World of Darkness: Melee

Doji Grovesai

September 5, 2007
2 WoD: Melee

Preface know that they might be left with nothing but their
own bodies as a line of defense.
In the past (commonly referred to as the “Old
World of Darkness”), White Wolf produced a book
entitled “Combat” as an attempt to satisfy the need
for all kinds of different fighting styles. It was a
noble attempt, but became lost in its own over-
complicated rules set (hexes? power points?). And
fighting styles that just did not seem to mesh well
with the rest of the system.
With the current iteration of the World of Dark-
ness, we found more abstraction, more responsi-
bility given to Storytellers and Players, with the
core texts acting guides and markers, as opposed
to canon. As an aside, it should be noted that
while the “Golden Rule” has always applied, if you
put more rules into a system, expect more people
to insist on using those rules. This new iterations
attempt at abstraction makes applying said Golden
Rule much easier for all parties involved.
All this said, there is much more to unarmed
combat than “Boxing” or “Kung-Fu” (though far
be it from me to say whether or not these are the
most popular/common). This short piece is my
attempt to broaden that horizon with new mer-
its to enrich the combat experience. Please note,
however, that the Golden Rule applies here just as
much as any other White Wolf sourcebook. I felt
the need to write this only because I personally
determined that codifying additional merits would
enrich the playing experience mechanically as well
as adding a new dimension to character creation
(you learn a lot about a person by watching him
fight).
But combat is always a source of contention.
Who wants to see their character die anyway? So
as an official reminder: Players and Storytellers
should work together to determine what will and
will not work in their games.

Introduction
The fact that the World of Darkness is a messy,
sinister, frequently violent place is not lost on any-
body. Combat of many forms and flavors occurs
in illegal underground arenas, back-alleys, subur-
ban homes, and sometimes out in the open streets.
While some take no thought except to follow in-
stincts in a time of crisis (usually running), others
World of Darkness: Melee is meant to be a sort
of addendum to Armory, adding some merits that
are unique to melee (especially unarmed) combat.
It should also be noted that many of these additions
are colored (some might say “tainted”) by my own
personal experience with the martial arts (both as
a student and an observer).
New Additions to Melee Combat 3

Merits Slip (• • •)

The following is a list of Merits for characters who

have a certain affinity to melee combat. Whether Prerequisites: Brawl (or Weaponry) (• • •), and
they are natural-born talents, or tricks picked up at least 3 dots in melee fighting styles1 .
along the way, these merits represent a certain edge Effect:Your character has a firm grasp on distance
that characters might have over one another. control in physical combat. If an opponent fails
his attack roll against you, you may immediately
roll to attack him. This will not count as your
action for the turn, but you may only use it once
Technophile (• to • •) per combat. Drawbacks: You may only apply
your defense against the opponent on whom you use
This merit operates the same way as described in this merit (because you are concentrating solely on
World of Darkness: Armory. Only your character avoiding his attack to close in). You may not apply
my be exceptionally knowledgable about the his- your defense to any other opponent in this round
tory/philosophy/ of a martial art (or range of mar- of combat. Additionally, you may not use Slip if
tial arts) as well as notable people within the art. you’ve declared a Dodge for the current round of
combat. Note: you must purchase Slip separately
for Brawl and for Weaponry (naturally, they are
not interchangable).
Natural Fighter (• • •)

This merit may be taken at character creation only.

Effect: Your character has a natural feel for fight-
ing. Having a natural ability to analyze and react
to combat, he can quickly discern a proper melee
strategy for himself. After the first round of com-
bat is over, he may spend a willpower (that does Non-Telegraphing Strike (• • ••)
not give bonus dice) and choose to give +1 to his
defense, brawl, or weaponry. This ability may only
be used once per combat, and the bonus lasts un- Prerequisites: Brawl (• • •), and 4 dots in un-
til combat is over. This ability cannot be used if armed fighting styles (at least 3 from the same
firearms are directly involved. style).
Effect: Your character has gained enough combat
experience such that he can eliminate “tells” of his
actions. If your character attacks an opponent in
Natural Extension (• • •) striking range, his defense is 0 against your attack
(armor ratings still apply). Drawbacks: You may
Prerequisites: Weaponry (• • •), and at least 2 not apply your defense to any opponents after this
dots in a melee-weapon fighting style. attack. This may only be done once per combat,
Effect: Your character has mastered the concept and you must spend a willpower point (which does
of treating the weapon as an extension of himself. not add 3 dice).
As such, if he is ever without the weapon he trained
in, he can still fight effectively enough by perform-
ing the same movements (only weaponless). He
may roll Strength + Weaponry in unarmed com-
bat situations. Note that merits such as Weaponry 1 Choosing Slip for Brawl means you must have at least
Dodge and Fighting Finesse cannot be used if un-
3 dots in unarmed fighting styles, while choosing Slip for
armed. Drawback: The 10-again rule does not Weaponry means that the fighting styles must be with melee
apply when using this merit. weapons
4 WoD: Melee
Fighting Styles
Fighting Styles, MMA, and the Brawl
Skill
There are only three fighting styles included here.
A common question that some will immediately
ask: “Why isn’t [insert fighting style] included
here?” Historically speaking, there is a lot of doc-
umentation that shows martial arts have evolved
from other martial arts. Shaolin Boxing, for exam-
ple, is the predecessor to Kung-Fu’s myriad forms
and styles. Eventually, those styles run together
because of their common source.
This brief addendum only addresses fighting
styles that cannot already be lumped into currently
existing merits. Kickboxing (whether it’s Ameri-
can Kickboxing or Muay Thai) can easily be ab-
sorbed by the Boxing style. The only difference
would be that a boxer uses only his hands, while
the kickboxer uses hands, feet, elbows, and knees.
Karate, Tae Kwon Do, and other similar arts can
be expressed with the Kung-Fu merit. So, if your
fighting style of choice has not already appeared
in other White Wolf texts, and said fighting style
also doesn’t appear here, one piece of advice is to
think long and hard about that martial art. Per-
haps there is already a martial art that is concep-
tually similar to one already existing.
While on the subject of different martial arts,
Mixed Martial Arts (or MMA) is a growing trend
at least since the sixties, if not sooner. Whether
following Bruce Lee’s art of Jeet Kun Do or train-
ing for the UFC, a mixed fighting background is
becoming an unescapable reality in the world of
martial arts. There is no MMA (or similar) merit
in this text. The reason being that mixed martial
artists (and those who teach MMA) don’t learn
a specific, codified style. Their training is a di-
rect result of their own fighting background, the
background of their instructors (and the diversity
of their instructors if they have more than one),
and their own personal preferences, strengths, and
weaknesses. Typical training for a mixed martial
artist involves sort of a primary style, and then a
secondary style (and tertiary, and so on if needed).
Your average UFC fighter, for example, usually has
a strong background in boxing or kickboxing (the
latter seems to be predominant), and then some
grappling as a secondary art (usually from Judo or
Brazilian Jiu-Jutsu). Other fighters might be the
reverse of this. Creating such a fighter in the World
of Darkness should follow suit.
Lastly, a note regarding fighting styles and the
brawl skill. Just because you have all five (or
four) merits in a Fighting Style does not make
you a black belt/master/whatever. Take Fencing
(as described in Armory) as an example. Every
fencer learns to thrust, feint, and riposte within
the first month of training. If the training is in-
tensive enough, the novice fencers might even be
reasonably proficient at them by the end of the
first month’s training. Obviously, however, they
are not masters. The actual proficiency in fighting
is gauged (in this case) by the weaponry skill.
Likewise for the brawl skill. Novice boxers can
learn how to perform blows in combination. That
doesn’t make them arena-class fighters. A high
brawl skill, in combination with the boxing mer-
its, will make them arena-class fighters. The fight-
ing style merits have an order to them because each
technique builds on the previous technique, and the
purchase of these merits represents a certain com-
petency and confidence in executing the technique.
Fighting Style: Capoeira (• to • • • ••)
Prerequisites: Dexterity (••), Athletics (••),
Brawl (••)
Effect: Your character has trained in the Brazil-
ian martial art of Capoeira. He may have learned
the dance/fight/game in a barrio on the streets of
Rio de Janeiro, or experienced a structured class
setting taught by a seasoned Profesor or Mestre.
Dots purchased in the Merit allow access to spe-
cial combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prereq-
uisite for the next. So, your character cannot have
“Esquiva/Negativa” until he has “Armada.” The
maneuvers and their effects are detailed below, all
of which are based on the Brawl Skill.
Armada (•): Your character can deliver power-
ful spinning kicks which can easily dizzy an oppo-
nent. If the number of successes in a single brawl
maneuver is greater than or equal to the target’s
Size, the victim loses his next action.
Esquiva/Negativa (••): Your character’s
Dodge trait (Defense doubled; see World of Dark-
ness p. 156) is not penalized by multiple attacks
staged against him in a round until the number
of attacks exceeds his Brawl dots, at which point
New Additions to Melee Combat 5

each attack thereafter reduces his Dodge by -1. So, Throw (•): Your character can effectively use
if your character (with 2 Defense and 3 Brawl) de- leverage and/or your opponent’s momentum to put
clares a dodge, the first three incoming attacks suf- them on the ground. When rendering your oppo-
fer his full Dodge trait as a penalty (-4). The fourth nent prone (see World of Darkness p.157), your
suffers a -3 penalty, and so on. Basically, your char- character has the option to be “not prone.” If this
acter evades so naturally that opponents in close is the case, successes translate to bashing damage
combat have trouble assaulting him. and the grapple is broken.
Au Malandro (• • •): Your character has Trapping and Entanglement (••): Your
learned to combine his acrobatic evasions with ef- character is comfortable fighting both on the
fective strikes to his opponents. When using this ground and in the clinch. Instead of using Strength
ability, your character gains +2 to his defense, but in place of Defense, you can choose to use your
any attack he makes suffers a -2 penalty. He can Brawl rating (i.e. an opponent will roll Str+Brawl
move no more than his Speed during this time. - your Brawl to break free or overpower).
Golpes Mortais (• • ••): Your character has Control Position (• • •): Your character has
honed his accuracy to the point that his attacks hit learned to apply techniques to neutralize his op-
with deadly precision and force. Such a strike deals ponent in a grapple. If successes gained in a single
lethal damage, instead of bashing damage. Draw- overpower maneuver (see World of Darkness p.157)
back: Spend one Willpower point per attack. Note equal or exceed the opponent’s size, the opponent
that this Willpower expenditure does not add three loses their next action.
dice to your pool. Submission/Joint Lock (• • ••): Your char-
Furacao (• • • • •): Your character can unleash acter can put incredible strain oh his opponent’s
a hurricane of spinning attacks on your opponent. joints, breaking or dislocating them. A submis-
Your character may make a number of consecutive sion/joint lock deals lethal damage instead of bash-
attacks (in a single turn) up to his brawl rating. ing damage during grappling. Drawback: Spend
The kicks may be directed at multiple targets (pro- one Willpower point. Note that this expenditure
vided they are within range) with the expenditure does not add three dice to your pool.
of a Willpower point. Drawbacks: You may not
move from your spot. If an attack fails, you may Fighting Style: Special Forces
not continue making attacks (i.e. failing on the first
(• to • • • ••)
attack finishes the turn and your character can-
not roll again no matter how many dots in brawl Prerequisites: Strength (••), Dexterity (••),
he has). Additionally, after the maneuver is com- Stamina (• • •), Brawl (••)
pleted (whether a success or a failure), roll Stamina Effect: Your character has been trained in spe-
to maintain footing. cific techniques to take down opponents whenever
and wherever necessary. Perhaps he was trained as
Fighting Style: Grappling (• to • • • •) a Navy SEAL, or he holds the secrets of Ninjutsu
passed down through generations. In any event,
Prerequisites: Strength (••), Dexterity (••), your character was trained to fight as a covert op-
Brawl (••) erative.
Effect: Your character has trained to fight in the Dots in this merit represent access to special
closest proximity of all: the grapple. Whether as a combat maneuvers. Each dot is a prerequisite to
prize-fighter, concerned citizen, or merely for recre- the next. So you may not purchase the maneuver
ation, your character can effectively manipulate his “Improvised Weapons” until you purchase “Preci-
opponents to the ground and into submission. sion Strikes.” The maneuvers and effects are listed
Dots in this merit represent access to special below, most of which involve the Brawl skill.
combat maneuvers. Each dot is a prerequisite Precision Strikes (•):Physical conditioning
to the next. Thus you cannot purchase “Ground and accuracy allow your character to deliver blows
Fighting” until you have purchased “Throw.” The at vulnerable spots on targets. Penalties to hit spe-
maneuvers and effects are listed below, most of cific targets are reduced by one (see Specified Tar-
which are based on the brawl skill. gets, World of Darkness p. 165.) Even when a
6 WoD: Melee

specific part of an opponent is not targeted, armor

penalties to your characters Brawl attacks are re-
duced by one.
Improvised Weapons (••): Your character
has been trained to use everything around him as
a weapon, and use it effectively. Negate the -1
penalty for improvised weapons (See “Improvised
Weapons,” World of Darkness p. 136). You still
use the lower of the items durability or size for dam-
age, though.
Combination Attack (• • •): Your charac-
ter’s training allows him to deliver a series of blows
against his opponents. You may make two consec-
utive Brawl attacks as a single action. The second
attack is made at -1. Drawback: Your character
cannot use his defense if he uses this ability. If your
character has already utilized his defense earlier in
the initiative, he may not use this ability.
Worst Case Scenario (• • ••): Harsh and
prolonged training in even harsher and more pro-
hibitive situations has allowed your character to
maximize his advantages in any situation. Negate
a number of environmental penalties (or wound
penalties) equal to your Defense rating. Note: you
negate the penalties which are rated the lowest.
For example, if you are fighting in thick fog (-1)
on an icy street (-2) having suffered several cuts
(-1 wound penalty) with a defense of 2, you will
negate the fog penalty and the wound penalty. Not
the icy street penalty.
Lethal Attack (• • • • •): Your character is
trained to eliminate threats as quickly as possible,
and has developed his accuracy and power to inflict
the most harm. Attacks inflict lethal instead of
bashing damage. Drawback: You must spend one
Willpower point to use this ability. Note that the
expenditure does not add three dice to your pool.