New Skills and Martial arts

[Burdenking]

[Official Sources: MZ Errata, Official Posting, & MZ+ sidebars.]

Body Type:

    Endurance (Official):
    The ability to withstand pain or hardship, particularly over long periods of time, by knowing the best ways to conserve strength and energy. Useful when a character must continue to be active after a long period without food, sleep or water. This skill also allows a character to withstand higher than normal G-forces, as experienced during extreme acceleration and high-speed maneuvers.

Cool:

    Oratory (Official):
    The skill of public speaking. At +2, you can wing high school speech contests. At +6, you can be paid to speak in public. At +10, you are capable of delivering a speech to rival Kennedy's "Ich bi ein Berliner" or Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

Inteligence:

    EW/Electronic Warefare (Official):
    This skill can be learned by any character who has access to the appropriate information and equipment (primarily military and paramilitary personnel).  EW skill represents a collection of knowledge which deals with certain areas of electronics, magnetism, physics, and combat tactics.  EW skill is also necessary for using the Shadow Imager system (MZ+ pg. 76), as well as operating large radar arrays (Spotting Radars) and such as those found at airfields and military bases

    ECM/Electronic Counter Measures: A specialty skill of EW that is solely designed to counter EW attacks.

    ECCM/Electronic Counter Counter Measures: A specialty skill EW that is solely designed to counter ECM defences.

    Hacking (Official):
    Rather than the purely creative skill of Programming, this skill represents a combination of knowledge of code and protocols, intuition and fast-thinking responses. Hacking skill is used against a difficulty number representing how tough the target computer is to penetrate. Requires: Programming skill.

    Strategy (Official):
    The knowledge of how to best deploy large forces in combat maneuvers (as opposed to small groups, which is Tactics).

    Tactics (Official):
    The knowledge of how to best deploy small groups in combat maneuvers (as opposed to large forces, which is Strategy).

Reflexes (Personal Combat):

    Air Assault [H] (Jim Hunsinger):
    This skill covers repelling out of helicopters or vectored thrust aircraft. It also covers the ability to properly rig objects for sling loading under helicopters or vectored thrust aircraft.

    Fencing (Official):
    Rather than the generic skill of Blades, this skill represents a mastery of swords, rapiers, sabers, etc.. Fencing adds +1/2 its Skill level to damage (round down).

    HAHO/HALO [H] (Jim Hunsinger):

    HAHO = High Altitude High Opening

    HALO = High Altitude Low Opening

    This skill covers the use of all the equipment necessary for these highly risky insertion techniques. (See insertion/extraction methods.) A character must have a parachuting skill in order to get this skill.

    Heavy Weapon (Jim Hunsinger):
    This skill is the use of heavy weapons such as missile launchers, rocket launchers, and grenade launchers etc.

    LANO [H] (Jim Hunsinger):
    Low Altitude No Opening. This is the skill that covers a very difficult and dangerous insertion technique. As well as the Helocasting method of insertion. (See insertion/extraction methods.) A character with this skill knows how to exit an extremely low and slow flying, aircraft with no parachute or ropes and land on the ground correctly with no injury.

    Martial Art (Official):
    Rather than the generic skill of Hand-to-Hand, this skill represents training in a systematized fighting style such as Karate, Kung Fu, Ninjitsu, etc.. Martial Arts adds +1/2 its Skill level to damage (round down).

    Parachute [H] (Jim Hunsinger):
    This skill covers the use of parachutes of all sorts. Normal parachutes, paragliders, etc.

    Scuba [H] (Jim Hunsinger):
    This skill covers the ability to use SCUBA equipment in underwater diving.

    Skiing [H] (Jim Hunsinger):
    This skill allows a character to use skis proficiently.  It covers both down-hill and cross-country skiing.  Note that this is not water skiing but strictly snow skiing.

Technical Ability:

    Demolitions (Official):
    Familiarity with explosives; knowing the best explosives to use for which jobs, how to set timers and detonators, and how much explosives to accomplish a desired result. Evaluating a structure for weak points: Diff 20. Using an explosive as a grenade: Diff 15. Using an explosive weapon (grenade, etc.) for demolitions: +5 difficulty.

    Forgery (Official):
    The skill of copying and creating false documents, records and IDs. This skill may also be used to detect forgeries; if you can fake it, you can usually spot a fake as well.

Official Skills Sourced From: Benjamin Wright

Martial Arts
By Jim Hunsinger

    Martial arts, yet another major factor in many anime features. From basic bar room brawling to the flashy speed and deadliness of the martial arts. Each individual fighting style has its own bonuses and penalties, therefore the generic skill of hand to hand combat has been replaced by the individual fighting styles.

    Some martial arts are harder to learn than others. First, all martial arts have a skill code of "H". In addition, each martial art has a number listed after it on the martial arts chart at the end of this text. This number is a multiplier to the IP needed to improve the skill.

    EXAMPLE: A character has a skill of +2 in akido which is a difficulty 3 skill. In order to raise the akido skill to level +3 it would cost 60 IP, 2x10=20 IP x3= 60 IP.

    Damage for strikes and kicks are the same as in MZ except that characters with martial arts skills may add 1/2 of their martial art skill level to their damage roll per strike. (Round down).

    Listed below is a short description of each one of the martial arts or fighting styles. The list is by far not a complete list of all the martial arts in the world. If the game master wishes to add martial arts to the campaign, all they need do is to come up with appropriate strike bonuses for it. The list for each style's strike bonuses are listed in the martial arts chart below this text.

    Akido
    A martial art centering more on the redirection of force and momentum of the attacker as well as holds etc. Primarily a defensive martial art, used in the correct way it can be a formidable style.

    A.M.U.C.
    Advanced Military Unarmed Combat. This martial art is a generic conglomeration of several fighting styles and adopted by many militaries across the world. Many soldiers of the different political protectorates learn this style of combat. Not as graceful as other martial arts, it was designed to get the job done.

    Boxing
    Just that, boxing. Stand and deliver punches as many times and in as many places as quickly as possible. Stick and move!

    Brawling
    Not really a martial art in the truest sense. Brawling is the down and dirty fighting style of the street. Whatever works, do it. Biting, kicking, scratching, etc.

    Jite-Kun-Do
    A martial art designed by the all time master Bruce Lee. The martial art centers on the ability to keep an attacker away from you by attacking the nearest part of the attacker to you. Thereby keeping the attacker at bay.

    Judo
    Designed by the Samurai of ancient Japan as a back up to their sword fighting. Judo consists of few strikes and concentrates more on throws and slams.

    Karate
    A martial art that tries to incorporate some of each type of attack from strikes to kicks. It originated as a fighting style designed by Japanese peasants in feudal Japan because they were forbidden to carry weapons.

    Kenpo
    A martial art much like Jite-Kun-Do where a strike is met with a strike instead of a parry or evade. Thus the high bonus to punches for Kenpo.

    Kung-fu
    A martial art that was derived by monks in ancient China. Most Kung-fu styles were derived by the movements of animals. Some of the styles are monkey, horse, praying mantis, tiger, etc. The different kung-fu styles normally incorporate kicks, strikes, sweeps, etc. For simplicities sake, Kung-fu is given just as a generic martial art style.

    Savate
    A martial art derived in France which is a style concentrating mostly on kicks and maneuvers with the legs.

    Shoto-Khan
    This martial art is not graceful at all. Its primary philosophy being the best defense is a superb offense. Very jerky and not at all smooth it utilizes crushing strikes and continuous attacks.

    Tae Kwon Do
    Korean foot fighting. Originating out of Korea, this martial art centers more on kicks and sweeps more than on strikes with the hands. Very graceful and flashy, it can be a deadly martial art when used by a master.

    MARTIAL ARTS ATTACK MODIFIERS

    ATTACK        AKIDO-3         A.M.U.C.-3        BOXING-1
    Punch                0                   +2          +4
    Jab                    0           +1             +2
    Chop                0             0             0
    Kick           0            +1             0
    Wheel kick        0           +1              0
    Crescent kick    0            +1             0
    Thrust kick        0            +2             0
    Spin kick        0             0                 0   
    Bite           0             0             0
    Throw                +2            +1             0
    Slam                +2            +1             0
    Trip/Sweep        +2            +1             0
    Grab                +2           +1             0
    Pin           +1             0             0
    Bear hug        0             0             0
    Tackle                 0             0            0
    Ram               0            0             0
    Drop           +1             0             0
    Evade                +2             +1             +1
    Parry                +1             +1             +2
             

    ATTACK          BRAWLING-1      JITE-KUN-DO-4      JUDO-2
    Punch                 +1            +2             0
    Jab           +1             +1             0
    Chop                0            +1            +1
    Kick           +1            +1            +1
    Wheel kick        0                +2            0
    Crescent kick    0                 +2          0
    Thrust kick        0         +3             +1
    Spin kick        0            +1            0
    Bite           +1              0            0
    Throw                +1             0             +2
    Slam                +1                  0                +2
    Trip/Sweep        +1                +2                +2
    Grab                +1                 0                 +1
    Pin               0                 0                  0
    Bear hug        +1                 0                0
    Tackle                +1                 0                 0
    Ram                0                 0                0
    Drop                0                 0                0
    Evade                +1                 +1                0
    Parry                +1                 +2                +1
             

    ATTACK           KARATE-2           KENPO-3           KUNG-FU-3
    Punch                +1              +3             +1
    Jab           +1             +3             0
    Chop                +2             0              +1
    Kick           +1              +2              +2
    Wheel kick        +2              +1              +2
    Crescent kick    +1             +1             +2
    Thrust kick        0              +1              +2
    Spin kick        +1              +1             +2
    Bite           0              0              0
    Throw                 +1              0              +1
    Slam                +1              0              +1
    Trip/Sweep        +1              +1                  +2
    Grab               +1              0              +1
    Pin           0              0              0
    Bear hug        0              0              0
    Tackle                0              0              0
    Ram           0              0              0
    Drop           0              0             0
    Evade               +1              0              +1
    Parry               +1              +2             +1
             

    ATTACK           SAVATE-2           SHOTO-KHAN-3           TAE-KWON-DO-2
    Punch                +1              +3                 +1
    Jab           +1              +1                 0
    Chop                   0              0                 0
    Kick           +2              +1                 +2
    Wheel kick        +2              +1                 +3
    Crescent kick    +2              +1                 +3
    Thrust kick        +2               +3                 +3
    Spin kick        +2              +1                 +3
    Bite             0              0                 0
    Throw                  0              +1                 0
    Slam                  0              +2                 0
    Trip/Sweep        +2              +2                 +2
    Grab                  0               0                 0
    Pin             0              0                 0
    Bear hug          0              0                 0
    Tackle                  0              0                 0
    Ram             0              0                 0
    Drop           +1              0                 0
    Evade                +1              +2                 +1
    Parry                   0              +2                 +1