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Help with Martial Arts characters..Please.


Herolover

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Hello all.

 

I have agreed to GM a Martial Arts adventure at a Convention coming up and I am hoping to get some help with the characters. Basically I need to come up with an idea for 6 characters. The basic idea is that the characters are from the same “school.†The “school†teaches many different forms of Martial arts so I don’t see that as being a problem.

 

So far I have:

 

Quick Guy: High Dexterity, Strikes a lot. His Martial art is based on hitting a lot with small damage.

Big Guy: Very Strong, but not so quick. Martial art is based on not hitting often, but wow when he does.

Focused One: Master of Chi’ She/he will focus on chi’ abilities with only a little martial arts.

Ninja: enough said

????

 

I need two more or maybe you have one that would do better than the four above.

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Re: Help with Martial Arts characters..Please.

 

Hello all.

 

I have agreed to GM a Martial Arts adventure at a Convention coming up and I am hoping to get some help with the characters. Basically I need to come up with an idea for 6 characters. The basic idea is that the characters are from the same “school.†The “school†teaches many different forms of Martial arts so I don’t see that as being a problem.

 

When you say school ... are you looking at something like Ranma 1/2 or the Rival Schools video game?

 

So far I have:

 

Quick Guy: High Dexterity, Strikes a lot. His Martial art is based on hitting a lot with small damage.

Big Guy: Very Strong, but not so quick. Martial art is based on not hitting often, but wow when he does.

Focused One: Master of Chi’ She/he will focus on chi’ abilities with only a little martial arts.

Ninja: enough said

????

 

I need two more or maybe you have one that would do better than the four above.

 

I think I'd also add:

The Party Guy: Guy's into martial arts as a social function ... may be good at some things, but overall, he's a bit aloof.

The Weapon Master: In hand to hand, he couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag ... but give this guy a weapon and daaaaamn!

The Chi Warrior: Like most video games, this guy has some pretty neat abilities like throwing Chi Fireballs or having some kind of weird energy abilities.

The Rebel: Every good martial arts team needs a Joe (as in Joe the Condor from Gatchaman). This guy disses the leader and has some skill to do so.

 

Hope this helps

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Re: Help with Martial Arts characters..Please.

 

By "school" I mean....well...what I am thinking is they all train at the same place. The "place" teaches many different arts according to what each student is best suited for. I don't want to go the temple route so I am calling it a school.

 

Thanks for the ideas they are things I hadn't thought about.

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Re: Help with Martial Arts characters..Please.

 

Be sure the Ninja buys the Talent 'Flip out and kill people' at 15 or less.

 

Other ideas either to fight against or for players.

Fan Artist - Uses bladed fans.

 

Clothing Fighter - Uses specialized clothing weighted for fighting, especially the cloak lined with blades on it's lower hem.

 

The Kinetisist - Causes Knockback, lots of knockback. Uses motion of any sort as a weapon against any attackers.

 

The Philospoher - Master of the Seven Palms, each one causes a different effect, from Poison, Drains, Blindness, etc, etc. Recites snippets of philosophy with each attack.

 

The Untouchable - This guy blocks, dodges, has a high DCV and has an END Drain Damage shield. He wears out his targets till he can overpower them with little effort.

 

The Whirlwind - Uses the forces of his own motion to whip up extraordinary gusts of wind. TK for pushing, Extra Leaping, Entangle Whirlwind, Invisibility with Bright Fringe, and much much more! All for $19.95.

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Re: Help with Martial Arts characters..Please.

 

Why not step back from the champion-esq descriptions and let the martial art styles themselves determine the differences for you?

 

As a good starting point, UMA has many animal based styles listed for Kung-Fu:

 

 

  • Bear Style-Levels commited to increase damage
  • Eagle Claw-grab based
  • Monkey Style-openly deceptive
  • Praying Mantis Style-counter-puncher
  • White Crane-Levels commited to DCV, repeated attacks without dodging
  • Shaolin Styles:
    • Crane Style-NND(1) strike
    • Dragon Style-combo of Eagle Claw and Praying Mantis
    • Leopard Style-Levels commited to OCV
    • Snake Style-advanced Crane
    • Tiger Style-very broad

Specific ideas:

 

 

  1. Give Bear or Eagle Claw the best STR.
  2. Give Leopard the best DEX.
  3. Give Praying Mantis the best SPD.
  4. Monkey and White Crane are both a sort of combat ninja already. Let either one fill that roll outside of combat as well.
  5. Crane, Snake or Dragon could fit the 'Focused One' concept.
  6. Tiger could fit as the best generalist and possibly team leader. maybe not the strongest, fastest or most tricks but a close second in all and usually the last guy standing.

Using the above ideas in combination with the mixing the character's ages and motivations should help you round out a balanced group of six characters for the game. If you don't want to stick to Kung-Fu you could just say the schools master is an animal lover and bases his teachings around animals regardless of the origins of the particular art.

 

HM

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Re: Help with Martial Arts characters..Please.

 

Different Shaolin (or Xiao Lin, is the more proper pinyin spelling) styles:

 

Crane: Passive style, very circlular. Concentrate on week points of the body and pressure points, originally designed they say by a princess of the Fukian province for women.

 

Monkey: a very low (stance wise) energetic style, you'll confuse the enemy W/seemingly randon manuevers then suprise them with viscous infighting techniques. The first time I faced a monkey guy he punched my foot, MY FOOT, and it F-IN hurt...Acrobatics are definitly appropriate. Designed they say by an inprisoned fighter.

 

Snake: Very fast, linear style, like crane think about weak points strikes (throat, neck, armpit, solar plexus, ect ect). I believe this dates back to the original Xiao Lin temple, could be wrong.

 

Tiger: Should be a VERY agressive and powerful stylist. all OCV little concern about defence. The "hardest" of the styles or forms named so far. Palm strikles ussually will invovle a grab, rip and/or tear technique at the end of them. Very linear, very strength based.

 

Dragon: I'm partial here, as it is the focus of my studies. The goals is to balance all of the above principles. A soft style that is Hard only at the moment of impact (tigre and crane), low and rooted but very mobile like the monkey. Circular and linear allow the opponents to use more energy then direct that energy back into them. Dragons Punch and kick, wrestle, grapple and ground fight (whether southen or northern). Yeah I'm a little partial :angel:

 

Things you tag on to any of these styles:

 

Northern vs. Southern: I the north where the areas are more rural and spacious, the fighters learn deep braod stances with broad kicks and long arm techniques (think of hammers on roaps swinging). In the more Urban South of china, the fighters learn a slightly higher stance position and more close fighting techniques.

 

Drunken: Similar to monkey, but you're acting (or maybe you are) drunk. It's all about mis-direction.

 

If you use Kung Fu remember that it is very weapons heavey, early on in your studies you'll start using a variety of weapons from staffs to swords to pole arms, even esoteric weapons like the 3-section staff and hook swords.

 

As a note: I study Norther Green Dragon, all of the animal forms I mentioned are part of the style, they inform our Dragon training (we are not a 5 animal system, that a different beast).

 

Thats all if you want a semi realistic Kung fu feel, through the game. In fantasy/fiction we've benefit of taking what we like and leaving the rest. I know a bit about Mantis, Choy li Fut, Southern Dragon and Eagle claw, but those aren't my area's of study and I don't feel comfortable trying to talk about them.

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Re: Help with Martial Arts characters..Please.

 

:) See this is the reason I asked this question on this board. What a great idea. Thanks Hyper-Man. I have been wondering what and how I am going to do things' date=' but your suggestion is perfect. :cheers:[/quote']

 

Glad you liked the idea. Please post the characters and give us an update on how the convention goes.

 

HM

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Re: Help with Martial Arts characters..Please.

 

So far you guys have been a great help. I figure I am going to go for the Wushu style of game so my players can imagine the movies "HERO" and "Big Trouble in Little China.". The little blurb I gave the convention is:

 

Title: Students of Wan Feng and the Green Monkey

Description:

Medieval Martial Arts

As students of the great Chinese martial artist Wan Feng you live a secluded life. However, all that changes when your “Sifu†goes missing and the local warlord declares your school to be outlawed. Can you find master Wan and your school's save the secret documents?

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Re: Help with Martial Arts characters..Please.

 

Of course.

 

I am reading it. Had it for long time, it and UMA. Of course, I know you and your site. Even got Kazie 5, but never got a chance to use it.

 

I am just needing basic ideas. Like Archetypes sorta. Making them I don't think will be to difficult and will post them when I get them ready.

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Re: Help with Martial Arts characters..Please.

 

Of course.

 

I am reading it. Had it for long time, it and UMA. Of course, I know you and your site. Even got Kazie 5, but never got a chance to use it.

 

I am just needing basic ideas. Like Archetypes sorta. Making them I don't think will be to difficult and will post them when I get them ready.

 

I have a list of archetypes somewhere in there.... video game archetypes I think (big bruiser, kung fu goddess in a tight dress, and so on).

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Re: Help with Martial Arts characters..Please.

 

Yea' date=' I saw that. Honestly however, I was looking more toward Wushu. I have never been into the Video game stuff and don't know a lot about it.[/quote']

 

Wushu/Wuxia -- the clown, the priest, the wandering swordsman/bounty hunter, the Taoist sorcerer/ghostbuster... that's all I got right now.

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Re: Help with Martial Arts characters..Please.

 

Dunno if this will be any use but:

 

Video Game Character Adaptations

 

Street Fighter, King of Fighters, someone from Dead or Alive, and so on.

 

That reminds me...when will you or Chad do my martial artest goddess with sausage curls and an unlimited bank acount, Street Fighter Alpha 3's varrie own Karin?

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Re: Help with Martial Arts characters..Please.

 

As a variation on the Weapon Master, if you want to stick to Kung-Fu and it's substyles, how about the ubiquitous Jackie Chanesque "Guy who beats people silly with random stuff". Build him off of Kung-Fu, giving him Susano's aptly named "Use art with stuff" and then don't really up his DC's with the base Kung-Fu. So he might have, for example, 15 STR with a +2d6 Basic Strike, but you then make the use art with stuff a +4d6 Hand Attack with a focus.

 

I'm overcomplicating this explanation. Just go to Michael's site and look:

 

http://surbrook.devermore.net/adaptionshkaction/jackie.html

 

;)

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Re: Help with Martial Arts characters..Please.

 

That reminds me...when will you or Chad do my martial artest goddess with sausage curls and an unlimited bank acount' date=' Street Fighter Alpha 3's varrie own Karin?[/quote']

 

Yer gonna have to bug Chad about that one.

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Re: Help with Martial Arts characters..Please.

 

Okay thanks to all those who have replied to this thread. I appreciate the help. This is for the Egyptian Campaign Convention in Carbondale, IL in April so if you are going stop reading here.....

 

 

Okay. I have settled on the following characters:

Character #1 Strong, Bear Kung-Fu

Character #2 Quick, High Dex, Leapord Kung-Fu

Character #3 Decent Dex, High Speed, Shaolin Crane

Character #4 Fights with polearm-spear--Style?

Character #5 White Eyebrow Kung-Fu, master of Chi’

Character #6 Tiger Kung Fu--generalist

 

Writeups to start following once I get to them.

I am wanting this to be Wushu-with a hint of realism. I see the characters being based on between 100-200 points. I want them to have some "powrer," but rely on martial arts manuevers most of time. We will see how I do.

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Re: Help with Martial Arts characters..Please.

 

Just so you know, I think your looking for the Wu Xia, that's the cinematic/pulp style fiction of the Chinese culture (dates back some 1300 or so years). WuShu just means Martial arts or war arts.

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Re: Help with Martial Arts characters..Please.

 

 

Wow! That's one tought Rabbit!

 

I've been thinking about the animal theme idea some more and a very strange thought came to mind. Do these guys remind anyone else of the Thundercats?!

 

:eek:

HM

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Re: Help with Martial Arts characters..Please.

 

Just so you know' date=' I think your looking for the Wu Xia, that's the cinematic/pulp style fiction of the Chinese culture (dates back some 1300 or so years). WuShu just means Martial arts or war arts.[/quote']

 

Oops your right. I m really trying to figure out the realism-cinematic angle. I, personally, like realism the best, but I want some cinematic stuff because I like that too.

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