| Stats Affected: | [Affects visible muscle definition] Description: A rare skill in this day and age, warriors only consider it a last resort. At normal skill levels, an unarmed man is always at a huge disadvantage against an armed opponent of similar ability. There are stories however, of high-level martial arts masters who can match any master swordsman in combat with just their bare hands. Physical conditioning is an important factor for a martial artist. |
| -Unlocks better techniques -Frequency of unarmed attacks on opponent -Chance of attacks not getting blocked -Reduces injury when striking metal | |
| Ways to Train: | |
| -Fighting unarmed -Using special training equipment | |
| -Combat- | |
Martial arts is a hard skill to train at first. Most enemies can knock you down before you ever become a true threat; however, with the right time and training, a martial artist can become a potent ally. As characters level up in the Martial arts skill, they will gain new attacks. This is a unique trait as no other "weapon" gains new attacks as skills increase.
Martial Arts is a very dangerous combat method to train because characters engaging in 'unarmed combat' can be injured through their attacker's hits as well as when landing their own hits. Starting out training Martial Arts against characters who are wearing anything heavier than Light Armour can easily result in a loss of a limb. However, most Robot Limbs do increase Martial Arts damage. Certain armor can negate fist damage during attacks. As a character becomes a seasoned Martial Artist, they progressively will take less damage from landing hits. Because Skeletons already have Robot Limbs, they can make good Martial Artists.
| Racial Experience Multipliers | |
|---|---|
| Negative Multiplier: -Soldierbot |
Positive Multiplier: There are no races which have positive experience multipliers for this stat. |
| All multipliers are either 0.8x or 1.2x unless marked otherwise. | |
Damage that is done while using Martial Arts depends on three skills: Martial Arts, Strength, and Toughness. Because of this, it may be better to train Strength up a lot before even starting to work on Martial Arts. Strength plays a massive part in calculating how much damage attacks do. Dexterity affects combat speed for both attacks and dodge.
Despite not being a weapon and not weighing anything in your inventory, Martial Arts does have a required Strength Level as though it was a normal weapon. Unlike normal weapons, though, its required level will shift over time with your Martial Arts skill. The level of strength needed is equivalent to 80% your Martial Arts skill level (Divide your Martial Arts level by 50 to get the damage value, then multiply that by 40 to get the required Strength level).
The shape, size, and default posture of a character can greatly change how much reach their martial arts techniques have.
Training
As with Melee Fighting skills, the XP rate of Martial Arts and dodge is connected to whether a character is fighting someone who is better trained than them. Wearing Equipment which increases Martial Arts stats will result in less stressful battles but much longer training time because of this. The fastest way to train Martial Arts is to wear regular armour, not Martial Arts boosting armour, as well as a Backpack with a very high drain on combat stats.
Some armour which gives Martial Arts stat boosts are: Martial Artist Bindings, Gi Pants, Gi, Assassin's Rags, and Sleeveless Dustcoat.
Skill Progression
At level 30, the following attacks are unlocked: double palm strike, jump kick, uppercut
Weak / Starting Punch
This is the punch you start of with. It's very weak and is nearly useless when fighting an enemy alone. Very similar or identical to a very bad hook punch. Can be slightly proficient if your Strength and Toughness are already high.
This Punch is used at Level 1, and is discarded at Level 20.
Head Butt
The Headbutt isn't enabled, but is used when you start martial arts, the same as the weak punch.
Low Kick
This kick is very good early on, but it won't be enough, train your Martial arts, Strength, or Toughness more.
This Kick is learned at level 5
Shotei / Straight Palm Strike
A straight palm strike, dealing damage in a straight line towards your targeted enemy. Very useful for one on one combat.
The Palm Strike is learned at Level 15
Double Strike
The Double Strike is great at one on one combat, like the Shotei, but sets you up to be attacked by another enemy behind you. The first strike is with the left hand, doing less damage, and the second strike is with the right hand and doing more damage.
This is learned at level 25
Jump Kick
The Jump Kick is self-explanatory; you jump into the air and kick the upper region of the enemy (most likely not hitting the legs).
This Kick is learned at Level 30
Mega Kick
A Hard-hitting Kick. Your Character runs towards the target and does a sideways roundhouse kick in the air.
This Kick is learned at level 45
Flying Knee Strike
The Jump Knee Strike is like the Jump Kick, but instead of kicking, you knee them for an astounding amount of damage. Following that is a downward palm strike dealing even more damage.
This Attack is learned at Level 55[1]