Wheels of Fury Martial Arts

[taalismn]

Well, here's another home-brewed martial arts form. Critical commentary for finetuning this is welcome.

The following is not meant in any way to make fun of those with crippling injuries, but is instead in tribute to those who refuse to be let down by such injuries.

Wheels of Fury----Wheelchair Martial Arts
“I may not have my legs anymore, but I can still kick your ass!”

Wheelchair Martial Arts was developed by a martial arts master who was crippled in an accident that left him permanently unable to use his legs. Rather than pass on his mantle to a more able-bodied teacher, the master took the accident in stride and retrained himself in a new martial arts challenge; how to effectively fight from the confines of a wheelchair. The rehabilitation and the training was long, ardouous, and filled with frustration and numerous setbacks, but the master was one day able to look back at the course he’d taken, and find himself satisfied with what he’d accomplished. He was then able to turn around and teach what he’d learned and what he’d devised to others, like him, who refused to be pigeonholed and shot down by disability.
The school has since caught on with other disabled people; veterans, ex-police officers, ex-athletes, crime victims seeking justice/revenge, and the formerly physically active seeking to recapture past activeness and greater independence.
To practice Wheels of Fury, one must obviously be confined to a wheelchair. Not just sitting in one, but having to be wholly dependent on one to get around. Only a permanent acknowledgement that one is never going to walk again, allows a student of Wheels of Fury to devote their full attention to perfecting this art.
Wheels of Fury builds the upper body and arms, and the manipulation of one’s center of gravity(as much as one is able to). Practitioners learn to make the most of their upper arm strength and speed, as well as how to fall out of a wheelchair without taking damage(and being completely helpless). Proper wheelchair maintenance and construction is also taught...a stuck or jammed wheel can prove fatal in a fight!
The Art itself is heavy on hand attacks and parries, spinning circular moves, and lunging bodyblocks/rams, using the additional mass of the wheelchair. The Art is almost wholly devoid of leg-based maneuvers.

Country of Origin: United States
Style: (Non-Exclusive)
Entrance Requirements: Must be confined to a wheelchair!
Skill Cost: 6 years(3 years if taken as a Secondary Martial Art Form)
Costume: Anything, as long as it is close-fitting and not going to tangle in the wheels of one’s wheelchair.
Stance: Seated, arms spread to the sides, bent in, and hands on wheels. Legs(if any) are together and strapped in(so as not to flop about).
Character Bonuses:
+1d4 P.S.
Note: In general, a wheelchair-bound person’s Speed rating is equivalent to HALF their P.S. rating, as emphasis shifts from the lower body to the upper body.
Combat Skills:
Attacks per Melee: 2
Escape Moves: Roll with Punch/Fall/Impact
*Backwheel---This allows the practitioner to instantly stop and reverse course in a dodge, similar to a Backflip.
*Dime-Spin---This move allows the practitioner to instantly do a complete 180-degree turn to face in the other direction. Performing this move requires that both hands be empty(no handheld weapons) to manipulate the wheelchair wheels. This, too, works just like a BackFlip.
Basic Defensive Moves: Parry, Automatic Parry
Advanced Defenses: Power Block/Parry, Breakfall, Combination Parry/Attack
Hand Attacks:
Punch
Knife Hand
Fore-Knuckle Fist
Double-Knuckle Fist
Power Punch
Backhand
Palm Strike
Double-Fist Punch
Forearm
Elbow
*Spin-Punch---This works like a spin-kick, only the hands are involved, and the added momentum of the spinning wheelchair adds to the damage. 2d6 damage(+any P.S. bonus)
Basic Foot Attacks: None
Jumping Foot Attacks: None
Special Attacks:
*Handstand Chair-Slam---This is an exhibit of mindboggling strength in that the martial artist can stand on his hands and twist the rest of his body to lift his wheelchair clear of the ground(the practitioner must be well-strapped into the chair), and use the chair to ‘kick’. swinging it about like a massive bludgeon, hammering and parrying. -1 to strike, but it does (weight of wheelchair)/2 in SD(+P.S. bonuses) damage on a strike.
Weapons Katas: None
Modifiers to Attacks: Pull Punch, Critical Strike

Skills Included in Training:
Bicycle Mechanics(as applied specifically to Wheelchairs)(+10%)
Martial Arts Powers:
Can select ONE from the category of Body Hardening Exercises(with the exception of Kick Practice or other leg exercises)
Language: English
Cultural Skills: -----
Physical:
Body Building
Bicycling(equivalent)
Philosophical Training:
If this is your Primary Martial Arts Form, then the following other forms can be learned in a shorter time; Ch’in-Na(6 years) or Moo Gi Gong(6 years)
Far more likely, though, is that this is your SECONDARY form, after suffering crippling injury that has curtailed your pursuit of your original Primary form.

Level Advancement Bonuses:
1st-----+1 Breakfall, +2 Parry, +3 Roll
2nd----- +1 Strike, +1 damage. +1d6 to Speed*
3rd-----+1 to Backwheel, +1 Parry
4th-----+1d6 to Speed*, +1 Strike, Critical Strike on a Natural 20.
5th-----+1 Breakfall, +1 APM, +1 damage
6th-----+1 to Backwheel, +1 Parry, KnockOut/Stun on a Natural 20
7th----- +1 Strike, +1 Power Block/Parry
8th-----+1 Parry, +1 Roll, +1 damage
9th-----+1 to Backwheel, +1 APM
10th-----+1d6 to Speed*, +1 Breakfall, select ONE addotional power from the category of Body Hardening Exercises(with the exception of Kick Practice or other leg exercises)
11th-----+1 Power Block/Parry, +1 Automatic Parry
12th-----+1 Parry, +1 Roll, +1 damage
13th-----+1 to Backwheel, +1 APM
14th-----+1d6 to Speed*, +1 Strike, KnockOut/Stun on a Natural 19 or 20
15th-----+1 Breakfall, +1 Roll, +1 Automatic Parry

*Applies to Speed in wheelchair only.

Wheelchair Construction
The average modern wheelchair weighs between 20-50 lbs, has 60-100 SDC, and costs between 900 and 2,000 dollars.
Modifications to Wheelchairs includes the following:

*Handbrakes---Most wheelchairs are stopped by hand, but this adds bicycle-style squeeze brakes for high speed stops, allowing for painless stops in a fraction of the distance(+1 to Backwheel from a forward run). Cost: 80 dollars

*Friction Reduction---Use of advanced bearings on the wheels, special coatings and lubricants to reduce axel friction; +1d6 to Speed, Cost: 400 dollars.

*Composite Construction---The wheelchair can be lightened as much as 40% by the extensive use of cutting edge polymers, carbon-graphite composites, and light alloys, without sacrificing frame strength, but at greater expense.
Cost: Multiply base cost by 50%

*Speed Cranks---Popular with racers, this is a retracting set of hand-cranks similar to a bicycle’s peddles, only placed for optimal cranking by the hands. + 5 lbs of weight, +1d8 to Speed. Cost: 200 dollars

*Motorization---This adds an electric motor for non-muscle-powered propulsion and greater speed/endurance, but it adds weight.
Weight: +35 lbs and 5 lbs per battery pack(up to three batteries can be added)
Speed: 4-8 MPH standard
Range: 6 hour charge per battery(a Rifts-style e-clip would provide 48 hours charge)
Cost: 600 dollars

*Folding Construction----This allows the wheelchair to fold up into a more compact state(1/2 to 1/3 its normal width and length) for easy stowage and transport.
Cost: 300 dollars

*Balloon Tires---Large oversized wheels for getting over soft ground and sand. Reduce speed by 25%
Cost: 50 dollars

*Shock Absorbers---Allows for smoother traveling over rough surfaces(+3% to Bicycling skill for handling purposes). Cost: 70 dollars

*Improved Bearings---Lower friction lubricants and bearings allow the wheelchair to hit higher speeds(improve speed by 10%). Cost: 200 dollars

*Lower Frame---Popular with wheelchair racers and amputees, this option mounts smaller wheels and a lower frame for a smaller and more maneuverable(+1 dodge) target, but the person is also that much lower to the ground. Cost: 400 dollars

*Extending Leg Rest---Like a Laz-E-Boy, this allows the wheelchair rider to raise his legs up and out with a crank-level. Wheels of Fury practitioners often use this to perform the equivalent of a Wheel/Spin Kick(1d10 damage). Cost: 250 dollars

*Standing Frame---This is a set of powered actuators and modified frame components that allows the wheelchair-bound person to ‘stand up’, allowing them to reach objects on higher levels and look people eye-to-eye. It also allows them to more easily punch other people in the head. The downside is that raising the posture, they have a higher center of gravity and are thus -1 to Backwheel and -1 to Breakfall. Cost: 600 dollars

*Sideboards---Actually a rear foot rest that allows a person to jump up on the back of the wheelchair and ride as a passenger. Cost: 50 dollars

*Solid Wheel Hubs---These are plastic hubs that provide extra protection against opponents stopping a ‘chair with a convenient stick in the spokes. However, they also deprive the rider of extra handholds and can also decrease shock absorption. Add 20 SDC, but -1 to handling. Cost: 300 dollars

*Hub Covers---This is an attempt to have the best of both worlds with snap-on/off ‘lids’...Cheaper than solid wheel hubs, they are also flimsier(only 15 SDC). Cost: 40 dollars

*Kevlar Backrest---Adds extra protection in the form of kevlar padding that protects the back of the wheelchair-bound character with protection equivalent to a bulletproof vest; +10 lbs, A.R. 10, 50 SDC, Cost: 800 credits.

*Secret Compartments---Special cargo compartments under the seat and behind the backrest for carrying stuff. Can also hold small objects (pen-sized) in hollow structural tubing. Cost: 40 dollars

*Retracting Wheelspikes---First seen on parapalegic Yakuza. These do 2d4 damage on a side-swipe. Cost: 400 dollars

*Handlebar JATO---Built into the rear-facing handlebars, these are compressed gas jets that act like rockets. Maximum of four uses before needing replacement. Supposedly the innovation of an Australian ex-highway cop.
Weight: +25 lbs
Speed: Can hit speeds of up to 65 MPH.
Range: Duration of 1 minute per activation
Cost: 9,000 dollars

Why Study Wheels of Fury?
Because the legs may be unable to kick ass, but the rest of the body is still willing! Besides providing protection for the physically vulnerable, it’s great exercise and builds self-confidence. On the minus side, there are just some things a wheelchair-bound person can’t do as well as a bipedally-mobile one, and this martial art isn’t going to let you walk again.