I think It would be really cool if we could get some additional martial arts. Stuff like Taekwondo, Kungfu, Maybe even something like Wingchun.
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However, adding additional attacks/martial arts/weapons is the same process for all combat skillsets. I would emphasize the need for heavy weapons to be added to the game before engaging in any additional weapons or martial arts.
There's a fair amount of messaging with martial arts but it is nothing compared to vehicle weapons, I wouldn't mind writing the messaging if the framework for them was there.
So for now you take Taijutsu. It could with a little modification look equally like (for example, don't @ me) sambo or savate or judo, but it says and announces it is taijutsu which limits how much you can roleplay it is something else. But if it was just picked as traditional martial arts style, then you roleplay however you wanted, whatever your appropriate character background. Likewise krav maga could become military styles, capoeria could become tournament styles, muay thai could become modern styles.
Each group of styles could give descriptions of the types of actions they involve (more kicks or more grappling or flying attacks or arm strikes etc) so players could pick what was appropriate to the actions they wanted their character could have, but it could be up to them to say what actual style they're representing in their roleplaying.
This would be especially cool I think because you could have two different characters roleplaying as using the same martial art, but using two different styles to represent different variations on it. If we did something like this, everyone's martial arts, and future invented martial arts, could all be represented forever with very few adjustments.
Instead maybe styles something like: Survival, performance, discipline, impact.
Survival could be adapted from the krav maga messaging and could describe itself to players as having attacks that do anything to win without regard for form or fairness.
Performance could be adapted from the capoeira messaging and could describe itself to players as having attacks that involve flourishes and elaborate beautiful strikes.
Discipline could be adapted from the taijutsu messaging and could describe itself to players as having attacks that focus on refinement of technique and practiced form.
Impact could be adapted from the muay thai messaging and could describe itself to players as having attacks that have maximum striking impact with economy and speed.
The one that would probably need the most adjustment is capoeira because it's very distinctly capoeira-y and not taekwondo-y or wushu-y, but it could be with a bit of work.
I watched a person with decently trained Capoeira, do absolutely 0 Cap moves, except the starting Ginga (swaying side to side) After that, they were doing shit like, straight punches (Cap has very few punches, since the martial art was made by slaves learning to fight with hands bound behind their backs) It instead uses a lot of kicks. It's also a VERY showy fighting style, with many jump kicks, flips, summersaults, ect, used. The guy I saw using it, who has good stats and is sitting at a decently usable skill level, might as well been using Krav Maga. (I mean, he literally headbutt his enemy)
As it stands, if a Cap user wants to show they are using Cap, outside of the Ginga. They need to type long emotes while fighting. And considering you need to input commands while you fight… This puts them at a negative.
TLDR: Capoeira martial art needs polishing. IMHO
I'de love for a defensive grappling art to be put in. But this might be OP but hear me out.
It's… Lets say... Silly... That all you need to kill someone in this game is be stronger and faster then them. No combat skill needed. They grab, drag, and choke you to death without putting 1 single ue into a combat skill. No dodge, no martial arts, Nothing. Just Strength and Agility.
Real grappling (And I say this as someone whos taken a lot of BJJ and Aikido) requires very, VERY little physical strength. In fact, these styles (Jiu-jitsu and Aikdo) Were made to overpower people stronger then you. It takes very little force to lock a joint, and only a little more to dislocate it. It takes a LOT of smarts to do this stuff at high levels. It's a chess game when you are rolling with someone (Term for sparring in BJJ. There is no real sparring in Aikido. Since, if both people practiced pure aikdo, they wouldn't fight. They would stand there)
So, I would love to see this put into the game. A martial art that's based off Agility+Intel, that handles grappling. Allow the person t o escape, or even reverse the holds. Maybe even break a limb? That would be cool.
This would 1: Nerf strength/Grapple (Much needed imho)
2: Give people a reason to pick up a second martial art/fighting style. (how often does that blade wielding badass use their Taijutsu? Prolly not often. How often would they use grappling? Prolly more, considering all the drag offs I see
3: This would give non-lethal pc's a chance to actually fight back against lethal ones. At least long enough to get backup.
The Bagh Nakha; Easily made out of sharpened scrap metal, these devices were mounted on the fingers, and when closed into a cupped palm, allowed one to slash like a tiger. Used in india for ages, typically by the Sikh, were also used in a specific form of street wrestling known as claw-wrestling. They were used by assassins, bodyguards, and soldiers as a 'secondary' weapon, typically worn under the gloves as a surprise way to lash out at one's foe, or coated in poison. Best used on unarmored or lightly armored targets.
The Cestus:
A cheaper alternative to the Brass Knuckles, typically made out of leather and studded with bits of metal rather than being metal all the way around. This would allow brawlers to not just have to fight 'bare handed' at lower levels, and could be produced by possibly by EcoGear. Mostly used to protect the hands in a fight, so they wouldn't be much of an advantage over unarmed besides allowing one to parry, which is considerable. Possibly even a defensive side-grade that has less offensive lean compared to Brass Knuckles, but greater defensive potential considering it can protect the entire arm.
The Katar:
An Indian punch-dagger designed to stab people to death. Gripped firmly in the middle, the blade extends a short way up the arm and allows you to strike quite naturally in a punch using the tip of the blade with additional barbs added for pain. Designed to penetrate armor.
Martial Arts:
Deer Horn knives. Small, hand-gripped blades in the palm specifically designed to counter larger melee weapons and swords with technique rather than brute force, with a specific bonus to disarming them using the circular design to trap the edge of a weapon in the middle.
The Pata: The big brother of the Katar, this took way more dexterity to use due to the much longer blade, but were a fist-mounted sword essentially. The less reliance on straight punching force means a better fit for martial arts that would have more flourishing sweeps and cutting motions.
With brawlers or martial artists you can just tailor your damage resistance to blunt and be a-okay, would be good if there were brawling or martial arts weapons (other than the single martial artist cybernetic weapon) that could vary the damage types (although to a less impressive damage degree than dedicated knife or sword users with high quality weapons of course).
I'm also unsure why brass knuckles and bo staffs cost so much compared to other weapons.
Back on topic, russian sambo would be a cool martial art for all those russians.
Specifically, martial arts are not meant to be on par with weapons.
[ Combat Skills ] WARNING: Not all combat skills are created equal. Finding an effective balance between your weapons skills is up to you to figure out. And it should be based on what your character is looking to accomplish. Brawling/Martial Arts/Pistol/Long Blade/Short Blade/Rifle/Sub Machine Gun are not just flavors of the same thing. They do differing amounts of damage, some with weapons and others do it unarmed. There are inherent positives and negatives for each class of weapons and inherent stats that support different skills. Brawling/Martial Arts are not intended to be on par with someone with a gun or a sword, but you'll never be unarmed. The trade-offs you make are up to you.
