Martial Arts: Realistic Techniques
Many of these techniques are difficult – and some are dangerous to the user – but all are realistic. The GM could allow even the flashiest of them in a high-realism campaign.
Techniques That Aren't
Martial artists practice dozens of distinct attacks and defenses that they call "techniques." The majority of these aren't techniques in the sense of their definition. GURPS lets fighters use their combat skills to try hundreds of permutations of maneuvers, movement, and combat options; e.g., a swordsman can use Attack to turn in place and stab to the face, which is nothing like using All-Out Attack to dart forward and hack at a foot. Most "techniques" that martial artists study are simply variations of this kind. To underline this, the GM may opt to deny certain actions to the relatively untrained (see Limited Maneuver Selection).
Below are examples of "non-techniques." Warriors generally can't improve these independently of skill – although highly optional Targeted Attacks and Combinations can remove hit location and Rapid Strike penalties.
Stances
Every martial art has specialized stances, many of which bear interesting names: "cat stance" (from Karate), "boar's tooth" (from Longsword Fighting), and so on. Defensive stances allow the Defensive Attack and [[All-Out Defense}} maneuvers. Forward-leaning, aggressive stances justify All-Out Attack (Long). Low, broad stances are less vulnerable to takedowns, and explain why high grappling skills help resist such attacks. Knowledge of effective fighting stances isn't an independent technique – it's one of the most basic elements covered by any combat skill.
Punches
Any straight or crossing blow with a closed fist is a basic punch at Boxing, Brawling, or Karate skill. The name for such a strike depends on the style and the combat maneuver. Crosses, hooks, and reverse punches are typical Attacks; a jab is the archetypal Defensive Attack; and a lunge punch, roundhouse, or haymaker is a Committed Attack or All-Out Attack.
Many famous punches from sports and cinema are nothing more exotic than punches that use specific combat options. For instance, a "rabbit punch" is a punch to the back of the head or neck; the opening strike of Bruce Lee's "straight blast" is a Deceptive Attack that relies on sheer speed (see Jeet Kune Do); and the classic two-jab combination favored by boxers is a Rapid Strike.
Only punches that use unorthodox striking surfaces – the side of the hand, an open hand, an extended finger, two clasped hands, etc. – or that deliver extra damage without going "all-out" merit distinct techniques. These strikes are tricky without extra training. Examples include Exotic Hand Strike, Hammer Fist, Two-Handed Punch, and Uppercut.
Kicks
Almost every standing kick to a frontal target – including crescent, rising, side, and snap kicks – is a straight kicking attack at Karate-2 or Brawling-2. Short, jabbing kicks are Defensive Attacks. Hard-hitting hook and roundhouse kicks are Committed Attacks or All-Out Attacks. Combat options often enter the equation, too. For instance, the "double side kick" of Tae Kwon Do is a Rapid Strike – and also a Telegraphic Attack.
To improve all of these kicks, raise Kicking – or increase Karate or Brawling. Only kicks from unusual positions (Back Kick), those with limited target selection (e.g., Axe Kick and Stamp Kick), and those that require the attacker to hop, spin, or jump (such as Jump Kick, Spinning Kick, and Drop Kick) can justify distinct techniques. The additional training is needed to work around the risk or awkward angles involved.
Weapon Strikes
Armed stylists – especially swordsmen – often name or number their art's basic guard positions, thrusts, and swings. These are by definition standard attacks and parries, not explicit techniques. Most "advanced" methods add in maneuvers other than Attack. Draw cuts, flicking blows from the wrist, and so on are Defensive Attacks. Aggressive tactics – flèche, lunge, pass, stab-and-twist, etc. – are Committed Attacks or All-Out Attacks. The "floor lunge" is an All-Out Attack (Long).
Even some unusual modes of attack are normal blows combined with combat options. A dramatic, circular sword cut (called a moulinet by saber fighters) is a Telegraphic Attack. Sliding a weapon along the enemy's to bypass his guard (a "glide" or coulé) is a Deceptive Attack. Using the tip of a blade to cut is a Tip Slash. Striking a two-handed blow using a one-handed weapon is an application of Defensive Grip. Attacking with an inverted blade is an example of Reversed Grip.
Weapon techniques are mainly for difficult combat conditions (horseback, close combat, etc.) or non-striking attacks (especially sweeping and grappling).
Grappling
Grapples, takedowns, and pins – and many follow-ups, such as strangling and the options in Grab and Smash! – are possible even for average, untrained people. The Judo, Sumo Wrestling, and Wrestling skills teach moves that make such actions more effective, but these are left abstract, not bought as techniques. Grappling the arms from behind is called a "full nelson" and a takedown made by hooking your leg around your opponent’s, a "reap" ... but Full Nelson and Reap aren't techniques. The same applies to so-called "sticking hands": situational awareness is simply part of basic skill, and explains why more skilled fighters have a higher Parry and better odds in Quick Contests.
Grappling techniques are reserved for locks, breaks, and throws that require precise body positioning to be effective. Anyone can grab a foe, but it takes training to apply an arm bar. Examples include Arm Lock, Neck Snap, and Piledriver.
Setup Tactics
Attacking into an adversary's attack is a Stop Hit and a standard option for anybody who takes a Wait maneuver. Converting a parry into an attack is a Riposte, and possible for any fighter who can parry. To be successful at either, one must be good at attacks and parries in general. It makes little sense to train at these things exclusively!
Acrobatic Stand
Average
Default: Acrobatics-6.
Prerequisite: Acrobatics; cannot exceed Acrobatics skill.
This represents training at quickly regaining your feet in a fight; see Acrobatic Stand for details. A successful roll lets you go from lying down to standing as a single Change Posture maneuver; on a critical success, you do so as a "step." Failure means you go to a sitting posture. Critical failure leaves you lying down, wasting your turn.
You can also use Acrobatic Stand to go from crawling or sitting to standing as a step. In this case, failure means you stand as a Change Posture maneuver, not as a step. Critical failure means you fall down!
Modifiers: A penalty equal to your encumbrance level.
Aggressive Parry
Hard
Default: prerequisite skill Parry-1.
Prerequisite: Boxing, Brawling, or Karate; cannot exceed prerequisite Parry.
Only a few "hard" styles teach this tactic. Instead of merely deflecting a blow, you attempt to injure your attacker with an especially forceful parry. This is incompatible with Cross Parry.
Roll against Aggressive Parry to defend, at the usual -2 for Boxing vs. a kick, or -3 for Boxing or Brawling vs. a swung weapon. You cannot retreat. Failure means you're hit; your attacker may choose to hit his original target, your parrying arm, or your parrying hand. Success means you parry and may roll against the underlying skill to strike the attacking body part or weapon, modified as follows.
Modifiers: Against unarmed, -2 to hit an arm or leg, -4 to hit a hand or foot; -2 for Boxing vs. a leg or foot; -1 if your foe knows Rapid Retraction. Against armed, a basic -3; another -3 to -5 for weapon size; a further -3 for Boxing or Brawling vs. a swung weapon.
Success on this skill roll inflicts thrust-4 crushing damage or thrust-2 at -1 per die, whichever is worse, on the targeted weapon or body part. Skill bonuses apply normally. Failure means you didn't parry forcefully enough to inflict damage.
Weapon parries against unarmed attacks are essentially aggressive "for free"; see Parrying Unarmed Attacks.
Arm or Wrist Lock
Average
Default: prerequisite skill.
Prerequisite: Judo, Wrestling, or appropriate Melee Weapon skill; cannot exceed prerequisite skill+4.
An arm (or wrist) lock is an attempt to restrain or cripple an opponent by twisting his arm. It normally uses Judo or Wrestling skill. This technique lets you improve effective skill for this purpose only.
To use Arm Lock, you must have two hands free and make a successful barehanded parry with Judo or Wrestling against your opponent's melee attack. On your first turn following the parry, you may attempt to capture your attacker's arm if he's still within one yard. This is an attack: step into close combat and roll against Arm Lock to hit. Your foe may use any active defense – he can parry your hand with a weapon! If his defense fails, you trap his arm.
Your foe may attempt to break free on his next turn, but you're at +4 in the Quick Contest. If he loses, he has a cumulative -1 on future attempts to break free.
On your next turn – and each turn thereafter, until your foe breaks free – you may try to damage the trapped arm. Roll a Quick Contest: the higher of your ST (including your Wrestling bonus) or Arm Lock vs. the higher of your victim's ST or HT. If you win, you inflict crushing damage equal to your margin of victory. The target's rigid DR protects normally.
Flexible armor, including natural DR with the Flexible or Tough Skin limitation, has no effect. If you cripple your victim's arm, he drops anything in that hand. You can inflict no further damage on a crippled limb but you can continue to roll the Contest each turn. If you win, your target suffers shock and stunning just as if you had inflicted damage.
Rolls to inflict damage are completely passive and don’t count as attacks. You can simultaneously make closecombat attacks on your opponent, who defends at -4 in addition to any penalties due to injury caused by the lock itself. If you decide to throw him using the lock, this does count as an attack; see Throws from Locks.
You can use this ability offensively as well. Instead of waiting to parry an attack, grapple your foe normally with Judo or Wrestling. If he fails to break free on his next turn, you may try Arm Lock on your next turn, just as if you had parried his attack.
You can also apply this lock with a weapon. Default and prerequisite skills become a weapon skill. To initiate the lock requires a weapon parry or an Armed Grapple. A reach C weapon gets +1 in the Quick Contest to cause damage; anything longer gets +2. Edged weapons can inflict crushing or cutting damage, but you must make a DX roll when you roll to inflict injury. Failure does thrust cutting damage to your off hand (DR protects normally). Otherwise, use the rules above.
Arm Lock uses precision and skill to cripple a foe's limb. For a brute-force technique, see Wrench (Limb).
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Back Kick or Back Strike
hard
Default: prerequisite skill-2, or -4 for a kick.
Prerequisite: Karate or any Melee Weapon skill; cannot exceed prerequisite skill.
This technique lets you kick or use a melee weapon against a foe to your rear without making a Wild Swing or changing facing – although your legs must be free in order to change stance. Back Kick defaults to Karate-4. Back Strike defaults to Melee Weapon-2 and you must specialize; e.g., Back Strike (Staff). To throw a "back punch," use Elbow Strike.
To use this technique, you must know that your adversary is behind you! Roll against Back Kick or Back Strike to hit, at an extra -1 if you target a specific hit location.
A Back Kick has standard reach and damage for a kick. A Back Strike can only reach an enemy within one yard, regardless of weapon length. Thrusting attacks do their usual damage; swinging attacks have -2 damage or -1 damage per die, whichever is worse. A Back Strike from a Reversed Grip uses the reach and damage effects of that grip instead of those given here.
In all cases, you’re at -2 to all active defenses until your next turn. This is cumulative with the -2 to parry with a weapon in a Reversed Grip!
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Choke Hold
Hard
Defaults: Judo-2, Wrestling-3, or appropriate weapon skill-3.
Prerequisite: Judo, Wrestling, or appropriate weapon skill; cannot exceed prerequisite skill.
This close-combat attack involves locking the target's neck and applying pressure. It requires two hands. Roll against Choke Hold to hit. If you come from in front of your victim, you're at -1.
Your victim may try any legal defense. If he fails, you apply the hold, which counts as a grapple. If you struck from behind, he can only defend if he knew you were coming. Otherwise, all he can do is attempt to tuck his chin to counter your hold. This is a parry at -2 with a grappling skill. He can't retreat. If he succeeds, you grapple him but get no hold; critical success means he completely ducks your attack.
On your foe's next turn and on subsequent turns, he may try to break free. You're at +5 in the Quick Contest for using two hands. You control only his neck and head, not his arms and legs. He can attack you at the usual -4 for being grappled. If you came from behind, he may only try the strikes detailed under Pain and Breaking Free or attempt to grapple your arm, which allows the usual follow-up techniques on later turns.
On your next turn – and on each turn thereafter, until your prey breaks free – you may apply pressure to your victim's carotid arteries to subdue him or to his trachea to choke him. This counts as an attack. Roll the Quick Contest described in Choke or Strangle. Your hold gives you +3 ST. A carotid ("blood") choke inflicts fatigue damage. A tracheal ("air") choke delivers crushing damage.
You can apply this hold using a weapon. Default and prerequisite skills become a weapon skill. The lever gives a further ST bonus to restrain or injure your victim: +1 if reach C, +2 if longer. You can choke with the flat or the edge of a sword; if using the edge, you may only choke for cutting damage. You must grasp a sword with one hand on the handle, one on the blade. Make a DX roll when you roll to inflict injury. Failure does thrust cutting damage to your off hand (DR protects normally).
Close Combat
Hard
Defaults: prerequisite skill-4, -8, or -12.
Prerequisite: Any Melee Weapon skill; cannot remove more than half the default penalty.†
In close combat, a weapon without "C" in its Reach statistic gives a skill penalty based on its reach: -4 for reach 1, -8 for reach 2, or -12 for reach 3. In addition, swing damage is at -1 per yard of reach; e.g., a broadsword does -1 damage, a greatsword gets -2, and a full-sized halberd has -3. Thrusting attacks do normal damage. Calculate skill and swing damage penalties using the weapon's longest reach, not the reach at which it's currently ready.
This technique lets you buy off half the skill penalty. You may buy it up to skill-2 for a reach 1 weapon, skill-4 for a reach 2 weapon, or skill-6 for a reach 3 weapon.
All of this assumes a normal grip. See Reversed Grip for an alternative. Hilt punches and the like use Pummeling instead of these rules; this technique doesn't apply.
†Close Combat is also available for ranged weapons. This lets you buy off the entire Bulk penalty for close-combat purposes only; see Weapons for Close Combat. Those with Heroic Archer don't need this technique.
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Elbow Strike
Average Defaults: Brawling-2 or Karate-2. Prerequisite: Brawling or Karate; cannot exceed prerequisite skill.
You can jab an elbow into an enemy behind you in close combat. Roll against Elbow Strike to hit. There's no modifier for not facing him, but add an extra -1 if you target a specific hit location. A hit inflicts thrust-1 crushing damage, plus skill bonuses. Treat an elbow to someone in front of you as a punch.
Elbows are short-ranged and hard to hurt. You may not select All-Out Attack (Long). Hurting Yourself applies, but damage is 1/10 of what you roll – not 1/5 – and both it and injury from enemy parries affects the arm, not the hand.
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Kicking
Hard
Default: Brawling-2 or Karate-2.
Prerequisite: rawling or Karate; cannot exceed prerequisite skill.
Kicking covers all kicks not defined as standalone techniques: crescent kicks, hook kicks, rising kicks, roundhouse kicks, snap kicks, etc. Knowledgeable players are free to embellish, but in all cases, a kick requires an attack roll against Kicking and inflicts thrust crushing damage. Use Brawling or Karate skill – not Kicking – to determine the damage bonus, and use only the highest bonus. If you miss, roll vs. Kicking or DX to avoid falling down.
Combine Kicking with Committed Attack or All-Out Attack for devastating kicks like roundhouses or stepping side kicks, or with Defensive Attack for close, jabbing kicks. Add in Deceptive Attack for fast snaps and other tricky moves, or Telegraphic Attack for slow kicks with big windups.
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Using Your Legs
Much as you can kick as well as punch, you can use your legs to grapple. To do so, you must be facing your adversary and not pinned. You have -2 to DX or skill, but +2 to ST. The DX penalty stems from using your legs, not from posture. You only suffer penalties for a non-standing posture against a standing foe; Low Fighting and Ground Fighting affect these normally. Your enemy's posture might give additional penalties to grapple certain hit locations from some postures; see Postures, Hit Locations, and Techniques. If you grapple with legs from a standing start, you avoid all posture penalties but end your turn lying face-up. It counts as a step to leap up, use your legs, and fall; see Change Posture.
Grapples using legs allow all the usual follow-ups – takedown, pin, strangle, bear hug, Neck Snap, etc. – at -2 DX, +2 ST. You can learn leg-based versions of grappling techniques for this. Each is a separate technique with an extra -2 on its default. All get +2 ST – or +1 to damage, if there's no ST roll. Options include:
Leg Throw: As Judo Throw, but defaults to Judo-2.
Lower-Body Arm Lock: As Arm Lock, but defaults to Judo-2 or Wrestling-2.
Lower-Body Head Lock: As Head Lock, but defaults to Judo-5 or Wrestling-5.
Lower-Body Leg Lock: As Leg Lock, but defaults to Judo-2 or Wrestling-2.
Triangle Choke: As Choke Hold, but defaults to Judo-4 or Wrestling-5.
See Also
Realistic Techniques
- Martial Arts: Realistic Techniques
- Martial Arts: Techniques That Aren't
- Martial Arts: Optional Rule: Targeted Attacks
- Martial Arts: "Go for the eyes!"
- Martial Arts: Dirty Tricks
- Martial Arts: Using Your Legs
- Martial Arts: Optional Rule: Combinations