INTRODUCTION
 

Ok, for all you punks who like a little variety in your ass whippin' I have compiled the master martial arts list. Using the format in the PACIFIC RIM SOURCEBOOK , this list includes every martial art you could imagine, including some I made up just to add some spice to the mix. The hardest part was setting the difficulty modifier. Originally my system was based on how hard the style was to learn, and how hard it was to find, but after several comments I have decided to revise this.  Now the IP modifier is based strictly on how hard the art is to learn.  The difficulty of finding someone to teach the character the art is something that should be roleplayed. If you don't own a copy of PAC RIM I strongly urge you to go out and buy it right now. It specifies in detail the hand to hand and melee rules for CP 2020. Ok, got your cup in place, let's go.

Chin Lu, student and teacher at Momma Sifu's and Papa Sensei's School of Martial Arts.

STATS

AFRICAN KICKFIGHTING- A popular form of sparring on the subcontinent, bascially involving two tribesmena kicking each other senseless.  Not a formal style, and almost unheard of outside of africa.

AFRICAN MONKEY STYLE - Similiar to the Chinese monkey boxing only in that it tries to emulate the behavior of the primate, African monkey style is far more bestial and savage, but not as refined or polished.  No forms, really just a very primal outburst, complete with scratching and biting, and lots of noise.  Unheard of outside of Africa.

AIKIDO - Defensive martial art. Fairly common anywhere in the free world it teaches it users to wait until attacked and then proceed to break the offending arm, leg or whatever.  Taught everwhere, though the techniques are very difficult to master.  Lesser forms, which aren't as extensive, are often passed off as aikido.

AIKIJITSU - An ancient Japanese art, taught to samurai so they would not be defenseless when unarmed.  It focuses on strikes, pressure points, disarms, and throws, and is meant to be used until a samurai can procure himself a weapon.  Very rarely taught outside of japan, and even in Japan it is fairly rare, the few practitioners who do teach it are generally Fuedal enthusiasts.

AMERICAN KICKBOXING - A very watered down form of Muay Thai.  When someone tells you they are an expert Kickboxer this is usually what they are talking about.  It does not have the conditioning excercises or rigourous, almost torturous, training of the Thai martial art, and is instead more for tournament fighting along the tamer american and european rules.  Taught Everywhere.

AN CH'I - This is the style of the Lin Kuei, the chinese version of the shinobi, it os rumored that the very origins of Ninjutsu came from the Lin Kuei.  Like its Japanese counterpart, An Ch'i is considered an assasin's art, suited for attack and withdraw fighting.  This style teaches the use of many weapons, especially those that cen be eassily concealed.  Taught only in secret remote locations in China.

ANIMAL KUNG-FU - A bastardized version of the Five Style Fist.  This version is common worldwide, and is easy to learn, though not very balanced.

ARASAKA-TE - developed by instructors at Arasaka to be an all-purpose, fast, and easy to learn martial art, this new style has enjoyed immense popularity among the corporate and security circles. Considered weak by other martial artists due to its corporate origins.  Taight at all Arasaka training Facilities as well as Dojos in any city they have major holdings.

BANDO - The martial art of the infamous Nepalese soldiers, the Gurkha.Actually the art is ancient, consisting of 3 seperate forms until they were fused in the 1930's.  Its attacks are centered around incapacitition above death.  This means a practitioner will most likely go for an unprotected leg before attempting to strike a defended head or torso.  Thier are many animal forms to this style, each with slight variations.  It also places emphasis on use of the Kukri blade, a heavy knike which acts as both a combat weapon and machete.

BARAQAH - A muslim Martial art originating in North Africa.  Generally taught only in the muslim commuinty it focuses on grappling and quick strikes.

BCT - Basic Combat Training, this is the general, all purpose, martial art taught to American servicemen.  Derived mostly from Karate and Judo, it is also commonly taught around the U.S. by retired military personel.

BERSILAT - A Malaysian martial art similiar, and possibly derived from, Pentjak Silat.  Like Choi li Fut and Capoeira it resembles a dance, as is often performed as such at weddings and other celebrations, howver it is also a deadly martial art, with focus on stiking, armed and unarmed.  Rarely taught outside of India or Indian Communities.

BOK PAI - Crane style kung fu, emulating the graceful, fluid movements of the great bird for which it is named. It is a soft style and the moves are sweeping arm attacks and roundhouse kicks, all while the artist is constantly pivoting and spinning

BOXING - The manly art of fisticuffs. Completely geared around upper body strength and powerful punches.

BRAZILLIAN JUIJITSU - Made famous by the Gracie family, Brazillian Ju-Jistu is possibly the ultimate in the grapping arts, allowing smaller fighters to take down men twice their size and weight with relative ease.  Once a practitioner has a succesful grapple, he will hold on tenaciously, slowly crawling and maneuvering around the opponents body until he has the best position possible to put his opponent down.  It biggest weakness however, is that against an armed opponent, or mulitple opponents, it is virtually useless.  Taught almost mostly in Brazil, though its popularity has been steadily increasing.  Many times you will see people trying to pass off an inferior martial art as Brazillian Jujitsu.

CAPEORIA - Developed by Caribbean slaves this style resembles a tribal dance. (During the 19th century, slave owners would stage gladiatorial bouts between their slaves for gambling purposes. The slaves would sometimes be dressed as roosters and wore metal claws on their fingers and spurs tied to their calves.)

CATCHASCATCHCAN - A hybrid competition martial art that tried to encompass everything, though not very well.  It lacks the discipline and focus of more traditional martial arts, and has zero spiritual considerations.  It is only slightly more respected than professional wrestling.  But it is oddly popular as a martial art, especially to those who care little for expanding their mental and spiritual repertoire along with their physical.

CHA CH'UAN - From the outer reaches of Mongolia this form was born centuries ago. Mongolia is still the only place known where this relatively secret art can be taught. It uses the hit and run principle of attack. Practitioners will jump in attack the retreat, repeating when opportunity presents itself.

CHA HSIUN MEN - (white jade fan) A very rare martial art this is geared towards the mastery of the iron fan weapon. It is the art of surprise, a practitioner will calm his enemy then attack when he is off guard. Not very effective against multiple attackers it can be devastating to a single opponent who lets his guard down.

CH'IN NA - Another rare art, this is an ancient wrestling style. It teaches the bodies weak points and how to best attack them, a master will know every nerve cluster, the precise way to attack a limb to leave it broken or dislocated. An extremely dangerous form it is taught only in secrecy and only after tokens of fealty are given and an oath given to never reveal its practitioners. If the oath is broken the penalty is death.

CHOI-LI FUT- A style of kung fu directly descended from the shaolin this style teaches when a fight is eminent to attack first with lightning speed and ferocious kicks and punches. It is a fairly common form taught almost everywhere in the free world.

CHU FEN DO - Similiar in concept to Jeet Kun Do, but lacking Master Lee's spiritual comcepts and background, Chu Fen Do is an average all around martial arts with an open philosphy towards eliminating form and embracing function and efficiency.  Taught across America, Canada and Europe.

CHULUKUA - The only Native American martial art still in existence, and really a conglomeration of over 150 native american tribal martial arts, melded into one system.  Taught not only as a form of self defense, but also as a form of cultural pride.  Only official Native American tribe members are taught this, though it has spread to almost reservation in north america, and among the nomad community as well.

CORNU BRETON - An obscure english grappling art, all but forgotten except for historical afficionados and cornish cultural adherants.

COUNG NHU -  A Vietnamese martial art melding the basic principles and forms of many other martial arts, including those from China, Japan, and Korea.  Rare outside of Vietnam and Vietnamese communities.

DAMBE -A very savage martial art from Nigeria consisting of kicks, punches, knees and headbutts. Almost unheard of outside of africa.

EL CUCHILLO - A spanish martial art revolving around the knife.  Jitte is derived and expanded from this art.  Taught in Spanish, Mexican, and South American back alleys, and anywhere else there is a large latin community. 

ESCRIMA - This is a basic description of the Filipino martial arts.  While it does teach unarmed techniques, its center of focus is around a short stave called an Escrima stick, and the Balisong knofe (incorrectly refered to as the butterfly knife).  The first goal of escrima is to disarm an opponent, and the art is categorized by it quick mulitple attcks to the arms and wrists, followed by a devastating attack to the head and body.

FONG NGAN- (phoenix eye kung fu) A common style emphasizing on getting in too close for your opponent to make an effective attack while giving the student of the form ample opportunity to decimate his enemy. Weapons become useless once the artist gets in his preferred range, which is usually almost chest to chest with his attacker. Intimidation also plays a big part of this style and before the fight begins a practitioner will try to stare his opponent down.

FU CHIAO PAI- (tiger claw kung fu) Students of this style imitate the powerful tiger when in combat. With fierce attacks and devastating blows always trying to do the most amount of damage he can to his opponent. A very hard form developed without many of inner peace teachings common in most eastern martial arts.

GATKA - An ancient martial art from India, practiced by Sihk warriors.  It is centered around the use of the saber, but hand to hand techniques were also taught.  Rare now, practiced mostly by traditionalists, and almost unheard of outside of india.

GOJU RYU - A relatvely new martial art, deeply rooted in the Tao philosophy.  It's priciples involve retaliation with the exact opposite amount of force as your opponent, if an attaker throws a punch, instead of grabbing ther punch, a practitioner will grab the arm, and break it, or use pressure points to attack him.  If the offender tries to grapple with him, he will deliver a swift blow to the forehead, or a kick to the chest.  It also teaches some weapon forms, favoring the more defensive weapons.  A good brutal, defensive based martial art.

GUN FU - Completely geared around mastery of the handgun, this form makes a firearm truly an extension of the user. Students are only taught the basics of surviving a gunfight - stay constantly moving, fire till your opponent is dead, (preferably from as close a distance as possible) count your shots, when your out don't hesitate to find another weapon instead of taking the time to reload yours (the dead guy on the floor won't be needing his anymore right) if your hit don't think about it till your dead or your enemies are, never panic, and above all keep your opponent on the defensive. Once a student has learned the basics the only way for him to advance in his art is through combat, so beginners don't stay beginners long, they are either killed or they become better. A master is a truly magnificent sight in a gun battle.

HAKOKO - Hawain wrestling, generally taught only on the islands.

HASHISHAN STYLE - This is the martial art of the dreaded Fedavi cult of the middle east.  A cult very similar to the Thugee of India.  It is an assassins cult, and members are typically brainwashed and fed a strong concoction of Hashish.  This form doesn't have any defensive techniques, as the cult members fully intend to either succeed or die.  Both the fedavi and the Thuggee were partial to the use of the knife, and of a special weighted sash used to strangle.

HOPPKIDO- A form of karate taught almost everywhere in the world. It's only major difference is that it is a tad more diverse than the basic karate although somewhat less powerful. It is a good form for beginners.

HISARDUT - Developed in Isreal for Mossad and the Isreali military, Hisardut is an effective martial art and has grown in popularity due to its efficiency and effectiveness.  Taught mainly in Isreal, but it has been spreading through North America, Europe and Australia.

HSING-YI CHUAN - A very violent and harsh chinese form, training its disciples to hit hard and fast, and to take a hit without pain.  While Eagle Claw was created for footsoldiers, Hsing-Yi Chuan was said to be created for officers, and as such is a more complex and refined martial art, though still very similiar.  It  also exchanges freely with Pakua, and the two arts are so similiar that they are often mistaken for each other.  Hsing-Yi Chuan revolves around its"12 Sacred Animals" styles, namely, dragon, dove, tiger, crane bear, tiger, horse, monkey, turtle, snake, eagle falcon, swallow, and rooster.

HWARANG DO- An incredibly diverse form of karate, an attacker of someone using this martial art had better stay on their toes. A practitioner will wait to be attacked then counter attack with the opposite of whatever is coming - if kicked he will grab his opponent's leg and throw him, if grabbed instead of trying to break free he will simply punch the offender. Originally from Korea this form is still taught almost exclusively there.

IRISH CUDGEL FIGHTING - This Irish fighting art revolving aroudn the use of a heavy club, commonly referred to as a shillelegh, has undergone a resurgence in popularity in Ireland as of late.  Mostly due to an upswing in Irish traditionalists.  Taught in Ireland and in Irish communities.

ISHIN-RYU - Another common though relatively new form of karate it is taught around the principles of the bo staff and emphasizes quick blows snap kicks followed by a hasty withdrawal only to be repeated again and again till the opponent can no longer attack.

JAILHOUSE ROCK - A martial art developed in prison, by the inmates.  It's simple and straight to the point, which is usually the avoidance of ending up on the point of someones Shiv.  Taught in any proison, anywhere.

JATTENHAND - Derived from Parkour and made into a philosophical martial art for full conversions.  Tracers, as practitioners of Jattenhand are known, can often be recognized illuminated bands of color worn somewhere on the Tracers body.  Most commonly these illuminated bands are displayed on wrists and ankles, so that when in motion a Tracer literally leaves behind a light trail.  Basic training generally involves a series of "follow the leader" type sessions, where the mästare starts out in charge, running an ever different and varying obstacle course through the city. As the students learn to keep up they eventually progress to a level where they take the leader position for other students, with the mästare watching from the sidelines, for technique and inventiveness. Graduation to mastery  come when the Student can challenge the mästare, and succesfully lose him in a chase, whether by making him fall or by simply losing him.  The rules of the chases are simple, no "civilian" interference, no property damage. Among the student led chases, the "leader" position can be challenged to unarmed combat at any time, but the chase has to keep moving, even during the fight. If a combatant falls, is seperated from the chase he loses all rights of challenge that day. A fall is defined as cessation of controlled motion for longer than one round. If the leader of the chase hits a dead end or can't continue the chase he loses leadership rights to any chases for a week (or more at the mästare's discretion).  The philosophy Jattenhand is simple, "Always keep movig, no matter, what, to rest is to die'!"   (Note: Jattenhand created by Mort and the other members of VFTE) For more information see CHEAP FBC.

JEET KUN DO- The style of kung fu developed and made famous by the legendary Bruce Lee. The reason he developed it was because he was sick of the forms recognized in most other styles of kung fu, his thoughts being that the forms let your opponent know your moves in advance and that gave away too much of an advantage so he developed his own style. The name literally means "no form". The style is incredibly fast and ferocious, its moves are very difficult to predict making its user a very dangerous foe indeed.  Taught everywhere.

JITTE - Centered around the use of the knife or dagger this is a new style developed by European nomads. In many places in Europe firearms are very hard to come by and very expensive, knives however are easy to obtain legal everywhere and you must be very skilled or very sneaky to use them well. Originally developed for trial by combat arenas where any dispute can be settled whether it be as small as an argument between to people or as large as territorial disputes. Also called the gypsy blade fighting style due to its nomadic origins.  Taught only in the nomad community.

JOGO DE PAU - Portugese stick fighting, taught almost exclusively in Portugal.

JUDO- Perhaps the most common eastern martial art in the world, it is taught everywhere to anyone. It is a required course in many military branches, police forces and even school as part of the phys-ed program. A Japanese form of wrestling, it teaches to use your opponent's weight and momentum against him. Taught everywhere.

JUI JITSU - Another fairly common Japanese art this takes the anything goes approach to fighting. Not considered to be very honorable but very effective. A good all around martial art.  Taught Everywhere.

KAJUKENBO - Also known as Hawaiin streetfighting.  Combines native arts with those taught by japanese immigrants into an effective means of self-defense.  The art came about during a particularly violent time in hawaiian history, when during the 1940's and 50's street thugs and organized crime family's were fighting for control.  Taught mostly in Hawaii, though schools have poped up in Japan, Tahiti, and the US Mainland.

KALARI - An Indian martial art rarely very rarely taught to outsiders.  Closely related to the Hindu religion, it works well with the body and mind mastering techniques of the Yogi's.  Practitioners are trained with many different weapons, as well as in unarmed combat.  For the optimum effectiveness the artist will cover his body in oil before a fight, to make himself hard to grab.  Rare outside of India and Hindu communities.

KALIOPE- A martial art taught only to women, and taught in secrecy.  Its primary philosphy is to defend against larger, heavier, usually armed, and usually male, opponents.  This kata for this skill is a very graceful, dance, that resembles a cross between ballet, and tribal dances.  The skill is most effective when the artist enters the dance, because the dance moves in a circular motion, masking the oncoming attacks and defenses, and disorienting the attacker.  The art is equally effective against group as it is single opponents.  In more desperate times the art also teaches dirty tricks, and escape tactics.  Very rare, but taught worldwide, new students are generally chosen after a careful screening process.

KARATE - Your basic karate, if you don't know about this one you've been on an island all your life.  Taught everywhere.

KENDO - The Japanese style of fencing. This has its students get geared up in bamboo armor and proceed to whack the hell out of each other with their bamboo swords (shinae's). Not very common outside of Japan this is the country's way of keeping the art of bushido alive. A safer direct descendent of zanji shinkenjen-ryu and Kenjutsu.

KENJUTSU - This is the sword art of the Samurai, not as intensive as the harsher Zanji Shinjenken-Ryu, this art was the one preffered by soldiers and footmen among the samurai ranks.  Very rare, even in Japan.

KENPO- Another form of karate also very common. It has more of an emphasis on grappling skills.  Taught Everywhere.

KOBUJUTSU - This is an Okinawan style centered on armed combat techniques, and many of the tradition martial arts weapons are included in this training.  Taught in Okinwana, Japan, Europe, America, and Australia.

KOPPO- An ancient Japanese martial art, the forerunner of modern karate and judo. It is a rare and obscure form and more deadly than its predecessors. Taught exclusively in Japan to a very select student body who must prove themselves worthy of the honor. Thought by some to be developed to combat the ninja clans of feudal Japan.

KRABI KRABONG -  Quite possibly the fastest and most dangerous weapons art in the world.  Originating in Burma and Thailand, Krabie Krabong is the armed version of Muay Thai.  While spears, staves, and other weapons are among its arsenal, the main Weapon of Krabi Krabong is the Daab (or Dha), a short, light curved blade with long handle (usually over half the length of the blade).  The Daab's are wielded in pairs, and are used much like (and with the same amazing speed)  Escrima sticks.  Traditional forms have indluded some rather odd looking leapins attacks that look like hops, but in combat these are discarded in favor of more effective movement.  Where Kenjutsu is gracefull and fluid, Krabi Krabong is furious and frenzied.  Note:  Whereas Katana's and somewhat heavy (though not as heavyu as it's european couinterparts, Daab's are short bladed and very thin.  Blade lengths vary from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 feet in length, and ceremonial daabs are often intricately carved.  Very rarely found outside of Thailand.

KRAV MAGA - This Isreali martial art was founded after WWII by a jewish holocaust survivor.  It incorporates the most deadly and effective moves from the various martial arts and street fighting techniques around the world.  Every member of the Isreali Army trains in it, Mossad operatives train to expert level.  It is quite possibly the most dealy form of martial arts in existance, meant to take on multiple and armed attackers, there is no sport version, there are no submission moves, it is entirely geared to either kill or incapacitate your opponent as quickly and efficiently as possible.

KUK SOOL WON - A popular korean form, similiar to that of  the Japanese Samuria sword art, Zanji Shinjinken-Ryu.  This is the weapon art of the legendary Korean warriors, the Hwarrang knights.  Taught everywhere in Korea, but not generally known outside the country.

KUNG FU- (American) This is your basic kung fu taught all over the United States and Europe. It is a bastardized mutt of many different forms with each school seeming to specialize in its own style. While not as advantageous as other forms of kung fu it is a good martial art in its own right, it is very indistinct and easier to learn.  Taught everywhere.

KUNTAO - An indonesian martial art, the chief competitor to pentjak silat, a competition which spawns often bloody rivalry.  Teaching numerous weapon styles, as well an hand to hand, this is a well rounded, effective art.  Unfortunately, like Pentjak Silat, it is not commonly taught outside of indonesia.

KUO-CHU'AN- (dog style kung fu) Perhaps the most comedic of all martial arts don't be fooled, for it is also one of the most effective. Practitioners, upon being attacked, will feign injury to the point of obvious melodrama - falling to the ground, rolling around, wailing like a child, and generally giving the appearance of a fool who is overly sensitive and has no business fighting. But it's all an elaborate ruse to get the opponent to underestimate them, thus causing the opponent to be of guard, and when their opponent is sufficiently lulled into sense of superiority the silliness ceases and the attacks become very fierce often destroying the attacker before he knew what happened. To further this deception, in any fight that is not a serious student of dog boxing will always purposely lose.  Almost unheard of outside of China, and even in the country it is very rare.

KUPIGANA NGUMI- Known as the "Essence of African Martial Arts," Kupigana Ngumi is representative of many African martial arts.  It is a very dancelike system, and focuses on style over substance.

KYOKUSHINKAI - This form of karate is based on striking power and the ability to take a blow. Powerful blows are honed to perfection by demonstrations where the students punch and kick through wood boards, cinder blocks, bricks, rocks, trees, whatever...... Body hardening also plays an important part and students subject themselves to having things broken over them or hurled at them or whatever else their masters can think of.  Common all over the world.

LEE KWAN CHOO- This is perhaps the greatest martial art of all, because it truly is only for defense. It is impossible to damage an opponent using this form. Meditation and spiritual enlightenment are a big part of this completely non-violent martial art. Geared completely towards avoidance attacks are made but cause no damage whatsoever, stopping just before contact and effectively stunning an opponent without actually striking him. When someone attacks a master of this style the master will usually dodge and parry their attacks until either they have beaten themselves up by running into other things, pass out from exhaustion, or simply give up. This form is only taught in remote Chinese monasteries.

LI-CHIA - (short hand kung fu) Always remaining within arms reach of his opponent, the practitioner of this martial art attacks straight on with as many punches and snap kicks as possible until his opponent has been beaten into submission. A fairly common form of kung fu schools and can be found through out the US and Europe.

LUA -  Once strictly prohibited to anyone but the Hawaiian royal family, Lua has now become popular in America due to its bone breaking techniques.  Oddly enough, it is still illegal to teach in Hawaii.

MARATABEEN - An arabian martial art originating from Morocco, taught in most arab communities.

MIEN CH'UAN - (cotton fist kung fu) The master chooses the student for this art, which is centered on counter attacking with equal or greater force. This is done by dodging and parrying attacks untill an opening presents itself, and then attacking the opponent's weak spots with full force.  Common in China, and taught though rarely in Europe, Australia, and North America.

MOO GI GONG - A martial art that specializes in using anything as a melee weapon. From a pair of chopsticks, to a stepladder. (JACKIE CHAN is the foremost example of this type of fighting where in every movie he makes he does something of this nature- in RUMBLE IN THE BRONX he used a ski, FIRST STRIKE the aforementioned stepladder, watch his Chinese flicks for better examples, I only used these films because they can be found in video stores everywhere or are still in the theater.) As long as a practitioner of this martial art is not trapped in an empty room he is never helpless. Taught in monasteries and schools throughout China and Japan, as well as rare schools in Europe and America.

MUAY THAI- (Thai kick boxing) One of the deadliest martial arts in the world. While it involves many spirtual aspects and ceremonies, the art itself is simply brutal.  From the age where they can walk young children in Thailand are taught this ultraviolet form of kick boxing. The death toll from this sport in Thailand is staggering, especially today where bloodports are the most sought after forms of entertainment. As if that wasn't enough, organized crime controls the sport completely and lives are traded daily for the entertainment of the crowds and the money they lose gambling. Fixing a fight is common and if the fighter refuses to throw it they are killed along with their families and friends.  True Muay Thai is rare outside of Thailand, though not unheard of.

NINJUTSU - This is not the fake ninjutsu you find in survivalist camps that cater to the paranoid. This is the real thing. The ancient Japanese art of assassination. On the whole the world thinks there are no ninja left in the world, this is a cultivated lie. The ninja clans are still there doing the dirty work for the highest bidder, and while they usually only work for Japanese customers they have been know to make exceptions. The ninja are the most feared assassins in the world, and this is a fear they have exploited to its full potential. Deadly and silent, beware the ninja, for he will never attack when expected, never give you a fair fight and never show any mercy. Ninjutsu is only taught at secret schools in Japan.

NUBA STICK FIGHTING - Stick fighting, like wrestling,  is popular and traditional in almost every part of Africa.  Nowadays however stick fighting is used almost entirely for ceremony, as the horrors of constant civil war in most of africa make it all but useless. 

NUBA WRESTLING - “Wrestling is more than just a sport to the Nubas—it is a seminal part of their culture with both social and religious purposes. Boys prepare for manhood through wrestling competitions. Successful wrestlers achieve a higher status that follows them through life. Wrestling also has connections with fertility rites, ancestral worship, and animistic beliefs. It is so intertwined with all aspects of Nuba culture, it is feared that if the Nuba were to lose wrestling, it might cause them to lose other customs.”- National Geographic  This is very rare outside of Africa, and is closely tied to Nuba Stick Fighting.

NULL BOXING - A recently developed martial art, with little philosphical influence.  This style was developed by the combatants the underground gladitorial pits sponsored by wealthy corporates.  The style is very new, and is still evolving, and it has a duel purpose of being very cinematic, and very lethal.  The practitioner will first make small attacks to gauge the skill of his enemy, then after playing with him long enough for the crowd to have a show, he will move in quickly with a barrage of fast powerful attacks, trying to kill or incapacitate the opponent as quickly as possible.  (Created by Steven Barnes for his Aubry Night series of books.)  Taught in underground deathmatch circles all over the world.

PAKUA - An art very similar to T'ai Chi Chuan.  Common inside china and taught with growing popularity all over the world.

PAO PAT MEI - (leopard style kung fu) Emulating the cunning and ferocity of the leopard a practitioner of this art will gauge his enemy carefully then attack this incredible speed and deadly force. Taught only in remote monasteries in China, Laos, and Vietnam.

PANZER FAUST- (for full conversions only) A martial art developed exclusively for use by full borgs, it centers on the enormous power and fantastic speed only a full body conversion could stand. (the stress in the joints would tear a human apart even if he could learn it.) Once learned this is the only martial art a borg can know due to the rigorous training.  Originally taught only to US military full conversion cyborgs, it has grown in popularity and bgun being taught in private schools all over hte world.

PANZER KUNST - A martial art developed by one of the original students of Panzer Faust.  Whereas Panzer Faust is geared for stand up fighting, and centers on the ability of a heavy borg to deliver powerful blows, Panzer Kunst was developed to make use of the lighter borgs speed and agility.  It suffers from the same drawbacks as Panzer Faust.  Taught in private schools wherever there is a high population of Full Conversion cyborgs.

PENTJAK SILAT- The eastern art of assassination, this martial art is shrouded in secrecy and deceit. It has been said that to learn its secret is to lose your soul, no one knows where this is taught.  Watered down versions can be found almost everywhere.

SANKUKAI- Restricted only to Buddhist monks this martial art is designed to subdue an opponent until his anger has passed, or until the hold placed on his pressure points has caused him to pass out. This form of karate is only taught in Buddhist temples in Japan to monks who have served for no less than a year.

SAMBO- The Russian art of wrestling. It really just amounts to do whatever it takes to win. While it used to only be taught in the Soviet Union, it is becoming more common around the world since its collapse.

SAVATE- The French art of kickboxing, this is another martial art that has enjoyed success throughout Europe but has never hit iit big anywhere else. As a martial art it is not as fluid as most of the eastern martial arts due to its European background although it is devestatingly effective and impressive to view in use.

S.C.A.R.S. - The Scientific Combat Auto-Reactionary System, also known as Autokinetics, is the martial art taught exclusively to Navy S.E.A.L.'s and Air Force Rescue teams.  It is among the most brutal and effective learn martial arts on the planet, and is completely geared towards offense, in fact it teaches no defense, instead it focuses on killing moves, delivered as quickly and efficiently as possible. Training for this art is so harsh in fact, that many would be pratictioners, including seasoned martial artists and combat veterans, quit during the first day.  Outsie of military training grounds, only one school exists, and it charges a 5,000eb per week fee for training.

SHAO-LIN KUNG FU- The original kung fu, all other forms have their base here. One of the oldest martial arts still in existence. It is only taught in china in shao-lin monasteries. The art is free to learn but one must go through the rigorous training and harsh discipline of the Shao-Lin monks.

SINANJU- The Korean art of assassination. This martial art is rumored to date back to the time of Christ. Although Koreans are known to exaggerate when it comes to this subject. It is said that masters of sinanju have staged the perfect assassinations and left there victims as nothing more than a fairy tale. Robin Hood was said to have been killed by a master of sinanju. There is only one master of sinanju per generation and his students spend their whole lives learning to take his place until he chooses one of them. All the other students are banished from the masters village forever.

SNAKE STYLE KUNG FU - Practitioners of this art keep their hands open when attacking and strike with their fingers. The attacking hand looks like a snake striking and is very hard to get a lock on. The strikes will always be aimed at vital spots on the enemies body, eyes, throat, nerve clusters, etc...This ancient style of kung fu is taught only in China.

STREETFIGHTING - Not a formal martial art, but it is a trained one, practitioners generally work with thier own strengths and weaknesses.  Dirty fighting at its finest.  Every streetfighters art will be as individual as the practitioner, and the stats given are merely representative.

SUMO- The ancient style of two fat guys in their undies trying to push each other out of a circle Taught mainly in Japan. This is their national sport and great care and ceremony goes into each bout. The wrestlers aren't just fat either, there is quit a bit of muscle in their enormous bodies. Fighting a sumo wrestler is not a good idea, a slap from a sumo could break your neck and you could hit him 30 times before he feels it. The worst thing would be if he fell on you, so be careful around the big guys.  Taught in Hawaii and Japan.

TAE KWAN DO- A Korean form of karate that is centered on offensive attacks. Schools for this form can be found anywhere.

TAI-CHI CH'UAN- The single most common martial art in the world and the national physical fitness program in China. In fact it is the only martial art you can get instructional tapes for at any video store. While widely perceived as simply an exercise routine or meditation technique it is a legitimate martial art.  Taught absolutely everywhere.

TAIDO- Only one school in the world teaches this martial art and its found in Korea. It is a relatively new art and has attracted enormous popularity. Last year the school had a student body of over 2 thousand. The main reason for this is the amount of style involved. All attacks are ariel, and when performed properly are spectacular to observe.

TAI SING PEK KWAR- (monkey style kung fu) He who learns this form will act like a monkey during a fight, roll on the ground, flail his arms and make monkey sounds. Another martial art that takes advantage of a ruse designed to confuse or enrage the opponent, and then attack him when he is off guard.  Rare even in China, outside the country it is almost unheard of.

T'ANG-SU- This is oldest form of Korean martial arts known, and the precursor to all forms of karate. Exclusively an offensive martial art this style has no defensive moves at all. It is the most difficult form of karate and it is taught only in remote areas of Korea.

TE - The oldest Okinawan karate is a weapon based form, the weapons are what the martial arts weapons of today are based upon but then they were simply agricultural tools that the people learned to use as weapons. A form primarily focused on avoidance of aggression a practitioner of this art will never attack until he himself is attacked. It can be learned anywhere there is a large okinawan community.

THAMOC - The Art Of Modern Confrontation. This martial art was developed for police officers. The primary moves are geared towards self-preservation. Disarming techniques, blocks and holds used to subdue a criminal without resorting to deadly force. Taught at police academies and self defense courses throughout the world.

THRASH BOXING- This martial art comes from the streets and dance clubs of the world and is really nothing more than a combative dance. Even when engaged in a fight to death it will appear as though the combatants are merely dancing, until the blood starts to flow no untrained observer will be able to tell there is a fight going on. It seems that in the dance clubs of 2020 it is unlikely anyone would care, on the contrary such fight are often a spectator event. Learned only on the dance floor.

TIEN-HSUEH TOUCH- This is the feared death touch technique. This is the most kept secret in the world of martial arts. Learning it involves signing your freedom away to a black society and spending the rest of your life as a servant to the dark community of assassins. If the practitioner ever refuses a task or tries to leave he is hunted down and killed, such are the rules for the masters of the death touch. Also since this technique takes a lifetime to master, no other martial art can be learned after this art is taken. But from the start of your training until your death, you spend your time mastering the death touch.  You can kill someone with a touch, not just instantly but up too weeks later.  Not all practitioners however, are malevolent, in fact some practitioners are well respected healers, due to their innate knowledge of human anatomy and the flow of chi.  Students are chosen for this art, and it is highly recommended that GM's NEVER allow characters to take it as a starting skill.  If they want it they must seek out the masters and provethemselves worthy through gameplay only.

TSUI PA HSIEN (drunken style kung fu) This martial art is designed to resemble a drunken stupor. The practitioner wobbles about mumbling, looking like he is barely able to stand, making carefully orchestrated attacks and defensive maneuvers. Onlookers will be completely fooled, putting a master's victory down to sheer luck and his opponent will be battered, humiliated and dumbfounded. Taught only in China.

UECHI RYU - Another form of karate, originating in Okinawa.

U- RA - DO - This is a nomad martial art developed by the under ground population using an amalgam of all the martial arts brought in from around the world by the roving clans. It is said no two people know the same style and differences in bonuses may vary. (what's given is an average set of bonuses) this gives practitioners an advantage in that there moves are incredibly diverse and unpredictable. Moves are traded as favors or as courtesy and when ever two clans meet there will always be the exchange of forms and kata's. This martial art is also becoming popular in the street where youth's trade move's like skating tricks. Its users are known for their love of the game footbag, which they play whenever they get the chance.  Taught only in the nomad community.

VARMANNIE - Taught only in remote villages in india, and almost unheard of anywhere else, this martial art has no distinct forms, and is geared towards an individuals own strenghts and weaknesses.  Mostly it is a grappling art, oddly enough geared towards multiple attackers.  The idea behind it is, you grab an opponent and move him into the path of oncoming attackers, and use your feet to disable them while they are unable to rush.

WAI WING CHUN- A popular form of Kung Fu, and one of the oldest in the world.  Very effective, and very fast.  This was Bruce Lee's style before he developed Jeet Kun Do.  Commonly taught in most civilized countries of the world.

WRESTLING- Greco roman wrestling taught in every high school in America.

WUDONG - A chinese style, combining the art of deceptive fighting, with that of quick fierce strikes designed to end a fight quickly.  Common in China, and found sparesley in Europe, North America and Australia.

WU SHU T'SUNG- (People's Republic Of China's Kung Fu) Is the official martial art of Red China. To learn you must travel to China and enroll yourself in the communist doctrine. A formidable and very hard style kung fu.

XING CHIAO - (eagles claw kung fu) Once again an animal style whereupon practitioners imitate the actions of an eagle, making leaping attacks with kicks and using there hands to make gouging and clawing attack, and then making a quick retreat to re-evaluate the situation before once again joining the fight. Taught in china by masters who live the hermits life, the student must struggle through the lack of his teaches presence and mostly teach himself.

YU-SOOL - A mixture of karate and Aikido this form teaches to counter with opposite resistance, a punch with a sweep, a parry with a kick etc...Taught only in Korea.

ZANJI SHINJINKEN-RYU- The samurai art of the katana. The Japanese swordsmen are undeniably the best in the world and this is their art. Completely geared towards the use of the katana and the bushido way of life, the student must first prove to the master that he is worthy. Almsot never taught outside of Japan, where even there it is growing increasingly more rare.(for more info read the book AUTUMN LIGHTNING)

ZERO GEE COMBAT - Only effective in a 0-G environment this is the art of fighting without gravity. Momentum and inertia are the major philosophies behind this martial art. Taught at any orbital station and at any military space camp.

FENCING AND ARCHERY
I don't include fencing and archery in my martial arts list, due to the fact that outside their chosen weapon, they offer little to no training in other areas.  Therefore, fencing and archery do not gain the benefits of the martial arts.

MELEE WEAPONS
To make my life, and the life of all CP 2020 GM's, far easier, I am giving an extensive list of melee weapons.  However, with this list the weapons will be classed by type.  So as opposed to having stats for each and every weapon, I will merely be giving damage based of the general type of groups of weapons, along with rules for customization, options, and quality, and all the things that that entails.  Hopefull the following lists, while not compelte by any means, will give you enough information to place any other weapons you might be curious about.

1.  BLADED WEAPONS

4. MELEE WEAPON RULES

ADDITIONAL RULES

CREATING YOUR OWN MARTIAL ARTS:  Until now there has never been a working system for how the Martial Arts and their difficulty modifiers worked, according to inside sources this is because Mike Pondsmith just winged it and hoped no one would ever notice.  Well, I noticed, and decided we needed something a little more streamlined, something that actually works.  Because of the formula I created, several martial arts difficulties had to be changed, and the modifiers now actively reflect the bonuses given by martial arts.  It is also important to note, that now, absolutely no martial art has less than a (2) modifier.  This is far more realistic and in line with the point of martial arts.  After all, why would anyone take brawling if they could get a martial art for the same price.  The formula for existing the existing martial arts presented above, as well as for creating your own new martial arts is as follows:

Using a die allows for differential between any new martial arts created, otherwise everyone would just max out their martial arts bonuses.  For an example of a new martial art, choose the difficulty modifier,

ATHLETICS AND ENDURANCE:  Having skill in Endurance AND Athletics allows you to drop the Difficulty modifier by 1 point (minimum +2 modifier).  However this only works as long as your Athletics and Endurance skills are equal or higher than your martial arts skill.  If your martial art skill raises high than these two skill the difficulty modifier reverts to normal.  Obviously Full conversion Cyborgs cyborgs ignore this rule, and instead all martial arts EXCEPT those which are considered BORG only have a difficulty modifier of one point lower (minimum of +2 modifier).  Full borg only martial arts are unaffected, thier difficulty modifier cannot be changed.

MULTIPLE MARTIAL ARTS: When reading the rules you may say to yourself, "What's the point you can only use one at a time anyway, so one offensive and one defensive is all I need, its all I can use anyway right?" Well.... kinda. True if you have a 4 in karate and a 2 in koppo you can't add them together to get a 6 when trying to kick someone, but what you can do is take the highest value bonus from your various martial arts.  So say you have a martial art with a punch of 4 and a block of 1, and you take another martial art with a punch of 2 and a block of 3, you keep the punch of 4 from the first martial art, and use the block of 3 from the second, so you keep the highest bonus given of any martial art you know.  I know a lot of people are going to disagree with me on this but listen up. The reason someone takes more than one martial art in real life is to increase their physical arsenal, the more ways you know how to do something the better you can do it. So you say, "Well gee, if i take a bunch of martial arts at level 1 I will be invincible right?"...WRONG. First off, most people don't have the time, money or resources to devote to the rigorous training. Even if a character does he will spend all his time practicing. GM'S worrying about this upsetting the power balance of your game take note- if the characters can do it so can the bad guys- or the good guys depending on what kind of characters you have running around in your game. And if they don't keep practicing they begin to forget and their skill level drops and they're screwed. Make their sensei's a strong influence in their lives. Role play their training- that's where they will be spending most of their time anyway. If they do take multiple martial arts have their schools clash. There are all sorts of things you can do to discourage your players from getting out of hand. Use your imagination.

 "WHAT IS STEEL COMPARED TO THE HAND THAT WEILDS IT" Conan The Barbarian

DAMAGE: Here is a sensitive issue - damage is figured by adding the level of your martial arts skill (only the applicable one dufus) to your body damage modifier and the roll of the dice. Exactly as it says on page 100 of the CYBERPUNK 2020 RULEBOOK (page 102 of the updated version)and page 137 of the PACIFIC RIM SOURCEBOOK. Again a lot of people are gonna disagree here too, but not only is it the official rules - it is also a fact that a properly trained hand can do more damage then any conventional handgun round. Even a .50 AE bullet won't destroy a cinder block but I personally know people who can break several at the same time with their bare hands. NUFF SAID!

GRAPPLE, HOLD, THROW AND CHOKE:  Grapple is meraly used to initiate a grab action, afterwards you can choose whether to Hold (continue grab), Throw (fling your opponent), or Choke (use the grappling action to do damage, either through a choke, joint manipulation, arm breaks, etc.)  The most dangerous martial artists in the world do most of their damage through joint locks and breaks, when you can grab a persons arm, and break it in four places, then proceed to work your way down the body, you have effectively won the confrontation.  As such, the Choke action gets the damage bonus that apply to kicks, punches, rams, and throws as well (Martial Art skill plus STR bonus, plus weapon if applicable).

WEAPONS: Depending on the martial art learned, it also might teach the use of a variety of weapons.  Anything with a strike bonus offers weapons training.  There are also some, like THAMOC that have no bonus, but train in specific weapons anyway (in this case the tonfa/nightstick). 

Special abilities of the martial artist:

Falling- This is an ability common to every martial art available, basically it is just knowing the proper way to fall and take the least amount of damage, a martial artist can divide the dice value of damage taken from falling by half.

Katas- Kata's serve duel purposes, in one sense they are away to work out, stretch and meditate simultaneously, in another sense they accustom the artist to his art, till it becomes a second nature.

Meditation- While meditation is not singular to the martial arts, it is a very important part of it to many of them, although most of the western arts do not place much importance on the benefits of meditation.

One-inch punch- This is an ability made famous by the legendary Bruce Lee, and involves focusing all the energy and momentum of your body into one place, then starting with the fingers extended and touching the target, you quickly close your fist and punch the distance of your closed fingers.  While in combat it doesn't offer many benefits, it does act as a full fledged punch, doing the same amount of damage.

Iron Fist- This takes years of conditioning the hands.  It starts with the artist pounding his fists and feet into the sand, then graduating to trees, to rock, in some cases going as far as glass and burning coals.  The purpose of this is to build up hard callouses on the hands and feet , which will allow the artist to drive his hand through wood, blocks of ice, etc...  While it really provides no combat benefits, it can be used to shatter barriers and to show off skills.

Pressure Points-  Most eastern martial arts teach the locations of the pressure points and nerve clusters on the human anatomy.  For more detail of this area see my Master Rules List Volume 2.

Dim Mak- This is the deadly touch of death, available only to disciples of the Tsien Hsueh Touch.  To use the touch of death you must first concentrate for 3 rounds.  During these three rounds you may mot make any other actions, and if you do, or are interrupted, you must start all over again.  Next roll a succesfull punch, and this roll must succeed by at least 5 points over your opponents block/parry or dodge roll.  A succesful roll indicates that the strike was performed correctly.  To determine how long it will take for the effect of the strike to take place roll 2D6 with an additional day for every level of the artists skill. (At a 10 skill level the artist can choose how long it takes up to 25 days.)  The victim can roll a save, (bod + luck+resist torture/drugs *or endurance, whichever you feel is more applicable* + roll.) but it must be higher than the attackers total strike roll +1 point per day that goes by.  The victim can only roll once per day, and unless the victim recognized teh technique he or she will be unaware anything is wrong (so the GM should probably make their save rolls without telling the character what is happening).  The victim will feel perfectly normal until the fated day arrives, then suddenly and without warning he will he will suffer an anuerism and die.

(While Tsien Hsueh Touch is the only art in the world that actively teaches this technique, it has spread very rarely to other forms, and is usually kept as a closely guarded written secret, kept only in the most remote of temples and dojo's, and known only to the eldest, most revered masters.  In these situations the technique was usually stolen as a means to defend against the masters of the death touch, and it is under no circumstances actually taught unless the master feels a very real threat from the Tsien Hsueh Touch.)

Healing-  Martial artists can use their knowledge of the human body to heal as well as to hurt.  For the rules on this refer to the Rough Guide To The Pacific Rim sourcebook.

Gun Fu- Gun fu is centered around the use of the handgun, and offers many bonuses to close combat firefights.  For the complete rules of Gun Fu, please refer to Listen Up You Primitive Screwheads, The Referee's guide.

Borg Arts- Artists with a full coversion package are physically superior to most men, and their bodies allow for a much greater range of ability, therefore the borg arts Panzerfaust, Panzer Kunst, and Jattenhand, are geared specifically towards borgs, and allow for greater damage and a wider range of maneuvers.  For more on this please refer to Solo of Fortune 2.

Feel free to e-mail me and let me know what you think, if you have any questions or even to complain, and remember, keep your feet on the ground and don't reach for moving Shuriken.