Even though humans of the future liked to believe themselves free from all violent impulses, they still required an occasional venting of anger and frustration. Because of the combatant nature of the martial arts, these ancient practices were deemed worthy of further study; the fact that they required great mental and physical discipline as well was seen as a great plus. So, sometime in the mid- to late 23rd century, an historian and student of the martial arts decided to create his own form. Well, it wasn't actually that simple a decision, but it's as good a description as any.
Working with the idea that the martial arts should be a vent for negative emotions and not a means of self-defense, this historian (who is ironically unnamed in the history texts of later eras) synthesized a workable form from his knowledge of many older forms. He called this discipline "Anbo-Jyutsu," but among its practitioners it was often called (wrongly and arrogantly) "the ultimate advancement in the martial arts." Anbo-Jyutsu is practiced and performed in light-weight armor made out of a material similar to kevlar. Its primary weapon is a staff about five feet long, with a padded weight on one end and a carved air-whistle on the other. In combat, these staves made a low, throbbing noise counterpointed with shrill whistles each time it strikes. However, the most stunning thing about this martial art (besides its impressive appearance) is that it is performed without the benefit of sight! All Anbo-Jyutsu armor is built with an attached faceplate which can be lowered or raised. In performances, mock battles, and grudge matches, it is always kept down.
Anbo-Jyutsu has many wide, sweeping, circular motions in it, partly to make up for the lack of sight, but also just for the sake of an impressive appearance. Do not be fooled by thinking this martial art weak just because it prides itself on appearance; on the contrary, practitioners of Anbo-Jyutsu (who often consider it a game rather than a combat discipline) equate being good with looking good and can be truly devastating, both to their mock opponents and their real ones.
(Note: If you want to use this in a campaign that isn't Phase World/Rifts,
arbitrate that a group of Anbo-Jyutsu practitioners were caught in a transporter
accident and sent to whatever game world you're using. Or just move the
background [ie: an historian with a penchant for the martial arts] to whatever
game world you're using.)
Entrance Requirements: PP 13; PE 11;
MA or PB 12
Skill Cost: 4 years (people can learn Anbo-Jyutsu fairly
quickly because of its dependence on the purely physical aspects of martial
arts)
Costume: Light, padded armor for competitions which is fairly
useless in real battle (AR 16; 25 SDC); traditional colors are red and blue, but
any are allowed. If actually fighting, the practitioners go with something
comfortable, but stylish, depending on individual tastes.
Stance: Feet
planted wide, pointing apart at a 45-degree angle, weight on the balls of the
feet rather than the heel. Arms kept level and steady, holding the staff in a
defensive posture.
Character Bonuses:
| Level | Bonuses |
|---|---|
| 1 | +3 to roll with punch, +3 to parry, Critical Strike on natural 20 |
| 2 | +1 to strike with staves, Knock-Out/Stun on natural 19-20 |
| 3 | +1 attack per melee; +1 to parry/dodge, +1 to disarm |
| 4 | +2 to damage with staves, Select one additional martial art power from Special Katas |
| 5 | +2 to Maintain Balance, Critical Strike on natural 19-20 |
| 6 | +1 to roll with punch, +3 to pull punch, Knock-Out/Stun on natural 18-20 |
| 7 | +2 to parry, Select one additional martial art power from Body Hardening (except Chagi) |
| 8 | +1 attack per melee, +1 to Maintain Balance, +2 to disarm |
| 9 | +1 to damage with staves, +1 to parry/dodge, +1 to strike with staves |
| 10 | Critical Strike on natural 18-20, +1 to disarm |
| 11 | +1 to strike and dodge, Death Blow on natural 20 |
| 12 | Select one additional martial art power from Body Hardening (except Chagi), Special Katas, or Martial Arts Techniques |
| 13 | +2 to roll with punch, +1 to disarm, Critical Strike from behind |
| 14 | +1 to strike/parry with staves |
| 15 | Death Blow on natural 19-20 |
When the attack itself comes, it comes as the whirlwind--fast and hard. The attacker spins in a complete circle, hits the target with both ends of the staff (or both rods), comes to a complete stop, and does the same thing in reverse. In essence, the character gets four attacks for the price of one! Each set of attacks (the first two, then the last two) must be rolled for separately, and unless the opponent has two weapons (or a staff) a parry of the first attack results in a -4 to the parry roll on the second attack (the weapon has been knocked out of line).
When the attack ends, the character may not do anything for the remainder of the round except defend, and may only do that with a penalty of -6! However, this attack is so impressive and cool-looking that any opponent of less than fifth level must save vs. horror factor 15 to avoid being cowed into retreat or submission. More experienced characters without martial arts ability are less impressed by flashy maneuvers and only need a 12 to save. Martial artists of fifth level or above are completely unaffected by this move, considering it the tool of a show-off and braggart.
(Example: Will, a first-level practitioner of Anbo-Jyutsu armed with a bo
staff [with which he is considered to have third level proficiency], is in a
duel against Kyle, a third level Soldier with Hand to Hand: Martial Arts who is
armed with a sword. Will and Kyle each have three attacks per melee. The first
round of combat begins; Will gets a 17 on initiative and Kyle gets a 10.
Normally, Will would go first, but he declares that he is building up for a
Pinwheel Strike. Kyle gets his first attack, going for a simple sword strike.
Will cannot use any defense except a circular parry, and manages to parry the
sword strike successfully. Now it's Will's turn. Will goes into his attack run,
rolling a 16 to strike for the first pair of staff strikes. Kyle parries the
first strike with his sword by rolling an 18, but because of the -4 penalty
(which reduces his parry to 14) the butt end of the staff connects squarely with
him and inflicts seven points of damage. Then the next two strikes come through
the other way; Will rolls 14 to strike. Kyle rolls an 18 to parry, blocking both
strikes successfully (but barely on the second one). Will is incapable of any
attacks for the remainder of the round, but can now parry, dodge, or whatever
[albeit at a -6 penalty] if Kyle attacks him. Fortunately for Will, Kyle [a
martial artist of less than fifth level] rolls only a 13 on his save vs. horror
factor and books away, deciding he doesn't want anything to do with this
fight.)
Staff Choke
This is identical
to the Choke ability in N&SS except that is performed with a staff or pair
of rods and that it must be done from behind (ie: using the staff to essentially
garrote the poor sod in front of you).
| Weapon | Damage | Average Length |
|---|---|---|
| Short Staff | 1D6 SDC | Five feet |
| Long Staff | 1D8 SDC | Seven feet |
| Bo Staff | 2D4 SDC | 8.5 feet |
| Quarterstaff | 1D8 SDC | Six feet |
| Iron Staff | 1D8+2 SDC | Six feet |
| Rod | 1D4+1 SDC | 2.5 feet |
| Ironwood Rod | 1D6 SDC | Three feet |