Latest revision as of 01:15, 6 April 2010

This page defunct for the moment because I haven't picked up or played 2nd edition.

Update 8/3/2007: Defunct
Update 5/11/2004: Added first subpages
Update 4/17/2004: Added martial arts house rules

House rules

Musing on Martial Arts

I have always been somewhat unimpressed by the martial arts rules presented in Exalted. Perhaps it would be more fair to say I am unimpressed by the style. To be honest I don't find the artificial separation between martial arts and the other figthing abilities useful or even realistic. All ways of learning how to fight are martial arts. The way I might learn to handle a broadsword in the SCA is as much of a martial art as karate. Wrestling is a martial art as is Judo. It seems to me that Exalted falls into the idea that East Asian fighting techniques are better or more special than European ones and deserve to be treated differently as a result. This I don't agree with and the following rules are my overhaul to martial arts.

• There is no longer a martial arts skill.
• All unarmed attacks are under brawl which can be renamed unarmed combat if so desired. All armed attacks are melee.
• Chosen of Endings and Earth Aspects have unarmed.
• There is a new skill to take the empty place: tactics. I will expand on what tactics can do later.
• The charm trees for martial arts become unattached to any one skill.
• Martial arts are defined as limited magical fighting styles. There is a theme and a limited number of weapons that can be used with them.
• Generally martial arts may only be comboed with other charms for their style.
• Instead each style has abilities that it can be used with. Example: Wood Dragon form can be used unarmed or with a bow or a few certain touch based charms. It can be used with the abilities of unarmed, archery, and medicine.
• You may buy a charm once you have any ability it may be used with at the appropriate level.
• You may use any bought charm with any appropriate ability of the required level.
• Martial arts come in three levels, terrestrial, celestial, and super-celestial.
• Terrestrial and celestial martial arts are as described in the Player's Guide; Super-celestial replaces Sidereal.
• Super-celestial martial arts are incredibaly powerful and unique to each exalted type.
• Only the Sidereals still possess their super forms, the Solar ones are obviously lost currently. The Lunar ones were mostly forgotten in the early struggle to survive in the Wyld and were generally the most difficult to learn anyway. There are no Abyssal forms as of yet but it is rumored that they are being developed.

Sub-pages and Links

Dalassa/Campaigns - Page for campaigns I am running, currently just Sidereals at Sea.\\ Dalassa/MartialArts - Where my custom martial arts go. I will flesh them out here before linking them to the main martial art page. I'd also appreciate feedback on them from people.

Comments

You should check out the Martial Arts Discussion, among others. Lots and lots of people have had ideas on extremely similar lines :) I myself have thought exactly the same things as you have here.\\ And welcome!\\ ~ Shataina

Thanks! I will admit to stealing the tactics idea from someone on Exalted Compendium but a lack of an appropriate skill for planning out battles bugged me. However I feel tactics didn't really come into its own until the PG. ~Dalassa

So, would you be interested in having us post up our characters for sids_at_sea and link them to your campaign page? - Seraph