Can the Astral Combat skill be added to the defense pool of a defender as can be done with Unarmed, Blades, and Clubs, if the defender is defending against someone else using Astral Combat? I would guess so, since Astral Combat is described in the book as being "resolved the same was as physical combat", and in physical combat, you can defend as well as attack with the related skill.

--Xel

Yeah, that's how I read it.

What is the question? Are you asking whether you can use Astral Combat skill to defend in Astral Combat or to defend in melee combat? I say yes to defending in Astral (combat is attack and defense), no to defending in physical.

Better question, can you use maneuvers for it?

Can Martial Arts Qualities be applied to it? +7 DV!

Sadly, the DV bonuses specify Unarmed, Clubs, or Blades in their bonus. So not for damage. Though, can you take sweep, throw, finishing move, riposte, etc and use them on astral opponents?

I'd hazard a no. Seeing as your astral form is a projection of your mind/soul, and thus not really subject to physical laws.

Although there is a martial art listed that gives bonuses for attacks of will. That might be able to cross over.

I would say yes, as Astral Combat without a Foci would be for all intensive purposes hand to hand. Thus Killing hands works on the astral. So why could you not use a Martial Art kata for UNARMED combat and recieve the DV bonus? Same for Clubs Sword foci?

No it isn't. At least, not if you're only perceiving and not projecting.

Can an adept with astral perception who is astrally perceiving fight against astral beings using maneuvers from martial arts he may know?

I suspect that most martial arts maneuvers just don't meaningfully apply to Astral Combat. It's a completely different thing. That's why Astral Combat isn't in the Close Combat group. Now if someone wanted to create a "martial art" specifically for use in (and only in) astral combat, that could be cool.

I don't believe that astral combat is used unless one is astrally projecting. If one is just astrally perceiving regular melee combat works, and consequently, I guess, so would martial arts manoeuvres. Of course, although DV is an abstraction, it would not be unreasonable to say that the enhanced DV stems from striking vulnerable parts, which spirits may not have. I guess this boils down to whether you allow the DV bonus to work when someone is trying to punch out a drone. Similarly can you sweep a car? Logically not, but I don't recall anything saying martial arts only works vs. metahumans. Personally I'd ere on the side of common sense.

But arguably, they believe that striking those vulnerable parts causes more damage, so perhaps, astrally, it still does?

As far as dv vs drones, yes, it counts.

Sweeping a car? Well, vehicles can't be prone, so no, you can't.

Oh well, just use Killing Hands/Unarmed Weapon Focus and Unarmed Combat (while astral perceiving) instead then.