Learning Martial Arts

In some ways, learning a martial arts skill is like learning any other proficiency. The character must have a proficiency slot available and spend it on the particular martial arts style he wishes to learn. However, learning a martial art is much more difficult than learning other disciplines, so there are a few more requirements when mastering a martial art.

The character must first find a master to study under. Masters are the teachers of the martial arts. They can be anyone and can be found anywhere. The peasant in the field may also be a master of martial arts. The hermit in the hills may pass his time learning and developing his own style. The master may be a bushi skilled in these techniques wno travels the countryside teaching others. He may be a professional teacher who opens a school in a city or village. He may be a famous samurai, willing to pass his skills onto others. A priest in a temple may teach his followers as part of their religious training.

Master is an honorary title, not a character class. Students refer to their teacher as master. Unarmed fighters who have gained a reputation are respectfully called master. A wanderer may enter a town proclaiming himself to be a master. The title is not a measure of the skill or level! There are brilliant masters whose names and deeds are well-known. There are skilled masters, able to teach all but the most difficult feats. There are mediocre masters, just good enough to teach the basics. And there are incompetent masters who hide their poor skills behind the imposing sounding title. As characters study, they learn the true qualities of the master they have chosen.

Finding a master is not necessarily an easy task. Many masters regard their skills as valuable secrets to be taught to only a select few. Many a style has disappeared because the master refused to reveal his art. Often they do not advertise or even display their skill. They feel that to do so would be proud and boastful, characteristics that are undesirable in a master (and incidentally may incur the wrath of the gods). For many, the uttimate goal of their training is to avoid having to use it. Others feel that their art can only be learned in the most tranquil and secluded surroundings, deep in mountain forests and the like. Such men seldom appear in civilized lands.

Politics are another reason masters can be hard to find. Conquered peoples are often forbidden to learn or practice their arts lest they become troublesome and rebellious. Powerful temples (often the center of such training) may be destroyed by nervous emperors, warlords, or daimyos. The master and his students are forced to scatter with the winds and many disappear without a trace. In such cases, they may join or form secret societies, clandestinely meeting on rare occasions to train.

Not all masters are such recluses or the skills of martial arts would long since have died away. A large town or city may have a school run by a master. His skill might be well-known and potential students might travel great distances to study under him. The DM can also create other schools teaching the same or different styles. As characters adventure in his campaign, they will undoubtedly hear of some of these schools or may even learn of one of the more secretive masters of martial arts.

Even after finding a master, the character is not guaranteed of training. Masters are notoriously finicky about who they take as a student. The character untrained in martial arts must first present himself to the master with, he hopes, the proper humble and respectful attitude. At this time the character has a 10% chance of being accepted outright. More often than not, the master will dismiss the applicant politely. Now the character must begin courting the master, trying to gain his favor. He must return to the master, bearing some small gift or offering. If this pleases the master (and the character's behavior is still properly respectful), the chance of acceptance is increased by 10%. The character can continue this round of visits until he is either accepted or he offends the master. Once the latter occurs the master will never accept the character as his student.

If the character already has some martial arts skill, he can challenge the master to a fight. This challenge is automatically accepted. A time and place is arranged and the master decides if he or one of his current students will fight the challenging character. If the character is not well-known for his skill, a student is automatically assigned to accept the challenge. This is customary and is not considered an insult to the character. Challenges can be fought to subdue or fought to the death. In most cases, the former is preferred since it spares unnecessary killing. However, the death of an opponent in a challenge is not considered a crime and the victor is seldom punished. Challenges are open to spectators and large crowds may gather to see the outcome. If the character wins the challenge, the master automatically accepts him as a student (although he may actually hope to learn from his pupil). If the character loses the challenge, he can leave and return at a later date when he has gained more skill, or he can humbly beg to be accepted. Such entreaties are particlarly effective when the master has disposed of the challenger with humiliating ease.

After a character has been accepted by a master, the DM should determine just what the master knows about the particular style. He automatically knows the basics (which give the Armor Class, etc.). The DM should count the number of weapons used by the style (if any) and roll the nearest die that is equal to or greater than this number. The result is the number of special weapons the master is proficient in. The DM should then total the number of special maneuvers available to the style and roll the nearest die that is equal to or greater than this number. This gives the number of maneuvers the master is proficient in. Special maneuvers are always known from those of lowest difficulty upward (the master is under the same restriction as characters for learning special maneuvers). Once this is determined, these are the things the master can teach. The master never increases in knowledge unless the DM rules that special circumstances dictate otherwise.

Martial Arts and Weapon Proficiency Slots

Once a character has been accepted by a master, he must remain and study under him for at least one month. At the end of this time, the character spends one proficiency slot and gains the basics of the style — the Armor Class, number of attacks, and damage. He does not gain any of the special maneuvers or weapons that may be taught by the style. At this point, the character does not need to remain with the master constantly. He is free to travel and adventure. He must practice his style for at least one hour a day and must spend six hours per week working with his master. Characters who do not fulfill this obligation cannot add more special maneuvers and weapons.

Learning Special Maneuvers and Weapons of a Style

To learn the special maneuvers and weapons of a particular style, the character must spend additional proficiency slots, For each proficiency slot expended, the character can add one special maneuver or weapon from the style. This does not mean the character just suddenly knows how to do it, but assumes that he has been practicing prior to gaining the maneuver or weapon proficiency. No more than two proficiency slots can be expended on a single martial arts style per level. Special maneuvers must be learned in order of difficulty. All difficulty 1 maneuvers must be learned before the character can progress to difficulty 2 maneuvers, and so forth.

When a character has learned all the knowledge the master knows, there is no point for him to study under the master. The character can now go off in search of another master — one who knows more about the style or one who teaches a different style.

Martial Arts Specialization

The same Specializing rules apply to Martial Arts; Once the character has Proficiency in Martial Arts (by spending one Weapon Proficiency slot), he can Specialize in it (by spending another).

The character can specialize in any part of the martial arts style they are learning. At any time the player has weapon proficiency slots available and has spent at least 6 months studying under their master, the character can specialize in any part of the style they know. This includes the basics of the style, a particular martial arts weapon, and even special maneuvers

When the character specializes, he gains the following benefits:

He gains a +1 bonus to all his attack rolls using the area of specialization; for example, if a character has specialized in the nunchaku, this bonus applies.;

He gains a +1 bonus to all damage dealt using the area of specialization;

He gains one additional attack per combat round (both hands must be free, holding nothing, for the character to gain this benefit), and he may pull his attack just as Punching and Wrestling characters do, and when he pulls his attack, he can also refuse to do the +1 damage that Specialization gives him.

It is possible to continue to improve Martial Arts abilities in this manner.

The Complete Martial Artist

If you wish to create a character who is principally a Martial Artist, you ought to take other Weapon and Non-weapon Proficiencies which are appropriate to the classic martial-arts hero.

Almost all Weapon Proficiencies are appropriate for the character, including all swords. bows, and polearms, and especially proficiencies with the Samurai weapons from the Equipment sections.

Non-weapon Proficiencies which are especially appropriate include: (General) Dancing, Direction Sense, (Warrior) Blind-Fighting, Endurance, Running, (Rogue, double slots) Jumping, Tightrope Walking, and Tumbling.

In campaigns with more classical and oriental elements to the martial artists. Non-weapon Proficicncies such as (General) Artistic Ability, (Priest, double slots unless Paladin) Ancient History, Astrology, Healing Healing, Healing, Herbalism, Local History, Musical Instrument, Reading/Writing, Religion, (Wizard, double slots unless Ranger) Ancient History, Astrology, Herbalism, Reading/Writing, and Religion.

Style Specialization are also very appropriate for the character.

Naturally, you won't be able to afford all these things for your Martial Artist character, even if your DM allows you the Intelligence bonus for extra Proficiencies. Think not about having all these abilities, but about taking specific abilities to make the character unique, different from all the other PCs... even if they, too, are principally Martial Artists.