[RHat]

I believe you are mistaken about specializing in the technique to double up on the +2 bonuses.  My understanding is your martial arts style is acting as a specialization already.  So any time you're using a technique from a style, you would get the bonus but it would not stack with other specializations.

That doesn't seem at all correct.  You can buy a specialization for 7 Karma, and, alternatively, you can buy access to a style and one maneuver for 7 Karma.

5e book for unarmed combat pg132: "Specializations: Blocking, Cyber Implants, Subduing Combat, or by specific Martial Art"

R&G pg  128: "Martial arts styles may
also be selected as specializations for the normal cost
of 7 Karma—selecting that specialization provides a +2
bonus when using that technique"

Pretty sure my interpretation is correct.

Well, the text you cited doesn't provide evidence for your interpretation over mine.  It simply states that you can have a specialization in a specific Martial Art style, which is an element of both our interpretations.

My interpretation of those two paragraphs on page 128 where it speaks of specializing and then buying is:
 the second paragraph is then going into a deeper description of what it means when you are specializing in a martial art.  Ie: you are buying it for 7 karma and getting 1 of 6 techniques along with it.

Your interpretation appears to be contrary to the text, which treats buying the style and buying the specialization as two separate things.

[Blue Rose]

So does that mean you can buy a Martial Art without having any of the Close Combat group skills?

Presumably, gun kata, parkour, and kyujutsu (possibly others) would require no investment in close combat skills.

[Giabralter]

Q: How does reach interact with the Counterstrike/Riposte interrupt action? The reach differential is normally applied as a modifier to a defender's pool. Is it applied to the defender's attack roll in this case?

Since counterstrike/riposte are interrupt actions, I would apply the reach modifier to the attacker using those techniques. That puts greater risk/reward with using them.

[Giabralter]

Except the rules specifically allow Martial Art styles to be taken as specializations, but do not require it.

To my mind, specializing in Blades (Swords) means you know how to use the sword in general combat, and gives you a +2 dice to all rolls using Swords. Specializing in Blades (Wudang Sword), however, only grants you a +2 dice pool modifier to all Wudang Sword techniques, and as far as I can tell do not grant you the modifier on all attacks made with swords.

Thus, Specializing in Swords AND Wudang Sword/Kenjutsu would give you a +2 dice pool modifier to all attacks made with swords, AND an additional +2 modifier to all Wudang Sword/Kenjutsu techniques.

Also note that p128 specifically precludes the same techniques from different styles from granting more than a +2 bonus or a total modifier reduction of 2.

This is the correct interpretation. Existing characters can already have a specialization of a martial arts prior to Run and Gun. Now a GM could be lenient and allow all armed attacks with a specialization in Wudang Sword the bonus, but that would be up to the GM how broadly he wants the specialization to be applied.

So does that mean you can buy a Martial Art without having any of the Close Combat group skills?

Yes. Some Techniques change combat modifiers, some apply to skills other than close combat, such as gymnastics.

[Cronstintein]

Is purchasing a martial art enough to use it as a specialization described on pg 135?

Or do you also/instead need a specialization in a MA style?

[Edit: and thanks Giabralter for helping to clear some of this up]

[Giabralter]

Is purchasing a martial art enough to use it as a specialization described on pg 135?

Or do you also/instead need a specialization in a MA style?

[Edit: and thanks Giabralter for helping to clear some of this up]

Purchasing the martial art style only gives you a technique (this may give you a bonus depending on the technique) not the +2 skill specialization bonus.   

As for your other question in a different section, you can technically get the martial art skill specialization and the quality "One Trick Pony" in a technique related to that martial art and earn the +2 bonus for that technique.

[RHat]

This is the correct interpretation. Existing characters can already have a specialization of a martial arts prior to Run and Gun. Now a GM could be lenient and allow all armed attacks with a specialization in Wudang Sword the bonus, but that would be up to the GM how broadly he wants the specialization to be applied.

Thanks for the clarification.

Personally, I do find martinchaen's interpretation on when the specialization applies to be unreasonably narrow, though - if you're fighting in the style of that Martial Art, it would be effecting how you're fighting and how you execute a strike or a block or whatever else regardless of whether or not you're executing what is mechanically considered a Technique.

Of course, my text solution to this problem would inflate all the Martial Art entries by a couple of lines, which would add up pretty quick in an already large section.

[Kincaid]

How do the socks work?  Are they a generic +2 armor (like a helmet) that add an additional +2 for called shots to feet/ankles/lower legs or do they just add their bonus of +2 for those called shots?

[Michael Chandra]

As they're written now, I think they're really thick socks that are a generic +2 armor, with an extra bonus on called shots to those directions. They're a bit silly like that, but then again, so is getting armor from forearm guards when you get shot in the chest.

[Medicineman]

or Cyberfeet armor

with an booted Dance
Medicineman

[Kincaid]

or Cyberfeet armor

with an booted Dance
Medicineman

Yeah, it seems like rehasing the armor in partial cyberlimbs issue.

[FangHamhands]

Okay, okay, okay, I think the way Martial Arts works has made it through my thick skull.*

Let's say my Physical Adept as saved up her Karma for a rainy day and it is pouring outside.**
She spends 7 Karma and gets Karate. Since she bought a Martial Art style she gets a technique and she chooses Kick.
Where I was going wrong before was I thought that Karate was now a Specialization of her Unarmed Combat.
What I should do is write the Martial Arts and techniques she knows somewhere separate from her skills.
So she has:
Skills                              Martial Arts
Unarmed 7                      Karate- Kick

She spends 5 more Karma and gets the Counter Strike technique
so now it's
Skills                              Martial Arts
Unarmed 7                      Karate- Kick, Counter Strike

One of the (many) things confusing me was the reference that you could take a Martial Art as a Specialization. This confused me because I thought it already was.
So the adept decides to be really good at Karate and spends 7 Karma to specialize in it. So now we have:
Skills                               Martial Arts
Unarmed (Karate) 7 (+2)         Karate- Kick, Counter Strike

and she gets +2 for all her Karate techniques.

She decides to spend the rest of her saved Karma to get Quarterstaff Fighting since she carries around a telescoping staff.
So she spends 7 Karma and get's the style and one technique. She now has:

Skills                               Martial Arts
Unarmed (Karate) 7 (+2)         Karate- Kick, Counter Strike
                                       Quarterstaff Fighting - Multiple Opponent Combat

She then goes to test out some of her new abilities on the shaman.


Is this right?
Is it close?
Please tell me it's at least close.




*'think' is the key word in that sentence.
** Actually it's a water elemental that the practical joker shaman summoned.

[JackVII]

@FangHamhands: That is correct based on the feedback we have received.

I think the only outstanding question is whether the MA Style specialization bonus applies to all attacks made with the linked skill or only to performing techniques with that style. It seems like they would be imminently superior if they were considered a standard specialization, particularly for styles that may apply across different skills.

[Michael Chandra]

@FangHamhands: That is correct based on the feedback we have received.

I think the only outstanding question is whether the MA Style specialization bonus applies to all attacks made with the linked skill or only to performing techniques with that style. It seems like they would be imminently superior if they were considered a standard specialization, particularly for styles that may apply across different skills.

We had feedback? O_O I just made a guts-interpretation myself.

I'd guess it only applies to the techniques, since otherwise you get the overpowered specialization that Missions has originally forbidden due to rules-vagueness and abuse. "No, see, it's all Boxing!"

[JackVII]

Gibraltar replied to a few threads. They are listed as a freelancer, although I am unsure if Gibraltar worked on R&G or not. But it's at least a bit more than us random sacks opinion on things, LOL.

I think the way I would rule it is that the specialization applies whenever the technique applies. So, if you have a tech that lets you reduce the Called Shot (Leg) penalty by one, you also would roll two additional dice whenever you make a called shot (Leg) attack (assuming the skill is appropriate to the style, so no Dim Mak with a sniper rifle).