Fighting Forms - Suggestion.

Sun Mar 12, 2017 6:49 am

Fighting Forms

First a note:
Know I was apprehensive at providing suggestions at this early stage in my time here, but this idea wasn’t shot down in chat, so here we go. There are a variety of ways to implement fighting forms, I will make a few reasons for you to consider their inclusion, then offer some ideas.

Reasons for their inclusion

For characters wanting to specialise further in martial disciplines, and give them something to grow into.
To add a Mentor student relationship for martial characters, or a buddy to buddy teaching system. Think of a faction of knights having their own optional style, or an academy teaching certain styles.
To add common and rare fighting forms, common ones could given out by reviewers, rare ones could be learned player to player only.

How they could be implemented:

1) Fighting Forms, as a single skill. Like shields or, blades, the player picking a primary and secondary fighting form, that they have gained knowledge about. At Expert and Master levels, the player can create their own first and secondary fighting form to be added to world creation for approval. Unlike weapon choices however, the player can swap forms as they learn knowledge of them. This is the simple approach.

2) As Multiple Skills. Each form would have its own skill. Making mastering a form a lengthy affair, comparable to mastering a magic discipline. This would put martial characters more on a par with magic specialised characters, as you’ve only got so many skill points to go around. It would also make people known for fighting a certain way. At Master or Expert level in your chosen weapon style, you can create your own forms. This is the detailed approach.

3) As Knowledge. As long as you have knowledge of the form you can use it. As a Master or Expert in your chosen weapon style, you can create your own forms. You might set three levels of knowledge, requiring three threads to show mastery. This is the everyone gets them more easily approach.

How they could be designed.

1, Entirely based on real world styles.
2, Real world hybrids could be allowed, allowing for more variety.
3, A mix of real world foundations, allowing for fictional components built on top of them.
4, Purely fantasy creations.

*Additional notes: Some forms may have restrictions, like needing blades at an expert level to learn.

If this gets the go ahead, I’m happy to work on the task, or because I am so new, happily pass it over to anyone who likes the idea.

Sun Mar 12, 2017 12:59 pm

I'm new here as well, and my PC isn't focused on combat, so I might be missing something, but... I think that fighting forms as knowledge already exist. You get knowledge for Unarmed Combat, and you can make your PC train in a certain way fit for a style, and get knowledge from it. As you get certain specific knowledge about longsword, or daggers, you end up fighting in a certain way, even if they are not detailed as such.

That said, I'd also love to see more details in fighting forms on Unarmed Combat.

I like the idea of making it a system similar to magic, as I agree with you that's more detailed and realistic. However, as players create their own style sometimes and as there are an infinite numbers of real fighting styles, I think this way of implementing this system would be a colossal task. And if you chose to not include some fighting styles, you end up limiting player's option. In magic, it makes sense, as it's a physical restriction (just like you can't simply wish to fly and fly in the real world). For combat styles, not so much.

So, in my opinion, I think the first option works best. It's simpler, and it would allow more freedom, as all types of fighting wouldn't need to be detailed - only separated in groups. So instead of being just Unarmed Combat, there would be less general categories (like there are a number of categories for weapons, and not just Armed Combat). This would be simple to do, and add more realism: if you fight jiu-jitsu, it's similar enough to judo that you'd understand the basics of judo (the same way a PC who fights with a longsword understand the basics of a dagger), but you'd probably be very clueless about boxing or karate.

However, I'd say that this idea should be limited to Unarmed Combat only. You already have a division for types of weapons, and the player can introduce their fighting form through knowledge and choices in their RP. And if you want to mix an unarmed fighting form with an armed one, you can get levels on both of them and mix them without the need of getting levels in a specific form. If that makes sense.

Just as a comment, since this is a fantasy world, I'd say specific combat styles for races (like the Avriel, that can fly, or the Ithacal, that don't have legs, but have tails, or the Mer that can swim really, really well, etc.) are completely possible, and this would be mostly fantasy creations (you can even drawn inspiration from animals in the real world).

Well, hopefully I understand your idea well enough to offer some constructive advice. These are just my opinions, of course, of what I think already is possible and what I think could be added. I'd surely be very happy if you can/ decided to go forward with it.

Sun Mar 12, 2017 2:21 pm

Thanks for the input. I like the idea of racial styles too. As you observe the primary focus of the idea, is to give martial players a bit more to them, without needing to develop into magic. Also to give them the Master student angle mages have, and to add to the lore generally for factions or the world. Rather than limiting I was hoping to encourage players, so perhaps one fighting forms skill gives the most freedom, though it lacks the same gravity as multiple magic disciplines, it at least gives pure martial players something else to develop.

It is true we have a weapon type, but there are many ways to use it.

While it is widely known that there are several unarmed martial arts styles. There are several armed styles as well. I'll give a few examples, most for the long blade, of course there are many other weapons, for other styles we could list.

Main article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swordsmanship

European:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longsword ... _longsword
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historica ... rtial_arts

Bloßfechten or Bare Longsword Fighting.
Harnischfechten or Armored Fighting.
Baroque style fencing.
Rococo style.
Modern fencing.

Chinese, sword styles and their uses.
Jian
https://ymaa.com/articles/the-profound- ... nese-sword
Butterfly sword - Niuweidao - Yanmaodao - etc.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_swordsmanship

Japanese
Kage-ryū (Aizu) (Aisukage ryū)
Chūjō-ryū
Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenjutsu

Korea
Muyeshinbo
Kumdo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_swordsmanship

Then you have flavor things like Turkish Sword Dances

If you picture how vikings fought for example, it is vastly different to how a fencer fights, and the two have uniquely different styles that when learned, compliment the fighter further, something they can then share with others.

I hope that gives a more compelling idea to anyone else reading. If not, no worries, and thanks for reading.