FRONT COVER
Credits
Styles
Many of the decriptions of the various Martial Arts styles was taken from their respective Wikipedia entries.
Akido
Boxing
Bare-Knuckle Boxing
Choy Li Fut
Jeet Kune Do
Karate
Kickboxing
Kung Fu
Wushu
Tai Chi
Books
Modern Martial Arts, Revised by 12 To Midnight and Reality Blurs, Copyright 2008
Martial Arts - Gurps (4e) by Steve Jackson Games, copyright 2007
Martial Arts in Genesys
Why this document?
While Martial Arts in Genesys can be represented by simple narrative use of the Brawl skill, in some instances/genres a more detailed approach may be required. In these cases, I hope to present a simple, yet detailed method for incorporating martial arts styles and abilities in a manner such as would be seen in many movies or tv shows.
Why these Styles?
I have tried to include a sampling of styles with different origins and philosophies to serve as a basis of further development.
Talents
TABLE X-X: TALENTS SPECIFIC TO MARTIAL ARTS
TALENT | TIER | ACTIVATION | RANKED | SOURCE |
---|---|---|---|---|
Finesse | 1 | Active (Incidental) | No | Martial Arts p. XX |
Grappler | 1 | Active (Incidental) | No | Martial Arts p. XX |
Martial Grace | 2 | Active (Incidental) | No | Martial Arts p. XX |
Parry | 1 | Active (Incidental, Out of Turn) | Yes | Genesys Core Rulebook p. 74 |
Parry (Improved) | 1 | Active (Incidental, Out of Turn) | No | Genesys Core Rulebook p. 79 |
Parry (Unarmed) | 2 | Passive | No | Martial Arts p. XX |
Power Blow | 2 | Active | Yes | Martial Arts p. XX |
Precise Blow | 2 | Active | Yes | Martial Arts p. XX |
Precision | 1 | Active (Incidental) | No | Martial Arts p. XX |
Pressure Points | 2 | Active | Yes | Martial Arts p. XX |
Quick Strike | 1 | Passive | Yes | Genesys Core Rulebook p. 74 |
Dagger Strike | 2 | Passive | Yes | Martial Arts p. XX |
Thousand Cuts | 3 | Active | No | Martial Arts p. XX |
Thousand Cuts (Improved) | 4 | Active | No | Martial Arts p. 74 |
Basic Talents
These talents may be found in one or several styles. They cover the basics of all martial arts from attacking, defending and maneuvering oneself or an opponent.
Tier 1
Find Weakness
Tier: 1
Activation: Active
Ranked: No
When this character inflicts a Critical Injury with a Brawl or Melee weapon, may suffer 1 strain to change the result to any Easy (d) Critical Injury/
Finesse
Tier: 1
Activation: Active (Incidental)
Ranked: No
When making a Brawl or Melee (Light) check, your character may use Agility instead of Brawn.
Grappler
Tier: 1
Activation: Active (Incidental)
Ranked: No
Add Prepare 2, Ensnare X (where X is Brawl ranks) to Unarmed Strike.
Precision
Tier: 1
Activation: Active (Incidental)
Ranked: No
When making a Brawl or Ranged check, your character may use Cunning instead of Brawn and Agility.
Tier 2
Martial Grace
Tier: 2
Activation: Active (Incidental)
Ranked: No
Once per round, suffer 2 strain to add damage equal to ranks in Coordination to next Brawl check made this turn.
Parry (Unarmed)
Tier: 2
Activation: No
Ranked: No
You may use the Parry talent without a melee weapon. The Strain cost to Parry while unarmed is reduced by 1 (to a minimum of 1).
Power Blow
Tier: 2
Activation: Active
Ranked: Yes
Add d when making a Brawl check. Add Discipline to base damage of your next attack. You may use this talent a number of times per encounter equal to the rank of this talent.
Precise Blow
Tier: 2
Activation: Active
Ranked: Yes
You must have the Precision talent to take this talent.
Add d when making a Brawl check. Add Cunning to base damage of your next attack. You may use this talent a number of times per encounter equal to the rank of this talent.
Pressure Points
Tier: 2
Activation: Active
Ranked: Yes
Add d when making a Brawl check. Add Intellect to base damage of your next attack. You may use this talent a number of times per encounter equal to the rank of this talent.
Tier 3
Find Weakness (Improved)
Tier: 3
Activation: Active
Ranked: No
When this character inflicts a Critical Injury with a Brawl or Melee weapon, may suffer 2 strain to change the result to any Average (dd) Critical Injury.
Grapple
Tier: 3
Activation: Active
Ranked: No
Once per round, may perform the Grapple maneuver. Until the beginning of character's next turn, foes must spend 2 maneuvers to move from engaged to short instead of 1.
Swift
Tier: 3
Activation: Passive
Ranked: No
Character does not suffer the usual penalties for moving through difficult terrain.
Tier 4
Dodge (Improved)
Tier: 4
Activation: Active
Ranked: No
After using Dodge, can make a move maneuver as an out-of-turn incidental.
Overbalance
Tier: 4
Activation: Active
Ranked: No
When a combat check made by an engaged foe generates d or ttt, may stagger attacker until the end of his next turn.
Mind Over Matter
Tier: 4
Activation: Active
Ranked: No
The character may spend one Story Point to recover strain equal to Willpower rating.
Shatter Strike
Tier: 4
Activation: Active
Ranked: No
Once per round, may add ranks in Coordination to Brawl check. The attack gains the Sunder quality and the cost to activate the Sunder quality is reduced by 1 (to a minimum of 1).
Tier 5
Coordination Dodge
Tier: 5
Activation: Active (Incidental)
Ranked: No
When targeted by a combat check, may spend 1 Story Point to add f equal to ranks in Coordination to check.
Find Weakness (Supreme)
Tier: 5
Activation: Active
Ranked: No
When this character inflicts a Critical Injury with a Brawl or Melee weapon, may suffer 3 strain to change the result to any Hard (ddd) Critical Injury/
Natural Brawler
Tier: 5
Activation: Active (Incidental)
Ranked: No
Once per session, may reroll any 1 Brawl or Melee check.
Shatter Strike (Improved)
Tier: 5
Activation: Passive
Ranked: No
You may use your Shatter Strike with a Melee attack as well as a Brawl attack.
Style Talents
The following talents are grouped by the style they are found in. Some talents may be found in multiple styles, and these will be listed separately here, but can be seen in the condensed list.
Tier 1
Iron Body
Tier: 1
Activation: Passive
Ranked: Yes
Remove setback/rank from Coordination and Resilience Checks. Reduce the crit rating of unarmed strikes by 1 per rank (minimum 1)
Tier 2
Dagger Strike
Tier: 2
Activation: Active
Ranked: Yes
Brawl Attacks gain Pierce X where X is ranks in Dagger Strike.
Tier 3
Thousand Cuts
Styles:
Tier: 2
Activation: Active
Ranked: No
When making a Brawl check, use Agility as base damage of your unarmed attacks.
Tier 4
Thousand Cuts (Improved)
Styles:
Tier: 4
Activation: Active
Ranked: No
When making a Melee check, add Agility to base damage of your melee attacks in place of Brawn.
One Inch Punch
Styles: Jeet Kune Do
Tier: 3
Activation: Active
Ranked: Yes
Add d when making a Brawl check. Add Discipline to base damage of your next unarmed strike. Also add the Knockdown and Stun X (where X is your Discipline) qualities to your unarmed strike.
You may use this talent a number of times per encounter equal to the rank of this talent.
Akido
Aikido is a modern Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to defend themselves while also protecting their attacker from injury. Aikido is often translated as "the way of unifying (with) life energy" or as "the way of harmonious spirit".
Aikido's techniques include: irimi (entering), and tenkan (turning) movements (that redirect the opponent's attack momentum), various types of throws and joint locks.
Recommended Talents
BASIC TALENT | STYLE TALENT |
---|---|
Talent | Talent |
Talent | Talent |
Boxing
Boxing is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves, throw punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time in a boxing ring.
While humans have fought in hand-to-hand combat since the dawn of human history, the earliest evidence of fist-fighting sporting contests date back to the ancient Near East in the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC. The earliest evidence of boxing rules date back to Ancient Greece, where boxing was established as an Olympic game in 688 BC. Boxing evolved from 16th- and 18th-century prizefights, largely in Great Britain, to the forerunner of modern boxing in the mid-19th century with the 1867 introduction of the Marquess of Queensberry Rules.
Bare-knuckle boxing (also known as bare-knuckle, prizefighting, fist fight or fisticuffs) is the original form of boxing, closely related to ancient combat sports. It involves two individuals fighting without boxing gloves or other padding on their hands. The difference between street fighting and a bare-knuckle boxing match is that the latter has an accepted set of rules, such as not striking a downed opponent.
Recommended Talents
BASIC TALENT | STYLE TALENT |
---|---|
Talent | Talent |
Talent | Talent |
Choi Li Fut
Choy Li Fut (Cantonese), also spelled Choy Lay Fut and Choy Lee Fut or Cai Li Fo (Mandarin), is a Chinese martial art and wushu style, founded in 1836 by Chan Heung. Choy Li Fut was named to honor the Buddhist monk Choy Fook who taught him Choy Gar, and Li Yau-San who taught him Li Gar, plus his uncle Chan Yuen-Wu, who taught him Fut Gar, and developed to honor the Buddha and the Shaolin roots of the system.
The system combines the martial arts techniques from various Northern and Southern Chinese kung-fu systems; the powerful arm and hand techniques from the Shaolin animal forms[4] from the South, combined with the extended, circular movements, twisting body, and agile footwork that characterizes Northern China's martial arts. It is considered an external style, combining soft and hard techniques, as well as incorporating a wide range of weapons as part of its curriculum.[5] Choy Li Fut is an effective self-defense system,[6] particularly noted for defense against multiple attackers.[7] It contains a wide variety of techniques, including long and short range punches, kicks, sweeps and take downs, pressure point attacks, joint locks, and grappling
Recommended Talents
BASIC TALENT | STYLE TALENT |
---|---|
Talent | Talent |
Talent | Talent |
Jeet Kune Do
Jeet Kune Do), "The way of the intercepting fist" in Cantonese, abbreviated JKD, is a hybrid philosophy of martial arts heavily influenced by the personal philosophy and experiences of martial artist Bruce Lee. Lee, who founded the system on July 9, 1967, referred to it as "non-classical", suggesting that JKD is a form of Chinese Kung Fu, yet without form. Unlike more traditional martial arts, Jeet Kune Do is not fixed or patterned, and is a philosophy with guiding thoughts. It was named for the Wing Chun concept of interception or attacking when one's opponent is about to attack. Jeet Kune Do practitioners believe in minimal effort with maximum effect. On January 10, 1996, the Bruce Lee Foundation decided to use the name Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do to refer to the martial arts system which Lee founded; "Jun Fan" being Lee's Chinese given name.
Recommended Talents
BASIC TALENT | STYLE TALENT |
---|---|
Talent | One Inch Punch |
Talent | Talent |
Karate
Karate is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts under the influence of Chinese Kung Fu, particularly Fujian White Crane. Karate is now predominantly a striking art using punching, kicking, knee strikes, elbow strikes and open-hand techniques such as knife-hands, spear-hands and palm-heel strikes. Historically, and in some modern styles, grappling, throws, joint locks, restraints and vital-point strikes are also taught. A karate practitioner is called a karateka.
Recommended Talents
BASIC TALENT | STYLE TALENT |
---|---|
Talent | Talent |
Talent | Talent |
Kickboxing
Kickboxing is a group of stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate mixed with boxing. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defence, general fitness, or as a contact sport.
Japanese kickboxing originated in the late 1950s, with competitions held since then. American kickboxing originated in the 1970s and was brought to prominence in September 1974, when the Professional Karate Association (PKA) held the first World Championships. Historically, kickboxing can be considered a hybrid martial art formed from the combination of elements of various traditional styles. This approach became increasingly popular since the 1970s, and since the 1990s, kickboxing has contributed to the emergence of mixed martial arts via further hybridisation with ground fighting techniques from Brazilian jiu-jitsu and folk wrestling.
Recommended Talents
BASIC TALENT | STYLE TALENT |
---|---|
Talent | Talent |
Talent | Talent |
Kung Fu / Wushu
Chinese martial arts, often named under the umbrella terms kung fu and wushu, are the several hundred fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families", "sects" or "schools" of martial arts. Examples of such traits include Shaolinquan physical exercises involving Five Animals mimicry, or training methods inspired by Old Chinese philosophies, religions and legends. Styles that focus on qi manipulation are called internal, while others that concentrate on improving muscle and cardiovascular fitness are called "external". Geographical association, as in northern and "southern", is another popular classification method.
Recommended Talents
BASIC TALENT | STYLE TALENT |
---|---|
Talent | Talent |
Talent | Talent |
Tai Chi
Tai chi (taiji), short for T'ai chi ch'üan, or Tai ji quan, is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for both its defense training and its health benefits. The term taiji refers to a philosophy of the forces of yin and yang, related to the moves. Though originally conceived as a martial art, it is also typically practiced for a variety of other personal reasons: competitive wrestling in the format of pushing hands (tui shou), demonstration competitions and achieving greater longevity. As a result, a multitude of training forms exist, both traditional and modern, which correspond to those aims with differing emphasis. Some training forms of tàijíquán are especially known for being practiced with relatively slow movements.
Recommended Talents
BASIC TALENT | STYLE TALENT |
---|---|
Talent | Talent |
Talent | Talent |