Kult Martial Arts

Player's Guide

1
Introduction
This booklet is designed to help you, the player,
choose martial arts abilities for your Kult character,
should you choose to do so, without having to flip
through the basic rule book. This allows other people to
look up information more detailed than in here when
necessary, and to allow the gamemaster extra preparation
time. This is only a brief summary of the rules presented
in the rule book, so if you have any questions, be sure to
ask your game master.
Kung-Fu and a strike skill for Karate, independent of
each other). This is because of the differences of
techniques and training. It is possible to mix two styles
in combat, however, using skills or Budo maneuvers
from different styles consecutively, or together with
combine.
Listed after the specific styles are the Budo
maneuvers, and following those are the Ki-Forces.

Arnis
Picking A Martial Art Arnis is a Phillipino martial art, which has
Choosing a martial art is done during the skill strong instruction in weapon use. More westerners are
selection phase of character generation. The student becoming interested in the art, particularly in its weapon
level of a martial art costs 20 skill points, teacher level applications. Arnis is particularly effective against
costs 30, master level 50 and grand master 75. When a armed attackers; disarms are meant to break weapon
player chooses a martial arts package for his player and hands. A variety of weapons are taught in Arnis.
invests the skill points, he is also purchasing a set of Primary among them is a wooden stick (called an
skills at a set beginning value, but expending skill and Escrima stick) used one-handed and sometimes in pairs.
experience points can raise these values. Plus, there are Other weapons include the balisong knife, the machete,
ten "freebie" points included with each package to and the long kris dagger.
increase these skills. However, characters with the
advantage of Body Awareness pay only half cost for Skill Student Teacher Master Grand
martial arts packages. Master
Block 9 12 15 18
Dodge 6 9 12 15
Kick 6 9 12 15
Simplified Characters Strike 6 9 12 18
Simplified characters expend a number of their Weapon 6 9 15 21
skill selections to choose a martial arts package. Student Weapon:
level costs one 18-point skill selection, Teacher one 18 Stick 9 15 18 24
and 15, and Master one 18 and both 15-point skills.
Simplified characters still get the ten freebie points. One
of the 10-point skills may be used to select a Budo Commando Training
maneuver. Commando training is less an art form than a
While Student and Teacher level martial arts military-style combat style. Use of daggers and knives is
have no ability limitations, the Master and Grand Master also taught. Generally, the only techniques taught are
levels both require that the character have a level of 20 ones meant to incapacitate or kill the opponent.
in both STR and AGL.
Martial Arts grant the character bonuses to Skill Student Teacher Master Grand
damage in hand-to-hand combat. Students add +1, Master
Teachers +3, Master +5, and Grand Master +10 to the Strike 6 9 15 21
damage effect roll. Martial artists may also control the Kick 6 9 15 18
damage of their blows. Before the roll to hit, the player Throw 6 9 9 12
selects whether his character will inflict full damage, Grip 6 9 9 12
half damage, or no damage at all. Grand Masters, Block 6 9 15 21
however, can determine this after the roll to hit. Fall 6 9 12 15
Weapon --- 6 15 21

Martial Arts Styles

There are eight martial arts styles in Kult, each
with its own emphasis on different combat techniques
and unique skills. The eight styles are listed below, with
a brief summary of the combat style, and the basic skill
list and base ratings for those skills. It is possible to
study more than one style at a time, however similar
skills are not cumulative (i.e. you have a strike skill for
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Jujitsu: The Soft Way
Jujitsu is mostly defensive, using the energy of
an opponent's attacks against him. Because of the
passive nature of the art, physical prowess is not as much
a necessity to practice Jujitsu as finely honed reactions
and dexterity.
Skill Student Teacher Master Grand Savate is a French kickboxing style with some
Master wrestling. Its origins are not fully known, but they can
Throw 9 15 20 30 be traced to 17th century Marseilles. The footwork and
Grip 9 12 15 24 other elements of the style (including cane-fighting)
Block 9 15 18 24 were highly influenced by fencing, which used to be
Dodge --- 6 12 21 taught alongside Savate. Individuals who know Savate
Fall 9 12 20 24 are called “savateurs.”
Savate’s popularity has increased in the 20 th
Karate, the Empty Hand century; it is taught as part of the French army’s basic
More offensive in nature than jujitsu, karate's training, and schools are open throughout Europe.
emphasis is mainly in strikes and kicks, although
weapons such as bo sticks and nuchaku are occasionally Skill Student Teacher Master Grand
used. Master
Strike 9 12 18 22
Skill Student Teacher Master Grand Kick 9 12 18 26
Master Block 6 9 15 22
Strike 9 15 20 30 Throw 6 9 12 18
Kick 9 12 18 24 Grip 6 9 12 18
Block 9 15 20 27 Weapon: 3 9 12 15
Dodge 9 12 15 21 Cane
Weapon --- 6 15 18

T’ai Chi Ch’uan

Kendo, the Way of the Sword T’ai chi ch’uan is a Chinese martial art rooted
Kendo uses bladed weapons exclusively. in Taoism. It consists primarily of defensive techniques,
aimed at evading or redirecting an opponent’s energy. A
Skill Student Teacher Master Grand number of t’ai chi styles (Chen, Yang, Chen Pan Ling,
Master etc.) exits, yet they all follow the same principles. T’ai
Cut 12 15 20 30 chi attacks favor combinations of dodge, block or grip
Thrust 9 15 20 30 with other skills.
Block 9 15 20 30 This art is deceptive because it is practived and
Dodge 6 12 18 21 trained at very slow speeds, until true mastery is reached.
Unfortunately, many Westerners learn t’ai chi as only a
form of “moving meditation,” like Yoga, so finding a
Kung Fu good teacher can be difficult.
Kung Fu is a generic term for a large number of T’ai chi weapons include the straight sword, the
Chinese fighting styles (e.g. Hung Fot, Wing Chun, saber, the staff, and the spear.
White Crane, Shaolin, et al.) One basic template is
presented for overall use. It can be modified as desired Skill Student Teacher Master Grand
– for example, a school which concentrates on Chin na Master
(grappling and pressure points) might have better Grip Strike 4 9 14 20
skills. Kick 4 9 12 18
Chinese martial arts also teach a host of weapon Block 6 9 18 20
styles, including the staff, straight sword, iron whip, Dodge 6 10 15 30
broadsword, spear, trident, and more. The staff is often Throw 4 10 15 24
the first weapon learned. Grip 4 9 17 30

Skill Student Teacher Master Grand

Master
Strike 9 12 20 30 Budo Maneuvers
Kick 9 12 20 26 Budo maneuvers are special maneuvers which
Block 6 12 15 22 can be learned as part of a particular style, yet are not
Dodge 6 12 15 18 learned as a part of the basic martial arts packages. Skill
Grip - 3 9 15 points must be expended to learn these special moves.
Weapon 6 9 15 18 The table below lists all the budo maneuvers, and their
controlling abilities. In order to learn a Budo maneuver,
a student must find a mater who is both skilled in the
Savate particular maneuver, and willing to teach it. Most
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schools and academies can teach at least one if not without negative modifications. You make effect throws
several maneuvers to select students. Budo maneuvers for each opponent you hit.
are learned as any other skill, and can be increased by
experience points. Circle Cut
You make a long sweeping cut with your sword and can
hit several opponents in the same attack. The chance to
hit goes down for every extra person you try to hit.
Students get –6 for each extra opponent, instructors –4,
masters –2, but grand masters are able to attack up to 6
Maneuver Abil Martial Arts opponents without negative modifications. You make
ity effect throws for each opponent you hit.
Break Grip AGL All
Break Weapon AGL Kendo Combine
Circle Kick STR Commando, Karate, Kung Fu, You can use two martial arts skills simultaneously, e.g.
Savate, T’ai Chi both Throw and Strike in the same action.
Combine AGL All
Disarm AGL All Disarm
Elbow Strike STR Commando, Kung Fu, T’ai chi You can disarm an opponent and take his weapon
Evasion AGL All yourself. If you succeed, your opponent is disarmed.
Flying Kick STR Commando, Karate, Kung Fu, Choose whether to take his weapon or just strike/break it
Savate from his hands.
Iaido AGL Kendo
Kiai EGO All Elbow Strike
Knee Strike STR Commando, Kung Fu, T’ai Chi You can strike out at an opponent using your elbow as
Knock Out STR Arnis, Commando, Karate, the surface of impact. This is a strike that may begin
Kung Fu, Savate looking like a regular punch, and is difficult to
Leg Sweep STR All anticipate. Attempts to block are at –3.
Lightning AGL Arnis, Commando, Karate,
Attack Kung Fu, Savate Evasion
Root AGL Jujitsu, Kung Fu, T’ai Chi You are able to move so that you dodge several
Soften Attack AGL Commando, Jujitsu, T’ai Chi opponents who attack simultaneously with melee
Strangling AGL Commando, Arnis, Jujitsu weapons. A student can evade 2 opponents, an instructor
Grip 3, a master 5, and a grand master can evade 10
Tiger Leap AGL Commando, Karate, Kung Fu opponents. This applies only to opponents who attack
Tiger Paw STR Commando, Karate, Kung Fu with melee weapons.
Tornado Kick AGL Kung Fu
Uppercut STR Commando, Kung Fu Flying Kick
Whirlwind AGL Arnis, Savate, Kendo A flying kick has more power than an ordinary kick.
Attack Add +5 to the effect throw. This is added to the Strength
bonus and Damage bonus for your martial art.

Break Grip Iaido

You are able to break loose fro a grip, regardless of how
hard it is. You can break loose even if your opponent
achieved a perfect hit with his grip skill.
Break Weapon
You can destroy a weapon with yours. To succeed, you
must roll higher than your opponent’s attack throw. If
you are using your hands, there is a penalty to succeed.
Circle Kick
You make a long sweeping kick and can hit several
opponents in the same attack. The chance to hit goes
down for every extra person you try to hit. Students get
–6 for each extra opponent, instructors –4, masters –2,
but grand masters are able to attack up to 6 opponents
4
You can draw your weapon and attack with it in the
same action. This gives you +5 on the initiative throw.
Kiai
A short scream which focuses your power when using a
martial art. You gather everything in the action and the
scream puts your opponent out of balance. If the effect
of your kiai is higher than your opponent’s Ego, he loses
his next action. You can’t attack with kiai more than
once per combat round. Should preferably be used with
combine or some other maneuver.
Knee Strike This is a type of flying kick that allows you to strike an
You can deliver a painful, and often debilitating, strike opponent behind you with no action penalty – you can
with your knee, at your opponent’s groin, kidneys, ribs leap up, reverse your facing and kick behind you, and
(or anywhere else open for attack). return to your original facing all in one action.

Knock Out Uppercut

You are able to strike or kick exactly so that your An especially effective strike which gives you a bonus of
opponent loses consciousness. If you hit and succeed +5 to the effect. This bonus is added to the Strength
with this maneuver, your opponent is out cold. He bonus and Damage bonus for the martial art.
wakes up after 1d20 minutes.

Leg Sweep
This is a low kick to your opponent’s legs, sweeping his
legs from under him and knocking him to the ground.
Lightning Attack
You can perform two or more attacks in one action, even
if you only have three or less actions per combat round,
despite that it’s normally impossible for humans to
perform more than two actions in one action phase.
With this skill, you can perform two or more consecutive
actions, and your opponent can’t do anything in between.
Students can perform 2 actions, instructors 3, masters
and grand masters 4.
Root
You are rooted to the ground and cannot be knocked off
your feet by an opponent’s Throw or Leg Sweep attack,
even if it was a perfect success. The number of people
you can successfully defend against goes up as your skill
increases: students can defend against one attacker,
instructors against two, masters against three, and grand-
masters against four.
Soften Attack
You move with your opponent’s attack and reduce the
effect by –5. This does not count as an action.
Whirlwind Attack
You are able to attack all opponents within a certain
radius around you, in a single combat round. You can
make one attack against each opponent within the radius,
using only one action per opponent. Your number of
actions still limits how many attacks you can do; but in a
whirlwind attack you move so fast that you don’t have to
use any actions to transport yourself between targets who
are standing apart. A student can attack all within 3
meters, an instructor within 5 meters, a master within 7
meters, and a grand master can attack all within 10
meters.
Ki-Forces
Legends speak of martial artists performing
superhuman feats. These are accomplished through what
is, in game terms, called ki-forces or chi-forces. They
cost skill points, but are like advantages in that the
character only pays one lump total, rather than spending
purchasing a certain level in the ki-force. They cannot
be improved. Only masters and grand masters may start
the game with ki-forces, although a student or teacher
may learn ki-forces by finding a master who will teach
them and expending experience points.
The table below lists each of the ki-forces and
their skill point cost.

Strangling Grip Ki-Force Maneuver Cost

Use the rules for suffocation in the Accidents section to Air Attack 15
see when the opponent loses consciousness. The Coma 10
opponent can try to break loose from the strangling grip Combat Mind 20
in the same way as when breaking loose from any other Endurance 15
grip. (See under Grip in the Martial Arts Skills section.) Enhanced Senses 15
Fast Reactions 20
Tiger Leap Iron Skin 20
You can make a gigantic leap from standing still, at the Levitation 15
same time that you attack. A student can jump 2 meters, Regeneration 20
an instructor 5, a master 7 and a grand master 10 meters. Resist Cold & Heat 15
Resist Hunger & Thirst 15
Resist Pain 15
Tiger Paw
Sixth Sense 15
An especially effective strike which gives you a bonus of
Vitals Strike 25
+5 to the effect. This bonus is added to the Strength and
Voice Control 20
Damage bonus for the martial art.

Tornado Kick
5
Air Attack Cost: 15
You can strike or kick in a way that sends a push of air
against an opponent up to ten meters away and does
normal damage. The opponent receives wounds as if he
had been hit by a normal strike or kick. Your Strength
onus and Damage bonus apply as usual.
Coma Cost: 10
You can put yourself in a deep trance. In that state, your
heart beats only a couple of times per minute and you
hardly breathe at all. Your metabolism slows to a
minimum; body temperature drops. In a coma, you can
survive without food and water for up to a month. You
only need one tenth of the amount of oxygen you would
normally consume. A thorough medical examination is
required to notice that you are in a coma; otherwise you
appear to be dead. It takes one minute to enter the coma.
You decide in advance what will wake you up. You can
choose to wake up after a certain time, or e.g. when you
are touched, moved, or when the temperature drops.
Combat Mind Cost: 20
You can read your opponent’s moves, knowing
instinctively what action will follow; you can anticipate
such moves easily. Any defensive maneuver you
attempt has a +5 bonus to succeed.
Endurance Cost: 15
You never lose Endurance. You can run forever, swim
any distance or fight for twelve days without resting.
You only need to sleep 4 hours per night.
Enhanced Senses Cost: 15
Your sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste are sharper
than normal. You can track like a bloodhound, see in
near darkness, feel your way like a blind man, and trace
poison diluted in a water reservoir.
Fast Reactions Cost: 20
You are so fast that you usually get to act before
everyone else. You have one extra action in every
combat round, and you get +5 to your initiative throw.
Iron Skin Cost: 20
You can strengthen the chi that surrounds your body,
creating a protective barrier. This effectively gives you
an armor rating of 3 when absorbing damage from
physical attacks.
Levitation Cost: 15
You can lift yourself from the ground and hover in the
air. Only masters and grand masters can learn levitation,
and it can only be performed while in deep meditation.
You must have the skill Meditation with a score of at
least 20 to succeed. While levitating, you can move up
to 2 meters per combat round. You can’t attack anyone
6
while levitating; this will break your concentration and
you will fall down.
Regeneration Cost: 20
You heal unnaturally fast. Your body heals three times
faster than normal. Use the rules about healing, but
divide the time by three. You never suffer from
infections.
Resist Cold & Heat Cost: 15
You are unusually good at coping with extreme
temperatures. You can walk on burning coals or be shut
in a freezer without being injured. You can make it
through temperatures from –30º C to +100º C almost
indefinitely without injury. Even at higher or lower
temperatures than these, you only take half the normal
losses from cold or heat.
Resist Hunger & Thirst Cost: 15
You can survive for a long time almost without
nourishment. You can live for a month without food and
for two weeks without water without any effect. After
that, you only take half the normal losses from starvation
and thirst.
Resist Pain Cost: 15
You can endure terrible pain without raising an eyebrow.
You never need to make a constitution throw to avoid
fainting. But you are just as easily hurt or killed as
anyone else. This is identical to the advantage “Endure
Pain”.
Sixth Sense Cost: 15
Similar to the advantage with the same name. You often
have a feeling about things, and it usually turns out to be
right. There is a cold running along your back if
someone is hiding behind the door with a large ax. You
sense that you should not take this particular plane (and
rightly so, it later flies straight into a mountain). A Sixth
Sense only applies to what happens to yourself, not to
others.
Vitals Strike Cost: 25
You have studied the meridians that run through the
human body, and you are intimately familiar with the
body’s weakest spots; you have studied just what type of
blow is necessary to cripple or kill. Roll for a Strike,
and if successful, roll for the effect. In addition to
typical damage, the following occurs:
Scratch: opponent is stunned, loses next action.
Light Wound: opponent loses consciousness.
Serious wound: attacker can deliver a fatal
strike if desired.
Voice Control Cost: 20
You can give your voice a special timbre which makes
everyone within hearing listen and obey. This only
works if they understand your language, otherwise they
just feel a desire to obey but are confused because they
don’t know what to do. You must roll an Ego to
determine the effect of your attempt. In order to resist
your voice power, they must roll less than half their ego.
If they receive a command they would never want to do
(e.g. “Kill your brother!” or “Eat this poison!”), they
only need to roll under their ego. This applies to every
single order. If you fail to get someone to obey, you
cannot try again until you are in a new situation with
new people. The effect of the command lasts for the
number of seconds equal to your effect.