Sin'an 8/12 pt
Primary Skill: Sin'an
Secondary Skills: Body Language, Tactics
Optional Skills: Acrobatics, various melee weapons,
Shield
Maneuvers: Breakfall,
Disarm, Elbow Strike, Ground Fighting, Knee Strike, Stamp Kick (1pt), Sweeping
Kick
Cinematic Maneuvers: Roll With Blow
Cinematic Skills: Blind Fighting, Immovable Stance,
Push, see below
(At the GM's option, Sin'an
adepts might also buy Extra Hit Points; this would be appropriate even for
non-cinematic practitioners of the style.)
At its most basic, Sin'an is an unarmed style, but
students also often study hand weapon techniques and shield use. The most
important techniques of Sin'an focus on controlling
the battlefield and making good use of the ground. A user of Sin'an
will often prefer to enter close combat, grapple, and throw, or slam his
opponent down. Attacks useful when
grappling are also taught. Though not
part of the main martial style, Sin'an teachers who
also teach weapon skills often make a good study of the weapon's close combat
techniques. Traditional weapons include
the staff, short staff, mace, axe, knife, and spear. Ranged weapons are never taught, though
defenses against them are (such as getting in close, so a ranged weapon is no
advantage). The school has an odd aversion to duplicity, preferring
straightforward strength. The next most
important techniques in Sin'an are defensive.
Advanced students study joint locks, but these are secondary to personal
defense and damage-dealing attacks.
Sin'an makes available some esoteric
skills to students Trained by a Master. For obtaining this training, a
Master of the Granite Hand suffices, and since there are enough of these to
teach in Heaven on occasion, it is possible for an angel who had been on good
terms with Stone to gain this Advantage; however, they will not teach Power Blow, Pressure Points or
Pressure Secrets (which come with the Distinction), or any skill based on them,
to someone who has not earned the Distinction. They can, however, teach a
few other skills, as well as Enhanced Dodge and Enhanced Parry. Students who are Trained by a Sin'an Master may learn Blind Fighting, Immovable
Stance, and Push; only rumored are Body Control and Mountain Heart, and
rumor makes these out only to affect Vessels, or only to affect humans,
depending on who is doing the mongering.
Adjust the cost accordingly for any additions of Maneuvers and/or
Cinematic skills besides the ones listed in the style description.
Malakim of War are said to be attempting to combine
advanced Sin'an techniques with their Choir
Attunement to develop a precognitive parry that will work against bullets. The research is slow going, though, and no
one can say if it will work.
Fallen angels who know Sin'an and were Trained by a
Master can learn an odd array of skills not in this list; Malphas
has demons who can teach Breaking Blow, demons of Fleurity
can teach an effective form of Drunken Fighting which works under any
intoxication, and Valefor can show a demon how to use
Light Walk. One single Fallen Master of the Granite Hand is rumored to
have discovered the Hand of Death and use it in Saminga's service. Regardless of the truth of the rumor (fallen
angels lose their Distinctions, after all), his soul-death is well-known to
rate a substantial reward from Stone.
Sin'an (Physical/Hard) (No default)
This is a combat skill which focuses on keeping the
user alive long enough to take opportunities to do damage. It relies
heavily on making good use of the environment, especially the ground. It
is generally a synthesis of the techniques represented in GURPS by the Karate
and Judo skills. The ethos of the school
is also strictly against starting a fight, so "first strikes" are not
taught. As with Karate or Judo, a user of Sin'an may
parry unarmed at 2/3 skill. There is no penalty for using either
hand. 1/10 of Sin'an skill is added to the
damage done by punches or kicks.
Maneuvers default to it as per Karate, with the following exceptions:
Arm Lock (Sin'an -3)
Breakfall (Sin'an)
Disarm (Sin'an)
Feint (Sin'an -2)
Ground Fighting (Sin'an
-1)
Head Lock (Sin'an -6)
Jab (no default)
Judo Throw (Sin'an)
Jump Kick (no default)
Kicking (no default)
Spin Kick (no default)
Stamp Kick (Sin'an -2)
Sweeping Kick (Sin'an -1)