Martial Artist (FiD)

Starfox's Blades in the Dark fan page

A martial artist is a master of unarmed combat. A development of the Chi and Ninja power playbooks.

I am looking at making a playbook for martial arts. I already have two playbooks leaning in this direction, Chi and Ninja, but these both use powers and this one would not. The goal is to avoid the complications of powers to make the playbook easier to use for new players. The plan is to take elements of these two playbooks and combine them into one.

Special Abilities

1. Challenge (Heaven’s Mandate): When you confidently challenge a specific opponent, there is a brief lull in the battle. Select one: conversation is possible—there is a pause while you duel—everyone else has time to run away.
2. Limit Break (Transcendent Body): You can push yourself to do one of the following: perform a physical feat that transcends normal human limits—engage a gang at your scale (p 211) on equal footing—deliver an unarmed attack that is potent and bypasses armor and abilities that reduce harm.
3. Champion (The Stone Stands): You may expend your Special Armor to resist consequences of an enemy attack or to push physical actions.
4. Chi Healing (Breath of Life): Through your disciplined training, you recover from harm faster. Permanently fill in two of your healing clock segments. You can spend 2 stress to instantly make a healing roll using your Skirmish, with no other bonuses.
5. Daredevil (Tiger’s Leap): When you roll a desperate action, you get +1d to your roll.
6. Flash of Experience (Echoes of the Master): Spend 1 Stress to draw on your teachings to gain Assistance (+1d) in a flashback. Make a gather information roll as part of this flashback.
7. Iron Fist: You can make unarmed strike as if you were wielding a Fine and Potent melee hand weapon.

Challengers

˄ ˅ Daiyu, a martial artist.

˄ ˅ Jian, the wandering healer.

˄ ˅ Kazuo, the shadow.

˄ ˅ Lin, master of flowing chi.

˄ ˅ Yun Wei, heir to power.

Inventory

☐ or ☐☐ Potent melee weapon.

◯ Medicine Bag.

☐ Light Camping Gear.

☐ Scroll.

• Potent Weapon ☐ or ☐☐: A Peach wood sword or other spiritual weapon imbued with spiritual energy, potent against the supernatural. Certain creatures take less or even no damage from mundane weapons. This can be either a hand ☐ or heavy ☐☐ melee weapon.
• Light Camping Gear ☐ Personalized bedroll, cooking pot, tarpaulin, fishing line, snares. Allows one downtime action when roughing it. No effective rest without camp gear. Playbook
• Qiankun Bag ☐: These small drawstring bags might be simple cloth or fancy embroidered silk. They hold more than they should, to the tune of three additional load, but not armor or weapons above the size of a knife. Things put into them do not age, allowing storage of both ready meals and fresh fruit, fish, and meat. Playbook.
• Qiankun Medicine Bag ◯: A Qiankun Bag holding medicinal herbs. The preservative effect of the Qiankun means the effect of fresh herbs is preserved. This gives +1d on healing treatment rolls and on Alchemy downtime crafting, a bonus you can give to another character in your crew. Playbook.

XP

• Every time you roll a desperate action, mark xp in that action's attribute.

At the end of each session, for each item below, mark 1 xp (in your playbook or an attribute) or 2 xp if that item occurred multiple times.

• You addressed a challenge with prowess or direct challenge.
• You expressed your beliefs, drives, heritage, or background.
• You struggled with issues from your vice or traumas during the session.

Starting Actions

Prowl 1

Skirmish 2

4 points by choice, no higher than 2 in any one.