Alpha Dawn - Star Frontiersman

The Cinematic Martial Arts skill
Unlike the mundane Martial Arts skill (which has no
prerequisite), characters who take levels in the
Cinematic Martial Arts skill enjoy several benefits.
They have access to Cinematic Maneuvers
(explained hereafter) and receive bonuses to hit,
initiative, damage, number of attacks per turn, and
can opt to perform a defensive action (called an
“Unarmed Parry”) at the expense of an attack.
Finally, a character that has this skill can possess
one or more Cinematic Maneuvers. These five
subskills are summarized below:
Strike First – the physical and mental development
of the Cinematic Martial Artist allows him to have a
greater chance of gaining first strike in any combat
turn. He is permitted to add his skill level to his
Initiative Modifier.
Strike Hard – the Cinematic Martial Artist trains to
increase the power of his blows. Even without the
use of his Cinematic Maneuvers, he can increase the
damage he causes with any successful strike. His
base damage is 1d10 per strike, and he may add his
skill level to the damage he causes. For example:
Uricho is a level 4 Cinematic Martial Artist with a
Punching Score of +3. When she punches, she
causes 1d10+7 damage.
Strike Often – the discipline and experience gained
through sparring and practicing forms allows a
Cinematic Martial Artist to strike more often per
turn. He may perform two attacks at first skill level,
and gains an additional attack at skill level 4 and a
fourth attack per turn at skill level 6.
Self Defense – a character who is using Cinematic
Martial Arts can perform a special type of attack,
called an Unarmed Parry. He uses his body to
dodge or block an incoming attack. He can do this
at the expense of one or more of his normal attacks
(thus, if he has two attacks per turn, he could do
one attack and one unarmed parry, two attacks, or
two unarmed parries). To successfully perform an
unarmed parry, simply make a normal attack roll.
If successful, you can ignore an attack just made
against you. You MUST declare the use of the
unarmed parry at the beginning of the turn, such as
“I will do one attack and one parry.”
Cinematic Maneuvers – There are several special
maneuvers described in the following section. A
player may select one Cinematic Maneuver for each
skill level he possesses in Cinematic Martial Arts. A
special maneuver may be made instead of a normal
attack. Each of the special maneuvers has its own
rules which govern its use. For example, a level 4
Cinematic Martial Artist can have 4 Cinematic
Maneuvers.
PREREQUISITES: A Cinematic Martial Artist must
have a Logic score of at least 50 and a Dexterity score
of at least 60. Since this level of devotion is a lifestyle
as much as a hobby, he must have a Military Primary
Skill Area (PSA).
CINEMATIC MARTIAL ARTS TABLE
Skill Attacks Initiative Unarmed #Cinematic
Level Per Turn Modifier Damage Maneuvers
1 2 IM+1 1d10+PS+1 1
2 2 IM+2 1d10+PS+2 2
3 2 IM+3 1d10+PS+3 3
4 3 IM+4 1d10+PS+4 4
5 3 IM+5 1d10+PS+5 5
6 4 IM+6 1d10+PS+6 6
CINEMATIC MANEUVER TABLE
Maneuvers (each costs 5 experience points)
Blind Fighting
Deadly Attack
Drop
Fleet of Foot
Hold
Improved Landing
Insanely Cool Moves
Instant Defense
Instant Stand
Leap
Move By
Multiple Attacks
Multiple Defense
Paired Weapons
Power Attacks
Power Defense
Reverse Hold
Roll With The Impact
Stun
Surprise Action
Take Down
Throw
Weapon Form
EXPERIENCE POINT TABLE
Sample Skill Level
Skill Level
Title
Cost
1 Initiate 3
2 Novice 6
3 Adept 9
4 Expert 12
5 Master 15
6 Grand Master 18
Special Experience Point Rule: When purchasing a
skill level, the “Skill Level Cost” column shows the cost
for purchasing the actual skill level. The purchase of
the Cinematic Maneuver costs an additional 5xp.
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