Topic: Martial Arts Questions

[Matthias]

One of my players rolled up a new Monk yesterday afternoon (1st HARP Monk any of us have seen) and it brought up a few questions regarding MA Styles and Chi skills.

1. Chi Defense. After this skill is activated it adds 10+Chi Defense Rank Bonus to your existing DB, correct? You still receive your Qux2 and all that? Just double-checking this one.

2. Weapon Kata. I found an old post stating that a character with say Weapon Kata: Bo Staff does not have to train the weapon, but uses the MA Style skill as his OB when attacking with the weapon. I am assuming then that the character can use part of that the Weapon Kata skill to parry and all that like a normal weapon OB - correct?

3. MA Style: Monkey Style allows a character to make a free Acrobatics/Tumbling maneuver each round to gain a bonus to his DB. Does the character uses his MA Style skill score when making the Acrobatics Maneuver or just his normal Acrobatics skill? From how I read it it seems like the MA Style provides the chance for the free Acrobatics check, but does not govern the success...increasing your skill in Monkey Style then increases the amount of DB you receive after making a successful Acrobatics Maneuver.

4. Chi Strength. Is the +20 applied to the Stat Score (i.e. a St of 80 becomes 100) or to the St Bonus as derived from the State Score and Racial bonuses?

5. Sustaining a Chi Skill is a free action that takes place at the start of a character's initiative prior to his declared action?

6. The rules seem to make reference to the size of a normal MA Strike or Sweep being able to change. How does a Strike or Sweep become more than a Small attack? Are damage caps ignored on a 99-100 like normal weapons?

[Rasyr-Mjolnir]

1) Yes (note however that it is Rank bonus, not skill bonus (i.e. you have 5 ranks in Chi Defense and a total skill bonus of 40 (25 from ranks, +5 SD, +10 In), so with successful Chi Defense activation roll, you gain +35 (+25 from ranks, +10 base) to DB).

2) The character has to purchase ranks in the MA Style Weapon Kata (and this also requires him to have a prerequisite number of ranks in the appropriate MA skill), he does not also have to purchase more ranks in the weapon as well.

3) The way that it was written, the Acrobatics skill is used for the roll. Some folks have decided to use the lesser of the Acrobatics or the style skill (i.e. treating it like a prerequisite).

4) The book clearly states that it is "+20 to his strength bonus", which means to the total stat/racial bonus (i.e. what is added to skills).

5) Yes.

6) Martial Arts attacks by PCs (i.e. humans, elves, etc.) are normally a Small attack. MA attacks by Monks are a Medium attack (this is one of their professional abilities). In both cases, damage caps are ignored for the same reasons that they are ignored for weapons.

[Matthias]

Excellent - exactly what I needed.

Many thanks.

[highpriest_rsw2]

One of my players rolled up a new Monk yesterday afternoon

Funny. We had someone roll up a monk in our game yesterday too! It's the first I've seen as well but I think there have been monks in my group's past games that I wasn't part of though.   

[Matthias]

Our game is pretty classic fantasy so I was reluctant at first to allow Monks (I usually disallow Monks, Psonics and things of that nature), but I wanted everyone to play the class they wanted - HARP being a new system to most of my players.

Our character conception for his Monk is more of a classic Warrior Priest that chose the path of martial combat over divine magic. We are trying to define his fighting style outside the realm of the typical Martial Arts/Oriental Adventures manner and move back into the realm of a seriously good brawler who uses his head first and fists second.

After diving into the MA/Monk rules I can say I like the way the class/skills are handled. It is definitely a unique class. I think all I would have to do to really make the class/those skills fit my world is simply rename them.