Quantifying and Qualifying Combat Skills

Greetings, this work as the name implies, is an effort to demonstrate the proper technique and ranking convention for marital prowess. This is not a measure of the total prowess a person may have, but is limited to abilities in a single weapon. This is not an attempt to discuss the 1000 acceptable styles of combat listed very clearly in The Simple Path of Steel and Wood, although that work will be sighted frequently. This is an abridged list of the skills used in testing to determine the level of an individuals skill (also outlined in the previously mentioned book). While there are obviously hundreds of potential moves, competency can be broken down into just a few basic (or advanced) maneuvers. I have broken them down to the 7 most basic of weapons and have included the shield which, while not strictly a weapon, does have potential offensive abilities and can be measured in skill levels. It however is not listed in the The Simple Path of Steel and Wood. I will list the appropriate Codex next to each weapon if a person wishes to learn more about specific combat techniques.

Please note, I will only be listing these to the sixth rank (of the acknowledged and measurable 12 ranks). I am not including anything on the most Perfect Scholar Sword Style which I will leave to another dissertation once I (Ghost Tiger) have mastered at least the first level. It has come to my attention that there are perhaps other Unique Weapon Styles. As I am unfamiliar with all but four of them, I (Ghost Tiger) will leave out mention of those as well;until such time as I (Ghost Tiger) am either trained or thoroughly informed of them. Needless to say, they will in all likelihood, deserve their own papers.

Some notes on testing:
* A standard swing in the Empire, is strong enough to pierce a piece of worked leather armor. This would also break an arm or a leg, thus a person struck is considered wounded.
* A single wound is the base measure for all weapons. If a weapon can not cause such a wound (or continue to cause such) it is inferior. Thus a person may strike twice as hard in power or three times as hard in power or four, or more. The easiest example is when an unskilled person wields a sword and causes one wound, but when (and if) they wield a weapon require two hands, or a large size weapon, they will cause twice the damage. Understanding this will help the reader to gauge the following test as outlined by the The Simple Path of Steel and Wood.
* Per the testing for rank, a person should perform each maneuver from the lowest to the highest, but may do so after resting at any point they feel they need to.
* Some testers, in order to expedite the test, may allow the applicant to perform the highest level maneuver they “claim” to know, but may only do so in a single swing (as defined by The Simple Path of Steel and Wood ).
* This is not an indication of the only abilities a user may have with a weapon.
* The type of weapon tested with must be of normal quality only and the tester may rightly insist providing the weapon.
* While not strictly mentioned in testing, a shield should also be of normal quality. It is my (Ghost Tiger) intention to introduce this and other testing suggestions as and when appropriate.
 

Sword (The 961 Proficient Ways of the Extirpate Sword)

1. Ability to strike with 2 times the power of a normal strike.
2. The ability to Parry a strike so fast and so deftly, it is as if their their own weapon did not move at all.
3. Ability to physically Dodge any normal strike used against them.
4. The ability to Disarm an opponent with a single move (used against weapons that require only one hand to use).
5. Ability to strike with 3 times the power of a normal strike.
6. The ability to strike and reduce a normal person’s armor to useless and Mortally wound them directly to the torso (killing them in a few minutes).

Bow (The 833 Eagle Strikes of the Bow)

1. Ability to strike with 3 times the power of a normal strike.
2. The ability to strike so hard as to Pierce a Shield and cause a single wound to the arm holding it. This does not damage the shield significantly.
3. Ability to physically Dodge any normal strike used against them.
4. Ability to strike with 4 times the power of a normal strike.
5. Ability to strike with 5 times the power of a normal strike.
6. The ability to strike and reduce a normal person’s armor to useless and Mortally wound them directly to the torso (killing them in a few minutes).

Axe (The 625 Truncate Methods of Axe)

1. Ability to strike with 2 times the power of a normal strike.
2. Ability to strike with 3 times the power of a normal strike.
3. Ability to physically Dodge any normal strike used against them.
4. The ability to strike so hard as to Pierce a Shield and cause a single wound to the arm holding it. This does not damage the shield significantly.
5. Ability to strike with 4 times the power of a normal strike.
6. The ability to strike and reduce a normal person’s armor to useless and Mortally wound them directly to the torso (killing them in a few minutes).

Mace (749 Structures of the Bludgeoning Mace)

1. Ability to strike with 2 times the power of a normal strike.
2. Ability to strike with 3 times the power of a normal strike.
3. Ability to physically Dodge any normal strike used against them.
4. Ability to strike with 4 times the power of a normal strike.
5. The ability to Break a Weapon in a single blow. The weapon should be of normal quality.
6. The ability to strike a person so hard, that in addition to a wound they are Stunned by the Blow.

Pole-arm (The 144 Percuss Staff Techniques)

1. Ability to strike with 2 times the power of a normal strike.
2. The ability to Parry a strike so fast and so deftly, it is as if their their own weapon did not move at all.
3. Ability to physically Dodge any normal strike used against them.
4. Ability to strike with 3 times the power of a normal strike.
5. The ability to Sweep any pole-arm so as to cause a wound and force a person to their knees with the attack.
6. The ability to strike and reduce a normal person’s armor to useless and Mortally wound them directly to the torso (killing them in a few minutes).

Thrown (Hurtling 841 Wind-Steps of a Thrown Weapon)

1. Unique in that the ability to successfully Throw a Weapon to cause damage demonstrates Proficiency of first rank.
2. The ability to Disarm an opponent with a single move (used against weapons that require only one hand to use).
3. Ability to physically Dodge any normal strike used against them.
4. Ability to strike with 3 times the power of a normal strike.
5. The ability to strike an opponent in such a way (if the attacker is unseen) so as to knock them unconscious and Subdue them, but not hard enough to deliver a wound.
6. The ability to strike and reduce a normal person’s armor to useless and Mortally wound them directly to the torso (killing them in a few minutes).

Close Weapons (The 784 Pronged Path of Dagger)

1. Ability to strike with 2 times the power of a normal strike.
2. The ability to strike an opponent in such a way (if the attacker is unseen) so as to knock them unconscious and Subdue them, but not hard enough to deliver a wound.
3. Ability to physically Dodge any normal strike used against them.
4. The ability to Parry a strike so fast and so deftly, it is as if their their own weapon did not move at all.
5. Ability to strike with 3 times the power of a normal strike.
6. The ability to strike and reduce a normal person’s armor to useless and Mortally wound them directly to the torso (killing them in a few minutes).

Shield (922 Perfected Uses of the Shield)

1. The ability to Block a strike so fast and so deftly, it is as if their their own shield did not move at all, although the force of the strike will still cause a single wound to the arm.
2. The ability to Deflect a strike so fast and so deftly, it is as if their their own shield did not move at all without receiving a wound as in the previous rank.
3. Ability to physically Dodge any normal strike used against them.
4. The ability to negate also called Stonewall a blow that would normally Pierce a normally crafted shield.
5. The ability to return the force of a weapons strike that lands on a shield back to the attacker, Shield Bashing them; causing them a single wound to their arm as well as disarming them of their weapon.
6. The ability to wear and conform so well to a suit of armor that it increases or Fortifies the wearer’s reliance enabling them to withstand an additional wound.

Penned by the 3rd rank Scholar, Explorer Bai Guey-hu,

called the Ghost Tiger