[ZombieAcePilot]

Hey Everyone,

I'm working on a throwback samurai (he's an adept with minimal bioware) who practices bushido. Thus acting properly is very important to me. Two qualities I am considering are vindictive (which I think works) and Combat Monster (Way back i feudal japan it was common to kill your enemy down to the last man, and it was considered a good or honorable death). I'm worried about the synergy between the two is going to be a problem. I can take disarm via martial arts... but i'm not sure that's going to be enough to stop me from lopping heads off wholesale. I don't want or need a crazy high notoriety caused by killing every Tom, Dick, And Harry who steps on my new shoes. What constitutes disabled? Would disarming someone or having them surrender count for that purpose?

What do you guys recommend I do? I suppose the most simple solution would be not to take combat monster, but I'm interested to see the responses of the community.

[JustADude]

The way I read it, having someone throw down their weapon and surrender... or break and run, for that matter... would definitely be considered "disabled."

The intent of Combat Monster is that you refuse to stop fighting until you win, even if the odds are against you.

[Novocrane]

Go for the Arnis De Mano / Disarm / Two Weapon Fighting thing, and wear the daisho.

Three ranks of Arnis De Mano, Disarm, Two Weapon Fighting, Riposte. Maybe Offhand Training & Iaijutsu.
If you go for four ranks of martial arts; +1dv blades, or +1 full parry would be a good choice.

*edit*
Derp ... I skimmed the title.

[Caradoc]

Ask your GM if he will allow your Samurai Adept to get Adept power discounts by taking a Geas on one or more powers.

That is, you'll get the appropriate power(s) for a samurai at a 25% discount (in addition to any Way of the Adept discounts you may have such as Way of the Warrior) but if you break the Geas you'll lose those Geased powers until you can atone or make things right. In your case the Geas would be following the Bushido code.

This is an optional rule in Street Magic p.31

[Thrass]

just get a couple of points in edge so you can reroll if you are in a situation were you desperately need to control yourself

[Novocrane]

Would it be bad form to suggest getting an MPC Bridge from War, so that Thrass' suggestion (almost) never comes up? Critical Glitches excepted.

[Kat9]

Vindictive I can speak on, but not Combat Monster.

I have a character that has vindictive for most interactions the character is joking around and is a fairly likeable personality. However there is sort of an underlying instability to the jokes and laughter. There's a 'do not cross line' that I make clear when the character's temper flares. "Minor things" such as a joke that the character feels is actually an insult might get an outburst and a threat. "Moderate things" like actual insults, spitting on, hitting but doing no damage would result in a battering and maybe a few targeted kicks while the person is down. "Serious things," hurting a friend, doing damage to self or property, betrayal...well then its time to kill someone.


That said, vindictive is only a Composure 2 roll so you can have it and still be pretty much in control but to quote Walter Scott Williams, "Perfect control is
sought, but there are accidents-impacts, a flurry of fists and elbows-and someone crawls out of the zone, whimpering through a bloodstreaked hand, unnoticed by the pack. "