Fighting Style [1]

Fighting Style: Aikido (Throwing; • to •••••)
Book: Armory Reload, p. 71
Prerequisites: Dexterity ••, Wits •• and Brawl ••

Effect: Your character is a skilled practitioner of aikido, or another martial art that emphasizes throwing the opponent. She knows how to blend with the force of an attack and amplify it to send her enemy sprawling. Dots purchased in this Merit provide access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. Aikido maneuvers are based on the Brawl Skill and work in conjunction with unarmed combat.(Some aspects of traditional aikido involve a weapon, but they are beyond the specific purview of this Merit).

Ukemi (“Receiving;” •):
Your character knows how to fall properly and get up quickly. He may stand up from a prone position (but not both) once per turn as a reflexive action, and is considered to have one point of armor against bashing damage caused by falls – but not other sources.

Aiki (“Harmonious Energy;” ••):
Your character is skilled enough to defend with a throw by avoiding the attack and seizing his opponent’s balance. If he forgoes his standard Defense, roll Dexterity + Brawl; if the result exceeds the opponent’s damage roll the character suffers no damage and immediately applies a grappling hold or (once he attains the third maneuver) shihonage. He may employ this maneuver against Brawl, Weaponry or close-range Firearms attacks.
Drawback: This maneuver constitutes your character’s action for the turn.

Shihonage (“Four Directions Throw;” •••):
The character can throw an opponent quickly and forcefully,without getting tangled up in a clinch. Treat a shihonage throw like a standard Brawl strike attack, except that it also knocks the opponent prone up to as many feet away as your Size + Brawl successes in any direction the character prefers.

Renzoku-waza (“Combination Techniques;” ••••):
The character can attempt multiple grappling or shihonage attacks per turn, or he can defend with multiple throws using the Aiki maneuver. He may make one additional grapple or
shihonage for each point of Dexterity that he has above 2. Each extra action is rolled at accumulative –1 modifier. Thus, he can attempt two grapples or shihonage at Dexterity 3 (with the second at a – 1 modifier), three at Dexterity 4 (at a 0, –1 then –2 modifier to dice rolls) and four at Dexterity 5 (at 0, –1, –2and –3 to each dice roll, in turn).
Drawback: If the character’s first action is anything but a grapple or shihonage attempt he cannot use this benefit.

Kokyu-ho (“Breath Power;” •••••):
Your character’s throws are so strong that he can either throw someone double the usual distance with his shihonage, or inflict lethal damage with it.
Drawback: Spend one Willpower point per attack. Note that this Willpower expenditure does not add three dice to the attack.


Fighting Style: Archery (• to ••••)
Book: Armory, p. 208
Prerequisites: Strength ••, Dexterity ••, Athletics ••

Effect: Your character has devoted years of practice to the bow. She may be a competitive archer, a low-tech hunter or a medieval history enthusiast. Dots purchased in this Merit allow access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. So, your character can’t have “Rapid Nock” until she has “Draw and Loose.” The maneuvers and their effects are described below. All of the following maneuvers work only with bows.

Draw and Loose (•):
Your character’s arm muscles are well-toned for the demanding task of repeatedly drawing a heavy bow. She gains +1 Strength for the purposes of a bow’s minimum Strength, Damage and Range.

Rapid Nock (••):
Your character can maintain a withering rate of fire. Once per turn, she may “reload” a bow as a reflexive action.

Arcing Fire (•••):
Arrows, like all other projectiles, travel in ballistic arcs. Your character is a master of estimating range, wind and other factors to arc shots much farther than they would travel if fired directly. Double the Ranges of any bow your character uses.

Plunging Fire (••••):
Your character can eschew direct attacks in favor of launching arrows high into the air to plummet straight down on hapless victims. Your character’s bow attacks suffer no penalties for target concealment behind solid objects, so long as the target lacks overhead protection and your character can see any part of the target by which to gauge her location. For example, a target hiding behind a log with her foot sticking out applies no penalty, but a character in a fetal curl on a van’s floorboards receives normal protection.
Drawback: Your character may use this maneuver only outdoors or in enclosed spaces large enough to provide for several hundred feet of vertical flight (e.g., football stadiums).


Fighting Style: Boxing (• to •••••)
Book: The World Of Darkness Core, p. 110
Prerequisites: Strength •••, Stamina •• and Brawl••

Effect: Your character is trained in the art of boxing, able to deliver swift, powerful punches, and to duck and weave away from opponents’ attacks. He might have participated in the sport in high school or college, or made a go of it professionally. Or he might have taken some classes at the local health club as a form of exercise. Dots purchased in this Merit allow access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. So, your character can’t have “Duck and Weave” until he has “Body Blow.” The maneuvers and their effects are described below, most of which are based on the Brawl Skill.

Body Blow (•):
Your character can deliver powerful blows that leave opponents reeling and gasping for air. If successes inflicted in a single Brawl attack equal or exceed a target’s Size, the victim loses his next action.

Duck and Weave (••):
Your character is trained to instinctively duck and evade an opponent’s blows. Use the higher of your character’s Dexterity or Wits to determine his Defense when dealing with Brawl-based attacks only (not against Weaponry attacks). If a combination of Brawl- and Weaponry-based attacks is focused on your character in the same turn, use his normal Defense against both.

Combination Blows (•••):
Your character’s training and experience allow him to devastate opponents with a flurry of rapid blows. He can make two Brawl attacks against the same target in a single action. The second attack suffers a -1 penalty.
Drawback:Your character cannot use his Defense against any attack in the same turn in which he intends to use this maneuver. If he uses Defense against attacks that occur earlier in the Initiative roster, before he can perform this maneuver, he cannot perform the maneuver in the turn. He is too busy bobbing and weaving out of the way of attacks.

Haymaker (••••):
Your character can deliver powerful, accurate blows capable of knocking an opponent unconscious with a single punch. A single Brawl attack that equals or exceeds the target’s Size in damage might knock him unconscious. A Stamina roll is made for the victim. If it succeeds, he is conscious but he still loses his next action due to the Body Blow (see above). If it fails, he is unconscious for a number of turns equal to the damage done.
Drawback: Your character cannot use his Defense against any attack in the same turn in which he intends to use this maneuver. If he uses Defense against attacks that occur earlier in the Initiative roster, before he can perform this maneuver, he cannot perform the maneuver in the turn. He is too busy bobbing and weaving out of the way of attacks.

Brutal Blow (•••••):
Your character’s accuracy and power are such that his fists are lethal weapons, able to injure or kill opponents. A brutal blow inflicts lethal instead of bashing damage.
Drawback: Spend one Willpower point per attack. Note that this Willpower expenditure does not add three dice to the attack.


Fighting Style: Chain Weapons (• to ••••)
Book: Armory, p. 209
Prerequisites: Strength ••, Dexterity •••, Weaponry •••

Effect: Your character is trained in the difficult art of fighting with chain weapons. Chain weapons are notoriously unpredictable unless mastered — a poorly skilled fighter is as likely to tangle or cut himself as he is to harm an opponent. Your character’s training is likely to have been formalized, having learned the skill at a martial arts dojo or perhaps in stage combat for the theater. (Note that a character using chained weapons who possesses no Dots in this Merit suffers an automatic –2 to all attack rolls.) Dots purchased with this Merit allow access to unique combat maneuvers with chain weapons. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the subsequent maneuver. So, your character cannot have “Hand Bind” until he has “Impenetrable Defense.” These maneuvers and their effects are described below. All maneuvers are based upon the Weaponry Skill.

Impenetrable Defense (•):
Your character may choose not to attack in a given turn, and instead whirl the chain in the direction of her opponent (or opponents). During the entire turn, regardless of Initiative, you may add +2 to your character’s Defense to deflect incoming blows. Your character also takes no penalty for defending against multiple opponents until she faces three attacks. The first and second attacks made against her cause no negative modifiers to her Defense.

Hand Bind (••):
This defensive maneuver is made against an incoming attack (Brawl or Weaponry-based).When a foe attacks with a weapon or with his body, your character wraps the attacking limb with the chain, grappling it with a Strength + Weaponry attack. The foe’s Defense is not subtracted from this roll, but his successes on the attack roll are. If your character is successful, the limb is bound with the chain, and the opponent can attempt to escape this next turn with a Strength + Brawl roll. If the foe achieved more successes on his attack, his attack is still diminished by whatever successes you rolled on the Hand Bind roll. This maneuver must be done on the attacker’s Initiative turn, and performing this action means your character cannot make an attack this turn.

Outside Choke (•••):
Your character attempts to wrap the chain around her opponent’s neck. Roll Strength+ Weaponry. The victim may attempt to free himself on his next action with a Strength + Brawl roll, which is reduced by your character’s Strength +1. This maneuver is not to cause damage or kill the opponent — mannerism is to render him unconscious by pressing the chain against the arteries of his neck, thus halting blood flow to his brain. If your character is successful on the grapple, she can begin to choke the victim on the following turn. For every turn that the choke hold is not broken, the victim suffers an additional –1 on all rolls to resist. When your character has accumulated a number of uninterrupted turns equal to the victim’s Stamina,he falls unconscious. This maneuver, when complete, causes a single point of bashing damage to the victim. This combat maneuver is ineffective against characters who need not breathe.

Whirl and Thrust (••••):
Your character at this level is highly adept at using chains, and can make focused attacks with any part of the weapon. By whirling the chain a few times, she can build momentum on a single attack, which can be made with startling accuracy. On a targeted attack, you can ignore up to –2 of penalties associated with directed attacks. In other words, attacks to an opponent’s torso or limbs are done at no penalty, attacks the head would be at –1, to the hand –2 and to the eye –3.
Drawback: Your character negates her Defense for the rest of the turn. If your character has applied her Defense against any incoming attack before her turn, she may not perform this maneuver.


Fighting Style: Combat Marksmanship (• to •••••)
Book: 13th Precinct, p. 80; Armory, p. 210
Prerequisites: Strength ••, Dexterity ••, Composure••• and Firearms ••

Effect: Your character is not only proficient with firearms, but has trained extensively to maintain her accuracy during the stress of combat. She most likely has experience in law enforcement or the military,though she may simply be a self-defense advocate or a dedicated hobbyist with uncommon self-possession. Dots purchased in this Merit allow access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. So, your character can’t have Tactical Reload until she has Shoot First. The maneuvers and their effects are described below, most of which are based on the Firearms Skill.

Shoot First (•):
Your character’s trained reflexes give her a split-second edge in a gunfight. Whenever she begins a combat situation with a firearm already in her hand, she gains a bonus to her Initiative roll equal to her Firearms Skill. If she also has the Quick Draw Merit for firearms (see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 113) and draws a firearm during the first turn of combat, this bonus is added retroactively, starting at the beginning of the second turn of combat.

Tactical Reload (••):
Your character’s muscle memory enables her to reload without conscious thought. Once per turn, she may reload a firearm that feeds from a detachable magazine or use a speed loader to reloada revolver, as a reflexive action.

Double Tap (•••):
When using a lever-action, pump action or semi-automatic firearm, your character may make short burst attacks as if her gun were capable of auto fire.

Bayonet Range (••••):
Your character can maintain accuracy and control even when facing an opponent at arm’s length. The target’s Defense does not apply to fire arm attacks your character makes within close-combat range (see p. 155, the World of Darkness Rulebook).

Rapid Fire (•••••):
Your character’s concentration is such that she can unleash a hail of bullets. In a single action, she may make one extra Firearms attack for each point by which her Composure exceeds 2. Each extra attack is made at a cumulative –1 modifier. Thus, she can perform a total of two attacks at Composure 3 (the second of which is at –1), three attacks at Composure 4 (the third of which is at –2) and four at Composure 5(the fourth of which is at –3). She must declare the targets of all attacks before rolling the first one. Each attack not directed against her initial target suffers an additional –1 penalty. All attacks made with this maneuver must be single shots.
Drawback: Your character cannot use her Defense against any attack in the same turn in which she intends to use this maneuver. If she uses Defense against attacks that occur earlier in the Initiative roster, before she can perform this maneuver, she cannot use Rapid Fire this turn. In addition,your character may not use this maneuver with bolt-action or break-action firearms.


Fighting Style: Fencing (• to ••••)
Book: Armory, p. 210
Prerequisites: Dexterity •••, Weaponry •••

Effect: Your character is trained in the art of fencing. He likely learned this skill at a fencing academy, and is familiar with the sport in more than a passing capacity. Dots purchased with this Merit allow access to unique combat maneuvers using fencing weapons. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the subsequent maneuver. So, your character cannot have “Feint” until he has“Thrust.” These maneuvers and their effects are described below. All maneuvers are based upon the Weaponry Skill. Fencing is meant to be performed with specific swords. The maneuvers below can be used without penalty provided your character is using one of the following swords: curved sword, fencing sword, rapier or sword cane. Any other type of sword incurs a –1 penalty against any of the maneuvers listed below. (For more information on swords as melee weapons, see Chapter One.)

Thrust (•):
The thrust is a simple yet powerful attack. A fencer’s stance (one leg anchoring your character’s position and the other leg lunging him forward) gives this attack extra force. When your character makes a thrust attack, plunging the blade toward an opponent, he does so with a +1 bonus.

Feint (••):
Your character knows how to make a fake attack intended to throw off an opponent. Make a“normal” attack roll (Strength + Weaponry), and this roll is penalized by the opponent’s Defense, par usual. This attack is fake; it does not strike the foe or do any damage. If your character achieves even a single success, however, the opponent is momentarily confused and off-balance, and may not apply her Self-defeating the next attack she suffers (which may be from your character the following turn or may be from some other source beforehand).

Riposte (•••):
A Riposte requires an attack to be made against your character. He steps out of the way of the attack using his Dodge (i.e., her Defense, doubled). While his opponent is open, he can then make a sudden and quick attack, which is performed at a –1 penalty. However, the opponent’s Defense does not further penalize the attack roll.
Drawback: If your opponent suffers any further attacks on a turn where she has used Riposte, she cannot apply her Defense against them.

Moulinet (••••):
If your character makes a successful hit on an adversary with his sword, he may then rotate his wrist and perform a quick spiral cut with the tip of the weapon. This additional cut requires no additional roll; the cut does lethal damage to the opponent equal to your character’s Dexterity.
Drawback: To perform this maneuver, the character must spend a Willpower point before he makes her initial attack roll. The Willpower does not grant him the additional +3 to attack. If the initial attack roll fails, the Willpower point is wasted and the Moulinet may not be added.


Fighting Style: Filipino Martial Arts (• to ••••)
Book: Armory, p. 211
Prerequisites: Dexterity •••, Weaponry •••

Effect: Your character is trained in the art of Filipino fighting, which is often called escrima or kali. He may have learned this from an instructor or a family member. Most escrima techniques use weapons and aremeant predominantly for self-defense. Dots purchased with this Merit allow access to unique combat maneuvers with blunt weapons. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the subsequent maneuver. So, your character cannot have “Disarm” until he has“Lock and Block.” These maneuvers and their effects are described below. All maneuvers are based upon the Weaponry Skill. Note that to perform these maneuvers, a character must have at least one blunt weapon in hand. This weapon is potentially one escrima stick (or a pair), but it can be any blunt object shorter than two feet in length. If the character wields two weapons, he still assumes the –2 penalty for off-hand attacks. Once the character reaches the fourth and final level of this style, he can then choose to use any of the maneuvers
without weapons. At this stage he learns the “empty hand” techniques of escrima.

Lock and Block (•):
With this move, your character uses an adversary’s momentum against her. If you succeed on a Strength + Weaponry roll, your character captures an opponent’s attacking arm in his own and gains a grapple over her (for grappling rules, see p. 157, World of Darkness Rulebook). You may add your character’s Defense to the Strength + Weaponry roll, as he is technically making a defensive maneuver. However, if you choose to add his Defense to this attack, you may not apply his Defense against any incoming attacks that turn. If he has already applied his Defense, he may still utilize this maneuver, but he does not get to add his Defense to the roll.

Disarm (••):
This allows your character to capture an incoming attack and bring his own weapon down upon a foe’s forearm, potentially forcing the enemy to drop her weapon. (Note that this is different than the Disarm Merit.) To enact this maneuver, make a normal attack roll (Dexterity + Weaponry). Compare the successes on this roll against the opponent’s Stamina. If the successes are equal to or exceed her Stamina score, she drops the weapon. This attack does
cause damage to the opponent, as well. Take the successes gained on the attack roll and halve them (round up). The opponent takes this damage, bashing.

Off-Balancing Attack (•••):
With this attack, your character uses his weapon to set a foe off-balance. This attack can take any form: thrusting a baton into a solar plexus, hitting a foe’s temple or the bridge of her nose or using a stick’s momentum to push her into an awkward position. The attack is made at a –2 penalty. If successful, the attack does full damage and the opponent’s next attack is made at a –3 penalty.

Many-Handed Defense (••••):
Escrima practiti ways often unparalleled in other weapon-style systems. In this case, you may apply your character’s full Defense (or Dodge) to all attacks against him in a single turn. They are not diminished at all by attacks made after the first.


Fighting Style: Formation Tactics (• to •••••)
Book: Requiem For Rome, p. 109
Prerequisites: Strength ••, Stamina •••, Weaponry •• (Used in the Roman era)

Effect: Your character has completed extensive drill training, either in life or underneath, learning to work inefficient, deadly harmony with compatriot soldiers. He may be a career soldier, a member of the LegioMortuum or a mercenary veteran. The Legio Mortuum makes frequent use of Formation Tactics, applying its benefits to devastating effect. There is little in Necropolis more intimidating than the sight of four or five Kindred legionnaires moving quickly into a coordinated and powerful display of arms. Dots purchased in this Merit allow access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. So, your character can’t have Ciringite Frontem until she has Testudinem Formate. The maneuvers and their effects are described below. Only one maneuver can be performed in a given turn. All of the maneuvers are effective only with a shield and melee weapon.

Testudinem Formate (•):
Your character is trained in assuming the legendary “tortoise” formation. All soldiers in the formation raise and overlap their shields, creating a nearly impenetrable wall. She gains +1Defense against ranged weapons above and beyond her armor bonus, for each soldier in the formation, to a maximum of +5.
Drawback: Characters taking part in the Testudinem Formate cannot attack while they benefit from (or contribute to) this Defense bonus, and they can only move at half their Speed rating.

Ciringite Frontem (••):
Your character knows how to work together with other soldiers to hold a position and better withstand an oncoming attack. If you succeed on a Strength + Weaponry roll, your character holds her ground and forces a knock back check (see the World of Darkness Rulebook) on any opponent who attacks her that turn. You may add +1 for each soldier in the formation, to a maxim of +5, to this Strength+ Weaponry roll.
Drawback: You may not add the character’s Defense to any incoming attack this turn. If she applies her Defense, she breaks formation and cannot benefit from its bonus or contribute to the bonus of any other soldier in the formation.

Cuneum Formate (•••):
Your character can participate in a fast-moving wedge formation designed to break and scatter enemy lines. The quick assault knocks enemies off balance and forces aggressive attackers to go on the defensive. This attack is made at a –2 penalty. If successful, the attack does full damage to one opponent and that opponent’s melee attacks against the soldiers in this formation are made at a –1 penalty for each soldier in the formation, to a maximum of –5 for the remainder of the turn.

Orbem Formate (••••):
Your character is trained in assuming a circular, defensive formation that protects any object or individual in the center. Whoever (or whatever) is in the center of this formation gains a +1Defense bonus for each soldier in the formation, to a maximum of +5, applied against ranged and melee attacks. For every three soldiers in this formation, one adult (or adult-sized object) may benefit from the bonus applied.
Drawback: The individual protected may not participate in combat. If he attempts to attack the opponent, the benefit of the Orbem Formate is lost.

Contendite Vestra Sponte (•••••):
Your character can take part in a shockingly powerful assault,unleashing a wave of attacks in concert with her well-trained compatriots. If a character in this formation scores a successful hit with her melee weapon on an adversary, she may benefit from the position of her fellow soldiers, pushing them directly into another’s blade (or otherwise maximizing the benefit of her attack). This capitalization requires no additional roll; the adversary takes one additional level of lethal damage for each soldier in the formation, to a maximum of 5.
Drawback: To participate in this formation,each soldier involved must spend a Willpower point before she makes her initial attack roll. The Willpower does not grant her the additional +3 to the attack. If the attack roll fails, the Willpower is wasted, and the Contendite Vestra Sponte bonus does not apply to her attack (although her participation may still be counted toward the bonus of another soldier’s attack in the formation).


Fighting Style: Gladiatorial (• to ••••)
Book: Requiem For Rome, p. 109
Prerequisites: Strength •••, Presence ••, Weaponry •••

Effect: Your character is a hardened warrior, seasoned by years of experience in street-level combat or battle in the gladiatorial arena. She knows how to use crude weaponry, cruel tricks and flashy, crowd-pleasing tactics to maximum effect. Dots purchased in this Merit allow access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. So, your character can’t have Weapon Slap until she has Stunning Attack. The maneuvers and their effects are described below. Only one maneuver can be performed in a given turn. All of the maneuvers are based on the Weaponry Skill.

Stunning Attack (•):
Your character can make a sudden, howling attack of such viciousness that her opponent is knocked off balance. You must declare a Stunning Attack as your action before the attack rollis made. If the number of successes inflicted in the single Weaponry attack roll exceed the victim’s Composure rating, the victim loses his next action. Note that your character must scream or howl while making this attack — it cannot be performed silently.

Weapon Slap (••):
Your character unleashes a powerful blow designed not to injure the opponent but to push his weapon or shield out of the way and create an opening that can be exploited. If the attack roll is successful, no damage is inflicted on the victim, but he does not apply his Defense (including the benefit added by a shield) to the next incoming attack (which may be from your character in the following turn, or from some other source beforehand).

Lethal Accuracy (•••):
Your character has an innate understanding of the various types of armor and their weak spots. Attacks made with any lethal weapon have Armor Piercing 1 and penalties to hit specific targets or body parts (see “Specified Targets,” p. 165 of the World of Darkness Rulebook) are reduced by two.

Brutal Sacrifice (••••):
Your character can intensify a lethal attack by staging it so that her weapon is embedded in the victim’s body and ensuring that the weapon’s removal will inflict more damage. You must declare a Brutal Sacrifice as your action before the attack roll is made. If the roll is a success, your character leaves her weapon in the victim’s body. If the weapon is not removed, the victim suffers a –2 penalty on all actions due to pain and physical interference. If the weapon is removed, it inflicts additional lethal damage equal to the weapon’s damage rating. This additional damage requires no roll. If the victim does not remove the weapon himself, your character may attempt a Dexterity + Brawl attack to do so on a subsequent turn.
Drawbacks: To perform this maneuver, your character must expend a point of Willpower before the attack roll is made. The Willpower does not grant an additional +3 on the roll. If the initial attack roll fails, the Willpower point is wasted and the Brutal Sacrifice may not be added. In addition, your character loses the use of the weapon until it is removed from the victim and returned to her.


Fighting Style: Grappling (• to ••••)
Book: Adamantine Arrow, p. 50; Armory Reload, p. 67
Prerequisites: Strength ••, Dexterity •••, Stamina ••• and Brawl ••

Effect: Your character has trained in a form of submission grappling, such as judo, old-school catchas-catch-can wrestling (Olympic-style wrestlers learn the first two maneuvers) or Brazilian
jiu-jitsu. He uses leverage and positioning to out-grapple opponents.

Sprawl (•):
Your character knows how to “sprawl” and sink his weight to avoid being overpowered in a grapple. Subtract the
higher of Strength +1 or Dexterity +1 from dice pools to overpower him in a grapple. This doesn’t apply to the initial hold, but subsequent attacks from the grip.

Take down/Throw (••):
Your character knows how to rapidly close with your enemy and take him to the ground. In lieu of securing a grappling hold, your character can immediately render the opponent prone (see the World of Darkness Rulebook, pp. 157 and 164). Furthermore, if he takes an opponent down this way, he can choose whether or not to go prone with the target. Mixed martial arts fighters take a crouching (but still standing) position from and deliver vicious beatings with their hands — a technique called “ground and pound.”

Choke hold (•••):
Your character can efficiently choke enemies by cutting off blood flow to their brains. If he overpowers an opponent in a grapple, he can start the choke. The choke inflicts a cumulative –1 die penalty to the opponent’s actions for each turn the choke is maintained. The victim falls unconscious if he endures choking attack for a number of consecutive turns equal to his Stamina. Your character can continue choking an unconscious victim. This inflicts lethal damage equal to the attacker’s Strength + Brawl successes every turn. Choke holds don’t work on opponents who don’t need to breathe.

Submission Hold (••••):
Opponents caught in your joint locks can’t escape without injuring themselves. If your character scores more successes than his opponent’s Size in an immobilization attempt, the victim can’t attempt any physical action — including breaking free — without suffering a point of lethal damage. This penalty lasts from the moment of immobilization to end of the next turn. Furthermore, your character can always choose to inflict one point of lethal damage whenever he damages an opponent with an overpowering roll. The character’s first Strength + Brawl success inflicts a point of lethal damage; subsequent successes inflict bashing damage.

Submission holds don’t work on creatures that don’t have bones.


Fighting Style: Iaido (Defensive Striking; • to •••••)
Book: Armory Reload, p. 76
Prerequisites: Strength ••, Dexterity •••, Composure •••, Weaponry •••, Quick Draw

Effect: Your character has studied the art of iaido, focusing her awareness of her surroundings and her ability to respond to a threat to the razor’s edge. She has learned to draw a blade at a moment’s notice, and has internalized kata focused on swiping the blade across her opponent’s vitals. Practitioners of iaido often cultivate the Wits Attribute, as speed of thought and awareness of one’s surroundings are valued by adherents of the style. Dots purchased in this Merit provide access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. Iaido maneuvers are based on the Weaponry Skill and are used with a curved sword, most commonly the katana.

Tsuki Kage (“Draw and Cut;” •):
The character sharpens his already capable ability to quickly enter combat. If the character begins combat with his weapon sheathed, he adds his rating in the Weaponry Skill to his Initiative modifier. If the Storyteller utilizes the optional initiative rule from page 151 of the World of Darkness Rulebook, this bonus applies on any turn in which the character’s weapon begins the turn sheathed.
Drawback: The character must commit to an attack against an opponent during the first turn of combat to gain the advantage of this maneuver.

Zanshin (“Awareness;” ••):
While honing the speed of one’s reactions can save one’s life, better still to be constantly vigilant. The character strives to remain ever aware of his surroundings, that he may never be taken by surprise. The character gains a bonus of two dice to all rolls to avoid an impending ambush. This Merit duplicates the effect of the Danger Sense Merit, and a character with both Merits gains a total +4 on rolls to avoid being surprised. Such characters are paragons of self-awareness.

Tachi-Sabaki (“Movement of the Sword;” •••):
The character has mastered defensive kata designed to intercept incoming attacks and deflect them with the blade of the weapon. The character relies as much on the quality of his sword as he does his own speed of thought and motion. The character adds his weapon bonus(the weapon’s damage rating) to his Dodge value when taking a fully defensive action. A character may benefit from this Merit while utilizing the Weaponry Dodge Merit (though not the Brawling Dodge Merit).
Drawback: The character only benefits from this Merit when taking a full Dodge action.

Kan Ken No Metsuke (“Seeing with Eyes and Mind;” ••••):
The character’s speed gives him a small but potentially important edge over other combatants. If the character’s initiative roll results in a tie with another character involved in combat, the character automatically acts before his opponents and allies. Initiative Modifiers are not compared and initiative is never determined by a roll-off (though if multiple characters aside from the iaido practitioner rolled the same initiative, their initiative ratings are resolved as normal). If two characters possess this maneuver, they act at the same time, each resolving their action as if the other had not yet acted. This can result in two characters killing each other in the same heated moment. Uke

Nagashi (“Catch and Slide Off;” •••••):
The character’s ability to move defensively and counter an attack with one of his own has been perfected. If the character’s weapon is sheathed, he can declare a Dodge action at any point during a turn, assuming she has not yet acted. His Defense is doubled as usual, though he may not utilize Weaponry Dodge or Tachi-Sabaki against attacks. However, the character can choose any opponent who is making an attack against him to perform a counter attack against. In a single swift motion,the character draws his blade, parries his enemy’s blow, and attacks his opponent. The character’s Weaponry Dodge (if he possesses it) and Tachi-Sabaki maneuver apply against the opponent’s attack (and only against this opponent). The character makes an immediate reflexive attack against the opponent at a one die penalty. After making his counter-attack, the character’s Defense applies as normal to further attacks made against him during the turn (i.e., his Defense is not doubled). Defense penalties for being attacked multiple times during a single turn are not affected by this maneuver in any way.
Drawback: The character spends one Willpower point per turn using this maneuver.


Additional Systems
Honmon Enshin Ryu’s Iai Kenpo A modern school of iaido, Enshin Ryu teaches jujutsu and suemonogiri (the practice of cutting), but possesses a strong focus on being attacked from 77 behind. Students of this style may purchase the following specialized maneuver instead of Kan Ken No Metsuke, above.

Muso-Ken (“No-thought Sword;” ••••):
The character draws, turns, and thrusts his blade at a potential enemy in a single motion. A character with this Merit may make a reflexive counter-attack when successfully attacked at point-blank range by an opponent by surprise.
Drawback: This maneuver requires the user to expend a Willpower point. It constitutes the character’s action for the turn, though if used before initiative is rolled, the character may act on his initiative as usual.


Fighting Style: Improvised Weaponry (• to •••)
Book: Midnight Roads, p. 57
Prerequisites: Wits 3, Weaponry 1During the course of their journeys upon the Road, wanderers find themselves in bad circumstances with nothing even remotely resembling a respectable weapon at hand. Perhaps the first, best rule of the nomadic life, however, is to make do with what you’ve got. Thus, certain improvisational fighting strategies have become time-honoured traditions for people who get knocked on their asses and have to reach for the nearest solid object to avoid a serious beating, or worse. Note that, unlike most other Fighting Style Merits, Improvised Weaponry isn’t formally taught. Characters invariably pick up this brutal, sloppy style of combat at the school of hard knocks.

Always Armed (•):
The character has an instinct for grabbing something dangerous in almost any situation and maximizing its lethality once in hand. On her character’s initiative in any given turn, the player may make a reflexive Wits + Weaponry roll to have the character pick up an object suitable for use as a weapon in any save the most barren environment. (The player is encouraged to work with the Storyteller to determine an appropriate item — a large, jagged rock outdoors, for example, or a heavy glass ashtray with one sharp, broken edge in a dive bar.) Regardless of what it is, this object is treated as a Size 1, one lethal weapon with a Durability of 2. On an exceptional success, provided that her surroundings allow for it, the character may instead grab a Size 2, two lethal improvised weapon with a Durability of 2.

In Harm’s Way (••):
By interposing her weapon (no matter how small or inappropriate for parrying it might be) in the path of an oncoming Brawl or Weaponry attack, the character learns to increase her chances of walking away from a given attack unscathed. While wielding an improvised weapon acquired with the first technique of this Fighting Style, the character may, at the beginning of a turn, treat the Structure of her weapon as armor, but any damage inflicted upon her also
inflicts an equal amount of damage to the improvised weapon, bypassing its Durability.

Breaking Point (•••):
One sure way to win a fight is to hit the other guy so hard that he doesn’t get back up, even if that means losing a weapon in the process. When the character uses the all-out-attack option in a fight while wielding an improvised weapon acquired with the first technique of this Fighting Style, her player may exchange points of the weapon’s Structure, down to a minimum of zero, for added equipment bonus for the duration of a single strike. The player must declare the use of this option before the attack is made, and the weapon still takes the damage even if the attack is unsuccessful (perhaps striking a brick wall, a parked car or some other heavy object.) If the weapon is reduced to zero Structure, the weapon is automatically destroyed
after the attack is resolved, though the target is still damaged as normal if successfully struck. Note that the character may use this technique in conjunction with the previous one, allowing her to parry an attack made on a higher Initiative than her own and then go on the offensive with her improvised weapon, provided that it didn’t sustain enough damage to destroy it.


Fighting Style: Kendo - Japanese Fencing (• to ••••)
Book:Armory, p. 211The above Merit is for European-style fencing, but can be adapted for Japanese kendo fairly easily. While the techniques (called waza) are slightly different, the mechanics stay the same.

Thrust (•):
becomes Kaburi; instead of thrusting, your character makes an overhead attack, but the +1modifier remains.

Feint (••):
becomes Kiai. It involves shouting loudly while making a distracting maneuver.

Riposte (•••):
becomes Uchiotoshi Waza, or “killing the sword.” The character may not step out of the way but instead parries the attack before her own counter-attack.

Moulinet (••••):
becomes Nidan Waza, allowing one completed attack and a second quick cut with thesword. Again, all the mechanics are the same, and the Merit works in the exact manner, though with different terms. However, the swords used are different. A character can perform kendo waza with katana, wakizashi and curved swords — using them with any other swords incurs a –1 penalty.