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Well, Weapon Styles were cut from Ultimate Combat. Well, never fear, my fellow martial art enthusiasts, I've just developed these (and published these) on my wiki today. Rules are basically the same for unarmed Martial Art styles. These start from the most familiar and will keep going until we get to the fantastic.
Hollywood Stage Swordfighting: Staged swordfights are the most recognizable form of fighting from the Swashbuckling era of Hollywood's Golden Age. Developed to please crowds when they go see a historical film, these choreographed techniques are shown on screen and are the inspiration for a multitude of onscreen swordfighting. This style is the basic weapon art we are most familiar with and can cut across time periods. It's become a timeless art.
Feat path: Power Attack, Combat Expertise, Improved Feint
Movie clip from the Adventures of Robin Hood. Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone demonstrate Power Attack, Combat Expertise, and Improved Feint.
Hollywood Stage Art of Defence: Things get complicated when you want to do a swashbuckling movie with rapiers and you want to simulate rapier fighting on screen. Fortunately, the Arte of Defence is also timeless, as fencing was done with bronze age rapiers as well as with Renaissance ones. Although the expression of the Hollywood version is more arty in it's choreography and requires a different feat path. The fencing is based on the Spanish school with some influence from the French school most likely.
Feat path: Weapon Finesse, Power Attack, Intricate Swordplay
Movie Clip from the Court Jester. Danny Kaye shows his brilliance as he and Basil Rathbone demonstrate Weapon Finesse, Power Attack, and Intricate Swordplay (feat details at the end of this treatise).
Hollywood Stage Tai Chi Quan: the Chinese style of Fencing, the hollywood version gets very mobile and powerful. This is the sort of weapon art you see in Hero especially the green fighting scene where Broken Sword does battle with the Emperor Chin Huangdi Shi, the first Emperor of China. The fencing is based on actual Tai Chi Quan using the Jian.
Feat path: Weapon Finesse, Power Attack, Improved Sunder, Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Whirlwind Attack, Intricate Swordplay
Movie clip from Hero. Broken Sword, Flying Snow, and Emperor Chin Huangdi demonstrate Weapon Finesse, Power Attack, Improved Sunder, Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Whirlwind Attack, and Intricate Swordplay
Next: actual Medieval Swordfighting, the Arte of Defence, and Tai Chi Quan Wudang.
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You have been trained in the flashy Western style of swordplay. In Golarion, such swordplay is demonstrated in Andoran, Druma, Kyonin, and the River Kingdoms.
Prerequisites: Weapon Focus (broadsword, longsword, rapier, or arming sword), Combat Expertise, Cha 13.
Benefit: Whenever you have a broadsword (sometimes also called a longsword), or arming sword in your hand, and are wearing at most chainmaille or the equivalent, you may add your Charisma bonus as a special bonus to your CMD or AC, your choice.
From Conan: The Roleplaying Game.
OGL Section 15 Copyright Notice
Conan the Roleplaying Game (C) 2003 Conan Properties International, LCC. Authors Paul Tucker and Ian Sturrock.
Looks good though the feat is very specific. any logical reason one could not be intricate with other typse of one handed bladed weapons? Weird they make the distinction of Chainmail. Should have just said light armor or something.
What about Lucha Libre? Or the lost martial art of haggling?
Oh. I'm not trying.
No joke, though, I want to see so many different kinds of martial arts, I'm digging this. Keep going.
As someone who actually trains Taiji Jian (Quan means boxing, Jian is the sword), the biggest benefit of having a free hand is that you can use it. You can strike with it and/or you can grab with it.
So a good approach would be to come up with feats that allow maneuvers like off-balancing an opponent before a weapon strike (grant a bonus to hit, but don't flat-foot them) or tying up an opponent's weapon or shield with a standing grapple.
Do Hollywood bar brawling.
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Hollywood Archery: Toxotes, Yeomen, and other archers are presented in film using Hollywood Archery. It's little different from the real thing, actually. The only difference is that the films frame the perfect shot as the arrow swims through the air. Real Longbowmen could draw and shoot at least 6 sheaves per minute, though they'd be pressed to try (Orlando Bloom is/was an exceptional exception). Zen Archery, from Japan, is entirely a different thing. The Longbow had existed since at least 10,000 B.C., and is little changed from it's invention. The recurved composite bow -- used by the Huns and the Mongols -- is a later development.
Feat Path: Weapon Focus: Longbow, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot
Medieval Swordsmanship: Hollywood Swordsmanship is your basic martial art for your typical fantasy fighter. Medieval Swordsmanship, the real thing, is incredibly intricate; and is as much arty as it is effective. Steel Swords in the middle ages finally got a few refinements that makes them the equal of their Bronze Age counterparts. A longer hilt and a wieghtier pommel on your arming sword, or your sword of indeterminate parentage (heck, call it what it is, the bastard sword); could mean that you can actually swing your sword dynamically. If the choreographer of the Adventures of Robin Hood film actually witnessed true medieval training with these (new) swords, he'd come back inspired (and the film's battle at the end would be very different).
Real medieval swordsmanship is about parrying your opponent's blade and looking for an opening to stab your opponent. There is very little spinning however, you don't want to turn your back on your enemy, you'll get attacked in the back. Medieval Swordsmen were also trained in hand-to-hand combat as well. Pathfinder finally, FINALLY, allows for enough feat slots.
Feat Path: Improved Unarmed Strike, Weapon Focus: Longsword, Power Attack, Combat Expertise, Agile Maneuvers, Critical Focus, and Defensive Combat Training.
I suggest you Watch Willow and the latest Robin Hood Film, they did their best in reconstructing the artform. Otherwise: This AEMMA Commercial is what I used to compare Rolemaster to D&D 3.5.
Two-Weapon Swordsmanship: Before I go into the Arte of Defence (the real Arte of Defence, not that Hollywood stage fencing as above); I need to talk about two-weapon swordsmanship. Several swordsmanship history buffs do not think of two-weapon Swordsmanship being very common on the battlefield. Lindley Beige (a Hellenistic Archaeologist who games) says it isn't practical. After all, you've got a second hand for holding a shield.
However, an art had to be developed for two-weapon swordsmanship. There were people who dual-wielded in the past, and it's feat path would look like what is below:
Feat path: Two-weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus: Longsword, Improved Initiative, Dodge, Mobility, Critical Focus.
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Hollywood Archery: Toxotes, Yeomen, and other archers are presented in film using Hollywood Archery. It's little different from the real thing, actually. The only difference is that the films frame the perfect shot as the arrow swims through the air. Real Longbowmen could draw and shoot at least 6 sheaves per minute, though they'd be pressed to try (Orlando Bloom is/was an exceptional exception). Zen Archery, from Japan, is entirely a different thing. The Longbow had existed since at least 10,000 B.C., and is little changed from it's invention. The recurved composite bow -- used by the Huns and the Mongols -- is a later development.
Feat Path: Weapon Focus: Longbow, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid ShotMedieval Swordsmanship: Hollywood Swordsmanship is your basic martial art for your typical fantasy fighter. Medieval Swordsmanship, the real thing, is incredibly intricate; and is as much arty as it is effective. Steel Swords in the middle ages finally got a few refinements that makes them the equal of their Bronze Age counterparts. A longer hilt and a wieghtier pommel on your arming sword, or your sword of indeterminate parentage (heck, call it what it is, the bastard sword); could mean that you can actually swing your sword dynamically. If the choreographer of the Adventures of Robin Hood film actually witnessed true medieval training with these (new) swords, he'd come back inspired (and the film's battle at the end would be very different).
Real medieval swordsmanship is about parrying your opponent's blade and looking for an opening to stab your opponent. There is very little spinning however, you don't want to turn your back on your enemy, you'll get attacked in the back. Medieval Swordsmen were also trained in hand-to-hand combat as well. Pathfinder finally, FINALLY, allows for enough feat slots.
Feat Path: Improved Unarmed Strike, Weapon Focus: Longsword, Power Attack, Combat Expertise, Agile Maneuvers, Critical Focus, and Defensive...
I should sell this stuff.