Martial Arts

Several religious beliefs espouse the idea that this world is a passing thing, that with time, everything will change. As such, material possessions have little real worth or value — they are not permanent. Devout followers of these beliefs try to divest themselves of the desire for the material world, since these are impediments to ultimate perfection. Only the inner qualities of a man are permanent and positively known. Reliance upon a tool such as a weapon is reliance upon the material world. Only by knowing themselves and their own value can they achieve perfection. Thus, they learn and develop their own abilities to understand themselves.

In time, these skills became widely practiced and honorable. Efforts were made to regularize the styles and training practices. Careful study of scientific principles and religious concepts followed. Unarmed fighting became an art which if practiced diligently and correctly could guide the student to self-perfection.

The disciplines of the martial arts have been around for thousands of years, having developed somewhere to the west of the Flanaess. The first known martial artists in the Flanaess were followers of Xan Yae in the Baklunish Empire. From the Tower of Shadows, monks worked to discipline their own minds, to become perfect physical vessels, and sharpen their bodies into lethal weapons. From this point in the Flanaess, the martial arts began to spread to other races, and across the Flanaess.

With the spread of martial arts skill through the monastic religious circles, every monastery that had a monasteries associated with it, developed their own styles. The monk had to learn to counter weapons favored in the local area and studied the natural styles of the beasts of his land. Each style was further divided by the masters who taught it. Each developed his own particular moves and methods and two masters of the same style could easily fight in entirely different forms. Thus, there grew a vast proliferation of methods of martial arts, some might favor use of the feet while others might rely on evasion and throws and so forth. Arguments and challenges over which style was better were quite common, as fighters of different schools sought to establish the supremacy of their claim. These were often spectator events, with hundreds of interested onlookers.

At the lowest level, the martial arts train the monk in the use of his body. The primary goal is to train the monk so that he can avoid being hurt. However, different masters espouse different ways of reaching this goal. Some styles are mainly defensive, diverting or avoiding the attack. Other styles are more aggressive, their masters believing that attacking is the best way to protect oneself. Others demand the monk learn and master many different weapons to understand their use.

Unarmed combat uses many different techniques, depending mainly on the style learned. Forms include punches, blocks, kicks, pushes, throws, holds, locks, and dodges — a near infinite variety of moves. Unarmed combat is also a misnomer. Students are often expected to learn how to handle common and unusual weapons. However, using many of these weapons effectively requires the same discipline and training as the unarmed or open-hand forms and so their use is only taught as part of a particular martial arts style. To give a peasant a tonfa and expect him to fight with it effectively is foolish, but in the hands of a master of martial arts it can become a deadly weapon.

This section covers how martial arts skills are learned and used in combat. Some of the styles described are historical. But, as noted above, there can be hundreds of different styles, so a part of these rules describe how the DM (ort players) can create different and unique styles as befits the campaign. One never knows when there might be a hermit in the hills who has developed a new fighting style!

The martial arts given here are designed to fit within the rules the game. Players should not expect a detailed listing of every type of combat move, thrust, or parry that combine to make a complete style. Styles are defined by their effects within the rules — number of attacks, damage, armor class, and principal attack form. As characters rise in levels, they may also learn a number of specialized maneuvers inherent to a style. However, such powers only come with dedication and training!

Martial Arts Styles
Special Maneuvers & Principal Methods
Learning Martial Arts