Martial Arts 2e

Martial Arts
Martial arts requires at least one free hand. A martial artist must be bare-handed or wearing only normal gloves and shoes. Improvised weapons cannot be used in martial arts attacks. Martial arts attacks inflict mostly temporary damage.

Except where noted below, martial arts attacks are resolved as pummeling attacks. A martial artist enjoys some advantages while pummeling, depending on the style of martial arts he is using:


 * Style A: The style emphasizes striking with the hands or fists. The character’s bare or gloved hands are treated as small, hard objects (1d3 points of damage), and the character can strike and damage creatures of any size. If the character is unarmed and unarmored, he can make an extra attack each round with his other hand (provided that it is free) without the usual penalties for attacking with two weapons.
 * Style B: The style emphasizes striking with the feet. The character’s bare or shod feet are treated as large, hard objects (1d6 points of damage), and the character can kick opponents even when they are not prone, sitting, or kneeling. If unarmed and unarmored, the character can make an extra attack each round with one of his free hands. Note that the ability to pummel creatures of any size is not part of this style.
 * Style C: The style emphasizes throws and escapes. The character can choose the pull/trip combat option when making pummeling attacks. If the attack hits, the martial artist can use either his Strength or Dexterity score for the opposed roll. The martial artist also can make an opposed attack roll to escape any hold, grapple, lock, or pin. The escape roll counts as an attack, but if it succeeds the martial artist is considered clear and can finish the round normally.
 * Style D: The style emphasizes dodges and blocks. The character can make one free block each round in addition to any attacks he makes. If unarmed and unarmored, the character receives a -2 Armor Class bonus. (+2 AC bonus using the

Martial Arts Skill Levels

 * Nonproficient: Any character who has not been trained in one of the four martial arts styles automatically falls into this category. Nonproficient martial artists can make normal pummeling attacks, but cannot claim any martial arts benefits.
 * Familiar: Familiarity has no effect on the martial arts; a character is proficient in a martial art or he is not.
 * Proficient: Martial arts styles are unknown in most AD&D game lands. To spend a weapon proficiencyslot to become proficient in a martial arts style, a character must be native to (or have paid an extended visit to) a culture where martial arts has developed.
 * Proficient non-fighters can make one martial arts attack each round. Proficient fighterss gain their full allotment of melee attacks when making martial arts attacks. If a character has sufficient character points (or proficiency slots) available, he can become proficient in more than one martial arts style. All benefits are cumulative; for example, a character proficient in styles A and B could kick or punch creatures of any size, inflicting 1d3 points of damage with a punch and 1d6 points of damage with a kick. If unarmored, the character could make one extra punch each round with no penalties. Note that the four martial arts styles do not constitute a weapon group; each much be learned separately.
 * Expert: Any character who knows a martial arts style can spend a weapon proficiencies slot to become expert in the style.
 * Characters proficient in multiple martial arts styles can become experts in only one style.
 * Expert fighters who are entitled to more than one melee attack each round can make the same number of martial arts attacks each round, but gain no other benefits.
 * Expert non-fighters can make multiple martial arts attacks at the same rate as a nonspecialized fighter of the same level.
 * Specialized: Only single-classed fighters can become martial arts specialists
 * Martial arts specialists gain the normal specialist attack and damage bonuses and extra attacks.
 * Specialists’ attack bonuses apply to their Strength scores when rolling for knockdowns.
 * Characters proficient in multiple martial arts styles can become specialists in only one style.
 * Martial arts specialists can make martial arts attacks against armed opponents without provoking attacks of opportunity.
 * Specialists can attempt blocks and disarms against armed opponents without the –4 penalty to the opposed roll; martial arts disarms against two-handed weapons receive a –4 penalty instead of the normal –8 penalty for unarmed disarms.
 * Master: Only single-classed fighters can attain mastery in martial arts.
 * Martial arts masters gain the normal master attack and damage bonuses and extra attacks.
 * Masters’ attack bonuses due to their Strength scores apply when rolling for knockdowns, and apply to opponents as penalties to saving throw rolls vs. knockouts.
 * Grand master martial artists can use critical augmentation to score knockouts on attack rolls of 16 or better.
 * A martial arts master threatens his front squares and is entitled to make attacks of opportunity just as if he were armed with a weapon.
 * A martial arts master can choose to inflict normal damage instead of mostly temporary damage.
 * If the master rolls a critical hit while inflicting normal damage, he scores a bludgeoning critical instead of a knockout chance. When determining severity, compare the master’s size class with the target’s. Reduce the master’s size class by one category if the attack is a punch.

Martial Arts Talents
Once a character is proficient in at least one martial arts style, they can acquire, with the DM’s approval, a variety of additional skills that reflect their advanced mental and physical training. Only a martial artist can learn the skills presented here. They can be purchased with either weapon or nonweapon proficiency slots.

Flying Kick

 * Cost: 1 proficiency slot,
 * Groups: Fighter
 * Initial rating: 5, Strength
 * The character can leap high into the air, leading with a powerful kick that can strike opponents up to three squares away. The character can land in any square adjacent to the target, as long as it is within two squares of the attacker’s starting position. If the character is not proficient in style B, this maneuver is the only attack they can make in the round, and the kick inflicts 2d4 points of damage. Strength bonuses to the attack and damage rolls apply, but specialization and mastery bonuses from another marital arts style do not.
 * If the character is proficient in style B, this maneuver can replace one kick attack each round, and the kick inflicts 2d6 points of damage. Strength bonuses apply to the attack and damage rolls. If the character is a style B specialist or master, the appropriate bonuses also apply.
 * If the character has at least one square of running room and declares a half move action, no ability check is required. If the character has no running room or declares a no move action, a Strengthcheck is required. If the ability check fails, the attack automatically misses as the character falls down in her landing square.

Backward Kick

 * Cost: 1 proficiency slot
 * Groups: Fighter, Cleric, Thief
 * The character can attack an opponent standing in one of her rear squares either by lashing backward or kicking over her own head. This maneuver does not provoke attacks of opportunity (but deliberately turning one’s back on an opponent does). This maneuver works best for characters proficient in style B, similar to the flying kick described above.

Spring

 * Cost: 1 proficiency slot
 * Groups: Fighter, Thief
 * Initial rating: 5, Dexterity
 * The character can make astonishing jumps and leaps with blinding speed. At the cost of a half move or an attack, the character can spring into the air, attaining a height of five feet and landing up to two squares away in any direction. The character can flip and twist while airborne to achieve any facing when he lands. If the character has a 2-square running start, he can double his springing distance, landing up to four squares away and leaping 10 feet in the air, but the running start is a half-move action. For every additional slot spent on this skill, the character can add five feet and one square to the distance achieved.
 * For example, a character who as spent two slots on this skill could leap 10 feet into the air and land up to three squares away from a standing start. If the character’s Dexterity roll fails, the character falls down in his landing square; they can get up during their next action phase, but can take no other actions until the following round. If the ability check succeeds, the character can finish the round normally after landing.

Crushing Blow
The character can break hard objects with her hands (or feet if they use style B). Under ideal conditions, the character can break a wooden board 1/2” thick per level or 1/4” slab of stone or brick per level. Objects that are exceptionally strong, reinforced, supported by other objects (such as bricks in a wall), or not shaped like boards receive a saving throw roll vs. crushing blow to avoid breakage. When used against a creature, the crushing blow does normal damage plus 1 point per level. A crushing blow requires intense concentration. It is a no-move action, and the character can take no other actions during the round when they use the crushing blow.
 * Cost: 1 proficiency slot
 * Groups: Fighter, Cleric, Thief

Instant Stand
The character can instantly regain his feet after falling down. If the ability check succeeds, the character can ignore the effects of knockdowns or failed spring attempts. If the ability check fails, the character can get up during his next action phase, but cannot take any further actions until the next round. Characters cannot use this skill while pinned, locked, held, or grappled.
 * Cost: 1 proficiency slot
 * Groups: Fighter, Cleric, Thief
 * Initial rating: 7, Dexterity

Missile Deflection

 * Cost: 1 proficiency slot
 * Groups: Fighter, Cleric, Thief
 * The character can perform block maneuvers against normal missiles fired at them from the front. The character can use their free change of facing to turn toward an attacker firing missiles from her flank or rear, but this counts as her change of facing for the round.
 * Normal missiles include mundane and enchanted arrows, axes, bolts, javelins, small stones, and spears. Large or magical missiles, such as ballista bolts, hurled boulders, and magic missile spells, cannot be deflected.