Martial Arts (POCT)

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Martial arts is a specialized form of pummeling that uses the body as a weapon. A creature must be able to make pummeling attacks to employ a martial art. Martial arts are difficult to learn and not commonly known. Generally, only creatures with at least average intelligence and from mediative, nonmaterialistic cultures can learn martial arts.
Martial arts requires at least one free hand. Unlike a character making normal pummeling attacks, a martial artist must be bare-handed or wearing only normal gloves and shoes. A martial art is a discipline of the mind and body and most implements are avoided. Improvised weapons cannot be used in martial arts attacks.
Martial arts attacks inflict mostly temporary damage, just as normal pummeling attacks do. Marital arts attacks are ineffective against creatures normally immune to pummeling attacks.
==Martial Arts Procedures==
Except where noted below, martial arts attacks are resolved as pummeling attacks. A martial artist enjoys some advantages while pummeling, depending on the style of martial arts he is using:
* Style A: The style emphasizes striking with the hands or fists. The character's bare or gloved hands are treated as small, hard objects (1d3 points of damage), and the character can strike and damage creatures of any size. If the character is unarmed and unarmored, he can make an extra attack each round with his other hand (provided that it is free) without the usual penalties for attacking with two weapons.
* Style B: The style emphasizes striking with the feet. The character's bare or shod feet are treated as large, hard objects (1d6 points of damage), and the character can kick opponents even when they are not prone, sitting, or kneeling. If unarmed and unarmored, the character can make an extra attack each round with one of his free hands. Note that the ability to pummel creatures of any size is not part of this style.
* Style C: The style emphasizes throws and escapes. The character can choose the pull/trip combat option when making pummeling attacks. If the attack hits, the martial artist can use either his Strength or Dexterity score for the opposed roll. The martial artist also can make an opposed attack roll to escape any hold, grapple, lock, or pin. The escape roll counts as an attack, but if it succeeds the martial artist is considered clear and can finish the round normally.
* Style D: The style emphasizes dodges and blocks. The character can make one free block each round in addition to any attacks he makes. If unarmed and unarmored, the character receives a –2 Armor Class bonus.
==Martial Arts Skill Levels==
* Nonproficient: Any character who has not been trained in one of the four martial arts styles automatically falls into this category. Nonproficient martial artists can make normal pummeling attacks, but cannot claim any martial arts benefits.
* Familiar: Familiarity has no effect on the martial arts; a character is proficient in a martial art or he is not.
* Proficient: Martial arts styles are unknown in most AD&D game lands. To spend character points (or a weapon proficiency) to become proficient in a martial arts style, a character must be native to (or have paid an extended visit to) a culture where martial arts has developed. Such cultures are usually nonwestern, philosophical, and nonmaterialistic. They usually stress the power of nature or of the inner self over the power of tools, weapons, and technology. Such cultures often do not allow commoners to own weapons or armor.
: Proficient nonwarriors can make one martial arts attack each round. Proficient warriors gain their full allotment of melee attacks when making martial arts attacks. If a character has sufficient character points (or proficiency slots) available, he can become proficient in more than one martial arts style. All benefits are cumulative; for example, a character proficient in styles A and B could kick or punch creatures of any size, inflicting 1d3 points of damage with a punch and 1d6 points of damage with a kick. If unarmored, the character could make one extra punch each round with no penalties. Note that the four martial arts styles do not constitute a weapon group; each much be learned separately.
* Expert: Any character who knows a martial arts style can spend character points (or weapon proficiencies) to become expert in the style. (Characters proficient in multiple martial arts styles can become experts in only one style.) Expert warriors who are entitled to more than one melee attack each round can make the same number of martial arts attacks each round, but gain no other benefits. Expert nonwarriors can make multiple martial arts attacks at the same rate as a nonspecialized warrior of the same level.
* Specialized: Generally, only single-classed fighters can become martial arts specialists, though there are optional rules in the Skills & Powers book that allow other characters to specialize. Martial arts specialists gain the normal specialist attack and damage bonuses and extra attacks. Specialists' attack bonuses apply to their Strength scores when rolling for knockdowns. Characters proficient in multiple martial arts styles can become specialists in only one style. Martial arts specialists can make martial arts attacks against armed opponents without provoking attacks of opportunity. Specialists can attempt blocks and disarms against armed opponents without the –4 penalty to the opposed roll; martial arts disarms against two-handed weapons receive a –4 penalty instead of the normal –8 penalty for unarmed disarms.
* Master: Only single-classed fighters can attain mastery in martial arts. Martial arts masters gain the normal master attack and damage bonuses and extra attacks. Masters' attack bonuses due to their Strength scores apply when rolling for knockdowns, and apply to opponents as penalties to saving throw rolls vs. knockouts. Grand master martial artists can use critical augmentation to score knockouts on attack rolls of 16 or better.
: A martial arts master threatens his front squares and is entitled to make attacks of opportunity just as if he were armed with a weapon. A martial arts master can choose to inflict normal damage instead of mostly temporary damage. If the master rolls a critical hit while inflicting normal damage, he scores a bludgeoning critical instead of a knockout chance. When determining severity, compare the master's size class with the target's. Reduce the master's size class by one category if the attack is a punch.
==Martial Arts Weapons==
There are a few weapons specifically designed for use in the martial arts. Most of these weapons were originally improvised from common tools, but have been refined to function as extensions of a martial artist's body. Chapter Seven includes a list of these weapons.
A martial arts weapon functions normally in most respects. A character chooses it and learns to use it as he would any other weapon. A martial artist armed with a martial arts weapon can use his style's special abilities even if they normally require him to be unarmed. The martial artist can employ the weapon in combat to avoid provoking attacks of opportunity and other penalties associated with being unarmed. For example, a character proficient in style A martial arts could use a nunchaku in each hand, inflict 1d6 points of normal damage with each hit, and avoid attacks of opportunity. A character proficient in style B could use a nunchaku and still claim his Armor Class bonus if he is unarmored; the character could use the nunchaku to perform his free block without the –4 penalty for being unarmed.
Martial artists are still subject to the normal nonproficiency penalties when using martial arts weapons. Nonspecialist martial artists still provoke attacks of opportunity if they make unarmed attacks while armed with a weapon, even a martial arts weapon. For example, a kick from a character proficient in style B could provoke an attack of opportunity even if the martial artist was holding a nunchaku at the time.
==An Example of Martial Arts Combat==
Anada, the elf fighter from previous examples in this chapter, is finally rescued from the clutches of his bugbear captors. His next adventure takes him to a distant land he has never visited before. Anada returns to his campsite one morning to discover a motley trio of humans helping themselves to his rations. He shouts and charges, waving his sword high. To Anada's surprise, the unarmed brigands stand their ground.
Anada wins initiative and attacks first; he rolls a 15 and easily hits his unarmored opponent (though there is no critical hit). The brigands are proficient in type B martial arts. They are hungry and decide to kick and punch. The kicks provoke attacks of opportunity from Anada, but the punches do not because a single character can make only one attack of opportunity against a given opponent in one combat round. All of Anada's attacks hit. The brigand wounded earlier by Anada drops to the ground, reduced to less than 0 hit points. Anada rolls an 18 against the second brigand, more than enough for a critical hit. Anada inflicts 2d8+1 points of damage and decides to foil the brigand's attack rather than rolling for a slashing critical. Anada merely wounds the third brigand, who can complete his attack. The brigands are 2nd-level fighters (THAC0 19). The brigand rolls a 17, good enough to hit Anada's Armor Class of 4. (Anada still has his 15 Dexterity and chain mail +1, and he has picked up a shield, which improves his Armor Class to 2. However, he suffers a +2 Armor Class penalty for charging.) The kick inflicts 4 points of damage, 3 temporary and 1 normal. To see if there is a knockdown, Anada and the brigand must make an opposed Strength check. The brigand's Strength is 14 and he gets a +1 for attacking with a large object (his foot is treated as one because he is using style B). Anada's Strength of 17 is unmodified. Anada wins the opposed roll and is not knocked down. Now the two brigands make their punching attacks, and both miss.
The next round, the wounded brigand retreats, leaving his comrade to face Anada alone. The brigand decides to block and Anada declares an attack. Anada wins initiative, but the brigand still can block because the block was declared before the initiative roll. The brigand announces that he's blocking the sword with his arm. There is an opposed roll; the brigand makes an attack vs. Armor Class 4, with a –4 penalty for an unarmed block vs. a weapon. Anada makes an attack roll vs. the brigand's Armor Class of 10. The brigand rolls a 19 and Anada rolls a 20. The brigand succeeds in spite of the penalty. Anada has succeeded, too, but the attack is blocked because the brigand succeeded with a lower roll (just Anada's luck). Because the brigand is entitled to two attacks (a kick and a punch), he could attack with a kick now (because he's already used his punch to block Anada's sword). The brigand decides he doesn't want to suffer another attack of opportunity and doesn't attack.
Anada is entitled to two attacks as well (because he is an 8th-level fighter), and he swings his sword on the next action phase. The brigand decides to allocate his second attack as another block. The DM considers the situation for a moment, since he's not sure it's possible to block a sword with a kick. The DM decides to allow the block because the brigand is trained in a martial art. There is another opposed roll, which the brigand loses. The damage is enough to put the brigand under 0 hit points. The brigand who retreated earlier flees, and Anada has won the confrontation.