====== Futuristic Styles ====== ===== Note on Existing Styles ===== See Tactical Shooting: Tomorrow for extensive notes on adapting existing gun styles to ultra-tech weapons. In general, most of the styles from Tactical Shooting and Gun Fu should still be available in “realistic” or “cinematic” TL9 or 10 (and maybe more advanced) futures respectively, although some will obviously be more useful than others, depending on circumstances. For example, Way of the West (Gun Fu, p. 35) is a style for folks using revolvers and riding horses – not much use in any but the strangest TL10 settings. Likewise, Rifleman (Tactical Shooting, p. 51) is a style for soldiers using low-tech rifles, which are unlikely to be seen much on TL9+ battlefields, except in the hands of underequipped insurgents, who don’t have full style-level training. That said, if those insurgents are getting minimal hardware support from outside allies, and some useful software-based training, they might be given specially designed programs intended to turn them into the best soldiers they can be with those guns (and training to accomplish as much as possible with single-shot attacks could be one way to encourage conservation of scarce ammunition). If the available technology in a setting includes significant numbers of beam weapons (such as lasers, blasters if the TL is high enough, or various other types if the right sort of superscience is available), Beam Weapons skill can replace or be added to Guns in many of the styles. In some cases, some styles may switch over to Beam Weapons while others stick to Guns; for example, at TL9, lasers may be regarded as useful sniper weapons but poor choices for ordinary troops – in which case, the Assaulter style (Tactical Shooting, p. 47) may remain largely unchanged, while Sharpshooter (Tactical Shooting, p. 51) can be adapted into “Laser Sharpshooter,” with Guns (Rifle) replaced by Beam Weapons (Rifle) and any skill or perk specializations which refer to guns or bullet use deleted or replaced by specializations for beam weapons. Incidentally, even if lethal lasers and blasters are still largely unknown in a setting, “less-than-lethal” electrolasers (Ultra-Tech, pp. 119-120, or Changing Times, pp. 62-3) and other somewhat specialized weaponry may make Beam Weapons skill useful, especially for cops and civilians. Hence, it can become an optional skill for many styles learned by anyone from those backgrounds. =====FORCE-SWORDSMANSHIP - 5 points===== Force-Swordsmanship is the art of the superscience force sword (p. B272). In some game worlds, the force sword is the sidearm of the nobility; indeed, tradition or the law might restrict it to individuals with Status 2+. Young nobles swagger about with ornate weapons at their hips. They practice with low-powered training blades . . . but the real thing is fashionable for dueling (legal or not). This gives Force-Swordsmanship the character of fencing in 17th- and 18th-century Europe. In other settings, anybody can carry a force sword but few truly know how to use it. Locating an instructor requires the sort of quest found in legends about the traditional martial arts. Unlocking the weapon’s secrets takes a lifetime, and the few who master it command respect for their skill, dedication, and power. This imbues the art with a flavor closer that of cinematic kung fu. The force-swordsman practices both aggressive attacks and careful defenses, for use in two different situations. If his foe lacks a force sword, he attacks strongly, exploiting his weapon’s ability to destroy lesser arms when parrying or parried. Against a similar weapon, though, the stylist fights more defensively. He uses parries to stop force-sword strikes (and Parry Missile Weapons and Precognitive Parry to deflect beams and projectiles!) and dodges – especially Acrobatic Dodge – to get out of harm’s way and into a better position from which to attack. In either circumstance, the standard grip is two-handed, although practitioners learn to fight one-handed and some wield two force swords simultaneously. Force-swordsmen often attack their enemy’s weapon. This is because most ordinary weapons can’t resist their blade! This tactic carries over to force sword vs. force sword duels in the form of a Beat (pp. 100-101). The most advanced students learn grappling techniques, but rarely use them except to counter another fighter’s wrestling moves. Against a similarly armed foe, the force sword makes close combat far too dangerous. Against an adversary without a force sword, the sword itself is the best option for attack. Cinematic masters can channel their chi to stun foes with a word, resist great mental pressure, make prodigious leaps, and deflect beam-weapon attacks. Damage from the force sword isn’t ST-based, but the GM might let Power Blow double (or even triple!) the weapon’s damage. This is usually only possible for force-swordsmen who craft their own force sword in tune with their chi; the GM should probably require Weapon Bond. Damage bonuses for Weapon Master also apply, with the same caveats. Psi powers (pp. B254-257) accompany all of this in some settings, but with power modifiers similar to those in Chi Powers for Martial Artists (p. 46). This style mainly suits space-opera campaigns with lots of superscience. It works best in cinematic games – because to most players, Force-Swordsmanship without the ability to parry blaster fire and demolish foes while wearing a helmet with the blast shield down simply isn’t Force- Swordsmanship. Similar styles may exist for other “force weapons,” such as the force whip. Skills: Acrobatics; Force Sword; Force Sword Art; Parry Missile Weapons. Techniques: Feint (Force Sword); Targeted Attack (Force Sword Swing/Arm); Targeted Attack (Force Sword Swing/Leg); Targeted Attack (Force Sword Swing/Neck). Cinematic Skills: Blind Fighting; Body Control; Flying Leap; Kiai; Mental Strength; Power Blow; Precognitive Parry. Cinematic Techniques: Dual-Weapon Attack (Force Sword); Dual-Weapon Defense (Force Sword); Whirlwind Attack (Force Sword). Perks: Acrobatic Feints; Chi Resistance (Any); Grip Mastery (Force Sword); Off-Hand Weapon Training (Force Sword); Special Setup (Power Blow works with Force Sword); Sure-Footed (Slippery); Sure-Footed (Uneven). ===Optional Traits=== Advantages: Enhanced Dodge; Enhanced Parry (Force Sword); Fit; Forceful Chi; psi Talents; Weapon Master (Force Sword). Disadvantages: Code of Honor; Sense of Duty (Close friends and companions). Skills: Armoury (Force Swords); Fast-Draw (Force Sword); Jumping; Karate; Savoir-Faire (Dojo); Wrestling. Perks: Weapon Bond. =====FREEFIGHTING - 5 points===== Freefighting is a martial art for low- and zero-gravity situations. It became popular with long-term space-dwellers during the mid-21st century. It emphasizes taking away weapons (especially those dangerous to sensitive spaceship components) and tying up the opponent quickly with the goal of subduing him. It also includes basic punching and kicking techniques. Stylists often work strikes into combinations with grappling moves, the intent being to stun the target for long enough to get a solid hold. Freefighting has many variations. Some fighters train with knives. Others learn the baton, focusing more on simple strikes than on advanced stickfighting methods. There are also “freefighting” forms of several major martial arts – Bando, Escrima, and Jujutsu being especially popular – and numerous fusion styles. The style isn’t old enough to have much of a body of legend. Popular entertainment frequently depicts its practitioners pulling off spectacular moves, however. Most fiction shows the fighter dodging and weaving with incredible ease – often using showy low-G acrobatics – while tying up the foe with handy cable or cable ties, all the while never losing contact with him. Truth is often stranger than fiction. The specific style of Freefighting described here has among its students a small, skillful group who live permanently in microgravity and who’ve replaced their legs with a second pair of arms. These martial artists replace Knee Strike with Elbow Strike. Skills: Brawling; Free Fall; Judo; Vacc Suit. Techniques: Arm Lock; Disarming (Judo); Handcuffing; Knee Strike. Cinematic Skills: Blind Fighting; Sensitivity. Cinematic Techniques: Binding; Roll with Blow. Perks: Lower Arm Blindside, Suit Familiarity (Vacc Suit). ===Optional Traits=== Advantages: 3D Spatial Sense; Enhanced Dodge; Perfect Balance. Skills: Acrobatics; Climbing; Fast-Draw (Knife or Sword); Jumping; Karate; Knife; Shortsword. =====BATTLESUIT SHOOTER - 7 points===== This style is optimized for shooters wearing powered armor. Its shooting skills favor heavier weapons, to effectively combat similarly armored opponents and to make the most of a battlesuit’s increased ST. Close-Quarters Battle is essential for fire on the move. Comms Multitasking (Transhuman Space: Martial Arts 2100, p. 15) is useful especially for officers and NCOs to monitor communications with their units. Targeted Attack is particularly effective to deal with weak points (p. B400) in the battlesuits of the opposition. Equipment Bond is a common perk to model a suit being perfectly adjusted to the wearer. Military-trained shooters often have Battle Drills and Standard Operating Procedure. For a more cinematic style, see Battledress Training (Martial Arts 2100, p. 23). Skills: Four of Artillery (Guided Missile), Gunner (any), or Guns (LAW, LMG, Rifle, or SMG); Battlesuit; Electronics Operations (Comm). Techniques: Close-Quarters Battle (any); Comms Multitasking; Corner-Shot (any; p. 11); Fast-Firing (any); Immediate Action (any); Quick-Shot (any); Targeted Attack (any); Zero-G Shooting (p. 11). Perks: Battle Drills; Cool Under Fire; Equipment Bond; Off-Hand Weapon Training (any); Quick Reload (any); Standard Operating Procedure (any); Trademark Move; Weapon Bond. ===Optional Traits=== Secondary Characteristics: Improved Basic Speed. Advantages: Combat Reflexes; Fearlessness; Signature Gear. Disadvantages: Overconfidence. Skills: Armoury (Battlesuits, Heavy Weapons, or Small Arms); Beam Weapons (Rifle); Connoisseur (Guns); Electronics Operation (Sensors); Fast-Draw (any); Forced Entry; Forward Observer; Free Fall; Guns (any); Liquid Projector (Flamethrower); Soldier; Spacer; Tactics; Throwing; any primary skill not learned initially. Techniques: Corner-Shot (any). Perks: Armorer’s Gift (any); Cross-Trained (any); Early Adopter (any); Tap-Rack-Bang (any). =====SPACE MARINE - 8 points===== The Space Marine shooting style is a TL9 equivalent of the Assaulter style (Tactical Shooting, pp. 47-48), modified for the many operation scenarios that tomorrow’s spaceborne naval assault forces face. In addition to a variety of gunrelated skills, the style emphasizes combat and survival in and around spacecraft, requiring Free Fall and Vacc Suit. Boarding operations require fire on the move at close distance, making the Close-Quarters Battle technique especially important. Zero-G Shooting allows effective combat in low gravity. Targeted Attack is common – the skull hit location is typical, but depending on the opponents it may also include specific body parts of xenomorphs or known weak spots in body armor or battlesuits (p. B400). Comms Multitasking is common with officers and NCOs. Battle Drills and Standard Operating Procedure are standard perks for military shooters. Off-Hand Weapon Training and Quick Reload are popular secondary choices. Barricade Tactics may be less common due to technical advances (p. 8), while Weapon Bond will be more common (p. 7). Most marine units still teach bayonet fighting (Martial Arts, p. 197); boarding units may even use cutlasses or similar fighting blades. In addition to this shooting style, space marines also train in unarmed combat, such as MCMAP (Martial Arts, pp. 183-184) or Freefighting (Martial Arts, p. 210), if mainly to stay physically fit. Skills: Four of Fast-Draw (Ammo), Gunner (MG), or Guns (LAW, LMG, Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, or SMG); Electronics Operation (Comm); Free Fall; Vacc Suit. Techniques: Close-Quarters Battle (any); Comms Multitasking; Corner-Shot (any); Fast-Firing (any); Immediate Action (any); Quick-Shot (any); Precision Aiming (any); Targeted Attack (any); Zero-G Shooting. Perks: Barricade Tactics; Battle Drills; Cool Under Fire; Grip Mastery (any); Lightning Fingers (any); Motorized Training (any); Off-Hand Weapon Training (any); Quick Reload (any); Standard Operating Procedure (any); Sure-Footed (any); Trademark Move; Weapon Bond. ===Optional Traits=== Secondary Characteristics: Improved Basic Speed and Per. Advantages: Acute Vision; Combat Reflexes; Danger Sense; Fearlessness; Fit; Signature Gear. Disadvantages: Hard of Hearing; Overconfidence. Skills: Armoury (Body Armor or Small Arms); Artillery (Guided Missile); Beam Weapons (Rifle); Carousing; Connoisseur (Guns); Electronics Operation (Security or Sensor); Forced Entry; Forward Observer; Gunner (any); Guns (any); Liquid Projector (Flamethrower); Soldier; Spacer; Spear; Stealth; Sword; Tactics; Throwing; any primary skill not learned initially. Techniques: Work by Touch (Armoury). Perks: Armorer’s Gift (any); Cross-Trained (any); Early Adopter (any); Green Eyes; Tap-Rack-Bang (any); Tracer Eyes. =====ARC-P - 4 points===== Throughout the early decades of the 21st century, the U.S. Army frequently found itself engaging in police actions and “operations other than warfare” all across the planet. A recurrent feature of these activities was a need to handle rioting (or simply unruly) crowds of civilians – more or less hostile, not generally armed with lethal weapons, in conditions where the use of lethal force would be politically inexpedient at best, illegal and catastrophic at worst. Conventionally trained soldiers were grossly ill-equipped to handle such things. Although the Army responded by borrowing tactics and techniques from civilian police, these situations were always seen as a painful nuisance. In 2042, a young staff captain, Martin Ballantine, proposed a consolidation and improvement of the doctrines that had evolved in the Army to handle riot-control situations, using the latest VR training technology. The curriculum he designed focused on teamwork, riot shield use in a group context, stances and moves that enable the group to hold back large groups of protesters or other agitated civilians, and basic use of riot-control batons. Additional sections covered other less-than-lethal weapons and arrest methods borrowed from police training. Ballantine’s proposal was approved, and the VR course he designed, “Army Riot Control Procedures,” was released in 2043 and soon installed in every Army training establishment. It might have been forgotten after a few years, except that it was eventually identified as the first of the Virtual Arts; mentions in the history books earned it a certain mystique. As it was a well-designed course, many military and police forces still use derivatives in their training. Bizarre stories and barroom legends suggest that small groups of experts can hold back entire mobs of rioters, and exaggerate the calm demeanor of a competent professional into a stony utter fearlessness (so Unfazeable becomes an optional advantage in cinematic games). Several variants and copies of this style exist in 2155. Some organizations consider the use of batons (and even stun wands, p. 33, which have become widespread in riot control) to be out of date or clumsy, or think that they allow opponents to get too close. These groups prefer to emphasize ranged weaponry of various sorts – make both Shortsword and Tonfa optional, replacing them in the core of the style with either Liquid Projector (Sprayer) or Guns (Grenade Launcher or Shotgun). Others simply favor bigger sticks (change Shortsword or Tonfa to Broadsword). Skills: Shield; Shortsword or Tonfa; Sumo Wrestling. Techniques: Arm Lock (Shortsword or Tonfa); Armed Grapple; Disarming; Handcuffing (Sumo Wrestling). Cinematic Skills: Immovable Stance; Push. Perks: Shield-Wall Training; Skill Adaptation (Handcuffing defaults to Sumo Wrestling-1); Teamwork. ===Optional Traits=== Secondary Characteristics: Improved Will. Advantages: Fearlessness; Legal Enforcement Powers. Disadvantages: Code of Honor (Soldier’s); Duty; Sense of Duty (To unit or team). Skills: Beam Weapons (any); Brawling; Guns (Grenade Launcher or Shotgun); Liquid Projector (Sprayer); Savoir-Faire (Military or Police); Search; Wrestling. Techniques: Arm Lock (Wrestling); Jam (Brawling). =====BANTU BOXING (BANTUJUTSU) - 3 or 6 points===== The famous African martial artist Charles “Croc” Makombo founded Bantujutsu in the 2030s and 2040s. He was born somewhere between 1990 and 2000 in Paris, and migrated to NYC in 2018. After a promising career start in professional Boxing and Muay Thai, he astonished the fans by joining the Central African rebel forces of Colonel Thomas Lefevre in the Congo crisis of the 2020s. He soon became one of the leading figures of the war, and was the trainer and commander of Lefevre’s personal guard, the Simba. It was thought that he died with the rest of Lefevre’s personal troops in an ambush in 2029, but he reappeared in Montréal in 2041, where he opened a dojo. In 2072, he moved to Marseille, where he opened his second dojo. His schools taught and perfected his new style, which he forbid to be taught to whites or Asians. It’s a tough but well-developed art, combining raw, damaging power with judo-style elegance when grappling, and teaching a full range of fist strikes. Fighters are expected to meet strength with strength, although opponents who use skilled kicks are usually countered by grappling. On August 1, 2086, Makombo retired and left the dojos and his martial art to his nephew, Anthony Proudhomme. On August 3, Makombo apparently died while swimming in the Mediterranean, but his body was never found. Anthony Proudhomme soon opened the dojos to students of all ethnic backgrounds, including whites and Asians. Some of Croc’s senior students grumble about this “perversion” and “selling out” of the style to this day. Bantujutsu is taught in two very distinct stages; only advanced students (First Dan or higher) of the “Warrior Style” can learn the “Chief-Style.” At all levels, Bantujutsu is an art that emphasizes physical power, and tries to take advantage of a combatant’s size, body mass, and sheer strength. Consequently, many practitioners possess powerful physiques – either by birth, training, or design. However, Makombo also sought to integrate some ideas from “internal” styles to produce a well-rounded “thinking warrior.” To avoid having too many students arrested for misjudged use of the style, and to help them in standing up to authority, schools traditionally offer lectures on basic legal principles and what to do if arrested, although this information doesn’t always stick. Bantujutsu teachers strenuously suppress stories about cinematic abilities, emphasizing that this is a serious art for real fighters in a kill-or-be-killed world, but a few wild stories inevitably circulate. Indeed, among Bantujutsu students, a rumor exists about a secret third stage, the “Witchdoctor-” or “Shaman-Style.” Whether this third style exists – and if it does, what it consists of – is left to the GM; one possibility would be to use Unusual Training perks to allow even realistic fighters some access to cinematic options. ===Warrior-Style=== Skills: Boxing; Judo. Techniques: Arm Lock; Breakfall; Choke Hold; Counterattack (Boxing); Finger Lock; Ground Fighting (Judo); Head Lock; Neck Snap; Targeted Attack (Boxing Punch/Face); Targeted Attack (Judo Grapple/Arm); Targeted Attack (Judo Throw/Neck); Uppercut. Perks: Clinch (Boxing); Neck Control (Boxing); Power Grappling; Teamwork. ===Optional Traits=== Attributes: Improved ST. Advantages: Combat biomods; Combat Reflexes; High Pain Threshold. Disadvantages: Bloodlust; Callous; Intolerance (Racial). Skills: Autohypnosis; Breath Control; Karate; Law (Local Area: Criminal); Meditation; Sumo Wrestling; Throwing. Additionally, all Chief-Style primary skills (see below) can be considered optional for Warrior-Style. Techniques: Knee Strike (Karate). ===Chief-Style Additions=== This is only taught to students who have the full Warrior-Style training. It is not a full style in itself, and it doesn’t have a separate Style Familiarity perk. Smallsword is included for use with the short staff, a popular weapon among stylists. Skills: Smallsword; Staff; one of Axe/Mace, Broadsword, Main-Gauche, or Tonfa. Techniques: Aggressive Parry (Boxing); Armed Grapple (any required weapon skill); Back Strike (Staff); Close Combat (any required weapon skill); Feint (Staff); Hook (Axe/Mace); Retain Weapon (Staff); Sweep (Staff); Targeted Attack (any required weapon skill/Neck); Targeted Attack (Staff Swing/Leg). Cinematic Skills: Power Blow. Cinematic Techniques: Backbreaker (ST); Piledriver; Whirlwind Attack (Boxing or Staff). Perks: Iron Hands; Iron Neck; Off-Hand Weapon Training (any required weapon skill); Quick-Swap (any required weapon skill); Skill Adaptation (Piledriver can take Judo instead of Wrestling as its prerequisite). ===Optional Traits=== Skills: Any weapon skill available but not chosen as required is still available for later study. =====BATTLEDRESS TRAINING - 5 points===== Battlesuit use, in a general sense, is a basic part of human infantry training in any firstworld army. Typically, power-armor troops perform a kind of tactical command function on the battlefield. Although they are certainly dangerous in a shoot-out, AI-controlled military cybershells are equally effective, and losing those is cheaper and less controversial. Because power armor permits human troops (especially leaders) to venture close to the front lines with a better chance of survival, and to carry a lot of support gear and weapons, their job is primarily to provide local command initiative. Despite their main purpose, these troops have performed heroically and effectively in personal combat, when the need arose. The basics of power armor use are covered by Battlesuit skill, plus weapon skills and Soldier. However, armies issuing such expensive gear like to be sure that it will be used properly, and so have evolved formalized training courses. This style represents a typical course of this kind. It covers battlesuit use and marksmanship, as well as comms and remote control of minicybershells and cyberswarms, which are often regarded as the most important parts of the course. Reflecting the nature of this training in the reality of 2155, cinematic battlesuit experts are often shown as tactical wizards who can coordinate hordes of supporting units, although wilder InVids persist in presenting them as one-man armies who can blast through any obstruction. Unfortunately, this sort of imagery, and the feeling of being inside an indestructible shell, does sometimes lead battlesuit troopers into overconfidence. Skills: Battlesuit; Electronics Operation (Communications); Guns (Grenade Launcher, Gyroc, or LAW); Guns (Rifle). Techniques: Comms Multitasking; Limpet Mine Attachment (DX); Quick-Shot. Perks: Armorer’s Gift (for any appropriate skill in the style); Army of One; Cookie Cutter; Cross-Trained. ===Optional Traits=== Advantages: Allies (Supporting combat infomorphs); Brain Booster nanosymbionts; Combat Reflexes; Military Rank. Disadvantages: Code of Honor (Soldier’s); Duty; Overconfidence. Skills: Armoury (Battlesuits); Camouflage; Computer Operation; Electronics Operation (EW, Security, or Surveillance); Electronics Repair (any); Forward Observer; Gunner (any); Guns (any); Savoir-Faire (Military); Soldier; Tactics. =====COCERDELMI - 3 points===== This is a military hand-to-hand style, developed and used by the armies of various South American TSA members. This gives it a certain mystique among nanosocialist sympathizers, although in fact, it resembles other styles taught by military forces of several different nations aligned with various power blocs and political philosophies. The name is simply short for “Combate Cercano de los Militares” – “Military Close Combat.” The basis of this system is the recognition that, at the end of the 21st century, even irregular and insurgent opponents may be wearing very effective armor, especially on the torso. This may not protect perfectly against firearms, but it will certainly negate any punch thrown by an unarmed fighter. The style therefore concentrates on arm locks, leg sweeps, and to a lesser extent, face and limb strikes. Ground-fighting tricks are included because this sort of fight does sometimes go to the floor, and most training sessions are held on rough ground, not artificially smooth training mats. Advanced students have a large repertoire of techniques, although most fighters limit themselves to two or three moves chosen to suit their own physiques. Cocerdelmi takes a meticulous approach to leverage and grappling methods, while its punches and kicks are simple and functional. A common pattern of attacks (which can be used as the basis of a Combination) consists of a sweep or throw followed by a Stamp Kick against the prone foe – to the face if that’s unprotected, otherwise to the legs to prevent him getting up again. Training also emphasizes fast, decisive responses to emergencies – “he who hesitates, dies.” Armchair sympathizers with the cause are the main source of stories about superhuman jungle fighters with vast reserves of strength, able to defeat opponents with their uncanny grappling skills, even in total darkness. Skills: Brawling; Judo. Techniques: Arm or Wrist Lock; Choke Hold; Disarming; Ground Fighting; Head Lock; Jam; Knee Strike; Stamp Kick; Sweep; Targeted Attack (Brawling Punch/Face); Targeted Attack (Brawling Stamp Kick/Face or Legs); Wrench Arm. Cinematic Skills: Blind Fighting; Power Blow; Pressure Points. Cinematic Techniques: Backbreaker; Timed Defense (Judo Parry). Perks: Armor Familiarity (Judo); Ground Guard; Special Setup (Brawling Parry > Arm Lock); Sure-Footed (Uneven). ===Optional Traits=== Advantages: Combat Reflexes; Higher Purpose (Defend Nanosocialism). Disadvantages: Intolerance (“Info-Capitalists”); Sense of Duty (Nanosocialists). Skills: Axe/Mace; Fast-Draw (Knife or Pistol); Guns; Knife; Shortsword; Soldier; Survival (Jungle or Mountain). Techniques: Retain Weapon (Gun or Knife); Targeted Attack (Knife Thrust/Arm, Face, Neck, or Groin). =====COUNTERMECH TRAINING - 4 points===== This style represents a range of training regimes developed for use by human or bioroid fighters who might find themselves engaged with RATS or power-armored opponents at close quarters. They’re generally taught by the military although some civilians – mostly paranoid cyber-phobes – also seek to learn them. As such, Countermech Training is even more of a style of desperation than most military forms; lightly protected humans tackling modern combat machines mostly tend to die, very quickly. Stylists are taught to use what advantages they can, but mostly to try to get away. Nonetheless, this is a functional style, quite effective against organic as well as inorganic opponents, and some armies teach something on these lines as their standard close combat form. The creators of this style went to great lengths to strip away many traditional martial-arts ideas. Anything predicated on the assumption that the opponent has specifically human features had to be ruthlessly eliminated, and some experienced martial artists have had to unlearn many habits when studying it. Strangleholds and targeted attacks aimed at human weak spots are likely to be worse than useless, even against humanoid cybershells, although skilled fighters may sometimes go for a shell’s camera “eyes.” The same goes for sweeps and trips, given the number of wheeled or multi-legged cybershells that exist. Targeted Attacks against chinks in armor might work, but are a distinctly cinematic option in this context; properly designed combat robots may well not have such flaws. In any case, the penalty to hit is likely to be overwhelming for a realistic fighter. Perhaps just as importantly, robots can’t easily be intimidated or defeated psychologically, and combat designs neither feel pain nor have much of an analogue for it. Countermech trainers see esoteric ideas about pressure points or chi as laughable, even in highly cinematic games. Instead, stylists concentrate on basic principles of leverage, study different types of cybershell in search of weaknesses, and make as much use as they can of weapons that might serve their purposes. Fighters usually work on the principle that they should get out of any combat situation as soon as possible. If they’ve got a ranged weapon that can damage the robot, they should hang onto it and try to buy enough space to use it properly. Going to very close quarters with a robot is usually a bad idea; many robots have multiple limbs, superhuman strength, or built-in blades, and //will// win a grappling match. Fighters learn elbow and knee strikes to use if they are forced to close quarters, hopefully discommoding the robot for a moment while the human moves away. Hence, this is taught very much as a striking style. Students start by learning basic punches and kicks (Brawling skill, which has the advantages of being quick to learn and of not worrying about encumbrance), then move on to disciplined karate punches and kicks intended to maximize hitting power if they have time and inclination to complete a full course. However, most stylists fight very defensively, using Defensive Attack (especially with weapons) or All-Out Defense and an array of techniques that are designed to avoid close engagement and open the gap. Some instructors emphasize Push Kick, and a retreating Karate parry is a common move. This leads to the seeming paradox of a self-preservative style that concentrates on striking skills; many arts that emphasize self-protection focus on Judo, but they’re designed to defend against //humans//. Still, some versions of this style add Judo to the optional skill list, especially if users often have to fight humanoid robots or human battlesuit troops; these also add Breakfall (Judo) and Evade (Judo) to the list of optional techniques. Other skills and techniques are included in the style’s options list to work with common anti-robot weapons. Many training regimes move the skills or techniques (such as Hammer Fist) for particular weapons from the optional to the main part of the style. Robotic opponents with no more than human strength and mass may be slammed or battered aside or bowled over, giving the human a chance to get away or deliver a weapon attack; variant styles that focus on this add Sumo Wrestling to their core skills. Cinematic “robot hunters” in InVids are usually assumed to have a real chance of actually damaging their opponents, and so fight rather more aggressively – though even they may focus on defense for the first moments of a fight, until they have the measure of a new mechanical opponent. They also tend to show off their defensive skills against bigger machines, making any robot look like a lumbering joke, then use exotic weapons or devastatingly powerful strikes with pinpoint accuracy to shatter or bypass armor, leaving heaps of dismantled scrap in their wake. (The GM might add Targeted Attack against chinks in armor to such a fighter’s technique list.) They may also be highly acrobatic. Against hordes of small, weak robots, they’ll probably use Whirlwind Attack. While hand or weapon parries can work against robots, cinematic stylists may prefer to focus on dramatic but effective dodges; even cinematic robot opponents tend to be too tough to wrestle! Fancy cinematic fighters may even use baton-format weapons with elegant fencing techniques. Alternatively, such weapons may be constructed in the shape of sidehandled batons, used with Tonfa skill. For a multi-use weapon, try a tonfa with a different high-tech-weapon payload mounted at each end of the baton. The most cinematic fighters are sometimes depicted using devastating karate chops against robots. This would theoretically be represented by an Exotic Hand Strike or maybe Lethal Strike, but in reality and with the rules as written, using such techniques with an empty hand against an armored robot is likely to be dangerous and painful. Rather, treat this as an ordinary strike, probably enhanced by Breaking Blow or Power Blow, with the appearance of the thing being a special effect. Alternatively, such fighters may have the Iron Hands perk (probably twice) and so be able to learn and apply those techniques relatively safely. Skills: Brawling; Expert Skill (Robotics); Karate. Techniques: Back Kick; Elbow Strike (Brawling); Kicking; Knee Strike (Brawling); Push Kick. ===Optional Traits=== Advantages: Combat Reflexes; Enhanced Dodge; Enhanced Parry; Military biomods. Disadvantages: Duty; Intolerance (AIs). Skills: Acrobatics; Armoury (Body Armor, or anything relating to standard anti-robot weapons); Fast-Draw (anything useful for robot fighting); Guns (any); Liquid Projector (Sprayer); Shortsword; Smallsword; Soldier; Sumo Wrestling; Tonfa; Two-Handed Axe/Mace. Techniques: Breakfall (Acrobatics); Close Combat (any optional Melee Weapon skill); Close-Quarters Battle (any); Evade; Hammer Fist; Limpet Mine Attachment; Retain Weapon (any); Targeted Attack (Liquid Projector (Sprayer)/Eyes); Targeted Attack (Shortsword Thrust/Eyes). Perks: Improvised Weapons (Two-Handed Axe/Mace); Suit Familiarity. =====Il Ballo di Salute - 3 points===== Il Ballo di Salute (“The Dance of Health”) is a remnant of a past age – one of the last surviving fitness arts. It was developed in the 2030s by a group of European fitness teachers, who combined aerobic dance-based exercises with elements from various artistic styles, T’ai Chi, and yoga. Initially, they deliberately eliminated all elements of Eastern mysticism from their borrowings, but these were soon replaced by even larger elements of different, mostly “New Age” mysticism. The style has in fact survived to 2155 largely because of the mystical pseudo-philosophy that now surrounds it, which makes it very popular with a particular audience – although some practitioners study it for quite sensible reasons. Critics call it “The Path of the Endorphin High,” and some stylists are prone to pushing their bodies to their limits, whether for philosophical reasons or in pursuit of “the burn.” Instructors can be found in most large urban or quasi-urban areas on Earth, and one or two are on Mars. The number of stylists is hard to estimate, partly because so many are casual dabblers, partly because quite a few devotees are members of isolated communities. Realistically, the style has no significant combat value, and all respectable Ballo instructors make this completely clear to students. At best, some learn a set of moves based on artistic martial-arts kata and a few careful demonstrations of leverage. Still, it teaches some useful noncombat skills and a certain amount of agility (especially on smooth dance floors). It also provides general practical fitness maintenance for those who can’t or won’t use high-tech methods for the purpose. Few students actually acquire the Style Familiarity perk; they simply pick up the style’s core skills. However, if the wilder myths surrounding the style are true, advanced adepts display something akin to ESP and psychic body control, as well as know subtle arts of movement and pressure (requiring GURPS Psionic Powers or GURPS Powers to represent these abilities). Skills: Dancing; Meditation. Cinematic Skills: Immovable Stance; Mental Strength; Power Blow; Push; Sensitivity. Perks: Chi Resistance (any); Sure-Footed (Slippery). ===Optional Traits=== Advantages: Fit. Disadvantages: Compulsive Exercising (as a quirk); Disciplines of Faith (Mysticism); Oblivious; Pacifism. Skills: Hobby Skill (New Age Philosophizing); Karate Art; Running; Savoir-Faire (Dojo); Sumo Wrestling Art. Techniques: Push Kick (Karate Art). =====HISHÔJUTSU (“FLIGHT ART”) - 5 points===== This style was founded in the 2060s by Paul Sayama, a young master of mixed heritage (his father was German-Japanese, while his mother was of Chinese-Brazilian heritage), who practiced Shorinji Kempo, Wushu, Capoeira, and Savate. He was based on Mars from 2056 onward, and opened his school in Port Lowell in 2063. He had worked as a farhauler until 2061, which, together with the increasingly tense situation on Mars after 2058, inspired him to develop techniques to take advantage of the possibilities of a low-gravity environment. Although the style is at least as popular on Mars as in space (and has devotees on Luna, too), its teachers insist that zero-G techniques are central. Students who can’t get out of gravity wells may use deep immersion virtual reality training, preferably with a VII (or, even better, simsense) implant, to study how to fight in free fall. Hishôjutsu in action is a spectacular style, with lots of wideranging jump kicks, somersaults and leaps – but the training often includes the use of tools as improvised weapons, precise attacks on vulnerable parts of the body (or a vacc suit) and the use of the boomstick. The style was an almost immediate success. While some martial artists on Earth like to belittle Hishôjutsu as a “circus style” (just as a few space-based freefighters dismiss Hishôjutsu as compromised by all the training for fighting in gravity wells), Sayama’s art now has enough practitioners, from Luna to the Belt, who will gladly show anyone that on their turf, Hishôjutsu reigns supreme. Skills: Acrobatics; Free Fall; Jumping; Karate. Techniques: Acrobatic Stand; Attack from Above; Breakfall; Drop Kick (Karate); Evade; Feint; Jump Kick; Kicking; Push Kick; Targeted Attack (Karate Punch/Face or Groin). Cinematic Skills: Blind Fighting; Flying Leap; Light Walk; Power Blow; Push. Cinematic Techniques: Flying Jump Kick; Lethal Kick; Roll with Blow; Springing Attack. Perks: Acrobatic Feints; Combat Jumping; Free-Fall Roll; Improvised Weapons (Karate); Skill Adaptation (Drop Kick defaults to Karate-1); Suit Familiarity (NBC Suit or Vacc Suit). ===Optional Traits=== Advantages: Andraste and “spacer” biomods; Combat Reflexes; G-Experience; Improved G-Tolerance. Skills: Brawling; Judo; Performance; Shortsword; Smallsword; Stealth; Vacc Suit. Techniques: Targeted Attack (Shortsword or Smallsword Thrust/Vitals). =====Althasian Iffjurr-Laur - 4 points===== League Combat (below), the style of the heroes of the InVid Starburst Station, was shown as the practical combat training of tough but sensible people – but the “Althasian” villains of the show, being an obsessive warrior race, went for something more flashy. Their style is notably short on defensive techniques; although League Combat fighters were almost always depicted as being superior one-to-one, the handful of fans on the L5 Starburst Station habitat who’ve studied “Iffjurr-Laur” argue that the best defense is always a good offense. Committed and All-Out Attacks are the norm! Aside from fist-fighting, the style encompasses use of the Althasians’ beloved array of ornate axe/mace-type implements. Skills: Axe/Mace Art; Karate Art; Savoir-Faire (Dojo). Techniques: Armed Grapple; Choke Hold; Hammer Fist; Head Butt; Hook; Knee Strike; Reverse Grip; Spinning Strike (Axe/Mace Art); Two-Handed Punch (Karate Art). Cinematic Skills: Immovable Stance. Cinematic Techniques: Dual-Weapon Attack (Axe/Mace Art); Springing Attack (Axe/Mace Art). Perks: Biting Mastery; Exotic Weapon Training (Any weird Althasian weapon); Off-Hand Weapon Training (Axe/Mace Art); Quick-Swap (Axe/Mace Art); Skill Adaptation (Two-Handed Punch defaults to Karate Art). =====Furusiyya-Prime - 5 points===== This is the style used by the heroes of The Golden Jihad, at least according to some fanmade episodes of the show; the original, “official” series had them employing a rather unremarkable set of standard stagefighting moves. Furusiyya-Prime combines flamboyant movie combat with elegant swings and parries derived mostly from Western saber fencing and showy close-range pistol shooting (using the show’s weird ray guns, of course). It’s an acrobatic style, certainly entertaining to watch; attacks are typically either Defensive or Committed. A notable feature is a set of moves designed for use from flying carpets; the Mounted Shooting technique in this style doesn’t actually require a vehicle operation skill as a prerequisite, because the flying carpets involved are faked by special effects. In keeping with the “Jihadi” ethos, serious fans are forever adding new details to this style, and most people who claim any expertise in the subject are actually engaged in creating their own (combat-heavy) homemade episodes. Plausible variants can add almost any Combat Art skill, especially if it involves a sword of any sort. Skills: Acrobatics; Beam Weapons Art (Pistol); Brawling Art; Saber Art. Techniques: Acrobatic Stand; Armed Grapple; Attack from Above; Back Strike; Bind Weapon; Breakfall; Close-Quarters Battle; Counterattack; Disarming; Elbow Strike; Evade; Feint; Head Butt; Leg Grapple; Mounted Shooting (Beam Weapons Art (Pistol)/Flying Carpet); Spinning Strike. Cinematic Skills: Light Walk; Precognitive Parry. Cinematic Techniques: Flying Lunge; Grand Disarm (Saber Art); Roll with Blow (Brawling Art); Timed Defense (Dodge or Saber Art Parry); Whirlwind Attack. Perks: Akimbo; Quick-Sheathe (Sword); Sure-Footed (Flying Platform). ===Optional Traits=== Skills: Broadsword Art; Electronics Operation (Media); Fast-Draw (Pistol or Sword); Group Performance (Fight Choreography); Parry Missile Weapons; Shortsword Art; Stage Combat; Wrestling Art. =====League Combat - 3 points===== This is the fist-fighting style of the heroes of Starburst Station (the InVid), now sometimes studied on the likenamed L5 station; see also Althasian Iffjurr-Laur above. It’s not terribly sophisticated – Starburst Station wasn’t a martial-arts series – but those characters were all-round heroes, tough and precise. A couple of League Combat students have achieved moderate success in freestyle martial arts contests, but analysis shows that they mostly used other, more practical styles, with a few flourishes borrowed from the series. Skills: Karate Art; Wrestling Art. Techniques: Aggressive Parry; Arm Lock; Breakfall; Disarming (Karate Art); Elbow Strike; Exotic Hand Strike; Feint; Ground Fighting (Wrestling Art); Hammer Fist; Leg Grapple (Wrestling Art); Push Kick; Trip; Two-Handed Punch (Karate Art). Cinematic Techniques: Dual-Weapon Defense (Karate Art); Roll with Blow (Karate Art); Timed Defense (Dodge or Karate Art Parry). Perks: Improvised Weapons (Karate Art); Rapid Retraction (Punches); Skill Adaptation (Two-Handed Punch defaults to Karate Art); Teamwork. =====MARGARETIAN KARATE - 3 points===== Dancing Crane Studios and a number of spin-off groups and independent instructors offer instruction in a wide range of martial-arts styles on Margaret Station. Additionally, many instructors have spent time on the station. Contrary to popular myth, no specific “Margaretian” style currently exists. Dancing Crane has always preferred to teach whatever styles are fashionable or best suited to each student’s needs, and the zero-G styles developed on the station have quickly spread beyond (most can be represented by Freefighting). However, this situation may be changing. A number of instructors on the station have collaborated informally to develop a standardized training regime to meet the most usual requests they receive from students – for effective self-defense and fitness training, for useful bodyguard skills, and for techniques to use in mixed martial-arts competitions. This synthetic style is still under development, and doesn’t even have a universally agreed name yet; “Margaretian Karate” is merely the most popular nickname. However, it’s an appropriate label, and may well stick. This is a striking-based style owing most to various 20th-century karate forms. It does incorporate a number of grapples and throws, but these are mostly intended to allow the fighter to break out of holds or put an opponent who is attempting to close onto the ground, setting him up for aggressive strikes or giving the Margaretian fighter time to escape. Indeed, some of the style’s own creators de-emphasize these elements of the style quite strongly; their preferred response to being grappled is to punish the opponent savagely with elbow and knee strikes and head butts until he lets go. For a style often learned by sports fighters, Margaretian Karate has a surprisingly strong focus on serious combat skills, treating Sport skills as secondary even for students intending to participate in closely regulated competitions. The fact is that instructors take an intense pride in the idea that they teach //effective// self-protection methods (quite a few students learn this style with the Self-Defense lens). Additionally, part of the developing philosophy of the style is that even a purely sporting fighter should learn focused aggression. This occasionally leads to problems for fighters who get carried away in sporting bouts being fought under tight rules, especially as many instructors throw a few bluntly practical brawling tricks into their teachings. Moderating this aggressive approach, and in keeping with the general memetic environment on Margaret Station, many instructors steer students into taking meditation classes, as well as emphasizing situational awareness and general physical fitness. Both the Bodyguard and Free Fall lenses are also often applied. When this style develops a body of legends, it’s bound to echo the long-established mythology of karate, full of shattering and disabling blows. This is especially inevitable for a forceful striking style often learned by lightly built women (some of them spacers with low-G physiques); their penchant for aggressive use of punches and kicks is bound to lead to exaggerated stories. A certain notorious recording of a Dancing Crane-trained bodyguard breaking an attacker’s neck may also contribute, although she wasn’t using this style. Skills: Judo; Karate. Techniques: Aggressive Parry; Back Kick; Breakfall; Counterattack (Karate); Disarming (Karate); Elbow Strike; Feint (Karate); Head Butt; Jam; Kicking; Knee Strike; Stamp Kick; Sweep. Cinematic Skills: Breaking Blow; Mental Strength; Power Blow; Pressure Points; Pressure Secrets; Sensitivity. Cinematic Techniques: Lethal Kick; Lethal Strike; Pressure Point Strike; Springing Attack; Whirlwind Attack. Perks: Improvised Weapons (Karate); Rapid Retraction (Punches or Kicks). ===Optional Traits=== Secondary Characteristics: Improved Per and FP. Advantages: Combat Reflexes; Fearlessness; Fit. Disadvantages: Bloodlust; Delusions (“A male conspiracy seeks to oppress women”); Duty (Bodyguarding client); Intolerance (Male chauvinism or Lack of physical fitness – either are usually just quirks); Obsession (Sporting success or Fighting “the patriarchy”). Skills: Brawling; Judo Sport; Karate Sport; Liquid Projector (Sprayer); Meditation; Savoir-Faire (Dojo). Perks: Style Familiarity (any other unarmed style). =====MARTIAN SWORDPLAY - 3 points===== Quite a few of the Chinese war veterans and other wild-eyed romantics who’ve adopted the name of the xieh (xia) on Mars have taken to wearing swords – just because. The widely preferred sword type is the Chinese jian, although some carry blades of all shapes and sizes. Most of them use these swords, if at all, with Broadsword skill at default, but a small number have gone to the trouble of developing and learning an actual martial art. Fewer than 10 serious stylists reside on the entire planet. However, they are proud of themselves, and the fame of the style is spreading; those who can teach it with any conviction are acquiring followers. The style borrows from traditional Chinese sword forms, directly and by way of old movies and modern InVids. It also includes quite a lot from Japanese Kenjutsu and Western fencing schools (again partly via the mass media). Its developers are tacitly honest enough to use whatever works best, and Western rapier styles offer a set of techniques that adapt well to the jian. All of the current serious stylists have backgrounds in other martial arts, especially Zhua. They could reliably be expected to employ that style’s characteristic nimble approach, should they ever actually be drawn into a real fight with blade in hand. The style’s own growing mythology is inevitably that of the super-agile swordsman. It’s entirely possible that this style will be absorbed and subsumed into Zhua as time goes on – or it may evolve into an elegant pure art style, given that the opportunities for serious sword-fighting remain fairly limited on Mars. Skills: Rapier; Savoir-Faire (Dojo). Techniques: Back Strike; Bind Weapon; Counterattack; Feint; Targeted Attack (Rapier Thrust/Neck or Vitals). Cinematic Skills: Blind Fighting; Flying Leap. Cinematic Techniques: Flying Lunge; Grand Disarm; Timed Defense (Rapier Parry); Whirlwind Attack. Perks: Drunken Fighting; Sure-Footed (Uneven). ===Optional Traits=== Secondary Characteristics: Improved Basic Speed. Advantages: Andraste and combat biomods; Combat Reflexes; DNA Repair and Nerve Booster nanosymbionts. Disadvantages: Addiction (Alcohol); Bloodlust; Code of Honor (Xia); Odious Personal Habit (Poor Manners); Overconfidence. Skills: Broadsword; Fast-Draw (Sword); Meditation; Rapier Art; anything (required or optional) included in Zhua. Perks: Quick-Sheathe; Style Familiarity (Zhua). =====MILITARY ZERO-G - 7 points===== Military Zero-G developed through the middle of the century out of standard military hand-to-hand training as a pragmatic style featuring quick-and-dirty elimination techniques for use in low- or no-gravity situations. Practitioners are expected to close with and attack opponents with great aggression. The style assumes the fighter will be attacked while closing the gap – kick-jamming techniques, arm locks, and leg grappling are taught to counter such moves. The style also includes knife, stick, and boomstick techniques and counters. The style given here is the form used in the U.S. Special Operations community – many other military and security forces rely on variations or similar styles. Those units and forces without the time (and/or VR resources) to dedicate to this level of training often use Freefighting instead. In practice, the opportunities to employ this training have proved rare enough that many senior officers question the need to retain it. Even so, some elite units still insist that, when this sort of thing is needed, nothing else will do. Some combat courses still teach limited sentry removal techniques, but these are largely legacy maneuvers in an age of high-tech surveillance. Only a few forces employ troops with extra arms instead of legs, so the Lower Arm Blindside perk is extremely rare – but it fits well with the style. No body of cinematic techniques is associated with Military Zero-G. The entire style is centered on getting in tight with your opponent and hammering or choking him into submission – or death. Fancy moves are actively discouraged. Skills: Free Fall; Karate; Knife; Judo; Shortsword; Vacc Suit. Techniques: Aggressive Parry; Arm Lock; Attack from Above (Karate or Knife); Choke Hold; Disarming; Head Butt; Head Lock; Jam; Knee Strike; Leg Grapple; Leg Lock; Neck Snap; Retain Weapon; Targeted Attack (Knife or Shortsword Thrust/Neck); Uppercut. Perks: Lower Arm Blindside (p. 13); Suit Familiarity (Vacc Suit). ===Optional Traits=== Advantages: Combat and “spacer” biomods and nanosymbionts; Combat Reflexes; Fit; G-Experience. Disadvantages: Bloodlust; Duty; Fanaticism (To a service or nation); Sense of Duty (To a service or nation). Skills: Beam Weapons (Pistol); Climbing; Garrote; Guns (Pistol); Jumping; Smallsword; Stealth. Techniques: Close-Quarters Battle (any); Retain Weapon (any). =====REMOTE SNIPING - 8 points===== Snipers continue to be a potentially useful type of soldier for armies to deploy in 2155, able to inflict damage and confusion out of all proportion to their numbers and cost. However, they suffer huge problems on the first-world battlefield, because their targets are all too likely to be equipped with countermeasures – primarily sensors that can trace a shot back to its point of origin, often linked directly to automated “counterbattery” systems. More than one traditional sniper has died within three seconds of squeezing off his first shot at a high-tech force, slain by precise return fire. All troops in 2155 suffer from this problem to some extent, but ordinary infantry can hope to survive by exploiting numbers, mobility, and the confusion of the battlefield; lone snipers don’t have those benefits. Modern snipers get around this problem by deploying technology of their own, including semi-disposable teleoperated drones and pre-emplaced one-shot ordinance launchers. This style represents the body of methods taught by modern sniper schools to make this effective. Note that the school’s doctrine and traditions – not personal taste! – determine which of the weapon skills are required. Stylists like to prepare positions carefully in advance, setting up intricate kill zones and making sure that no shot can be traced back to them personally, although the most skilled of them can improvise and deploy fast when they have to. Such snipers are notoriously hard to recall once they’re on a mission; they tend to avoid communications, to minimize their electronic visibility and avoid attempts to smoke them out, and their weapons arrays are often set for autonomous fire. Similar methods are taught by the armies of several antagonistic power blocs and by one or two smart insurgent forces with the ability to learn and to scavenge or acquire appropriate gear. Because snipers need to know how to operate a wide range of weapon systems, this is nominally an expensive style in point-cost terms – especially as a sniper is usually still expected to have exceptional skill with his personal weapon. However, students for these courses are usually chosen for proven aptitude in prior training with several of the style’s skills, so teachers can concentrate on filling out their skill sets and teaching them to integrate all that they know. Still, several armies are increasingly opting to issue less broadly trained snipers with personal AIs that can handle the additional weapon types they may need. Cinematic remote snipers are depicted as shadowy ghosts, vanishing from the scene and leaving carnage behind them; even if they are the heroes of the story, they often appear sinister or uncanny. Skills: Camouflage; Electronics Operation (Communications); Stealth; any four of Artillery (Guided Missile), Gunner (Machine Gun or Rockets), or Guns (Grenade Launcher, Gyroc, or Rifle). Techniques: Targeted Attack (any/Face or Vitals). Cinematic Skills: Zen Marksmanship. Perks: Akimbo; Armorer’s Gift (any); Cool Under Fire (p. 13); Cross-Trained (any). ===Optional Traits=== Secondary Characteristics: Improved Per. Advantages and Perks: Acute Vision; Allies (Supporting combat infomorphs); Deep Sleeper; Outdoorsman; Single-Minded. Disadvantages: Callous; Duty. Skills: Armoury (any); Battlesuit; Electronics Operation (EW or Surveillance); Electronics Repair (Surveillance); Explosives (Demolition); Forward Observer; Guns (LAW); Navigation (Land); Observation; Soldier; Survival (any); Tactics; Traps; Urban Survival; any weapon skill not taken from the required options list. Techniques: Precision Aiming; Set Trap (p. B233). ====SACT - 6 points==== For as long as there have been serious combat divers, the forces that employed them have been training them in as much underwater combat skill as they seemed to need. Mostly, however, this has meant a fairly basic, ad hoc collection of moves – handling methods for appropriate weapons, maybe some knife strikes to vulnerable points such as air hoses – never collected into a large or formal enough body of lore to rate as a serious style. The evolution of TL9-10 subaqua technology, let alone the creation of parahuman and bioroid types who can operate underwater without technological aids, has changed that. Now, countless underwater installations need protection (or rate as valuable military or economic targets). Even more opportunities exist for divers to attack surface targets from beneath the water; warriors have to learn to fight there – and hopefully to fight well. Even with TL10 technology, spotting a well-equipped opponent at range can be tricky underwater, and hand weapon ranges are often seriously reduced. Thus, this sort of training still includes a large element of hand-to-hand combat. “SACT” was originally short for “Sub-Aqua Combat Training”; the acronym has been around and widespread for long enough to become a word in its own right, pronounced to rhyme with “act.” Although SACT was a specific U.S. Navy training regime, the word has become a nickname in military circles for a range of similar training courses from all over the world, also sometimes referred to as “Sub-Fu” or “Aqua-Fu.” Although many local variations exist, teachers learn from each other, through friendly meetings or espionage, and the different schools are converging on a more or less standard form. Its defining features include the study of various hand weapons that are useful underwater, both archaic (knives, spears) and high-tech (boomsticks, limpet mine dispensers); a strong emphasis on thrusts (preferably with weapons) over swings (which tend to be baffled by water); a related focus on grappling techniques; and a recognition that underwater combat is inherently three-dimensional. Another notable feature is the elimination of the targeted strikes that were once considered so useful underwater. High-tech military diving gear may well lack vulnerable airlines or detachable tanks, while opponents may actually be subaquatic bioroids or cybershells that don’t need diving equipment at all, and may not have entirely human vulnerabilities. Still, some fighters still learn some old-school killing knife thrusts. Sact is an aggressive style, emphasizing the effectiveness of a quick first strike, especially when the fighter has a powerful weapon. It also recognizes the possibility of facing well-armored foes and of being caught without a weapon. In those cases, a fighter is advised to maneuver and possibly grapple while looking for help or a balancing advantage. Military divers have to be quite courageous to volunteer for the duty, but often also display a streak of caution, preparing carefully for their missions and monitoring their situation carefully along the way. No cinematic form exists of this style; it’s insufficiently well known as yet, and too bluntly practical. InVids with subaquatic specialists as heroes mostly just emphasize their agility, cunning, and high-tech gadgetry. Skills: Aquabatics; Knife; Shortsword; Swimming*; Wrestling. Techniques: Choke Hold; Limpet Mine Attachment (DX); Retain Weapon; Scissors Hold; Targeted Attack (Knife Thrust/Neck or Vitals); Targeted Attack (Shortsword Thrust/Vitals); Wrench Arm; Wrench Leg. Perks: Naval Training; Power Grappling; Suit Familiarity (Diving Suit). ===Optional Traits=== Advantages: Fearlessness; Natural Diver (Changing Times, p. 40); Subaqua biomods and nanosymbionts. Disadvantages and Quirks: Bloodlust; Careful; Duty; Sense of Duty (To nation or service). Skills: Brawling; Breath Control; Diving Suit; Guns (Gyroc, Pistol, or SMG); Scuba; Soldier; Spear. Techniques: Knee Strike; Limpet Mine Attachment (Brawling). * Swimming skill is optional for those with the Amphibious advantage or the Aquatic disadvantage. Reduce the style cost by 1 point for them. ====SHAN CHUAN (KILLER FIST KUNG FU) - 3 points ==== It is hard to find the true roots of this style, which includes dozens of schools in 2155. It probably developed out of Muay Thai, Bando, and some “external” kung fu forms, as well as some modernized Pankration schools and simple streetfighting techniques. Dr. John Yueh, an American-Chinese physician, founded the first school during the 2040s and 2050s. Shan Chuan – sometimes called “Kill Fu” by both fans and detractors alike – concentrates solely on the quick and dirty infliction of a maximum amount of damage to the opponent. Students even study anatomy to learn about the best ways to cripple and kill their foes. Some schools concentrate on the use of body-mass and wrestling techniques (Wrestling becomes a mandatory skill, Sumo Wrestling becomes an option; add Choke Hold, Head Lock and Neck Snap to the techniques, Immovable Stance and Backbreaker and Piledriver to cinematic skills and techniques respectively, and Cotton Stomach, Iron Neck, and Power Grappling to perks; de-emphasize striking-related techniques and perks). Other schools focus on devastating kicks (drop Counterattack and Two-Handed Punch from techniques; add Jump Kick, Kicking, and Spinning Kick, plus Lethal Kick to cinematic techniques). The style has been around long enough to accumulate its own body of legends, which naturally are all based on exaggerations of its fighters’ lethality and power. While most “legit” practitioners of Kill Fu use their skills only in meatfighting contests, some people have certain real-life applications for this style. Rumor has it that some Maple Syndicate families keep teams of Shan Chuan-trained Spartan bioroids as enforcers and personal bodyguards... Skills: Brawling; Karate. Techniques: Aggressive Parry; Axe Kick; Counterattack (Karate); Ear Clap; Eye-Gouging; Ground Fighting; Head Butt; Jam; Knee Strike; Targeted Attack (Brawling or Karate Punch/Face); Targeted Attack (Karate Knee Strike/Groin); Spinning Punch; Stamp Kick; Two-Handed Punch. Cinematic Skills: Breaking Blow; Power Blow; Pressure Points; Pressure Secrets. Cinematic Techniques: Lethal Strike; Pressure-Point Strike. Perks: Biting Mastery; Iron Arms; Iron Legs; Neck Control (Brawling); Rapid Retraction. ===Optional Traits=== Advantages: Combat biomods; Combat Reflexes; High Pain Threshold. Disadvantages: Bloodlust; Bully; Reputation. Skills: Lifting; Physiology; Running; Stealth; Wrestling. ====ZHUA - 4 points==== This style is a martial art that has evolved in the Chinese community on Mars, with features that enable stylists to exploit the planet’s low gravity – primarily the use of spectacular leaping acrobatic moves that would be considered hopelessly cinematic back on Earth. Zhua is an unarmed style, partly as a point of tradition but also because it developed in the Chinese-governed domes where weapons were severely restricted for multiple reasons. However, Zhua training does allow for the range of “street” combat biomods that are available in the Martian martial-arts underworld, with hand strikes that are highly effective when used with claws. Throws, on the other hand, are not emphasized, as falls are much less likely to hurt an opponent in Martian gravity – but some schools do cover that topic and a bit of grappling, or at least teach basic counters for use when grappled. In combat, Zhua stylists balance on their toes, with one foot far in front of the other; the feet are mostly used for mobility, the hands for attack and defense. Kicks are limited to flashy opening and finishing moves, and the occasional passing strike when jumping clean over opponents. While Zhua fighters can be aggressive when they have the advantage, they begin most fights with several Defensive Attacks, until they have the measure of their foe. Because transhuman opponents can have such a range of body types, Zhua instructors pay little attention to attempts to read a foe or strike at vulnerable points; they prefer direct blows to obvious targets. Wiser instructors also teach that, if the opponent proves too tough for that to work, a Zhua fighter should use agility and speed to get away. Different Zhua courses teach striking methods that are closer to Boxing or Karate, for slightly different purposes. Karate is certainly better for //most// purposes, and includes kicking, which stylists do use occasionally. Boxing is easier to learn (making it good for basic self-defense students) and doesn’t take encumbrance penalties (making it useful for fighters in heavy vacc suits or outdoor gear – although encumbrance is rarely a major problem in Martian gravity). With cumbersome outdoor gear less required as Martian terraforming progresses, Boxing moves are falling out of fashion in Zhua schools, although they’re likely to survive as options for teaching to casual students. Skills: Acrobatics; Boxing or Karate; Jumping. Techniques: Breakfall; Elbow Strike (Karate); Evade; Feint; Head Butt (Karate); Jump Kick (Karate); Spinning Punch (Karate). Cinematic Skills: Breaking Blow; Flying Leap; Power Blow. Cinematic Techniques: Flying Jump Kick (Karate); Springing Attack. Perks: Acrobatic Feints; Acrobatic Kicks; Armor Familiarity (Karate); Combat Jumping*; Iron Hands; Rapid Retraction (Punches); Suit Familiarity (NBC Suit or Vacc Suit); Technique Mastery (Evade); Unusual Training (Breaking Blow, Only vs. well-braced objects out of combat). ===Optional Traits=== Advantages: Andraste and combat biomods; Combat Reflexes; Cultural Familiarity (Asian/Chinese); Extra Attack (Single Skill, Boxing or Karate); Language (Cantonese or Mandarin); Resistant to Chi Abilities (in very cinematic campaigns). Disadvantages: Code of Honor (Xia); Enemies (Rust China cops, Rival schools, Racketeers, Rival Triads, etc.); Intolerance (Earth “authorities” of any sort); Overconfidence. Skills: Whichever of Boxing or Karate wasn’t taken as required; Breath Control; Judo; Karate Sport; Savoir-Faire (Dojo). * This is the signature move of Zhua, so it can be purchased as soon as the student has Style Familiarity – 10 points in the style’s skills are not necessary. The requirement for both Acrobatics and Jumping at DX or better still applies, however. =====CAPTIVATOR - 5 points===== Advances in technology at TL9 and beyond make “less than lethal” weapons increasingly effective and reliable, leading to their adoption by many individuals and organizations who prefer not to kill their opponents if possible. This style represents advanced training with such devices. It is popular with police, bodyguards, and private investigators. In some settings, it may be learned by intelligence agents who are assigned to capture opponents for interrogation or just to work with the police. It covers a range of weapons, allowing someone to use whatever’s best for the task in hand: “stun beamers” such as electrolasers (Ultra-Tech pp. 119-120 or Changing Times p. 62), sonic weapons (Ultra-Tech pp. 124-126), or neural weapons (Ultra-Tech pp. 121-122) in games with appropriate superscience; large-caliber low-velocity guns that can launch tangler or biochemical aerosol shells (see Ultra-Tech, pp. 153-155); and grenades that can carry similar payloads in larger quantities. In addition, stylists learn to restrain opponents “by hand,” although their initial training usually assumes that the opponent has been temporarily disabled with a weapon first. Many also learn to use vortex ring projectors (Ultra-Tech, p. 134) or handheld sprayers to deliver liquid, gas, or nanotech attacks, but this is usually regarded as a secondary option. Quite a few learn to use old-fashioned police weapons such as batons, more advanced stun wands or zap gloves (Ultra-Tech, pp. 164-165), or small-caliber pistols loaded with gas rounds. Captivators often go into action with a different weapon in each hand, and are trained to switch quickly when the situation changes; shooting or throwing equally well with each hand is considered good, but can be hard to learn. Given all these options, and the complex situations in which captivators often have to use their training, the style puts a premium on situational awareness and judgment. Its primary skills may be DX-based, but anyone with below-average IQ or serious psychological issues will be unlikely to pass the course. Many captivators learn basic interrogation techniques, so that they can get extra information about a situation from one prisoner before moving on to the next objective. How brutal these get may depend on local rules of engagement, but it’s hard to get either too subtle or too effectively ruthless in the middle of a firefight. Likewise, it’s sometimes useful to be good at intimidating opponents into compliance. Equally, many trainers try to ensure that their pupils know the basics of whatever laws or rules of engagement will apply to them; other captivators learn those rules as part of their jobs. Cinematic captivators typically just handle complex situations with superhuman grace and efficiency and lots of specialized gadgets. In some cases, they may know uncanny “martial-arts grips” that can render opponents helpless with little more than a touch; represent this by a combination of Judo and Pressure Points skills (with Gunslinger giving access to Pressure Points in this case). In extreme cases, they may be pacifist super-gunmen, able to mow down whole armies of opponents without killing anybody; to represent such characters, merge this style with Double Trouble, Future Kill, or Ultimate Shootist from Gun Fu, importing any elements from the other style that can be used with less-than-lethal weapons. The many variants of this style are reflected in the choices built into the skill selections, which usually will be determined by the employer, not their own personal choice. In general, ordinary cops and the more discreet sorts of bodyguard or PI learn skill specialties for pistol-sized weapons, while hostage-rescue specialists and the like prefer bigger, more powerful weapons that are likely to work on the first hit. Skills: Beam Weapons (Pistol or Rifle); Guns (Pistol or Rifle); Throwing; Wrestling. Techniques: Arm Lock; Behind-the-Back Shot; Close-Hip Shooting; Close-Quarters Battle; Corner-Shot; Disarming; Disk Bouncing; Dual-Weapon Attack; Handcuffing; Retain Weapon; Sweep. Cinematic Skills: Blind Fighting; Invisibility Art; Zen Marksmanship (any). Cinematic Techniques: Timed Dodge. Perks: Akimbo; Barricade Tactics; Battle Drills; Concealed Carry Permit; Cool Under Fire; Dial-a-Round; Dual Ready; Flimsy Cover; Grip Mastery; Gun Sense; Lightning Fingers; Off-Hand Weapon Training; Pistol-Fist; Quick-Sheathe (Pistol); QuickSwap; Robust Hearing; Standard Operating Procedure (any); Sure-Footed (Slippery or Uneven). ===Optional Traits=== Secondary Characteristics: Improved Basic Speed, Per, and Will. Advantages: Ambidexterity; Combat Reflexes; Danger Sense; Enhanced Dodge; Enhanced Tracking; Extra Attack; Fearlessness; Peripheral Vision. Disadvantages: Duty; Honesty; Pacifism; Responsive; Sense of Duty (“Innocents”). Skills: Brawling; Detect Lies; FastDraw (any, including Grenade); Forced Entry; Interrogation; Intimidation; Judo; Law (Local Civil or Police); Liquid Projector (Sprayer); Savoir-Faire (Police); Shortsword; Stealth; Tactics; Tonfa; Traps. Techniques: Armed Grapple; Targeted Attack (Pistol/Face). ===== Missileer - 3 points ===== At TL9 and beyond, miniaturization transforms smaller but highly effective self-propelled missile launchers from a heavy support arm to something the size of a personal firearm, or even a pistol. The missiles fired from such launchers can even be equipped with homing systems. One consequence of this is that Guns (Gyroc) becomes one of the possible primary skills for some versions of the Assaulter style (and Battlesuit Shooter and Space Marine from Pyramid #3/55, pp. 11-12), but some troops focus more closely on the specific capabilities of this weapon type, usually working as specialists within infantry squads or even fire teams who are mostly trained with other weapons. This style represents the training given to these specialists. Many missileers move into this specialty after a stint as regular infantry with the Assaulter or Space Marine style; others train as missileers from the first, but may well acquire skills from their colleagues along the way. The gyroc carbine is usually their preferred weapon, although most stylists pride themselves on being familiar with all of the gyroc variants known to their force. Some mount underbarrel grenade launchers or shotguns on their carbines, giving them extra shots and extra flexibility while also allowing them even more options for exotic warhead combinations. A missileer is trained to engage the lighter sort of armored opponents sometimes met on high-tech battlefields, including battlesuit troops, robots, and some soft-skinned vehicles, and sometimes to act as a sniper. This implies use of armor-piercing warheads and homing missiles; other missile types can be employed to attack targets behind cover (using explosive or SEFOP warheads). Switching loads fast is a virtue, but usually is not considered an absolute necessity. Gyroc rounds are expensive, with a low rate of fire, so missileers are expected to choose their targets carefully, and to make every shot count. Cinematic missileers always seem to have the right projectile for the job, loaded and ready to go; a level or two of the Gizmos advantage suits such stylists very well. They also tend to have a cinematic sniper’s ability to score hits at “impossible” ranges. Missileers in general have a “techie” image by infantry standards. Missileers are trained to use homing missiles, which is why Artillery skill is a part of the style. In some cases, they drop that skill from the style’s list and take the Gunner’s Guidance (Gyroc) perk as soon as they have the Style Familiarity perk and a point in Guns (Gyroc), rather than waiting until they’ve spent 10 points on the style’s skills and techniques. In fact, if the GM permits this option, they may be required to take this perk as soon as possible. Skills: Artillery (Guided Missile); Guns (Gyroc). Techniques: Close-Quarters Battle; Corner-Shot; Precision Aiming; Targeted Attack (Gyroc/Vehicle Tracks); Targeted Attack (Gyroc/Vehicle Vital Areas); Targeted Attack (Gyroc/ Vehicle Wheels). Cinematic Skills: Zen Marksmanship (Gyroc). Cinematic Techniques: Whirlwind Attack (Gyroc). Perks: Army of One; Cross-Trained; Deadeye; Dial-a-Round; Early Adopter; Gunner’s Guidance (Gyroc) (p. 5); Gun Whisperer (Gyroc); Intuitive Armorer; Lightning Fingers; Missile Whisperer; Motorized Training; Quick Reload; Running Missile Lock; Standard Operating Procedure (On Alert); Tangled Trajectory. ===Optional Traits=== Secondary Characteristics: Improved Per. Advantages: Acute Vision; Fearlessness; Fit; Gizmos; Hard to Kill. Disadvantages: Callous; Duty; Overconfidence. Skills: Armoury (Small Arms); Camouflage; Expert Skill (Robotics); Guns (Grenade Launcher, LAW, or Shotgun); Savoir-Faire (Military); Soldier; Tactics; any skill taught as part of the Assaulter or Space Marine style in the same force. Techniques: Any technique taught as part of the Assaulter or Space Marine style in the same force. ===Transhuman Space Games=== In games employing the weapons and combat rules from Changing Times, delete the Artillery skill, reducing the style cost by 1 point, and delete the Gunner’s Guidance perk as unnecessary. ===== Support Shotgunner - 4 points ===== The shotgun was always rather marginal as a military or paramilitary weapon, as the notes on the Shotgunner style (Tactical Shooting, p. 52) make clear. As TL8 military technology develops, it becomes increasingly irrelevant, as more widespread availability of personal armor makes its relative lack of penetrating power more of an issue. However, at TL9, the military shotgun makes a modest comeback. High-tech miniaturization allows some exotic payloads to be installed in small rounds from that TL onward (see Ultra-Tech, pp. 152-159), but a need may still exist for relatively large caliber weapons to exploit these new technologies; explosive rounds certainly benefit from being as large as possible. The military shotgun thus returns as, in effect, a low-cost exotic munitions launcher which can also fire buckshot or slugs in a pinch. This style is designed to make the most of this option. It really comes into its own at TL10, when a shotgun can be used to fire HEMP warheads. Some support shotgunners are pure specialists, who go into action with a shotgun as their primary weapon. Others are part-timers, usually having an underbarrel shotgun mounted on a rifle which otherwise matches their unit’s standard issue, and learning this style after learning Assaulter or Space Marine. A few even carry shotgun pistols. Stereotypically, they are their squad’s solidly reliable “backup guy.” The style assumes the use of the sort of military shotguns described on pp. 136-138 of Ultra-Tech. Most of these have box or tube magazines, permitting fast loading; the underbarrel shotgun requires individual shell loading, but that is only expected to be used intermittently, with the gun to which it is attached providing primary firepower. Hence, the style excludes some of the tricks which were previously learned by Shotgunner stylists to make the most of what were essentially slow-loading civilian weapons. Instead, it covers the use of the shotgun to launch anything that will fit in its barrel, including homing rounds. Like missileers (pp. 7-8), support shotgunners usually learn Artillery skill, but, again as with the Missileer style, some students may be allowed or required to drop that skill from the style’s list and to take Gunner’s Guidance (Shotgun) as soon as they have taken the Style Familiarity perk and put a point in the style’s other required skills. If the GM permits this option, the shooter may be required to take this perk as soon as possible. The support shotgunner is expected to be //versatile// above all else. He may launch those homing missiles against distant targets, but he also may take on robots or light vehicles with armor-piercing rounds that can still do decent damage after penetrating; scrub away soft cover or hurt people behind harder protection with well-placed HE shots; get really fancy with homing SEFOP projectiles; smash open doors during house-to-house fighting with frangible ammunition (GURPS High-Tech, p. 103); knock enemy miniature recon drones out of the air with buckshot; or drive off civilian rioters with baton rounds (High-Tech, p. 103). Switching loads in a hurry is a necessary part of the style! Cinematic support shotgunners are all but required to have a few levels in Gizmos and perhaps some points of Lifting ST; they have an image as people who are quick on their feet despite being loaded down with cool kit. Skills: Artillery (Guided Missile); Fast-Draw (Ammo); Guns (Shotgun). Techniques: Close-Hip Shooting; Close-Quarters Battle (Shotgun); Corner-Shot (Shotgun); Retain Weapon; Targeted Attack (Shotgun/Vehicle Vital Areas); Targeted Attack (Shotgun/Vehicle Wheels). Cinematic Skills: Breaking Blow (Guns); Zen Marksmanship (Shotgun). Cinematic Techniques: Timed Dodge; Whirlwind Attack (Shotgun). Perks: Armorer’s Gift; Area Defense; Barricade Tactics; Battle Drills; Cinematic Knockback; Cookie Cutter; Cool Under Fire; Dial-a-Round; Dramatic Death; Fireball Shot; Flimsy Cover; Gunner’s Guidance (Shotgun) (p. 5); Gun Shticks (any); Gun Whisperer (Shotgun); Infinite Ammunition; Intuitive Armorer; Lightning Fingers; Motorized Training; Missile Whisperer; Muzzle Flamethrower; One-Armed Bandit; Quick Reload; Recoil Rocket; Robust Hearing; Running Missile Lock; Scattergun; Standard Operating Procedure (any); Tacticool; Walking Armory. ===Optional Traits=== Secondary Characteristics: Improved Basic Speed and Per. Advantages: Combat Reflexes; Danger Sense; Fearlessness; Fit; Gizmos; Hard to Subdue; Lifting ST; Signature Gear. Disadvantages: Callous; Chummy; Code of Honor; Congenial; Duty; Impulsiveness; Overconfidence; Sense of Duty (Squadmates). Skills: Armoury (Small Arms); Forced Entry; Guns (Pistol or SMG); Savoir-Faire (Military); Soldier; Tactics; any skill taught as part of the Assaulter or Space Marine style in the same force. Techniques: Any technique taught as part of the Assaulter or Space Marine style in the same force. ===Transhuman Space Games=== The GM who employs just the weapons tables from Changing Times will note that no shotguns are listed there. If you want to include this style in such games, and you don’t have access to Ultra-Tech, simply use the TL7 auto shotgun from the Basic Set (p. B279), with HUD and laser sights (as in the main Transhuman Space book, pp. 156-7) fitted as standard. It can fire the special ammunition types from Changing Times; start with 4d+4 pi++ damage for unmodified slugs, and apply the listed modifiers to that, or assume a 15mm warhead where that is relevant. Also, in campaigns using the combat rules from Changing Times, delete Artillery (Guided Missile) skill from the style, reducing the style cost by 1 point, and delete the Gunner’s Guidance perk. ===== Free Fall Assault Training - 8 points ===== Free Fall Assault Training (FFAT) is a shooting style prominent among spaceborne soldiers. An extension of the shooting styles of 21st-century militaries, FFAT (pronounced “eff-fat”) utilizes the latest in weaponry and integrated systems. This seamless integration makes possible feats that seem mythic, such as shooting accurately in any lighting condition, engaging multiple targets simultaneously, and dodging inbound ordinance. FFAT is most commonly taught to advanced military troops and police teams. Stylists learn a wide range of weapons and skills, from laser pistols and rifles to gyrocs and electromagnetic grenade launchers, and how to quickly reload or switch between weapons. They prefer to engage from a distance, usually at least 100 yards, but close-quarters combat engagements are hardly unheard of. Additionally, most learn Extra-Vehicular Combat (below) as a backup. Practitioners usually make sighted shots using All-Out Attack (Determined) at ranges of 100 yards or less, and may use Aim at longer distances to pick off targets. Shootists may fall back on Guns (Gyroc or Grenade Launcher) to clear entrenched enemies and destroy hardened targets. They also make heavy use of cover and drill relentlessly in teams. Boot camps and military academies teach their recruits and cadets more than just how to fire their weapons accurately, however. They also teach them how to maintain, repair, and operate it at lightning speeds. This includes their spacesuits, HUDs, weapons, sensors, and so on. Some academies also delve into tactics, crowd control, leadership skills, and the like. Today, learning FFAT is as simple as enlisting in the space force, but enough retired soldiers work at shooting ranges for people to learn a trick or two without going to war. Skills: Free Fall; Vacc Suit; one of Beam Weapons (Pistol, Projector, or Rifle); one of Guns (Gyroc or Grenade Launcher); and three additional choices from among Fast-Draw (Ammo, Pistol, or Long Arm) or the previous two lists. Techniques: Close-Quarters Battle (any); Free Fall Training (any); Quick-Shot (any); Retain Weapon (any); Targeted Attack (any); Work by Touch. Cinematic Skills: Blind Fighting; Immovable Stance; Zen Marksmanship (any). Cinematic Techniques: Timed Dodge; Whirlwind Attack (any). Perks: Armorer’s Gift (any); Barricade Tactics (any); Battle Drills; Cool Under Fire; Cross-Trained (any); Microgravity Training (any); Grip Mastery (any); Intuitive Armorer (any); Lightning Fingers (any); Off-Hand Weapon Training (any); Quick Reload; Standard Operating Procedure (any); Style Adaptation (Extra-Vehicular Combat); Tap-Rack-Bang; Weapon Bond. ===Optional Traits=== Secondary Characteristics: Improved Basic Speed and Per. Advantages: Acute Vision; Combat Reflexes; Danger Sense; Fearlessness; Fit; G-Experience; Gunslinger; Night Vision; Signature Gear. Disadvantages: Chummy; Duty; Impulsiveness; Overconfidence. Skills: Armoury (Small Arms); Astrobatics; Axe/Mace; Connoisseur (Guns); Electronics Operations (Sensors); Forced Entry; Gunner (Beam); Guns (Missile Launcher); Intimidation; Knife; Shield; Soldier; Spear; Stealth; Tactics; Throwing; any primary skill not learned initially. ===== Extra-Vehicular Combat - 5 points ===== Descended from the unarmed military martial arts and knife fighting of the 21st-century, Extra-Vehicular Combat (EVC) is a brutal and practical style with one of two goals: puncture the opponent’s suit or send him tumbling into space. Practitioners begin by learning armed-combat techniques with the knife and eventually transition to more advanced unarmed techniques. Stylists try to use their knives foremost – unarmed combat is always a last resort. The knife is used offensively and defensively, with Judo parries supplementing only when multiple attacks are launched. Stylists rely on a series of probing Defensive Attacks to size up an opponent and set up a Feint. They typically follow up with an Attack on any weak points in the opponent’s armor. Grappling enters play when a weapon is lost or an opponent is too heavily armored to injure. In either case, the stylist uses a series of All-Out Defense maneuvers to set up a successful Judo parry. Once achieved, he grapples the opponent and either throws him free of any handholds or proceeds to disable whatever limb was grabbed. Once disabled, he will throw his opponent into the void. EVC is often taught in conjunction with and as a backup to Free Fall Assault Training (pp. 30-31) in military training facilities across the solar system. While few techniques may cross from FFAT to EVC, most recruits learn to grapple with a weapon as well as the knife and body. Movies and television often portray practitioners as strong, powerful men or lithe, graceful women, either of which can launch dizzying flurries or disable with a nimble touch. In reality, practitioners attempt few spectacular stunts in favor of efficiently dispatching the enemy. Skills: Free Fall; Judo; Knife; Vacc Suit. Techniques: Arm Lock (Judo or Knife); Armed Grapple (Knife); Choke Hold (Knife); Feint (Knife); Free Fall Training (Judo or Knife); Head Lock (Judo); Leg Lock (Judo or Knife); Leg Throw; Lower-Body Arm Lock (Judo); Lower-Body Leg Lock (Judo); Retain Weapon (Knife); Targeted Attack (Knife Thrust/any armor chinks). Cinematic Skills: Immovable Stance; Pressure Points; Pressure Secrets. Cinematic Techniques: Dual-Weapon Attack (Judo or Knife); Pressure-Point Strike (Judo or Knife). Perks: Off-Hand Weapon Training (Knife); Quick-Swap (Knife); Style Adaptation (Free Fall Assault Training). ===Optional Traits=== Advantages: Combat Reflexes; Enhanced Parry (Knife); Fearlessness; Fit; G-Experience. Disadvantages: Duty; Overconfidence. Skills: Brawling; Fast-Draw (Knife); Main-Gauche; Shortsword; Wrestling. Techniques: Disarming (Knife or Wrestling); Push Kick (Brawling).