Dambe, a traditional form of martial arts that originated in West Africa, particularly among the Hausa people of Nigeria, offers a captivating blend of physical prowess, cultural significance, and communal celebration. This unique combat style, often referred to as “The Art of the Hausa Butchers,” holds deep roots in the region’s history and continues to serve as a powerful symbol of strength,…

 The world is full of all manner of martial arts, be they purely unarmed or make use of weaponry and other aids. Some are used to hone the body, others are used in warfare, or to prepare oneself for the inevitability of it.

Today, we are looking at a brawler archetype based on the Dambe fighting style of the Hausa people of West Africa. It is meant to emulate the use of a weapon and shield in some respects, with the lead hand being left free to try and catch or deflect oncoming blows, and the lead leg being wrapped in chain, which can be used defensively or offensively. Meanwhile, the back arm, or strong-side, is wrapped in a rope-bound cloth and used as the primary striking appendage, made all the deadlier if bound in broken glass or nails with a layer of resin, though this is outright banned in modern times. Either way, it is a style that favors defense with one side of the body, and offense with the other.

In the Golarion setting, it would make sense to have this style crop up in Garund or the Mwangi Expanse as a cultural style for a brawler, though of course anyone can pick it up. This archetype seeks to emulate it in its mechanics, to good effect, I feel.

 True to the style, the brawler enters combat with their free hand forward, and use it to catch and deflect blows and weapons, in addition to as a grappling appendage. What’s more, the act of using their arm in such a manner is similar enough to the techniques of using a buckler that they can use techniques associated with bucklers with this style.

The other arm, the strong side or spear arm, is less useful for high-dexterity tasks when so wrapped up. But it has it’s advantages, as the boxer can indeed use resin to bind broken glass or nails to the bound arm temporarily, altering the damage caused, and causing profusely bleeding wounds in foes, which only increase with their mastery.

They also can bind their leading leg in chain to complete the equipment associated with the style, using the leg to block blows, as well as the added weight to improve their leg sweeps.

Gaining some impressive AC and dealing extra bleed damage, this archetype may lack mastery over specific combat maneuvers or weapons, but they can be quite devastating in their own right. I suggest, in addition to keeping a supply of the nails and such on hand, as well as enchanting the leg chain as armor, to build the character with singling out a foe and locking them down, though also remember that their flexibility should be used when needed, even making use of buckler or shield-specific feats.

 To better prepare for playing a character with this archetype, I’d suggest not only looking up not only the dambe boxing style, but also information on Hausa and other cultures of West Africa. However, you could also simply take the archetype out of that context as well, but perhaps reading up on them will give way to some clever inspiration? As always, try to treat all cultures with respect.

  Eagerly picking up the strong-side style to defend himself, former trox slave Kerkiz travels the land peacefully, making money in fighting competitions to get by. However, when slavers and tyrants are found, so can he, one mighty fist coated in a layer of resin and glass.

 Though frowned upon by true ascetics, the city of Pelmor is a mecca of martial arts thanks to it’s impressive arena, where masters of various weapon arts face those who fight with fist and foot. The only rule during the annual “Clash of Masters” is that those who enter must use an established style, and many would-be dojos have a secret, or not-so-secret desire for their school style to be recognized. This year warriors seeking to prove the value of strong-side have arrived from across the sea to compete.

[...] animated promo for the newest Overwatch video game character, Doomfist. 

Courtesy of Atlanta Black Star: 7 African Martial Arts you may have never heard of...

Dambe

Lutte Traditionnelle

Engolo

Nuba Wrestling

Istunka

Tahtib

Musangwe