5 Dueling Styles

 I've been toying with fighting styles as character features for a while now, but I just can't manage to end up with something I'm satisfied with. Locheil's are really good, though.

I'm assuming you can choose to learn a Lesson like a Stance or Technique once you've learned all of those in a Style.

1. Ψ - Downer

A "style" that comes naturally to angry drunks. If you bar crawl at all, you've met at least one practitioner.

You may learn it from the local bully, or by getting piss drunk and starting a fight you're going to lose. Badly.

1. Technique : Mad-dogging 

Put your face up in someone else's and start talking shit. If they back off, they're out of the fight. If they do the same, the two of you are locked like that until one of you backs off or punches the other. If they punch you you'll let out a chuckle before punching them hard enough to send them sprawling all over the floor, stunned for as many rounds as you've been locked plus one (or they stun you if you punch first).

2. Technique : Find Out

After getting knocked on your ass, you can instantly pass out. You'll wake up in the nearest ditch or gutter, with a blinding headache but otherwise completely fine.

3. Stance : Abuse

You take 1 less damage and deal 1 more for every drug running through your body.

4. Lesson : Pillar

If you spend at least a week in a location getting drunk and starting fights, people just get used to it. Your next criminal not-as-bad-as-murder offense will be punished by spending the night locked up somewhere to sober you up. If they're sloshed, this also applies to the party.

2. Ψ - Bootlaces

Most people believe that sometimes, violence is necessary to prevent violence. Some people think that that's a load of bullshit - they think that violence is always necessary to stop fascists.

You may learn it from the local punks, or by jumping an armed fascist and getting away with it.

1. Technique : Punching Up

Stomp down on someone for d6 damage (+1 if you're wearing steel-toed boots). If they're still down at the end of their turn, you can do it again until they manage to get up.

2. Lesson : Resist Control

When someone attempts to mind-control or otherwise force you to do something, you can punch them in the face (or kick their shins, throw a piece of pavement or a beer can...). You automatically resist on a hit, and get advantage on the save (or get a save if you otherwise wouldn't) on a miss.

3. Technique : Fuck Off

Cast Turn Fascists with one MD using insults and promises of violence. If your mates join in, use 2 MD instead : on a double, they'll come back within the day with way more of theirs.

4. Stance : It's OK To Punch Nazis

If you're wearing all (or mostly) black, you have advantage on saves against nonlethal-unless-I'm-trying-to-kill-you-with-it weaponry. If all your mates are, you can collectively stop any charge dead in its tracks.

Turn Fascists : Every fascist in sight with [Dice] or less HD can't get closer to you. If [Dice]>HD, they also take [Highest] damage per turn. If [Dice] ≥ 4, 1 HD fascists are destroyed. Fascist is defined as what a random punk off the street would call a fascist.

3. Ψ - A Leisurely Walk

A style based on what was once believed to be the Giants' fighting techniques. Retaliatory strikes taught mortal-kind better.

You may learn it from any giant-slayer, or by stopping a giant that doesn't want to be.

1. Lesson: Big Damn Hero

If you say you can kill something, everyone believes you (unless they know for a fact that it can't be killed, like it's a god or something) and will act like the deed is basically already done. You can't use this Lesson again until it is.

2. Technique : Dynamic Entrance

Make a dynamic entrance by breaking through something to get a surprise round. You don't need to roll to break through as long as it's even remotely possible for you to do so (Doors and rusted bars yes, fortress walls no).

3. Stance : Beneath Notice

You take half damage from creatures smaller than you, weapons smaller than yours, or from those of a lower social status.

4. Technique : Amble On

After breaking through to the other side of enemy lines, you may simply walk away. They won't be able to catch up until they've lost sight of you and found it again.

4. Ψ - Stymphalian Kung Fu

When Heracles frightened the bronze birds away, where did they go ? To Kung Fu kountry. This is to Crane Kung Fu what steel is to bronze.

You may learn it from any Kung Fu master, or by capturing a bird made of bronze intent on murdering you and getting it to teach.

1. Technique : Soar

Jump up on an enemy's face for d6 damage and launch yourself three times as high as you normally could. If you land on someone else's face, you can keep going until you run out of new targets. Every jump takes a turn (but you can do other stuff during that turn).

2. Technique : Dive

Fall down from the skies like the wrath of a murderous bird, automatically hitting for double damage (d6 if unarmed) when you land. If no-one sees you coming, deal triple damage instead.

3. Stance : Peck the Flesh

When arranged in the shape of a beak, your fingers deal d6 damage, are as hard as bronze and can punch through brick walls (the rest of you can't).

4. Lesson : Swaying Grace

You can spend a turn moving your neck back and forth like that of a loathsome snake (or a graceful heron, your choice) to launch it forward up to 5 meters away and bite onto something. Contracting your body towards your neck rather than the other way around takes a strength check to avoid d4 damage from horribly strained neck muscles.

5. Ψ - A Glimpse Of The Butchery To Come

The Great and Magnificent Pirate Queen Sabah once stepped through a time distortion. She spent an entire week terrorising dorm students into feeding her snacks while watching action movies, and came back with some new ideas about warfare.

You may learn it from The Great and Magnificent Pirate Queen Sabah, one of her trusted lieutenants, or by obsessively watching action flics from the future.

1. Technique : Empty the clip

Draw a loaded pistol, fire it, drop it and then keep doing that while you calmly walk towards your target. Every pistol has a 1-in-20 chance of exploding in your hands for d6 damage and knocking you unconscious, increasing by one every shot.

2. Stance : Clipped Shoulder

You can only adopt this stance when you would get reduced to 0 HP. You delay that damage until you exit this stance.  If you have multiple non-dominant shoulders, you can adopt that stance as many times as you have of those.

3. Lesson : Trailer Shot

Become immune to explosions you are the cause of by slowly walking away from them. If there's an explosion you are not the cause of, you can cut its damage in half by jumping out of a nearby window, inside a body of water, or hiding in some sturdy furniture. Dragon fire and such counts as an explosion.

4. Technique : One-Liner

Come up with an appropriate (and original !) quip after killing an enemy, immediately healing 1 HP.

Finding out that the best way to get me to do something was to challenge me to do it was certainly a realisation.