Something that I've really been looking for is a way to encourage the slow build of combat that you so often seen in manga and anime. That is to say starting small and building to the big finisher, rather than just opening with your biggest gun as players so often do.
I've tried to approach this as much as possible within the framework of the existing and upcoming rules to avoid complication, since the beauty of OVA is its simplicity and I don't want to stray away from that. That said I am also adding a few things that aren't strictly necessary for this to work to make the system do what I want it to do. Anyway this is a work in progress.
Current Version
Attack: Functions as per OVA Revised Edition. See here.
For more inventive fighters that like to make up their moves as they go along for double point cost per rank they can buy Attack (Versatile) which allows them to configure their attacks on the fly, rather than build specific attacks. [Paying Double and applying Versatile to an Ability essentially replaces Human Arsenal]
I like a more structured approach to the amount of variations a person can buy with Attack currently thinking 1 per rank, additional specific attacks cost 1 build point or 1xp.
Power Move: Gone, see above.
Accuracy: This change is largely outside of the Dramatic Combat System, but bears noting in terms of general design philosophy. Accuracy replaces Combat Skill, mechanically it is identical but renamed to apply to more diverse activities than combat, such throwing a ball. Agile no longer adds to attack rolls. Accuracy represents a general level of accuracy, Hobby can represent accuracy is a specific field, but they do not stack. Part of the reason for this is something can be accurate without being agile, but the greater reason is to keep the amount of hit dice being thrown around under tighter control. Because the amount of damage done in combat is based on how much you exceed the defense roll the chance that damage balloons of control is based more on the number of hit dice thrown rather having a really high DT. Likewise Only Defense will grant dice for defensive rolls, to help combat the inflation and balance both sides of the offense/defense equation.
Dramatic Combat and Drama Dice: The longer combat goes on the greater the drama. Each round of a tense situation each player gains 1 Drama Die at the beginning of the round (excepting extras and secondary NPC's as appropriate). If they take damage they gain a Drama Die (or if they take at least X amount of damage in an attack, haven't decided yet), and if they suffer a status condition/negative effect they gain one (So someone that takes enough damage to suffer knockback gains two Drama Dice). If they spend an action charging up they gain 1 Drama Die. They can spend 5 Endurance and gain a Drama Die as per the current rules. Drama Dice may be spent to reduce the Endurance cost of an Ability by 5 for each one spent for that use. Servants, Flunkies, Summons, et c. do not gain Drama Dice except through Endurance Expenditure. Their master may spend Drama Dice on their behalf though.
The upshot of this is that since Drama Dice may be spent to reduce Endurance cost, the longer combat goes on the cheaper more power, high endurance attacks cost because the price can be paid in Drama. Conversely it cost more resources to use a big move out of the gate.
Here's hoping all that made sense.Old Version
Attack: Keeping with changes from the upcoming revision, Martial Arts and Weapon will be rolled into one ability, Attack. However Power Move will remain separate. Ranks in Attack represent general destructive capability, but taking any ranks allows you to build a specific attack as per the current Weapon rules. You tag the attack and this could be fairly general to very specific, for example it could be monkey style kung fu, or it might be a spinning monkey kick, or a sniper rifle, or a rocket punch. Each additional specific attack, cost an extra build point (say you want a rocket launcher to go with your sniper rifle, or a flaming monkey uppercut to go with your spinning monkey kick). This is only necessary if the attack is mechanically different from one you already have, for instance spinning monkey kick and flaming monkey uppercut could both just fall under monkey style as different fluff with the same mechanic). For more inventive fighters that like to make up their moves as they go along for double point cost per rank they can buy Attack (Versatile) which allows them to configure their attacks on the fly, rather than build specific attacks. If the Damage Total gained from ranks of Attack applies only to tagged powers (I.E. good only at monkey kung fu, but rubbish with anything else) then ranks only cost half a point (like Hobby). Attack can be used at any time without Endurance cost.
[EX: Lynn is highly trained in Drunken Monkey Kung Fu. She has Attack 3 with the specific attack Drunken Monkey Style (Extra Accuracy, Extra Knockback). As long as she is in a situation where she can apply her Drunken Monkey Style, she benefits from the extra Perks. If Lynn should find herself having to attack through other means than her Drunken Monkey Style than she attacks with her DT of 4, but cannot apply the extra Perks. If Lynn's player decides Lynn is only good at Drunken Monkey Style and not other forms of combat, then she can buy Attack at a 1/2 point per rank, but if Lynn is not able to use her Drunken Monkey Style then her DT drops from 4 to 1.]
Power Move: Ranks in Power Move represent how much you are capable of exceeding your normal destructive capabilities, especially in times of duress. Each rank of Power Move adds 2 to your Damage Total, for each rank you apply to an attack. Ranks in Power Move do not give you dice to roll, but must instead must be activated with Drama Dice. Taking ranks in Power Move allows you to create one specific power move. Power Moves have have a base cost of 10 Endurance, and may be built as per the current rules. When you built a Power Move you tag it, for instance you might create the Power Move Hellfire Shot and tag it sniper rifle. When you use this special round in your sniper rifle you add the Perks from that specific attack to your Power Move. But if you can't use your sniper rifle, you can't use the Power Moves associated with it. Power Moves just tagged to Attack, don't gain any perks from specific attacks, but are generally useful any time you can attack. Additional specific power moves cost one point. For two points per rank you can take Power Move (Versatile) which allows you to build your power moves on the fly.
Accuracy: This change is largely outside of the Dramatic Combat System, but bears noting in terms of general design philosophy. Accuracy replaces Combat Skill, mechanically it is identical but renamed to apply to more diverse activities than combat, such throwing a ball. Agile no longer adds to attack rolls. Accuracy represents a general level of accuracy, Hobby can represent accuracy is a specific field, but they do not stack. Part of the reason for this is something can be accurate without being agile, but the greater reason is to keep the amount of hit dice being thrown around under tighter control. Because the amount of damage done in combat is based on how much you exceed the defense roll the chance that damage balloons of control is based more on the number of hit dice thrown rather having a really high DT. Likewise Only Defense will grant dice for defensive rolls, to help combat the inflation and balance both sides of the offense/defense equation.
Dramatic Combat and Drama Dice: The longer combat goes on the greater the drama. Each round of a tense situation each player gains 1 Drama Die (excepting extras and secondary NPC's as appropriate). If they are hit they gain a Drama Die (or if they take at least X amount of damage in an attack, haven't decided yet), and if they suffer a status condition/negative effect they gain one. If they spend an action charging up they gain 1 Drama Die. They can spend 5 Endurance and gain a Drama Die as per the current rules. Drama Dice may be spent to reduce the Endurance cost of an Ability by 5 for each one spent for that use. Servants, Flunkies, Summons, et c. do not gain Drama Dice except through Endurance Expenditure. Their master may spend Drama Dice on their behalf though.
Drama Dice may be spend for all the things they are normally spend for in the rules now. In addition to that they are necessary to activate Power Moves. If a character has Power Move 3, they must use 1 Drama Die to be able to attack with a Power Move at 1 ranks worth of additional damage, 2 Drama Die for to ranks worth, et c. However you cannot activate more ranks than you have in Power Move. In addition you pay whatever endurance cost is associated with the power move. When combat is over Drama Dice disappear, they are impossible to retain outside of dramatic situations.
The upshot of this is that using a big move at the beginning of combat has an increased cost, and the cost essentially decreases as combat continues.
[EX: Lynn is in desperate straights having been knocked around pretty good by the Luchador King, and despite having spent several Drama Die to avoid getting killed has managed to save up 5 Drama Dice. She decides it's time to use the ultimate technique of the drunken monkey style, the monkey monkey beam. Deciding to use it at her full Power Level of 3 she spends 3 Drama Dice on the attack and the appropriate amount of Endurance (adding 6 to her DT). Because it is tagged Drunken Monkey Style she has a DT of 10, along with the perks Extra Accuracy and Extra Knockback, plus whatever perks/flaws have been purchased for the monkey monkey beam. With her remaining two Drama Dice she can spend them to increase the accuracy of the attack, or use them to offset some of the Endurance cost of using the monkey monkey beam, or save them in case it doesn't work. If Lynn didn't have enough Drama Dice to use the move she could have spent some extra Endurance to gain some and do it anyway at a higher cost.]
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