2D6 Martial Arts
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I found the Colonel lying near the door. Whoever had taken him down was a pro. I hoped they weren't still… "And who might ye be?" A long-limbed¸ sinewy man with a thick shock of red hair leaned almost casually against the doorframe. I hadn't heard him approach. "If ye're with that fellow there¸'' he indicated the prone figure of the Colonel with his chin¸ "Ye'd best be telling where me valuables are…or I might have to get rough with ye¸ too." Judging by his physique and the way he moved¸ he knew how to fight. But the streets of Calpurnia taught me a few things. I gave him my best steely glint as I slowly rose to face him. Throughout literature and visual media there have been characters who have taken the path of perfecting fighting skills using their natural weapons: feet and hands¸ arms and legs. Preferring the power of the body over the power of the gun or sword¸ they manage to hold their own in most melee contests¸ and even sometimes prove superior to those who depend on weapons to harm opponents…although there are plenty of those¸ too. Some of these people's names have become legend in reality and fiction: Bruce Lee; Toshiro Mifune; Jackie Chan; Wing Chun; Darth Maul; Batman; Rocky Balboa¸ The Three Musketeers¸ among many others. The 2D6 system isn't really designed for detailing such characters¸ preferring instead to fold the relevant skills into catch-all categories such as Brawling or Melee. However¸ some players might like the challenge of playing an unarmed combat specialist¸ or a hero who disdains the use of weapons for whatever reason and would still like the option of self-defense. 2D6 Martial Arts is here to help. It's a simple system intended for the non-martial artist (like the author) to play an ass-kicking¸ fear-inducing¸ practitioner of unarmed mayhem while providing seamless integration with the rest of the 2D6 system and games that use it like Cepheus Engine and the Original Science-Fiction Roleplaying Game. When words and diplomacy fail¸ it's time for 2D6 Martial Arts.