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Kai Lian is a secret agent of the Shining Temple of the Autumn Wind, the location of which is known to no one – travelers to and from the monastery must go blindfolded, in the company of a blind master. She is trained in the way of Shaolin, as well as in two of the Temple’s secret styles. Her trademark attacks are a lethal strike with her long fingernails (Delicate Hand Dragon Claw), a leaping kick (Graceful Floating Axe), and a chi-blast that can hammer foes at 30 feet (Autumn Wind Sky Fist). Kai Lian’s present assignment is in frontier America, land of the six-shooter, telegraph, and locomotive. Her job is a tough one: retrieve the Five Tigers Jade Buddha statue, which was stolen from its guardian monks by American crooks. To them, it was merely a valuable antique. To those who know better, it’s a powerful relic, capable of binding evil spirits. The Temple chose Kai Lian for her stealth and fighting abilities, and the fact that she learned broken English from her master. None of this has helped her much when it comes to dealing with American culture and technology. “Frisco” was nothing like China, and it took all of her acrobatic skills to dodge the bullets of those thugs at the docks. They fought like men possessed, and Kai Lian is beginning to suspect that there’s more to this mystery than meets the eye. Kai Lian is a petite woman (4’10” and 90 lbs) in her mid-30s, with unusually long fingernails, clad in simple but immaculate clothing. She was inspired by the cinematic Monk template (p. 36). Her style is Shaolin Kung Fu (p. 194). ST 9 [-10]; DX 14 [80]; IQ 13 [60]; HT 11 [10]. Damage 1d-2/1d-1; BL 16 lbs.; HP 9 [0]; Will 14 [5]; Per 13 [0]; FP 14 [9]. Basic Speed 6.00 [-5]; Basic Move 6 [0]; Dodge 12; Parry 12. Social Background TL: 3 [-10]. CF: Chinese [0]. Languages: English (Broken) [2]; Mandarin (Native) [0]. Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will 10 [0]; Per 10 [0]; FP 12 [0]; Basic Speed 6.00 [0]; Basic Move 6 [0]. Advantages: 15 points chosen from among ST +1 [10], HT +1 [10], HP +1 to +3 [2/HP], Will +1 to +3 [5/level], FP +1 to +3 [3/FP], Ambidexterity [5], Fit [5] or Very Fit [15], High Pain Threshold [10], Language (Broken) [2], Patron (<strong>Martial</strong>-arts master; 6 or less) [8] or (9 or less) [15], Pitiable [5], Single-Minded [5], or Style Perks [1/perk]. Perks: Style Familiarity (own style) [1]. Disadvantages: -15 points chosen from among Duty (Master; Nonhazardous; 12 or less) [-5] or (15 or less) [-10], Fanaticism (Master, school, or style) [-15], Obsession (Reach a specific grade) [-5*], Overconfidence Kai Lian (250 points) Advantages Blunt Claws [3]; DR 1 (Partial, Hands, -40%; Tough Skin, -40%) [1]; Enhanced Dodge 3 [45]; Flying Fists (p. 45) [5]; Perfect Balance [15]; Trained by a Master [30]. Perks: Shtick (Clothes never get torn or dirty); Style Familiarity (Shaolin Kung Fu; two secret styles for use with Shout It Out!, p. 132). [4] Disadvantages Duty (Shining Temple of the Autumn Wind; 15 or less; Extremely Hazardous) [-20]; Shyness (Mild) [-5]; Social Stigma (Second-Class Citizen) [-5]; Vow (Fight without weapons) [-15]; Wealth (Poor) [-15]. Quirks: Believes that users of TL4+ gadgetry are weak; Finds big moustaches exceptionally silly; Humble; Incompetence (Riding); Shouts out the name of each technique before attacking (much to the puzzlement of American foes). [-5] Skills Acrobatics (H) DX+1 [4]-15*; Climbing (A) DX [1]-14*; Esoteric Medicine (H) Per-1 [2]-12; Flying Leap (H) IQ+1 [8]-14; Judo (H) DX-2 [1]-12; Jumping (E) DX [1]-14; Karate (H) DX+4 [20]-18; Light Walk (H) DX [4]-14; Lizard Climb (H) DX [4]-14; Meditation (H) Will-2 [1]-12; Observation (A) Per-1 [1]-12; Pharmacy (Herbal) (H) IQ-1 [2]-12; Philosophy (Buddhism) (H) IQ-1 [2]-12; Power Blow (H) Will [4]-14; Shadowing (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; Staff (A) DX-1 [1]-13; Stealth (A) DX [2]-14; Tracking (A) Per-1 [1]-12. Techniques: Lethal Strike (Karate) (H) [3]-18; Flying Jump Kick (Karate) (H) [8]-18. * Includes +1 for Perfect Balance. [-5*]†, or Workaholic [-5]. • Another -15 points chosen from among Chummy [-5] or Gregarious [-10], Delusions (see pp. 53-54) [-5 to -15], Easy to Read [-10], Gullibility [-10*], Impulsiveness [-10*], Low Self-Image [-10]†, Pacifism (Reluctant Killer) [-5], Post-Combat Shakes [-5*], Sense of Duty (Master) [-2] or (Fellow students) [-5], Social Stigma (Minor) [-5], or Wealth (Struggling) [-10] or (Poor) [-15]. Primary Skills: Savoir-Faire (Dojo) (E) IQ+2 [4]-12 and 15 points in the skills and techniques of a martial-arts style (see Chapter 5). Secondary Skills: Lifting (A) HT [2]-12 and Running (A) HT [2]-12. CHARACTERS 39
Background Skills: 6 points chosen from among Hobby (any), DX/E or IQ/E; Sports (any), DX/A; First Aid, Games (any), Housekeeping, or Savoir-Faire (Servant), all IQ/E; Cooking, IQ/A; or Carousing, HT/E. * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120. † Low Self-Image and Overconfidence are incompatible. Lens Cinematic (+75 points): Add 60 points chosen from among Destiny [5, 10, or 15], Enhanced Block 1-3 [5/level], Enhanced Dodge 1-2 [15/level], Enhanced Parry 1-3 [5 or 10/level], Extra Attack 1 (Multi-Strike, +20%) [30], Forceful Chi 1-2 [15/level], Heroic Archer [20], Innate Attack [Varies], Inner Balance 1-2 [15/level], Resistant to Chi Abilities (+3) [10], Trained by a Master [30], Weapon Master [20-45], or Wild Talent 1-2 [20/level]. You must take either Trained by a Master or Weapon Master! • Add 15 points in your style’s cinematic skills (and prerequisites); students often drill at Breaking Blow and Sensitivity. Customization Notes Styles: It’s possible to be a student of any style. If an ordinary man on the street has martial-arts training in a modernday game, he’ll most likely know Greco-Roman Wrestling (p. 205), Judo (p. 166), Karate (pp. 169-172), Kendo (p. 175), Tae Kwon Do (p. 200), T’ai Chi (the meditative version on p. 201, not T’ai Chi Chuan), Wing Chun (pp. 203-204), or Wushu (pp. 206-207), depending on his culture. Aikido (p. 149) and Hapkido (p. 161) are growing in popularity in the West, as are such actively promoted arts as Hwa Rang Do (pp. 163-164) and Kempo (pp. 172-173). Style Lenses: See the lenses suggested for the kind of martial artist that the student aspires to become. Lessons at the typical modern-day gym lead to “Self-Defense.” “Trained by a Fraud” is unfortunately common. Stuntman 100 points You stand in for movie stars (although probably not the skilled ones described under Movie Star, pp. 36-38) and play nameless bad guys in martial-arts movies. A stuntman might work as an aerialist, cowboy, driver, marksman, and many other things, all in the same feature. You’re good at some of these things, but you’re great at fighting. Most of your martial-arts skills are slanted toward what looks good, but the real thing looks best, and you know enough about it to be convincing. Attributes: ST 11 [10]; DX 12 [40]; IQ 10 [0]; HT 12 [20]. Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs.; HP 11 [0]; Will 10 [0]; Per 10 [0]; FP 10 [-6]; Basic Speed 6.00 [0]; Basic Move 6 [0]. Advantages: 20 points chosen from among ST +1 or +2 [10 or 20], DX +1 [20], HT +1 or +2 [10 or 20], HP +1 to +3 [2/HP], Basic Speed +1 [20], Basic Move +1 to +3 [5/level], Daredevil [15], Enhanced Dodge 1 [15], Fearlessness 1-5 [2/level] or Unfazeable [15], Flexibility [5], Hard to Kill 1- 5 [2/level], High Pain Threshold [10], Perfect Balance [15], Rapid Healing [5] or Very Rapid Healing [15], Style Familiarity (any) [1/style], or Style Perks [1/perk]. Perks: Style Familiarity (own style) [1]. 40 CHARACTERS Disadvantages: -20 points chosen from among Compulsive Behavior (Thrill-Seeking) [-5*], Duty (Agent, producer, or studio; 9 or less) [-5] or (12 or less) [-10], Greed [-15*], Impulsiveness [-10*], On the Edge [-15*], or Overconfidence [-5*]. • Another -20 points chosen from among the above traits or Compulsive Carousing [-5*], Delusions (see pp. 53-54) [-5 to -15], Gigantism [0], Minor Addiction (Ordinary painkillers) [-1], Minor Handicap (Old injury) [-1], Overweight [-1] or Fat [-3], Pacifism (Reluctant Killer) [-5] or (Cannot Kill) [-15], Reputation (see p. 54) [Varies], Stubbornness [-5], or Trickster [-15*]. Primary Skills: Acrobatics (H) DX+2 [12]-14; Jumping (E) DX+1 [2]-13; Stage Combat (A) DX+1 [4]-13; and 20 points in the skills and techniques of almost any style (see Chapter 5). Secondary Skills: Performance (A) IQ+1 [4]-11. • Also select two of Parachuting (E) DX+2 [4]-14; Climbing, Driving (any), Fire Eating, Riding (any), or Sports (any), all (A) DX+1 [4]-13; Escape (H) DX [4]-12; Acting or Scuba, both (A) IQ+1 [4]-11; Swimming (E) HT+2 [4]-14; or Skating or Skiing, both (H) HT [4]-12. Background Skills: 5 points chosen from among Guns (any), DX/E; First Aid or Makeup, both IQ/E; Armoury (Melee Weapons) or Explosives (Fireworks), both IQ/A; or Artist (Scene Design), IQ/H. * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120. Lenses Cinematic (+100 points): Add 80 points chosen from among Damage Resistance (Tough Skin, -40%) 1 or 2 [3 or 6], Enhanced Dodge 1-3 [15/level], Enhanced Parry 1-3 [5 or 10/level], Enhanced Time Sense [45], Extra Attack 1 or 2 (Multi-Strike, +20%) [30 or 60], Forceful Chi 1-4 [15/level], Gizmos (Only for style, -20%) [4/level], Heroic Archer [20], Innate Attack [Varies], Resistant to Chi Abilities (+3) [10], Recovery [10], Trained by a Master [30], or Weapon Master [20-45]. You must take either Trained by a Master or Weapon Master! • Add 20 points in your style’s cinematic skills (and prerequisites); the GM may let you use Breaking Blow when slamming bodily into doors and windows. Tough Guy (+100 points): Like the cinematic stuntman above, you perform “impossible” stunts. The difference is that instead of being impossibly agile, you’re tough enough to take those falls for real! See Contender (p. 32) for statistics. Customization Notes Styles: Stuntmen are often former athletes who competed at Boxing (pp. 152-153), Judo (p. 166), Karate (pp. 169-172), or Tae Kwon Do (p. 200). Many tough guys come from the world of Greco-Roman Wrestling (p. 205), Professional Wrestling (p. 206), or Sumo (pp. 198-199), or are ex-soldiers with a Military Hand-to-Hand (pp. 182-185) background. Most of the notes under Movie Star (pp. 36-38) are also applicable. Style Lenses: Cops or soldiers who’ve moved into showbiz should have “Military” or “Police,” as appropriate. “Street” suits many tough guys; quite a few real-life stuntmen are the genuine article.
Page 1 and 2: B Y P ETER D ELL’ORTO AND S EAN P
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . . . . . . .
Page 5 and 6: INTRODUCTION Say “martial arts”
Page 7 and 8: The martial arts are as old as hist
Page 9 and 10: 1835 - New Jersey outlaws prizefigh
Page 11 and 12: Eventually, the links between secre
Page 13 and 14: INDONESIAN ARCHIPELAGO The Indonesi
Page 15 and 16: Okinawa Okinawa has always had stro
Page 17 and 18: Boxing in ancient Greece and Rome c
Page 19 and 20: RENAISSANCE EUROPE By the time of t
Page 21 and 22: THE NEW WORLD Asian and European ma
Page 23 and 24: Musashi was a precocious martial ar
Page 25 and 26: In China, Fairbairn came into conta
Page 27 and 28: Bad Reenactments A problem hardly u
Page 29 and 30: Jon Gilbey shouted, “No, Adrian.
Page 31 and 32: Beginning Students as PCs The guide
Page 33 and 34: Customization Notes Styles: Ninja s
Page 35 and 36: Lens Cinematic (+100 points): Add 8
Page 37 and 38: Monk 100 points You’ve isolated y
Page 39: Customization Notes Styles: Unarmed
Page 43 and 44: ADVANTAGES, DISADVANTAGES, AND SKIL
Page 45 and 46: Most martial artists can only take
Page 47 and 48: Chi Powers for Martial Artists Mart
Page 49 and 50: Inigo: You’re using Bonetti’s d
Page 51 and 52: Chi Resistance*† You can rally yo
Page 53 and 54: Suit Familiarity† You’ve learne
Page 55 and 56: Minor Delusions affect combat again
Page 57 and 58: Even so, stunt fighters are still f
Page 59 and 60: Kiai* see p. B203 This skill has a
Page 61 and 62: Tactics see p. B224 Tactics is a ma
Page 63 and 64: Modifiers: A penalty equal to encum
Page 65 and 66: Description: Some techniques raise
Page 67 and 68: Martial artists practice dozens of
Page 69 and 70: Your foe’s only legal defenses ar
Page 71 and 72: Counterattack Hard Default: prerequ
Page 73 and 74: Blinding your foe is an effective t
Page 75 and 76: Head Butt Hard Defaults: Brawling-1
Page 77 and 78: Combine Kicking with Committed Atta
Page 79 and 80: Push Kick Hard Defaults: Brawling-3
Page 81 and 82: Optional Rule: Combinations Martial
Page 83 and 84: Wrench (Limb) Hard Default: ST-4; c
Page 85 and 86: This technique is dangerous! If you
Page 87 and 88: To execute a Piledriver, you must f
Page 89 and 90: Humorous movies often feature silly
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Prerequisites Unless the technique
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A use of a defensive technique is a
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• Own Defenses: A bonus to one’
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The Italian used his dagger to ward
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All-Out Attack (Long) is incompatib
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• Determined: Make a single attac
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Thus, a weapon that’s ready stays
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Arrow: +1 if stuck in the ground at
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Dealing with Charging Foes The sure
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WAIT Wait requires you to name a pa
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These rules address minute differen
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When striking to the front or sides
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CLOSE-COMBAT OPTIONS These expanded
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Lame see p. B141 If you’re standi
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Grapples can set up vicious strikes
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The archer can precede this feat wi
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The grappler has no penalties. Howe
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Sideslip: If you’re standing, you
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Faster Combat You can run extremely
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Example 1: An attacker with two att
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An important part of martial-arts m
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MORE CINEMATIC COMBAT RULES The unr
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TOURNAMENT COMBAT Not all combat is
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INJURY AND RECOVERY Injury is an im
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Severe Bleeding Realistic campaigns
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Del Duque’s cape swirled dramatic
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Wax on, right hand. Wax off, left h
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CHOOSING A STYLE Every would-be stu
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Some styles were born “stripped d
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A PC who starts with several styles
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ARMATURA 6 points Armatura was the
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Perks: Iron Legs; Power Grappling;
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Capoeira fighters claim that slaves
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Escrimadors prefer the Defensive At
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La Verdadera Destreza 4 points La V
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Sport fencing largely eliminates mo
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Practitioners of Hoplomachia often
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Hwa Rang Do stylists prefer to open
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JUDO 4 points Judo is a Japanese co
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Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is a relatively
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Te stresses deflecting an incoming
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Belts and Grading In the popular im
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Iaijutsu 5 points Iaijutsu is the J
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Many cultures have styles that cons
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KOBUJUTSU 8 points “Kobujutsu”
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Kusarigamajutsu 3 points Warriors s
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Skills: Brawling; Judo; Knife; Two-
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The Purpose of Military Hand-to-Han
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In matches, competitors wear modern
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Skills: Judo; Karate; Meditation; P
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Kumango Silat 4 points The heartlan
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Staff Fighting Staff fighting is as
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Skills: Karate; Wrestling. Techniqu
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Sojutsu (pp. 197-198) is but one of
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Sojutsu deals primarily with using
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Tae Kwon Do Ranks Tae Kwon Do (see
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Ninja and Ninjutsu The Japanese cha
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Cinematic Techniques: Dual-Weapon A
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Like other sport wrestling, Indian
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Against multiple opponents, stylist
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FREEFIGHTING 5 points Freefighting
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Weapons don’t evolve in a vacuum.
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Cane - Universal. The walking stick
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The weapons in Martial Arts come in
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Martial-arts tales (especially ninj
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Unorthodox Attacks Often in fiction
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POLLAXE (p. B272) - Europe. The Bas
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A real weapon is preferable to an i
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Yari - Japan. A Spear (pp. B273, B2
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TL Weapon Damage Reach Parry Cost W
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TL Weapon Damage Reach Parry Cost W
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Notes: [1] A crossbow bolt costs $2
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Armor Martial artists, especially p
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CINEMATIC VS. REALISTIC CAMPAIGNS W
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Special-Case NPCs Non-player charac
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Amazing Abilities One option is to
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An especially appropriate theme for
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POST-CLASSICAL EUROPE The uninforme
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MODERN DAY Modern-day games are amo
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The Quest for the Master In a cinem
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There are many variations on this t
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BIBLIOGRAPHY Described below are wo
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With rare exceptions, weapons are n
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Power level guidelines, 29. Prana,
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