GURPSよろず

　Many GURPS supplements offer structured “fighting styles.” The GURPS Martial Arts series covers systems for unarmed combat and muscle-powered weapons; GURPS Gun Fu and GURPS Tactical Shooting address firearms training; and other volumes (e.g., Transhuman Space: Martial Arts 2100) contain combat arts suited to particular settings. Each style consists of a list of required skills; inventories of techniques, cinematic skills, and perks that, though not mandatory, are still deemed to be standard teachings; and menus of truly optional traits of every kind. To “know” a style, a warrior must buy a special perk ―― Style Familiarity ―― and spend at least one point on each of the required skills.

　Obviously, that’s a lot to keep track of! This makes simplifying styles an ideal job for wildcard skills. As a bonus, the cinematic nature of wildcards is a great fit to campaigns filled with raging combat action ―― particularly action involving implausible martial-arts skills such as Kiai and Power Blow.

　A wildcard for a style ―― generically Style!, though actual examples will have names like Jujutsu! and Future Kill! ―― can include several distinct sets of skills:

　Required Skills: Without exception, the wildcard should include all skills expected of someone who “knows” the style.

　Optional Skills: If the style is light on techniques (below) and required skills, the GM might have the wildcard incorporate whatever optional skills he believes would contribute meaningfully to feel or function. When in doubt, reread the style description.

　Cinematic Skills: The wildcard should also include all these. As they require a pricey enabling advantage such as Gunslinger, Trained by a Master, or Weapon Master, don’t count them when doing detailed math (see How Many?, pp. 9-10). The high cost of the prerequisite trait and a wildcard makes it unlikely that the results will be underpriced.

　Whatever else it includes, a style wildcard should always remove the need to learn the style’s individual techniques. The warrior may make an unpenalized skill roll (often but not necessarily DX-based) for any of his style’s techniques ―― realistic or cinematic, core or optional. Techniques that aren’t part of the style but that default to standard skills that the wildcard covers default to Style! at the usual penalties; see Techniques for Wildcards (p. 12).
　As techniques that default to full skill don’t benefit from this arrangement, the GM may want to use the following option:　A Style! user can roll against the maximum level allowed for any technique his style offers. If a technique has no maximum, use skill+3.

　Though this is presented as the norm in GURPS Gun Fu and GURPS Martial Arts, handle with care.
It can lead to unbalanced results, such as the 3 points for Shaolin Kung Fu! at attribute-3 granting Arm Lock (Judo), Arm Lock (Staff), Disarming (Staff), Feint (Karate), and Feint (Staff) all at DX+0 when those same points would buy Staff at only DX-1 and Judo and Karate at a mere DX-2.
It may be fairer to phase in this benefit more gradually: attribute-3 gives full skill (DX-3), attribute-2 gives skill+1 (DX-1), attribute-1 gives skill+2 (DX+1), and only attribute+0 gives skill+3 (DX+3) ―― all still capped at the technique’s usual maximum.

　Finally, remember that cinematic techniques ―― unlike cinematic skills ―― don’t require Trained by a Master or Weapon Master to use. Style! skills include these for all users.

　Style wildcards implement Wildcard Familiarity (p. 11) in two different ways.
First, even attribute-3 level in a Style! grants the equivalent of the associated Style Familiarity perk, eliminating the -3 for dealing with co-stylists from other cultures and -1 in active defense penalties from the style’s feints and Deceptive Attacks.
Second, it bestows full familiarity with every weapon the style covers, comparable to the CrossTrained perk.
Don’t buy either perk separately.

　Style! skills always permit Extra-Broad Perks and Techniques (pp. 11-12), too.
The stylist may purchase his style’s Style Perks for a point apiece regardless of points spent on the wildcard ―― and for those that require specialization by skill, Style! is a legitimate specialty and the perk benefits all applicable standard skills the wildcard encompasses.
The GM might even build in truly iconic Style Perks; see Implicit Perks (p. 12).
Similar thinking applies to techniques: When improving a non-style technique, it can be learned for Style! and works with all included standard skills for which it makes sense.

　Hyper-Competency (pp. 12-13) isn’t required ―― though if considering it for the campaign, style wildcards should be first in line. Wildcard Points from a Style! skill are applicable to anything combat-related, particularly Flesh Wounds while fighting and buying effect in the form of bonus damage. Bullet Time fits, too, but is so cinematic that the GM may wish to reserve it for heroes with Weapon Master or Trained by a Master.

　As for Other Bonuses (pp. 13-15), the most fitting benefits are things like improved DX rolls to avoid falls after kicking ―― and possibly shifts away from the worst results on the Critical Miss Table (p. B556).
Bonuses to resistance rolls against cinematic martial-arts skills (like Kiai and Pressure Points) might represent the fighter’s strong chi. And ST bonuses with musclepowered attacks are exceptionally appropriate, if the GM allows them at all.