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LordSmerf
06-02-2004, 11:17 PM
Minor Update 3/17/2005, Flowing Steps moved from basic to Ob4, it's just too powerful to be free.
UPDATED 3/9/2005, Original post retained for archival purposes.

The Dance
The Dance is a highly stylized and flexible style of entertainment. The number of potential candidates to learn the Dance is rather rare due to the combination of mental and physical abilities that are required. Dancers are almost exclusively slaves who are owned by the few noblemen able to afford such a rare mark of prestige.

The Dance, as its name implies is a graceful, flowing style of movement. It is primarily used as a performance art which may be done with or without weapons. However, the Dance is an incredibly deadly art which utilizes constant movement to take on multiple opponents.

Basic Moves/Abilities
Unfettered Movement
Due to its reliance upon constant movement, anything that reduces your mobility reduces your effectiveness. If you are on the Inside or if someone Gets Inside on you then all actions using the Dance are at a +1 Obstacle.

Flashing Blade
Each Dancer chooses a weapon that they Dance with. Dancers can only use Slow speed bladed weapons which can be used to thrust or to slash.

One with the Blade
Dancers are trained to use their weapons as an extension of their bodies. This means that by the entire body is trained as a weapon. Dancers use their Dance skill for unarmed combat.

Special Moves/Abilities
Ob 1 Dancing with the Blade
Those who learn the Dance are trained to incorporate the movements of their opponents and the weapons of their opponents into their own movements. You now use your Dance skill for Avoids.

Ob 2 Knowing Your Place
The Dancer obtains a keen sense of their location and the location of their opponents. +1D to Maintain tests made with The Dance.

Ob 3 Moving with Balance
The Dancer learns how to move with incredible balance and can extend their body farther without losing their center. Their weapon length is increased by one.

Ob 4 Flowing Steps
Those who learn the Dance learn to utilize smooth, flowing movements. They may use The Dance for positioning tests.

Ob 4 Slashing Pirouette(agg)
Dancers are trained to utilize the centrifugal force of a spin to accelerate their weapons. This allows them to Strike at any two opponents within lunge range of their weapon. You must split your dice between your targets

Ob 5 Coiling Strike(agg)
Dancers have learned to set themselves up for powerful strikes while simultaneously striking an opponent. Whenever you Set a Great Strike, you may now simultaneously make an unarmed Strike against an opponent in range.

Ob 5 True Understanding
The Dancer has learned to truly use their weapon as an extension of their body. This understanding of the weapon lowers its speed from Slow to Fast. The Dancer must have been using this weapon when earning a test for advancement in The Dance.

Ob 6 Recoiling Strike(def)
The Dancer learns to judge incoming strikes and devote just enough movement to avoid it. You may script a Recoiling Strike. It counts as an Avoid, with any successes not needed to Avoid a strike going into a return Strike.

Ob 6 Perfect Pirouette(agg)
The Dancer has perfected the Slashing Pirouette, you may now strike as many targets as are within your lunge range. You must allocate your dice between each target. You may allocate 0 dice to a target.

Ob 7 Approaching Perfection
The Dancer is nearing perfect movement in combat. Once per Exchange you may script two actions using The Dance in tandem. You must split your dice between these two actions. Note: both of these actions can target the same opponent, even if you tandemly script a pair of Strikes or even Multi-Strikes.

Ob 8 The Perfect Dance
The Dancer has finally learned to perfect movement in combat. Once per Exchange you may script an action in tandem with one of your other actions. This tandem action is at full dice (even if both actions use the same skill). Note: both of these actions can target the same opponent, even if you tandemly script a pair of Strikes or even Multi-Strikes.



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Original Post

The Dance
The Dance is a highly stylized and flexible style of entertainment. The number of potential candidates to learn the Dance is rather rare due to the combination of mental and physical abilities that are required. Dancers are almost exclusively slaves who are owned by the few noblemen able to afford such a rare mark of prestige.

The Dance, as its name implies is a graceful, flowing style of movement. It is primarily used as a performance art which may be done with or without weapons. However, the Dance is an incredibly deadly art which utilizes constant movement to take on multiple opponents.

Basic Moves/Abilities
Due to its reliance upon constant movement, anything that reduces your mobility reduces your effectiveness. If you are on the Inside or if someone Gets Inside on you then all actions using the Dance are at a +1 Obstacle.

Those who learn the Dance learn to utilize smooth, flowing movements. Dancers do not suffer the +1 Obstacle penalty from dashing in combat.

Each Dancer chooses a weapon that they Dance with. Dancers can only use Slow speed weapons which can be used to thrust or to slash.

Dancers are trained to use their weapons as an extension of their bodies. This means that by the entire body is trained as a weapon. Dancers use their Dance skill for unarmed combat.

Special Moves/Abilities
Ob 1 Dancing with the Blade
Those who learn the Dance are trained to incorporate the movements of their opponents and the weapons of their opponents into their own movements. You now use your Dance skill for Avoids.

Ob 2 Knowing Your Place
The Dancer has learned to sense the location of anyone within their range. They can not be flanked.

Ob 3 Moving with Balance
The Dancer learns how to move with incredible balance. The +1 Ob for Lunging no longer applies.

Ob 4 Slashing Pirouette(agg)
Dancers are trained to utilize the centrifugal force of a spin to accelerate their weapons. This allows them to Strike at any two opponents within lunge range of their weapon. You must split your dice between your targets

Ob 5 Coiling Strike(agg)
Dancers have learned to set themselves up for powerful strikes while simultaneously striking an opponent. Whenever you Set a Great Strike, you may now simultaneously make an unarmed Strike against an opponent in range.

Ob 5 Economy of Movement
The Dancer learns to judge incoming strikes and devote just enough movement to avoid it. When you script a Counter-Strike you do not have to divide dice between Strike and Block, instead you may choose to roll first and allocate the success to the Strike and the Block.

Ob 6 Perfect Pirouette(agg)
The Dancer has perfected the Slashing Pirouette, you may now strike as many targets as are within your lunge range. You must allocate your dice between each target.

Ob 7 True Understanding
The Dancer has learned to truly use their weapon as an extension of their body. This understanding of the weapon lowers its speed from Slow to Fast. The Dancer must have practiced or used this weapon for at least one month in order to Truly Understand it.

Ob 8 The Perfect Dance
The Dancer has finally learned to perfect movement in combat. You may now script any two actions using the Dance skill in tandem. You must split your dice between these two actions. (Note: both of these actions can target the same opponent, even if you tandemly script a pair of Strikes or even Multi-Strikes.)

Design Notes: The Dance was designed for the use of one of my personal characters. It was originally intended for use with a Chinese short sword in each hand. Since i'm something of a video game addict the primary inspiration for flow of movement comes from Namco's Soul Caliber 2 character Xianghua.

I hope some other people find this to be pretty cool. As always suggestions for changes and/or additions are always welcome.

Thomas

Mikado
06-03-2004, 12:52 AM
So what your making is: Capoeira...
What is Capoeira?

ROOTS OF CAPOEIRA
Capoeira’s (or Capoeiragem, Malandragem or Vadicão) path has been traced through slave-quarters (Senzalas) of the plantations, to secret societies (Maltas) in Bahia. It survived under persecution as an oral tradition, living in the streets and open spaces in Brazil. It is now a flourishing cultural form of itself, and hailed as the National Sport.

From 1535 to 1885, millions of Africans were subjugated into slavery, including people from Angola, the Congo and Mozambique. Many of the important documents relating to slavery in Brazil were burned, to cleanse from history the traces of slavery, and this has taken from us valuable insights as to the development of the art. It is commonly believed that a form of Capoeira arrived in Brazil with the Africans and was developed by their descendants. However, some say Capoeira was created by Africans in Brazil, others rigidly hold that its roots in Africa, but it flourished and blossomed in Brazil. Capoeira is a tradition of fighting with the feet, perhaps directly descended from tribal dervishes of strength and ritual dance.

Capoeira was banned by Penal Decree from 1890 to 1930, and during that time, it was only street hoodlums (Malandros) and members of secret societies who practiced the art. Bandits used the steps of the dance as a weapon; sometimes with straight razors held between their toes.

Mestre Bimba opened the first academy for training in 1927. By 1937, Capoeira was finally officially recognized and brought in from the streets to thrive in academies and other venues. It was only through the dedication and unfaltering courage of but a few individuals, masters who are only one generation away from us.

CAPOEIRA TODAY
Capoeira is a unique blend of movement, song and music. At first glance one sees a circle of clapping onlookers, singing choruses in Portuguese to traditional call and response songs. In the center of the circle two capoeiristas move in what resembles a competitive dance. There is an acrobatic and beautiful avoidance of physical contact. The players’ movements display ritual, trickery and grace. As one continues to look, one sees that the contributions of the encircling players and musicians play a large part in the game. Songs rich with oral traditions are sung to references what is occurring at that very moment in the game. This gathering of musicians and artist forms a community of expression.

The musical soul of Capoeira, the berimbau, leads an orchestra of drums, tambourines and bells. The rhythms govern the speed and type of games played. One rhythm calls for beautiful flourishes and graceful movements, another calls for close-quartered movements, and sneaky deception to trap the opponent. Many moves involve headstands, handstands, cartwheels and other improvised movements. There are small rituals and gestures that season the games. Everyone’s style of play is very individual, and evolves with their experience in the art.

In training, we often play competitively with our partner. Rather than block an oncoming blow, we evade it with a flight or a flourish, and trip them up as we leave. At its best expression, there is never any actual contact between players. Skill is cultivated to pull blows, and it is enough to show that a kick could have landed, without striking the other person. In class you learn all the physical elements of Capoeira, but this is only one facet of Capoeira. There is much more than physical training involved. You will learn to sing, to play musical instruments, possibly to speak a whole new language!

Capoeira is a living testament to the durability of the human spirit that is practiced in dance academies, cultural centers and universities. The evolution of capoeira continues under the influence of creativity and imagination.

THE BENEFITS OF PRACTICING CAPOEIRA
Flexibility
Mobility
Rhythm
Power
Endurance
Development of another language
Gain a singing voice
Cardio-vascular fitness
Spatial awareness
Provides a personal creative outlet
Gain self-confidence
Foster cultural identity

As take from http://www.capoeiranj.com/index.htm

LordSmerf
06-03-2004, 01:02 AM
Actually, from what little i know about Capoeira this is quite dissiilar. This is much closer to a combination of Ballet and Kung Fu weapon performances/demonstrations. I've always thought of Capoeira as being much more staccatto and being non-weapon based.

As i mentioned before, i don't know a whole lot about Capoeira so i could be totally wrong. Pretty much all i know about Capoeira comes from Namco's Tekken series and maybe two or three Discovery Channel specials...

Thomas

luke
06-03-2004, 10:01 AM
It struck me as similar to capoeria, as well.

But I can also see the similarities to chinese acrobatics/opera. The moves are cool. I'd set a limit on Perfect Dance. Maybe once per exchange?

-L

LordSmerf
06-03-2004, 12:56 PM
I haven't yet had an oppurtunity to playtest The Perfect Dance yet. I do want something that is incredibly powerful, but looking back it seems to me that such tandem scripting at Ob 8 is a little bit overpowered... It should definately have some limit. Maybe once per Exchange, maybe just once per Volley...

Thomas

Trayer
06-06-2004, 05:35 PM
I acctually saw it as a sort of flamenco. It could be really cool like that, though I think a weapon like a bladed fan could make it a little more inconspicuous perhaps. mmm Dancing assassination. Just had a vision of a noble masquerade ball where a lady in red dances with the prince, who eventually would be no more... But then again this kind of wanders from the original suggestion of The Dance.

just my two cents

-CMC

LordSmerf
06-06-2004, 09:50 PM
Well, i do think that would be cool, and it can occasionally fall into the realm of the Dance. As i envisioned it however, the Dance is not about being inconspicuous. It's very conspicuous, Dancers are prized as entertainers. Of course it's generally rather difficult to assassinate someone when a Dancer doesn't want you to, and it's hard to keep someone alive if a Dancer wants them dead. It's just not what you would use if you wanted to keep things in the shadows.

Of course we're working on some assassination focused martial arts... And as for inconspicuous weapons... heh... That's coming up next.

Thomas

Pheel
06-11-2004, 05:15 AM
Keeping the mechanics but severing it from the "slave" BG you present, I'd use it as an Elvish art -- combine it with the Sword of Swords. The two together -- that's a lot of fast moving steel...

But don't call them Wardancers, because GW will sue yer ass. :wink:

LordSmerf
06-11-2004, 01:26 PM
Heh...

I guess you could just use the art for whatever you want... I just included the background because that's where it game from for me.... I don't know if i emphasized it enough, but the Dance as we use it is used at least as often for pure entertainment as it is for combat...

Thomas

LordSmerf
03-09-2005, 02:39 AM
Updated for the new Fight! rules! Hurray!

Changes:

-Named the four basic maneuvers.
-De-broke Flowing Steps (basic maneuver 2)
-Made Knowing Your Place useful
-De-broke Moving With Balance
-Slightly changed True Understanding and dropped it's Ob by 2
-Made Economy of Movement it's own Action (Recoiling Strike) and bumped it up one Ob. Also, made it an Avoid instead of a Counter-Strike, so it's no longer susceptible to Feints.
-Added Approaching Perfection at Ob 7, since there wasn't anything there (with True Understanding moved)
-De-broke The Perfect Dance (once per Exchange now) and made it a bit more potent (full dice, and the ability to tandem action anything).

Comments?

Thomas

Enlil
03-09-2005, 04:02 PM
Very cool, overall. It seems like it would fit very well for the evil overlords female bodyguards, as well.

Two bits, though -
First, if your only intention is to make Recoiling Strike unfeintable, I would make it a Block&Strike type move (like with shield training), rather than an avoid. And Avoid is just good against too many things.

Perfect Pirouette, on the other hand, comes off feeling a little weak to me - how often are you going to want to split 7-8 dice more than once? I would power it up a bit - maybe allocate the sucesses rather than the dice?

Christian

LordSmerf
03-09-2005, 04:09 PM
Interesting points. Recoiling Strike as it stands was Luke's suggestion, so blame him. :) Actually, it's much closer to what I envisioned now, basically the Dancer sort of leans a bit to the side and the attack just misses them, then they hit you in the face. But yes, I know that Avoid is ridiculously powerful, this is a very scary move to me.

Perfect Pirouette is intended for fighting a number of lower powered character instead of one or two of equal level. Depending on FoRKs and Stance I can see splitting as many as four ways. This becomes especially interesting when combined with The Perfect Dance. At least I think so.

Thomas

Enlil
03-11-2005, 02:27 PM
Hmm, maybe recoiling strike should be limited to once an exchange, then? Otherwise, it just seems like too good of a tactic to do nothing but Recoiling Strikes. I mean, what is the downside?

Christian

luke
03-17-2005, 12:42 AM
Hey. I think allowing the skill to be used for positioning tests is inordinately powerful. I don't remember seeing that in there before. Or perhaps I suggested it in a fit of delerium? Regardless. It's too much for a free move. It's got to be a learned maneuver.

-L

LordSmerf
03-17-2005, 02:33 PM
Yeah, you're probably right... I'll be taking a look at it this afternoon or tomorrow...

Thomas

LordSmerf
03-17-2005, 03:25 PM
Made Flowing Steps an Ob4 special move. It was a bit powerful to be free.

Thomas

LordSmerf
03-17-2005, 04:43 PM
I've been thinking about Recoiling Strike, and it's very, very powerful. I'm pondering possibly making it like a Feint in that if the Avoid isn't needed for anything the move doesn't go off. Now, Avoid can be used for all sorts of things, but it's some limit at least. Thoughts?

EDIT: I guess it would be more like a Counterstrike than a Feint, but you get the idea...

Thomas

Enlil
03-18-2005, 01:44 AM
Hmm, for Recoiling Strike, maybe just being and avoid/strike is enough? If you split the dice like a counterstrike, not after you've rolled, it becomes much more reasonable. I mean, you wanted a super counterstrike - having the defensive portion be am avoid does that, so does choosing how to divide the dice after rolling. Both is just a bit scary. Needing an attack of some kind to counterstrike off of seems like a good idea too - it is a bit weird to dodge the block, then smack your opponent.

Christian

Tacitus Magnificatus
03-17-2006, 03:16 AM
Real cool Martial Art, Thank you for having shared it with us.

Tacitus Magnificatus