Martial Arts Results

At its basic level, Martial Arts skill is used just like Punching and Wrestling. Martial Arts combat occurs when a character attacks with his bare hands, feet, and even head. No weapons are used. (A character can hold a weapon in one hand and nothing in the other, attacking with his weapon one round and with his Martial Arts skill in the next.)

When attacking with Martial Arts skill, the character makes a normal attack roll against the normal Armor Class of the target. (If the attacking character has armor on, he does suffer the "Armor Modifiers For Wrestling" from Table 57 on page 97 of the Player's Handbook.) Any other normal modifiers are applied to the attack roll (from the attacker's Strength bonus, for example).

If the attack roll is successful, the attacker consults the table below for the result of the attack. If, for instance, the character rolls a 13 to hit, the result is a Body-Punch, doing 1 point of damage (plus the character's damage bonus from Strength, if any).

Martial Arts Results Table

Attack
Martial Arts
Damage
%KO
Roll
Maneuver


20+
Head Punch
3
15
19
High Kick
2
10
18
Vitals-Kick
2
8
17
Vitals-Punch
2
5
16
Head Bash
2
5
15
Side Kick
1
3
14
Elbow Shot
1
1
13
Body-Punch
1
2
12
Low Kick
1
1
11
Graze
0
1
10
Body-Punch
1
2
9
Low Kick
1
1
8
Body-Punch
1
2
7
Knee-Shot
1
3
6
Side Kick
1
5
5
Head Bash
2
10
4
Vitals-Punch
2
10
3
Vitals-Kick
2
15
2
High Kick
2
20
1*
Head Punch
3
30
* Or less



Descriptions of the Maneuvers

Body-Punch: This is a straightforward punch into the target's stomach or chest.

Elbow Shot: With this maneuver, the attacker plants his elbow into the target's chest, side, or stomach.

Graze: This could have started out as any sort of maneuver, but it merely grazed the target; it wasn't landed firmly.

Low Kick: The attacker kicks the target in the leg or thigh.

Head Bash: The attacker slams his forehead into the target's face, which is a stout maneuver.

Head Punch: This is a good, strong blow with the fist to the enemy's head, particularly his jaw.

High Kick: The attacker kicks the target in the upper body somewhere: Stomach, chest, back, or shoulder.

Knee-Shot: The attacker brings his knee up into the target's stomach or thigh.

Side Kick: With this maneuver, the attacker has time to prepare and launch a very powerful sideways kick (which may be at the end of a cinematic leap).

Vitals-Kick: The attacker kicks his target at some vulnerable point: Groin, kidney, neck, solar plexus, etc.

Vitals-Punch: The attacker puts his fist into one of the vulnerable points mentioned immediately above.

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