CGR2 - The Complete Gladiator's Handbook

wise. A word of caution to the DM: Do not give this option
to every PC who wants it. Make them pay for it. Make them
explain plausibly how they came by this knowledge. All
other classes have their benefits; the gladiator devotes himself
to fighting, and it pays off in this respect.
The most important aspect of fighting with martial arts
is that the gladiator no longer need make a random roll
when determining what sort of bare-handed attack he has
made against his opponent. The element of randomness
exists only in general attacks; if the gladiator wants to
make a specific shot, or if he is fighting another barehanded
gladiator, he may make his attacks at various
penalties. The table on page I 27 shows the various
attacks and defenses allowable, and the modifiers given
for the combinations.
Using the Tables
A normal low-level gladiator attacking with martial arts
has two attacks per round. One, both, or none of these can
be defensive moves, declared before initiative is rolled.
The loser of initiative can convert one of his attacks to a
defense if he so desires, but no more than one. The declaration
of defenses does not mean that the PCs have to
reveal their attacks and defenses before the combat; they
simply must state how many of their attacks are being converted
to defenses. It is best for both sides if they write
down what maneuvers they wish to attempt before the
combat round actually begins.
Example: Naryas and Friyan are fighting in the arena.
Naryas’s player wants him to make two attacks, while
Friyan’s wants one attack and one defense. Friyan wins
the initiative, and Naryas decides he’ll need at least one
defense against the dangerous Friyan.
Next, the combatants must decide the specific attack
they are going to attempt with which limb. Note that in
martial arts fighting, the two combatants do not face each
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other directly (toe to toe); they fight alongside each other
so that both their right arms (or left arms) would brush
each other if each took a step forward.
If the attacker uses the same limb to attack as the
defender uses to protect himself, then the column consulted
should be SS for Same Side. If one uses the right
side and the other uses the left, it is an OS, or Other Side
attack/defense, which is generally far more effective. After
consulting the proper row and column, the attacker uses
the given modifier to make his attack roll. There are other
modifiers for the roll and number of attacks listed in this
section.
Specializing in Martial Arts is not as easy as specializing
in Punching and Wrestling. Everyone has some idea
how to Punch and Wrestle, but Martial Arts is another
matter entirely. It, like every other potent weapon, requires
an initial slot just to become proficient. After the initial
slot is bought, the gladiator may spend another to become
specialized. A player may not spend more than 2 slots on
Martial Arts when creating a 3rd- to 5th-level gladiator,
nor may he take more than 1 available slot of continuing
Martial Arts at any level thereafter.
Higher-level and specialized gladiators gain more
attacks, as shown on the table below. If a PC gladiator is
both high-level and specialized in the attack, he can have
as many as 5 attack per round with his martial arts ability.
Of course, this means he would have to devote most of his
available slots to earning the additional martial arts specializations;
while he would be a true barehanded fighting
master, he might not be good with weapons.
Level and Specialization Modifiers Table
Level No./AT
l-6 2/l
7-12 5/2
13-18 3/l
17+ 7/2
Slots Additional
Devoted No./AT
2 0
3-4 l/2
5 1
6 3/2