In the anime and manga there is little defined structure for the various styles of martial arts. Combined with my mediocre Japanese, lack of reading volumes 28 - 37 of the manga, and ignorance of martial arts I have probably made a lot of errors here. I don't apologize. There are problems every time you translate a plot device into a game mechanic. Even in cases where I knew things were wrong I decided to use that approach if I thought it was more appropriate to the Ranma 1/2 setting. Besides, Ranma 1/2 is not reality so we're allowed to take some liberties.
Although any of the styles of martial arts in Street Fighter could be brought over into Ranma 1/2 not all would be appropriate. Ranma 1/2 martial arts forms are based on ancient traditions and lost lore. Of all the styles Shotakan Karate would be the most appropriate though Wu Shu, Capoeira and Sumo Wrestling could work.
Fighting styles in Ranma 1/2 are based upon philosophical tenets from which the fighting style evolves. Moving maneuvers between fighting styles would require bringing what is the culmination of a given set of beliefs and have someone who has no faith in that philosophy execute it. Aside from difficult the very idea of teaching an outsider these secrets and lore is sickening to those who have spent their lives learning them. Thus, techniques tend to remain unique within a few closely related styles. The exceptions to this are the "rule of masters" and the occasion when two styles develop the same maneuver independently.
For these reasons new special maneuvers will be listed by style instead of technique. Also, sometimes individuals will develop maneuvers unique to themselves though they may later become incorporated into a specific style. Sometimes, so many of these maneuvers build up, and tenets grow from these, that a new school of that style is founded.
The rule of masters - a master is someone who has mastered their own martial arts skills to such a degree that they have gone beyond any traditional definition. These persons can learn any technique from any style at that school's normal cost. They can also teach these to anyone else but such lessons rarely come cheap. To my knowledge only two masters have ever been presented, Cologne and Happosai. In truth it is impossible to say whether they are the only masters or just what it is that makes them masters - becoming a master is more of a mental state than any actual accomplishment and Happosai is certainly an example that they are not necessary enlightened in any sense that we would normally use.
The information given here is very sparse. I brought over some special techniques from the Street Fighter book that I thought would be appropriate, giving their cost here along with the page number it is from in the Street Fighter book. The new special techniques are simply those from the manga that I could think of off hand. There are undoubtly untold others you will want to add.
All techniques are open to any individual and all schools make use of all the techniques at least a little. However, each school also has six primary techniques. These are those that are usually the focus of the katas, training exercises and most common special maneuvers. They are, informally, the "heart" of a school.
note : for calculating movement and speed replace agility with the new attribute quickness
Buffalo Punch
Amazon Wrestling cost 1 (p. 106)
note : the Amazons refer to this as Wild Boar Strike
Back Flip Kick
Anything Goes 2 (p. 111)
Forward Knee Flip
Anything Goes 3, Amazon Wrestling 2
Stepping Front Kick
Kempo, Amazon Wrestling 3 (p. 115)
Maka Wara
Kempo, Amazon Wrestling 4 (p. 115)
Drunken Monkey Roll
Rhythmic Gymnastics 2 (p. 123)
Beginning Willpower : 5 Beginning Chi : 2 Primary Techniques : Punch, Kick, Grab, Athletics, Focus, Throwing
Sometimes this style is translated as the School of Indiscriminate Grappling. This style is unique because it has no physical components standard to it. The only core to it is its philosophy. Followers of this style believe that one must be prepared for anything. Experts of this form have trained since birth. They are raised under constantly changing circumstances, stressing all parts of physical excellence as well as alert senses and intuitive thinking. This makes it much harder to learn from the school than others but also a much more fluid style as the student is taught to accept anything and be prepared to do anything.
Studying from this style has a number of results. The first is that they can buy ANY special maneuver. If a maneuver has a cost listed for Anything Goes the artist may buy it at that cost. If it is available to any style the Anything Goes martial artist may buy it at that cost +1. If it is only available to certain other styles it is available at the highest listed cost +2. The fact that is was designed for a totally different style is irrelevant due to the philosophies of Anything Goes Martial Arts which are based on the premise that everything is true. Perquisites still apply fully.
These are a few three of the known maneuvers developed by Anything Goes marital artists.
The Double Jump
The Double Jump is a bizarre trick that involves refocusing
the momentum of a propelled martial artist and using it to
redirect movement, even in mid air, making it seem as if the
artist made a second jump in the air.
Prerequisites : Athletics 3, Focus 2
Power Points : Anything Goes 3, Amazon Wrestling 4
Cost : 1 Willpower, 1 Chi
Speed : -1
Damage : n/a
Move : unlimited
The High Jump
Most basketball players would kill to be able to do this.
It basically allows a player to convert pure Chi into
momentum through their body. As a result by using a
standing jump as a catalyst (a catalyst is needed to give
direction to the momentum) a martial artist can jump dozens
of feet or turn a normal back flip into a truly incredible
feat.
Prerequisites : Athletics 1, Focus 3
Power Points : Anything Goes 3, Any 3
Cost : 1 Willpower
Speed : +3
Damage : (if using to get high and strike from above) +5
Move : unlimited
Cat's Feet
This bizarre action actually allows a person to do the
opposite of the High Jump. By making a sudden stop against
momentum the kinetic energy is absorbed into the body's
latent battle aura and dispersed around the person. As a
result a person could fall fifty feet and land gracefully on
their feet without discomfort. Advanced versions of this
can be used to even absorb the kinetic attack from weapons
and other attacks. Happosai is a master of these forms.
Prerequisites : Athletics 2, Focus 1
Power Points : Any 2
Cost : 1 Chi
Speed : n/a
Damage : n/a
Move : -2
Hummingbird Strike
Early in the development of Anything Goes martial artists
discovered that the ability to hang in the air for a few
seconds could be a distinct advantage in _many_ different
combat situations. Thus, they developed this form which
allows an artist to actually stop directional movement in
mid-jump for four or five seconds. This differs from other
forms which use a slow arc and long hang time by the fact
that attacks are done as if the person were standing on the
ground. Use of this must be declared before the jump is
performed.
Prerequisites : Focus 4
Power Points : Anything Goes 2
Cost : 1 Chi
Speed : n/a
Damage : n/a
Move : 0
Beginning Willpower : 4 Beginning Chi : 3 Primary Techniques : Athletics, Throwing, Parry, Entangle, Thrusting, Feint
Like Wu Shu Rythmic Gymnastics originated in a government plan to give its students a competition oriented martial arts form that they could use to train in. Like Wu Shu, the students soon took it beyond its original roles.
Basic maneuvers include striking with ribbons, club throws, and such.
Rhythmic Gymnastics is a difficult but deadly art as it calls on so many different skills. The following weapons are commonly used though many Rythmic Gymnasts are very skilled at improvising with any weapon.
Mini-Club
Damage : +1
Reach : 0
Soak : +5
Break : 6
Hoop
Damage : +1
Reach : +1 (automatically hits anywhere in target hex)
Soak : +3
Break : 2
Ribbon
Damage : +2
Reach : +2
Soak : +7 (vs. cutting attacks +0)
Break : 2
Hoop Sweep
This maneuver allows character to use a hoop, bring it up
under a target's feet and trip them up with it, suffering a
knockdown. It is a crouching maneuver and the victim must
untangle themselves from the hoop before preceding (recovery
is at +1 difficulty).
Prerequisites : Thrust 2, Athletics 1
Power Points : Rhythmic Gymnastics 1
Cost : none
Speed : -1
Damage : +1
Move : -1
Hoop Sweep Crippler
This is identical to the Hoop Sweep except that in addition
the Gymnast attempts to move the hoop so that the enemy's
own moves cause them to sprain their ankle, thus impairing
their movements throughout the fight.
Prerequisites : Thrust 2, Athletics 2, Entangle 1
Power Points : Rhythmic Gymnastics 3
Cost : none
Speed : -1
Damage : +4
Move : -2
Strike of the Twenty Clubs
This maneuver will make it appear as if the gymnast is
moving incredibly fast, as if they are striking with twenty
clubs at once. In fact, they are! When the opposing
martial artist tries to track the "two rapid clubs" they
find it impossible to block them all as each hand hold ten
clubs.
Prerequisites : Thrust 3
Power Points : Rhythmic Gymnastics : 3
Cost : 1 Chi, 1 Willpower
Speed : +2
Damage : +4
Move : 0
Incredible Observer Strike
This feat simply uses the ribbon to reach out into the
audience, grab a person and throw them at opponent. The
value of this often depends on who you grab. Extra
willpower may be required for exceptional people, such as a
sumo wrestler.
Prerequisites : Entangle 3, Throw 3
Power Points : Rhythmic Gymnastics 5
Cost : 2 Chi, 1 Willpower
Speed : -2
Damage : variable
Move : -3
Sucker Strike
This allows a gymnast to quickly move aside one of their
opponent's arms and get in a good strike. This version uses
a ribbon. Versions using clubs would use Thrust 1 and Parry
1. There are several basic variants, including one using
legs to separate the arms while leaving you free to strike.
Prerequisites : Entangle 1, Slash 1
Power Points : Rhythmic Gymnastics 1
Cost : 1 Willpower
Speed : -2
Damage : +1
Move : -1
Beginning Willpower : 2 Beginning Chi : 5 Primary Techniques : Grab, Athletics, Focus, Throwing, Entangle, Feint
Hidden weapons is very difficult for most people to learn from. Students are expected to learn all armed techniques as the element of surprise is their main tool. They are the opposite of the Anything Goes school. While Anything Goes school prides itself on being able to handle anything those of Hidden Weapons pride themselves on being able to call on anything.
Hidden weapons artists divide themselves into four formal ranks. The Initiate is one who is still being introduced to the concepts of the hidden weapons arts and the principals of unpredictability - how to overwhelm an opponent with chaos. Also they learn a Body Hide skill. Before trying to hide a weapon on the body the Initiate must make an Intelligence + Body Hide roll. One success indicates that the weapon is impairing the artist's movements and findable. With five successes it could be missed on a strip search.
The Acolyte has mastered the one great step of the Hidden Weapons artist. Acolytes have transferred a mutated sort of chi into their nervous systems that allows them to use their battle auras to transform any darkness (the interior of cloaks usually) into a portal to an intra-dimensional space from which they can draw objects they have previously placed there.
The Adept has expanded his senses to sensing the movements of time-space.
The Master no longer depends on his battle aura - instead he can manipulate the very space around him. The Master rank maneuvers are incredibly dangerous (to opponents) as they can lengthen the space between them, shorten it, warp it or even create gates between spacial points.
Once a Hidden Weapons artist gains the rank of Acolyte they rarely have need of the skills they made use of as an Initiate. All continue to train in them however - they are the foundation for a greater understanding of the Hidden Weapons philosophies. Hidden Weapons artists break the muscle bound stereo type of some martial artists - they are usually highly intelligent and put to a great deal of education by their senseis before being allowed to begin training in the arts. Once they do begin training they first learn the tricks of placing things on the body - for example how to hide a knife on the inside of your arm without it being able to cut you or how to move the body so as to make "pockets" for weapons and how to move so as not to betray their presence. The special maneuvers are unique to different hiding methods and items. For example the maneuver to remove a wire from the hair and a knife from the small of your back would be two separate maneuvers. Common to all maneuvers however is that you can attack in the same turn that you remove the weapon with no penalty to your actions.
Grasp The Beyond Hidden Weapons has thousands of special maneuvers. This is to ensure that students have a wide variety of unpredictable maneuvers to choose amongst. However, this alone is the mainstay of the form - the maneuver which marks one as being a true practitioner of the art. By executing it they can draw any item up to the size of a large staff from a dark space. They can draw it forth and attack with it in the same action with no penalty. This is also the only known special maneuver that no Anything Goes artist can learn (aside from masters). Most Hidden Weapons artists spend a great deal of time trying to master techniques to make full use of this before trying to learn other special maneuvers. Prerequisites : 4 Focus Power Points : 5 Hidden Weapons Cost : 1 Chi or 1 Willpower Speed : -1 Damage : n/a Move : -1 The Hunk' A Hunk' A Burning Couch of Love Of Doom This maneuver is said to have been created by a psychotic Hidden Weapons master living in the west as recently as 1975. With it an artist pulls forth an actual couch (about eight feet long) from the darkness, ignites it with their chi, and propels it at an opponent at a rate of about 80 kilometers per hour. Prerequisites : 4 Focus, 5 Thrust, Grasp the Beyond Power Points : 3 Hidden Weapons Cost : 1 Chi, 1 Willpower Speed : 0 Damage : 16 dice Move : 0 note : this attack will cover three hexes and cause a knockdown if it strikes Chain Storm This is one of the more traditional special maneuvers. Usually this is learned at the Adept rank though a few Acolytes know it. It involves taking some hundreds of feet of chains (usually brought forth through Grasp the Beyond) and throwing it at the opponent to entangle and weigh them down. Even if they manage to break the chains the chi spent will propel the chains, making them encircle the target forcing the victim to cut all of the chains down to their individual links. This maneuver is used to tire out an opponent. Prerequisites : Focus 3, Entangle 4, Throw 2 Power Points : Hidden Weapons 3 Cost : Chi 3 Speed : -1 Damage : none unless they try to jump through the chain, then +4 Move : -3
Beginning Willpower : 4 Beginning Chi : 3 Primary Techniques : Punch, Block, Athletics, Slashing, Thrusting, Grab
When training the young women of Joketsuzoku in combat techniques the term wrestling is used - actual combat is reserved for outsiders. It is improper to kill amongst the clan while among outsiders there is no quarter, you only kill. The Amazons have been secluded for so long that they have remembered and kept many secrets otherwise lost to history. The philosophy upon which Amazon Wrestling is formed is simple - survival and supremacy. So confidant are the Amazons in their own superiority that they refuse to interact with the outside world.
Bakusai-ten-ketsu "blasting point technique" Although little used anymore the Blasting Point Technique is one of the Amazon's most impressive special maneuvers. It originated as a way to clear out rock - by punching a tiny hole with one finger in a pressure point on a rock (or any non-organic substance) and channeling chi into it, it can be made to detonate. In time the woman warriors discovered its greatest power - over time those standing at the center of it found their bodies toughening as they were exposed to the damage of the exploding rock over and over. Until one becomes conditioned however this technique can be very dangerous since it will expose the user to a great deal of damage. Prerequisites : Punch 4, Focus 2 Power Points : Amazon Wrestling 3 Cost : 2 Chi Speed : -3 Damage : +8 at center, -1 for each hex away Move : 0
Beginning Willpower : 5 Beginning Chi : 2 Primary Techniques : Focus, Parry, Slashing, Thrusting, Feint, Athletics
Kendo is different from the other styles listed here in that it is a real world martial arts form while the others are fictional. While I would love to reproduce Kendo here in an authentic form I doubt that I could. I hope that the liberties and outright mistakes don't offend anyone.
I know next to zip about martal arts. If someone wants to write in and help out I'll be glad to take it. I had some notes on some errors in this section but my drive crashed and lost them, so I think I'm forgettting something. Sorry.
The Thousand Striking Winds It is said that hundreds of years ago one of the Nagasaki family Samauris was a master of the katan. He was walking one day with nothing but his sword and a fan purchased for his wife. Finding a storm coming upon him he found refuge in a cave where he waited out the storm. When he emerged he had found a new way to strike at his opponents. A character uses this while attacking with their bokken - they get to roll for damage four times and can strike at a target within an extra two hexes normally beyond the range of the bokken as it is the air itself striking at the opponent and not the weapon. Power Points : Kendo 4 Prerequisites : Thrust 5 Cost : 2 Willpower Move : -2 Speed : -1 Damage : +1 Screaming Air Strike Supposedly fascinated by how a grasshopper made the noise with its legs a young student of kendo accidently discovered this maneuver. By swinging his blade through the air he was able to replicate the sound a little and by concentrating his battle aura into a quiet state in harmony with the vibrations that went through the blade when the air rushed against the blade's edge the blade would for all intents and purposes become super strong and travel at incredible speeds. Thus, a blade could cut through thick tree trunks or a stone wall. Power Points : Kendo 4, Hidden Weapons 5 Prerequisites : Slash 3, Focus 3 Cost : 2 Chi Move : 0 Speed : -2 Damage : +7