Are there different names for martial arts in Starfinder?

[Ze'leshy]

Hi, I'm Ze'leshy and I want to learn martial arts, I think you call it 'Improved unarmed strike' from the Vesk player & I don't want to just go up an just 'teach me to fight unarmed but not the stuff with a tail, well not until I get augmented,' I am highly respectful of species and their traditions and wonder if:
1. The Vesk natural fighting style has a name, like Karate, Tai-chi etc.
2. I can actually learn that style, I'm a Lashunta.
3. Are tail augments a thing or do I have to build my own... or perhaps commission one - or rather are they essential to the Vesk unarmed fighting style.
I guess I could just take the feat when next available but I'm a role playing story builder not a... whatever, not that there's anything wrong with being...
Love you all, may Sarenrae bless you, and thanx

[Milo v3]

This isn't really a rules question.

Personally I hope that Vesk culture has multiple martial arts styles, and that perhaps each master of the style is considered part of their culture of Saint figures.

Theoretically if a martial art required vesk natural weaponry, at worst you'd need to get the Natural Weapons species graft to resolve it.

[Metaphysician]

I imagine pretty much every distinct society has names for a bunch of different martial arts styles, many of which would be equivalent to similar ones from other societies or species. After all, even in a universe with both supernatural powers and countless different species, a lot of the basic physical and biomechanical principles underlying martial arts are still constant. Everyone will develop ideas like 'building fast limb movement for maximum striking power', 'redirecting the momentum of your opponent', and 'attacking vulnerable portions of the anatomy'.

Which is to say, unless a specific martial arts style is *really* distinctive ( say, a Vesk style focused on usage of the tail ), its probably best to just call it "jujitsu" or "kung fu" or whatever the equivalent Earth name would be.

[Kishmo]

The doshko specialist archetype talks a little bit about vesk martial arts. A bit, at least. There's some flavourful names there, linking the 'teeth' of the doshko to various attributes, like honour and terror? Could be something to inform and inspire more vesk martial arts traditions, at least!

[Qaianna]

I'd imagine not only are there different names, at some point some xenophile will try to learn alien arts. Remember the scenes in Star Trek where Worf is teaching low-level mok'bara to other Enterprise crew. And note the alien name there. (According to the Trek wiki, another name was Klingon tai chi, so there you go too.)

Now, as to varying physiques? The alternate limbs thing will make a difference, as the Skittermander Wrestling Federation keeps showing us every Sixthday night. Perhaps 'adapted' might be a good thing to add to the name, as a halfling is going to have issues applying an Otokorran zarizalock with half as many zarizas.

As far as artificial tails? Depends on how 'useful' they are. For the standard vesk 'it's there' tail? Nothing listed, so treat cost as a prosthetic limb, taking no slots, and giving no true benefits aside from being able to ornament it. There is a species graft for a prehensile tail, which by an amazing coincidence has the same cost, level, and system as the extra cybernetic arm.

[Metaphysician]

Qaianna wrote:

As far as artificial tails? Depends on how 'useful' they are. For the standard vesk 'it's there' tail? Nothing listed, so treat cost as a prosthetic limb, taking no slots, and giving no true benefits aside from being able to ornament it. There is a species graft for a prehensile tail, which by an amazing coincidence has the same cost, level, and system as the extra cybernetic arm.

While I agree with this principle generally, I'd argue that it doesn't quite apply with the Vesk. The Vesk tail isn't just "its there", it also factors into their Natural Weapons trait. As such, I'd suggest that duplicating Vesk tail-based martial arts would not just require a trivial-cost prosthetic tail, it would also require something that roughly provides the equivalent of Natural Weapons.

[Beady]

tail qwon do!

[BigNorseWolf]

Ze'leshy wrote:

1. The Vesk natural fighting style has a name, like Karate, Tai-chi etc.

well, you named 2 martial arts that are from the same country. Why would an entire species only have "a" martial art? They're not named but there should reasonably be dozens of vesk martial arts.

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2. I can actually learn that style, I'm a Lashunta

there should be at least one style that was developed for vesk warriors who had lost their tail in battle. maybe "way of the once but never again coward"

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3. Are tail augments a thing or do I have to build my own... or perhaps commission one - or rather are they essential to the Vesk unarmed fighting style.

There are two I know of, one provides a vastly overpriced bonus to acrobatics checks that won't stack with anything, one is effectively an extra arm.

You could probably also define a natural weapon connected to your spine as a tail that does bludgeoning damage (natural weapon species graft)

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I guess I could just take the feat when next available but I'm a role playing story builder not a... whatever, not that there's anything wrong with bein g...

Ebony and ivory. They play together and off of each other.

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Love you all, may Sarenrae bless you, and thanx

WWSD