This is an attempt to bring some rules about Martial Arts to Star Wars. A few basic changes are made to the rules to start with: When fighting another unarmed oponent and the player is using the (A)Martial Arts(unarmed) skill, the player rolls Brawling+(A)Martial Arts(unarmed) skill dies. The same is true when fighting with axes, swords, etc.

To make the Martial Arts skill a bit more useful, there's a bunch of techniques that can be learned. When first getting the (A)Martial Arts(unarmed) skill, 4 techniques are automatically recieved: Punch, Kick, Parry, Grapple. All other techniques must be purchased separately. Techniques has a "level" rating, the player character must have a (A)Martial Arts skill with at least xD skill level, to be able to purchase a technique with level x.

Example:

Arnold, AKA Grasshopper, has (A)Martial Arts(unarmed) at 3D+2. Arnold can purchase techniques with level rating 1, 2, or 3.

Learning a technique requires training. 1 week per character point if having a trainer, 2 weeks per character point otherwise.

Example:

Arnold, AKA Grasshopper, decides to learn a new technique. He finds a teacher with a refreshing "You don't call me master, I don't name you after insects"-attitude. He decides to learn the Feint-technique. Feint is a level 2 technique, so it'll take Arnold 2 weeks to learn, and cost 2 character points. Had Arnold decided to develop the technique himself, it would have taken him 4 weeks at a cost of 4 character points.

Most Martial Arts techniques is based on a simple opposing skill test to check for success or failure. However, some are based on different skills/attributes (for instance, to find an opening in an opponents armour, one rolls PER+(A)Martial Arts), others require two or more rolls to resolve (For instance, feint first requires a KNO+(A)Martial Arts against opponents PER(+eventual Martial Arts) if this is successful, a normal offensive technique can be picked and used with a bonus against oponent), is automatic (requires no skill roll, like the Initative, and Improved Initative techniques), or have a basic difficulty that must be overcome in ADDITION to the opposed roll of the opponent (for instance, a nerve punch must not only beat the defenders Brawling+Martial Arts, but also beat a difficulty of Heroic+5 to be effective). All this is listed together with the technique, and it's description.

Note, tecniques that give bonuses, like Initiative does NOT stack! For instance, if a character has both Initiative and Improved Initiative, only the highest bonus is granted. If a charcter has both Armed and Uharmed Martial Arts and the Improved Initiative technique of both disciplines, he'll get the bonus from Unarmed against unarmed opponents, and the bonus from Armed against armed opponents, and people falling under neither category (for instance, opponents wielding ranged weapons), only the +2D bonus will be granted.

Example:

Grasshopper, sorry, Arnold is Martial Artis extraordinaire, and have both the unarmed and armed Martial Arts skills. He has Improved Initative in unarmed, and Initiative in armed. He faces three opponents, one unarmed, one armed with a vibro-dagger, and one armed with a blaster. From his Improved Initative in Unarmed MA, he get's a +4D initative bonus agains the unarmed oponent. He get's +2D against the opponent wielding a dagger, either from Improved Initative, or his armed Initative technique. For the blaster wielding oponent, a +2D initiative bonus is given from Improved Initiative.

If Arnold learns Improved Initiative for Armed MA as well, he'll get +¤D against both the unarmed and the vibro dagger wielding opponents. He still gets the +2D bonus against the blaster wielding opponent, either from his Armed or Unarmed Imprioved Initative.


Unarmed Martial Arts Techniques

TechniqueLevel RollsBasic difficulty Pre-requisits Description
Punch (automatic) Brawling+MA None None A basic punch. Having the advantage of high class Martial Arts training the punch has better precision than a normal punch. Due to this increase in precision, decrease the additional difficulty from called shots with 1D. I.e, on 10-50cm: +0D, 1-10cm: +3D, > 1cm: +7D
Kick (automatic) Brawling+MA None None Works just like the Punch technique, but also does +1D additional damage.
Parry (automatic) Brawling+MA None None Basic parrying of opposing brawling/unarmed martial arts attacks.
Grapple (automatic) Brawling+MA None None If successful, the opponent is gripped by the character. This is a pre-requisit to be able to later throw the character, or get the opponent into a lock. When gripped, the grappler gains a +2D to hit bonus on the gripped character and on initiative against the gripped character only! The gripped character can break free by doing an opposed STR check.
Feint 2 Knowledge+MA,Attack-roll None None This skill allows the attacker to try to feint the opponent. First roll an opposing roll, Knowledge+MA for the attacker, Perception+MA for the defender. If the attacker wins, he can make a free attack directly, with a +3D bonus to hit. If the defender wins he get's a +3D bonus to defend.
Sweep 2 Brawling+MA None None If successful (winning an opposed check against the opponents Brawling+MA), the opponents legs are sweeped and the opponent crashes to the ground and falls prone for the rest of the round (unless having counter-techniques). The opponent takes STR+1 in damage.
Cushion Fall 2 Brawling+MA None None This skill is used to cushion the damage taken from a fall, like after being thrown or swept. The basic difficulty is Moderate, and will decrease damage taken with 1D. Difficult will decrease damage with 2D, and allow the thrown character to retain his/her actions. Every +10 to the result subtracts another 1D of damage, down to no damage at all.
Quick Recovery 2 Brawling+MA None None This skill is used to quickly (as reaction skill) get back on ones feet after beeing thrown, or swept, or otherwise pushed to the ground. The difficulty is Easy, increase one level for each level of injury, i.e, Wounded: Moderate, Wounded twice: difficult, all other impossible.
Simple Throw 2 Brawling+MA None Grappling If the character has successfully gripped an opponent, he can try to throw him. If he beats the opponents Brawling+MA roll, the opponent is thrown and falls prone up to 1m from the throwing character. The trhwon character looses all remaining actions for that round (unless he possesses counter techniques) and takes (attackers)STR+1D damage
Iniative 3 Automatic None None Gives a +2D bonus on initative rolls when facing opponents in a fisticuff. Obviously does not help when facing opponents armed with blasters. Improved initative (level 5 skill) gives +4D bonus, and can be used against melee-using opponents.
Advanced Punch 3 Brawling+MA Moderate None A more advanced, and stylish version of the basic Punch tecnique. Does not improve precision, but does +2 extra damage. This technique can be used with elbows, fists, open hands, palms, etc. If the character misses the basic difficulty, the miss throws him off balance, making him loose his nect action, and to get -1D on all subsequent actions for that round.
Advanced Kick 3 Brawling+MA Moderate None As with Advanced Punch, this is a more elaborate version of the basic basic kick. It does not give any higher precision, but damage increases with another 1D (giving STR+2D as total damage for the kick). As with Advanced punch, this can be used with feets and knees equally well, and a missed basic difficulty throws the character of blanace, making him loose the 2 next actions, as well to give -2D on all subsequent actions for that round.
Defensive Posture 3 Nonde None None This technique is basically a defensive "attitude". In the beginning of the round, a character with this technique may announce his intention of going into Defensive Posture. This means that the character during the entire round, will do NOTHING but defend. The character will get +2D to all (defensive) manouvers, and may roll a defense roll against ALL incoming attacks (with subsequent -1D for additional actions) is he so whishes.
Offensive Posture 3 None None None This technique is the exact opposite of Defensive Posture. It's use must be declared first thing in the round. The character will gain +2D on initative AND attack manouvers. The character can do nothing but attacking, not even use reaction skills.
High Precision Punch 4 Brawling+MA Moderate Advanced Punch This version of Punch allows the character to take careful aim, negating up to 4D of penalty for taking called shots, meaning that aiming at anything from 1cm up to 50cm carries NO penalties (aiming for somethin less than 1cm still gives -4D penalty). However, due to the high precision of this technique, the damage dealt suffers a -2 penalty (STR-2, minimum 1). If the base difficulty is missed the attack deals even less damage (STR-(1D+2)). This technique can be used to take shots at glitches in armour for instance.
High Precision kick 4 Brawling+MA Moderate Advanced Kick This is the Kick version of Precision Punch. The difference lies in damage penalties, a successful use gives STR damage (I.e, -1D from normal kick damagae), and STR-1D for non-successful use.
Advanced Parry 4 Brawling+MA None None As normal parry, but can now be used to parry melee attacks as well. Against oponents with NO martial arts skill, a +2D bonus is recieved at the parry.
Lock 5 Brawling+MA Moderate This is a follow-up technique after a successful grapple has been made. This will force your opponent into a painful lock (wrist lock or similar). To get free, an opposed STR-check must be made. The locker get's a +2D bonus to retain the lock. An additional +1D bonus on initative/atttacK/defense rolls (stacks with the bonus from gripped) is awarded the holder of the lock. However, if the character fails the basic roll, the person grapped will get a +3D bonus to his strength check to break free.
Power Punch 5 Brawling+MA None Advanced Punch This punch sacrifices precision for power. The user can subtract as many dices from his Brawling+MA roll as he has dies in MA and put them on damage instead. The basic damage for the punch is STR+1D. For instance, a character with Brawling: 5D+2, and MA: 4D+1, can add anything from +1D to +4D in damage to the punch, with the sacrifice that the attack roll will siffer as many dies in extra penalty. If picking a +4D punch, the character would roll 6D (5D+2 and +1 from MA for a toal of 6D), but do a whooping STR+5D in damage! Due to the intense energy released into the kick, the character will get a penalty on initative the next round equal to the number of dies subtracted from MA.
Power Kick 5 Brawling+MA None Advanced Kick This is basically the same as Power Punch. Same rules apply, except that the basic damage is STR+2D, and you get 1D+1 extra damage for each D taken from MA at attack roll.
Improved Initative 6 None None Iniative A more elaborate version of the Iniative technique. When facing unarmed opponents the user will get a +4D iniative bonus. When facing opponents wielding melee weapons, or ramged weapons, a +2D initiative bonus is yielded, giving the user a small chance to run up to his opponent and kick the shit out of them before they make him/her eat blaster energy.
Advanced Throw 6 Brawling+MA None Simple Throw A more elaborate throwing technique than the Simple Throw. The character to be thrown must still be gripped, but can now be thrown up to STR D meters, in a direction chosen by the thrower (i.e, be thrown over cliffs, at sharp-edged furniture and other thigns that may increase damage). The basic damage to the thrown character is STR+3D, and a Cushion Fall attempt will recieve a +15 difficulty penalty.
Sweeping Kick 7 Brawling+MA Difficult None This skill will allow the character to spin around in a circle, kicking at multiple targets within one action. A roll must be done for each target, for each "new" target add a -2D penalty. Up to 6 people can be kicked in this way, and it is all done in one action (thus, if you go first, you kan attack 6 targets, if in reach, in your first action without any opponents getting any interveaning actions). Using this technique only counts as one action when calculating multiple-actions penalties.

Due to the nature of the attack, the damage to the first opponent is STR+2D, and for each subsequent opponent struck, subtract 1 from damage, minimum +1 n damage.

If one of the strikes fails to meet the basic difficulty, the character seriously looses his balance, and looses ALL subsequent actions, plus get a -4D penalty on all reaction skills for that round, and -2D penalty on initiative the round after.
Nerve Punch 9 Brawling+MA Heroic High Precision Punch This is a punch directed at sensitive spots on the opponents body (Dim Mak, Vulcan Death Grip, whatever you want to call it). The opponent must be unarmed, or the user must have made a Difficult PER check to find a suitable "weak spot" in the armour. If the attack is successful AND higher than the Basic Difficulty, roll STR+1D in damage. If a result of Wounded or higher is recieved the user is unconscious for 10D minutes. If a result of Incapacitated or higher is recieved the attacker can opt to make the attack a killing attack.
Blind Fighting 9 Perception+MA Heroic None This technique allows the character to fight in complete darkness using his/her other senses to guide them (smell, hearing, touch, etc). The technique needs only be activated once for a fightm and counts as an action. If the roll is higher than the basic difficulty, the character can ignore all penalties for lkow visibility.

Character with enhanced senses (Heightened smelling capacity of the average ewok) may add those bonuses to the technique check.

A few examples on the use of some techniques:

Example:

Arnold decides to grapple with his opponent during a bar room brawl. Arnold rolls his Brawling+MA for a total of 18, the opponent rolls an opposing brawling and reaches 16, the opponent is gripped, and can onyl try to break free of the grip should he have any remaining actions.

The round after, Arnold decides to puch his opponent and the opponent decides to break free. Rolling their DEX for iniative, Arnold gets a +2D bonus and, surprisingly, wins and goes first and gets to punch his opponent. The punch is also done with a +2D bonus to hit. The roll is a success, and the opponents nose breaks, for the umpteenth time. The opponent decides to break free, and rolls his strength for a toal of 16. If Arnold rolls 17 or more, the opponent remains gripped. If he rolls 16 or lower, the opponent breaks free.

Example:

Benke is going into Defensive Posture against his 3 opponents. The first opponent rolls a 12, benkes defense is rolled with a +2D bonus, and stops at 14. A really bad roll, and Benke barely blocks his attackers move. The next attacker rolls 26 (Benke does not know this). Benke can chose to retain his 14, or to re-roll his defense with -1D. Benke choses, luckily, to re-roll, and rolls a 36 and blocks. The next attacker rolls 19. benke can, once again, chose to retain his last result (36), or to re-roll, with another -1D, total -2D in penalty. Benke wisely choses to retain his 36 roll and blocks the third attack with ease.

Example:

Guthrie the Gutter Sweeper is fighting a thug. Guthrie grips the thug, and forces him down into a lock. The thug is unable to break free. The next round Guthrie decides to do an Advanced Throw on the thug. Guthries MA skill check for the Throw beats the thugs defense MA roll. Guthrie has a STR of 3D+2, and can throw Guthrie 3 meters, in any direction. For shits and giggles, Guthrie decides to throw the thug into a pen of nerfs (don't ask).

If the thug does nothing to cushion his fall, he'll get STR+3D in damage (The GM rules that landing in a nerf pen inflicts no extra damage).

However, if the Thug possesses (A)Martial Arts (unarmed) and the Cushion Fall technique he can try to relieve some of the damage. To subtract 1D of damage, he must make a Moderate+15 roll, a Difficult +15 roll will subtract 2D of damge, and allow the thug to retain his declared actions. Diffcult+25 will subtract 3D of damage, etc, etc..

Example:

Jürg the Juggler, martial artist extraordinaire, gets involved in a bar room brawl (again, does the guy NEVER learns?) against 4 thugs. Jürg has Brawling 6D+1, and (A)Martial Arts(unarmed) 9D. Rolls for initatives is made, and Jürg is to go first. Jürg declares that he will do a Sweeping Kick against all 4 opponents (they are within reach), and then do a Nerve Punch on the biggest oponent. This is two actions, and the mutliple action penalty for Jürg is -1D.

For the "first round of actions", Jürg does his Sweeping Kick, for the first opponent he rolls 12D+1 (Brawling+MA-1D for multiple actions), for the second opponents 10D+1 (Brawling+MA-1D for multiple actions-2D for second opponent), 8D+1 for third, 6D+1 for fourth.


(A)Martial Arts (armed) works more or less exactly as (A)Martial Arts(unarmed). A Melee of 5D (Specialisations does not count), is pre-requisit before the (A)Martial Arts (armed) skill can be learned. Once it is learnt, apropriate specialisations can be used when a Melee+MA check is called for. Further, some techniques can only be used with a certain type of weapon. For instance, the "Double Blow" can only be used with a staff, or a light staff or similar weapon. Such will however be indicated in the technique description.

Users of lightsabers can use the lightsaber skill (5D minimum) as the skill to get (A)Martial Arts(armed), but can subsequently only use MA with the lightsaber, until reaching a 5D in melee.

Example:

Benke the Jedi has Lightsaber: 6D+2 and Melee: 4D+2. He decides to learn (A)Martial Arts(armed) and finds a teacher, and gets the skill at 1D after spending the proper amount of training time and character points. Benke can now use the basic tecniques when fighting with his lightsaber. However, when wielding any other Melee-weapon, he may not use his Martial Art at all.

Later Benke raises his Melee-skill to 5D. This indicates that he has gained sufficent wisdom in the way of beating the shit out of stuff with sticks, and may now use his Martial Arts skill whether he weilds his lightsaber, or any other melee weapon.

Armed Martial Arts Techniques

TechniqueLevel RollsBasic difficulty Pre-requisits Description
Slash (Automatic) Melee+MA None None Basic slashing strike with a weapon, does not nescessarily need to be done with a sword or knife. This technique yields a bit lower precision than a normal attack (-1D to hit), but a higher damage (+1D, even if over max damage, see example).
Thrust (Automatic) Melee+MA None None Basic thrusting strike with a weapon. This technique yields a bit higher precision than a normal attack (+1D to hit), but a lower damage (-1D, never lower than +1)
Parry (Automatic) Melee+MA None None Basic parrying technique of opposing melee/Armed Martial Arts attacks.

Example:

Benke, armed with a vibro dagger (STR+3D, max 6D), is fighting a thug. Benke has STR: 4D, Melee: 5D+1, (A)Martial Arts(armed): 3D. He strikes the thug using basic Slash. He rolls 7D+1 for the check (Melee: 5D+1, MA: 3D, -1D for using slash). He hits, and gets to roll 7D damage, (STR+3D = 7D, cut down to 6D due to max damage, +1D for using Slash).

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