Creating a "Stance Change" mechanic

[XtraSaltySalt]

I'm a fairly new to the HERO system (using 6E) and my friends and I are playing a game with combat heavily martial arts focused. I would like to create a character based around the Five Animal style of Shaolin Kung Fu, and I think it would be interesting to have the character cycle through the five different stances (Leopard, Snake, Tiger, Crane, and Dragon) Each stance providing  different small stat increases associated with the animal and their element. I'd like it only one stance could be used at a time and if some sort of transitional strike could be used to allow you to change stances and keep your opponent on their toes. I have a few ideas as to how I could accomplish it, but since I don't know the ins and outs of the system the only ways I've come up with doing it seem clunky. I'm wondering if anyone else has done something similar, i.e. like a robot switching from attack mode to defense mode to speed mode or something, and if you could help me out.

Thanks for any help!

[Lord Liaden]

Welcome, XtraSaltySalt! (Didn't the Food and Drug Administration ban you?)   It's always a pleasure to meet newcomers to the forums. We're generally a pretty friendly and helpful bunch, so you should be getting multiple suggestions soon.

 

I'll admit that I've never dived into martial arts distinctions in my games to the extent you're interested in. However, I can tell you that the Hero Games supplementary book for 6E, HERO System Martial Arts, describes and analyzes over a hundred martial-arts styles and variants, both real-world and fictional. The description of Kung Fu/Wushu details a large range of substyles of Kung Fu including the ones you're interested in, noting which MA maneuvers are typical for each substyle, how they look and how they're used in combat, any Skills that are particular to each, and in some cases, special abilities distinctive to practitioners of that substyle.

 

Even if you didn't end up using its suggestions, the book's coverage of all elements of martial arts games and campaigns, and translation of them to HERO terms, is so broad and wide-ranging, that if as you say you're engaged in MA-heavy play you're bound to find something to enhance your game.

 

I hope that was a helpful suggestion, but as I say, you can expect more to come.

[BhelliomRahl]

My thoughts would be to use a Power Framework, Multipower.

Create a Multipower: Martial Styles

Then build each style within that multipower as a set.
You could switch styles each phase or put in a limitation that you can only switch with a roll or a specific action.

[Ninja-Bear]

@XtraSaltySalt, welcome aboard. As LL noted Hero System Martial Arts book is a great resource. If someone has access to Champions Complete, look at Green Dragon. He has a Stance Multipower, similar to what @BhelliomRahl said. Remember though that this is Hero System so if you don’t like the build you can (and should) change it. Now though for something simpler, remember that SFX is separate from Mechanics so you can buy one maneuver and define it several ways. I.e Offensive Strike can be described as a Side Kick, Elbow Strike  or Roundhouse Punch.  Now the rule is that if you have Knowledge Skill in each style, you don’t have to rebuy Offensive Strike each time, the skill covers the special effect part. Talk to you GM and see if he is going to give a Surprise Bonus when you switch Styles. 

[Christopher R Taylor]

Another way to build it is to have a set of different "talents" that are exclusive (each is locked out so you can only use one at a time) and then the character chooses between them.

 

For example:

Offensive Stance (+1 damage class with martial arts, +1 OCV, +2m running; -1 DCV, must make a Power Skill roll (martial arts) to start, lockout to other stances)

 

Defensive Stance (3 PD, 3 ED Combat Luck, +1 DCV; -1 OCV, must make a Power Skill roll (martial arts) to start, lockout to other stances)

 

Mob Stance (3 PD, 3 ED Combat Luck, +1 OCV when making multiple attacks, +1 DCV vs multiple attackers, must make a Power Skill roll (martial arts) to start, lockout to other stances)

 

Etc,  Each of these can be used one at a time, and represent shifting your focus from one sort of combat to another.  "The Purple Otter is too strong for me, I need to shift into Defensive Stance!" etc

[Lord Liaden]

57 minutes ago, BhelliomRahl said:

My thoughts would be to use a Power Framework, Multipower.

Create a Multipower: Martial Styles

Then build each style within that multipower as a set.
You could switch styles each phase or put in a limitation that you can only switch with a roll or a specific action.

 

9 minutes ago, Ninja-Bear said:

As LL noted Hero System Martial Arts book is a great resource. If someone has access to Champions Complete, look at Green Dragon. He has a Stance Multipower, similar to what @BhelliomRahl said.

 

Excellent suggestions, and Green Dragon's write-up in Champions Villains Volume Three: Solo Villains also includes that Stance Multipower. Each slot is defined as a particular animal-based Stance (Cat/Crane/Horse/Phoenix/Tiger) with a Power, Talent or Combat Skill Level for a specific purpose, each costing Endurance even if it normally doesn't. (Costs END Limitation is a commonly-used loophole for published characters allowing game elements to be put into a Power Framework when they're not normally permitted.)

[XtraSaltySalt]

Thanks everyone! I'll look into Green Dragon for an example and start talking with my GM. Super glad for all the help and I'll make sure to be back if I have any other questions

[Ninja-Bear]

4 hours ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

Another way to build it is to have a set of different "talents" that are exclusive (each is locked out so you can only use one at a time) and then the character chooses between them.

 

For example:

Offensive Stance (+1 damage class with martial arts, +1 OCV, +2m running; -1 DCV, must make a Power Skill roll (martial arts) to start, lockout to other stances)

 

Defensive Stance (3 PD, 3 ED Combat Luck, +1 DCV; -1 OCV, must make a Power Skill roll (martial arts) to start, lockout to other stances)

 

Mob Stance (3 PD, 3 ED Combat Luck, +1 OCV when making multiple attacks, +1 DCV vs multiple attackers, must make a Power Skill roll (martial arts) to start, lockout to other stances)

 

Etc,  Each of these can be used one at a time, and represent shifting your focus from one sort of combat to another.  "The Purple Otter is too strong for me, I need to shift into Defensive Stance!" etc

I like this idea if you’re running more Heroic level.

[Christopher R Taylor]

Quote

I like this idea if you’re running more Heroic level.

 

Its how the talents in the Jolrhos campaign work.  Honestly I will get that book out, its just been a very busy and tiring time lately.  I moved our mom into the house and she takes up almost all my time and energy just caring for her.

[LoneWolf]

As @Ninja-Bear said you can have a single maneuver represent multiple real-world maneuvers.   You can also use skill level to further define those maneuvers.    Skill levels can be used to increase your OCV, DCV and even damage.   It does take 2 skill levels to increase damage.  This allows a martial artist incredible flexibility.   Take whatever Kung Fu maneuvers you want and use the skill level to represent specific stances or maneuvers.   For a defensive stance put most or all the levels to DCV, for a more offensive stance they go to OCV or maybe damage.  Mix them up as needed with the special effect of taking whatever stance you want.   

 

If you are running a martial arts focus campaign, you really should pick up the Hero System martial arts.  The book has a lot of useful advice and examples.  They even have a way to build a martial artist without using the martial arts maneuvers.   Basically, you simply buy a huge amount of skill levels with a few maneuvers and use skill levels to simulate the maneuvers.   For example, if you had 8 skill levels you could use 4 for +2 OCV, +2 DCV and the remaining 6 to get +2d6 damage, or you could go use all 8 to get +4d6 damage.   This is what gave me the idea to use skill levels for the stances.  This gives you the best of both worlds.  The maneuvers can get you things the skill levels cannot, but you still have some of the flexibility of the skill levels.  
 

[Christopher R Taylor]

Right, you can just use skill levels to define stances; make blocks of them to explain what you're doing.

 

Offensive: 3 into OCV, 2 into damage

Defensive: 4 into DCV, 1 into block

etc

[Ninja-Bear]

@XtraSaltySalt don’t forget that you can use Standard Maneuvers as well as the ones you pay points for.  Combat levels can work with Maneuvers depending on cost. The cheaper it is, the more narrowly focused you can apply them too.

 

Let us know, what power level you guys are playing at. Heroic and Super heroic have some minor differing rules.
 

Oh and not to confuse you but officially in 6th (not quite sure in 5th), the Multipower Martial Art can be used. However again since this seems to be your first foray, I’d recommend keeping things as simple as you are comfortable with. Just to get the basics down. 

[XtraSaltySalt]

@Ninja-Bear I believe its super heroic. We're definitely going for a Dragonball feeling for martial arts, with the characters/enemies being leagues above normal humans in feats of strength and agility.

Once again thanks for all of the suggestions and help everyone! 

[m.mavnn]

Diving back into the "old times" of the board, but this collection of maneuver descriptions inspired by the Wheel of Time show how much flavour you can pack into a "standard" martial art and some skill levels:

 

Going back to the original question, even a very small (10-15 point) multipower can make a huge difference to the "feel" of a character in play. Switch between "Eagle Observes the Flow: +1 OCV/DCV, cost END" and "Planted Oak Stance: +5 Resistant PD/ED, costs END, must be standing on a solid surface which takes the damage instead" and both your descriptions and tactical options will shift dramatically.