Kempo (often called Kenpo) is an astounding martial art which relies
upon speed and an understanding of gymnastics to make its moves that
much more dangerous. A speed-based rather than strength- or
stamina-based martial art, Kempo uses sweeping kicks, roundabout
punches, flips and throws, and lots of long-distance striking attacks.
Primarily a defensive martial art, Kempo practitioners symbolize
Pollonius' advice to Laertes: "Beware of entrance to a quarrel; but,
being in, bear it that the opposed may beware of thee."
Those who practice Kempo realize that parries and blocks are fine and
well, but the best way to avoid getting hit is to simply get out of the
way. A true student of Kempo will backpedal and dodge from his enemy,
talking the whole while, and only launch his own attacks when he runs
out of room to run. This is not to say that Kempo's pracitioners are
cowards--hardly, for they can be just as dangerous as any other martial
artist if the situation warrants it; they would just rather defend
themselves rather than beat the stuffings out of an opponent.
Kempo is also a martial art that is easily integrated into a personal
fighting style; its teachings (such as they are) emphasize the
importance of flexibility, both mentally and physically. A Kempo student
must be ready at all times to alter his strategy at a moment's notice;
overspecialization leads to defeat. Surprisingly easy to learn for such
a complex martial art, Kempo is similar to Tai-Chi Ch'uan in that anyone
may select Kempo as their combat form (so long as they can select Hand
to Hand: Martial Arts).
The appearance of Kempo is almost comic: the martial artist will
backpedal and weave from side to side while trying to reason with his
opponent, ducking below punches and jumping over kicks, sliding out of
hand to hand range and jumping back in. It stops being funny when the
fight starts for real. If the opponent is obviously unable to be
reasoned with or the quarters are about to become too close to make
dodging practical, the Kempo student will fly into action, becoming a
frenzied tornado of snap kicks, throws, roundhouses, backflips, and leg
hooks. This will continue until the martial artist's opponent concedes
the fight or is unconscious; even the most combative Kempo students
(somewhat of a contradiction in terms) will draw the line at killing a
foe. It's not that they can't kill an enemy; they just won't, except to
save another's life.
Entrance Requirements: PP 10; practitioners of Kempo must have an
Honorable alignment (Principled, Scrupulous, Unprincipled, Taoist, or Aberrant). Skill Cost: 5 years (3 years as a Secondary Martial Art) Costume: Standard martial arts gi for practice; no "official" garb. Stance: Loose, wide-legged stance, one leg slightly behind the other;
both hands held near chest level, palms turned slightly outwards.
CHARACTER BONUSES
Add 2 to P.P.
Add 1 to M.E.
Add 10 to S.D.C.
Add 5 to Chi
COMBAT SKILLS Attacks per Melee: 3 Escape Moves: Roll with Punch/Fall/Impact, Maintain Balance, Backflip Basic Defensive Moves: Parry, Dodge, Advanced Defensive Moves: Multiple Dodge, Breakfall, Automatic Dodge Hand Attacks: Punch (Strike), Backhand, Palm Strike Basic Foot Attacks: Kick, Snap Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Wheel Kick,
Crescent Kick, Axe Kick, Backward Sweep, Tripping/Leg Hook Jumping Foot Attacks: Jump Kick, Flying Jump Kick Special Attacks: Knee, Leap Attack, Body Flip/Throw Holds/Locks: Arm Hold, Leg Hold, Finger Lock, Wrist Lock, Elbow Lock Weapon Katas: None Modifiers to Attacks: Pull Punch, Knock-Out/Stun, Critical Strike
SKILLS INCLUDED IN TRAINING Martial Arts Powers: Practitioners of Kempo start with the Body
Hardening Exercise of Chagi (Kick Practice) and may select one other
power from either Martial Arts Techniques or Special Katas (except for
Five Principles or the Windmill Kata). Languages: Practitioners of Kempo are strongly encouraged to learn
Japanese but do not gain it for free and are not required to have it;
should a character with Kempo choose to learn Japanese, he will gain a
+10% bonus to that language skill. Physical: Gymnastics; Prowl Philosophical Training: None, except that fighting is always to be the
last resort.
If Kempo is your primary martial art form, then the following other
forms can be learned in a shorter time: Ch'in-Na (4 years), Drunken
Style Kung Fu (6 years), Jujutsu (3 years), Lee Kwan Choo (5 years),
Sankukai Karate (5 years), Tae Kwon Do (3 years), Tai-Chi Ch'uan (3
years), or Taido (6 years).
LEVEL ADVANCEMENT BONUSES Level 1: +3 to roll with punch, +2 to pull punch, +2 to dodge, Critical Strike
on Natural 20 Level 2: Knock-Out/Stun on natural 19-20, +2 to Maintain Balance, +2 to
Backflip, +1 to dodge, +1 to strike with kicks Level 3: Critical Strike on Natural 19-20, +2 to pull punch, +1 to dodge Level 4: +1 to Backflip, +2 to Breakfall, +1 to strike with kicks, +2 to roll
with punch Level 5: +1 attack per melee, +1 to Maintain Balance Level 6: Knock-Out/Stun on natural 18-20, +2 to strike with kicks, +1 to dodge,
+2 to pull punch, +1 to roll with punch Level 7: Select one additional Martial Art Power from Body Hardening Exercises
and one from either Martial Arts Techniques or Special Katas (except
Five Principles or Windmill Kata) Level 8: +1 attack per melee, +1 to dodge, +1 to Holds/Locks Level 9: Critical Strike on Natural 18-20, +1 to pull punch, +1 to roll with
punch, +1 to strike with kicks Level 10: +2 to strike with kicks, +2 to dodge, +2 to Maintain Balance, +1 to
Holds/Locks Level 11: Select one Martial Art Power from among Body Hardening Exercises,
Martial Arts Techniques, and Special Katas (except Five Principles and
Windmill Kata) Level 12: +1 to dodge, +2 to Breakfall, +1 to strike with kicks Level 13: Select one Martial Art Power from Body Hardening Exercises Level 14: +1 attack per melee Level 15: Critical Strike on Natural 17-20, Knock-Out/Stun on Natural 17-20
Why Study Kempo?
If you're interested in a practical way to defend yourself in hand to
hand combat, few martial arts are better than Kempo. Combining a simple
method of teaching that leads to fast advancement with a complex style
that can beat most similarly ranked styles in combat, Kempo can hold its
own against anything from street thugs to fellow martial artists.
Kempo's greatest weakness is its non-combative mentality and inability
to deal with more aggressive martial arts like Fu-Chiao Pai and
Kyokushinkai Karate. It also gives no automatic parry, which is a big minus.
