GURPS Martial Arts - Home

Like other sport wrestling, Indian Wrestling emphasizes
pins and holds. Its trademark tactic is the steady, patient
application of technique and pressure to force the opponent
to submit. Otherwise, it largely resembles Greco-Roman
Wrestling (p. 205) in execution.
Wrestlers traditionally work out with the gada, or twohanded
mace. They often pose for pictures holding it but
rarely learn to fight with it. In a historical or cinematic game,
it might see more use as a weapon.
Cinematic Indian wrestlers should be incredibly strong.
Like Hindu yogi, they might be capable of feats of body control.
Their self-denial in terms of sex, food, and luxuries is
seen as instrumental in developing internal energy to project
during bouts.
Skills: Savoir-Faire (Dojo); Wrestling; Wrestling Sport.
Techniques: Arm Lock; Ground Fighting (Wrestling); Low
Fighting (Wrestling).
Cinematic Skills: Body Control; Immovable Stance; Light
Walk; Mental Strength; Pressure Points.
Perks: Special Exercises (FP can exceed HT by 50%);
Special Exercises (Lifting ST +1).
Optional Traits
Secondary Characteristics: Improved FP.
Advantages: Cultural Familiarity (India); Fit or Very Fit;
Inner Balance.
Disadvantages: Overconfidence; Sense of Duty (India);
Vows (Celibacy, Vegetarianism).
Skills: Two-Handed Axe/Mace; Two-Handed Axe/Mace Art.
Professional Wrestling
4 points
Professional Wrestling, or “entertainment wrestling,” has a
worldwide following – from the U.S. to Japan, from Europe to
South America. It encompasses everything from amateur
“backyard” wrestling to the show-biz world of the professional
federations. It’s the style of television wrestlers, masked
Mexican luchadors . . . and super-powered bricks.
Professional Wrestling revolves around spectacular or
painful-looking techniques. It’s an aggressive style, with competitors
using grapples, takedowns, and hard strikes to send
their opponent to the floor. Committed Attack (Strong) and
All-Out Attack (Strong) are exceedingly common for strikes
and takedowns!
There’s some debate about the real-world effectiveness of
Professional Wrestling. It is a performance, but many competitors
are fit and strong. The techniques they exhibit – if performed
“for real” – could do tremendous damage. However,
“rivals” in the ring are really more like skilled accomplices
who practice going along with each other’s moves in order to
increase the performance value and reduce the odds of injury.
It’s safe to assume that if a wrestler successfully pulled off one
of these techniques in earnest, it would hurt – a lot.
Cinematic wrestlers can perform the art’s many stunts outside
the ring, on unwilling and uncooperative opponents.
They’re terrifically strong and capable of absorbing massive
punishment without flinching (but not without dramatic
superficial bleeding!). They should have high ST and HT, and
advantages such as Hard to Subdue. Special skills – notably
Power Blow, used for massive roundhouse punches and
206 STYLES
hoisting foes for Backbreakers and Piledrivers – rely not on
chi but on “adrenaline surges” or theatrical effort. A high FP
score is useful for fueling these skills and for extra effort.
Cinematic techniques often look quite different from the way
they do in other arts; for instance, Springing Attack involves
leaning back against the cage or ropes enclosing the ring.
Would-be career wrestlers attend schools that cater to
aspiring pros. Some of these gyms also teach actual combat
skills, but the potential pro studies the artistic techniques necessary
for crowd-pleasing wrestling. In addition to the skills
required below, wrestlers often learn Stage Combat and
Performance to look better in and out of the ring.
The GM decides how “realistic” Professional Wrestling is
in his campaign. If he wants wrestlers to be more martial
artists than performers, he should replace Combat Art skills
with combat skills. The techniques below are also merely
suggestions.
Pros – cinematic or otherwise – often have named signature
moves. These range from useless techniques (p. 95) to
everyday ones, even basic kicks and punches, with colorful
names. The GM may allow Skill Adaptation perks that let any
technique default to Wrestling Art; e.g., a “suplex” would be
Skill Adaptation (Sacrifice Throw defaults to Wrestling Art).
Each move requires its own perk, and because the default is
to Wrestling Art, combat use is at -3. Most wrestlers use these
as fight-ending “finishing moves.”
Skills: Brawling Art; Wrestling Art; Wrestling Sport.
Techniques: Breakfall; Choke Hold; Drop Kick; Elbow
Drop; Head Butt; Stamp Kick; Wrench (Limb).
Cinematic Skills: Breaking Blow; Power Blow.
Cinematic Techniques: Backbreaker; Hand Catch;
Piledriver; Roll with Blow; Springing Attack (Brawling Art).
Perks: Shtick (Varies); Skill Adaptation (Varies); Special
Exercises (DR 1 with Tough Skin); Unusual Training (Roll
with Blow, Only on the spring-loaded ring floor or against the
ropes).
Optional Traits
Secondary Characteristics: Improved FP and HP.
Advantages: Ally (Tag-team partner); Charisma; Hard to
Subdue; High Pain Threshold; Patron (Wrestling organization);
Reputation (Good Guy, from fans).
Disadvantages: Fat; Gigantism; Reputation (Bad Guy,
from fans); Reputation (Signature move).
Skills: Acrobatics; Brawling; Games (Professional
Wrestling); Hobby Skill (Feats of Strength); Performance;
Stage Combat; Two-Handed Axe/Mace (for chairs!);
Wrestling.
Techniques: Arm Lock; Exotic Hand Strike; Hammer Fist;
Head Lock; Neck Snap.
WUSHU
6 points
Wushu is the state-sponsored martial art of the People’s
Republic of China (PRC). In the 1950s, the PRC officially
adopted the term “wushu” in place of “kung fu” to refer to all
armed and unarmed fighting arts. These notes describe a specific
style – also called “Wushu” – which the central sports
committee created from Northern (“long”) kung fu, Southern
kung fu, T’ai Chi, and weapons training.