Combat
Martial Arts
Unarmed strikes that halve armor, plus the special moves of a style. Damage depends on BODY, as with fists. Styles — Aikido, Karate, Judo, Taekwondo.
How they differ from brawling
Martial Arts is a separate skill, one per style: "Martial Arts (Karate)", "Martial Arts (Judo)". It's a difficult skill: its levels cost twice as much as ordinary ones. Without at least one level in a style you can't fight with it.
DEX + style skill + d10 against the target's DEX + Evasion + d10
- Damage depends on BODY, as with fists: 1d6 up to 4, 2d6 at 5–6, 3d6 at 7–10, 4d6 at 11+.
- Armor is halved — like with melee weapons. That's the whole point: hitting an armored target barehanded.
- Two strikes per Action (ROF 2).
Special Moves
Besides regular strikes, each style has two Special Moves of its own, and there's one more shared by all. A move has a condition — something that has to happen first, or something the character has to be. Meet the condition — try the move: DEX + style skill + d10 against the listed DV. Moves can't be aimed unless the move says otherwise.
Shared move: Recovery
Every style has it, no conditions. When you get up from prone, roll your style against DV 13: succeed — getting up doesn't cost an Action.
Aikido
A soft style: turning the opponent's force against them.
| Move | Condition | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Disarming Combo | This turn you hit the target with both a punch and a Martial Arts strike | Once per turn, DV 15: the item in the target's hands is now yours or on the floor |
| Iron Grip | The target is grabbed, you haven't used Iron Grip yet | As an Action, once per turn, DV 15: −2 to their attempts to break free, and while you hold them, they can't shoot |
Karate
A hard style: breaking bones and armor.
| Move | Condition | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Armor Breaking Combo | This turn you hit the target with both a melee weapon and a Martial Arts strike | Once per turn, DV 15: all the target's armor −2 on top of normal ablation |
| Bone Breaking Strike | WILL 8+ | Instead of two strikes — one with the move: on a hit the target suffers Broken Ribs. At −8, declared in advance — to the head: Cracked Skull |
Judo
A soft style: grabs, throws, escapes.
| Move | Condition | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Counter Throw | Since your last turn you've dodged every melee attack | As an Action, once per turn, DV 15: throw one of those you dodged — no Grab needed, and it can't be dodged |
| Grapple Escape | This turn you made two attacks | Once per turn, DV 15: you break free of a Grab, and the opponent suffers a Broken Arm |
Taekwondo
A hard style: high, precise kicks to pressure points.
| Move | Condition | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Pressure Point Strike | WILL 8+ | Instead of two strikes — one with the move: on a hit, Spinal Injury. At −8, declared in advance — to the head: Brain Injury |
| Flying Kick | MOVE 8+, this turn you moved at least 4 meters | Instead of two strikes — a straight dash at the target of up to 4 meters; you don't move again this turn. On a hit — Martial Arts damage, the target falls and is knocked off a motorcycle or an open vehicle |
A Critical Injury from a move is the same as from a Critical Injury hit: its effects are in the injury tables. If the target already has that injury, they don't get it a second time.
Related: Melee combat, Critical Injury