MUAY THAI (EXCLUSIVE)
This one is, like Ninjutsu, DOUBLE EXCLUSIVE and thus is only available to a Dedicated Martial Artist who consumes both slots. So it's worth knowing you can't practice muay thai at the same time as any other art.
This person does not exist according to N&SS
Don't worry, it still lists other arts with shorter training times for people with this as a primary. Anyway, you need PS 8+, PE 8+, Spd 8+ and PP 12+ to enter. It also has a special height and weight chart, and grants you +2 PS, +2 PE, +1 PP, +2 Spd, +10 SDC. 3 base attacks, Combo Parry/Attack, and heaps of kicks. It has a special move, the SHIN KICK! It only does 1d6 damage (plus bonuses), but deals damage direct to hit points, because it hurts so much I guess. Can enter LIGHTNING FORM: you have to have Initiative to do it, but if so, you can frontload all your attacks into one burst, so you make all your attacks at the outset and then you're spent. You then can't Dodge and have no bonus to Parry for the rest of the turn, but if you think you can take your opponent out, there's no reason not to do it. Think of it like 1st Gen Hyper Beam.
Only one martial arts power, from Body Hardening, Martial Art Techs or Special Katas (no weapon katas), can trade it. Grants Thai and Ritual Dancing, that's it. You end up with pretty good numeric bonuses and a scimitar for a foot, and it seems to gain attacks/round at a good pace (+6 over 14 levels, compare with +4 for Tang Soo Karate), but for something that is supposed to be your entire character, it's very unimpressive. If it were a normal Exclusive I'd give it an
A-, but as it is I'm giving it a
C+. Kicking people in the shins is awesome, but it still doesn't compare to kicking people in the plums.
TIEN-HSUEH TOUCH MASTERY (exclusive)
BAD TOUCHING, NO! Diabolic Evil alignment only, IQ 11+ and ME 8+.
Obviously it's yet another evil "poke people to invert their chi and explode their heads" art. You probably already know how it works. Double Chi, +4 ME, +2 MA, 1 attack, only a few strikes, Paralysis attack,
DIM MAK! This is the best thing to just shout at people when attacking. They will either shit themselves or collapse into laughter, allowing you to kick them. Anyway, it's the Quivering Palm/Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique, a delayed deathblow.
You get three powers from between Invisibility, Atemi and Chi, and one Zenjoriki power, which can all be traded. You also gain Chinese, Geomancy and Confucianism. Does Confucianism permit being an evil kung fu master who has a long beard and murders people with a touch?
You get a fair number of special powers and three more Chi doublings, but only one more attack per round, which is awkward. Still, even if the martial arts powers turn out to be shite and not good at instant-killing people, the fact is you can spend Chi to temporarily boost your strength, without an upper limit, so you can make those attacks hit really fucking hard if you want.
A-
WUI WING CHUN (exclusive)
So apparently this is only related to regular Wing Chun, and it's only taught to women. No idea why they haven't covered regular Wing Chun, maybe they knew I'd laugh at them? Anyway, +10 Chi, +3 MA, +2 PS, +1 PP, 3 attacks per round. Combo Parry/Attack, combo Dodge/Kick, Combo Grab/Kick, and a special move, the Combo Hand Hold/Strike: requires two attack rolls, and you lose the ability to Dodge or Parry for the entire round. +3 damage, that's all it does. Weapon Katas for staff and paired knives.
You get two powers from Invisibility, Martial Art Techs and Special Katas, which can be traded. Also grants Chinese, Archery, Climbing, Gymnastics, Prowl, Swimming and Feminist Taoism, if that is even a thing.
In the progression, you get a few Chi doublings (and eventually learn a few Chi Mastery powers) and at one point gain +4 levels to WP Naginata, which is interesting, what with that being a Japanese weapon and this allegedly being a Chinese art. Anyway, it's a bit of everything, and in general I'd award it all of a
C+.
WU SHU (exclusive)
The silk pyjamas are really nice
As far as I can tell, Wu Shu is basically "fast Tai Chi". I've been to a free lesson, and it's kind of a Dance-Fu and not a proper martial art for kicking people in the fucking head. So let's see what Kev thinks it does.
+2 MA, +1 PE, +1 PP, +4 Spd, +10 SDC, and 3 attacks base. Lots of rolls, flips and cartwheels, okay, a bunch of strikes and the Elbow Lock that Jujutsu didn't get. You get to pick three Weapon Katas from Spears, Cudgels, Scimitars, Broadswords, Daggers, Paired Swords, Paired Broadswords, Paired Hooks, Paired Whips, Paired "Sword Plus Whip", Nine-Section Whip, Three-Section Staff, Meteor Hammer, Rope Dart. Fuck there are a lot of options there.
It also gives you a special kata, Mao's Pride. It is literally just a fancy display that cannot be used in combat (but lets you double your attacks for a display). Apparently it "is often enough to intimidate opponents into retreating" but there is no actual in-game effect there.
You get one power from Indivisibility, Special Kata or Metapod Hardening, and can trade it. It teaches Chinese, Acrobatics, Climbing, Gymnastics, Prowl and Maoism. The progression is a bit low on attacks/round, and although it adds powers, expanded crit range, auto-KO on high rolls and all, they still pad it out with a lot of shit like +1 to Somersault and +6' to Leap Distance. So it's kind of shit. But with the weapon katas and all, you might find some use there.
C+.
XING CHIAO - EAGLE CLAW KUNG FU
An iconic one. +10 Chi, +3 PS, +1 PP, 3 attacks. Power Parry, lots of leaps, a bunch of strikes, and 1/round you can make the EAGLE CLAW attack, a punch that deals 2d6 damage. No really that's all it does.
2 powers from Martial Art Techs or Special Katas. Can trade them. Chinese, Acrobatics, Taoism, nothing interesting.
C just for having 3 attacks (+4 more over the progression) and Acrobatics.
YU-SOOL
This is actually one of the components of Hapkido, which is one of the top five bullshit wanker styles. You need to be a "service" type with Good alignment or Bushido discipline. I assume they mean military service and not maids or restaurant waiting staff. But who knows? +10 Chi, +1 PP, +2 PE, +10 SDC, 2 attacks. Combo Parry/Attack, Combo Grab/Kick, Chokeholds, Automatic Arm Lock (please tell me that means you automatically apply an armlock to anybody in reach, all the time), Paralysis Attack.
3 powers from among Body Hardening, Chi Mastery, Special Katas (no weapon kata), can trade. You learn Korean and Zen. A few Chi doublings, extra powers, and the usual variety of bonuses and "high rolls are awesome", along with throws dealing 2d6 damage now. The chi levels aren't bad, and the usual quantum/zen state of choking means this could be good or bad just based on that. But you also have THE AUTOMATIC ARM LOCK. So let's call it a solid
B.
ZANJI SHINJINKEN-RYU
Image spoilered for size and also for knickers, because this Masamune Shirow art is what a Google image search revealed.
Honourable alignments only, IQ 9+, PP 10+, Spd 8+. This is the ancient art of samurai swordsmanship. +10 Chi, +2 ME, +2 PP, +1 PE, 4 base attacks (+5 over the progression, holy shit), and Combo Parry/Attack, Power Parry, and four strikes. SPECIAL Combo Grab/Slash, without saying how it is resolved or what it does exactly. Also grants your choice of 4th level Katana or Wakizashi Weapon Kata, or 3rd level Daisho Weapon Kata (ie WP gets automatic +3 or +2 levels to it). Also normal Weapon Katas for whichever you didn't choose of those three, and for the Bokken, Staff, Spear and Naginata.
2 powers from Body Hardening or Martial Art Techs, can trade them. You learn Japanese, three Cultural Weeaboo skills, Archery, Prowl and Zen. No, not Bushido, Zen. You end up with 18-20 crit, 19-20 Instant KO and 20 Deathblow, a bunch of powers including Zenjoriki and Chi Mastery, and a doubling of Chi. That's quite the basket of stuff. Shame about the lack of a Strength boost and no Gymnastics/Acrobatics, but honestly, there's enough good stuff there for a solid
A.
So next episode, you get the actual powers! AND THE CROWD GOES MILD!