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Martial Arts
Martial Arts Styles and Related Rules...
Martial Arts Style:  Bo Ring
...for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons(tm) in MyWorld.
...for Multiverser.
Bo Ring 
Bo Ring 
This style is largely outside the standard martial arts rules, and its use is subject to the discretion of the referee.  This style requires two slots to learn the basics.  The weapons used are distinct from the normal Sai, so Kensai dedicated to the Sai have no connection to this style. This style is largely outside the standard martial arts rules, designed primarily as a gag, and its use is subject to the discretion of the referee.  This style requires intense study, and generally requires professional level attributes in at least two or three of the non-physical attributes, especially persuasion, charisma, an-mag, intellect or intuition.  The weapons used are distinct from the normal Sai.  It is recommended that this style be kept out of the hands of players.
This quiet, swaying style is the province of specialists--Kensai, Monks, Shukenja--dedicated to it; it lulls opponents into incapacitation or death. 
Form:
Soft
Method:
Movement
AC:
-4
Att:
x1
Dam:
Special
Body Part:
Mouth
Long Sai
d4/d2
Deep Sai
d4/d2
Bored Sai
d4/d2
 Special Maneuvers:  11
This quiet, swaying style is the province of specialists dedicated to it; it lulls opponents into incapacitation or death. 
Type of Style:
Slow Defensive Weapon-utilizing
Basic Attack Form:
Voice
Defensive Modifiers:
-20 sit-mod, -10 damage mod
Attack Multiplier:
1 (One)
Offensive Modifiers:
None
Body Part:
Mouth
Weapons Taught:
Long Sai 
Deep Sai 
Bored Sai
 Special Maneuvers:  12
1 Fall Quick Stand B4@4
1 Weapon Catch Fall Impact Absorption B4@6
1 Meditation/Missile Deflection Immobility B6@9
2 Prone Fighting Fallen Fighting B7@2
2 Instant Stand Panoramic Awareness B7@2
2 All-Around Sight (M) Fighting Blind B7@2
3 Immovability Missile Escape B7@4
3 Mental Resistance (HM) Seize Weapon B7@5
4 Blind Fighting Control Resistance B7@9
6 Levitation (MHM) Resist Slowing B7@9
7 Slow Resistance (MHHM) Alert Rest B10@2
Levitate P4@8
The DM needs to understand how this style works, because it is entirely different from martial arts generally.  The practitioner sways slightly and talks to his opponents about something which is of no interest to the opponent, but in a manner which suggests that it should be.  The opponent is bored to sleep, possibly to death, as he is mesmerized, lulled by the vocal drone to which he cannot even listen, and then shocked by the periodic questions which serve as attacks, unable to answer or even understand what is required.  As an example, this litany has been developed: The referee needs to understand how this style works, because it is entirely different from martial arts generally, so different in fact that the operation of the style should be considered a 1@0 (hypnosis) psionic skill, using the SAL in P1@0 Bo Ring martial arts style to activate the style and to make attacks.  The practitioner sways slightly and talks to his opponents about something which is of no interest to the opponent, but in a manner which suggests that it should be.  The opponent is bored to sleep, possibly to death, as he is mesmerized, lulled by the vocal drone to which he cannot even listen, and then shocked by the periodic questions which serve as attacks, unable to answer or even understand what is required.  As an example, this litany has been developed:
"In my neighborhood, some of the local merchants provide free tea and cakes to the brave and noble samurai who patrol the streets to provide protection.  The merchants who do say that it is a small service to provide to these men who risk their lives every day for the sake of the rest of us; those who do not claim that those who do are bribing the samurai for extra protection.  It must be noted that the samurai do stop at places which provide such refreshment more frequently than at places which do not, and they tend to stay in such places longer; and yet it is not fair to expect that the laundry would have such things as readily available as the restaurant.  On the other hand, it would be unkind to deprive the samurai of their refreshment merely because not all of the merchants are in a position to make such an offer.  What do you think?" "In my neighborhood, some of the local merchants provide free tea and cakes to the brave and noble samurai who patrol the streets to provide protection.  The merchants who do say that it is a small service to provide to these men who risk their lives every day for the sake of the rest of us; those who do not claim that those who do are bribing the samurai for extra protection.  It must be noted that the samurai do stop at places which provide such refreshment more frequently than at places which do not, and they tend to stay in such places longer; and yet it is not fair to expect that the laundry would have such things as readily available as the restaurant.  On the other hand, it would be unkind to deprive the samurai of their refreshment merely because not all of the merchants are in a position to make such an offer.  What do you think?"
At the point where the question is asked, once per minute (subject to character class and level multipliers), the defender specifically asked must make a saving throw to avoid being shocked into a deeper despair.  Opponents so mesmerized cannot attack or take any action at all without a saving throw to shake off the effects of the deadening boredom, and even then a second saving throw is necessary to take specific action against the attacker due to the level of confusion in the brain.  Such opponents have been known to attack their own comrades by mistake.  However, any attack on a Bo Ring defender which causes pain or damage which would be felt will immediately negate all of the effects of the Bo Ring, including the transient attribute loss and the mesmerizing effect (but if the defender does not immediately withdraw from the Bo Ring attacker, such as if finding himself free he attempts to attack the Bo Ring student, he will immediately return to the effects of the style).  The style has a reach to about twenty feet, as far as a circle of individuals listening to a story teller who is speaking in a normal voice could reasonably hear.  Everyone in that area whose attention turns toward the Bo Ring practitioner is trapped by his defensive abilities, but each attack is aimed at one individual.  It is not necessary for the opponent to understand the language used by the practitioner, because it is in the nature of the style that the opponent will realize that he is being spoken to, that he has been asked a question, and that he has no idea what to reply. At the point where the question is asked, once per minute for the amateur with a level one strike value, the defender specifically asked must make an attribute check to avoid being shocked into a deeper despair.  Opponents so mesmerized cannot attack or take any action at all without an attribute check to shake off the effects of the deadening boredom, and even then a second attribute check is necessary to take specific action against the attacker due to the level of confusion in the brain.  Such opponents have been known to attack their own comrades by mistake.  However, any attack on a Bo Ring defender which causes pain or damage which would be felt will immediately negate all of the effects of the Bo Ring, including the transient attribute loss and the mesmerizing effect (but if the defender does not immediately withdraw from the Bo Ring attacker, such as if finding himself free he attempts to attack the Bo Ring student, he will immediately return to the effects of the style).  The style has a reach to about twenty feet, as far as a circle of individuals listening to a story teller who is speaking in a normal voice could reasonably hear.  Everyone in that area whose attention turns toward the Bo Ring practitioner is trapped by his defensive abilities, but each attack is aimed at one individual.  It is not necessary for the opponent to understand the language used by the practitioner, because it is in the nature of the style that the opponent will realize that he is being spoken to, that he has been asked a question, and that he has no idea what to reply.
It has long been said that there are two schools of Bo Ring.  The Dullen school (which some attribute to the more recent master Bob Dullen, but which scholars maintain dates back to the ancient master Dullen Thomas) tends toward a quiet droning quality much like the history teacher you once had at eight in the morning through whose class you usually slept.  The Boorish school (clearly founded by the physicalist Niels Boor) is more animated, rapid-paced, and vapid, similar to the man who sold you that used car which proved to be a lemon.  The litany above was developed for the Dullen school; the Boorish school uses more words to say less in the same amount of time. It has long been said that there are two schools of Bo Ring.  The Dullen school (which some attribute to the more recent master Bob Dullen, but which scholars maintain dates back to the ancient master Dullen Thomas) tends toward a quiet droning quality much like the history teacher you once had at eight in the morning through whose class you usually slept.  The Boorish school (clearly founded by the physicalist Niels Boor) is more animated, rapid-paced, and vapid, similar to the man who sold you that used car which proved to be a lemon.  The litany above was developed for the Dullen school; the Boorish school uses more words to say less in the same amount of time.
The weapons are of three types, all based on the sai; they are used defensively only.  They are required for the weapon catch maneuver, and the practitioner is generally able to wield one in each hand, so that he can catch one weapon while holding another.  They are used to attack only against opponents with immunities or resistances to the style, such as those with resistances to sleep and charm magic.  The Long Sai has all three prongs extended, giving it farther reach for seizing weapons; this gives it  +1 to hit on attacks on weapons, and -1 to hit on opponent efforts to break free from the hold.  The Deep Sai has only the side prongs extended, providing a deeper cradle in which to contain the weapon; this gives -2 to hit on opponent attempts to free their weapon from the hold.  The Bored Sai has several holes drilled through the center prong, making it lighter and faster, and increasing the probability of attack success in all cases by +2, but giving it -1 on damage when used to attack. The weapons are of three types, all based on the sai; they are used defensively only.  They are required for the seize weapon B7@5 maneuver, and the practitioner is generally able to wield one in each hand, so that he can catch one weapon while holding another.  They are used to attack only against opponents with immunities or resistances to the psionic-like style, such as those with native intellect below 1@1.  The Long Sai has all three prongs extended, giving it farther reach for seizing weapons; this gives it an additional +5 sit-mod on attacks on weapons, and a -5 sit-mod on opponent efforts to break free from the hold.  The Deep Sai has only the side prongs extended, providing a deeper cradle in which to contain the weapon; this gives a -10 sit-mod on opponent attempt to free their weapon from the hold.  The Bored Sai has several holes drilled through the center prong, making it lighter and faster, and increasing the probability of attack success in all cases by +10, but giving it a -10 damage mod when used to attack.
It was always imagined that there was a rival school in the style of Jo King, which would use the Jo King Sticks, short jo stick variants designed to make loud hollow pops or noisy cracks when striking a target.  It similarly relied primarily on movement and speech to disable the opponent.  That style has not been fully developed. It was always imagined that there was a rival school in the style of Jo King, which would use the Jo King Sticks, short jo stick variants designed to make loud hollow pops or noisy cracks when striking a target.  It similarly relied primarily on movement and speech to disable the opponent.  That style has not been fully developed.
Basic Style gets single attack, but AC is -4.  Attacks are always against AC10, modified by Kensai or Monk AC adjustment, Cavalier class, dexterity bonus, and magical protections.  Resistance to mental attack applies against Bo Ring.  Damage is a reduction of one point on all ability scores.  A score below three or a roll of a natural 20 causes sleep (as the spell), and victim must save v. spells to stay alive.  Sleep resistance applies to sleep only.  Escape by sleep may be made by successful wisdom check (that is, the victim may choose to sleep by making a successful wisdom check, and thus avoid death, provided the choice is successfully made before the character would fall asleep anyway.)  Defensively, the opponent must save v. paralyzation to attack, then roll a successful hit roll even with no miss attacks such as certain spells (a miss may hit the wrong target), and the Bo Ring student avoids the hit on a save v. petrification.  Once engaged, opponents cannot break off combat unless physically injured or asleep.  Opponents who cannot see or hear are immune; those lacking one sense only save at +4.  Sai, if used to attack, does d4/d2 once per round, but negates the effects of the basic style. Basic Style gets single attack, but Defense is -20 sit-mod and a -10 damage mod.  Basic attacks are not physical, and strike values and target values are ignored; the sai is only used as a last resort, generally against non-sentient creatures, and not bonused except for the standard DC bonus of the style.  Resistance to mental attack applies against Bo Ring.  Damage is a transient reduction of one point on several attribute scores, all the basic attributes but Density and Flexibility, and all averaged attributes except Damage Value.  If any attribute other than Ed Lev drops below 1@1 or if the attacker rolls a successful attack roll greater than 50, the opponent must make a simple check against his (modified) Will Power or fall asleep, and further must make a simple check against his (modified) Resistance to stay alive.  Resistance specifically to any type of magically or psionically induced sleep will prevent the sleep effects, but the character must still check to avoid death by boredom if the Will Power check against sleep fails.  It is possible to escape death by intentionally falling asleep before failing the Will Power check (the player may announce that he has chosen to fall asleep after he is told that he must make the check, as long as he has not yet rolled a failed check) on a successful simple Intuition check (against his modified intuition).  Defensively, the opponent must make a successful simple Will Power check to attack, then roll a successful skill success roll even for skills which are not targeted attacks (and a miss may hit the wrong target), and the Bo Ring student avoids the hit on a successful simple agility check.  Once engaged, opponents cannot break off combat unless physically injured or asleep.  Opponents who cannot see or hear are immune; those lacking one sense gain +4 on all effective attributes for checks.  Sai, if used to attack, is a base annoying attack with RF1, but its use negates the defensive and offensive effects of the basic style.
Untitled can have up to five maneuvers.  Fall (1) reduces damage from falls, et cetera, by half.  Weapon Catch (1) can disarm an opponent.  Whether learned with the standard Missile Deflection (1) or the Monk Variant Meditation (1), this maneuver does not affect duels.  Two more maneuvers may be known.  Prone Fighting (2) enables the practitioner to continue to fight when decked.  Instant Stand (2) returns the fighter to his feet at the cost of only one attack.  All-Around Sight (2) rarely affects dueling. The Untitled may have mastered up to five maneuvers.  These generally will begin with Quick Stand and Fall Impact Absorption, protecting the character from throws and pushes.  Immobility is often learned next, followed by such tactical skills as Fallen Fighting, Panoramic Awareness, or Fighting Blind.
Master knows all these, possibly one more.  Immovability (3) greatly increases the fighter's chance to remain on his feet.  Mental Resistance (3) resists certain magics, but rarely affects duels. The Master, having usually put those maneuvers under his belt, usually adds Missile Escape or possibly Seize Weapon.
Honored Master knows all these plus possibly Blind Fighting (4), reducing penalties for darkness, blindness, or invisibility to -1 (from -4). The Honored Master will generally have all of those, and will add Control Resistance and Resist Slowing.
Most Honored Master knows all these plus Levitation (6), which requires a full turn to initiate and rarely affects dueling. The Most Honored Master adds one more technique to his collection; this is usually Alert Rest.
Most Highly Honored Master adds Slow Resistance (7), which negates slowing magic but rarely affects duels. The Most Highly Honored Master has learned all of these skills, and has also learned to levitate.
Overall the style is highly defensive, with maneuvers focused on defense and strong avoidance characteristics.  Attacks are strong, although damage is non-traditional.  It is weakened against those immune to mental attack. Overall the style is highly defensive, with maneuvers focused on defense and strong avoidance characteristics.  Attacks are strong, although damage is non-traditional.  It is weakened against those immune to mental attack.
 If in the course of examining this material, you want to know more about AD&D, there are at least hundreds of sites on the web which may help; I'll just recommend my own two:
M. J. Young's Dungeons & Dragons Materials as source material for many campaigns and situations;
and all you need to create a character, Character Creation for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons First Edition.
And if in the course of examining this material you want to know more about Multiverser, check it out at:
The Multiverser Information Center.

Index:  The introductory page to the material.


Introduction:  Gives an overview of the contents of the web site.

Creating a Martial Arts Style:  Describes the way styles are designed.

Attacks per Round/Attack Multipliers:  How frequently the martial artist may attack.

Learning Martial Arts:  Rules and training techniques.

Martial Arts Titles:  A MyWorld variant and Multiverser concept substituting for "belts".

Use of Multiple Styles:  How to change between styles within the game.

AC for Special Maneuvers/Modifiers for Special Maneuver Attacks:  Clarification of how to use special attacks.

Special Maneuvers Summary:  The available maneuvers are listed with all information.

Stun and Incapacitate:  AD&D rules incorporate this into standard attacks; for Multiverser, this would be a separate skill.

Translating a Player Style:  Multiverser allows a player to bring his actual martial arts skills into the game through these rules.

The Style Collection:  Our imaginary styles are offered for your use.


Other Links of Interest:  A collection of sites related to this material in one way or another.