----------------------------------------------------------------------- O - K E N W A ----------------------------------------------------------------------- © 1983, 1987, 1988, 1990 Kevin Siembieda; © 1995 Palladium Books, All rights reserved world wide. No part of this work may be reproduced in part or whole, in any form or by any means, without permission from the publisher. All incidents, situations, institutions, governments and people are fictional and any similarity to characters or persons living or dead is strictly coincidental. Ninjas & Superspies™, Mystic China™, and S.D.C.™ are trademarks owned and licensed by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books, Inc. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- O-Ken Wa is a martial art form practiced by many people who use a sword for its real purpose: to kill. Created nearly half a millenia ago by a Japanese Immortal (Highlander style), the art is utterly deadly. O-Ken Wa focuses on the use of two swords and the practitioner's feet. There are almost no hand attacks in this art. The Immortal who created O-Ken Wa survived the RIFTS and still wanders China. This is one of the few martial arts which survived the coming of the Rifts. Entrance Requirements: PP of 13 Skill Cost: 8 years Costume: Anything, preferrably with loose pants so that kicks are not constricted. 2 swords roughly 2.5 to 3 feet long. Stance: Weight balanced on the balls of the feet, front foot at 45 degree angle forward, back foot perpendicular. The forward arm's elbow is at a 90 degree angle with the hand roughly level with the shoulder, holding a sword pointed towards the opponent. The back hand is drawn across the body, about chest level, with the other sword held pointed towards the opponent. Character Bonuses: +3 to PP +1 to PS +1 to PE +5 to Spd +15 to S.D.C. Combat Skills: Attacks Per Melee: 4 Escape Moves: Roll with Impact, Backflip, Maintain Balance Basic Defenseive Moves: Dodge, Parry, Automatic Parry, Backflip Advanced Defenses: Disarm Hand Attacks: Palm Strike Basic Foot Attacks: Kick Attack, Tripping / Leg hook, Drop kick (can be used with a leg hook), Crescent Kick, Wheel Kick, Roundhouse, Axe Kick Jumping Foot Attacks: Jump Kick, Flying Reverse Turning Kick Special Attacks: Elbow, Forearm, Knee Holds/Locks: None Weapon Katas: W.P. Swords - Paired, at 2 levels higher than the character's current level (1st level martial artist would start at level 3). Modifiers to Attacks: Pull Punch, Critical Strike, Critical Strike from Behind Skills Included in Training Martial Art Powers: Select two powers from either Martial Art Techniques or Arts of Invisibility. In addition, the character automatically gets Iai-Jutsu. If desired, any number of powers other than Iai-Jutsu can be traded, one-for-one, for any basic skill program (excluding physical). Languages: None Skills: WP Paired Swords Philosophical Training: None, other than your swords may be your only friends at times. If this is your primary martial art form than the following other forms can be learned in a shorter time: Zanji Shinjinken-Ryu (4 years), Gui Long (5 years). Level Advancement Bonuses 1st +2 to strike, parry and dodge 2nd +2 to damage, +2 to backflip, gains Chagi (kick practice) 3rd +1 attack per melee, +2 to disarm 4th +2 to strike, +1 to pull strike, Automatic Dodge 5th Death Blow on a natural 20, +2 to parry and dodge 6th +1 attack per melee, +2 to damage 7th Sword & Kick Pairing: the character can parry with either one or two swords and attack with a kick, simultaneously. See below for an example, +1 to maintain balance 8th +2 to parry and dodge, select one additional martial art power from Arts of Invisibility or Martial Art Techniques 9th +1 attack per melee, 10th +2 to strike, critical strike on natural 18, 19, or 20 11th +1 to damage, +1 to parry and dodge, select specialty kata or art of invisibility 12th +2 to roll with impact, +1 attack per melee 13th +2 to maintain balance, Knockout on natural 19 or 20. 14th +1 to strike, parry, and dodge, 15th +1 attack per melee Example of Sword & Kick Pairing: When attacked, the character can parry the attack with a sword and simultaneously counterstrike, using any kick except wheel and jumping / flying kicks. Or the character can parry two attacks (as per normal paired weapons) and kick. IE: Your opponent does a twin strike at you with his two sai. You do a double parry and a kick attack to the chest, all in one action. Sword & Kick pairing costs one action / attack. Why Study O-Ken Wa? An extremely deadly art with a sword. The purpose of O-Ken Wa is to kill, plain and simple. Although not offering any mind-oriented abilities, why should it? A sound body is the perfect weapon. Note: Sword Chi can be used with this martial art (if you already possess it, since you can't get it through O-Ken Wa). One quarter of your chi goes into each sword. Conversion Notes: In RIFTS, Chagi provides the character with the ability to do a power kick. This kick cannot be used with sword & kick pairing, simply because you need to wind up for the kick and the opponent will have disengaged before you can get the kick off. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Created by Gabriel http://thegarden.neonexus.com/