The martial arts skill. A discussion.

[XWuZHeAR 0]

Hey there citizens of Aincrad X here better know as your... *digs scroll out of back pocket* resident-performer-wolf-tamer-heartthrob-famously-infamous-Annoying-and most of all martial arts skill user. When I started reading over the quest I had no idea I would actually want to main the martial arts skill as my "class" then again it seems I'm always with a minority of the site seeing as that im of the few performers, among the first to get a new buffed familiar, and martial arts skill main. Now why am I such a hipster? That's a good question but a bit off topic.

The main topic here is the martial arts skill. It's most famous "bonus" being you don't have to go to a blacksmith and pay Oikawas outrages prices for a blade (jk). However that only leaves with the unarmed damage handwraps. Caps at three and no other enchantments applicable like bleed or paralysis. Not to mention while players that wield one blade get the use of a shield. Players with two handed weapons atleast get access to the other two enchantnents. So aside from being an awesome RP fight tool the martial arts skill is put out to dry as a disadvantage in most cases. While yes it is an extra skill would allow you to use one more skill than a person using a sword would be most players with said skill already spent points on a weapon skill with no way to reassign them.

So as I have previously mentioned the one handed weapon users get the shield and two handed weapon users atleast get the enchantments of a weapon. Now what I propose is a unique twist for martial arts skill users. Now I've joked about the "duel shield users" in the past and it will remain as a joke. However I think there just might be someway to give martial arts players what there lacking.

Imagine what a martial arts player in SAO would need to be in order to survive. Many of you probably thought fast right speed and strength seeing as that your not even wielding a weapon. Well we can't do anything to really give martial arts players an edge in eva or attack damage. So then I suggest we give martial arts users the ability to use an all new skill. Much like the one handed weapon users can use the block skill martial arts users would use there own skill.

I give you the fighting spirit skill. What the skill would do is allow players to take less damage and avoid there opponets damage mitigation. Now via roleplay this would be when a fighter blocks with there arms or grabs the blade. Now the part where the mitigation avoidance comes in via roleplay would be them seeing using the moment as an oppening.

The skill would look like so: TheRealSlimShady has 4 damage mitigation and deals 6 damage. X deals 6 damage and has a fighting spirit of 2.

Now TheRealSlimShady rolls a 6 on the BD minus X's 2 fighting spirit. Now since it falls into the BD range of a miss X takes half of the damage rounded up and his next attack ignores half of the oppenets Mitigation rounded up. Meaning X takes 3 damage and if his attack hits without a crit it deals 4 damage.

Feel free to post your thoughts down below.

[XWuZHeAR 0]

No no no you don't deal half damage, instead you would end up dealing more. Also the parry works regardless of the rolls while this requires your oppenets dice to miss but they don't really miss instead in this case it just activates the skill. Which is only use full against opponets with mitigation making it not over powered.

[Mari 1]

Both are extremely OP and would not work in our current system.

GMs are working on separation of somethings like this however it is in the works so I cannot give a major update on what is being worked on.

Martial arts is just that, martial arts. As it is an 'extra unlock able. It can be a secondary form of combat, as a few people have chosen.

As it is an unlockable 'extra' skill adding subskills onto that would limit those users, as that subskill would have to fall under the 9 skill cap limit. If it didn't it wouldn't be justified.

There are many many many many things to consider when suggestinf new skills. The bones are there X, but the ideas proposed in this thread would not translate well to the site.

Still have no fear, there are things being worked on!

[Skylar 0]

I use a shield and I am a pure martial arts user. I even have Paralysis on my shield. When I think Martial Arts I think hand to hand combat in general. So I use Judo, Muay-Ti, and Chinese Kung-Fu. The fact that martial arts are originally made to beat armed and unarmed opponents I am okay with just my shield.