, or anywhere in between, the practice of martial arts can find a place in any character's repertoire if they're willing to invest the time and effort into it.
At the heart of martial arts lies the form. A martial art form is a combination of fighting style, mantra, and move list. Anyone practicing martial arts starts by choosing one or more forms to learn in. Forms are ranked up similarly to skills, and at each rank a form can unlock new moves and bonuses for the practitioner to use. Forms come in three types: Exclusive, Advanced, and Basic.
Acquiring Forms
What forms a character can access and how they access them depends on their class.
Martial Artist classes gain access to forms as part of their class features. for non martial artists (those without a
Martial Artist class), acquiring a form varies based on the form type.
Exclusive Forms: These forms are the purview of dedicated martial artists. As such, unless a character has a class feature that grants access to them, they cannot be acquired.
Advanced Forms: While requiring less training and dedication than exclusive forms, advanced forms are still fairly involved, and require significant investment to learn. To acquire an advanced form, a character must take the Martial Arts Practitioner feat. Unless otherwise granted, non martial artists cannot gain access to more than one advanced form.
Basic Forms: Basic forms are the simplest form of martial arts, and are the most freely available to acquire and learn. To acquire a basic form, a character must take the Martial Arts Student skill trick, as detailed in the
Skill Tricks article. Non martial artists can learn up to two different basic forms, and each one requires its own Martial Arts Student skill trick.
In order to use a martial arts form, a character must have the
Improved Unarmed Strike feat.
Leveling Forms
All forms start at rank 0, and provide no benefits until they have been ranked up. Martial artists rank up forms by spending Martial Training Points, and non martial artists rank them up by spending skill points. The point costs for the forms are the same for both, and depend on the form type:
- Exclusive Forms cost 3 or more points per rank to level.
- Advanced Forms cost 2 points per rank to level.
- Basic Forms cost 1 point per rank to level.
Maximum Rank
The maximum number of points a non
Martial Artist can put into a Form is equal to the character's level. Martial artists have no limit to the number of points they can put into a form, but the maximum rank they can obtain in any form is equal to their class level.
Using Forms
Once a form has ranks in it, the character will have access to use it. To use a form, a character must activate it as a free action at the start of their turn. Once a form is activated, they gain access to any moves, powers, and bonuses granted by it until they choose to activate a different form.
While using a form, a character cannot use attacks that are not martial arts moves unless explicitly allowed, such as with a weapon Kata.
Moves
The moves unlocked through martial arts forms represent the unique offensive and defensive actions available in combat to those practitioners of martial arts. These moves consist of Strikes (punches, kicks, or other attacks), Defenses (parries, blocks, and dodges), Holds (special forms of grappling), Movements (special forms of moving a character beyond a normal move action), Combos (combinations of strikes, defenses, and movements), and Specials (modifiers to moves and moves that don't fit into any of the other categories).
Unless otherwise specified, a practitioner is limited to using the moves unlocked by their currently active Form. If a practitioner has learned a move from one Form that is listed in a second form they know, but is not yet unlocked within it, they cannot use that move in the second Form until it has been unlocked within that Form.
Using Moves with Armor: Many martial arts forms cannot be used with armor, and even for those that can, armor can prove to be a significant hinderance to a practitioner. Any attack or check roll made for any martial arts is subject to double armor check and encumbrance penalties.
Successive Penalties: Unlike normal attacks, martial arts moves do not follow the typical Base Attack Bonus reductions for multiple attacks. All attacks are made using the highest base attack bonus of the character. Instead, most moves have a successive penalty, providing a stacking -5 penalty to the roll for each use after the first. This includes most attacks and most defenses, but notably does not apply to holds. Successive penalties reset at the beginning of a practitioner's turn.
Martial arts strikes can include kicks, punches, headbutts, and various other forms of unarmed attacks. All martial arts strikes are made using your highest Base Attack Bonus.
Non martial artists may spend a
Swift Action each round to gain one attack that can only be applied towards a martial arts strike.
Successive penalties for strikes are counted individually for each different strike.
Strikes that require more than one attack to perform cannot be used as attacks of opportunity, or in conjunction with any combo or special unless explicitly stated.
Rather than rely on armor and shields to protect themselves, martial artists train to counter attacks with various defensive maneuvers. A defensive maneuver is typically used in response to an attack against the
Martial Artist, much like a defensive version of an
Attack of Opportunity. Each martial arts form has a different selection of defensive maneuvers available to them.
Martial arts defenses include different forms of parries, dodges, and blocks.
Defenses are made by using defensive maneuvers. A character may spend an
Immediate Action to gain a defensive maneuver, and may have additional maneuvers available granted through ranks in their forms.
Blocks involve meeting incoming attacks head-on, reducing the damage of the blow rather than preventing it.
Dodges are performed by getting out of the way of an attack, often including some amount of actual movement.
Parries are attempts to intercept the attack before it lands, deflecting it out of harm's way.
Successive penalties for defenses are counted for each grouping (dodges, parries, blocks), rather than each individual move.
Defenses cannot be used if a character is , surprised, or otherwise denied their
Dexterity bonus to AC.
Martial arts holds represent an advanced form of grappling for those with the dedication to devote themselves to the art. Holds are categorized by severity of the hold, including grab, lock, pin, and break.
Grabs are moves that are quasi-grappling. They involve taking hold of some part of the target's body, but not to the point of exercising control over it. A grabbed enemy cannot break away from you without a
Combat Maneuver Check or
Escape Artist check, and may suffer some other minor penalties depending on what's grabbed. A grab is not required to advance to a lock, but does increase the ease with which a lock can be established. For this reason, grabs are typically used either paired with another move as a combo or against difficult to grapple enemies.
Locks are roughly equivalent to a standard grapple. They apply the
Grappled condition to an enemy, along with other effects based on the type of lock. Locks are the highest level of hold that can be achieved without already having an existing hold on an opponent.
Pins are similar to the
Grapple version of a pin. A pin can only be attempted after a lock is established, and almost completely locks down an opponent. A pin applies the
Pinned condition, as well as other effects depending on the type of pin.
Breaks are capstone moves that can be used to capitalize on a pin achieved against a foe. Most breaks require a pin to attempt, and release the hold on the target when used (typically in fairly spectacular and devastating fashion). Many of these moves are also capable of inflicting lasting damage to the foe in the form of a
Broken Bone.
Holds do not suffer from successive attack penalties.
Attempting a hold on an enemy does not elicit an
Attack of Opportunity from the defender.
Unlike strikes, you add your full
Strength bonus to the damage of any damage dealing hold.
Power Attack affects neither the
Combat Maneuver Check for holds nor the damage they deal.
Martial arts movements are specialized forms of movements that often use attacks rather than move actions. Those that do are often much more limited than normal moves, but can be used as part of a full attack action by expending attacks to perform each.
Distance moved from martial arts movements (and combos that include movements) count against your limit of movement for a round (determined by your speed). If you do not have sufficient movement left in a round, then you cannot perform the action.
Martial arts combos are, unsurprisingly, combinations of different moves merged into a single action. Most can only be attempted once per round, and represent some of the most powerful moves a
Martial Artist can perform.
Combos still apply successive penalties for the moves they combine, and count towards further successive penalties for those moves. E.g. Combo Block/Punch receives penalties to the block for other blocks made that round (and applies penalties to future blocks), and the same goes for penalties with whichever punch you choose to use.
Martial arts specials are unique abilities that do not fit into any of the previous categories. Most are augments to existing moves, but some are moves in and of themselves.
Powers
Martial arts powers are special abilities or attributes that are obtained through the forms that
Martial Artist learns. These powers come in many forms, as described below.
There is more to the art of invisibility than moving quietly and sticking to the shadows. Ninja and other secretive martial artists learn that stealth combines mental silence and absolute physical control over the body's movement, breathing and heartbeat. Once unlocked, these powers become inherent to the character, and can be used freely any time.
If you've ever hit the "funny bone" in your elbow or knee then you already know what Atemi is all about. A proper strike in the right area can paralyze a limb, disrupt the nervous system or knock someone out altogether. These vulnerable points that can be used to affect the body and mind in numerous ways. Each Atemi ability can be used only with a form where the Atemi skills are available. The form need not be the one you learned the powers from, but they must be available to it.
Body hardening is the art of building up the body to become near supernaturally tough and resistant. Swimming under the ice of frozen lakes, chopping wood with bare hands until they bleed, and fasting in the wilderness until coming close to death are all possible aspects of training for one learning the ways of body hardening. While the effort is monumental, the results speak for themselves. Once unlocked, these powers become inherent to the character, and are always in effect.
Everyone has
Chi, yet only a select few understand how to use the power of their
Chi. These chi powers allow a practitioner to manifest their
Chi into various supernatural abilities. Chi abilities can be used only with a form where chi powers are available. The form need not be the one you learned the powers from, but they must be available to it. A practitioner may only use one chi ability each round.
Spectacular and secret martial art skills require years of dedicated practice under the most rare and talented instructors. Once learned, any of these skills can be used in conjunction with any martial art form.
Martial Artists practice Katas like dancers practice dance steps, memorizing and perfecting a series of moves until they become instinctively fast and accurate. These special routines are practiced over and over again until major bonuses are achieved.
The drawback of any Kata is that it lacks flexibility, it's only set up to do one thing well. Attack-oriented Katas often ignore the practitioner's defenses, and defense-oriented Katas usually allow no attacks. Each Kata is developed based on a specific martial art form and can only be used with the form for which it is learned.
Katas are initiated a
Free Action at the beginning of a practitioner's turn. Katas must always be performed for an entire round. Practitioners cannot slip in or out of a Kata. There is no problem changing from one Kata to another or ending a Kata at the beginning of a turn.
Some martial arts forms include special stances a practitioner can take to improve their capabilities in combat. These stances can be assumed as a free action once each round. Dropping a stance is also a free action, and can be done on the same round in which it is assumed. These stances are highly specialized to the form in which they are learned, and thus cannot be effectively used outside of that form.
There are, in the martial arts, certain powers that defy conventional explanation. Call them super-normal, "Spirit Powers," or Kamijitsu. They are all Zenjoriki. Like
Chi Mastery powers, Zenjoriki requires the use of a practitioner's
Chi to manifest. Conversely, Zenjoriki powers are entirely external to the practitioner, affecting creatures and objects around them rather than themselves. Once unlocked, these powers become inherent to the character, and can be used freely any time.
Bonuses
Bonuses granted by martial arts Forms come in many varieties, but there are some trends amongst them. Unlike Moves and Powers, most bonuses can be used by the practitioner regardless of what form they are in.
Bonus Attacks
Bonus attacks are extra attacks that can be taken with a
Full Attack action. These attacks may only be used when in a martial arts Form, and may only be used on martial arts Moves or Powers. You do not have to be in the Form which granted the extra attacks to take them, but you do need to be in a Form. These extra attacks cannot be used to make an armed attack. Even if you have the appropriate weapon Kata, you are limited to the number of armed attacks your Base Attack Bonus and any feats allow for.
Bonus Defensive Maneuvers
Bonus defensive maneuvers are extra maneuvers than can be used when defending against enemy attacks. These maneuvers may only be used when in a martial arts Form, though they may be used in any Form, not just the one that grants them. Bonus maneuvers granted from multiple forms stack, allowing for more defenses the more arts you know.
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