it to knock aside missiles with thearrow cutting art. If the woman does nothave a spear, naginata, or steel cloth spear,she may still attempt to deflect missiles,but at �4 on her saving throw (thisallowed due to the heavily stressed train-ing with the weapon).

A woman trained in the silken spearmay fight unarmed if need be, though sheprefers to use or improvise weapons if shecan (she can turn a simple piece of silkencloth into a flashing spear, if necessary).Some women even learn to use a simplestool or bench as an effective weapon(treat such a weapon as a tonfa with aspeed factor of 6-8).

Occasionally, noblewomen are taught toconceal weapons on their person in caseof emergency. They may hide a dart ordagger in the sleeve or carry an elegantfan that conceals a rigid set of steel ribs(treat as a gunsen). Small razors may behidden under long fingernails; theserazors may also be poisoned (treat as anekode with a speed factor of 1 for pur-pose of damage). The kanzashi, a sharp-pointed, ornamental hairpin that oftencontains a lethal poison, is commonlyworn. Treat the kanzashi as a nekode thatinflicts l-3 damage to small- or man-sizedopponents and 1-2 damage to large foes.

Female ninja, or kunoichi, often learnthis style so they may more easily infiltratea royal court and play the role of a hand-maiden or lady�s bodyguard. A kunoichispy will, of course, conceal a vast arsenalin her clothing or costume.

Sword Breaker. The sword breakerstyle was developed by local police forcesto deal with unruly swordsmen. Consta-bles or community defenders of the bushior yakuza class often study this art todefend themselves and their towns fromdrunken samurai or other lawbreakers.

The sword breaker style combinesstrong wrestling moves with the skills ofcatching and breaking a samurai�s blades.The student usually learns the use of thesai or jitte to catch and shatter a criminalsweapon. The jitte is learned by most con-stables, while elite police officers favor thesai as a symbol of rank. Other weaponsare studied, including the bo stick, josticks, tonfa, or chain. These weapons arefavored by poorer communities, since theymay be easily made or adapted from agri-cultural tools. The sode garami is also apopular weapon with police since it maybe used to entangle and subdue a criminal.

This style, or a variation thereof, isoccasionally studied by sohei or palace

guards in order to disarm and subdue afoe without wounding him. To spill bloodon sacred palace grounds or within a holytemple is sacrilegious in some lands.

Concluding thoughtsIn designing a new martial arts style, the

DM should strive to create somethingspecial while keeping the power of thestyle within reasonable limits. Try linkingdifferent special maneuvers into logical,yet imaginative styles that center around asolid idea. An intriguing animal, a colorfulphrase, an informative martial arts book,or a flamboyant movie stunt may providea good starting point for a novel martialarts style. Try giving a special maneuver aunique twist to make it more original.Look for a new way to use a martial artsweapon or play with various martial stylecombinations to see what new combina-tions fall out of Table 69.

Don�t be afraid to experiment with radi-cal ideas outside the regular campaign.Within the campaign, limit the more unor-thodox martial styles to NPCs until you aresure such styles are suitable for PCs. Erron the side of caution. Novelty is fun anddesirable, but becomes an aggravation ifmartial artists become too powerful. Mar-tial arts combat benefits the game onlywhen it is fair and well-balanced, notwhen it produces inhuman killingmachines who ruin the campaign.

D R A G O N 5 513

by Len Carpenter

NewKicks in

Martial ArtsA guide table for creating martial-arts stylesThe martial style combinations table for the Dungeon Master�s campaign, but it

(Table 69) on page 102 of the AD&D® has its flaws. Without proper guidance, aOriental Adventures is a fine and easy way novice DM may create martial-arts stylesto come up with original martial-arts styles that are too weak or, worse yet, too pow-

Table 1Martial-Arts Guide Table

Special maneuvers

Offense Defense Highest Maximum MaximumNo. of Damage Best difficulty no. of no. of

attacks (max./round) AC rank maneuvers rank points3/1 1-6 (18) 8 3 6 102/1 1-8 (16) 7 4 7 123/1 1-4 (12) 6 5 9 182/1 1-6 (12) 6 5 11 241/1 1-8 (8) 6 5 11 262/1 1-4 (8) 6 7 11 281/1 1-6 (6) 5 7 11 301/1 1-4 (4) 5 7 11 32

Table 2Example of a New Martial-Arts Style

Example style

No. of Principle Specialattacks Damage AC attack maneuvers

3/1 1-4 7 Hand Vital 1,2,3Movement 1,3

Push 2Lock 3

Mental 1,2

66 AUGUST 1988

erful. The table also lacks any way tocreate a powerful offensive style likekarate, with its three attacks per round.

To help the DM create novel martial-artsstyles, the following guide table (Table 1) ispresented. There are eight possible offen-sive combinations linking a base numberof attacks with a base damage. The combi-nations are ranked from most to leastpowerful on offense. There are two possi-ble combinations that link three attacksper round with a base 1d6 or 1d4 hpdamage, which are offensive combinationsnot possible to generate using Table 69.The second column also shows the maxi-mum possible damage that can be doneper round by the martial artist.

The more powerful a style is on offense,the less powerful it should be in otherrespects. The third column in the tablegives the best possible armor class for thestyle. The most powerful offensive combi-nation has at best an AC 8, while the twoweakest combinations on offense mayconvey up to AC 5 on defense.

Next on the table is the highest possiblespecial maneuver difficulty rank for thecombination. Karate�s most difficultmaneuver is Strike 3, while the weakerstyles on offense may go up to a difficultyrank of 6 or 7 (as is the case with Levita-tion or Slow Resistance).

The maximum number of special maneu-vers in the style is given in the fifthcolumn. Most combinations may carry upto 11 special maneuvers, while the morepowerful combinations on offense have alesser maximum. Generally, the moremaneuvers a style has, the lower its high-est difficulty-rank maneuver. Kung-fu andtae kwan do, on page 101 of OrientalAdventures, each has one difficulty rank 5maneuver, while jujutsu, with its 11maneuvers, has no special maneuver moredifficult than Throw 4. Thus, the DMshould avoid maximizing both difficultyrank and number of maneuvers for thesame martial-arts style.

To balance the number of special maneu-vers in a style with its difficulty ranks, thelast column introduces the idea of �rankpoints,� where the difficulty ranks for allthe maneuvers in the style are addedtogether. For example, karate has 1 + 2 +3+1+1+1= 9 rank points, or just underthe recommended 10 rank-point maximumfor this powerful martial style. Jujutsu hasa total of 23 rank points, just under thesuggested 24 rank-point limit. Similarly,kung-fu is not too powerful with 20 rankpoints.

Tae kwan do seems underpowered withjust an AC 8 and only 16 rank points. Thestyle could do with one or two more spe-cial maneuvers, such as Strike 2 or 3, tomake it stronger. A revised version of taekwan do may look like this:

Kick 1,2,3Strike 1,2,3Throw 3Movement 5

14

The guide table presented herein is notintended to replace Table 69; it is meant toaugment it. Table 69 should still be used tocreate the foundation of a martial-artsstyle. When rolling up the number ofspecial maneuvers in a style, the DM couldinstead roll for 1-4 special maneuversoutside the principle method of the style,but the total number of maneuvers in thestyle still cannot exceed 11. When the styleis finally created, the DM can compare thenew style to the figures in the guide tableto see if the new style is underpowered oroverpowered.

An underpowered style can often bene-fit from a slightly better armor class orone or two more special maneuvers. Some-times, however, the DM may wish to inten-tionally create an underpowered style thatis quick for characters to learn and servesa specific function, rather than providingan all-purpose self-defense system.

A style that is overpowered can causereal problems in the campaign. A stylethat mixes a powerful offense with a num-ber of high-difficulty special maneuverswill overshadow other martial styles in thecampaign, make the students of the styletoo powerful in relation to other martialartists, and limit the number of PCs whoare drawn to other styles. To keep a stylefrom becoming too strong, the styleshould push toward the maximum in nomore than two categories of defense or

special maneuvers. A style that attains themaximum in three or all four categorieswill likely be overpowered, and a stylethat exceeds the maximum in any categoryby a great degree is definitely unbalancedfor any reasonable campaign.

Some martial styles created by Table 69may be overruled by the guide table asbeing too powerful. For instance, it ispossible to create a hard/soft vital areastyle with 2/1 attacks, a base 1d8 hp dam-age, and an AC 6. Still, such a combinationis too powerful and will rapidly overshad-ow other styles in the campaign.

Optionally, the DM may choose to startwith the guide table in creating a newstyle. The DM first decides on the princi-ple method and hardness or softness ofthe style, then picks a proper offensivecombination from the guide table andbuilds up the style. An advantage with thismethod is that the table provides for twooffensive combinations not allowed byTable 69. The combination of 3/1 attacksand a base 1d6 hp damage is definitely ahard style with a low armor class, and itshould have few special maneuvers, aswith karate on page 101 of OrientalAdventures. The combination of 3/1attacks and 1d4 hp damage is a hard/softstyle that may carry a better armor classand more advanced special maneuvers.This combination creates fast, excitingstyles that aren�t too hard-hitting.

For example, let�s start with the offen-sive combination of 3/1 attacks and 1d4 hpdamage to create a hard/soft vital-areastyle. We�ll limit the style to AC 7 and buildup the special maneuvers toward themaximums in the number of maneuversand number of rank points. This style hasnine special maneuvers for 18 rank points,which fits in fairly well with the maxi-mums set. This new style is shown inTable 2.

By keeping the martial-arts styles of acampaign world within reasonable limits,the DM prevents one or two styles fromstanding out as being substantially morepowerful or effective than all other self-defense systems. This encourages playersto explore a diversity of martial-arts sys-tems before choosing the style to be stud-ied by the player�s character. Characterswho learn different martial-arts styles addgreater variety to the campaign and keepmartial-arts combat from becoming toorepetitive or predictable.

Not only does the guide table help keepmartial-arts systems balanced in the cam-paign, it also expands the range of possibil-ities by allowing for two new offensivecombinations. In all, balance and diversityboth benefit, helping to keep the martialarts an ever-interesting part of an AD&DOriental Adventures campaign.

DRAGON 6715

by Vince Garcia

Hand-to-HandAgainst the

Rules

Modifying the martial arts of OrientalAdventures

The unarmed fighting guidelines inAD&D® Oriental Adventures, while martial-arts styles, leave a few gray areas open tosubjective interpretation. For example, thekensai has the option of specializing in anunarmed fighting style, yet the table provid-ed with the class description is based entire-ly on the premise that the character decideson perfecting the use of a melee weapon. Itisn�t clear if it is possible for a bushi tochoose an unarmed fighting style as a formof weapon specialization, nor is it clear if a

58 NOVEMBER 1988

character wanting to learn martial artsshouldn�t have to meet one or more abilityscore minimums (one has a difficult timeimagining a martial artist with a dexterity of3 gracefully executing a circle kick maneu-ver!).

Unfortunately, the lack of integration inthe martial-arts rules causes problems if anattempt is made to clarify and elaborate onsome of these gray areas. Suggesting, forinstance, that a prospective martial artistpossess at least a 10 or 12 dexterity,

while appearing to be a reasonable idea,conflicts with the structure of at least oneclass with a right to martial-arts abilities �the shukenja, which may be played with a3 dexterity. The following article offers afew guidelines and observations to clarifythe subject of martial arts in an OrientalAD&D game campaign.

Who may learn martial arts?The section in Oriental Adventures

entitled �Learning Martial Arts� (page 105)appears to suggest that any character withan open proficiency slot may acquiremartial-arts ability if he can find a masterto study under. Of all character classes,only two have an inalienable right to mar-tial arts � the monk and shukenja, both ofwhom begin at 1st level with martial-artsabilities. The DM retains the final rulingon whether game balance is best main-tained by allowing other classes to usethese skills, and one of the factors heshould consider when making this deter-mination is how well martial-arts skills fitthe character class in question.

Barbarians: Oriental barbarians aregranted a large selection of skills andallowable proficiency slots to cover theirmany useful abilities acquired while grow-ing up in a harsh and demanding environ-ment. Nowhere are martial arts mentionedin the description of the class, and it isreasonable to assume that the barbarian�sexposure to the subject during childhoodwas minimal at best. Because of this, it islikely the barbarian would have littlemotivation to invest time in such ademanding regimen of training in a fieldso foreign to his background. Certainlynothing exists to prevent him from makingthe attempt, but the DM must decidewhether commitment to learning andpracticing martial arts is done to the detri-ment of the barbarian�s other talents.

Bushi: The rules for weapon specializa-tion do not specifically leave the bushiwith the option of choosing an unarmedfighting style as a specialty. But sinceunarmed fighting styles are listed as weap-on proficiencies, it is possible to allow thebushi to specialize in one instead of in amelee or missile weapon. To do this, how-ever, requires some rule modifications, forthe listed benefits of weapon specializationfunction adequately when applied to mis-sile or melee weapons but bear no practi-cal tie to unarmed fighting styles.

In developing guidelines to cover thebushi, two facts listed in Oriental Adven-tures must be considered. First, the bushimust study under a master in order tolearn martial arts. Second, the character�sspecialty must be declared upon his initialcreation.

At the DM�s discretion, the bushi mayhave the privilege of entering the gamewith an already chosen master, foregoingthe cumbersome process normallyentailed in finding such a tutor. To balancethis, the character should undergo a proc-ess of training prior to embarking upon

16

the road of adventure, which wouldreflect a childhood or adolescence duringwhich the bushi acquired the basics of hischosen style from a relative or acquaint-ance functioning as the character�s master.In game terms, this could be done byallowing a period of zero-level adventuringnot unlike that of the Unearthed Arcana�scavalier. During this time, the bushi earnshis �free� master by working throughexperience- and hit-point penalties asshown in Table 1. At the beginning of thisperiod of zero-level adventuring, the bushireceives three proficiency slots, two ofwhich must be expended to acquire thebasics of his style. Upon attaining 1st level,the bushi receives his fourth proficiencyslot which can be used for the acquisitionof a special maneuver or martial-artsweapon taught under the style. In addi-tion, if the bushi either then or at a latertime gains proficiency with a martial-artsweapon, he will be entitled to a bonus of+ 1 to hit and damage when employing it.(This bonus does not apply to any addi-tional weapons in which the bushi latergains proficiency, nor to weapons not usedin martial arts.)

Table 2 outlines other bonuses that couldbe granted to the bushi. They include theautomatic acquisition of a special maneu-ver every six levels (which doesn�t affecthis option of obtaining more throughexpending proficiency slots) and a mentaland physical training maneuver of theDM�s choice every seven levels.

As a final note, the DM must considercarefully whether to allow a bushi special-ized with a weapon to gain martial-artsabilities at some later point. Weapon spe-cialization entails far more than merelyexpending extra proficiency slots to gain abonus; the character is presumed to spendquite a bit of time practicing with hischosen weapon, sparring and developing aconfidence with it as he learns its variousnuances and the most effective means ofemploying it. No less a dedication isrequired to perfect any of the martial arts,and it is reasonable to consider whetherthe character may have the time to pursueboth weapon and martial-arts practice �especially in the case of a bushi whospends much of his time adventuring.

Kensai: The kensai who chooses anunarmed fighting style as his forte bringsup the same question as the bushi regard-ing whether he should enter the gamewith a previously chosen master. Unlikethe bushi, however, the kensai�s characterdescription does not require him to be,under the tutelage of an instructor tobegin play with martial-arts proficiency.Thus, the kensai character need notundergo a period of zero-level adventuringfor a bonus that isn�t necessary. However,the player and DM may favor zero-leveladventuring anyway, for certainly thekensai requires supervised training to gainany special maneuvers taught within hisparticular style. Table 3 outlines anexperience-level modifier similar to the

Table 1Alternate Bushi Experience and Hit Dice

Experience Experience 10-sided dice forpoints level accumulated hit points- 750-0 0 1d6*1-1,500 1 1d4

1,501-3,000 2 13,001-6,000 3 2

6,001-14,000 4 314,001-30,000 5 430,001-60,000 6 5

60,001-120,000 7 6120,001-240,000 8 7240,001-480,000 9 8480,001-710,000 10 8 + 2

710,001-1,000,000 11 8 + 41,000,001-1,250,000 12 8 + 6

250,000 points per level beyond 12.* Constitution adjustments are made at zero level. None are made at 1st level.

Table 2Martial-Arts Specialist Bonuses for Bushi

Experience Additional martial Additional martial Speciallevel attacks damage bonus

1 0 0 A2 1/3 0 �

3 1/3 0 �4 1/3 + 1 �5 1/3 + 1 �6 1/2 + 1 B7 1/2 + 1 C8 1/2 + 2 �9 1/2 + 2 �10 1/1 + 2 �11 1/1 + 2 �

12 1/1 + 3 B13 1/1 + 3 �14 2/1 + 3 C

Special bonus keyA. +1 to hit and damage with a single martial-arts weapon.B. Gain special maneuver within style.C. Gain mental and physical training maneuver of DM�s choice.

Table 3Alternate Kensai Experience and Hit Dice

Experiencepoints- 1,500-01-3,000

3,001-5,5005,501-10,00010,001-22,00022,001-44,00044,001-88,000

88,001-150,000150,001-250,000250,000-500,000500,001-750,000

750,001-1,000,0001,000,001-1,250,000

Experience 10-sided dice forlevel accumulated hit points

0 1d6*1 1d42 13 24 35 46 57 68 79 8

10 8 + 211 8 + 412 8 + 6

250,000 points per level beyond 12.* Constitution adjustments are made at zero level. None are made at 1st level.

DRAGON 5917

bushi�s in the event this method of acquir-ing a master is used.

Whether or not the kensai begins play atzero or 1st level, he receives the basics ofhis style without cost along with threeproficiency slots, one of which may beexpended for martial-arts purposes if thekensai is determined to have a master.(This does not include martial-arts weap-ons taught within the style, for the kensaishould realistically be able to self-train inthese weapons if he desires. Further, from2nd level on, the kensai may expend up totwo slots per level in martial arts.) Otherslots may be expended for peaceful profi-ciencies, but it is suggested that until thekensai has mastered all special maneuversand martial-arts weapons taught withinthe style, he may not gain proficiency inother weapons or martial-arts styles.

Table 4 outlines martial-arts bonuses fora kensai perfecting an unarmed fightingstyle. Some modifications have been madebetween this table and the characterdescription as written, particularly regard-ing the levels at which certain kensaiabilities are normally gained. Otherbonuses granted the kensai include aperiodic bonus of +1 to hit and damagewith a martial-arts weapon of his choicetaught within his style; at the option of thekensai, this bonus is cumulative and maybe taken more than once with a singleweapon. Further, the kensai periodicallygains special maneuvers, mental and phys-ical maneuvers, and a free weapon profi-ciency. (If the kensai has already gainedproficiency in all martial-arts weapons

taught within the style, this bonus is lost.)When the character at last gains the abili-ty of whirlwind attack, he may makeeither a hand-to-hand or melee weaponattack on each enemy within 10' of him.This does not mean a full hand-to-handattack sequence, but only a single hand-to-hand attack per foe. In addition, shouldthe kensai use his ki power to cause maxi-mum damage during an attack, the bonuswill apply only to one attack, not to anattack sequence � although the charactermay expend multiple ki uses to cover hisfull allotment of attacks during the round.

The kensai�s armor class is equal to thebase of his style plus the indicated bonusfrom the table. The formula offered forother kensai does not apply.

Kensai not dedicated to perfecting amartial-arts style may also, at the discre-tion of the DM, be prohibited from learn-ing martial arts as a bushi weaponspecialist. The kensai has even less time tospend on other pursuits than a bushi; andthus may not have time to learn an unarm-ed fighting style.

Monk: Fortunately, the monk is ade-quately dealt with in the Oriental Adven-tures rules. No major problems existwithin the class regarding martial arts.

Ninja: Unfortunately, the ninja is not aswell defined in the area of martial arts asthe monk. The first problem presented bythe class is that two passages in OrientalAdventures contradict each other: �Ninjawith a dexterity score of 16 or higher gaina bonus of 10% on earned experience�(page 8), and �The ninja has no prime

requisite and so never gains the 10 per-cent bonus to earned experience� (page19). This writer has the impression theninja is not entitled to the experiencebonus, although the class requires somuch experience to advance in level that Iallow ninja characters in my own gamethe bonus. [The passage from page 8 isincorrect, according to David "Zeb" Cook.]

Putting aside other arguments with theclass, such as whether it was a good ideato make it a split-class rather than its ownseparate class, one might wonder whetherthe ninja should be able to use his ninjaproficiency slots on martial arts ratherthan relying on the other half of his classfor this. The martial art of ninjutsu in ourown world certainly embodies variousunarmed fighting movements; while thisfact does not require translation to a ninjacharacter class placed in a particular DM�sfantasy world, the potential probablyshould at least exist. Thus, the DM cancreate a martial-arts style particular to theninja, such as the following (as per Orien-tal Adventures, page 101, Table 68):

Name: Ninjutsu# of At.: 2/1Damage: 1-6AC: 8Principal Attack: HandSpecial Maneuvers:

Lock 1, 3Movement 1, 5Throw 2Vital area 3

Weapons: Nunchaku, Kusari-gama (the

Table 4Alternate Bonuses for Kensai

Experiencelevel

0-1232

453

6784

9105

11126

Initiative Armor classbonus bonus

0 10 11 11 21 21 21 32 32 32 42 42 4

Special bonus keyA. +1 to hit and damage with a single martial-arts weapon.B. May meditate like a shukenja.C. Gain special maneuver within style.D. Gain mental and physical maneuver of DM�s choice.E. Only surprised on a 1.F. Cause fear; use two weapons.G. Gain proficiency in martial-arts weapon.H. Attract 1-6 pupils.I. Whirlwind attack.

Additionalmartial-arts

attacks0

1/31/31/31/31/21/21/21/21/11/11/1

Additionalmartial-arts Special

damage� bonus0 A0 �

½ die �½ die B½ die C½ die A,D,E½ die F1 die G1 die D1 die C,H1 die A,D1 die I

1 Using the type of damage die appropriate to the martial-arts style.2 May strike creatures requiring +1 weapon to hit.3 May strike creatures requiring +2 weapon to hit.4 May strike creatures requiring +3 weapon to hit.5 May strike creatures requiring +4 weapon to hit.6 May strike creatures requiring +5 weapon to hit.

60 NOVEMBER 1988 18

DM might allow ninja weapons to betaught within the style for ninja)

Once the DM has created a style ofninjutsu for a given clan (as different clanswould likely make use of different specialmaneuvers), the character must locate aninja master to study under, receiving thebasics of the style after expending a profi-ciency slot. From that point, he advanceslike anyone learning martial arts, but mayonly allot proficiency slots from the ninjaclass to improve his skill at ninjutsu.

Samurai: It seems odd that the samuraiclass may be played with as little as a 3dexterity. Other fighter classes like thebarbarian, bushi, and kensai must eachmeet a minimum dexterity requirement,but the samurai does not have this restric-tion. This brings up an earlier question asto whether a prospective martial artistshould meet a dexterity minimum. I per-sonally feel that he should, and so wouldnot allow a samurai with less than a 12dexterity to learn martial arts. But it is foreach individual DM to determine his ownguidelines in the matter. An argument �albeit not a strong one � could be madethat the martial artist may actually relyless on his dexterity and more on his ki forfluid performance of movement, and inthis case could be the basis for allowing a3 dexterity samurai to perform tae kwondo, as his dexterity plays little part in thescheme of things.

However the DM chooses to handle thematter, the samurai � because of hisweapon-specialization requirements �should not be allowed the option of begin-ning play with a martial-arts proficiency.Instead, he should at some point afterentering the campaign search out andlocate a master to study under.

In contrast to the bushi weapon special-ist and the kensai, the samurai has anintense training in his weapons from hisyouth, and so he requires a less-constantregimen of practice to maintain hisbonuses. Certainly, the samurai will spenda significant portion of his time in practicewith katana and daikyu, but probably notto the extent that training in the martialarts is automatically prohibited. Of course,the properly played samurai should bemore interested in improving his calligra-phy skill than his karate skill, but that isthe character�s choice.

Finally, the samurai�s damage bonusshould not apply to martial-arts attacks,except at the DM�s discretion.

Shukenja: Like the monk, the shukenja isadequately handled. Given the shukenja�smonastic ties, it is reasonable to presumethe character has access to martial-artstraining at all times without the need toactively hunt out a tutor. This should alsohold true for the monk and the sohei.

Sohei: Unlike the shukenja, the soheidoes not automatically begin play withmartial-arts abilities. Yet because he issimilarly tied to a monastery, it is notgratuitous for a DM to allow him toexpend a proficiency slot upon creation to

gain the basics of a style taught by hissuperiors.

Wu jen: Each class in the AD&D game isgiven various strengths and weaknesses tokeep it in balance with other classes.Magic-users in particular have tradition-ally been singled out as having to relyupon their arsenals of spells to survive �which is one of the reasons they may notuse swords or wear armor. In the case ofthe wu jen, though, not only is he granteda potent and respectable selection ofspells, but he is given a hit-point bonus aswell as allowed the use of certain weapons(such as a short sword and bow) which hisWestern counterpart has always beendenied in the name of �game balance."Further allowing the wu jen to acquire theart of karate, for instance, essentiallygrants a magic-user a three-attack roundat 1-6 hp damage per hit! If one adds thespecial abilities of those nonhuman racesallowed to become wu jen, all these talentsin concert with one another may result ina character so versatile that game balancestarts to suffer.

Almost certainly, any wu jen characterwill, if possible, learn martial arts for aback-up in the event he is forced intomelee. The wu jen begins at 1st level withsix proficiency slots, which is more thanmost classes receive. He gains anotherevery other round. Why so many? Theanswer is found on page 55: �[The calligra-phy proficiency] is needed to inscribemagical scrolls. . . ." As the wu jen has nowrite spell, he relies on his calligraphyskill to perform essentially the same func-tion, as well as assisting in the creation ofmagical scrolls. Clearly, a wu jen mustexpend two of his six proficiency slots toacquire calligraphy. If one wishes to givethe wu jen the benefit of assuming callig-raphy is automatically known, the charac-ter must still make a proficiency check (atbase 18 or higher) to inscribe a scroll �and probably to transfer a spell from ascroll to his equivalent of a spell book.Thus, the wu jen has a good use for all hisproficiency slots apart from learning mar-tial arts or the use of extra weapons.Given this, the wu jen character may notbe quite so anxious to put proficiency slotsinto martial arts.

Lastly, the overall power of the adven-turing group�s typical opponents can pro-vide an indicator of whether the wu jenshould be allowed to learn martial arts.Some of the Oriental monsters are sopowerful that it behooves the wu jen totake advantage of every possible benefit; ifthese monsters regularly appear in thecampaign, game balance isn�t necessarilycompromised by permitting the wu jen theoption of unarmed fighting. In the sameway, if every group of bandits the partyencounters are evil monks or masters ofkung fu, then the wu jen may as well beallowed to pick up karate if he wants.

Yakuza: Nothing in the yakuza�s charac-ter description reveals martial arts to benatural to the class. Thus, he should not

be allowed to begin play with an alreadychosen master or with martial-arts abili-ties, but may acquire them through thenormal process.

Learning martial arts�Master is an honorary title, not a char-

acter class. Students refer to their teacheras master. Unarmed fighters who havegained a reputation are respectfully calledmaster. A wanderer may enter a town,proclaiming himself to be a master. Thetitle is not a measure of skill or level!�

No statement in Oriental Adventuresopens the door to more potential abusethan that just quoted, from page 105. If amaster may theoretically know and impartnothing more than the basic movements ofa style, what is the difference betweenstudying under an NPC master of littleability and a kensai PC who volunteers toinstruct a wu jen PC in the art of jujutsu?Immediately, this important aspect of thegame is removed from the control of theDM and handed over to the players. Thelong, involved process for the PC to locatea master to study under is not only unnec-essary but ludicrous.

To retain control over the issue, the DMmust insist that a PC may receive instruc-tion in martial arts only from an NPC �never from another PC. Some rationaliza-tion exists for this statement. The monas-tic classes of monk, shukenja, and soheiwould jealously guard the secrets of theirunarmed fighting styles from outsiders. Abushi PC approaching a shukenja PC witha request to learn tae kwon do shouldreceive a polite but firm refusal. Even inthe case of two adventurers from thesame monastery, the ultimate determina-tion of a student�s right to learn a martial-arts style or special maneuver shouldcome from a temple superior with author-ity over both characters; the choice wouldnot be the PCs� to make.

In the same way, a ninja would neverinstruct an outsider in the art of ninjutsu,nor would a yakuza reveal clan fightingtechniques to those not under the author-ity of his oyabun. The fanatical trainingregimen of the kensai would be more thana nonkensai could endure, and a samuraimight think it beneath his dignity to beinstructed by a PC who is a mere bushi.

All these justifications cannot coverevery circumstance, but they do offergrounds for ruling martial arts can only belearned from NPCs. In addition, they bringup a point that the DM should consider: Inmany cases, the greatest likelihood is thatthe PC�s tutor in the martial arts will comefrom his governing superiors. Those class-es in which this is a virtual certainty arethe monk, ninja, samurai, shukenja, sohei,and yakuza.

While the above suggestion is notengraved in stone, in game terms it maybe the most practical way of handling thematter. Other classes might well resort to

Continued on page 64

DRAGON 6119

Good question. Unless the intruderhappens to slip on a convenient bananapeel or other unforeseen obstacle, thepoor security guard may never get hisman. Here we see evidence of a flaw in theSTAR FRONTIERS® game, in that all beingsof the same race run at the same rate ofspeed. The problem, however, is not justlimited to running or walking; it alsoapplies to swimming, climbing, and justabout every other movement task that acharacter might attempt.

In the STAR FRONTIERS game, all crea-tures are given a set of movement rateswhich are dependent only upon the racesof the creatures involved. Thus, everyHuman in the Frontier runs just as fast asevery other Human. The same can be saidfor Yazirians, Dralasites, and every otherknown race. Obviously, this just isn�t thecase. Any decent member of an Olympictrack team could beat the socks off theaverage person on Earth in a foot race, yetthe current movement system would notallow this.

Since all characters are not createdequal in the STAR FRONTIERS game sys-tem, all speeds should not be equal. Speedshould be based upon the basic attributescores of a character and the character�srace. (Obviously, a Dralasite cannot run asfast as a Vrusk.) This article describes adiversified movement rate system inwhich only the characters who are physi-cally alike have the same movement rates.In addition, the �standardized� movementrates, such as climbing, jumping, and therest, are also covered. The main advantageof this system is that it allows each charac-ter to be different from his peers. As anadded bonus, the system is flexible, per-mitting a character to improve his speedas he improves his physical fitness.

Movement Rate Multiplier (MRM)This system requires that each character

have a new statistic defined: the Move-ment Rate Multiplier (MRM). The MRM issimply a number from 1 to 10, indicatinghow fast a character is � but only ascompared to other members of the samerace. High MRMs represent fast charac-ters, while low scores represent slowcharacters. This score is used extensivelyin generating the movement rates, so it isrecommended that this score be recordedon each character sheet near the InitiativeModifier score or the movement rates. Tocreate the MRM, simply take the averageof the character�s Strength and ReactionSpeed scores, then divide by 10, roundingall fractions down. This value is the MRM.

The Strength score is used in the MRMbecause a character�s speed and quicknessare based upon the strength of the mus-cles within that character�s limbs. TheReaction Speed score is used because, bydefinition, it is a measure of a person�squickness. Excessive body weight andequipment encumbrance do not play apart in the creation of the MRM becauseof their difficulty to implement; game

masters wishing to use these attributesmust create their own modifiers for them.

To use the MRM, the player must findhis character�s Base Movement Value forthe type of movement desired. The BaseMovement Values are listed in Table 1herein and are found by cross indexingthe character�s race with the type of move-ment needed, such as running or walking.The player then multiplies the numberfound by his character�s MRM to find hischaracter�s movement rate using thatparticular type of movement. Even thoughencumbrance has no effect on the MRM, itstill plays a role in reducing the movementrates of an encumbered character by half

if the character is carrying over half hisStrength score in kilograms.

For example: Rufinkel, a Yazirian, has aStrength score of 55 and a Reaction Speedscore of 60. His MRM would then be 5 (theaverage of 55 and 60 is 57.5; dividing by10 gives 5.75, rounded down to 5). Con-sulting Table 1, Rufinkel walks at the rateof 12.5 meters per turn, runs at 37.5meters per turn, and hikes at the rate of 5kilometers per hour. In addition, the tablealso gives Rufinkel�s �standardized� move-ment rates. Rufi now climbs at the rate of2 meters per turn, and he makes runningjumps up to 6 meters long and standingjumps up to 3 meters.

Table 1aBase Movement Values by Race

Race Walking Running Hiking Climbing CrawlingDralasite 1.250 5.000 0.750 0.375 0.500Human 2.500 7.500 1.250 0.500 0.500Humma* 2.000 7.000 1.200 0.300 0.200Ifshnit* 1.000 3.750 0.500 0.250 0.250Osakar* 5.000 12.000 2.000 0.400 0.600Vrusk 3.750 8.750 1.500 0.375 0.250Yazirian 2.500 7.500 1.000 0.500 0.500Sathar * * 2.500 5.000 0.750 0.500 0.500

Table 1bBase Movement Values by Race

Race

DralasiteHumanHumma*Ifshnit *Osakar *VruskYazirianSathar * *

Running Standingleap leap1.000 0.3751.250 0.500

10.000 5.0000.750 0.2501.200 0.5001.250 0.6251.250 0.5001.000 0.500

Running Standingvertical leap vertical leap

0.375 0.2500.500 0.3751.500 1.0000.375 0.2500.400 0.3000.375 0.2500.500 0.3750.375 0.250

Table 1cBase Movement Values by Race

Race

DralasiteHumanHumma*Osakar *Ifshnit *VruskYazirianSathar * *

Flying��������

Swimming Swimmingper turn per hour

2.000 0.2502.500 0.2501.600 0.2001.000 0.1252.400 0.2002.500 0.2502.500 0.2502.500 0.375

* See SFAC3 Zebulon�s Guide to Frontier Space for details on this race.* * Sathar are used as NPCs only. However, this information also applies to the Sathar-related S�sessu race (which may be used as PCs), as described in DRAGON® issue #96.

DRAGON 6320

Movement typesTable 1 also gives new movement types

that are available to the characters. Theseare more fully explained below, along withthe old movement types from the AlphaDawn expanded game rules to reducecross referencing between the book andthis article.

Walking: This is the rate at which acharacter can walk, expressed in metersper turn. This is also the rate at which acharacter can climb a ladder or staircase.

Running: This is the rate at which acharacter can run, expressed in metersper turn.

Hiking: This is the rate at which a char-acter can walk (with appropriate rests)over long periods of time, expressed inkilometers per hour. (This is known as�Per Hour� in the Alpha Dawn expandedgame rules.)

Climbing: This is the rate at which acharacter can climb a rope, expressed inmeters per turn. A character can climb avertical surface at half this speed, provid-ed there are handholds and footholds.

Crawling: This is the rate at which acharacter can crawl along the floor orground in a semiprone position, expressedin meters per turn.

Running Leap: This is the distance inmeters that a character can leap horizon-tally, allowing a straight-line run for 15meters before leaping.

Standing Leap: This is the distance inmeters that a character can leap horizon-tally from a standing start.

Running Vertical Leap: This is the heightin meters that a character can leap, allow-ing a straight-line run of at least 5 metersbefore leaping. This height is measuredfrom the ground to the lowest point onthe character�s body at the highest point ofthe jump. The sum of this distance and thecharacter�s height (with arm extended)used when the character is attempting toreach a high object.

Standing Vertical Leap: This is the heightin meters that a character can leap from astanding start.

Flying: This is the rate at which a

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64 NOVEMBER 1988

Table 2Average STR, RS, and MRM Scores

Race

DralasiteHumanHumma*Ifshnit *Osakar *VruskYazirianSathar * *

Average Average Averagestrength reaction speed MRM

50 40 445 45 455 45 540 45 450 50 540 50 435 50 445 40 4

* See SFAC3 Zebulon�s Guide to Frontier Space for details on this race.* * Sathar are used as NPCs only. However, this information also applies to theSathar-related S�sessu race (which may be used as PCs), as described in DRAGONissue #96.

winged character may fly, expressed inmeters per turn. Note the differencebetween flying and gliding: Gliding ismerely coasting through the air on steadywings, but flying is the act of physicallypropelling oneself through the air byflapping wings.

Swimming per turn: This is the rate atwhich a character may swim, expressed inmeters per turn.

Long-Distance Swimming: This is therate at which a character may swim (withbrief floating rests) over long periods oftime, expressed in kilometers per hour.

Expanding Table 1Expanding the table of Base Movement

Values for new races can be accomplishedin four easy steps. First, each new racemust have a table of average movementrates defined for it; the creation of thistable is left to the designer of the race.Second, the new race�s average Strengthand Reaction Speed scores must be found,using the method in the following section.Third, using the average Strength andReaction Speed scores, the average MRMis computed, as per the rules in this arti-

Continued from page 61

finding a master entirely apart from theiracquaintances or present superiors.

Once the master has been established,the DM can then use the formula in Orien-tal Adventures for detailing what martial-arts abilities the particular master isfamiliar with. In the case of the monasticclasses (monks, shukenja, and sohei) andthe ninja and yakuza, even if the charac-ter�s present master is limited in martial-arts ability, it should not be difficult forthe character to locate a more experiencedmaster later � through the processlisted.

cle. Finally, new figures for Table 1 arefound simply by dividing the averagemovement rates for the race by the aver-age MRM, rounding results to the thirddecimal place. The results should berecorded in the appropriate columns onTable 1.

There may be some confusion as to whata race�s average ability scores are. Notethat when rolling on the Ability ScoreTable in the Alpha Dawn expanded gamerules (page 4), the most commonly gener-ated base score will be a 45, simplybecause the table assigns a 20% chance forit to occur. No other base score has asgreat a chance, though 45 is not the aver-age score. The average score is actuallythe sum of 45 and the appropriate valuefrom the Ability Modifier Table (AlphaDawn expanded game rules, page 4). Thus,for a Dralasite, the average Strength scorewould be 50 (45 and a +5 modifier equals50), while its average Reaction Speed scorewould be 40 (45 and a - 5 modifier). Thisgives Dralasites an average MRM of 4 (theaverage of 50 and 40, divided by 10 androunded down). The average MRMs fortypical races are given in Table 2.

When the numbers in Table 1 are multi-plied by the average MRM score for arace, the results are the regular movementrates for the race in question. This systemworks on the assumption that the ratesgiven in the Movement Table on page 19 ofthe Alpha Dawn expanded game ruleswere created with the average characterin mind. The average character�s statisticsare the same as those of an average NPC,as shown on the table in the Alpha Dawnexpanded game rules on page 59.

21

Martial-arts styles from the ancient Greeksby Janne Jä rv inen

Up they stood, huge Aias Telamonius,then Odysseus the calculating and re-sourceful man. Wearing their belts, thetwo men leaned toward each other in thearena, and with oaken hands gripped oneanother�s elbows. . . . The bones in eachman�s back creaked at the strain put onhim by their corded thews, and sweat randown in rills. Without pause theystrove to win the tripod: neither couldOdysseus throw his man and pin him, norcould Aias countered by Odysseus� brawn.

The Iliad, by Homertranslated by Robert Fitzgerald

In DRAGON® issue #122, Wayne Gold-smith and Dan Salas revealed that martialarts are not the sole property of the Ori-ent. But many readers know that somesports practiced today are merely saferand relatively less violent forms of ancientstyles of unarmed combat-or should I say,martial arts?

5 0 A P R I L 1 9 9 0

The martial-arts system used in thisarticle was originally presented in theAD&D® Oriental Adventures tome. How-ever, the Dungeoneer�s Survival Guide andWilderness Survival Guide, with their newnonweapon proficiency system that waslater incorporated into the 2nd EditionPlayer�s Handbook, make it possible fornon-Oriental characters to learn martialarts, too. If you want to introduce un-armed combat to your campaign, playercharacters should be able to use bothweapon and nonweapon proficiencies tolearn martial arts. Alternately, the initialproficiency would have to be a weaponproficiency, while both weapon and non-weapon proficiencies could be used togain special maneuvers. Likewise, thespecial maneuvers of various styles in-cluded herein (especially in the case ofpankration) are only suggestions, and theDM should feel free to change them oreven invent his own special maneuvers.

BoxingBoxing is one of the most ancient forms

of unarmed combat. It was first institu-tionalized as a sport in ancient Greece, andit was later adopted by the Romans. TheIliad describes boxing both lyrically and ingreat detail, making it evident that boxerswore so-called fighting straps usuallymade of ox hide. At first, the function ofthe rawhide straps was to protect theboxer�s fists and, to some extent, to protectthe opponent�s face. But in the passing oftime, the fighters wore straps made ofharder leather to ensure that the oppo-nent�s skin would break more easily. Lateron, steel studs and rivets were added tothe straps until, during the reign of theRoman emperor Nero, fighters wore brassknuckles and spiked �boxing gloves.� Thesebloody fights often took place at the Colos-seum of Rome. One poet sarcasticallymentions a boxer who was so badlybeaten during a fight that his own dog

22

didn�t recognize him when he came home.At its best, however, ancient boxing was

a style of unarmed combat in which theboxer�s mental qualities were as critical ashis physical condition. Stories tell of box-ers who won fights without giving orreceiving a punch, yet left their opponentsexhausted. Boxers are trained to havelightning-quick reflexes and are allowedthree attacks per melee round.

Otherwise, ancient boxers were trainedpretty much the same way as they aretoday. The Greeks had already noticed theimportance of a sandbag in practice.

Pankration (classical)Pankration (Greek for �all powers�) was

a combination of boxing and wrestling. In648 B.C., it was included in the list ofsports in the ancient Olympic games. Thewinner of each two-man fight was the onewho first brought his opponent to theground. This could be accomplished byvarious punches or above-waist throws.The matches were fought under the closesupervision of a referee (called a paido-trib). Strongly grounded stances werelearned. When the Hellenic culture fellinto decay, classical pankration soon gaveway to a wilder version of the sport.

Pankration (freestyle)Classical pankration is about as old a

sport as boxing and wrestling are, but thesame cannot be said about its wilder coun-terpart, freestyle pankration (also knownas freefight). While the rules of wrestlingand boxing were much more looser thanthey are nowadays, pankration allowednearly any imaginable punch, kick, throw,or hold that could harm the opponent

(biting and eye gouging were usually for-bidden, though). Strikes below the beltand low-aimed kicks were common.

It was little wonder that a fight like thisoften resulted in the death of one of thecombatants. More often, however, thepaidotrib (assuming there was one) calledan end to the fight after one of the fight-ers was completely exhausted, seriouslyinjured, unconscious, or suffering unbear-able pain. The fights were so violent thatwhen pankration for boys was introducedto the 145th ancient Olympics in 200 B.C.,the paidotribs didn�t let the weaker-looking boys compete at all. Basically ahard style, freefight can include almostany maneuver. More often, however, afreefighter sought to learn maneuversfrom a wide variety of combative stylesrather than concentrate on one particularstyle, such as kicks. Of course, masters ofany style can compete in a freefight, too!In its freestyle form, pankration was not asport but a deadly martial art.

above-waist holds, as described by thepoet Homer. Wrestling�s rules weren�t verystrict. In The Iliad, Odysseus is said tohave kicked one opponent behind theknee, knocking the man (Aias) backward;Odysseus then dropped on his chest.

In the course of centuries, Greek wres-tling was influenced by Egyptians andbecame even more loosely regulated.Various strangleholds and finger, elbow,and knee locks were introduced to thestyle. Wrestlers wore leather caps to keeptheir opponents from grabbing their hairor tearing off their ears. Illustrations inEgyptian tombs indicate that the Egyptiansmastered over 70 different throws, holds,and locks; the Greeks must have masteredeven more!

BibliographyHomer. The Iliad. Translated by Robert

Fitzgerald. New York: Doubleday & Co.,1974.

WrestlingWrestling is probably the most ancient

of all sports. Although it requires a greatdeal of strength, wrestling is basically asoft style as it aims in neutralizing, ratherthan destroying, the opponent. There arescores of wrestling styles, and this articlegives an overall view of only one of them.

Wrestling was very popular in ancientGreece. It was included in the ancientOlympics both as a sport by itself and asthe culmination of the pentathlon event.Special halls, called palaistrons, were builtfor wrestling practice. The philosopherPlaton was a famous wrestler in his owntime. In the beginning, wrestling involved

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Number Principal SpecialName of attacks Damage AC attack maneuvers WeaponsBoxing 3/1 1-8 7 Hand Strike 1 see below

Move 1,6Mental 2,5

Pankration, classical 2/1 1-6 7 Body or hand Strike 1 NoneThrow 3,4Move 1,3

Pankration, freestyle 2/1 1-8 8 None Strike 1 NoneKick 1,2Throw 3Lock 1,3Move 2Vital area 1,2

Wrestling 1/1 1-4 6 Body Lock 1,3,4 NoneThrow 3,4Move 2,3Vital area 1

Boxing notesStudded straps add + 1 hp to damage, and opponents have -1 to their saves when stunning or incapacitation is considered.Brass knuckles and spiked gloves add +2 hp to damage, and opponents save at -2 against stunning or incapacitating effects.

Table of Greek Martial-Arts Styles

DRAGON 5123

74 JULY 1990 Artwork by Ronald Wilber24

Many players brought into an AD&D®1st Edition Oriental Adventures campaignwill never again accept a game worldwithout martial arts. After playing a monkor a kensai, players see combat withoutconsideration for sophisticated techniquesas stumble-bum affairs. As a result, someDMs use all of the Oriental Adventurescharacter classes in every imagined worldand country, not merely the Kara-Tursetting or its equivalent. However, there isan alternative. Characters can go to awholly different continent having nothingof an Oriental nature, yet still havingmartial arts�but martial arts of a uniquenature. A study of real-world historyyields examples of systematized fightingstyles worthy of comparison to the Asianmethods yet completely independent inorigin. Perhaps the best example comesout of Africa, by way of South America.

During the colonial era, many blackslaves escaped from Portuguese masters inBrazil to form communities hidden in thejungle. To defend themselves against whitepursuers or hostile Indians, the formerslaves developed a style of fighting basedon the combat methods of their Africanancestors. This came to be known ascapoeira (pronounced cop-WAY-rah), andits practitioners are capoeiristas. A newNPC class is offered here, based on thecapoeiristas (whose art is still practicedtoday) but using the simpler name of bat-tle dancer.

The most distinctive features of capoeiraare its highly acrobatic nature (includinghandsprings and spinning like a top onone�s head) and the fact that all its tech-niques are learned and practiced tomusic�music that has served to pass alongthe oral traditions of the displaced Afri-cans who devised the system. Regardlessof whether or not battle dancers are con-ceived of as living anything like thefugitive-slave existence of the originalcapoeiristas, this cultural flavor and astrong sense of community solidarity areessential to the class.

To make a quasi-African zero-level NPCinto a battle dancer, there must be a ca-poeira circle for his training. This circleconsists of five or more battle dancersstanding in a ring, simultaneously demon-strating movements and singing capoeirasongs, while close at hand are two ormore other persons (who can; at need, benoncombatant members of their commu-nity) playing musical instruments. Thecapoeira circle not only provides trainingbut can (as will be described later) conferon its participants a sort of collectivemagical-clerical ability. This gives thebattle dancers� villages a fighting chance ofsurvival in a world that ruthlessly de-mands the use of spells to deal with someperils, yet without having any of the famil-iar spell-casting types present. In this way,normal PC types are just as strange to thebattle dancers as the battle dancers are tothe PCs. At the same time, though theirsurvival as a group is promoted, no single

battle-dancer character is outrageouslyunbeatable.

When creating the tropical territory inwhich far-traveling PCs can encounterbattle dancers, it is suggested that any onebattle-dancer village be part of a confeder-ation of three or more such villages, andthat there be several separate confedera-tions in the region. If there are cities in thearea, there could be some urbanized battledancers as well.

Note that battle dancers can serve bothas warriors and spell-casters, but they arenot as flexible as the specialized classescan be. In a capoeira culture, almost noother classes will be found. It is possiblethat a capoeira culture having contactwith other parts of the world might findits old ways eroding under the influenceof the outside world, with some hostilitybetween the generations that practiceeither the battle-dancing ways or the�new� and more specialized ways.

B a t t l e d a n c e r s t a t i s t i c sA battle dancer must have a strength of

not less than 14, a dexterity not less than14, a constitution not less than 12, and acombined intelligence and wisdom not lessthan 17. Any charisma score is allowable,but an individual with charisma lowerthan 8 will never rise above 9th level. Abattle dancer gains no bonus for excep-tional ability scores, nor can he ever havea second class. Table 1 shows most of therelevant information on the class�s abili-ties. This class is patterned after the monkof the 1st Edition Players Handbook.

Battle dancers have six-sided hit dice,with two dice at 1st level. Those of thisclass must be human, and they use thecombat and saving-throw tables of fight-ers. Weapons usable by them are axes(hand), blowguns, clubs, daggers, darts,javelins, knives, spears, swords (one-handed), and any sort of stick (bo or jo) orstaff. Oil and poison cannot be used asweapons. One weapon is learned at 1stlevel (with a new weapon gained everytwo levels thereafter), and a nonprofi-ciency penalty of - 3 applies to the use ofunfamiliar weapons. Though they do notuse armor, they can use shields, but whiledoing so they forfeit the use of their spe-cial unarmed attacks. Any magical weaponor shield can be used by a battle dancerwithin the above restrictions, as well asany magical item that can be used by anycharacter class and (as is described later)certain magical musical instruments.

Due to their wilderness life, these char-acters must choose their first four non-weapon proficiencies gained at 1st levelfrom the lists in either Oriental Adven-tures (page 15, under �jungle barbarians,�excluding armorer, chanting, dancing, andmusic) or the Wilderness Survival Guide(page 12, excluding charioteering, moun-taineering, riding, and cold or desert sur-vival). All proficiencies chosen must beappropriate to the campaign environment.One new nonweapon proficiency is earned

for every two levels after the 1st.The majority of battle dancers are of

neutral-good alignment: morally goodbecause the survival value of cooperationhas taught them to cherish love and loy-alty; philosophically neutral because, whilea hatred for slavery inclines them awayfrom excessive lawfulness, the disciplineof capoeira equally inclines them awayfrom chaos. No battle dancer can be of anevil alignment, as slavery, woe, and treach-ery are opposed to all of a battle dancer�sbeliefs.

Just as monks gain special abilities withadvances in rank, so do battle dancersacquire abilities relating to the power ofmusic. They improve in movement speedand inherent armor class much as monksdo, and they inflict increasing amounts ofdamage (to human-size foes only) withtheir fists and feet. Because capoeira dif-fers from any fighting method that mostcharacters will have ever seen, its practi-tioners have a chance to completely sur-prise opponents with their handspringingkicks, flying takedowns, and other move-ments (see Table 2). Monks, ninja, andsohei have less chance than others ofbeing thus surprised, and no such personwill be caught off-guard by battle dancersmore than once.

The surprise attack against a non-battledancer foe is rolled for at the start ofcombat, regardless of which antagonist isthe aggressor�unless the combat beganwith a successful surprise attack by thenon-battle dancer foe. In that case, thebattle dancer will get his chance at thevery start of the second round. A success-ful attack for the battle dancer means thathis opponent automatically suffers themaximum damage that the battle dancer isable to deliver by kick or punch (unlessthe opponent�s armor class is 4 or. better,in which case a normal damage roll ismade). Thereafter, the battle dancer caneither break off and retreat, or else makea regular attack at + 1 to hit probabilitybefore the opponent can act again.

Battle dancers have many special abili-ties. These include the following:

They can perform the martial-arts spe-cial maneuver Instant Stand automatically,a talent that takes up no special-maneuverslot and can be performed at any level (seeOriental Adventures, page 104).

They can each sing, dance, and play 1-2musical instruments, as per the appropri-ate nonweapon proficiencies, well enoughto earn a modest living as an entertainerin a city.

In brawls involving no weapons, a battledancer�s adversary does not gain attackinitiative if he charges to attack. Also,while brawling, the battle dancer gains a+ 2 bonus to his armor class against un-armed combatants, thanks to acrobatics.

The traditional songs of the capoeiraculture, describing the exploits of gods,goddesses, and heroes, have beneficialeffects on members of this class. Anybattle dancer hearing these songs sung by

DRAGON 7525

a colleague of 6th level or higher will beimmune to all fear for the duration of thesinging.

The radius in which a battle dancer�ssinging or instrument playing has a benefi-cial effect on others of this class equals 10�per level of the singer or musician. Thebattle dancer�s voice will carry beyond thisradius, but special abilities such as thoselisted here are more limited in effect.

A 2nd-level battle dancer (Handstander),while hearing the singing of a 6th- orhigher-level colleague, gains a +2 on sav-ing throws against psionic blasts and allenchantment/charm spells and thosepowers involving mental control.

A 3rd-level Handwalker, hearing ca-poeira songs sung by a 6th-level battledancer, gains the same benefits he wouldgain from a chant spell. The chant spellcan work cumulatively with the capoeirasong after a one-round delay in which thebattle dancer who is singing adapts hissong to blend with the cleric�s chanting.

A 4th level Handspringer is immune toharpy songs and the bards musical charm.Also (due to their skills at team actions), iftwo or more 4th- or higher-level battledancers fight side by side, each gets a + 1bonus in armor class.

At 5th level, a Headspinner can movesilently, hide in shadows, and hear noisesas a 1st-level thief; these abilities progresswith rank. Also, if two or three battledancers of this level or higher team upagainst a single opponent (which battledancers of good alignment will not dounless the necessity is great), one memberof this team per round (selected randomly)gains an extra attack.

A 6th-level Rhythm Warrior is able tobenefit lower-level brethren by his sing-ing, as previously noted; however, hecannot do so while personally engaged inmelee. It is also at 6th level that he be-comes able to give qualified zero-levelcharacters the instruction in music andmovement that will turn them into 1st-level battle dancers. Moreover, theRhythm Warrior can handle a magicalbardic instrument without suffering harmand, given 2-7 days to study such an in-strument, has a 15% chance of being ableto use it as a bard might. (This chance goesup another 15% with each level gained, sothat a 9th-level battle dancer is 60% likelyto master any musical magic item he ac-quires.) Finally, the Rhythm Warrior issurprised only on a 1 in 6.

The Dancing Warrior, level 7, receiveschant spell benefits when he hears anymusic not of a definitely hostile nature. Ifhis fellows are singing, regardless of theirlevels, the Dancing Warrior gains doublethe chant benefit from hearing them.

The Singing Warrior, level 8, is able tosing with benefit to all colleagues while heis fighting, and he can be heard eventhrough a magical silence spell or effect.

The 9th-level Music Warrior enjoys aspecial importance in the capoeira hierar-chy. For a 5th-level battle dancer to make

76 JULY 1990

the passage to 6th level, he must spend aday having his musical skills examined bya 9th- or higher-level battle dancer. Thereis a 10% chance for every wisdom point ofthe candidate less than 18 that the MusicWarrior will have to give an extra 1-8 daysof musical coaching before the candidateis promoted.

The Contra-Master, level 10, acquires anadded point of charisma upon reachingthis rank. He cannot now be surprisedexcept by opponent using magical spells orpowers such as teleportation or ethereal-ness. Also, any 1st- or 2nd-level battledancer who observes a Contra-Masterserving as a practice sparring-partner fora Master (10th-level or above) will enjoy a10% bonus on any experience points hemay earn in the following week.

The 11th-level Master of Equilibrium isimmune to all mental attacks (including allenchantment/charm spells, possessions,and attempts at mind reading, mind con-trol, and psionic assault), as long as he oranother Master is singing. If another battledancer or a noncombatant member oftheir community has been charmed, hyp-notized, etc., the Master�s song will act as adispel magic against this influence. Fur-thermore, the Master can know alignmentof any being heard singing�regardless ofsuch disguising powers as misdirection oraura alteration.

The 12th-level Uncle of Masters (a fe-male holding this rank would be calledMother, not Aunt, since these titles derivefrom the matrilineal system of many Afri-can cultures) is immune to all death magic(including the monk�s quivering palm) aslong as he or a colleague of Master rank issinging. Also, the Uncle of Masters is ableto teach allied non-battle dancers to singcapoeira songs well enough to conferbenefits on battle-dancer listeners. Suchteaching takes a number of weeks equal to30 minus the student�s wisdom score.

The Great-Uncle (or Grandmother) ofMasters, level 13, gains an overall 25%magic resistance from sheer will-force aslong as any battle dancer can be heardsinging or playing a musical instrument.Moreover, if any mortal character of evilalignment uses ESP or telepathy on theGreat-Uncle of Masters, the innate grace-fulness and beauty of the mind being readwill require the mind-reader to save vs.spells or change alignment to that of theGreat-Uncle. (Evil extraplanar creaturesreading a Great-Uncle�s mind will notchange alignment, but they will temporar-ily forget their evil intentions, initiating nohostilities for 2-5 rounds.)

Combat skills: When a battle dancerranks high enough to make more than oneattack per round, the number of attacksmade is the same whether he uses aweapon or not. If a shield is also used, nounarmed techniques can be used and thebattle dancer�s number of attacks must bereferenced on the table at the top of thenext column:

Battledancer�slevel1-56-1011+ 11+

Weaponattacks per

melee round1/13/22/1

When armed but shieldless, the charactercan choose how many of his attacks willemploy his weapon and how many willemploy a foot, fist, or elbow. If an armedbut shieldless battle dancer is fightinghumanoid foes only, then once in anycombat, after two rounds of using onlyunarmed attacks, the battle dancer canmake a feint with his weapon (causing nodamage), followed by an unarmed attackthat enjoys a +4 bonus to hit because ofthe feint, If this sneak attack succeeds, itdoes double normal damage and can befollowed up with a weapon attack at +2to hit against the foe. Monks, ninja, andsohei are less susceptible to this strategy,so the unarmed portion of the above tactichas a +2 to-hit bonus and does only nor-mal damage, while the armed follow-uphas but a + 1 bonus to hit.

Rising in rank: There is less exclusiv-ity and conflict involved in battle-dancerlevel gains than in those for monks. Upthrough level 9, there is no limit on howmany characters may hold each rank. Theonly limit on the number of Contra-Masters (level 10) is that, in any one ca-poeira culture, the number of Masters ofEquilibrium (level 11) cannot exceed thenumber of Contra-Masters, lest a Masterbe without a Contra-Master sparring part-ner to keep him in practice. This is impor-tant, because a major function of Contra-Masters in the capoeira culture is to keepMasters in mental and physical condition.Any Master who fails to work out with a Contra-Master at least one a week whilenot adventuring will gain only one-halfnormal experience credit for the nextadventure he undertakes. A Master whopasses a full year without working out oradventuring�not counting the ordinaryhunting of common game�will drop alevel in rank.

Thus, if a community has Masters andContra-Masters in equal number, anypromotion-eligible Contra-Masters will justhave to wait until two or more MusicWarriors climb to Contra-Master rank,unless there exists another capoeira com-munity of friendly alignment that has anextra Contra-Master available for transfer.For this reason, many Contra-Masters willtake Music Warriors out on frequent ad-ventures so that one Music Warrior, risingto fill a Contra-Master�s post, will free thatContra-Master to seek his own promotionto Master. In such a case, the former Mu-sic Warrior usually becomes the sparringpartner of the former Contra-Master whohelped him to rise in rank.

The promotion from Contra-Master toMaster involves combat, but no one isdemoted thereby. In fact, it is not againstthe Master of Equilibrium that the Contra-

26

Master fights, but against any of thesecombinations of opponents, in order ofpreference: two fellow Contra-Masters, inimmediate succession; one fellow Contra-Master, followed by fighting two SingingWarriors simultaneously after a brief rest;or a Singing Warrior and two DancingWarriors simultaneously on one day, fol-lowed by fighting two Music Warriors inimmediate succession the next day. Thesecombats are fought unarmed and to theaccompaniment of capoeira music (per-formed by Masters where possible) fromwhich both sides draw benefit. Damage istreated as subdual damage, not killingdamage. Once the would-be Master haspassed the trial by combat, he spends 2-5days composing an original capoeira song(a creative opportunity for any DM withmusical or poetic talent). Upon performingthis song for the community and teachingit to enough people to use it in a capoeiracircle, the character is initiated as a Mas-ter of Equilibrium.

The promotion to Uncle/Mother of Mas-ters is conducted in a somewhat moremonklike fashion. There can be only oneactive Uncle of Masters in any capoeiracommunity. The eligible Master fights thereigning Uncle (as with monkish promo-tion, the challenger here temporarilyacquires powers equal to the incumbent).If the challenger loses, he drops in experi-ence points to the minimum number for aMaster of Equilibrium. If the challengerdefeats the Uncle of Masters, the loserdoes not drop in rank, but the defeatedUncle of Master must do one of threethings, as decided by the victorious newUncle of Masters. First, he can go intosemi-retirement, occupied mainly withnoncombatant activities like song compos-ing. (In this case, the defeated Uncle�sfighting ability will drop one level after ayear, and another level every six monthsthereafter; but if and when the successorUncle goes on to achieve the topmost rankin capoeira, the ex-Uncle, if less than 60

years old, can resume normal activity andwork upward in level again). Second, hecan leave the community, accompaniedonly by two or three high-level followersand their families, to found a new settle-ment not less than two days� travel away.Third, he can remain in the old settlementwith a similar handful of companions (plusanyone unfit for travel), while the newUncle of Masters leads the majority of thevillagers away to found a new communityin some desirable location.

The Great-Uncle/Grandmother of Mas-ters is like the monkish Grand Master ofFlowers in that there can be only oneholder of this title per region. However,the highly artistic and fraternal nature ofcapoeira makes it feel inappropriate todecide possession of the top rank merelyby the outcome of a slugfest. Two alter-nate methods of filling the position aresuggested, both operating on the assump-tion that the Great-Uncle holds lifetimetenure and that a contest for this rank can

Table 1Battle Dancer Experience and Skills

6-sided Inherent No. of Unarmed ExperienceLevel Title hit dice AC Move attacks damage points

1 Tumbler 2 9 14" 1 1-3 0-2,5002 Handstander 3 9 15" 1 1-4 2,501-4,7503 Handwalker 4 8 16" 1 1-6 4,751-9,0004 Handspringer 5 8 17" 5/4 2-8 9,001-17,5005 Headspinner 6 7 18" 5/4 2-12 17,501-40,0006 Rhythm Warrior 7 7 19" 4/3 2-16 40,001-80,0007 Dancing Warrior 8 6 20" 4/3 4-16 80,001-160,0008 Singing Warrior 9 6 21" 3/2 3-18 160,001-320,0009 Music Warrior 10 5 22" 2 2-20 320,001-600,000

10 Contra-Master 11 4 24" 5/2 3-24 600,001-900,00011 Master of 12 3 25" 3 4-24 900,001-1,200,000

Equilibrium12 Uncle/Mother 13 2 26" 4 3-20 1,200,001-2,000,000

of Masters13 Great-Uncle/ 14 1 27" 9/2 4-32 2,000,001+

Grandmother of Masters

Table 2Surprise Attack Success Probability

vs. non-martial- vs. non-martial- vs. ninja, sohei, vs. ninja, sohei,artist who never artist who has or monk of or monk of

Level of saw capoeira seen capoeira same or of higherbattle dancer combat before once before lower level level

1 2 % 0 % 0 % 0 %2 5 % 0 % 0 % 0 %3 10% 1 % 0 % 0 %4 15% 5 % 0 % 0 %5 25% 10% 1% 0 %6 35% 20% 5 % 0 %7 45% 30% 10% 1 %8 55% 40% 15% 5 %9 65% 50% 20% 10%

10 80% 65% 25% 15%11 90% 75% 30% 20%12 95% 85% 35% 25%13 99% 90% 40% 30%

DRAGON 7727

occur only when he dies or retires:1. All candidates are told by their gods in

a vision to undertake some quest benefi-cial to the order of battle dancers as awhole. The one who best fulfills the mis-sion becomes the Great-Uncle/Grand-mother of Masters. As all battle dancersare NPCs, the DM can decide the winnerof this contest with a single die roll. Sim-pler yet, just arbitrarily create a characterwho is assumed to have accomplished thequest or will meet the PCs as he is pursu-ing it.

2. All candidates must compose newcapoeira songs, to be judged by the oldGreat-Uncle (if living) or by an assembly ofall Masters of Equilibrium; the best songearns the promotion. This would be verymuch in the capoeira spirit. Again, if com-pressing the process is desirable, one dieroll or DM�s fiat would settle the contest.

T h e c a p o e i r a c i r c l eT h e c a p o e i r a c i r c l eWhat follows is a typical set of capoeira-

circle spell-like powers, which the DMmay modify from one confederation oralignment to another:

If the leader of a capoeira circle is ofRhythm Warrior level or above, the songs

of that circle can, once a day, render anonmagical weapon temporarily able todamage weapon-resistant monsters. Thisweapon will gain no to-hit or damagebonuses, but it can hurt all monsters re-

gardless of the magical bonuses usuallyrequired to hit them. The duration of thispower in combat is a number of roundsequal to the experience level of the circle�sleader, plus the number of other battledancers who joined in singing over theweapon. If not used immediately, theweapon will hold its special power for atime equal to the circle leader�s charismatimes 12 hours. A circle with a Masterleading can empower two weapons perday; with an Uncle of Masters, a weaponcan remain empowered for twice as longas usual; and a Great-Uncle of Masters can,over his lifetime, permanently empower anumber of weapons equal to his wisdomscore. (The DM can decide whether thesong-enchanted weapons will workequally well for all wielders or for onlybattle dancers.)

With a Dancing Warrior or above asleader, the circle can cast (once each perday) a �half-strength� version of curedisease and neutralize poison spells�thatis, the victim�s life will be saved, but hewill need time to recuperate. With aContra-Master or above as leader, thesespell effects will be of full clerical quality.

With a Singing Warrior or above asleader, the circle can cast remove curseand control weather.

With a Music Warrior or above as leader,dispel magic can be cast.

With a Contra-Master or above, strength

can be cast on all in the circle.With a Master leading, dispel evil, exor-

cise, heal, and tongues spells can be cast.Once a year, with an Uncle of Masters

leading, the circle can invoke the directaid of some powerful creature such as alammasu or baku. With a Great-Uncle ofMasters, the ceremony can be done twicea year.

B a t t l e d a n c e r s a n d o t h e r sB a t t l e d a n c e r s a n d o t h e r sIf player characters of non-Oriental

types happen upon battle dancers, theyshould not find these NPCs too terriblyastonishing�at least, not if they�ve everseen thief-acrobats before. But OrientalAdventure types may be very taken abackby them�not because of their surpriseattacks or techniques, but because�realizing battle dancers to be a kind ofmartial artist�Oriental-type characterswill expect battle dancers to act like deni-zens of Kara-Tur . . . and the battledancers will not do so.

Members of the capoeira culture, evenones of lawful alignment, are cheerfullyindifferent to many of an Oriental charac-ter�s concerns for honor and �face.� Inparticular, a samurai�s readiness to commitseppuku will strike battle dancers as ridicu-lous, since a man who throws away hisown life is depriving family and friends ofhis help and protection. And an Orientalcharacter who tries to engage a battledancer in a psychic duel is likely to achieveno greater result than having the battledancer ask him, �Are you feeling ill?�

Whether visited by �Eastern� or �West-ern� player characters, these �ThirdWorld� martial artists should serve to lendcolor to a far-ranging campaign�and forceadventuring parties to stay on their toes,or else land on their backs.

Pulling a �Con� JobContinued from page 70

As a final note, naming conventions isactually a form of poetry. Like the sonnetand haiku, convention names are wonder-ful because of the information which canbe expressed within such strict limitations.I personally admire names such as PELI-CON, CON-FUSION, CON-TEMPLATION,and especially GENGHIS-CON. Our TableGaming Club decided to flatter the PowersThat Be and name our convention UMF-CON, for the University of Maine in Far-mington. Function triumphs over formonce more.

I want to thank Lori Buck, Michael Grif-fen, Elizabeth Mauzy, Michael McDonald,Randy Carsten, Martin Meader, LindaWhite, Jeannine Petriel, and the rest of theTable Gaming Club for figuring all this out,and Peter Rice�s Maine Wargamers Associ-ation for bringing MAINE-CON to UMF.Thanks also to Lonnie Barnett of TRI-STATE-CON and to Keith Polster ofBOARSHEAD MID-SUMMER REVEL foroutside advice.

78 JULY 1990 28

29

Special maneuvers for Oriental Adventures martial arts

by Len Carpenter

The martial-arts system is one of thefinest features of the AD&D® 1st EditionOriental Adventures book, but it can stillbenefit from more variety. Presentedherein are new special maneuvers thatmay be introduced into martial-arts stylesin the campaign.

Some of these new maneuvers expandexisting categories into more advancedspecial maneuvers, such as the ScissorsKick and Crushing Drop. A second mentaland physical training category is added togive the DM more choices in the maneu-vers that may make up a martial style.Three of the new special maneuvers pre-sented here were mentioned in previousarticles on the sumo wrestler and newmartial-arts styles for the AD&D game:Crushing Hug (issue #157, page 351, ArrowCutting (issue #127, page 55), and FlowingWater (issue #127, page 50). They arerepeated here in the list of new specialmaneuvers for easy reference.

These new special maneuvers should beintroduced into the campaign gradually,especially the more advanced maneuvers.Some of these new maneuvers may betacked onto existing styles, and others maybe used to form new martial styles in thecampaign. Others might be cherishedtechniques jealously guarded by martial-arts masters who are reluctant to passthem on to player-character students.Sumo wrestlers will certainly not be keenon teaching the Crushing Hug maneuverto non-sumotori.

New special maneuvers should not bemade available to PCs without carefulconsideration by the DM. Some specialmaneuvers are best suited for NPC martialartists. A PC�s first experience with a newmaneuver should often be at the hands�or feet�of an NPC antagonist. These ma-neuvers may add new thrills to an Orientalcampaign without being toys for playercharacters to exploit.

Below are the new special maneuvers,followed by an explanation of each maneu-

ver. The list continues the informationgiven in Table 70, on page 103 of OrientalAdventures.

Kick4. Scissors Kick (hard/soft)

Lock5. Crushing Hug (hard)

Strike4. Double-fist Punch (hard/soft)

Throw5. Crushing Drop (hard)

Weapon4. Arrow Cutting (soft)5. Throwing Mastery (hard/soft)

Mental and Physical Training7. Slowed Aging (soft)

Mental and Physical Training II (new)1. Light Step (soft)2. Controlled Breathing (soft)3. Pause and Silence (hard/soft)4. Quick Strike (hard/soft)5. Flowing Water (soft)6. Resuscitation (soft)7. Suppressed Desire (soft)

DRAGON 1130

Scissors Kick: This extremely difficultkick enables a martial artist to leap up-ward and deliver powerful head or upper-body kicks to two separate targetssimultaneously. The two targets must bewithin 6� of each other for both targets tobe attacked. Each attack is made at -2 tohit. A successful kick does normal martial-arts damage. If the attacker misses bothtargets, he loses his next melee attackwhile he tries to regain his footing andbalance. This maneuver works well withstyles similar to tae kwan do.

Crushing Hug: This maneuver is usedprimarily by sumo wrestlers but may bepermitted for other martial-arts styles ifthe DM so decides. This maneuver is apowerful bear-hug hold that inflicts 3-30hp damage per round until the victim isslain or breaks free. The held charactermay break the hold by making a success-ful to-hit roll at -4. An unsuccessfulCrushing Hug results in a -4 penalty tothe martial artist�s next attack roll. Themartial artist employing the hold must bestrong and massive, having a minimumstrength of 16 and a minimum weight of250 lbs.

Double-Fist Punch: This strike is atwo-fisted attack aimed to land simultane-ous blows to two separate targets on asingle opponent. Each such punch is deliv-ered at -1 to hit on its attack roll. Eachpunch that lands scores normal damage. Ifboth blows land, then the defender mustsave vs. paralyzation roll at -4 or elsesuffer a stun or incapacitation result asexplained on page 105 of Oriental Adven-tures, as if the martial artist rolled a natu-ral 20 on an attack. After the -4 penaltyis applied to the saving throw, the result iscompared to the hit dice or level of thedefender to see if a stun or incapacitationis the result of the failed save. If the resultis a stun, the defender is stunned for 2-12rounds. If the result is incapacitation, thecharacter is incapacitated for 1-3 hours.

If the Double-Fist Punch is aimed at theopponent�s head and torso, the maneuveris called a U-Punch or Parallel Punch. Ifthe blows are aimed at the front and backof the opponent, the maneuver is knownas a Scissors Punch.

Crushing Drop: With this throw,instead of just throwing the opponent a

certain distance, the opponent is droppedto the ground, head and shoulders first,with crushing force. On a successful at-tack roll, the foe is thrown 1-2� away fromthe thrower. The thrown character suffersdouble damage from the drop, and, unlessa save vs. paralyzation roll is made, thecharacter is knocked unconscious for 2-8rounds. If the attack is unsuccessful, theattacker is instead thrown to the groundand automatically loses initiative for thenext round while he regains his feet.

Arrow Cutting: This maneuver issimilar to the Missile Deflection (Move-ment 4) maneuver, but the art of ArrowCutting requires the use of a martial-artsweapon to block or deflect missile attacks.If the martial artist attempts to block amissile attack without the use of a martial-arts weapon he has studied, the attempt ismade at -4 on the saving throw. Monksautomatically possess this skill as part oftheir Missile Deflection ability.

Missile weapons caught or trapped bythe martial artist�s weapon may often beused by the character. A blocked shurikenmay be pried free from a bo stick andthrown back at the attacker, or a spearmay be caught in the chain of a nunchakuand saved for future use. One meleeround must be spent in prying free anymissile weapon caught in the martial-artsweapon.

Throwing Mastery: This demandingskill enables the character to throw amartial-arts weapon not normally consid-ered a missile weapon. The weapons thatmay be thrown with this skill are: fang,jitte, jo stick, kiseru, nunchaku, sai,siangkam, and tonfa. All such weaponshave the same range as a thrown dagger.The weapon does normal damage when itstrikes. A master of this art may throw asai with the ability of a skilled knife-thrower, or toss a bo stick like a light club.

Slowed Aging: Through various exer-cises and exotic breathing techniques, thecharacter slows down his own aging proc-ess as if he were wearing a phylactery oflong years.

Light Step: The martial artist possess-ing this ability is able to walk with afeather-light step. When moving at one-half his normal movement rate, the mar-tial artist is able to walk with the effect of

a pass without trace spell.Controlled Breathing: The martial

artist has studied intensive breathingexercises that allow him to relax his mindand body and moderate his body�s otherfunctions. The martial artist gains a +2bonus to save vs. all forms of fear. Themartial artist also acts as if under theeffect of a permanent endure cold/heatspell because the technique enables him tomoderate his body temperature.

Pause and Silence: When using thisskill, the martial artist gives up onemartial-arts attack to pause and study hisopponent. The martial artist makes anordinary attack roll; success indicates themartial artist has found a weakness in hisopponent�s style and thus gains a +1bonus on all attack rolls against that par-ticular opponent for the duration of themelee. Failing the Pause and Silence attackroll bestows no penalty other than the lossof a melee attack. The character mayperform this maneuver as many times ashe wishes, but once the weakness is foundin the opponent�s style, repeated attemptsdo not improve the attack bonus above+1. If the same opponent is fought againin a different melee, the +1 bonus is notgained automatically. The Pause and Si-lence maneuver must be tried anew tofind an opponent�s weakness.

Quick Strike: This maneuver bestows a+1 bonus to all initiative rolls made by themartial artist. Since kensai already possessthis ability at 1st level, they are unable toimprove their initiative bonus any furtherby taking this special maneuver.

Flowing Water: This maneuver waspresented as a variation of the Ironskinmaneuver in issue #127, but is repeatedhere as a new maneuver unto itself. Thismaneuver improves the martial artist�sarmor class by +2 through great speed,agility, and evasion techniques.

Resuscitation: The martial artist withthis skill is able to resuscitate a semicon-scious or unconscious person by stimulat-ing the body with gentle taps to spinalnerve centers. The martial artist is able toawaken a person who is stunned or para-lyzed by a martial-arts attack if the martialartist makes a successful dexterity checkon 1d20. The martial artist can also revivean unconscious or incapacitated person bymaking a dexterity check on 1d20 with a+ 2 penalty. This maneuver requires onemelee round to perform on a single per-son. This martial skill is sometimes knownin the Orient as katsu.

Suppressed Desire: This special ma-neuver is similar to a minor psionic disci-pline in the AD&D 1st Edition game, mindover body (Players Handbook, page 113).The martial artist is able to suppress theneed for food, water, rest, or sleep for aperiod of time of two consecutive days forevery level of experience of the martialartist. After using this ability, the charac-ter must spend an equal number of daysin rest and peaceful meditation to recoverthe ability to use this maneuver again.

31

Add some kick to Oriental Adventures martial arts

Creating martial-arts styles for AD&D®1st Edition Oriental Adventures campaignscan be tricky. Too often, created styles arebland, one-dimensional shopping lists ofspecial maneuvers. Ideally, a style shouldhave a life of its own, some qualities thatmake it unique and allow it to fit into thesocial and historical context from which itdeveloped. This article provides a fewsuggestions for rounding out createdstyles, including a number of new specialmaneuvers.

Fleshing out a style is not as difficult asit sounds. There is no need to detail centu-ries of history and tradition in order tocreate an interesting style. A few notes onthe aesthetics, social background, andavailability of the style will do.

Start by imagining what the style lookslike. Picture the style in general aestheticterms. Unless you are very familiar with

14 DECEMBER 1990

by Rudy Thauberger

martial arts, don�t worry too much aboutspecific visual details. Concentrate on thefeelings the style evokes. Is it an extrava-gant and showy style, or is it simple andruthlessly efficient? Is it fast-paced andreckless, or slow and deliberate? Is thestyle well-respected for its beauty and itssimplicity, or is it considered ugly andcrude? Keep in mind that the popularity ofa style varies from region to region andfrom era to era. A style can be consideredold fashioned in one province and berevered for its tradition in another.

To add character to a style, decide whatsocial class it originates from. Since theaverage peasant would have little time todevote to martial arts, common peasantstyles would be simple and practical, withfew special maneuvers. Noble or courtlystyles, on the other hand, would be morecomplex and artistic, valued as much for

their aesthetic qualities as for their practi-cal applications.

Character classes as well as social classesmay develop their own styles. Yakuza andninja would almost certainly have theirown special, secret styles. Certain stylesmight be preferred by wu jen or by samu-rai. Geisha, archers, actors, carpenters�any of these groups might develop its ownmartial-arts style.

Defining the background of a style nec-essarily involves putting restrictions onthe degree of access characters have tospecific styles. Commoners will have diffi-culty finding teachers of noble styles, justas nobles resist learning styles favored bypeasants. In addition, styles will tend tovary in availability within a social class,depending upon a character�s location andthe fashion of the times. Some styles willbe common, with several masters in every

32

33

province. Other styles will be rare, withperhaps only one or two living masterswho are usually difficult to find. A fewstyles may even be legends or myths.

To further clarify the background of acreated style, attach to it a common, arti-san, or (in the case of noble style) courtproficiency. These proficiencies shouldinvolve mechanical skills that requirediscipline, such as weaving, pottery, dance,or origami. Practice of these skills helps tofocus and discipline the mind and body ofthe character, preparing him to learn themartial art itself. The proficiency can beconsidered a prerequisite for learning thestyle, or it can be acquired as a part of themartial-arts training, free of charge. Thisprocedure has the added benefit of forc-ing those players solely interested inspending their proficiency slots on martialarts to acquire more practical skills.

To keep things interesting, make some ofyour martial-arts styles unique by includ-ing your own special maneuvers. Thisshould be done with care. A good specialmaneuver should not be more powerfulthan a good first- or second-level spell.Saving throws should be plentiful, andparticularly powerful maneuvers shouldhave bad or at least awkward conse-quences if they fail, although nothing toosevere.

Finally, you have to choose a name forthe style. This name naturally should betied to some aspect of the style�s back-ground, evoking its appearance, socialclass, or both. A name should be descrip-tive. Oriental Adventures suggests animalsas role models for styles. Other possiblerole models include mythical beasts (likedragons), forces of nature (e.g., wind, rain,lightning), or even articles of clothing(imagine a �kimono� style).

Once the style has been named and itsbackground created, list the details inrough form alongside the style�s specialmaneuvers and weapons, using categorieslike appearance, social background, avail-ability, and so on. List the mental discipline(proficiency) that has been assigned to thestyle as well. Here are three examples toshow how this system works.

Tin HatAppearance: Rough, simple, practicalSocial background: Developed by peasant

farmers, popular with bushi Availability: Very common in all areasMental discipline: Cooking (preparation,

patience)

Pen and InkAppearance: Graceful, precise, beautifulSocial background: A nobleman�s styleAvailability: Uncommon among the nobil-

ity, very rare among the lower classesMental discipline: Calligraphy (style, ap-

pearance)

16 DECEMBER 1990

Howling MonkeyAppearance: Outrageous, humorousSocial background: Developed by traveling

entertainersAvailability: Rare in all areasMental discipline: Juggling (coordination,

quickness)

New special maneuversA note of caution: Some of these maneu-

vers, particularly those under the catego-ries of Blunt and Slash, are very powerful.DMs may wish to restrict access to thesemaneuvers if they decide to allow theiruse at all.

Slash maneuvers are a subclass ofweapon maneuvers. They can be per-formed only with hand-held edged weap-ons, such as daggers or swords. Thecharacter must select a specific weaponfor his slash maneuvers and can performthe maneuvers with that weapon only. Ifthe character wishes to perform Slashmaneuvers with other weapons, the ma-neuvers must be studied again.

Blunt maneuvers are designed forstaves, clubs, and blunt martial-arts weap-ons, such as the tui-fa (hands and feet donot count). These maneuvers can be ap-plied to only one weapon at a time, as perSlash maneuvers.

Maneuvers placed in already existingcategories are listed according to the num-ber they would receive if added to theexisting maneuvers described in OrientalAdventures, page 103, Table 70. (Thissystem is also used in the article �FlyingFeet and Lightning Hands,� in this issue, aswell as in previous articles; thus somemaneuvers will have the same number.)

Kick4. Double Kick (hard/soft)

M o v e m e n t8. Featherwalk (soft)9. Great Shield (hard/soft)

P u s h4. Reflection (soft)

Str ike4. Thunderpunch (hard)5. Thunderclap (hard/soft)

Vital Area5. Shattertouch (soft)

Mental and Physical Training7. Stillness (soft)8. Balance (soft)9. Summon Strength (soft)10. Contortion (soft)

Slash1. Blind (hard/soft)2. Vein (hard/soft)3. Artery (hard/soft)

B l u n t1. Heavy Blow (hard)2. Limb Paralysis (hard)3. Stunning Blow (hard)4. Great Blow (hard)

Double Kick: With a single movementusing one foot, the attacker may striketwo opponents at once, providing thatboth are within range at the same time.One to-hit roll is made and must be suffi-cient to strike the opponent with the low-est (best) armor class. If the attack rollmisses either opponent, the kick failsutterly and the attacker loses all hisactions in the next round. This attack doesnormal damage to both opponents.

Featherwalk: A character usingFeatherwalk is able to cross any surfacecapable of supporting his weight, moving incomplete silence. He also subtracts 25%from an opponent�s ability to track him. Thismaneuver requires concentration and allowsonly half the normal rate of movement.

Great Shield: When using Great Shield,the martial artist bursts into a frenzy ofactivity, blocking or deflecting blows andmissiles with complete success. Up to threeattacks per round can be deflected, plus anadditional attack per level of mastery. Thismaneuver lasts one round per level of mas-tery, during which the character can neitherattack nor move from the spot where he isstanding. Great Shield works only againstblows from bipedal creatures less than 10� inheight (e.g., snakes, giants, and dragons arenot affected).

Reflection: This maneuver, which mustbe declared at the start of a combat round,allows the martial artist to turn the forceof a blow back upon his opponent, pro-vided the opponent�s blow is deliveredwith a blunt weapon (this includes handsand feet, of course). The opponent�s attackroll is automatically successful, and herolls damage normally. If the martial artistusing Reflection then makes a successfulattack roll in return, all damage is redi-rected away from the martial artist backto the opponent, or even toward anotheradversary within striking distance. Anunsuccessful attack roll results in themartial artist taking normal damage fromthe blow.

Thunderpunch: This strike, which isthe only action possible in the round inwhich it is used, does triple normal dam-age and forces the opponent to save vs. breath weapon or be stunned for 1-6rounds. A miss leaves the attacker unableto attack or defend for one round.

Thunderclap: Martial artists using thismaneuver clap their hands together withgreat force, duplicating the effect of anelemental burst (air) spell (Oriental Adven-tures, page 75). Items made of glass orpottery within 10� of the martial artistmust save versus crushing blow or beshattered.

Shattertouch: With a light touch, themartial artist locates flaws in wood orstone after one round of concentratedstudy. With a single blow in the followinground, the material may be shattered ifthe martial artist makes a saving throw vs.paralyzation (failure leaves the materialunharmed but does 2-8 hp damage to themartial artist). Up to one cubic foot of

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Stillness: Requiring great discipline,Stillness allows the character to remainutterly motionless for one hour per levelof mastery. Characters using this abilityare 80% undetectable if some cover isavailable. The transition from a still stateto an active one is instantaneous. With theproper makeup, the martial artist couldeasily pass for a mannequin or paintedstatue.

material may be affected.

Balance: This maneuver improves themartial artist�s sense of balance, giving hima 20% chance of walking tightropes plus5% per level of mastery (ninja simply add5% per level). The character can also gainperfect balance, temporarily, after a roundof concentration. This perfect balancelasts for two to five turns and improvesthe character�s chance to walk tightropesto 100%. With perfect balance, he can alsocarry large awkward objects on the tip ofa finger, balance on one hand, or walk onboth hands at half normal speed.

Summon Strength: After one roundof concentration, the character can in-crease his strength to 18/00 for 1-4rounds. One turn of rest is required imme-diately afterward.

Contortion: Those characters whohave studied Contortion have achieved theultimate in flexibility. They can fit theirbodies into spaces as small as four cubicfeet or through holes as tiny as 12� indiameter. This maneuver can also be usedto slip out of bonds or shackles with a 90%chance of success. One turn of concentra-tion is required before attempting a feat,and one turn of rest is required afterward.

Blind: The attacker using Blind inflictsa cut above one of the victim�s eyes. Nor-mal damage occurs, but there is also a25% chance of the victim incurring tempo-rary blindness, reducing armor class ( +2penalty) and attack rolls ( -2 penalty). Ifboth eyes are blinded, the victim takesfurther penalties to armor class ( +4) andattack rolls ( -4). Blindness lasts until thewound is treated. There is a 2% chancethat the blindness will be permanent.

Vein: With this attack, the victim suffersonly 1 hp damage at first, but will lose 1hp per round thereafter due to blood loss.Successive hits result in cumulative bloodloss. Blood loss continues until the woundis bound or healed.

Artery: A major artery is nicked usingthis maneuver. The victim loses 1 hp ini-tially but will lose 3 hp per round there-after until the wound is attended to. If theattacker misses, he does no damage andloses his following attack.

Heavy Blow: This blow inflicts doubledamage. A miss results in the loss of themartial-artist�s next attack.

Limb Paralysis: This maneuver isidentical to the Lock maneuver, Incapacita-tor (Oriental Adventures, page 103), inthat the victim stuck by the blunt weaponsuffers paralysis of a finger, hand, arm,foot, or leg for 24 hours, with doublenormal damage from the weapon. The

effects of a paralyzed limb are explainedunder the wu jen spell withering palm(Oriental Adventures, page 94). If thevictim makes a saving throw vs. paralyza-tion when struck, he takes only normaldamage from the weapon.

Stunning Blow: Recipients of a Stun-ning Blow suffer normal damage but mustsave vs. paralyzation or be stunned andunable to attack for 1-4 rounds. A missresults in the loss of the martial artist�snext attack.

Great Blow: This, the only attack avail-able in the round in which it is used, doestriple damage and forces the victim to saveversus paralyzation or be knocked uncon-scious for 3-6 rounds. A miss causes theattacker to lose his next two attacks.

That concludes the list of new specialmaneuvers, but the possibilities are by nomeans exhausted. Martial arts, after all,deal with the vast potential of the humanspirit. In the realm of fantasy at least, thatpotential is limitless.

[Other articles on creating martial-artsstyles for Oriental Adventures campaignsinclude: �Marshalling the Martial Arts,� inissue #122; �A Menagerie of Martial Arts,�in issue #127; and �New Kicks in MartialArts,� in issue #136. See also �Flying Feetand Lightning Hands,� in this issue, formore special maneuvers.]

DRAGON 1735