The Cannon Companion introduces new rules for unarmed combat that replace the basic skill with specific martial arts each of which have their own unique advantages and drawbacks. The system resolves the old problems of specializations and concentrations being abused with the martial arts system, and so the old posting once on this page that laid out defensive and offensive martial arts is no longer necessary.
Panzer Kunst: Literally, "armour art". The ultimate cyborg combat technique. This new martial art exploits the various abilities that characterize cyberized metahumans, such as faster reflexes and superhuman strength. In particular, it takes advantage of the fact that the brain controlling the mechanical body is capable of blocking pain. Self-mutilation is thus a viable option during a confrontation (although clearly as a last resort), and retaliation can take place even after severe body damage, such as loss of limbs. The Panzer Kunst encompasses a series of sophisticated fighting maneuvers. Note that this skill does not necessarily depend on the cyborg's physical body, it is a knowledge engraved within their psyche. The Panzer Kunst also provides a definite tactical advantage, since it gives its user the ability to analyze an opponent's fighting style and to retaliate accordingly.
Similar Styles: Panzer Faust, Mue Katchuah, Yuan Yang Ti Kon Chun
Manuevers:Einzug Rustungen ("armoured penetration") - similar to Penetrating Blow, it allows
a cyborg to focus its strength into one powerful attack.
What's that? Armed Martial arts? Yes you read correctly, the martial arts do not apply merely to unarmed hand to hand techniques but to weapons as well. Almost every weapon has a detailed martial art developed for it every bit as sophisticated and adept as the martial arts developed for unarmed combat. What this means for the shadowrunner is that learning a Weapon Style teaches you manuevers similar to those learned in martial arts. This is an extension of the martial arts system in Cannon Companion for particular. We'll start with a handful of weapons both Western and Eastern and add to it over time.
Fencing
Western fencing replaces a character's Edged Weapon skill. Fencing employs the blade equally in both defense and offense. Considered the ultimate refined sword style; practitioners maintain that this form surpasses all others in deadly efficiency. Fencing represents the first application of scientific principles to a martial art in the West.
Weapons: Foil, Epee, Rapier, Sabre, Dagger, Western Sword Canes
Advantages: +1 die to Defense, Users suffer only a +2 TN penalty to Called Shots
Disadvantages: -1 die in tightly enclosed spaces or any area where full movement is restricted. Base damage reduced to Light for all weapons.
Maneuvers: Called Shot, Disarm, Full Defense, Lunge, Lock Blades, Close Combat, Disorient, Herding, Zoning, Off-Hand Weapon, Case
Buckler
Buckler is an interesting western martial art that employed very small shields called Bucklers or
Targets. Built in a number of different forms, from concave bowls to rippled-rectangular, all were
designed to be held in one hand and used as an off-hand weapon. In wartime, bucklers were often
equipped with long spikes, hooks, and studs designed to trap opponents weapons and cause extra damage
when the buckler was used to punch an opponent.
Weapons: Bucklers
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Maneuvers: Disarm, Lock Blade, Close Combat, Full Defense, Disorient,
Staff
Eastern Martial Arts
Ken-Jitsu
Eastern sword styles emphasize lightning fast slashing attacks and avoidance of an opponents weapon rather than the parrying employed in fencing. Instead of the rigorous defense taught in fencing, students
are taught to be faster than their opponent and to inflict a deadly wound before they can be hit.
Weapons: Katana, Wakazashi, Kodachi, No-Dachi, Eastern Sword Canes
Advantages: +1 to Attack. No penalty for Full Offense.
Disadvantages: -1 to Defense. -3 dice for Subduing Combat
Maneuvers: Focus Strength, Focus Will, Evasion, Full Offense, Multi-Strike, Whirling, Zoning, Off-Hand Weapon, Case, Iado
Bo-Jitsu
Bo Jitsu is the art of fighting with the bo, or wooden staff. Although there are differences between
Chinese and Japanese staff fighting, let alone others, for simplicity's sake all are grouped together under
this heading.
Weapons:Bo-staff, Iron Staff, Bamboo & hardwood staffs.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Manuevers:Whirling Attack, Multi-Strike, Evasion, Full Defense,
The Cannon Companion introduces a good start to making melee combat in Shadowrun interesting, but I think that it can be taken even further at the cost of only a little more die rolling. As a studying martial artist myself in both unarmed and armed techniques, I have learned that when one technique fails you often fall back on another to defeat your opponent. In other words if you miss with the sword in one hand there is nothing preventing you from punching or grappling your opponent with your free hand. In fact many martial art styles 'incorporate' a weapons form - and vice versa - precisely so that a martial artist may take advantage of integrating attacks from both the weapon and her body.
Now if this is the case in real life, how can we incorporate this into shadowrun? Very simply, we can allow a skilled martial artist with the necessary skills to make additional attacks that employ her free free limbs should the first attack fail. Even if a fencer is more skilled with his sword than with grappling maneuvers from wrestling (typically taught alongside fencing during the renaissance), his bad luck with the sword might translate into better luck with a grapple and takedown.
To represent this, I have kept the martial art styles from Cannon companion with one small change to their maneuvers. Those martial art styles that incorporate weapons forms have a new maneuver that replaces their old ability to apply other existing maneuvers to the weapon and instead lets them integrate their weapon skill with their martial art in this manner.
In addition, I have added several martial art weapon skills that can be taken instead of the regular Armed combat skills in SR3. Cannon Companion lists certain martial arts in which specific maneuvers can be extended to armed combat skills. (Arnis De Mano with clubs, and Kung Fu with Edged & Pole Arms). The following martial arts were designed around specifically designed weapons and are only really useable with those weapons. The character may specialize in the weapons listed for each martial skill. When employed with any other weapon not listed the character uses the standard skill defaulting rules from SR3.
Aim
Called Shot
Disarming
Full Defense
Lunge
A lunge is a varient of the charge that may be done from a complete rest by both an attacking character or a defending character. A defensive lunge is called a stop-thrust, and consists of a drop to the ground or a lunge to the sides or back. The character gains a +2 bonus to the Power of the attack, and has an effective +1 bonus to reach, cumulative with all other reach bonuses. If the character fails a charging attack ( the defender wins or dodges), the character must make a Quickness(6) Test or suffer a -2 penalty to all melee rolls the next turn as they recover their stance. If the character must make a Knockdown Test because the defender inflicted damage, modify the Knockdown Test by +2 instead.
Lock Blades
This maneuver does for armed combat, what grappling does for unarmed. It allows the use of the character's Fencing skill in grappling an opponent with a weapon of their own. Once an opponents weapons are locked up, their ability to fight with them is eliminated.
The character faces a +2 target number modifier and must achieve a number of successes on his melee Success test equal to or greater than the opponent's Quickness in order to lock blades iwth teh opponent. If he wins but does not achieve the required number of successes, he has only managed to keep his blade engaged with his opponent's blade. If he maintains the contact until his next attempt to lock blades, he does not suffer the +2 target number modifier. Contact is lost if the character is successfully attacked.
Once a character's weapons have been locked, they must either relinquish their weapon or are effectively immobilized.
The subduing character makes an Open Test using a number of dice equaal to his net successes. THe highest resulting die of this test is the target number for a Strength or Quickness Test the opponent can make to break free; making such a test requires a Complex Action. A success indicates that the two opponents have freed blades and leapt clear of each other.
Once an opponent's weapons are locked, the attacking character can use a Complex Action to either cause Stun Damage to the opponent or attack with a weapon in a free hand.
Close Combat
This maneuver allows the character to step inside an opponent's reach. Using the close-combat maneuver negates an opponent's Reach bonus and reduces the power of an opponents attacks by -1. However, it also negates the character's Reach bonus and reduces the Power of his attacks by -1.
Disorient
Herding
Full Offense
See SR3 pg. 124
Off-Hand Weapon
This maneuver allows the use of an off-hand weapon to be used in conjunction with the primary weapon. The user must be skilled in using the off-hand weapon - this maneuver is applicable to the primary weapon.
Case
Case is fighting with two blades of equal length. The difference from off-hand weapon is that Case teaches you to integrate both blades for equal usage. There is no primary and secondary, both blades are used equally.
Iado
Iado (pronounced ee-ai-do) is the collective name for quickdrawing arts that involve drawing an edged weapon from it's scabbard to rapidly accelerate the blade far faster than it could normally be swung. In this case, the scabbard and method of drawing impart a whip-lash effect on the blade and increasing damage in a blindingly fast move. Iado gives the weapon +2 to its power for that attack and gives the wielder an ability similar to the Adept Quick Draw ability, allowing the wielder to draw and attack in a single Combat Phase. Unlike Quick draw, the use of Iado is a Complex Action.
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