Alertness
Blind Fighting |
Crafts
Appraisal |
Academics
Anthropology |
Athletics
Acrobatics |
Drive
Automatic |
Computer
Hacking |
Awareness
Aura Reading |
Etiquette
Bureaucracy |
Cosmology
Deep Umbra Studies |
BrawlVarious Maneuvers |
Firearms
Archery |
Enigmas
Cryptography |
Dodge
Cover and Roll |
Meditation
Body Control |
Investigation
Conspiracy Theory |
Expression
Drawing |
Melee
Axes |
Law
Civil Law |
Intimidation
Interrogation |
Perform
Acting |
Linguistics
English |
Leadership
Command |
Stealth
Camouflage |
Medicine
First Aid |
Streetwise
Forgery |
Survival
Animal Training |
Occult
Alchemy |
Subterfuge
Fast-Talk |
Technology
Auto Mechanic |
Science
Aeronautics |
We’ll be using a variation on the Aeonverse/Exalted specialty rules, rather than the standard for WoD. Specialties for attributes still allow rerolled 10s, but specialties for abilities add +1 die to rolls. Characters get attribute specialties as normal (one for 4+ attributes). Characters get a free specialty when an ability is at least level 4. Further specialties for abilities cost 1 freebie or 2 experience points per specialty. A character can only have a number of specialties equal to the square of the ability (so a beginner can only buy one specialty, while a master could have up to 25).
Special Rules: Linguistics no longer grants the normal number of languages. Instead, each level of Linguistics grants a free specialty (so 5 Linguistics means 5 free specialties), and a character must have a specialty in a language to speak it conversationally. Characters can roll Linguistics to muddle through languages that they don’t have a specialty in, so long as it is related to the languages they do speak. Brawl "specialties" are largely special maneuvers, discussed on the following page. Each specialty of Brawl grants a special maneuver, for the same cost as buying a specialty, and with the same free maneuver at level 4. Brawl maneuvers do not grant +1 die unless specifically listed as doing so. Some abilities that are incredibly broad, such as Science, may involve penalties for attempting to make rolls that are not part of a specialty or reasonably close to one (e.g. a Biology specialty grants +1 on Biology roll, allows Xenobiology unpenalized, but doesn’t grant any special knowledge of how to perform Geology).
The difference between a simple brawler and a martial artist is in the special maneuvers. Each special maneuver grants some kind of special effect to brawl rolls in specific circumstances. Characters without the special maneuver can do something similar, but without any of the special effects, just the normal results. Some maneuvers are listed as Mystical, and can only be learned from a supernaturally knowledgeable teacher, while the others can be learned from sleepers. At the storyteller’s option, some of these maneuvers may not be taken at lower levels of Brawl. The initial list of Standard maneuvers do not require a specialty, but are usable by anyone (even without Brawl). As such, they are generally less useful than the special maneuvers. Unless otherwise noted, all rolls are Dexterity + Brawl against difficulty 6, and (if attacks) deal Strength as dice of base damage.
Block – The character deflects an incoming attack with arms or legs. The successes on the roll are bonus soak dice against bashing damage attacks, but do nothing against lethal or aggravated damage, besides potentially changing the location of the wound. A character with certain types of armor may have better results with a standard block.
Grapple – The character grabs an opponent. This can be dodged, but not blocked in most circumstances. A successfully grappled opponent suffers dice pool penalties equal to the successes on the grapple roll for all actions other than trying to break free of the grapple, including rolls to attack the grappler. The target may make a Strength + Brawl roll as a normal action to attempt to escape, opposed reflexively by the grappler’s Strength + Brawl (both difficulty 6). Record the successes on each side to see how close the target is to being freed. For example, on an original 4 success grapple, the target would need to get a total of 4 successes beyond the grappler’s to escape. If her first attempt to break away achieved two fewer successes than the grappler, she would then require 6 successes total. The grappler can choose to deal Strength in bashing damage dice (soaked normally) during every turn of the grapple, but can take no other actions in most circumstances other than maintaining the hold.
Headbutt – The character smashes her head into the opponent’s. This attack may be made unpenalized when held in a grapple, and does +1 die of damage. However, the damage is applied to both attacker and subject, so is typically a move of desperation (or performed by those with helmets or very hard heads).
Kick – Slightly more damaging than a punch, the kick does +1 die of damage. Its major advantage is that it doesn’t hurt so much to use. If delivered in a grapple, or otherwise in close quarters, the damage drops to Strength, representing using a knee rather than full leg extension.
Move In – Sometimes a character must move closer to a target to use a maneuver. Moving is a free action, but it gives a one die penalty to the next attack, or a three-die penalty if the opponent has a melee weapon with a long reach. The combat stays close until someone moves away.
Punch – A standard attack. It does normal damage and has +1 accuracy. However, if the target soaks more of the damage than the attacker’s Brawl rating, the attacker has a –2 penalty to all further uses of the hand for the next two turns from the pain of smacking a hard surface with a fist.
Stunning/Dirty Shot – The character uses one of the other attacks against a sensitive location. Typical targets are the belly, groin, or throat. The difficulty and damage are adjusted by the size of the target as normal (p. 239). Each level of damage that gets past soak is not applied to health levels, but, instead, serves as a turn in which the target cannot act or move except to defend herself or to crawl/stumble slowly.
Tackle – The character leaps into an opponent, knocking her off balance and possibly to the ground. The damage that gets through soak serves as a dice penalty to the target’s next roll, and, if it is more than her Strength, she falls prone to the ground with the attacker. An attacker following a successful tackle with a grapple gains +2 accuracy with the grapple.
Example Special Maneuvers
Axe Kick – The character has learned the axe kick, and can make terrible rising and falling kicks. When using this maneuver and two standard kicks in a multiple action, she gains +2 accuracy and +1 damage to both kick attacks.
Bullheaded – The character has toughened her head for headbutts. She gains +1 accuracy when headbutting and only takes half the damage dealt to the opponent, before soak.
Catch Blunt Weapon – The character has learned to catch blunt weapons, whether they be swung or thrown. When attacked by a weapon that deals bashing damage, the character can block as normal. If she gets more successes on the block roll than the opponent got on the attack she may choose to catch the weapon. If it is still being held by the opponent they make a contested Strength + Brawl roll (difficulty 6) with the winner taking the weapon (and ties indicating a stalemate).
Counter Throw/Throwing Block – The character has learned to use an attacker’s momentum as an advantage. After being attacked in close combat and successfully blocking or dodging, if the character got more successes on the defense than the attacker got on the attack, then the character can throw or trip the attacker. The attacker hits the nearest wall or floor and takes her own Strength in dice of bashing damage.
Damaging Block – The character can block an unarmed attack with sufficient force to harm the attacker. If the character takes no damage from an unarmed attack after successfully blocking, roll her Strength as damage against the attacker.
Elbow Strike – The character can make decisive strikes with her elbows. Treat this as a standard punch, save that it does +1 damage die and does not risk pain to the attacker. However, it must be attempted in close quarters.
Iron Body Block – The character has learned how to partially deflect lethal attacks with her unarmed blocks. She gains +1 accuracy on all blocks, and can treat half of her successes (round down) as armor that will stop lethal damage (but not aggravated). Further, if any lethal damage gets through she may spend a Willpower to prevent that wound from bleeding as she turns the strike to non-vital portions of her anatomy.
Joint Lock – The character has learned to immobilize subjects with control rather than pure force. She gains +1 die to all rolls to make or maintain a grapple, and may take a close-range action rather than dealing Strength damage to the target.
Jumping/Leaping Kick – The character jumps at her opponent, letting loose a nasty kick. This is treated as a standard kick that has –1 accuracy and does +3 dice of damage, but cannot be attempted in close quarters. Further, the character must have enough space for a brief run, and a couple of feet ceiling clearance over her head.
Martial Strike – The character has learned to punch without hurting herself. She may make a standard punch with no risk of pain to herself.
Pressure Point Shot – The character can strike vital points much like a dirty shot. Instead of stunning the opponent, however, this attack grants increased penalty. Whatever damage that gets past soak is not applied as damage, but instead becomes a wound penalty. This penalty decreases by one point per turn. For example, a pressure point shot that got four damage past soak would not deduct health levels, but would instead apply a –4 die penalty to the target’s next turn’s actions. In the following turn she would bet at –3, then –2, and so on. These penalties are treated as wound penalties, and stack with wound penalties from actual damage.
Roundhouse/Turning/Spinning Kick – The character pivots on one leg to deliver a more forceful kick with the other. This is treated as a standard kick with +2 damage. There must be plenty of room on either side of the character to perform this maneuver.
Sleeper Hold – When using this maneuver the character can choose to make all damage from her grapples be temporary. When the subject reaches Incapacitated from the grapple’s damage she falls unconscious, but the temporary damage then returns at a rate of one health level per minute rather than following the normal bashing healing times chart.
Sweep/Trip – The character can knock her opponents down with a well placed attack to the legs. This is treated as a standard kick with a +1 difficulty which deals normal damage. The target must make a reflexive Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty 6) and beat the attacker’s successes or fall prone.
Throw – The character may throw a grappled opponent rather than dealing Strength damage on a turn. She rolls Strength against difficulty 6 (possibly more or less for larger or smaller opponents). Each success is a yard that the target lands away from the attacker, and a level of damage that is soaked normally. The target lands prone in a location chosen by the attacker.
Example Mystical Maneuvers
Catch Deadly Weapon – This is an improvement on the Catch Blunt Weapon maneuver (and the character must learn that maneuver first). The character can now realign her chi to avoid the edges of deadly weapons when catching them. This means that she may use the Catch Blunt Weapon maneuver on lethal melee weapons, arrows, throwing knives, javelins, arrows, etc. without penalty. She still cannot catch bullets or other such projectiles without magick, however.
Chi Block – This is an improvement of the Iron Body Block maneuver (and the character must learn that maneuver first). Now she can reorient her chi to fully protect against lethal damage and partially protect against even magical blows. She uses her full block successes as armor soak against lethal damage, and half of her successes (round down) as armor against aggravated damage (from a physical source).
Graceful Wind Strike – This is an improvement of other maneuvers, and requires those maneuvers to be learned first. It can be applied to strikes, kicks, and throws, and is bought individually for each maneuver it improves. When using these maneuvers the character can choose to roll Dexterity instead of Strength whenever a Strength roll is called for (including when determining base damage).
Mantis Strike – This is an improvement of the Pressure Point Shot maneuver (and the character must learn that maneuver first). Slamming her chi into the strike, she can force out the opponent’s chi. Treat this as a normal Pressure Point Shot, but if the character gets five or more successes the target loses a point of Quintessence (or the equivalent for other types of supernaturals). Against sleepers or those without any current quintessence, five successes instead means that the subject takes a level of lethal damage (soakable as normal).