Kenshi.zoneWorld Encyclopedia

Karate DrifterReport

English:Karate Drifter · Characters

A mysterious martial artist who wanders Stobe's Gamble alone. Dodge and Martial Arts both at 75–85 — an unarmoured, unarmed figure who flattens an entire squad of Skeleton Bandits.

Karate Drifters are members of the Drifters faction. The wiki gives them one sentence: very powerful mysterious martial artists who can rarely be found wandering alone in Stobe's Gamble.

NoteThey are not recruitable. This is one of the zone's signature encounters and nothing more.

Why one of them is so hard

StatValue
Dodge75–85
Martial Arts75–85
Dexterity75–85
Strength45–55
Melee Attack / Defence, all six weapon skills25–35
Stealth15–25
Ranged5–15
Toughness25–35

That is an unusual spread. Their weapon skills are actually low (25–35), but Martial Arts and Dodge are pushed to around 80 — they do not fight with steel, they fight by not being hit and by hitting unarmed.

TipThe way to beat one is the Toughness of 25–35. He is very hard to land a blow on, but once you do, he does not absorb many. Numbers, blunt weapons, and surrounding him is the practical answer.

The wiki gallery includes one screenshot that makes the point better than the table does: a single Karate Drifter crushing an entire squad of Skeleton Bandits.

They may have been trained by the Anti-Slavers

The wiki's trivia section lays out a fairly complete case:

  1. Their Martial Arts skill is exceptional;
  2. The Drifters faction is on good terms with the Anti-Slavers;
  3. They spawn exclusively in Stobe's Gamble — which is where the Anti-Slavers' headquarters is.

The conclusion offered is that these people may have learned their craft from the Anti-Slavers, or that they are Anti-Slaver hopefuls training their skills in the field.

Gear

Full martial-arts dress, no metal: Bandana, Gi or Ninja Gi, Martial Artist Bindings, and Gi Pants or Ninja Pants. Grade starts at Standard with a 20% chance of High — though garments like these offer little protection anyway, which limits how much the grade matters.

See also