Combat Schools

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Ballistic Fist

Associated Weapons: Feet, Firearms used as a melee weapon (either via the Gun Club talent or using it as an improvised weapon – bayonets do not count)
Ballistic Fist is a martial arts style that focuses on firearms similar to the way other styles focus on swords. Students of this school learn to anticipate the movement of opponents and calculate their fields of fire from moment to moment, ensuring that the Ballistic Fist practitioner can emerge from a firefight virtually unscathed.

  • 1st Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: Dexterity 13+, Intelligence 13+, Wisdom 13+, BAB +1, Dodge, Gun-Fu, Martial Arts I, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, Quick Draw, Weapon Focus (Pistols or an Exotic Firearm or similar ranged weapon); Trained in Acrobatics, Initiative, Knowledge [Tactics]; Evasion, Acute Senses
    • Benefits: You gain Skill Focus (Initiative) as a bonus feat, but you must draw a firearm with which you have Weapon Focus and attack an opponent with it in the first round of combat. Otherwise, you move to the end of the initiative order for the rest of the encounter. You can, as always, change your place in the initiative order by delaying or readying. When you use the firearm you selected for your Weapon Focus feat, you threaten a critical hit on an attack roll of 19 or 20, this stacks with other methods of improving your critical range such as the Critical Strike feat. You gain a +2 bonus on all attack rolls and a +2 bonus on all damage rolls when using the Gun Club talent or when using a firearm as an improvised weapon.
  • 2nd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: 1st Degree Mastery of Ballistic Fist, Moving Target, Dexterity 15+, BAB +5, Improved Initiative
    • Benefits: If you draw a firearm with which you have Weapon Focus and attack with it in combat, treat the opponent you attack as if he or she was flat-footed, regardless of whether or not that opponent has acted already in this combat encounter. If either using the Gun Club talent or using a firearm as an improvised weapon, you gain the benefits of any feats or talents you have that apply to unarmed attacks, and you add your unarmed damage to the damage dealt.
    • Technique – Tactical Training: Make a Knowledge (tactics) check (DC 15 + number of opponents) as a free action. If you succeed, you gain a +2 dodge bonus to Reflex defense and a +2 circumstance bonus on attack rolls. This bonus lasts a number of rounds equal to your character level+2, or until the end of the encounter, whichever comes first.
  • 3rd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: 2nd Degree Mastery of Ballistic Fist, Dexterity 17+, Intelligence 15+, Wisdom 15+, BAB +9, Uncanny Dodge I, Melee Defense
    • Benefits: The dodge bonus provided by your Dodge feat increases to +3. You gain a +2 bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls with firearms with which you have Weapon Focus with. This bonus stacks with the previous bonus from Weapon Focus and with the bonus from Greater Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, and Greater Weapon Specialization. In addition, the critical hit threat range increase you gained from 1st Degree Mastery improves by an additional 1, to critical hits being threatened on attack rolls of 18, 19, or 20.
    • Technique – Combat Analysis: Any time you surprise your opponents, you may take a full attack action during the surprise round.

Bare-Knuckle Brawling

Associated Weapons: Feet, Hands
While bare-knuckle brawling is not a formal school of fighting, there are certainly people who practice it in unsanctioned boxing matches, prisons, bar rooms, and hockey rinks the world over. The bare-knuckle brawler may not spend a lot of time in training, but he makes up for that by fighting every chance he gets.

  • 1st Degree Mastery
  • 2nd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: 1st Degree Mastery of Bare-Knuckle Brawling, BAB +6, Improved Damage Threshold
    • Benefits: You gain a +2 competence bonus on opposed grapple checks to damage your opponent, move, or to take control of an opponent’s weapon. You also use that bonus when attacking with a light weapon while grappling or when attacking with your opponent’s weapon while grappling. When you make a successful unarmed strike, you deal normal damage and if your attack roll beats your opponents Fortitude defense they move -1 step on the condition track. You cannot move an opponent below -2 steps on the track with this ability. You must announce the use of this ability before making your attack roll. Thus, a missed attack roll is a missed attempt. You may use this ability a number of times per day equal to your Strength modifier (minimum 1), but no more than once in any combat round. Creatures that are immune to stunning attacks are also immune to this attack, as are any creatures that are more than one size category larger than you. You may only use this on your own species.
    • Technique – Canny Grip: If you choose to deal nonlethal damage when grappling (usually by using the Crush feat), you may add your Wisdom bonus (if any) to the damage. This bonus is in addition to any other bonuses to damage, including bonuses from Strength.
  • 3rd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: 2nd Degree Mastery of Bare-Knuckle Brawling, BAB +16, Improved Damage Threshold (a second time)
    • Benefits: When you make a successful unarmed attack, you deal normal damage and if your attack also beats their fortitude defense they are stunned for 1d4 rounds following the round in which you strike him. You must announce the use of this ability before making your attack roll. Thus, a missed attack roll is a missed attempt. You may use this ability a number of times per day equal to your Strength modifier (minimum 1), but no more than once in any combat round. Creatures that are immune to stunning attacks are also immune to this attack, as are any creatures that are more than one size category larger than you. You may only use this on your own species.

Clothyard Shaft

Associated Weapons: Bow, Composite Bow
Historically, the bow is an ancient weapon. Its fairly simple mechanism for multiplying the muscle power of the archer belies the skill needed to use a bow effectively. In most countries, martial use of the bow fell into disfavor with the introduction of the crossbow or firearms, both of which require far less training to produce competent shooters. However, the very dedication needed to learn the skills kept them alive, passed down generation by generation, gradually developing into more than just a difficult way to hunt deer.

  • 1st Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: Dexterity 17+, Wisdom 13+, BAB +6, Weapon Proficiency (Simple), Dodge, Trained in Acrobatics, Deadeye, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Weapon Focus (Simple Weapons)
    • Benefits: While you are using a bow or a composite bow you may use the Aim action without provoking an attack of opportunity.
    • Technique [Stance] – Daisan: This is the art of nocking and drawing an arrow, an action studied meticulously by practitioners. You gain a +1 to hit on all bow and composite bow attacks.
  • 2nd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: 1st Degree Mastery of Clothyard Shaft, BAB +8, Careful Shot, Mobility
    • Benefits: You may add your Dexterity bonus to damage with bows and composite bows instead of your Strength bonus.
    • Technique – Zen Archery: When making a full-attack action with your bow, if you miss your target you may immediately spend one hero point to reroll the attack. This second attack roll is made at the same base attack bonus as the first roll, and all bonuses or penalties that applied to the first roll also apply to the second. This second roll does not count as a second attack.
  • 3rd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: 2nd Degree Mastery of Clothyard Shaft, Dexterity 19+, BAB 11+, Running Attack, Sniper
    • Benefits: While using a bow you use range increments double that of normal for simple ranged weapons. While using a composite bow you use range increments triple that of normal for simple ranged weapons (this replaces the normal doubling innate to composite bows). When using your bow or composite bow in ranged combat, every time you miss because of concealment, you can reroll your miss chance roll one time to see if you actually hit.
    • Technique [Stance Enhancement] – Dojukiri: You gain a +2 damage bonus on all bow attacks, and a +4 attack bonus for the purpose of offsetting range penalties only.
    • Technique – Heaven’s Arrow: As a Third Degree Master of the Clothyard Shaft School, you may attempt an automatic critical hit with your bow attack. The attempt requires two full-round actions and the expenditure of 1 hero point. You take a –8 penalty on the attack roll, but if the attack is successful, it automatically scores a critical hit. The attack occurs at the end of your second action, so if the target moves out of your sight (or range) the attempt is wasted. The natural roll does not have to be within the bow’s threat range, and you do not have to roll to confirm the critical hit.

Cloudy Night

Associated Weapons: Choose two of the following – Feet; Hands; Specific tiny, small, or medium melee weapon
The Cloudy Night School developed from a need for people who could do things the warrior classes were prohibited from doing, if not by law then by their own codes of behavior. Such things included espionage, murder, sabotage, and theft. The basis of Cloudy Night is very similar to Japanese ninjutsu (also called taijutsu).

The essence of Cloudy Night is deception. Its training emphasizes subtlety, stealth, and improvisation. Contrary to popular belief, practitioners rarely dress in head-to-toe black except for training sessions. Schools are easy to locate using the Net and commcode directories.

  • 1st Degree Mastery
  • 2nd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: 1st Degree Mastery of Cloudy Night, Martial Arts II
    • Benefits: You gain Mobility as a bonus feat.
    • Technique - Improved Evasion: If you are exposed to any effect that normally allows a character to take half damage due to the Evasion feat, you instead take one-quarter the damage when you would take half. This talent can be used for free once per round. It can be used a second time as a Reaction, and any subsequent uses beyond that consume attacks of opportunity.
    • Technique – Spirit Needles: Your attacks deal extra damage any time your target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to Reflex defense (whether your target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when you flank your target. The amount of extra damage is based on your level. In order to use this bonus with a ranged attack, you must be within point-blank range of your target and you must take a full-round action to make a single ranged attack. You may not combine this technique with Burst Fire or automatic fire. The table for this technique is located at the bottom of this combat school.
  • 3rd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: 2nd Degree Mastery of Cloudy Night, BAB +4
    • Benefits: You gain Running Attack as a bonus feat. In addition, if you make a successful Deception check as a standard action you may immediately make a normal Stealth check as a free action provided there is sufficient terrain or furnishings to conceal you. Your hiding place must be within 1 square for 5 character levels you have (minimum 1 square).
    • Technique – Hypnotic Gaze: Make a Stealth check opposed by an opponent’s Perception check. If you succeed, that opponent loses his Dexterity bonus to Defense against your attacks until your next action. Once an opponent succeeds in his opposed Perception check, you may not use Hypnotic Gaze against that opponent again until the end of the encounter. You may use this technique to attack with a weapon. If you do so, the size of your weapon modifies your Stealth roll. If you use Hypnotic Gaze in this way, you must draw a different weapon each time you use Hypnotic Gaze.
Spirit Needles Damage
Level Extra Damage
3rd-5th +1d6
6th-8th +2d6
9th-11th +3d6
12th-14th +4d6
15th-17th +5d6
18th+ +6d6

Deft Touch

Associated Weapons: Hands, choose one tiny melee weapon The Deft Touch School developed in countries with detailed medical systems, such as the Vedic knowledge of India and the Taoist medicine of China. Many of the masters of this and similar schools are doctors of traditional medicine. They expect their students to learn their traditional medical knowledge and techniques in order to treat the training injuries of junior students.

Deft Touch combat techniques use precise fingertip strikes to specific pressure points and nerve clusters. It is a gentle-looking art that relies on education and accuracy rather than brute strength, and correspondingly requires much longer to master than other schools.

1st Degree Mastery Prerequisites: Stunning Fist, Martial Arts I, Trained in Treat Injury, Trained in Knowledge [Life Sciences] Benefits: You may make three additional Stunning Fist attempts per day. 2nd Degree Mastery Prerequisites: 1st Degree Mastery of Deft Touch, DEX 17+, WIS 15+, Nauseating Punch, Blinding Punch Benefits: You may use Stunning Fist, Nauseating Punch, and Blinding Punch on a number of additional species equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum 0). You must choose which additional types when you attain 2nd Degree Mastery of Deft Touch. If your Intelligence modifier decreases, you lose creature types of your choice until your Intelligence recovers. If your Intelligence modifier permanently increases (for example, because you gain levels and increase your Intelligence ability score), you must choose additional creature types when the increase occurs. This benefit applies to Paralyzing Strike when you learn it; and to the 3rd Degree Mastery benefit when you gain it. Species immune to stunning cannot be chosen as additional types. Technique – Reincarnated Crane: Choose an opponent you threaten, spend an hero point, and make an unarmed melee attack. If you succeed, you do no damage but your opponent loses any Dexterity bonus to Defense until the start of your action on the next round. You must declare the use of this feat before you make your attack roll; thus, a failed attack ruins the attempt—though you still spend the hero point.

  • 3rd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: 2nd Degree Mastery of Deft Touch, Paralyzing Strike, Surgical Expertise
    • Benefits: You may make an unarmed melee attack to do 1d4 points of temporary Strength damage to your opponent for every 4 character levels you have (maximum 5d4). This counts as one of your stunning attacks. Creatures immune to critical hits are immune to this. Creatures that are immune to stunning attacks are also immune to this ability, as are any creatures that are more than one size category larger than the feat user.
    • Technique – Sleeping Immortal: As a full round action, spend a hero point and make a single unarmed melee attack. If successful, your attack does no damage. Instead, the target of your attack loses 1d4 hero points permanently. Sleeping Immortal cannot reduce hero points below zero. Characters affected by Sleeping Immortal gain hero points normally when they increase levels.

Drunken Fighting

Associated Weapons: Hands, Improvised Weapons
A great deal of folklore surrounds the origin of Drunken Fighting. One story tells of a monk who observed constables attempting to arrest a drunkard. He was so loose and relaxed they had difficulty keeping a hold on him, and no matter how often or hard the drunkard fell, he never injured himself. Another story suggests that the monk and the drunkard were the same person.
Drunken Fighting emphasizes surprise and deception, constantly falling and rolling so that the opponent never knows when the Drunken Fighter is balanced well enough to attack. It requires intense leg conditioning to perform the ground and close-to-the-ground techniques. Students learn how to fall on most surfaces without harming themselves, and how to use whatever implements are available as weapons.

  • 1st Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: Dexterity 13+, Intelligence 13+; BAB +4; Trained in Acrobatics and Deception; Martial Arts I, Dodge, Redirect Attack, Drunken Stance
    • Benefits: As a move action, you may make a Deception check to feint in combat or use the Drunken Stance feat.
  • 2nd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: BAB +6, 1st Degree Mastery of Drunken Fighting, Mobility
    • Benefits: As a standard action, you may make a Deception check. The result of this check is treated as your Reflex Defense until your next turn. You may not take 10 or 20 with this check.
    • Technique – Unicorn Steps: You may spend a hero point at the beginning of your action to gain a +4 dodge bonus to Reflex defense against all melee attacks made against you before your next action. If you take an action (other than moving) that provokes an attack of opportunity, or if you attack, you lose this bonus.
  • 3rd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: BAB +8, 2nd Degree Mastery of Drunken Fighting, Improvised Weapon Mastery
    • Benefits: You gain a +10 competence bonus to Acrobatics checks.
    • Technique – Eight Drunken Immortals: You may spend a hero point at the beginning of your action to gain a +2 dodge bonus to your defenses vs all attacks made against you, both ranged and melee, before your next action. If you take an action that provokes an attack of opportunity (other than moving) or if you attack, you lose this bonus.
    • Technique – Fall-Down Drunk: You literally fall down, either to dodge an attack or deliver a surprise attack—your opponent can never be sure. You may make a Deception check (vs. your opponent’s Will Defense) to gain a +1 Dodge bonus to Reflex Defense by “falling” out of the way of an attack. Alternately, you can “fall” but roll out of it immediately and attack your opponent. This use of the Fall-Down Drunk technique grants the character a +1 to hit and a +2 circumstance bonus to the Bluff skill for feinting.

Elements In Motion

Associated Weapons: Choose 2 – Feet; Hands; Specific tiny, small, or medium melee weapon
The school of Elements In Motion was developed as a counter to the traditional notion that mages stay off the front lines and hurl spells at their enemies from a safe distance. The school focuses on smaller-scale channeling of magical power, preferring to use their abilities to enhance their own unarmed combat prowess.

  • 1st Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: BAB +1; Martial Arts I; Trained in Knowledge (Arcana) and Magery
    • Benefits: You gain a +2 bonus to Magery checks made when you are adjacent to an opponent.
  • 2nd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: 1st Degree Mastery of Elements In Motion, BAB +4, Martial Arts II
    • Benefits: Pick one energy type from the following list: Cold, Electricity, Fire. When you make an unarmed attack, you can choose to spend a hero point. If your attack succeeds, you do +2d4 points of damage of that energy type. Damage reduction has no effect on this additional damage, but energy resistance does. Opponents vulnerable to energy types suffer the effects of this additional damage according to their description. You may “charge” your unarmed attack a number of times per encounter equal to your Wisdom bonus, and you can hold the charge from round to round. Each round that you hold the charge, you must make a Magery check (DC 10 + Damage taken since your last turn), and if you fail, you lose the charge. You can continue doing this for a number of rounds equal to your character level plus your Wisdom bonus. You automatically lose the charge once you succeed at an unarmed strike. You may voluntarily release a charge with no effect as a free action. This damage does not stack with the Strike Boost spell. Each energy type has additional effects.
      • Cold: If the attack hits, make a Magery check. If this check beats a target’s Fortitude defense (bonuses against cold apply), the target’s speed is reduced by 2 squares until the end of the next turn.
      • Electricity: Any electricity damage dealt counts as Ion damage, as per an Ion Grenade or other Ion Weapon.
      • Fire: Any target that takes fire damage also catches on fire (SECR 255).
    • Technique – Elemental Armor: As a move action, you may voluntarily lose a spell to gain a dodge bonus to Defense equal to half your character level. A condition that makes you lose your Dexterity bonus to Defense also makes you lose dodge bonuses. Also, dodge bonuses stack with each other, unlike most other types of bonuses. This dodge bonus lasts for a number of rounds equal to your character level.
  • 3rd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: 2nd Degree Mastery of Elements In Motion, BAB +8, Martial Arts III
    • Benefits: You gain access to the other two damage types you did not choose for the 2nd Degree mastery of this combat school, and can choose what damage type you charge your unarmed attacks with each time you use that ability. The damage dealt by the 2nd Degree mastery of this school increases to +4d6.
    • Technique – Phoenix Block: As a move action, you may voluntarily lose a spell to create a “damage shield.” Choose one of the three energy types you mastered as part of Elements in Motion when you activate this ability. When someone touches you (unarmed attempts to grab, unarmed attempts to grapple, unarmed or natural weapon strikes, touch attacks, or simply brushing up against you), that person takes damage of the energy type you chose. The amount of damage is dependent on your character level (see the table below). The damage shield lasts a number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier. Phoenix Block creates an obvious visual effect around you, which represents the damage you have chosen to deal with it.
Phoenix Block
Level Damage
1-3 1d4
4-6 2d4
7-9 3d4
10-12 4d4
13-15 5d4
16-18 6d4
19+ 7d4

Kobojutsu

Associated Weapons: Improvised Weapons plus either Feet or Hands
Kobujutsu, or kobudoas it is known today, was born out of the conquest of Okinawa by the Satsuma clan of Southern Japan in 1600. When the Japanese forbade the Okinawans from carrying weapons, the islanders adapted farming implements for their defense.

  • 1st Degree Mastery
  • 2nd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: Prerequisites: 1st Degree Mastery of Kobojutsu, BAB +4, Agile Riposte, Dodge, Improved Disarm, Martial Arts II, Trip
    • Benefits: You gain a +2 competence bonus on all opposed checks to trip or disarm an opponent when using one of the weapons you chose to associate with this school.
    • Technique [Stance] – Immortal Grip: You may wield melee weapons up to one size category larger than you are with one hand, and you may wield melee weapons up to two size categories larger than you are with two hands. When you wield a one-handed or two-handed melee weapon with both your hands, double your Strength modifier to damage.
  • 3rd Degree Mastery

Benefits: When fighting with one of the weapons you chose to associate with this school, you inflict +2 points of damage when you hit an opponent, and you may inflict nonlethal damage without the normal -4 penalty. You gain the benefit of the Cleave feat even if you do not meet the prerequisites.

    • Technique – Dragon Shatters Mountain: When fighting with one of the weapons you chose to associate with this school and striking an object held or carried by an opponent, such as a weapon, you do not provoke an attack of opportunity, and get a +4 bonus on your attack roll. You deal double damage to objects you attack with the weapons you chose to associate with this school.

Military Martial Arts

Associated Weapons: Feet, Hands
During World War II, many special operations groups, including commandos and airborne troops, trained in practical hand-to-hand combat. Their “styles” were generally a mix of boxing, judo, jiujitsu, karate, and whatever practical techniques the instructors picked up over their careers.
This training continues today, often formalized into styles that vary from nation to nation. Many law enforcement agencies also make this training part of their curriculum.

  • 1st Degree Mastery
  • 2nd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: 1st Degree Mastery of Military Martial Arts, BAB +4, Agile Riposte, Improved Disarm, Martial Arts II
    • Benefits: You gain Grapple Resistance as a bonus feat.
    • Technique – Dirty Fighting [Stance]: If you successfully deal unarmed strike damage when grappling, you may spend a hero point as a free action to automatically deal critical damage instead of normal unarmed strike damage. You do not have to roll a second opposed grapple check to confirm this critical hit.
  • 3rd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: 2nd Degree Mastery of Military Martial Arts, BAB +8, Martial Arts III
    • Benefits: You threaten critical hits with your unarmed strikes on a roll of 19 or 20, and do triple damage instead of double damage when you confirm a critical hit with unarmed strikes.
    • Technique – Environmental Weapons: While grappling an opponent, if you succeed at an opposed grapple check you may throw, trip, spin, or otherwise force your opponent to collide with an object within 1 square of you (this may include walls, railings, the floor or ground, or other reasonably hard objects). This is a full-round action. You deal your unarmed strike damage +4d4 points of bludgeoning damage. This additional damage is always lethal. If the number you rolled for your opposed grapple check was within the threat range of your unarmed strike, roll again to confirm any critical hit and if successful apply the critical hit multiplier for your unarmed strike to both your unarmed damage and the bonus damage.

Northern Leg

Associated Weapons: Feet, Hands Northern Leg was developed on open, undulating plains where the people were accustomed to walking and riding horses over great distances. Their strong legs became their main weapons of attack and defense.

Northern Leg combat techniques involve constant movement, often leaping vertically or horizontally. They combine low and high kicks, and depend on an excellent sense of balance. Northern Leg does teach punches and arm blocks, but emphasizes the use of the legs, freeing up the hands to either wield ranged weapons or other devices.

1st Degree Mastery Prerequisites: STR 13+, DEX 13+, BAB +2, Trained in Acrobatics, Trained in Jump, Crane Kick, Martial Arts I, Power Attack Benefits: You gain a +10 competence bonus on Acrobatics and Jump checks. 2nd Degree Mastery Prerequisites: BAB +4, 1st Degree Mastery of Northern Leg, Martial Arts II, No-Shadow Kick Benefits: Designate an opponent against which you could make a charge attack. Make a normal Jump check; if the result indicates you could jump to the designated opponent, you can make a normal charge attack against the that opponent as part of the same action as the check. If your charge attack is successful, you inflict normal damage, plus double your Strength modifier. If the Jump check fails, you cannot charge that opponent nor can you make any other attack on your turn. Technique – Light Body I: You may spend a hero point when you make a Jump check to jump a maximum distance equal to twice your speed, but your normal movement counts against this distance. For example, a hero with this secret technique has a movement of 6 squares. If he moves 4 squares in a straight line (the minimum move that doesn’t double the DC of a jump), he can still jump 8 squares (DC 45). 3rd Degree Mastery Prerequisites: BAB +8, 2nd Degree Mastery of Northern Leg, Martial Arts III, Trained in Endurance Benefits: When you make a successful charge attack, you do +1 point of damage per square of your charge, up to a maximum of an additional 8 points of damage. Technique – Light Body II: You may spend a hero point when you move so that part of your move is on a wall. You must begin and end your move on a relatively horizontal surface (such as a floor, ramp, or staircase), and can reach any height within this movement restriction. Changing from horizontal to vertical, or vice versa, is the equivalent of 1 square of movement along a normal floor. For example, a normal human with this secret technique who starts at the base of a 4-square wall could move straight up the wall, then move on to the top of the wall (total move of 6 squares). You may double move using this secret technique, and you may combine it with Running Attack, but you cannot run. Treat the wall as a normal floor for purposes of determining movement distance. For example, if you move both up and along a wall, you move diagonally. If you fail to reach a horizontal surface at the end of your move, you fall prone and take damage according to how far you fall. Opponents on the floor still get attacks of opportunity if they threaten a part of the wall on which you move. You can combine moving on a wall with other types of move actions. For example, you can tumble along a wall to avoid an attack of opportunity, or you could charge someone at the top of a wall provided you did not have to turn (other than changing from horizontal to vertical movement). However, if you are somehow prevented from completing your move, you fall.


One Move

Associated Weapons: Feet OR Hands, Specific melee weapon Wherever martial arts schools train with weapons, a style develops that involves drawing, striking, and sheathing the weapon in a single, flowing movement—without the need for conscious thought. This is the essence of the Japanese art of iaido, among others.

The One Move school requires training in meditation as well as weapon proficiency and quick reflexes.

1st Degree Mastery Prerequisites: DEX 13+, BAB +1, Agile Riposte, Martial Arts I, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Trained in Initiative, Quick Draw, Skill Focus (Initiative). You must also have Weapon Focus with either Simple Weapons, Advanced Melee Weapons, or with a weapon that is an Exotic melee weapon for you. Benefits: You gain Improved Disarm as a bonus feat. 2nd Degree Mastery Prerequisites: 1st Degree Mastery of One Move, BAB +4, Martial Arts II, Mobility Benefits: If you draw the melee weapon with which you have Weapon Focus and attack with it in the first round of combat, you gain a +5 bonus to your damage roll with that weapon. If you are attacking with an unarmed strike, combat gloves, or a similar weapon, you do not need to draw the weapon. Technique – Zanshin: If an opponent makes a melee attack against you, you may immediately spend a hero point to gain a +4 dodge bonus to your Reflex defense. You may not take another action this round, except a 5-foot step. The bonus to your Reflex defense lasts until your next action. This counts against your total number of attacks of opportunity for the round, and you cannot use this technique if you cannot make an attack of opportunity (for example, you have used all your available attacks of opportunity or you are flat-footed). 3rd Degree Mastery Prerequisites: 2nd Degree Mastery of One Move, BAB +8, Martial Arts III, Running Attack Benefits: If you draw the melee weapon with which you have Weapon Focus and attack with it in combat, treat the opponent you attack as if he or she was flat-footed, regardless of whether or not that opponent has acted already in this combat encounter. You can only use this once per opponent per encounter. The benefit from this degree cannot be used with unarmed attacks, including combat gloves, but it CAN be used with vibroknucklers, provided you draw and equip them as part of using this benefit. Technique – Kiritsuke: If you draw the melee weapon with which you have Weapon Focus and successful attack in the same round, you automatically threaten a critical hit (roll to confirm normally). This technique is a full-round action so you only make a single attack on the round you use it. This technique has no effect on opponents immune to critical hits. This does not work with unarmed attacks except vibroknucklers.


The School of the Dance

Associated Weapons: Choose two of the following – Feet; Hands; Specific tiny melee weapon
The Dance involves constant movement. “Dancers” move back and forth, shifting their weight and constantly moving their feet. Their hands make graceful, flickering gestures. They fight well standing or prone, and more advanced practitioners can fight as easily standing on their hands as on their feet! Rhythm is at the heart of the Dance. All dancers learn to perform traditional instruments associated with their art. The music calls dancers to perform acrobatic feats and to remind them of their art’s traditions and history. The Dance is one way to model the Brazilian martial art of capoiera. Making maximum use of available weapons is also part of the Dance. Various schools emphasize different weapons.

Special: Dancers cannot wear armor heavier than light armor, or they lose any benefits from this school.

  • 1st Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: BAB +3, Trained in Acrobatics, Dodge, Improvised Weapon Mastery, Martial Arts I, Musician, Evasion
    • Benefits: You receive Weapon Focus (Simple Weapons) as a bonus feat. You also gain a +4 bonus on Acrobatics and Jump checks. You no longer suffer a -5 penalty to Reflex defense against melee attacks for being prone.
    • Technique [Stance] – Ginga: The “stance” of the Dance is a continuous motion, flowing from the art’s dance origins. This motion can easily bring the practitioner into attack or defense posture. This stance grants you a +1 Dodge bonus to Reflex Defense and a +2 bonus to Initiative.

2nd Degree Mastery Prerequisites: 1st Degree Mastery of the Dance, BAB +4, Martial Arts II, Uncanny Dodge I talent, Uncanny Dodge II talent Benefits: Before attacking your opponent, make an Acrobatics check opposed by your opponent’s Perception check. This is a move action. Whether you succeed or fail you move to any unoccupied space around your opponent from which you can still make melee attacks against that opponent. If your Acrobatics check succeeds, your opponent loses any Dexterity bonus to his Reflex defense against your attacks. This benefit only lasts until just before your next action. In addition, any improvised weapon you use does the same damage as your unarmed strikes, with a +1 bonus. Technique – Sweeps: You may spend a hero point to trip an opponent. This attack does not provoke an attack of opportunity. If you successfully trip your opponent, both you and the opponent are prone, and your opponent is considered grabbed: You may make a grapple check against that opponent to establish a hold. 3rd Degree Mastery Prerequisites: 2nd Degree Mastery of the Dance, BAB +8, Martial Arts III, Combat Reflexes Benefits: Your damage bonus with improvised weapons increases to +2. Your bonus to Acrobatics and Jump checks increases to +8. You retain your Dexterity bonus to Reflex defense when grappling. Technique – Steps: You may spend a hero point at the beginning of your action to gain a +4 dodge bonus to Reflex defense against all melee attacks made against you before your next turn.

Self Defense

Associated Weapons: Choose two of the following – Feet; Hands; Specific light melee weapon
Over the last several century, people have taken an increased interest in self defense. Some purchase hand guns, some take up kickboxing or tae bo, and some take full-fledged self-defense classes. Reputable classes are taught by law enforcement personnel, martial artists, and security professionals. The techniques taught are often common sense, but they also borrow techniques from many different martial arts. Unlike more traditional martial arts, the emphasis in ˇself-defense is on disabling an opponent and escaping.
Self Defense lacks the long history of other martial arts, and it lacks the focus on injuring, crippling, or killing the opponent that other martial arts have. It is a simple set of techniques for surviving. It has no techniques. Though less spectacular than other martial arts, Self Defense is also easier to qualify for.

  • 1st Degree Mastery
  • 2nd Degree Mastery
  • 3rd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: 2nd Degree Mastery of Self Defense, Improved Defenses, Throw
    • Benefits: You may spend a hero point and attack with an unarmed strike or a melee weapon. You must announce the use of this ability before rolling the attack. Thus a missed attack roll is a missed attempt. If your attack succeeds, the attack deals no damage, but your opponent is stunned. Roll the die or dice for your action points; the result of this roll is the number of rounds your opponent is stunned.

The Southern Fist School

Associated Weapons: Hands, Quarterstaff or other staff-like weapon
The Southern Fist School teaches that it developed in terrain crosscut by a huge network of waterways, along which the people traditionally lived. Rowing and poling themselves from place to place, they developed great strength in the arms and thus used the fist as their main martial weapon. While this is obviously not literally true, it demonstrates the great upper body strength developed by masters of this school.
Southern Fist combat techniques vary from short punches to sweeping blows and circular blocks. They rely on circular hip movements to develop power for the blows and to evade incoming attacks. Southern Fist does teach kicks and leg blocks, but emphasizes the use of hands and arms. Numerous styles of kung fu and karate can be modeled using Southern Fist, as can Indonesian martial arts like pentjak silat.

  • 1st Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: Strength 13+, Dexterity 13+, Wisdom 13+, BAB +3, Trained in Perception, Combat Reflexes, Martial Arts I, Superior Awareness
    • Benefits: You may double your Strength bonus to damage (if any) with an unarmed attack. You must declare the use of this technique before making your attack roll (thus a missed attack roll is a failed attempt). You may do this a number of times per day equal to your character level divided by four (rounded down). In addition, you treat a your staff-like weapon as an unarmed attack – gaining the benefit of anything that specifically applies to unarmed attacks and increasing its damage die by one size (due to it being an associated weapon for this school).
  • 2nd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: 1st Degree Mastery of Southern Fist, BAB +4, Hands Without Shadow, Martial Arts II
    • Benefits: If an opponent makes a melee attack against you while you are fighting defensively or using the total defense action, you can immediately make an unarmed melee attack against that opponent. Both attacks occur simultaneously so you and the opponent both suffer damage and any other effects. You gain no benefit against an opponent that does not attack you. This counts against your total number of attacks of opportunity for the round, and you cannot use this technique if you cannot make an attack of opportunity (for example, you have used all your available attacks of opportunity or you are flat-footed).
    • Technique – Hammer Fist: As a full-round action, you may spend a hero point to make a single unarmed attack against an object. When you deal damage to the object, you ignore its hardness.
  • 3rd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: 2nd Degree Mastery of Southern Fist, BAB +9, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Martial Arts III
    • Benefits: When you attack an opponent’s weapon you ignore its hardness. You may do this a number of times per day equal to your character level divided by four (rounded down).
    • Technique – Crane Fist: You may spend a hero point to make a single unarmed melee attack as a touch attack. This is a full attack action.

The Sticky Hands School

Associated Weapons: Feet, Hands
The Sticky Hands School emphasizes staying close to an opponent, keeping one hand on the opponent at all times to control the opponent’s movement. The strikes are designed to redirect the opponent’s force, unbalancing or knocking down the opponent.
Sticky Hands combat techniques combine short punches, low kicks, and circular blocks. They use subtle hip movements to develop attacking power and to redirect the opponent’s attacks. The Chinese arts of tai chi and wing chung can both be modeled with the Sticky Hands School.

  • 1st Degree Mastery
  • 2nd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: 1st Degree Mastery of Sticky Hands, BAB +6, Improved Disarm, Trip
    • Benefits: As a free action, you may make a grapple attempt against an opponent no more than one size category larger than you. If you succeed, you may interpose the grabbed opponent between you and any incoming attacks during the subsequent round. The interposed character counts as soft cover. An attack that misses you because it hits the cover damages the grabbed character. If you have cover from more than one source, the GM decides which cover the incoming attack hits. An opponent grabbed by a hero with 2nd Degree Mastery of Sticky Hands can attempt to break free as if escaping from a grapple. You may only do this once per round. This counts as one of your attacks of opportunity for the round, and you cannot use this technique if you cannot make an attack of opportunity (for example, you have used all your available attacks of opportunity or you are flat-footed). On following rounds, you may attempt to pin the grappled opponent as a free action. If you succeed, you may continue using the opponent as a shield. If you fail, the opponent is no longer grappled.
    • Technique – Thousand League Eye: As a move action, you may spend a hero point to make a single Perception check against an opponent who is within 6 squares of you. The result of your check determines how much you learn about your opponent. You gain the information for your result and any results lower than yours, see the table below for more information.
  • 3rd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: 2nd Degree Mastery of Sticky Hands, STR 15+, BAB +8, Grapple Resistance, Throw
    • Benefits: When an opponent makes a move action that grants you an attack of opportunity (including attacks of opportunity granted by Three-Conflicts Stance) or tries to withdraw (which would not normally grant you attacks of opportunity), you may attempt to prevent the move action before it actually occurs by making an unarmed attack. If you succeed, you deal damage normally and the is unable to move into or out of the area you threaten. This prevents a foe from either closing or fleeing. This counts as one of your attacks of opportunity for the round, and you cannot use this technique if you cannot make an attack of opportunity (for example, you have used all your available attacks of opportunity or you are flat-footed).
    • Technique – Repulse the Monkey: You may spend a hero point to ready an action and set yourself against a charge. When the charging opponent enters a square you threaten, you may make an unarmed attack against that opponent. If your attack succeeds, you do double damage. This effect lasts until you make an attack roll, or stop readying the action. This counts against your total number of attacks of opportunity for the round, and you cannot use this technique if you cannot make an attack of opportunity (for example, you have used all your available attacks of opportunity or you are flat-footed).
Thousand League Eye
Perception Check Result Information Gained
10+ Whether the opponent is a nonheroic or a heroic character (or a beast)
15+ Opponent’s total Reflex defense score
20+ Opponent’s Dexterity bonus, Class bonus to Reflex defense, Armor bonus to Reflex defense (if any), and any situational modifiers (such as dodge bonuses)
25+ Opponent’s current number of hero points (if any)

Swordplay

Associated Weapons: Choose two bladed melee weapons
“Swordplay” is a general school that encompasses European fencing, Japanese kendo, and other forms of martial arts that center on the correct use of a sword. While some schools are very formalized, others teach more rough-and-tumble techniques closer to what true sword combat is like. Some schools teach the use of a single weapon, some teach two weapons (such as katana and wakizashi or rapier and main-gauche), some teach a sword and shield combination, and some teach grappling, punching, and kicking to accompany the sword blows.
In general, practitioners of Swordplay train with a specific bladed weapon. This is the weapon to which they apply Weapon Finesse and Weapon Focus. The practitioner may also apply those feats to a light weapon if she wishes to fight with two weapons, but she must apply the feats to her main weapon first.

  • 1st Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: Dexterity 15+, Intelligence 13+, BAB +1, Dodge, Melee Defense, Must be proficient with at least one form of bladed weapon
    • Benefits: You gain a +1 bonus to your Reflex defense against melee attacks when your off hand is either empty or wielding a light melee weapon. When you fight defensively or use the total defense action, this bonus increases to +2. You must be proficient with the second weapon to gain this bonus. In addition, if you take the Weapon Finesse feat or the Noble Fencing Style talent (Fencing tree, Expert class), it applies to one-handed bladed weapons in addition to unarmed strike and light weapons.
    • Technique – Broken Time: By suddenly changing the tempo of your attacks, you seek to gain the upper hand in a duel. Once per encounter you may use this technique to reroll your Initiative at a +2 bonus (you still gain any other normal Initiative bonuses to this roll).
  • 2nd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: 1st Degree Mastery of Swordplay, BAB +4, Agile Riposte, Combat Reflexes, Improved Disarm, Parry, Weapon Focus with group that includes bladed weapons or an Exotic bladed weapon.
    • Benefits: As a full-round action, you may move 5 feet and make a melee attack with a +1 bonus on the attack roll. If you do so, you also take a –1 penalty to your Reflex defense for 1 round (until the beginning of your action on the following round). You must move before your attack, not after. You may attempt to disarm your opponent rather than making a standard melee attack.
    • Technique – Prise de Fer: You may make a melee attack against a weapon wielded by an opponent (ignore the opponent’s armor or natural armor bonus to Reflex defense, if any). You get a +4 bonus to this roll for every size category your weapon is larger than your opponent’s weapon, or a –4 penalty for every size category smaller. You cannot use this technique against unarmed opponents. If you succeed, your weapon binds your opponent’s weapon.While the bind is in effect, your opponent cannot attack with that weapon, nor can you attack with yours. You both continue to threaten surrounding squares normally, but you both lose any Dexterity bonus to Reflex defense. Either of you may move at half speed by winning an opposed grapple check (this check is a standard action). Your opponent may attempt to escape the bind by making a grapple check. Either of you may end the bind voluntarily as a free action, but your opponent may only do so by dropping his weapon. You may attack each other (or adjacent opponents) with unarmed strikes, natural weapons, or a second weapon. Either of you may draw a light weapon as a move action. If you are using a two-handed weapon to bind your opponent’s weapon, drawing another weapon automatically ends the bind.
  • 3rd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: 2nd Degree Mastery of Swordplay, BAB +8
    • Benefits: You may perform a serious of blindingly fast movements as a standard action while armed with your sword and frighten your opponent. Make a melee attack roll against a single opponent’s Will defense, adding any modifiers to your Persuasion check made to intimidate. Characters immune to fear effects can’t be intimidated. You may add a +2 bonus to your melee attack roll for every size category you are larger than your target. Conversely, you take a –2 penalty to your check for every size category you are smaller than your target. If you succeed, your opponent cowers for one round. If you succeed by 10 or more, your opponent panics. You may affect one additional opponent for every 3 full character levels you have (four opponents starting at 9th level and so on, up to a maximum of seven starting at 18th level). When affecting more than one opponent, make a single attack roll opposed by the level check of the opponent with the most character levels or Hit Dice.
    • Technique – Active Defense [Stance]: Your skill with counterattacks makes you a dangerous foe. When an opponent makes a melee attack against you (including melee touch attacks), you may spend a hero point to immediately attack with a melee weapon with which you have Weapon Focus. You may attempt to disarm your opponent or use the prise de fer technique (see Prise de Fer, above) rather than simply attack. If your weapon allows, you may attempt to trip or grapple your opponent instead (GM’s discretion). Your action occurs before the opponent’s attack but does not change your place in the initiative order. If your action disarms the opponent or binds his weapon—or if you kill your opponent—his attack fails. This counts against your total number of attacks of opportunity for the round, and you cannot use this technique if you cannot make an attack of opportunity (for example, you have used all your available attacks of opportunity or you are flat-footed).

Third Eye

Associated Weapons: Feet, Hands
Third Eye is the newest combat school described here, having originated in the 2020s with Human telepaths who sought to defend themselves against sudden attacks from anti-telepath hate groups. The school is now taught as part of basic SDA training, and is a useful tool for psions who find themselves in combat situations. It’s primary focus is on perceiving incoming attacks with enough time to evade them, but it also teaches techniques that can be used offensively. It may spread to other psionically-talented organizations with time.

  • 1st Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: BAB +1, Martial Arts I, Melee Defense; Trained in Acrobatics, Initiative, and Psionics
    • Benefits: You may spend a hero point to automatically move 1 square in response to grapple attempt or melee attack. If this movement would put you out of range of the grapple attempt or the melee attack, the grapple attempt or melee attack automatically fails. This counts as one of your attacks of opportunity for the round, and you cannot use this technique if you cannot make an attack of opportunity (for example, you have used all your available attacks of opportunity or you are flat-footed).
  • 2nd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: 1st Degree Mastery of Third Eye, BAB +4, Martial Arts II, Psionic Training
    • Benefits: If you spend a hero point and succeed at an unarmed attack, the opponent you strike takes no damage but loses a number powers (chosen randomly) in their power suite equal to your Charisma modifier. You must announce the use of this ability before making your attack roll, thus a missed attack roll is a missed attempt. If the creature has no power suite or has an empty power suite, it instead moves -1 step on the condition track automatically. This ability has no effect on creatures immune to psionics.
    • Technique – Three Inch Punch: When you make an unarmed attack, you may spend a hero point to deal move your target -2 steps on the condition track for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma bonus. You may hold a “charge” for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma score or until you succeed at an unarmed strike, whichever comes first. You may voluntarily release a charge with no effect as a free action.
  • 3rd Degree Mastery
    • Prerequisites: 2nd Degree Mastery of Third Eye, BAB +8, Martial Arts III
    • Benefits: When you make an unarmed attack, you may expend a hero point to make ignore the armor and/or level bonus the target of your attack adds to their Reflex defense. You must announce the use of this ability before making any attack rolls. Thus missed attack rolls are missed attempts.
    • Technique – Thousand Steps: You no longer provoke attacks of opportunity when moving around opponents who are not immune to psionics, and you gain a +2 square bonus to speed. This is a function of you simply knowing where to move, allowing you to be more efficient, not an actual increase to your movement rate.
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