Topic: Advanced combat style?

[thrud]

Just letting my mind wander for a bit...
Let's take a look at medieval fencing.
1. Primary weapon - Rapier
2. Secondary weapon - Main Gauche
3. Martial Arts - Something like Tier II striking
4. Defensive Ward
5. Possibly Bonus to initiative
6. Possibly Agile Defence

How do you actually piece this togeather? Would you go for a Tier IV Striking martial art with a Two Weapon Combo weapon kata? Basing the cost on the martial  arts cost?
Or would you Base it on regular Weapon Costs and add the martial art as an extra? If so, what is there to keep the fighter from adding a Tier IV martial arts attack to his fighting style and getting the unarmed fighting for cheap?

Of course the GM should be the one designing the fighting styles but seriously... this is not a perfect world and players WILL be designing combat styles.
So how would you piece this togeather?

[Rasyr-Mjolnir]

One of the features of the Melee option of Additional/Secondary Attack is that the secondary weapon must be wielded during the use of the style.

Therefore, I would (as a GM),  have no problems ruling that you could add a MA Strike as an "Additional/Secondary Attack - Weapon" (i.e. 3 points). The actual Tier of the attack would be based on the character (i.e. humans, elves, dwarves, etc. Would do either a Tier I (at -10) attack if their fist were not armored, or a Tier II (at -10) attack if they are wearing armor on on their fist.

The attack would be limited to the off-hand only, unless the style also paid for "Additional Primary Weapon" (1 more point - and requires the Additional Secondary Attack for the fist).

Okay, so the style would then cost the following:

Single Weapon Focus - Rapier -- 2 points
Add/Sec Attack - Weapon - Main Gauche -- 3 points
Add/Sec Attack - Weapon - Bare Fist* -- 3 points
Additional Primary Weapon - Base Fist* -- 1 Point
Defense Ward -- 4 points
--------------------------------------------------
Total Point Cost -- 12 Points

Bonus to Initiative -- 2 Points
Agile Defense -- 2 Points
----------------------------------
Style will cost 12, 14, or 16 points respectively, depending on whether or not one or both of the last two options are included.

For a Fighter, this means that the style, as listed would have a DP cost of 3/8 (or 4/8 or 5/10 respectively).

* Bare Fist -- The combination of the second Add/Sec Attack and the Additional Primary Weapon allows the character to make an attack with their fist in place of one of their normal attacks. The Tier/size of the attack is based upon the race of the character and what armor is being worn. With no hand armor (or soft leather, such as a glove), the attack is Tier I (at -10), if the character is holding a weapon in his hand when making this attack, I would drop the -10 (like attacking with a roll of quarters in your fist). If the character is wearing hard hand armor (reinforced or rigid leather, scale, chain, etc.), then the attack would be Tier II at -10, or a plain Tier II if character is also holding weapon at the time.

The MA attack would have to replace one of the other attacks made during the round. Also, making a MA Strike with the off-hand would negate the Defense Ward, just as attacking with the off-hand weapon would do.


There -- that is how I would piece it together...   

[thrud]

Cool 
I'm totally getting what you're saying but me being a difficult person just can't leave well enough alone.

What if we were to include a true secondary martial arts attack? I'm thinking full on kicking and striking using the hilt of the weapons with the two weapon combo? Tier I-IV depending on GM/Character/Style?

My instincts tell me to make a custom ruling.
Martial arts cost 1pt per tier of attack, i.e. 1-4 pts.
A primary weapon is 2pts.
I would suggest:
Add/Sec attack - Weapon - Striking I -- 3pts
Add/Sec attack - Weapon - Striking II -- 4pts
Add/Sec attack - Weapon - Striking III -- 5pts
Add/Sec attack - Weapon - Striking IV -- 6pts

i.e. 2pts + 1pt per Tier

Or would you say this is a Primary martial arts focus with a two weapon kata?
Could you still use a defensive ward? Or would you have to replace the defenceve ward with a martial arts maneuver?

[Rasyr-Mjolnir]

I wouldn't allow more than a basic type of unarmed attack with a weapon style.

[thrud]

I guess keeping within the rules would make it look something like this:

Primary Martial Arts Focus - Striking - Tier IV -- 4pts
Two Wepon Kata -- 3pts
Block -- 1pts
Defensive Block -- 1pts

Some nice options you might want to include
Adrenal Defence -- 4pts*
Bonus to Initiative -- 2pts*
Disarm -- 1pts*
Killing Strike -- 1pts*
Legsweep -- 1pts*

So we get a cost ranging from 9-18pts

It'll basically do the same thing but there are some quirks that feel somewhat odd.
Using the weapons will make the crits one severity lower. Of course I want the puncture criticals...
It'll make the combat style cheep for the warrior monk and expensive for the fighter. Never really figured the warrior monk for a medieval fencer...
My preferred combo would be 14 style points
4/8 Cost for the warrior monk
8 cost for the fighter