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[tasuret]

I've started my Anima Expansion. Currently there isn't any content, though! That's where I'd like you guys to come in. I have a blank credits file that will appear immediately before the introduction. The first chapter is going to be all about style modules, which along with Minor Ars Magni is one of the most underwritten sections in the rules. There's about half a page, and then it goes in to Martial Arts. So what do I want from you?

• A name for your module
• A description of its purpose
• Tentative mechanical benefits
• A tentative DP cost

There's been some conjecture for "Weapon Styles", which are effectively extensions to the Weapon Modules that give bonuses to dedicated users of a weapon. I've also seen some work from alphawelp on some new Minor Ars Magni. Let's get our creative gears moving! Here's a sample:

Graceful Counter
The character catches their opponent by surprise with a feint.
Benefit: The character has a +30 Special bonus to Defend against an attack, and then automatically receive a 10% counter-attack.
Limits: Mastery in Defense
Cost: 50 DP

Shield Bash
The character can use a shield as an improvised weapon.
Benefit: The character can take a -30 to Attack with their shield. The Damage is 60 plus their STR bonus.
Cost: 35 DP

These are examples, completely untested. Feel free to comment on those, too.

[alphawhelp]

Graceful Counter is really powerful, giving 60 DP worth of bonus to defense for only 50 points in the module (25 for WMs) and then guarantees a counter attack... also what is a 10% counterattack?  Is it a counterattack that always does 10% damage no matter what?  Counterattack of 10% of your attack pool?  I don't understand.

Shields also already have full weapon statistics.  A better "Shield Bash" Module, would be a module that allows you to attack with your shield without giving up the blocking benefits that it gives you.  Actually, that would be a really freaking kick arse module.  I price it at 40 DP (I dislike style modules ending with a 5 cause they make the Weaponmaster part of my brain have a migraine)

[VoidKnight]

(I dislike style modules ending with a 5 cause they make the Weaponmaster part of my brain have a migraine)

This. Just having a skill ending in 5 can set me off sometimes.

[tasuret]

I mean for it to be a guaranteed counterattack of 10% damage if the defense is successful. I'm not very clear. How about I put it at 60DP, since it doesn't always activate, and I add "must declare at start of round, must take last initiative" to the limits? The point was to implement a feint-type maneuver that gives them a free counter by slipping under the opponent's defense at a certain risk to the user. Basically, they have a chance to take more than one hit on the gamble of countering easier.

Also, rounding Shield Bash to 40 DP would be more considerate to Weaponmasters.

Thus:

Graceful Counter
The character catches their opponent by surprise with a feint.
Benefit: The character has a +30 Special bonus to Defend against an attack, and then automatically receive a +10 to counterattack if they successfully Defend.
Limits: Mastery in Defense, must declare at beginning of round, must take turn last in round
Cost: 60 DP

Shield Bash
The character can use a shield as an improvised weapon.
Benefit: The character can Attack with their shield without losing their ability to Block with it.
Cost: 40 DP

How does it look now? Regrettably, I don't have my books on me so I'm kind of groping around in the darkness with this right now.

[tasuret]

I found a post on the Spanish Forums about this!

http://www.edgeent.com/V2/edge_foros_discusion.asp?efid=140&efcid=5&efidt=290300

Transcribed:


Style Module: Feint

Cost: 50 DP
Requires: Additional Attack Module.

The character can perform a special attack called 'Feint' You do this by consuming one of your attacks to roll Intimidate against the rival defense. The bonus cannot exceed the Final Attack Score of the attack you give up (counting all modifiers), and you may make the feint in the place of any attack in your turn.

If you Intimidation Check beats the opponent's defense by 10 or more, it gives a penalty to their next defense equal to that difference. Said penalty can not exceed 90 (the equivalent of surprise).


If the test is less intimidating to the defense of the opponent, the opponent automatically gets a counterattack, but the fake not being a real attack did not get any bonus against.

If the test is equal or does not exceed your opponent's defense by more than 10, it produces no penalty, and you can still perform normal attacks: the feint has simply not deceived the opponent.

The feints lose effectiveness the more are used in combat, as it is  hard to fool the opponent more than a few times in the same way, so each new feint has a cumulative penalty of -20 to Intimidate.

Style Module: Creeping Coup (Sand in the eye)
 

Requires: Improvised Weapons Module.
Cost: 40 DP

The character throws sand, mud or something similar in the eyes of the opponent, trying to blind him for a short period of time.
The character makes an attack aimed at the head of the opponent, the attack is not harmful but is considered a projectile released for defense purposes and is not affected by AT.

If the attack beats the defense of the opponent, the opponent is subjected to effects of a poison of level 10 with +10 for every 20 points of difference, the poison causes partial blindness if level 40 or less, or full blindness if higher than 40. The level of the poison can never exceed 70. The duration is 3 rounds or until the opponent made an active action to remove the substance from the eyes.

To carry out the attack, you must have some element that serves close to that function, and the attack has targeted attack penalty: Head (-60).

Also, I think a Weaponsmaster is not only has to be a guy who can handle many more weapons than any other fighter archetype, but also can get the most out of the weapons, so instead of having to know how to handle a lot of weapons also have the option to specialize in some of those most interested. As far as I would a branch style tables focused on specific weapons, something like:

Style Module: Taijiquan

Required: Weapon Proficiency (guandao) Unusual Chart Attack [DE].
Cost: 50 DP.

There are many martial experts who boast of knowing use any weapon that spans his hand, but only teachers are able to take full potential weapons complex. This is the case of guandao, a lance with a heavy blade Eastern at one end with a heavy rear peak. It is this peak where its complexity: The peak counterweight ago and it is also used to attack by surprise of a thrust to the poor opponents who are concentrated in the circular attacks to avoid being cut by the blade.
 
For the purposes of play, while a guandao wield, this module gives an extra attack with the secondary critical as if it had an additional weapon.


That's pretty much what I'm looking for.

[alphawhelp]

Yeah, I'm just a bit wary on that +30 defense thing, considering Pure Defense provides the same bonus at the expense of not being allowed to take any active actions.  Maybe if it worked only against one attack, and prevents further active actions except for counterattacks it would be a bit more balanced.

Change the name of the module to "Anticipation" or something, and guarantee a normal counterattack of at least +0C, if the defense is exceptional, add appropriate counterattack bonuses.  To rewrite the module, I would do it like this.

Anticipation
The fighter predicts the next incoming attack, gaining a special bonus of +30 to defend against it.  Additionally, even if the defense result would normally not allow it, he is entitled to a counterattack against that attack without a special bonus to his attack ability.  The counterattack is permissible even if put on the defensive.  When using Anticipation, a fighter cannot take any active actions other than counterattacks.
Cost: 50 DP

Now that I think about this, maybe this thing should not be a style module at all and make it an Ars Magnus instead, since it is actually a new maneuver you can perform, and not a passive benefit to everything you do (a.k.a. Style Module)

[alphawhelp]

I also wrote up a Feint Ars Magnus here, you may like it better than the one you found on the spanish forum (the rules are certainly more concise than that)

http://cipher-studios.com/AnimaBB/index.php?topic=5879.0

[tasuret]

I can dig that. How about a sneak attack module?

Sneak Attack
Benefit: +25 to Critical Level when a successful Surprise attack is made
Cost: 50 DP

It's the equivalent of a +25 to Attack, but it doesn't shift the Attack-Defense balance.

[alphawhelp]

I would add the caveat that it doesn't work for the kind of surprise that is obtained by having 150 points higher initiative and lower the cost of DP to 30.