[Rythymhack]

For some reason i feel like there is a rule in arsenal that specifically caps bonuses to +3 for martial arts. I do not have access to my books (still) so I could very well be misremembering something.

[UmaroVI]

The +3 cap is in the Arsenal errata.

[Rythymhack]

Ah. Thank you. That occured to me because of this  "I'd hazard a guess at no for (theoretically) infinitely stacking +DV for a weapon type." At least it was a legitimate (if somewhat misfiled) memory.

[Snaryl]

I agree that the decision as to whether you can stack similar techniques on top of one another is above all else a GM decision. It all comes down to how you read it, for me looking at something like Wrestling, which has both Sumo and Brazilian Ju-Jitsu listed in parenthesis, I can see someone actually being trained in all those separately, as they are fairly different and unique.

The fact that there is a cap at +3 for any bonuses derived from combining techniques seems to limit this from becoming overpowered, as does the fact that the Martial Arts entry encourages GMs to come up with their own Martial Arts styles and associated bonuses. It seems to allow a character to get a +3DV from any close combat skill, rather than limiting Blades to +2DV and Clubs to +1DV (by my count there are 5 different ways to achieve a +3DV for unarmed). As a GM, I would allow a character to have a +3 in any close combat skill, as long as they could explain why they had those martial arts, and how they came to learn them.

[JustADude]

Also on P.156 in Arsenal, inside the Martial Arts (Positive Quality) box:

A character gains the advantages of all martial arts styles she know; should they overlap, these dice modifiers stack.

However, they're all listed as Style (Style2, Syle3), which strongly suggests that the ones in the parentheses are, mechanically, alternate names for the same style.

[Snaryl]

I fully agree, they are mechanically alternate names, though I would say they are alternate names for the same set of bonuses, rather than for the same martial art style.

I think where our opinions differ, is I believe it's possible for someone to know multiple martial arts that have the same mechanical bonuses, thus allowing them to be taken more than once, and you believe that if you have any one martial art, you can't take it's alternative styles. I think this comes down to a GM decision that will change from game to game, as RAW I can't find anything that says it can't be done.

I do believe that there can be an argument made for someone having both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Wrestling (it's a common feature among MMA fighters) and think that mechanically in-game it doesn't unbalance Martial Arts. That said, I think we've taken this well off-topic, I just wanted to give Ympulse another option to get his +3DV, but it doesn't sound like his GM would be open to it anyway.

[JustADude]

I fully agree, they are mechanically alternate names, though I would say they are alternate names for the same set of bonuses, rather than for the same martial art style.

I think where our opinions differ, is I believe it's possible for someone to know multiple martial arts that have the same mechanical bonuses, thus allowing them to be taken more than once, and you believe that if you have any one martial art, you can't take it's alternative styles. I think this comes down to a GM decision that will change from game to game, as RAW I can't find anything that says it can't be done.

I do believe that there can be an argument made for someone having both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Wrestling (it's a common feature among MMA fighters) and think that mechanically in-game it doesn't unbalance Martial Arts. That said, I think we've taken this well off-topic, I just wanted to give Ympulse another option to get his +3DV, but it doesn't sound like his GM would be open to it anyway.

However, Hero Lab... which is licensed and official... only lists the "Primary" art for each set of bonuses. Hence why I believe each category is a single, nonduplicable set bonus... that, and allowing duplicated bonuses would let you eventually get +15 to Full Parry.  Combine that with Two Weapon Style, Riposte, and a single level of Counterstrike, and you've got a new definition of "broken" when it comes to melee combat.

Plus, as a former student of the martial arts that is now years out of practice... there is a crap-ton of overlap between styles. Once you learn the sercrets of a "cluster" of styles, more training in the other flavors isn't going to do much at all for you.

But, yes, the fact that Ympulse's GM is hideously gun-shy of Adepts is probably going to kill either option.