Sin’an 8/12 pt
Primary Skill: Sin’an
Secondary Skills: Body Language, Tactics
Optional Skills: Acrobatics, various melee weapons, Shield
Maneuvers: Breakfall, Disarm, Elbow Strike, Ground Fighting, Knee Strike, Stamp Kick (1pt), Sweeping Kick
Cinematic Maneuvers: Roll With Blow
Cinematic Skills: Blind Fighting, Immovable Stance, Push, see below
(At the GM’s option, Sin’an adepts might also buy Extra Hit Points; this would be appropriate even for non-cinematic practitioners of the style.)
At its most basic, Sin’an is an unarmed style, but students also often study hand weapon techniques and shield use. Sin’an focuses on controlling the battlefield, and making good use of the ground; a user of Sin’an will often prefer to enter close combat, grapple, and then either throw or slam his opponent down. Sin’an also teaches attacks that are useful when grappling. Though not part of the main martial style, Sin’an teachers who also teach weapon skills often provide a good overview of those weapons’ close combat techniques.
Traditional weapons include the staff, short staff, mace, axe, knife, and spear. Ranged weapons are never taught, though defenses against them are (such as getting in close, so that a ranged weapon offers no advantage). The school is oddly averse to duplicity. Sin’an also teaches a variety of defensive techniques. Advanced students study joint locks, but these are secondary to personal defense and damage-dealing attacks.
Sin’an makes available some esoteric skills to students with the Trained by a Master advantage. Having the Master of the Granite Hand Distinction qualifies one as being a martial arts Master; and since there are enough of these angels available to be able teach in Heaven on occasion, it is possible for an angel who is on good terms with Stone to gain Trained By A Master via this route.
However, Granite Hand Masters will not teach Power Blow, Pressure Points or Pressure Secrets (which come with the Distinction), or any skill based on them, to someone who has not earned the Distinction. They can, however, teach a few other skills, as well as Enhanced Dodge and Enhanced Parry. Students who are Trained by a Sin’an Master may learn Blind Fighting, Immovable Stance, and Push; the existence of the Body Control and Mountain Heart skills are only rumors, and rumors variously claim for these kills only able to affect Vessels, or only to affect humans, depending on who is doing the mongering. Adjust the cost accordingly for any additions of Maneuvers and/or Cinematic skills besides the ones listed in the style description.
Malakim of War are said to be attempting to combine advanced Sin’an techniques with their Choir Attunement to develop a precognitive parry that will work against bullets. The research is slow going, though, and no one can say if it will work.
Fallen angels who know Sin’an and were Trained by a Master can learn an odd array of skills not in this list; Malphas has demons who can teach Breaking Blow, demons of Fleurity can teach an effective form of Drunken Fighting which works under any intoxication, and Valefor can show a demon how to use Light Walk. One single Fallen Master of the Granite Hand is rumored to have discovered the Hand of Death and use it in Saminga’s service. Regardless of the truth of the rumor (fallen angels lose their Distinctions, after all), his soul-death is well-known to be worth a substantial reward from Stone.
Interestingly, all of these rumors are quite impenetrable to the Seraph resonance for Truth. Apparently Archangel David’s patronage of Sin’an is sufficient to make much of the details about the martial art ineffable.
Sin’an (Physical/Hard) (No default)
This is a combat skill which focuses on keeping the user alive long enough to take opportunities to do damage. It relies heavily on making good use of the environment, especially the ground. It is generally a synthesis of the techniques represented in GURPS by the Karate and Judo skills. The ethos of the school is also strictly against starting a fight, so “first strikes” are not taught. As with Karate or Judo, a user of Sin’an may parry unarmed at 2/3 skill. There is no penalty for using either hand. 1/10 of Sin’an skill is added to the damage done by punches or kicks. Maneuvers default to it as per Karate, with the following exceptions:
Arm Lock (Sin’an -3)
Breakfall (Sin’an)
Disarm (Sin’an)
Feint (Sin’an -2)
Ground Fighting (Sin’an -1)
Head Lock (Sin’an -6)
Jab (no default)
Judo Throw (Sin’an)
Jump Kick (no default)
Kicking (no default)
Spin Kick (no default)
Stamp Kick (Sin’an -2)
Sweeping Kick (Sin’an -1)
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