Dralasite Martial Artist

From Star Frontiers Network

Dralasite Martial Artist
STR/STA	65/55	PS	+3
DEX/RS	55/65	IM	+7
INT/LOG	40/40	Ranged	28
PER/LDR	40/40	Melee	33
Special Abilities: Elasticity, Lie Detection 5%
Skills: (Military PSA) Martial Arts 1, Melee Weapons 1
Equipment: Electric Sword, Security Skeinsuit, 12 Cr

They have a low center of gravity, they’re strong, they can take a beating, and they can form fists out of the middle of their bodies to send an opponent flying into next week...

Contents 1 Character Concepts 1.1 The Way of the Warrior 1.2 The Undersport Champion 1.3 The Visionary 1.4 The Angry Blob 1.5 Protector of the Oppressed 2 Development 2.1 Developing Abilities 2.2 Developing Skills 3 Equipment 4 Edges and Flaws 4.1 Edge: Surprisingly Quick 4.2 Edge: Meditative Focus 4.3 Edge: Roll with the Punch 4.4 Edge: Martial Arts Academy 4.5 Flaw: Rival Academy

Character Concepts

The Way of the Warrior

The first time you saw a Human practicing "martial arts", you were fascinated and got an idea. Now, using your ability to change your shape at your whim, you forge entire new paths in the Way of the Warrior.

You are creating your own art, carving your own path, and hope to eventually master your own ideas in order to teach others the same. You concentrate on your physical strength and endurance, and focus on your ability to shift your shape.

The Undersport Champion

You grew up on Triad, a heavily populated melting pot of various cultures and people all striving to compete for technology and industrial greatness. Your family couldn’t afford the luxuries of many, and so you lived in a poor section of a major city.

To supplement your family income, you began participating in Undersport – a personal combat arena game that takes place under the city in the original outpost’s aqua-ducts now long unused. Your prowess has earned you some level of fame. After defeating the champion, you won enough money to get off that planet and seek your fortune elsewhere.

The Visionary

Most Dralasites are fun-loving and cheery – not you. You take what you do very seriously, practicing for a harmonious existence between body, mind, and spirit.

The unusual makeup of the Dralasite physiology disperses their genetic structure homogenously throughout their rubbery amorphous bodies, and you feel that is exactly as you should be with the universe. You seek personal perfection, and believe there is another level of existence, a transcendence, that can be achieved through personal mastery.

The Angry Blob

You’re a hothead... always have been. Oh sure, you’ll have a few drinks, tell a few jokes, check out the ladies, and carouse with the best of ‘em. But when someone makes you angry, you don’t simmer; you boil. This seems to get you into a lot of trouble, but in your opinion: it’s not you, it’s them.

So instead of working on your temper, you decided to be practical and work on your fisticuff skills. You actually found that you enjoy it a great deal, and have taken the meditative steps recommended by your teacher to help you with many other things in your life. But closing your eyes, counting to ten, and breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth, doesn’t seem to help that much when someone insults you... your fists start flying often faster than even you realize it now.

Protector of the Oppressed

You were fat, very fat. After your father died of health issues related to his obesity, and tired of being called names and generally feeling unfit, you needed to start working on your health. You signed up for all kinds of diets and fitness routines and nothing worked. Finally, you found Martial Arts, a wonderful mixture of high and low impact aerobics. Today you’re fit as a fiddle, and as a wonderful side bonus, you learned to kick some serious butt!

You now like to stick up for the oppressed, the little guy, in private triumph of your cause. Remembering what it was like to be the fat little guy, you champion those who need but will never ask for it.

Development

Depending on the reasons for your martial arts lifestyle, there can be several avenues of development available for your character. Here are some ideas.

Developing Abilities

Remember, increasing ability scores is slow but rewarding. It only costs 1 experience point to raise an ability score 1 point, so why not start working on developing your body to supernatural levels? Get that Punching Score up... and that Initiative Modifier. No way to do that other than dumping points into Strength and Reaction Speed.

And don’t forget your racial ability: Lie Detection. If honed well enough, the referee might let you use it at a penalty (half?) in order to detect when an opponent is going to perform a feint or bluff on his next maneuver, perhaps giving you an edge!

Developing Skills

The obvious thing to do is increase your Martial Arts skill, as it increases both your chance to hit while unarmed and the damage you cause (remember, you add your Martial Arts level to the damage you cause while punching or kicking!). But not every concept should feel so boxed into a single development path.

Purchasing levels of Environmentalist will give your martial artist some stealth skills, to make him more ninja-like. Thrown Weapons will allow the expert throwing of knives.

If your campaign allows the use of the Mentalist Primary Skill Area, you could work on increasing one of your mental ability scores all the way up to 70 in order to qualify, though this would be a long journey with the statistics provided in this archetype. Having the ability to mentally boost your physical ability scores would fall right in line with several of the character concept ideas provided here.

Equipment

When you can afford it, get your character a skeinsuit. It will protect you from damage from a ballistic/melee nature, which you find yourself in a lot of the time. Picking up an albedo screen would help keep you alive until you can get up close enough to lay into someone in close combat.

The Electric Sword you begin with is great, but you might want to consider upgrading to a Sonic Sword as finances allow. Not only does it do more damage, but it’s pretty small and concealable. Once your skills are high enough to endure the twoweapon and off-hand penalties, pick up a second sonic sword... watch people run in fear!

And never underestimate the value of stimdose... you might hurt later but taking a dose of it now could keep you in the fight long enough to take care of business!

Edges and Flaws

If you’re using this optional system, consider giving your character an Edge associated with personal combat. Here are some ideas:

Edge: Surprisingly Quick

This edge can be invoked to cause your opponent to be surprised as per the normal rules. You’ll get a free attack at him and he just didn’t see it coming. You could use this in the middle of combat! Or use it give yourself a +25 bonus to your next Reaction Speed check... never know when that will save your rubbery butt!

Edge: Meditative Focus

This edge could be invoked if your character has the time to meditate... then his next action (whatever it is he was meditating over) could benefit from a +25 bonus! If the referee allows, you might be able to meditate yourself healthier... perhaps healing double the normal healing rate for any day spent in meditation and rest.

Edge: Roll with the Punch

This edge could be invoked to cancel the damage just caused to you in melee combat. Your character simply rolls with the punch, absorbing the inertial force into his rubbery hide and stepping back a bit.

Edge: Martial Arts Academy

Either you belong to or run a school of martial arts. It may be a lone school, or may exist in a network of schools all teaching the same art. This provides a source for allies, either by bringing along those from your own school or by visiting schools on foreign worlds. Invoke this edge to involve your school or its students in your adventure.

Flaw: Rival Academy

The referee may invoke this flaw in order to force a rival martial artist or school to get involved in your adventure. Perhaps they have a different political view than your own school. They may not want your character dead, but they sure as heck want to prove that their