Multi-armed Archers and Rated ST

Readying a bow to shoot takes two consecutive ready maneuvers, one to draw an arrow and another to pull back the bow (this can be inferred from the fact that a successful fast-draw removes the one second associated with readying the arrow). Basic Lift is defined as the weight that can be lifted above one's head in one second. Based on these two facts combined with the fact that all bows have a Rated ST which is required to use them effectively, it seems reasonable to assume that it is one's basic lift that is being used in that one second of drawing a bow. As stated in the Basic Set, quadrupling the time taken to lift and using two hands lets one lift up to 8 times basic lift, therefore simply using two hands would let one lift up to twice basic lift. All this combined gives the following.

Multi-armed archers (3+ arms) can draw the bow with additional arms, each additional arm used to draw the bow increases the Rated ST of bow they can draw. To find this new Rated ST multiply the basic lift of that ST by 1 + number additional arms). If these additional arms are considered Weak, they only count for 0.5 or 0.25 of an arm as the case may be.

Examples 1: An archer with ST 12 has a basic lift of 29lb. A multi-arched archer using 2 extra arms to draw a bow would have a basic lift of 29 * (1 +2) = 87lb which corresponds to an ST 20.78, this can be rounded up to ST 21. Therefore an ST12 being with at least 4 arms could draw a bow with a Rated ST of 21. 

Example 2: A being with 2 regular arms and 2 weaker vestigial arms (each half as strong as base ST) with ST 16 is drawing a bow with all four of its arms. Its effective basic lift would be 51lb * (1 +0.5 +0.5) = 102lb. This corresponds to ST 22.6, which rounded up means that the being could use a bow with a Rated ST of 23. As can be seen, despite the creature having a high base ST the weaker limbs contribute far less (as expected).

Note: This is assuming that all arms are in a position to draw the bow effectively. For any situation where this may not apply the GM's judgement should be used.

The idea for this post came after watching this youtube video and the act of 4 armed warriors using multiple arms to draw a bow were mentioned. I haven't checked the math thoroughly but from how I've seen more knowledgeable peoples manipulate these figures to seems to work fine. These rules also imply that beings with more arms can in generally lift more than beings with less, whether this is accurate of reality or not I don't know and I'll leave that question for another time. For a game where multi-armed creatures are possible and extra granularity is desired I think these rules would serve adequately.

Oni

The Broken Land is full of wild places, from the scattered forests, the various mountains which thrust from the earth, to the river ways, and hidden swamps. And within these wild places the Oni dwell. 

There are few creatures more respected or feared than they. 

Oni come in a variety of sizes yet are similar of form: humanoid, often with pot bellies, powerfully muscled, skin and claws like iron, wide staring eyes, vivid skin tones and wild manes of hair. They are respected and revered for their inexhaustible strength, prowess as warriors and immortality, and they are feared for their bottomless appetites and bad tempers. An oni can in a day consume enough food to feed a family for a week, and a small group in a week, enough for an entire village in a year. Despite their near constant and ravenous hunger it doesn't seem that they actually need to eat to survive, starving one only serves to shorten its already limited temper. 

They seem to have no settlements and disdain large gatherings of their own kind. For these reasons it is difficult to say if there exists such a thing as Oni "society". Their homes are often little more than caves or crude huts. Clothing and modesty is not a concern of theirs either, they often wear little more than animal skin loincloths, with tiger skins being the most prized. Their preferred weapons are large iron swords or tetsubos, some also carry javelins or throwing axes. However they are strong enough that small trees and boulders are perfectly valid options as well. They practice poetry, meditation, and caligraphy.

Some consider them as spirits of the Broken Land, others merely a strange and enigmatic people. Whatever the case may be they are innately magical beings. Their spirits are so strong, that if their bodies are slain they manifest. A ghostly vaguely oni shaped form appears, unless destroyed in this form the oni spirit will eventually form a new physical body. In addition many seem to be natural sorcerers, capable of hurling magical bolts of flame and cold, whatever else they are capable of is unknown.

They respect power and strength, and can be quite good conversationalists. In exchange for food, some oni will serve as mercenaries, the hard part is finding them. Certain sorcerers have learnt of rituals capable of summoning them. Despite their gusto for food they don't actually need to eat, so what they do with it all is a mystery. Some (more learned types) believe that they use it form new bodies.

Their word for own people is Yomi, and this is the name of the land they claim to be from as well. A wild land of towering mountains, primeval forests, and raging seas. No such land fitting this description has ever been found, and oni are notoriously tight lipped about it. Their names are actually haikus, but it is the best identifiers they give; Since they insist that these names are only for other's benefit to themselves they are all Yomi. Thses are names like: Old Pond Frog Leaps In Water's Sounds, or Winds of Jifu I've brought my Fan Gifts of Yomi

Martial Arts of the Broken Land: Koppo

Many throughout the history of the Broken Land and beyond have sought immortality. One of these searches has become known simply as The Way. It grew out of the abilities of faith healers and chi channelers to mend the body. Followers believe that by balancing the internal humors of the body via alchemy and mediation they will achieve everlasting life.

This post is not about them.

In a land where the body can be repaired via strength of soul and the shaping of energy, dedicated study of the body is rare. Indeed, what would be the point? Of course there were still some who studied the mysteries of bone, muscle, organ, and blood. These physicians are generally considered inferior to the chi healers but in an emergency they are still called upon.

Legend has it that there was once a small village, plagued by raiders who styled themselves lords, yet acted more like tyrants. The town's warriors were long slain,  its spirit idol smashed, and ancestor's desecrated. The closest they had to protection was the town doctor, not even a chi healer. He did his best to heal those injured by the raiders' brutality, despite the injuries he sustained fighting in a battle long ago not his own, that troubled him still. One day the raiders returned. In their fury at the meager tribute they struck down a child. The doctor, fed up with murder of his friends and destruction of his home, challenged the leader of bandits to a duel. If he won they would leave this village forever and if he lost he would serve them in this life and the next. With a wry laugh the bandit leader accepted. Using his knowledge of the human body and his soldiering skills, the doctor left the bandit leader a broken heap. The bandits left the village and never returned. That is the rumored origin of what came to be known as Koppo, the bone-breaking style.

Koppo - 4 points 
Also known as the bone-breaking style. It was developed by a group of physicians who used their considerable knowledge of the human body to figure out how to best break it. It is an aggressive and brutal style, focusing on incapacitating a foe as quickly as possible. Practitioners wrench limbs and snap joints. Some forms teach devastating kicks to the spine or pelvis. Cinematic practitioners know how to magnify their strength, and use backbreaker instead of Wrench Spine.

Skills: Judo; Karate; Physiology
Techniques: Aggressive Parry; Axe Kick; Knee Strike; Neck Snap; Stamp Kick; Wrench (Limb); Wrench Spine
Cinematic Skills: Power Blow;
Cinematic Techniques: Backbreaker; Lethal Kick; Lethal Strike
Perks: Extra Options* (New hit locations: Jaw; Joints; Spine; Pelvis)

Optional Traits:
Advantages: Claws (Blunt); Trained by a Master
Skills: Diagnosis; First-Aid; Surgery

Extra Options*: a separate perk must be taken for each hit location

Common Maneuvers:

“Arm Breaking Strike”
This is a short series of maneuvers initiated by grapple a victim’s arm, then striking that elbow with a fist. It is sometimes learnt as a combination.
Combination (Judo Grapple/Arm + Karate Punch/Elbow) - Judo-6 + Karate-6.

“Breaking the Foundation”
This form involves grabbing the victim, throwing them to ground, and delivering a brutal axe kick with the intent of shattering their pelvis. It is sometimes used following a Judo parry or learnt as a combination.
Combination (Judo Grapple/Torso + Judo Throw + Karate Axe Kick/Pelvis) - Judo-12 + Judo-12 + Karate-14

Design Notes: This write up was inspired by a throw away line from Dominions 4, were it states that Kappas are masters of Koppo. After a (admittedly brief) google search, all I had managed to uncovered about Koppo was that it is not a single style but rather a description of techniques which targeted the skeletal system. This made me think that people with medical knowledge may develop such a style, especially if such knowledge is rare.

Mission Statement, aka Why This Exists

This blog exists as a place to organize and record my ramblings, in a hopefully more useful form than hundreds of scattered text documents. Hopefully this blog will become a place for me to post GURPS related content (probably of a fantasy leaning but who knows!) and just things related to TTRPGs in general. 

I cannot pinpoint exactly when I first desired to play a TTRPG. I remember playing games of pretend on the playground, slaying monsters and saving damsels well past the point the other kids had relinquished their imaginary swords. My first real experience was in DnD 3.5 in a massive group of 12 people. It was a complete mess, yet the GM managed to keep things interesting and to my young mind it was the most fun time of the week. Over the years I have played many games of 3.5 and other systems as well: Shadowrun, Dark Heresy, 5E, and GURPS being the main ones. Eventually I became tired with DnD and its ilk and in the last few years have settled comfortably into GURPS' many faceted embrace. 

To give the intrepid reader an idea of what they're in for. This blog will most likely be written in a style similar to many OSR blogs out there, I hope to do them justice. Goblinpunch was the first such blog I found and I was amazed by the idea of a malformed psychic t-rex trying to ensure his resurrection millenia in the future, and that was not even scratching the surface. Other blogs which churn my mind waters are Dreams and Fevers, Throne of Salt, and Against the Wicked City. Of course there are other sources of inspiration. The works of various authors: Steven Erikson, Ian C Esselmont (In fact it was hearing that the world of Malazan was originally an RPG world run in GURPS by Steven Erikson and Ian C Esselmont that turned me onto the system in the first place.), Ian Irvine, Sara Douglass, Robin Hobb, Peter Watts, and Neil Stephenson. It would be trite to list them all (indeed impossible really) but I consider these my main sources as it were. 

 My creation process is not unique. To paraphrase what I've read countless times, "Nothing is original. Steal shamelessly, from as many places as possible, mash it all together and create something new". If I can create things interesting and engaging I'll consider it a success. 

I have been working on a setting originally inspired by the Dominions series of video games, but it quickly grew beyond that, expect over the coming months posts solidifying and expanding on that. 

My goal is to write at least 1 post a month, hopefully more. Not a blistering pace by any account but enough that the setting I desire to create should grow at a decent pace, eventually I'll get to play a game in it too. Ideally this blog will become a place I can direct my players to for setting information but that is a ways off. 

I am not so egotistical as to think I will have any astounding insights or creations but if others get something out of this then I will be happy. So if some strange eddy of the internet's currents have brought you here, I hope you find your visit interesting and maybe you can find something to steal yourself. I welcome you to join me in my explorations of beast and men.