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Anyone ever make use of this MA in a game, either as the only or one of their two forms for a PC? While it's dismissed in its description as not all that great in aggressive combat it looks like a decent MA to me. Plus it's the only one that makes it possible to end up with all seven Body Hardening Techniques and one of the few that gives access to the Demon Hunter techniques as well. The ability to act and the option for doing quickie MA movies for fast cash also is hard to overlook.

There's also the idea that the acting talent can really add to a PC's efforts to bluff someone and assume a disguise since they've got considerable training portraying a believable role and doing it quickly. Screen Acting plus Disguise would make an excellent combination with the one improving the other, a few extra talents and you'd have a PC with astoundingly good infiltration capabilities.

It's the only style that has an actual job attached to it. That should be a selling point right there.

Mantisking wrote:It's the only style that has an actual job attached to it. That should be a selling point right there.

Well at least as long as you're in Hong Kong. Might not work as well until you're hitting the higher popularity ratings to try and get into regular acting in other countries but yes there is that benefit. Get some skills in Business/Finance and you can really help yourself along when in breaks between jobs. Who knows maybe build yourself up to be the financial mentor of the group.

It's funny -- I'd just been looking at this art for a particularly tricky build I've been mulling over; it provides some intriguing options, and you're right that combining power punches and roundhouse with the Demon Hunter body hardening makes it a decent choice for straight-ahead work. (That's also when I noticed that, AFAICT, none of the Mystic China classes can legally take it...)

Regularguy wrote:It's funny -- I'd just been looking at this art for a particularly tricky build I've been mulling over; it provides some intriguing options, and you're right that combining power punches and roundhouse with the Demon Hunter body hardening makes it a decent choice for straight-ahead work. (That's also when I noticed that, AFAICT, none of the Mystic China classes can legally take it...)

Well it doesn't get the access to Demon Hunter Techniques until 12th level but just having access to so many conventional Body Hardening Techniques makes the character quite tough. I also hadn't ever noticed it wasn't available to any of the Mystic China OCC (seems like all the classes are extremely limited in what they can choose) so it's in there much like Role-Playing Game Design in the N&SS book, not really available to anyone but can be available when optioned into other settings like the full N&SS/Mystic China layout.

Taken by a Worldly MA there are those bonus techniques you can get as you go up in level so you could end up really buff as a Chao Ta master, the Go To guy for training in Body Hardening Techniques. By Sixth Level you'd have six out of seven Body Hardening Techniques, and all of them at level 9, leaving you at levels 12 and 15 access to the Demon Hunter Techniques to fill things out.

It's a bit amusing that a 'show' MA like Chao Ta has the most impressive access to Body Hardening Techniques, no other MA comes close to providing access to them like Chao Ta does.

Nightmask wrote:It's a bit amusing that a 'show' MA like Chao Ta has the most impressive access to Body Hardening Techniques, no other MA comes close to providing access to them like Chao Ta does.

See, you're thinking "actor", but I'm thinking "stuntman".

Regularguy wrote:

Nightmask wrote:It's a bit amusing that a 'show' MA like Chao Ta has the most impressive access to Body Hardening Techniques, no other MA comes close to providing access to them like Chao Ta does.

See, you're thinking "actor", but I'm thinking "stuntman".

I did have that as a thought as well, but there isn't a 'stuntman' cover available. It'd require a heavy load-out in other physical skills to really cover a wide range of stunt work, and really there needs to be a Stuntman skill or Skill Program to really cover the kinds of things they have to learn. Hmmmm, a Stuntman OCC would be an interesting addition to things. Might be easier to create than trying to create a Stuntman talent for the Marvel Super Hero RPG. Not sure what kind of skills and requirements would be needed for stunt work and whether or not they're generalists or if they're specialists in certain kinds of stunts or if both exist.

Just thought I'd share this from my notes on Civilian Occupations/Covers.

Skill Program
Showbiz: Stuntman
Automobile, Acrobatics or Gymnastics, Aerobic Athletics or Body Building, Fencing or Combat Driving, Performance or Impersonation, Climbing or Swimming, Wardrobe and Grooming, two Physical or W.P. Skills of Choice, and Hand to Hand: Expert or Hand to Hand Martial Arts.

It's a rough draft and subject to change, but it's what I'm using for now.

Mercdog wrote:Just thought I'd share this from my notes on Civilian Occupations/Covers.

Skill Program
Showbiz: Stuntman
Automobile, Acrobatics or Gymnastics, Aerobic Athletics or Body Building, Fencing or Combat Driving, Performance or Impersonation, Climbing or Swimming, Wardrobe and Grooming, two Physical or W.P. Skills of Choice, and Hand to Hand: Expert or Hand to Hand Martial Arts.

It's a rough draft and subject to change, but it's what I'm using for now.

Nice, thanks for contributing it.

You know, this would be a great MA for a mage looking to play as a stage magician or otherwise act. It's not outweighing the generic HtH MA that are available and its main contribution is the Body Hardening Techniques and the ability to act that can be used quite nicely in more combat-oriented situations because if you can convince your opponents you're more powerful or capable than they can handle you've got an advantage you can exploit.