Advanced Martial Arts

Some players want a little more depth and complexity in their combat. With Master approval players may create their own martial arts styles to simulate techniques from anywhere in the known universe. Masters may also create styles to enrich the setting and differentiate between cultures.

Advanced Martial Arts

The Future Imperfect concept of custom martial arts is based on the idea that each discipline has some number of foundation maneuvers, and these maneuvers act to provide certain benefits to the practitioner. Some maneuvers are shared across multiple disciplines, but while they share the same name, and begin the same, they may not perform identically as they progress to higher levels. Players have a great deal of ability to grow their fighting style in a unique direction.

There are a limited number of potential maneuvers that can be performed in melee combat, and these maneuvers are broadly defined (we don’t need to worry about the difference between a d’arce choke and an anaconda choke, it only matters they are both chokes). The specific nature of each maneuver can vary greatly from discipline to discipline. What advanced martial arts attempt to do is classify the effect. Making the combat action come alive with description and unique flavor is the job of the crew and Master.

Additionally, melee combat can take place in a variety of different postures, and these postures may have an enormous effect on the effectiveness of the maneuvers that are performed by practitioners and their targets. The most important part of winning a physical engagement is to develop an advantageous situation for yourself, and continue to exploit it until your opponent is defeated. In a standard melee combat implementation in an RPG, either there is a standard skill roll or a character has a maneuver that modifies the skill roll, but outside of Master fiat, any maneuver can be attempted in virtually any situation.

Maneuvers

There are a total of 14 maneuvers that can be attempted in close combat. These maneuvers are:

Postures

When fighting hand to hand, there are multiple postures that can result. The Master can modify the standard effects as he sees fit, however the guidelines that follow should be sufficient for most situations. Ability card decks will include the modifiers for the maneuver dependent on the posture. The postures are: Standing, guard, back mount, pinned. When an ability card is face up in front of you (see mechanics, to follow), the posture shown across the top of the card is the posture your Hero is performing.

Cost

A standard discipline costs: X

Standard Effects

Each discipline will also have a standard effect. Two disciplines may have standard effects that share a name, but they are not necessarily the same maneuver in practice. In fact, within the same discipline they may vary. The standard effect simulates that which the discipline does exceptionally well. The effects are defined broadly so as to allow player creativity to color each situation.

Boxing has a standard effect of strike. This may be a cross, uppercut, overhand right etc., at the choice of the player in the situation. Kung Fu also has a standard effect of strike, but while it does include fist strikes, they are not the same. It also would include kicks, which would not be present in boxing.

Customizing Martial Arts

Even when using a discipline "out of the box", the Hero will customize the training as he advances. Two practitioners from the same art, even from the same dojo, will be unique fighting individuals. Future Imperfect not only allows the creation of new arts from the ground up, but also individualizing the training within existing martial arts.

Game designers note: I have never seen an RPG that handles grappling well. This is my attempt to be the ‘least worst’. Most games also either substantially overpower martial arts, or make them indistinguishable from one another. As a former wrestler and avid viewer of MMA, I have a pretty good knowledge of what kind of things work and what things do not. I would not call myself an expert, but an educated lay person.

This is not, however, an attempt at a ‘realistic’ treatment of martial arts. The goal is for the system to be playable, fast and diverse. The extra work that must be done to differentiate one discipline from another will all be done once, during character generation. Players should not need to consult the rules over and over during play to know what they can do. Everything important should be right on the character sheet and easily digestible. The important piece is that when a wrestler enters the fight, it plays differently than when a practitioner of BJJ does, even though both are primarily grapplers. The same goes for Muay Thai versus boxing. They aren’t the same.

This is an optional system, so if your crew is not interested in exploring this kind of nuance, it is easy to ignore it and just roll Fighting: Martial Arts. If this is your choice, it does not significantly change the power level of martial arts practitioners. It is even possible to mix and match within a campaign, since a basic martial art has exactly the same dice pool/effects cost as any standard custom discipline.

System

Each martial discipline has a standard template that is used by a level 1 practitioner of the art. This template will be annotated on the Hero record sheet and customized as the game progresses. As with Action Decks, the entire system can be used both with custom Future Imperfect ability decks or standard playing card decks, with jokers included.

In a martial art template, each step has an entry. When drawing an ability card, check the step on the card and the appropriate maneuver will be on your Hero record. When using a custom Future Imperfect deck, everything will be on the card. No referencing required!

Defense

Advanced martial arts uses two types of defense in hand to hand combat: defense and takedown defense. They both default to 3+martial arts level, plus modifiers as applicable for reach or weapons. Posture and discipline bonuses will affect them independently. When defense is referenced, this does not include takedown defense and vice versa. If both are affected, both will be listed.

Turn Sequence

In any engagement where your Hero has a hand to hand combat opponent he will need a hand of ability cards to utilize his martial art. Ability cards are drawn at the same time as Action Cards for initiative (or as necessary, see below). Your Hero will maintain a hand of ability cards throughout the combat until it concludes or your Hero is no longer a viable combatant for any reason.

Ability Card Hand

A Hero with a martial art may maintain a hand of ability cards equal to his level in the martial art plus one. Each turn during the Initiative phase of combat, when applicable (as determined by the Master), the Hero may check his martial arts skill and fill his hand (using the same procedure as filling an initiative hand). Once the hand is replenished, the player must discard down to his hand limit immediately. The player is not considered "ready" until he has discarded. If the Master finds a player holding cards above his limit, he should remind the player. On a second instance, the Master should randomly remove cards from the hand until the limit is enforced.

Using Maneuvers

Each ability card will have a maneuver or other special situation (such as no opening). When a Hero has an action, if he wishes to attack in hand to hand he must use one of the maneuver cards in his hand. Descriptions of the maneuvers are provided following.

Any martial arts practitioner has the option of, instead of taking an action, performing a feint maneuver. To do a feint, place any card from your hand face down in front of you, either horizontally or vertically. A horizontal card will add 1 to defense and takedown defense, a vertical card will confer +1 on his next attack.

Reach: An attempt to use jabs and/or keeps to keep the opponent at bay.
Speed: An attempt to use superior speed to strike the target and avoid damage.
Power: Maximum damage attack.
Disable: Must have hold (you) or takedown showing (you or opponent). Disable pits the strength of the attacker versus the strength of the defender, albeit at a significant advantage for the attacker. The attacker must succeed with a maneuver with the Disable element before the defender is subject to these rules. Each participant makes a strength roll, but the defender is considered untrained (they divide their result in half). If the attacker wins, but does not get a raise, his action ends. During his next action if the hold persists test again, but at +1 (cumulative) for the attacker. As soon as a raise is achieved the limb is disabled, and is immediately dealt a serious wound (including the associated wind). If the defender wins any exchange, without getting a raise, all attacker bonuses are removed. The defender may choose to test again on their next action (provided the attacker has not gone in the interim and achieved a success), if they do, instead of untrained they are at -2. If the defender wins, they have escaped the lock. If the attacker wins, it is as if they had won on their action. If at any time the defender achieves a raise the lock is broken. Both participants are considered prone during a lock.
Choke: Must have takedown (you or opponent), hold (you) or clinch (you) showing. Move subjects the target to suffocation rules, as found under fire (page XX). During a Choke maneuver both participants are considered prone.
Takedown: Take opponent to the ground and control. Opponent considered prone, your defense is halved. Opponent halves strength for all tasks (unless they initiate a hold or disable). Opponent may not attempt power, lift, throw, knockdown or reach.
Lift: Grab opponent and lift off the ground. Must either be able to lift opponents weight with passive strength OR make an opposed STR vs opponents TD Defense roll. On next action may throw opponent with no roll. If opponent escapes, they fall prone.
Hold: May be used in clinch or takedown position. If you show the clinch or takedown card, +1 on your attempt. If attempted without clinch or takedown, -1. Control two limbs (head counts as a limb).
Escape: Make a contested STR or Martial Arts check versus opponents Hold value (competition, opponent wins ties).
Throw: May be used from clinch at +1. Opponent falls prone and takes falling damage +1 per success and raise on STR check.
Knockdown: Opponent falls prone and takes falling damage +1 per success and raise on STR check.
Clinch: Standing hold controlling opponents head. Opponent may not use Reach, Power or Takedown without escaping first. May keep clinch card showing after you use an attack as long as you remain standing and succeeded in your attack. Clinch flushes otherwise.