So, I'm designing a parkour character, and I thought "hey, I bet one of the martial arts in Arsenal will give a useful bonus." ... I was wrong. SO, to fix that problem, I'm going to design Parkour as a "Martial Art." (Since the ruleset, while tailored for combat, should work perfectly well for other stuff to.)

So. What bonuses should Parkour offer? The ideas I've been thinking so far are:

+1 to non-dodge related gymnastic tests (can be taken up to twice); +1 to running tests; or +1 to climbing tests

That's just off the top of my head. Any other ideas?

And of course we could go into new perks. For example... (off the top of my head)

Take less damage from a controlled fall if there is an object you can bounce off of (or conversely, gain a bonus to jump checks if there is an object you can rebound off of)

Why don´t you take just athletics?

SYL

Parkour=Athletics applied in Urban environment, you might even say its a specialization of Athletics, and have the specialization apply whenever you try to get up, down or over/under something not usually traversed.

Yes, Parkour seems not to be that combat orientet... it's more like..well athletics

Just pic up some specializations if you want more "personalized" boni, maybe like:

Climbing - Building or maybe Freehand
Gymnastics - Balance, Breakfall, Jumping or maybe tumbling (all might fit Parkour at some point)
Running - Long Distance or (mostlikely) Urban

There goes Parkour.

On second thought it also might be a bit cheap to make up a skill, that does the work of 3 skills.

The first PC for my campaign took this, and is getting cyberware to max it out.

He made a Dwarf, and is probably trying to get around the "I don't have to outrun the Security Team, just the Dwarf." suggestions.

Ignore these other posters who seem to think that only FIGHTING benifits from specific, esoteric training. "oh, why do you need special rules for akido, just take unarmed combat, maybe with a specialization in throwing people"

A while ago I made a thread for non-martial arts. Parkour was one of the things I added to it. Here ya go.

Parkour:
The art of overcoming obstacles to one's path. Fluid and acrobatic movements allow traceurs to flow through any environment.
+1 die to land in a specific location after a jump.
+1 die to running checks in difficult terrain. May be taken twice.
-Threshold for unassisted climb upwards and climbing horizontally becomes distance in meters.

Also, new manuveurs:

Breakfall roll:
The character adds their gymnastics skill to the roll to resist falling damage.

Spelunker:
The character is skilled at moving through small spaces, such as caverns, sewers or ductwork. With a complex action, the character may make and agilty + gymnastics roll, similar to running. Each hit adds 1 meter to their movement speed through ducts or other enclosed spaces.

Wall-run:
When making an unassisted climbing check, if the character can get a running start they may substitute a running skill check for the first interval, gaining height as per the unassisted climbing rules. This is immediately followed by a jump check for height, adding that distance as well. Further climbing checks on following intervals are made as normal.

Kip up
The character is never prone unless they want to be. Moving from prone to standing is a free action.

Chicken
When running from pursuers, often moving someway they cannot follow is better than speed. The character may make a running, climbing, jumping or gymnastics check with a threshold they choose. If they succeed, any pursuers must make the same check with the same threshold to follow. If the character fails, though, they are caught.
(This works best if you use a modified version of the pursuit rules for on foot chases.)

Well, besides Kip Up not being "free" as you're, well...flipping up your body by arching your back and springing with your hands (this means you can't guard yourself, fight, shoot, etc while you're doing it as you're busy, umm...doing a Kip Up). And if your opponent has the inkling they can, well...boot you a good one while you're flipping up. It looks great in the movies, as they're choreographed to wait for the hero to finish flipping up kids, but I have yet to see one be even close to combat effective, even in sparring, unless you're up against someone who is being nice and/or is relatively unskilled. A good and/or mean (read: Shadowrunner, CorpSec, or Yours Truly) fighter will just put you back down like a punk...

By your balls if they really don't like you (seen it done)...

Also, when you really look at someone who wants up right frickin' now a Kip Up really isn't any faster. It's just fancier looking.

Those look pretty cool Pimp, migh take that for my jumper adept(freefall+great leap).

edit. That firs manuveur is not needed becouse it say this
"Characters may also add Gymnastics skill dice to the damage resistance test"
in BBB page 154 under falling damage.

Search in the Forums here, there are several threads discussing this from many angles.

WMS

I'll double check that. I though it was an either-or thing, and the maneuveru was to make in an and thing. But I don't have my BBB here, so I'll have to look later. If thats the case I'd change it to subract your gymnastics skill from the height fallen for effective damage.

I base my stuff more off movies than reality, but "kip-up" is just a name for getting up really fast. Describe it how you like. I usually get up from prone with a leg spin. Point is, you don't do the prone thing.

That wuold be pretty damm cool for my character who allready has freefall, jump down from 10th. floor without damege.

Now he can do it from the 12th or 14th floor.

And see the hidden 13th floor filled with secret goings on!

12m(freefall 6) + 6m(gymnastic 6) = 18m + 10m(from avarage damage resisted) = 28m without damage, most of the time

and a little over 40m should still be something that she can walk away.

So on a run escape trough 15th floor window and most of the security officers aren't gonna follow you.

"OK, we'll pick up what's left of him when he goes... Splat... Damn, still running... OK Joe, go after him!" "Why me?" "You're the lowest ranking person here." "Awwwwwwwwwww..."

If you're really good, you don't need your hands. I was never able to accomplish a no-handed kip, my attempts always ended in "oof", but I trained a girl who could. I like to think I could still do a kip if I tried, but I'm a little scared to try.
And it's not free because it doesn't take time or effort, it's effectively free because it looks cool so everyone else in the fight pauses while you do it. Jeez, don't you watch movies?


Abstraction is fair enough, just be aware that a "kip-up" is a very specific type of move, and if you don't make it clear that you're using the term as an abstraction you're going to get, well, this sort of confusion.

Oh sure, you laugh as Joe jumps down and goes Splat. At least his Full Body Armour will keep most of the Gooey Filling inside.

Nah Abigail would let loose with her LMG on Joe, just to be sure.

And now his improvised body bag is a colander.

Thanks Pimp, I also feel that it doesn't have to be martial to benefit from the ruleset that Arsenal set up.

Come on folks, look at the picture for the chapter, with the characters flying towards each other. Yet none of the martial arts give any sort of bonuses for that sort of thing. (Well, a few give charging bonuses.) I really expect to see a couple of martial arts eventually with the awakened in mind, besides bonus damage to attack of will.

And for those of you who say just take athletics, yeah, already got that covered:

Athletics
Gymnastics
Parkour
+
Free Hand (Climbing)
Urban (Running)

Navigation
Urban

I just don't see why you think one can't make non-combative "martial" arts. SR4 introduced a really adaptable system that could be used to make lots of fun and fluffy stuff.

CanRay, that is so cool about the Parkour Dwarf. I totally was thinking about taking that angle, if for no other reason that to make me smile.

He actualy incorporated it into his character's story which is great! Got him Exiled from New York.