| The Escrimador | - | - | - | Escrima Styles |
| Dragon | - | Classes | - | Dragon #124 |
On the outskirts of the known world of
the Japanese samurai and Chinese monks
of history lived the less-sophisticated peoples of the Orient (yet
more civilized than
the steppe barbarians). These civilizations
had their own versions of Oriental culture
and the martial arts. In the islands now
known as the Philippines, a cluster of
related tribes did so well at developing
independent systems of self-defense that,
to this day, many practitioners of kung-fu
and karate incorporate elements of Filipino combat into their styles.
Filipino martial arts have many sub-styles and many
names. For simplicity's sake, all references
m a d e h e r e i n a r e t o
o n e o f t h e b e t t e r k
n o w n s t y l e s : t h e a r t
of escrima.
In the rush to start new campaigns
b a s e d o n t h e Oriental
Adventures AD&D®
game supplement, many DMs may have all
of the civilized character classes present in
all of the civilized nations of Kara-Tur.
Here, then, is a character class that helps
restore a sense of regional differences.
This class should exist only in a limited
area; to parallel the real-world Philippines,
this should be a tropical archipelago
adjoining the continent of Kara-Tur. There
are four subdivisions of the class; first,
however, a description of the characteristics common to all members
of the class is
in order.
T h e e s c r i m a d o
r
The escrimador in an Oriental campaign
is much like a cross between a bushi and a
monk. Escrimadores are always human.
They have 6-sided hit dice and use the
same attack rate and combat tables as
bushi (apart from special attacks, which
are described later). Escrimadores also
resemble monks in unarmed combat and
in their restrictions on wearing armor.
Because escrimadores are more dependent
on the use of weapons than monks are,
they gain an open-handed prowess only
half as quickly as a monk does. Thus, a
1st or 2nd-level escrimador has the innate
armor class, alertness against surprise,
and open-hand damage potential of a 1stlevel monk, while a 3rd- or
4th-level escrimador equals a 2nd-level monk in these
aspects. Escrimadores do not have the
spell-like abilities of monks (except for selfhealing) and can never
possess powers
such as the quivering palm or distance
death. Furthermore, they do not have the
monks saving-throw benefits nor the
ability to dodge missiles. In compensation,
however, escrimadores do enjoy defensive
benefits due to their dexterity, and have
offensive benefits due to their dexterity
and strength. Escrimadores also have skills
and ki powers unique to their class.
An escrimador?s initial honor score is 12.
First-level escrimadores have six proficiencies and gain new proficiencies
at a rate of
one for every two levels of experience
gained. Those who wish to practice escrima must have a minimum intelligence
of 7,
constitution of 10, strength of 8, and charisma of 5. A score of 15
or better is
required in either dexterity or wisdom
(the prime requisites of this class), with
the other score being not less than 9. An
escrimador with a wisdom score of 17 or
better gains a 10% bonus on experience
points.
Escrimadores function best in their
native environment ? in jungles and on
islands. The first proficiencies possessed
by any escrimador always include survival
and tracking, which are equivalent to a
barbarian?s proficiencies. Like the barbarian, the escrimador?s environment
serves
as an ally in adventures.
When in a jungle or forest setting, escrimadores can hide in shadows,
hear noises,
and move silently as ninjas of equivalent
levels (the last two skills apply in all other
settings as well). When fighting in the
jungle against any opponent except
another escrimador, they gain a +2 bonus
to armor class due to their expert timing
in ducking behind trees and branches.
When traveling in jungles, they can maintain normal movement speed
when others
are slowed by the foliage.
In water, escrimadores can swim 10%
f a s t e r t h a n o t h e r h
u m a n c h a r a c t e r s o f
equal strength. When fighting on foot in
water between ankle-depth and shoulderdepth, they gain automatic initiative
for
the first round against those who are not
escrimadores (unless the escrimador was
totally surprised). If the escrimador is
already on his guard at the start of melee,
in water at least waist-deep and with a
weapon in his hand, he gains a + 3 bonus
to hit with his first attack by concealing
the weapon?s initial position just under the
surface of the water. (All these aquatic
advantages, however, are negated if the
water is extremely cold ? a condition to
which escrimadores are unaccustomed.)
Because metal is harder to find in the
jungle than in other environments, escrimadores often use weapons made
partly
or entirely of wood. The vulnerability of
these weapons to breaking is offset by the
escrima method of parrying, which is to
contact the enemy?s hand and arm rather
than the enemy?s blade. This gives the
escrimador a chance against such weapons
as katana swords and even grants a special
advantage: If a nonescrimador who is not
wearing hand or arm protection misses
three consecutive attacks against a
weapon-wielding escrimador, the nonescrimador must save vs. paralysis
or lose the
use of his weapon arm for a number of
rounds equal to the escrimador?s strength
(the escrimador has successfully struck
the opponent?s arm).
The ?signature? weapon of all escrimadores is the escrima stick, a
simple wooden rod 2-3? long, similar to the jo stick that
a monk might use. All escrimadores are
proficient with this weapon (in varying
applications for the three different styles)
from the beginnings of their careers.
Other weapons typically used are spears,
staves, nunchaku, daggers, hand axes,
parangs, and rope-weapons similar to the
ninja kawanaga. Escrimadores can never
be proficient with long swords, nor with
any missile weapons except pellet bows,
blowguns, and hand-thrown weapons.
The ki powers of the escrimador are as
f o l l o w s :
1. For every experience level possessed,
the escrimador has a cumulative 5%
chance of knowing if he is being watched
by a hidden observer (assuming the escrimador is conscious and not
completely
preoccupied with combat or other
demanding activity). This is separate from
his monklike surprise chances, giving the
escrimador double opportunities to thwart
surprise. If the escrimador?s intelligence is
1 2 o r b e t t e r , h e
c a n e v e n b e a w a r e
o f
being magically or psionically observed (as
through a crystal ball or similar device),
but the probability of this sense?s success
is but 2% per level, plus 1% per point of
intelligence.
2. At 3rd level, the escrimador can perform the sinawali prior
to the start of a
melee, once per day. The sinawali is only
performed against humanoid foes and is a
rapid sequence of whirling, weaving movements with the escrima stick,
having an
intimidating, quasi-hypnotic effect. This is
ineffective against fellow escrimadores
unless they are more than one experience
level lower than the user, and ineffective
against those who are not escrimadores if
they outrank the user by more than one
level or if they have ever previously won a
fight against an escrimador who used
sinawali. Other opponents, however, must
save vs. spells or retreat in alarm for one
round (or, if retreat is impossible, the
opponent suffers ? 1 penalties on ?to hit?
and armor-class scores for the first melee
round). Even if the save is made, the opponent?s momentary confusion
(lasting one
segment) gives the escrimador + 3 on his
initiative roll, allowing him to make the
first attack or run away. A 10th- or higherlevel escrimador can use
sinawali twice a
day.
3. At 4th level, the escrimador saves vs.
all fear attacks at + 1 ( + 2 after reaching
10th level).
4. At 5th level, the escrimador can fight
on after being mortally wounded,
just as a sohei can (Oriental Adventures, page 24).
5. At 7th level, the escrimador can
heal physical damage to himself
as monks do
(Oriental Adventures, page 181, with the
same increase in self-healing ability ( + 1
hp per level after the 7th).
6. At 8th level, the escrimador can stay
awake for two days without ill effect (or
three days if his constitution is 18). Normal
sleep is required afterwards.
7. At 10th level (the rank at which escrimadores first become qualified
to teach
others), the character can discern whether
any character he meets is also an escrimador ? and if not, whether
or not that
character (if zero-level) is capable of
becoming one later. The 10th-level escrimador is also immune to all
enchantment/
charm spell effects such as charm person,
finger of death, suggestion, geas, and the
like.
8. At 12th level, an escrimador who is
not directly engaged in combat and has
the opportunity to observe any nonescrimador in at least one round
of melee
action gains an intuitive feel for that person?s reactions in combat.
Consequently,
the escrimador gains a +2 bonus to his
armor class if he fights the individual thus
studied. (This advantage does not apply to
a future encounter with the same foe,
since the foe may have gained new skills
in the interval.) At the referee?s discretion,
the escrimador may employ this benefit
against nonhumanoid beings.
An escrimador?s alignment is usually
lawful or good (or both), since loyalty to
family and tribe is built into his training.
Unlike monks, escrimadores do not practice any sort of monastic withdrawal
from
their society. Martial instruction is part of
their family life and is aimed at the protection of the community from
enemies. (It is
up to the DM to decide if greater enmity is
felt toward peoples altogether outside
their homeland or toward rival tribes
within the region.) The close bonds of
family loyalty give escrimadores one ki
power that extends beyond death. If an
escrimador is turned into any kind of
undead monster that is not utterly mindless, and if he encounters someone
who
was especially beloved from his former
life (a parent, spouse, child, etc.), there is a
base 50% chance, plus 2% for every point
of the transformed escrimador?s original
wisdom score, that he is able to restrain all
monstrous instincts and avoid harming the
loved one. (This also applies if the escrimador is turned into a lycanthrope.)
Any Escrima Master who teaches his
tribe?s style to an outsider who is not a
formally recognized friend of the tribe
forfeits five honor points ? and may forfeit his life if this unsanctioned
teaching
c a u s e s h a r m f u l r e s u l t s
t o t h e t r i b e . I f
t h e
son or daughter of any escrimador
becomes a different fighting class (monk,
samurai, etc.), he or she loses three honor
points and the parent loses one. No such
disgrace occurs if the child enters a spellcasting character class,
provided such
powers are used for the tribe?s benefit;
also, the dishonor is avoided if the child
becomes a kensai, and uses a weapon that
escrimadores can use.
Escrimador Table
| Experience points | Experience level | 6-side dice for accumulated hit points | Level title |
| 0 - 2,250 | 1 | 1 | Bastonero |
| 2,251 - 4,750 | 2 | 2 | Bastonero |
| 4,751 - 10,000 | 3 | 3 | Bastonero |
| 10,001 - 22,500 | 4 | 4 | Bastonero |
| 22,501 - 47,500 | 5 | 5 | Jurimentado |
| 47,501 - 98,000 | 6 | 6 | Jurimentado |
| 98,001 - 200,000 | 7 | 7 | Jurimentado |
| 200,001 - 350,000 | 8 | 8 | Jurimentado |
| 500,001 - 700,000 | 9 | 9 | Jurimentado |
| 700,001 - 950,000 | 10 | 10 | Escrima Master |
| 950,001- 1,250,000 | 11 | 10 + 2 | Escrima Master |
| 1,250,001 - 1,750,000 | 12 | 10 + 4 | Escrima Master |
| 1,750,001 - 2,250,000 | 13 | 10 + 6 | Escrima Master |
| 1,750,001 - 2,250,000 | 14 | 10 + 8 | Escrima Master |
| 2.250,001 - 2,750,000 | 15 | 10 + 10 | Escrima Master |
| 2,750,001 - 3,250,000 | 16 | 10 + 12 | Escrima Master |
| 3,250,001 + | 17 | 10 + 14 | Escrima Grand Master |
Escrimadores do not advance beyond 17th level.
| Lapulapu | Humabon | Kuntaw | Alipang | Escrimador |
The four escrimador schools are Lapulapu style, Humabon style, Kuntaw
style, and Alipang style. Each style may be practiced by more than one
tribe. As long as
there is no cause for serious hostility
between different tribes sharing one style,
there can be any number of Masters. If,
however, there are incompatible moral
alignments within one style, or other
powerful causes for strife, each Master is
bound by honor to slay all hostile Masters
of his same style. Failure to attempt this
results in losing nine honor points; if non-escrimador
allies are called in, four honor
points are lost; if escrimadores who are
allied but of different styles are called in,
two points are lost. Above the rank of
Master is that of Datu (meaning "chief"), of
which there may be only one per tribe. In
a psychic duel, a Datu's strength is treated
as 50% higher than actual.
T h e Lapulapu style
of unarmed combat parallels the tae kwon do style for
monks. The first weapon choice for
a
Lapulapu stylist is an escrima stick in one
hand and a dagger in the other. Both
weapons can be used simultaneously with
no penalty on hit probability, with both
weapons attacking, both parrying, or one
performing each function. If, at the start
of an encounter with humanoid foes not
practicing this style, the Lapulapu escrimador can keep foes unaware
of his dagger
(e.g., by hiding it behind his forearm), he
adds a + 3 bonus to his attack roll with the
dagger on its first use in combat. Once
engaged in combat taking place on sandy
ground or in water less than knee-deep, a
Lapulapu stylist of any level can kick sand
or water into an enemy?s face without
using up one of his attacks. The impairment of vision (assuming that
the enemy
operates by sight) causes the enemy to
suffer a one-time ?2 penalty on either his
?to hit? probability or armor class, depending
on who makes the next attack.
One ki power peculiar to this style is
gained at 10th level: a 10% magic resistance
against spells that thwart movement
(e.g., cause paralysis, repulsion or slow).
This resistance increases 2% with each
subsequent level gained. This ki power is
called "The Wild Boar Charge."
The Humabon style parallels
kung-fu
in open-handed combat. Its primary weapon choice is also a pair of
weapons with no
penalty on simultaneous use - two escrima sticks, in this case. Whether
using two
sticks or one, the Humabon stylist has this
special technique: On one of every three
stick-attacks made, if the Humabon stylist
misses by only one point on the ?to hit?
roll, he can make an extra attack in the
same round with the butt end of the stick
with which he attacked. The Humabon
stylist can do this on one of every two
stick-attacks from the 10th level onward,
as well as when using any similar weapon
(e.g., the handle of an axe).
The distinctive Humabon ki power, also
gained at 10th level, is "Liquid Body." This
power allows the Humabon Master to
?flow away? from melee attacks. Liquid
Body is usable once a day for a duration of
three rounds, with an added round for
each subsequent level gained, but never
exceeding 12 rounds. The user of this
power adds + 3 to his armor class against
close-range attacks and + 1 against missiles; he also takes only half
damage from
blunt-weapon or open-handed attacks, and
subtracts one-third of all damage done by
sharp weapons. If the Liquid Body user is
immobilized or grasped by an attacker,
sharp weapons do normal damage against
him. (This ki power also reduces by half
the damage received in a fall.)
The Kuntaw style parallels
jujutsu in
unarmed combat. A Kuntaw stylist?s feet
are never used for kicking, but are used
instead for other maneuvers, particularly
sweeping the opponent?s legs from under
him, which can be performed even if the
Kuntaw stylist is lying on the ground. In
fights with non-Kuntaw opponents, legsweeping may occur without using
up any
of the Kuntaw stylist?s regular attacks; legsweeping is usually used
if a solitary opponent misses on his first attack, or if the
Kuntaw stylist falls to the ground (intentionally or not) and the opponent
tries to
make a follow-up attack. In those cases, a
leg-sweep occurs, knocking down the
opponent if the opponent fails to make a
saving throw vs. paralysis. (Monks, ninja,
and other escrimadores get + 1 on this
saving throw, or +2 if their dexterity is
greater than the Kuntaw stylist?s) Another
Kuntaw foot technique, usable only once
in any particular combat, is to step on and
trap one of the opponent?s feet; this is
treated as a part of the Kuntaw stylist?s
attack in that round, and a successful foottrap (rolled as an attack
vs. AC 10, with
the opponent?s magical-defensive and
dexterity bonuses added) gives the accompanying main attack a + 2 chance
to hit
and +2 hp on damage.
There are no unpenalized doubleweapon proficiencies in the Kuntaw style.
The Kuntaw stylist?s favored weapon is a
s i m p l e e s c r i m a s t i c k ;
h o w e v e r , t h e K u n t a w
s t y l i s t c a n k e e p t h
i s o n e s t i c k s h i f t i n g
b e t w e e n o n e h a n d a n
d t h e o t h e r , m o v i n g
s o u n p r e d i c t a b l y t h a t
a s h i e l d c a r r i e d b y
a
f o e i s r e n d e r e d u s e
l e s s a g a i n s t t h e s t i c
k .
A t 6 t h l e v e l , a
K u n t a w s t y l i s t e n j o y s
t h e
s a m e a d v a n t a g e w i t h
a n u n c h a k u . A K u n t a w
s t y l i s t o f 4 t h l e v e l
o r h i g h e r c a n j a m
t h e s t i c k a g a i n s t a
n e n e m y ? s n e c k a n d
a r m p i t , l e v e r i n g t h e
f o e i n t o a h e l p l e s s ,
p r o n e p o s i t i o n . T h i s ,
a g a i n , i s r o l l e d f o r
a s
i f t h e e n e m y w a s
u n a r m o r e d , b u t i t c a n
o n l y b e u s e d i f
t h e K u n t a w s t y l i s t h a
s o n l y
o n e f o e b e f o r e h i m .
A l s o , t h i s t e c h n i q u e
f a i l s i f t h e i n t e n d
e d v i c t i m e x c e l s t h e
K u n t a w s t y l i s t i n s t r
e n g t h , d e x t e r i t y , a n d
e x p e r i e n c e l e v e l . A l l
K u n t a w s t y l i s t s l e a r n
t h e
" I n s t a n t S
t a n d " t e c h n i q u e b e f o r e
r e a c h i n g
5 t h l e v e l (Oriental Adventures,
page 104).
A 10th-level Kuntaw stylist gains a ki
power called ?Sinking the Roots.? This
power is usable once daily for a duration
of five rounds, with an added round for
each further experience level, but never
exceeding 15 rounds. When using this
power, the Kuntaw Master effectively
becomes four times as heavy as his normal
weight with regard to being pushed or
pulled by any outside force. Armor class is
unchanged, but overbearing attacks and
leg sweeps are rendered ineffective. The
user of this power can still move, though
not at a top-speed run. If someone is trying to move a Kuntaw Master
who is using
this ki power to resist, the Kuntaw Master
can stop resisting at will by dispelling the
power or merely by moving, thus causing
the enemy to topple as if from a released
rope in tug-of-war. Sinking the Roots can
also be helpful in other situations, such as
in walking against a powerful wind.
The Alipang style uses
unarmed combat techniques resembling
karate
in Oriental Adventures. Practitioners use a single
stick for sinawali, exactly as in the Kuntaw
style; however, when an Alipang stylist
attains the rank of Escrima Master, he is
also able to perform sinawali with a
parang or similar short sword.
Every Alipang escrimador is able to
detect outdoor traps and snares as a thief
of equal level can, and each will, at some
time before Master level, acquire a proficiency in constructing such
traps. Another
skill usual for Alipang stylists is the construction of temporary camouflaged
shelters like hunters? blinds. Concealment
inside these structures gives benefits
equivalent to magical invisibility.
Distinctive ki powers are as follows:
Once a day, if an Alipang stylist succeeds
in killing, putting to flight, or rendering
helpless an opponent of equal or higher
level, without assistance and without
suffering any damage, he enjoys a boost in
confidence. Thus, for a period equal to the
character?s charisma score in melee
rounds, he gains +1 on his ?to hit? probability
in any combat (which becomes +2 at
the rank of Escrima Master). This advantage, once activated, cannot
be saved for
later use, but if an Alipang stylist has no
reason to expect further combat soon
after one particular victory, it can be ruled
that the ki power was not activated.
If an Alipang stylist of 5th level or higher
wounds an opponent with an edged weapon, the opponent must save vs.
spells (at
+1 if the victim is an escrimador or +3 if
he is a fellow Alipang stylist) or suffer a
delusion that he has sustained double the
actual damage. (After one successful save,
no additional saving throw is needed for
that combat.) If such imaginary damage
causes the victim to fall to zero hit points
or below, though the actually hit-point loss
leaves the victim with 1 hp or more, he
falls unconscious for 1-3 melee rounds.
If PC monks make contact with escrimadores, a DM could allow them to
learn
some escrima techniques, just as the
famed movie martial artist Bruce Lee
learned Filipino fighting in addition to
Chinese kung-fu. The real value of escrimadores, however, is as NPCs.
After all,
the spirit of fantasy involves not only
being different sorts of people, but meeting different
sorts of people. The escrimador class is sufficiently monklike to fit into
the Oriental campaign, but different
enough to give a unique flavor to part of
the world of Kara-Tur.
1. SUBCLASS = n/a
2. SOCIAL CLASS MINIMUM =
3. ABILITY SCORE MINIMUMS
STRENGTH =
INTELLIGENCE =
WISDOM =
DEXTERITY =
CONSTITUTION =
CHARISMA =
COMELINESS =
4. POSSIBLE RACES & MAX. LEVEL ATTAINABLE =
5. MULTI-CLASS POSSIBILITIES =
6. HIT DIE TYPE =
7. MAXIMUM NUMBER OF HIT DICE =
8. SPELL ABILITY =
9. ARMOR PERMITTED =
10. SHIELD PERMITTED =
11. WEAPONS PERMITTED =
12. OIL PERMITTED =
13. POISON PERMITTED =
14. ALIGNMENT =
15. STARTING MONEY =
16. WEAPON PROFICIENCIES =
17. NON-PROFICIENCY PENALTY =
18. NON-WEAPON PROFICIENCIES =
19. STARTING AGE =
20. COMBAT =
21. SAVING THROWS =
22. MAGIC ITEMS =
| XP | Level | Dice for HP | Title | ||||||