Lee Casebolt's Martial Art Guidelines

Since there's finally someone else doing martial arts for Palladium, I thought I'd post this collection of suggestions for the conversion-minded. It's very tempting, I know, to make your style the biggest, baddest, fastest, most complete martial art of all time. Please don't. It's neither good gaming nor realistic, no matter what you think. What follows are some basic guidelines for keeping your martial art in line with those found in Ninjas and Superspies and Mystic China.

First, attribute bonuses. Don't go nuts here. Attribute bonuses should total no more than five or so, dis-counting Speed bonuses, which aren't that important. SDC/CHI bonuses should total around 20 or less. If you have a CHI multiplier, an SDC bonus is STRONGLY discouraged.

Next, attacks per melee. I recommend 2 for defensive-minded forms (jujutsu), 3 for the more aggressive styles (most karate, for example). 4 is reserved for the extremely aggressive (zanji).

Third - number of moves. Count 'em up. The average is around 20-25. If you have more than that, either look to trim or cut those bonuses down some. A low number would justify higher level advancement bonuses. Also, remember to include the descriptions (both IRL and game stats) for special moves. As a side-note, if you aren't familiar with what's in N&SS, you might want to keep a copy handy while typing up your style, so you can check on things.

Fourth, martial arts powers. As a rule, no more than three, from a maximum of three catagories. More just gets silly. Do feel free to include certain powers automatically, and to invent your own for use with your new style, but keep an eye on balance.

Finally, level advancement bonuses. Keep 'em in line. A total of around +5 per level is the high end of average; +3 is closer to the mark. Say, a +2 to parry/dodge, and a +1 to disarm. Or +1 to Maintain Balance, and +2 to Damage. You get the idea. Additional attacks per melee, martial arts powers, or improved critical strikes/ko's/death blows should be the sole bonus, or accompanied by at most a +1 or 2.

Keep in mind, in gaming as in the arts themselves, balance is of utmost importance. I suggest keeping a copy of N&SS or MC with you and comparing your style to those listed there. If your style is more powerful than EVERYTHING listed, you've gone waaay to far. Hope this helps everyone, and thanks for the arts...