Aberrant 2.0 Martial Arts

Martial Arts Overview

Martial Arts does not improve raw skill with fighting, rather it improves the mechanics of hand to hand combat-therefore, a Martial Artist cannot have a Martial Arts score higher than their Brawl score. A martial artist must be skilled in fighting before learning the mechanics of combat, but a trained martial artist outclasses a trained brawler. Martial Arts increases the effectiveness of various combat maneuvers, or provides additional combat benefits. Without training, all characters may make these basic listed maneuvers or variations thereof:

Basic Offensive Moves

• Strike: Accuracy +0, Damage (Str + 2B), Difficulty +0
• Kick: Accuracy +0, Damage (Str + 4B), Difficulty +1
• Grapple: Accuracy +0, Damage (Str + 0B), Difficulty +0, holds target (Str + Might contests)
• Disarm: Accuracy +0, Damage (Str + 0B), Difficulty +1, disarming (damage successes apply to disarming the target if they exceed the target's Strength)
• Tackle: Accuracy +0, Damage (Str + 4B), Difficulty +1, Knockdown, no multiple actions
• Striking Smackdown: Accuracy +2, Damage (Str + 6B), Difficulty +0, costs 1wp to initiate, takes one turn to wind up, no multiple actions
• Grappling Smackdown: Accuracy +0, Damage (Str + 5B), Difficulty +0, costs 1wp to initiate, takes one turn to wind up, no multiple actions, holds target

Improving Offense

A martial artist gains (Martial Arts) points to improve his offense and an additional (Martial Arts) points to improve his defense. Offense points alter and generate maneuvers, which can be built "on the fly" or prepared ahead of time. The costs to improve a maneuver are as follows:

• Bashing Damage: 1 point to turn normally Lethal damage Bashing. This is only generally relevant to Nova martial artists with body modifications, or weapons stylists.
• Lethal Damage: 3 points to turn damage Lethal.
• Increased Damage: 1 point per +1B damage.
• Increased Accuracy: 1 point per +1 accuracy
• Armor Piercing: 2 points per -3 soak
• Disabling: 3 points per +1 difficulty, lasts for 1 turn.
• Disarming: 4 points.
• Incapacitation: 1 point per -1 penalty to specific actions or 2 points per -1 penalty to Attribute, +1 point to last for a scene, +2 points to last until all damage is healed
• Grapples Target: 2 points
• Throws Target: 2 points
• Predictable (can only be used once/scene): Returns 1 point
• Increased Difficulty: Returns 2 points per +1 difficulty
• Takes Preparation Time (1 turn or precondition): Returns 2 points
• No Multiple Actions: Returns 2 points
• Costs Willpower: Returns 2 points
• Unaware/Incapacitated Targets Only: Returns 4 points

Detailed Mechanics

As you can see, all attacks are worth 2 points with Martial Arts 0, and a Maneuver starts with (Accuracy +0, Damage +0B, Difficulty +0). An attack may not have any one category improved by more than (3 + [Martial Arts + Maneuver Flaws]/2), rounded up. So a Smackdown, with 6 points of maneuver flaws, may be improved by (6 + [Martial Arts/2]) in any category. So, let's have some examples of offensive maneuvers. Note that for weapon stylists, the maximum damage of a move becomes (Base Damage + 1) if the result is higher than the maximum improvement level.

Examples

• Jab (Martial Arts 1, 3 pts): Damage +2B (-2), Accuracy + 1 (-1)
  • A rapid, accurate, punch.

• Neck Break (Martial Arts 3, 5 pts + 8 flaws): Takes Preparation Time [1 turn] (+2), Unaware Targets Only (+4), No Multiple Actions (+2), Lethal Damage (-3), Armor Piercing 3 (-2), Damage + 6L (-6), Grapples Target (-2).
  • An old classic of special forces commandos, action movie heroes, and Metal Gear Solid protagonists, snapping someone's neck from behind is a difficult but deadly attack.

• Snap Kick (Martial Arts 3, 5 pts): Damage +4B (-4), Accuracy + 1 (-1)
  • A powerful and accurate kick.

• Limb Snap (Martial Arts 3, 5 pts + 2 flaws): Takes Preparation Time [target must be grappled] (+2), Damage +0B, Incapacitation [-3 to all actions with broken limb until healed] (-5)
  • Another martial arts movie staple, breaking someone's limb in the middle of a fight takes a bit to set up but can be extremely rewarding.

Improving Defense

A martial artist also gains (Martial Arts) points of defensive/utility maneuvers, which allow him or her to take hits or avoid them much better. Custom defensive and utility maneuvers may be suggested, with a few caveats: Martial Arts is primarily about fighting, and about fighting unarmed in particular. A martial artist's defensive moves should generally be focused on this.

• Counterstrike [Any excess parry successes become successes on a counterattack against the opponent] (-1)
  • Even a defending martial artist is a deadly foe with this ability, as a failed attack gives her opportunities to strike back.
• Finesse [may make Brawl/Melee attacks with Dexterity versus Strength] (-1)
  • Skilled fighters learn to fight with finesse and grace rather than raw power.
• Improvisation [no penalties for using improvised Melee weapons or brawling aids] (-1)
  • Some martial arts train their students in the use of improvised weapons or tools as crude methods of dealing harm. A roll of quarters can become a crude set of brass knuckles, a broken table leg or beer bottle a crude club, so on and so forth. A martial artist skilled in improvisation can use these weapons just as well as a lesser fighter could use a properly-designed weapon of similar type.
• Weapons Style [can apply martial arts bonuses to Melee] (-2)
  • Many martial arts styles teach how to use various weapons types alongside their combat maneuvers. However, for game balance reasons, Weapon Style halves (round up) the points available for move customization that a martial artist using a weapon may gain. On the other hand, he gains the base weapon damage. Damage may never be reduced to less than half of a weapon's base damage, round down (so a Str + 5 damage sword may never have a move that does less than Str + 2 damage).
• Improved Deflection [+2 to parries] (-2)
  • Martial Artists who practice their defensive talents become incredibly good at deflecting attacks.
• Weapon Strip [a successful disarm allows the martial artist to immediately make an attack with the stolen weapon] (-2)
  • As guns have become the deadliest weapon on the battlefield, martial arts have found better methods of dealing with guns, such as improved techniques to steal guns from their previous owners.
• Iron Shirt [+1 to Stamina for soak only] (-3)
  • Endless body conditioning has inured the martial artist to blows.
• Pain Tolerance [-1 to wound penalties] (-3)
  • Years of experience in tolerating injury has increased the martial artists' pain tolerance significantly.
• Cobra Speed [pay 1wp up to (Martial Arts) times per scene to get 1 free martial arts action at full pool] (-4)
  • Some martial artists can move incredibly fast, striking even when there's seemingly no opening with seemingly inhuman speed. This technique is extremely difficult to master and a great effort of will, but can allow a martial artist to devastate enemies.
• Sixth Sense [Up to (Martial Arts) reflexive full-pool dodges/parries in a scene, melee attacks only] (-4)
  • Particularly skilled martial artists can sometimes manifest almost preternatural skill, dodging multiple attacks with great ease.