Jinsai Shao'dengia Martial Arts

Summary
Shao'dengia Martial Arts (pronounced Sha-ow Den-Gay) focused the body and mind. The individuals who were later referred to as Jinsai did not originally use that label for themselves. They considered themselves practitioners of political, religious, and military strategies that were cultural opposites of the conventional outlooks of the times within the Antrixian Commonwealth, or what would become the Commonwealth.

Patience, tolerance, logic and calm were the four mainstays of Shao practices. It was not unusual for a Jinsai to spend hours out of a day in meditation. The Jinsai believed that a focused, calm mind, thinking openly and rationally was more powerful than a honed blade or a tempered body. Next, the body must be conditioned to obey the mind. Extensive, repetitive exercises were completed frequently within a five day period in order to achieve this. Through muscle memory, a Jinsai could act or react to situations without hesitation. Jinsai had been known to "punish" their own bodies in order to achieve a higher degree of resilience, by way of repeatedly punching a urn of rocks or kicking trees. This built up the resilience and allowed them to deliver some of their combat techniques with deadly force.

The Jinsai had taken the role of peacekeeper and guardian since their formal creation and attachment to the Antrixian Landsting and Commonwealth. Because they were so often called on to act in dangerous or combat situations, the Jinsai trained in Shao techniques with weapons along with their physical, unarmed techniques. The signature weapons, such as the Warblade and the Telescoping Polearm were prominent signs of a Jinsai.

RPG D6 Stats
For every +1 pip that a character increases her martial arts skill, she may pick one of the techniques from the list of the martial style in which their character specializes. Learning a technique from outside a style costs 10 character points and takes three weeks of training. Characters whose martial arts skill is increased during character creation are eligible to select from the techniques. Characters must also declare which technique they are using prior to making the required skill roll (unless otherwise indicated).

Shao'dengia practitioners gain a +1D to their parries for Brawling and Melee Combat when defending against an attack from someone who does not know Shao'dengia.

Basic Maneuvers
(Free Maneuvers available to everyone)

Maneuver: Punch/Strike

Description: A basic attack with a fist, elbow or other striking appendage.

Difficulty: Very Easy

Effect: Does Strength damage.

Maneuver: Kick/Strike

Description: A basic attack with a foot, knee or other lower striking appendage.

Difficulty: Easy

Effect: Does Strength+2 damage.

Maneuver: Hold/Grapple

Description: A simple grab and squeeze attack.

Difficulty: Moderate or an opposed Strength roll.

Effect: The character attempting to grapple with a target must make a Moderate brawling roll to hold her opponent. For every round the target is held, the character must make an opposed Strength roll, with a +1 penalty for each point by which the character succeeded in her grapple attempt. If the target beats her Strength roll he breaks free of the hold.

Brawling Maneuvers
Technique: Backfist

Description: The character is trained to hold his weapon with one hand, and hit an opponent with the back of his other fist.

Difficulty: Moderate

Effect: If the character makes the required skill roll, the character does Strength+2D damage to his opponent (provided that it is not dodged or parried). When used in the same round as a melee weapon attack, it does not count towards the multiple action penalty.

Technique: Backflip

Description: The character is trained to flip backwards to avoid a hit or fall.

Difficulty: Easy

Effect: If the character makes the required skill roll, he may add +2D to his next climbing/jumping or dodge roll. This maneuver does not count towards calculating the multiple action penalty. This will affect the range of the character towards their target.

Technique: Back Strike

Description: The character is trained to spin and attack an enemy to the rear with bare hands.

Difficulty: Easy

Effect: When a character has her back to an opponent, she may use this technique to spin and attack that opponent without suffering penalties for not being able to see her target.

Technique: Blade Kick

Description: An advanced kick technique where a user has increased their physical resilience in order to deliver a harder hitting kick or sweep. Requires a Shao skill of 7D.

Difficulty: Moderate

Effect: A successful attempt indicates the target is tripped or knocked back, falling to the ground, while taking considerable damage. A successful skill check by the user grants a +3D brawling damage bonus against a target. The target character must remain prone for the remainder of the round.

Technique: Cresent Attack

Description: The character is trained to attack multiple enemies at close range. This is taught as a Shao Melee Technique, also.

Difficulty: Very Difficult

Effect: When surrounded at close range, the character is trained to use this technique to eliminate nearby threats. If the character's skill roll is successful, he may attack up to 3 enemies within arm's reach using the martial arts skill roll as his attack roll for each opponent (no multiple action penalty).

Technique: Disarm

Description: The character is trained to force an opponent to drop a weapon or object.

Difficulty: Moderate

Effect: If the character's attack is successful (and is not parried or dodged) and if the skill roll meets the required difficulty number, the target has been disarmed of one weapon or item they are holding. The item lands 1D meters away.

Technique: Dislocate Limb

Description: This maneuver allows the character to dislocate on of his opponent's limbs - typically an arm.

Difficulty: Difficult

Effect: A successful skill check indicates that the target's limb has been dislocated, he cannot make attacks with that limb. He may still make attacks with other limbs, though at a -1D penalty. The opponent may pop his limb back into place in the next round. This requires a Moderate willpower check. He then suffers a -2D penalty to all actions that round; if he attempts to use that limb to attack in the same round after popping it into place, he suffers a -2D damage modifier on any damage rolls with that limb.

Technique: Flip

Description: The character can throw a target who has grappled her from behind.

Difficulty: Moderate

Effect: A successful skill check indicates that the target is hurled to the ground (provided the attack is not parried or dodged). The target suffers 3D damage. This technique may be used as a reaction skill.

Technique: Flying Kick

Description: The character is trained to leap to deliver a crushing kick.

Difficulty: Difficult

Effect: The character can add +2D to her damage roll if her skill roll exceeds the difficulty number. Failure to beat the difficulty number indicates the character is off-balance and her opponent may make an additional attack this round with no multiple action penalty.

Technique: Foot Sweep

Description: The character uses a sweeping motion of her leg to trip an opponent.

Difficulty: Moderate

Effect: A successful attempt indicates the target is tripped, falling to the ground. The character must remain prone for the remainder of the round.

Technique: High Kick

Description: The character is trained to aim a kick at his opponent's chin.

Difficulty: Moderate

Effect: If the character makes the required skill roll, he delivers an upward-moving kick to the opponent's chin, doing Strength+1D damage.

Technique: Iron Fist

Description: An advanced punching technique where a user has increased their physical resilience in order to deliver a harder hitting punch. Requires a Shao skill of 7D.

Difficulty: moderate

Effect: If the character makes a successful skill check, they gain a +3D brawling damage to their opponent.

Technique: Weapon Block

Description: The character is trained to parry melee attacks, even when she does not possess a melee weapon.

Difficulty: Opposed martial arts versus melee combat roll

Effect: If the character makes the required difficulty roll, she successfully blocks a melee attack. This may be used as a reaction skill.

Technique: Weapon Steal

Description: The character is trained to disarm and take control of a weapon in the opponent's grasp.

Difficulty: Very Difficult, plus an opposed Strength roll.

Effect: If the character makes the required skill roll, and overcomes his opponent's Strength roll, he may steal an opponent's weapon from them for his own use.

Melee Maneuvers
Technique: Dazing Blow

Description: The character is trained to use a weapon to do only Stun damage. With a blunt weapon, he hits less forcefully; with an edged weapon, he uses the "flat" of the blade.

Difficulty: Difficult

Effect: If the character makes the required skill roll, he may use his melee weapon to cause Strength+1D stun damage.

Technique: Disarm

Description: The character skillfully strikes her opponent's weapon, hand or arm, not to cause damage, but to knock the weapon out of her opponent's grasp. Alternately, she may use an entangling weapon such as a chain to wrap around her foe's weapon and pull it away.

Difficulty: Moderate

Effect: If the character's attack is successful (and is not parried or dodged) and if the skill roll meets the required difficulty number, the target character is disarmed.

Technique: Double Sweep

Description: The character can follow a sweep using a melee weapon with a foot sweep.

Difficulty: Difficult

Effect: If the character makes the required skill roll, she uses her weapon to deflect her opponent’s weapon while also causing the opponent to become off balance. She then attempts to knock the opponent down using a foot sweep. That opponent remains prone for the remainder of the round, and any of his or her combat rolls are -1D.

Technique: Dual Attack

Description: The character is trained to effectively use paired weapons (e.g., tonfas, nunchukas, sai, butterfly swords, two short swords, long sword/short sword).

Difficulty: Very Difficult

Effect: If the character makes the required skill roll, he may make two damage checks against his opponent. The character also gains a +1D bonus when parrying.

Technique: Jab

Description: The character is trained to make a quick, light strike with a weapon, used more to test an opponent's skill and defenses than to injure him.

Difficulty: Difficult

Effect: If the character makes the required skill roll, he may deliver an attack at a -1D to damage with such speed that he may make one other melee attack this round without incurring the multiple action penalty.

Technique: Riposte

Description: This technique, most commonly performed with blades, is a rapid strike following a block.

Difficulty: Difficult

Effect: A character may only use a Riposte in the action after he has made a successful parry. If the character makes the required skill roll, he may add the number of points his parry beat the last attack to his melee combat roll.

Technique: Slash

Description: The character can make a powerful blow with an axe, sword or similar weapon.

Difficulty: Moderate

Effect: If the character makes the required skill roll, he may deliver an attack at a +1D to damage.

Technique: Thrust

Description: This technique is a cross between a Jab and a Slash; it combines the formers speed with the latter's power.

Difficulty: Difficult

Effect: If the character makes the required skill roll, he may deliver an attack with such speed that he may make one other melee attack this round without incurring the multiple action penalty.

The Jinsai are said to know a host of other techniques that are not listed here, which are contemporary with other Galactic Martial Arts.