Martial Arts: Overview

The rules concerning martial arts remain essentially unchanged from Oriental Adventures. Several special maneuvers and some special maneuver categories have been added, and an elemental system has been incorporated. Elemental martial arts confer bonus and penalties against arts of certain other elements, as well as against opponents from certain planes of existence. Some elemental martial arts also confer spell-like powers upon mastery. "Natural" martial arts are unaffected by elemental modifiers.
The role of Martial Arts in Hubworld
The Sagus Consensus lists 288 martial arts (and several variants of some of these) known to have practitioners in the world of PB22K. Rather than being a curious option for a specific campaign setting, martial arts are an essential part of play in Hubworld. Some classes are required to train in specific martial arts. Some arts are limited to certain classes only. There are arts that allow spellcasters to cast spells while taking advantage of their art's Armor Class bonus. Having arts designed specifically for spellcasters is a way to incentivise the learning of martial arts by mages, which makes them less helpless in the event they have to face a foe alone. Martial arts tournaments are popular throughout the world and a good place for characters to gain XP in between adventures. Arena combat is also a great premise for short gaming sessions.

AC Modifier
Armor class bonuses from martial arts are cumalitive with any others (Dex, Armor), but diminished by armor encumbrance (see Armor).

Attacks
Except for the specialties of Kensai, Monks, Sifus, and specialists, the # attacks associated with an MA supplant those otherwise available at the player's level.

Damage
Damage from basic strikes or MA weapons is cumulative with Strength bonuses, as well as weapon specialty and class bonuses. Unless otherwise indicated, critical strike bonuses of weapons being used with a martial art supplant the weapon's standard bonus.

Specialisation
Specialisation in Martial Arts applies bonuses to basic strikes only, not special maneuvers.

Advancement
Martial Arts progress by degree. All the special maneuvers of each degree must be learned before maneuvers of the next degree may be attempted. Weapons forms do not need to be learned to advance to the next degree, but MA bonuses apply only to those weapons of the practitioner's degree of learning.
Example: Donna the N'Nonmiton has completed the third degree of an art and is working on the 4th. Her degree of expertise is 3 and her degree of learning is 4. Her MA bonuses apply to any 1st-4th degree weapons with which she is proficient.
Degree levels also indicate the minimum class level a character must be learning at in order to learn the maneuvers of that degree level. (e.g. must be a level 4 learner in order to study level IV maneuvers)

Expertise
A practitioner who has learned all special maneuvers of a style, but not all its weapons and supplements is considered an Expert and gains +1 to hit with the basic strikes of the art.

Mastery
A practitioner who has learned all special maneuvers, weapon forms, and supplements of a style is considered a Master and gains +1 to hit with all maneuvers and weapons of the art. Additionally, a Master may apply their MA bonuses to any weapon of the same weapon class as those taught by the art. If not proficient in a given weapon, non-proficiency penalties will still apply.
Example 1: Falgra the Fighter masters an art that uses the Dagger. Since she is also proficient in all Knives, she may use any knife with this Martial Art.
Example 2: Chanteclair the Minstrel masters an art that uses the Dagger. He is not proficient with any other knives, but may use other knives with this art, adding the Mastery bonus and subtracting the non-proficiency penalty.
The following arts may not be mastered: Fisticuffs, Newmandao, Folk Wrestling, Mestizo, Gouging, Fancy Fencing.

Elemental Mastery
A Master of an art with an Elemental Power (q.v.), who has also learned all associated supplementary proficiencies of the art, as well as Meditation if this is not already part of the MA, gains Elemental Mastery at the cost of one proficiency slot. The type of proficiency usable depends on the element to be mastered.
Elemental Mastery doubles elemental bonuses and bestows the ability to use an art's Elemental Power, if any.

Grand Mastery
A Grand Master gains an additional Armor Class bonus of 1 while using that art.
To become a Grand Master, a Master must have 16 Wis, 12th level, and proficiency in two of the following: Humanoid Biology, Military Discipline, Metaphysics, Mechanics, Herbalism, Religion, Religious Ritual.
They must then satisfy the existing Grand Masters that they are worthy of the title, usually by combat with another Grand Master or highly regarded Master.

Supplements
Learning supplemental skills is not always necessary to advance--it varies by art and skill. Such supplements as Dual Weapon Use, Parry Weapons, or Throwing will only be necessary to learn weapons forms. Such movement-training supplements as Tumbling/Acrobatics and Dance are always required for advancement.

Prerequisites
Class and Alignment restrictions only apply to the learning of new maneuvers/weapon forms. Disqualification from class or change of alignment will prevent progress in these arts. Should a player fall below their statistical requirements, they roll for special maneuvers at -1/pt below requirements. Maneuvers that do not require a roll will require a stat roll (usually Dex) at -1/pt below requirements. Permanent abilities such as All-around Sight (Wis), Mental Resistance (Cha), and Ironskin (Con) will require a roll at the beginning of an encounter to work.

Proficiency
MA's that are restricted by class can only be learned using proficiency slots from the appropriate classes. Apprenticeship proficiencies may be used in place of class proficiencies as follows:
Martialist: any
Stealthist: Agilist, Illusionist, Murtair, Freelander-Scout
Purist: Divine, Knight, Kensai, Sage-Purist
Naturalist: Freelander, Animist, Sage-Naturalist, Wu Jen
Scholar: Philosopher

Complimentary Arts
Complimentary arts may be used simultaneously in a round, using the most advantageous features of each art (AC,Strikes,Damage; it is even odds which Critical effect applies).
Example: Yori has completed Stage VI of Yau Kung Moon and Stage IV of Qigong. Yori can use any Stage I-IV maneuver or weapon of either YKM or Qigong and keep the best AC bonus (5), but attempting a level V or VI YKM maneuver would mean using the YKM AC bonus (4).
When using complimentary arts, the elemental bonuses (and susceptibility) of both arts apply.
Example: YKM+Qigong = Void+Air = -1AC vs Light&Smoke, +1hit vs Spirit&Smoke, vulnerable to Light&Wood, difficulty hitting Spirit&Fire
Only two arts may be combined in a round.

Lineage
A martial artist who knows the base forms of both parent styles of a martial art may learn the base form of that art without using a proficiency slot. A teacher and training time are still required.