This will probably come down to individual DM's call again, but i'm rather stuck on this one.

So, dominus exxet gives special rules for using weapons with martial arts, for those who don't have DE it works like this; each martial art has 2-5 weapons associated with it, and if you wield one of the weapons associated with the style you know you gain a slight bonus. Not the damage or any of the advantages, just the bonus and/or master bonus listed for the art or arts you know that have that weapon associated with them.

For example, lets say you know capoeira at expert degree, which gives you +10 to dodge, and you pick up a longsword; you would lose that +10 dodge. but if you picked up an urumi (a 'cat-o-nine-tails' made of metal wire) you would retain that dodge bonus while wielding just the urumi, because the urumi is a capoeira weapon.

Now, the problem I am having is that some martial arts say in their bonus/master bonus sections something like "+5 initiative when using martial arts" or "+10 attack (unarmed)". Obviously this is to specify that this bonus is only applied when fighting with martial arts traditionally, but what if you are using a weapon associated with that art? Do you still get the bonus because the weapon section clearly states you get it with that weapon, or do you not get it even with the proper equipment because it says it is unarmed only?

Both make sense to me, the association section says you gain that bonus, but the style says unarmed only, which overrides which? How does everyone else feel on the issue.

I would say:

The "unarmed" bonuses ("+10 Dodge (unarmed)" for example) will be applied, because: Every martial arts states this bonuses with "unarmed". If they wouldn't be applied, the whole rule with "use a associated weapon and get the bonus" would be useless.

For the "+5 Initiative" (which have Boxing): It says "+5 to Initiative when using martial arts", so I would say, it won't be used, if you use a weapon.

Also, on Page 43 (Weapons in martial arts), it says "[...] a character can wield these weapons and apply the bonuses to Attack and Defense that the martial arts provide [...]". Some lines later, it states, that not other advantages is used (except the bonuses to combat abilitiy, an Initiative is good in combat, but it isn't a combat ability.) etc.. Also special advantages (like the variable +10 from Kung Fu) can't be used with a weapon.

So, with Kung Fu you don't get any bonus, if you use a weapon (because it has only this variable +10 advantage and no bonuses), but, if you know Kung Fu, you can learn all associated weapons for 60 DP as one module (which would be 10 weapons for 60 DP).

that does make sense, and i'll probably do that. but then again, that raises the question; why did they give boxing weapons to begin with? If you are going to be using martial arts, why use weapons you can't gain MA bonuses to? It doesn't seem worth it to pay 20dp for weapons you will only really use until your boxing damage is better... OH! unless its taken so you have boxing to fall back on after losing you katars/cestus... still seems kind of niche though.

why am i up this late?

This whole "weapon moduls for martials arts" could be used to get cheap weapon modules for Tao. For example: Boxing-Weapon-Modul costs 10 DP and you get Cestus _and_ Katar (usually 10 DP would be the "same class weapon", so you would learn one weapon). A Tao get this for half, also 5 DP for two weapons, if he can use Boxing. If it is really useful is another question.