Hidden Martial Techniques and Stances

Hi y’all! I’ve returned once again to Martial Techniques to fully upgrade and revamp them for the 2024 ruleset, alongside adding in a TON of new options and reworking previous ones so they work better!

Now you have yourself Hidden Martial Techniques and Stances! This massive compendium here has 11 different styles/artforms of techniques ranging from the simple Martial Techniques that are simple melee movesets akin to weapon combos, to styles like the Dancing Metal Arts, which imbue weapons with spirits to make them malleable and bend for surprising strikes! In total there are 109 individual techniques and stances ranging from Common techniques to fight against shield-users to even Legendary techniques that siphon away the very souls of enemies!

I’ll be posting each of these individual styles to Reddit, but obviously y’all are my patrons, so you get access to the FULL materials first! If you want to read more about the process, inspiration, and what's within this juicy compendium, you can read more about the details below!

Better Magic Items for Martials

With the release of Weapon Masteries, martials in 5e have rejoiced at their increase in power! However, many magic items still favor spellcasters more than the martials, and many of their weapons are just plain +1 hit sticks! Hidden Martial Techniques and Stances seeks to supplement the rewards given to martial characters by adding in techniques, maneuvers, and passive stances that can be learned from martial characters as a reward! These are not designed to be given to a character at character creation, but instead as rewards for completing objectives and befriending allies by learning expert techniques - whether that technique is channeling the flame from within with measured breathing practices and releasing it into a spinning wheel of flame or learning a specific upward striking technique that is extra effective against giants from dwarves!

109 Individual Techniques and 11 Different Styles

Within Hidden Martial Techniques and Stances there are a variety of different styles that can be chosen from; Martial Techniques, Dwarvish Techniques, Spellsword Flourishes, Primal Techniques, Arts of the Flaming Blade, Arts of the Windswept Blade, Thunder Arts, Waterfall Arts, Dancing Metal Arts, Shadowcant Techniques, and Esoteric Techniques! Each of these styles have a distinct flavor and identity in the way they augment attacks and empower martial characters to cover a wide range of fighting styles! Like mentioned, within these 11 different styles there are 109 individual techniques and stances within, ranging from Common to Legendary techniques, so there is plenty to choose from and get inspiration from!

Inspired by Elden Ring and Demon Slayer

Much of these techniques and stances are direct inspirations from the Ashes of War from Elden Ring and the Breathing Styles from Demon Slayer! If you’ve ever played Elden Ring, you know how distinct each weapon feels, from not only their specific moveset in light attacks and heavy attacks, but also their unique weapon skills and ashes of war! The techniques in this compendium seek to emulate that feeling from ashes of war, by giving martial characters balanced tools to make unique and measured attacks beyond just a simple attack! Furthermore, if you’ve watched Demon Slayer, the breathing styles are incredibly unique and stylized, and the techniques within this compendium draw upon these breathing styles as inspiration, so a martial characters feels they have more than just “hit with greataxe with cleave” and “hit with vex handaxe.” Instead, they can fall into a deep squat, coalesce atmospheric electricity into their legs and weapon before releasing into a blinding burst of speed and replace one of their attacks with a Thunderflash Strike!

A Tangible Reward for Making Allies

Although plundering a dragon’s hoard is certainly exciting as one often relishes the opportunity to nab artifacts of ancient renown, sometimes it may feel less engaging to make allies rather than plunder a dungeon. Making allies sometimes feels disconnected from the mechanical play of combat in future sessions, as they cannot offer much outside of giving a magic item, which is the same as looting. However, not only do these techniques act as alternatives to magical items, but they must be learned from someone who knows these techniques or acquired through ancient knowledge. Through these techniques, branching paths for allies and enemies can be offered, and characters can be rewarded with new techniques for making allies, thus rewarding and encouraging players through techniques to make allies and impact the world in the same way they get rewarded for defeating a dragon!