The World of Kung-Fu 2: The Science of Kung Fu: Rules

“Learn to be invincible, and in ten-thousand battles, you will never be defeated.”—Sun Tzu, General Advice, Warring States Period, 5th century BC.

Fist Beats Sword, Sword Beats Gun

With thanks to Dr. Kromm who suggested this rule. Anyone trained in a style that allows Trained by a Master generates a defensive chi field that protects them from weapons. Each point spent on the skills, techniques, or perks of such a martial art provides DR 1 against weapons, +1 for each yard between attacker and attacked. So, for instance, someone with 4 points in Jujutsu would have DR 5 when attacked with a range 1 sword, and DR 20 when attacked with a handgun from 16 yards away. Weapons do not bounce off the character’s skin, but rather are subtly deflected by chi so that attacks miss, or only scrape their target. Spending points on weapon skills that are part of a style that allows Weapons Master will produce an offensive chi field around held weapons, allowing them to reduce or negate defensive chi. Each point in a weapon skill will reduce the target’s DR by 1 when using that weapon.

True Masters Don’t Need to Kill

Anyone with Trained by a Master or Weapons Master may choose to stun with an attack, rather than do damage. Wound effects are mechanically the same, except that there is no bleeding, a blow that would normally kill will just render a victim unconscious, and recovery will at worst require a few days of bedrest.

“I didn’t mean you hurt you, dude. / I didn’t mean to make you cry. / I didn’t mean to break your rib. / I need to practice my Muay Thai.”—“My Muay Thai”, John Leelapun, on Imagine, 1970.

Injury and Recovery

Both the Flesh Wounds (p.B417) and Shaking it Off (p. MA132) rules should be in effect. PCs should not suffer from crippling injuries or otherwise be permanently maimed. Healing from rest should be handled cinematically, which is to say that recovery shouldn’t take long and the GM should improvise exactly how long it takes. PCs will be in bed or in hospital for a while and then they will be ready to rumble. Healing is faster if esoteric medicine is used and/or if someone sits by the wounded one’s bedside.

Character Creation

“It is cruel to name a child ‘Kung Fu’”—Confucius, Digressions, Warring States Period, 478 BC.

It is suggested that starting characters be built on 350 points. They may spend a maximum of 250 points on advantages and skills that are relevant to combat, excluding IQ and Will. Many cinematic advantages are appropriate as chi abilities, at the GM’s discretion. All martial arts Techniques in which at least one point are spent are performed +1.

Characters should train in at least one martial arts style. As players pick a style or styles, they should keep in mind that the way the martial arts world sees their PC will depend on the PC’s martial arts styles. In particular, martial artists will make assumptions about the PCs faction membership and personality based on the martial arts they use. See the Appendix for the primary faction affiliations of each style. MMA fighters are generally assumed to be Infinite Fighting Federation, Maniac Warrior Empire, or Vigilante.

Because the relationships of practitioners of different martial arts styles is a complex web, it is suggest that points not be charged for style reputations. Characters using styles with particularly negative reputations, like Wushu and Laughing Devils Kung Fu, can be considered to be paying an Unusual Background cost.

All factions recruit from all ethnicities and both genders. The IFF and Maniacs are most likely to doubt that women can fight as well as men, while more traditional martial artists, like the Wulin, are least likely to have such misconceptions.1

Footnotes

1. The Wulin are aware of the long history of female martial arts experts. For example, there is a sense of awed respect in the ninth century poet Zhu Zi’s “She Got Legs”.

She got legs. She knows how to use them. / She kicks down doors and don’t even bruise them.

She’s whirling her legs, knowing none can resist them.

You’d better stay behind them, if you can even find them.

She drives pegs and stacks kegs with her legs.