Topic: DIY Martial Arts or Weapon Art

[markc]

 I have been looking at the Combat Companion and the Martial Arts Companion and have been trying to figure out a good cut off point for self training of a marital art or weapon art. I have been thinking that if the style has lots of abilities then you have to have a trainer but if the style has one or two abilities that deal with minor stuff then I would let players train up to rank 5 in the art. After that they would need to go to a trainer after every two ranks learned for an update so to speak on what they were doing right and wrong. Especially for the styles again that have quite a few abilities or conditions to use. 
What do you think?
MDC

[Rasyr-Mjolnir]

The way I view it, every skill is essentially self-taught (or not taught in a structured manner) except for skills learned through a training package.

Putting limits on how many ranks a character is allowed to learn in a given skill, is likely to be unpopular, at best.

[providence13]

I agree that it probably wouldn't be popular..
however, if you wanted a peak/benchmark/self-taught mx, then maybe it could be based on stats.

[thrud]

Having been a martial artist myself (IRL) for many years I have to say it's a very poor idea.
I'd rather do it the other way around? Require a techer for the first 5 or 10 ranks then it's all self taught after that.
You only learn new techinques in the beginning then it becomes a matter of using the known techniques. Honing your skills so to speak.
It's a combat skill after all.
You get better at fighting by ... fighting and training to fight, not by doing katas.

[markc]

Having been a martial artist myself (IRL) for many years I have to say it's a very poor idea.
I'd rather do it the other way around? Require a techer for the first 5 or 10 ranks then it's all self taught after that.
You only learn new techinques in the beginning then it becomes a matter of using the known techniques. Honing your skills so to speak.
It's a combat skill after all.
You get better at fighting by ... fighting and training to fight, not by doing katas.

 Thanks that is what info I was looking for. Now I just have to set a cut off point for requiring that. I do not think I will require a teacher to go up every rank, especially since I give DP by 1/3 level. So I think 1 teaching session [1 week?] per 6 ranks would work until they get to 15 ranks. IMO 18 ranks is almost master of the art but still some room to train so would be a good time to break it off. It also only requires the PC to be in training for 3 weeks after their initial training period to learn the style basics.

MDC
 

[DavidKlecker]

The way I view it, every skill is essentially self-taught (or not taught in a structured manner) except for skills learned through a training package.

Putting limits on how many ranks a character is allowed to learn in a given skill, is likely to be unpopular, at best.

In a loose association, I usually never buy Training Packages in that I can do better buying the skills myself. I've always wanted to go back through the Training Packages and come up with a new way of making them a bit more useful. I don't remember if this was discussed though and what ideas people came up with.

Having been a martial artist myself (IRL) for many years I have to say it's a very poor idea.
I'd rather do it the other way around? Require a techer for the first 5 or 10 ranks then it's all self taught after that.
You only learn new techinques in the beginning then it becomes a matter of using the known techniques. Honing your skills so to speak.
It's a combat skill after all.
You get better at fighting by ... fighting and training to fight, not by doing katas.

2nd Black belt in TKD here and I agree 100%. 95% of what I learned I learned in the first year. After that you just learn rather advanced techniques that are just the basics vamped up a little. For the most MAs learn through experience as mentioned above. Usually black belts once they reach level 2 or 3 become teachers themselves. []