( Hand to Hand: Martial Arts ) Aikido ( revised )

Bearmen Ripclaw
From the Palladium world came the Bearmen of the North. To Earth, they brought with them a unique
style of fighting, called "Ripclaw" by humans. Ripclaw was created by a tribe of the Bearmen who had
encountered many human fighters who used odd forms of weaponless combat. The Bearmen thought
that this way of fighting was strange, but had potential. They spent some time trying to develop a way
of fighting suited to their bodies and ways, but they were unsuccessful. Eventually, they determined
that they needed help. So they found a human that was skilled. After many offers of treasures and
work, the human accepted the offer to train them.
It took a few years, but they finally succeeded. The end result was a vicious fighting style that the
human almost regretted helping to design. Ripclaw is designed to take advantage of the hidden
speed of the Bearmen. The Bearman will normally lash out , with blinding speed, with a Thrusting
Body Block, and then proceed to grapple and tear at the opponent. The weakness of this style is
against long-range fighters. But it does incorporate a leaping attack that looks strange when it occurs.
Entrance Requirements: P.S. 16, P.E. 17
Costume: None
Stance: Crouched down in a stance similar to a three-point football stance. The legs are bent at the
knees, and the feet are spread a little more than shoulders-width. The "off" foot is placed a few inches
behind the lead foot. The arms are held loosely either at the sides or in front.
CHARACTER BONUSES
Add 30 to S.D.C.
COMBAT SKILLS
Attacks per Melee: 3
Escape Moves: Roll with Punch/Fall/Impact, Maintain Balance
Basic Defense Moves: Parry, Automatic Parry.
Advanced Defenses: Combination Parry/Bite.
Hand Attacks: Claws (2D6), Overhead Claw Strike (The Bearman brings down his claws in a
particularly vicious manner. This inflicts 2D8 damage, but it suffers a -3 penalty to strike ).
Basic Foot Attacks: Kick Attack ( can be used with the claws on the feet for an additional +4
damage, and it turns the attack into an edged attack ).
Special Attacks: Death Blow, Crush/Squeeze (1D8), Bite (1D8), Knee, Elbow, Forearm, Body
Block/Ram, Thrusting Body Block/ Ram (SPECIAL!This is usually performed from the initial stance.
If it is the Bearman's first attack of the round, and the victim has never before encountered this style,
then the Bearman gains a +4 Initiative bonus. If successful, treat this as a critical Body Block ),
Pin/Incapacitate, Grab and Chew (SPECIAL! The Bearman grabs the victim with both arms --treat as
a standard Crush/Squeeze--and then begins to chew on him. The initial grab is at -2 to strike, but if it
is successful, the bite hits automatically. The damage is normal for both the Crush and the bite, but it
is applied every melee round until the hold is broken),Body Flip/Throw (SPECIAL! This is actually a
body slam, where the Bearman picks his opponent up and then throws him to the ground. This uses
two attacks, and suffers a -3 to strike, but if it is successful, the victim suffers 3D6 damage, loses
initiative, and three attacks), Leap Attack.
Modifiers to Attacks: Pull Punch, Knock-Out/Stun, Critical Strike, Critical Strike from Rear.
Preferred Range: Grappling.
SKILLS INCLUDED IN TRAINING
None
LEVEL ADVANCEMENT BONUSES
Level 1: +3 to roll with punch/fall/impact, +1 parry, +2 leap,Knock-Out/Stun on Natural 20.
Level 2: +2 strike, +1 maintain balance.
Level 3: +1 Attack per Melee, Critical Strike on Natural 19-20.