Martial Arts: Additional Combat Options

A Matter of Inches

These rules address minute differences between melee weapons. They're highly optional. Use them only if you want subtle distinctions influencing your battles!

Swing vs. Thrust

Swung weapons enjoy superior damage because they take extra time to apply ST through a long arc, increasing momentum. This makes swings slower than thrusts. When using Who Draws First? and Cascading Waits, combatants must declare in advance whether they plan to thrust or swing. Those who intend to swing get -1 in these Quick Contests. When using Stop Hits, fighters making swings subtract 1 from their margin of success to see who gets the defense penalty.

Weapon Weight

A weapon's weight and balance affect reaction time in two ways.

Relative Weapon Weight: How heavy the weapon feels. When using Who Draws First?, Cascading Waits, or Stop Hits, each fighter has a modifier for his weapon:

User's ST under weapon’s ST statistic: -1 per point of difference

Bare hands: +2 (or +0; see below)

User's ST at least 1.5 times weapon's ST statistic: +1

User's ST at least twice weapon's ST statistic: +2

User's ST three or more times weapon's ST statistic: +3

Unbalanced weapon ("U" in its Parry statistic): -1

Apply this to the Quick Contest or margin of success just like the swing penalty in Swing vs. Thrust. It replaces the -1 for having the heavier weapon in Who Draws First? This modifier affects two other situations. Bare hands get +0, not +2, in these cases.

• Add it to skill when making or resisting a feint. It's easier to flip a relatively light weapon to a new attack or defense position.
• Adjust the -4 penalty per parry after the first in a turn by this amount – a bonus offsets it, a penalty worsens it. Trained by a Master or Weapon Master halves the total penalty (round against the defender). Use this rule instead of halving the penalty for fencing weapons.

Absolute Weapon Weight: How heavy the weapon actually is. A heavy weapon or an unbalanced one with its weight concentrated in the head is beneficial here. Use these modifiers:

Bare hands: +0

Balanced weapon weighing 1.5 lbs. or less: -2

Balanced weapon weighing more than 1.5 lbs., less than 3 lbs.: -1

Balanced weapon weighing 3 lbs. or more: +0

Unbalanced weapon: +1

This adjustment plays two roles:

• Add it to skill when making or resisting a Beat.
• Add twice this modifier to parries against flails, cumulative with the basic -4. Use this rule instead of forbidding fencing weapons to parry flails outright.

Weapon Length

A weapon's Reach statistic is an approximation. "C" describes anything under 1 yard long, "1" covers lengths between 1 yard and just under 2 yards, and so on. Two weapons with identical Reach could differ in length by 1 or 2 feet! It’s possible to categorize weapons relative to other weapons with the same Reach:

Extremely Long: Bill, dueling polearms (all), eku, glaive, halberd, heavy spear, horse-cutter (any), long spear, long staff, naginata, pollaxe, quarterstaff, rope dart, spear, trident.

Very Long: Chain whip, flail, great axe, greatsword, javelin, kusari, kusarigama, kusarijutte, lajatang, maul, monk's spade, scythe, short spear, sodegarami, tetsubo, three-part staff, urumi, warhammer, whip.

Long: Bastard sword, estoc, gada, katana, longsword, rapier (any).

Medium: Axe]], backsword, bokken, broadsword, cavalry saber, dao, jian, jo, large falchion, late katana, light club, mace, mensurschläger, morningstar, pick.

Short: Baton, bola perdida, bolas, cutlass, dusack, falchion, hatchet, hook sword, jutte, kick, knobbed club, kukri, life-preserver, long knife, nunchaku, qian kun ri yue dao, saber, sai, shortsword, sickle, small axe, small falchion, small mace, smallsword (any), tonfa, weighted scarf.

Very Short: Balisong, bite, dagger (any), deer antlers, elbow, katar (any), knee, knife, knife-wheel, main-gauche, punch, shield bash, short baton, slashing wheel, stiletto, straight razor.

For instance, a greatsword and a rapier both have Reach 2, but a greatsword is longer.

When using Who Draws First? in a standoff between fighters with weapons of identical Reach, the -1 for the longer weapon goes to the individual who has the longer weapon on this progression. It takes longer to draw a greatsword than a rapier!

When weapons are already out, length is an advantage. In a Cascading Waits or Stop Hits situation, ties go to whoever has the longest Reach. If Reach is tied, they go to the longest weapon on the scale above. A rapier is at a disadvantage to beat a greatsword to a hit.

If length doesn't break the tie, thrusts come before swings. If that doesn't break the tie, the lightest weapon goes first. If that, too, is a tie, the fighters really do act simultaneously.

Untrained Fighters

Untrained fighters are a danger to themselves...and often to their allies, too! These optional rules simultaneously make such combatants less predictable and limit their choices. They're realistic but add extra complexity.

Fear

Combat is frightening to the unprepared. At the start of hostilities – when "slow" time starts and combatants start acting turn-by-turn (see Time During Adventures) – those with neither combat skills nor Combat Reflexes must make a Fright Check. Apply the usual +5 for the "heat of battle" and any bonus for a successful Leadership roll by the group's leader. The GM may rule that those who fail simply drop their weapons and flee instead of rolling on the Fright Check Table.

"Coin Toss" Option

If someone with neither combat skills nor Combat Reflexes passes his Fright Check, he may elect to back off (a series of Move maneuvers) instead of turning his back to the foe and fleeing. If he chooses to fight, though, roll 1d at the start of his turn:

1-3 – He attacks the nearest foe that poses a danger – to him, a Dependent, an Ally, an adventuring companion, or a bystander, in that order. To offset his lack of skill, he makes an All-Out Attack (Determined) without realizing it!

4-6 – He decides to protect himself. He uses All-Out Defense (Increased Dodge) to move away from the nearest foe. If he has a ready weapon or shield, he may select Increased Parry or Increased Block instead.

Roll again each turn!

Limited Maneuver Selection

Untrained fighters have a narrower tactical palette than skilled martial artists. Only combatants with at least DX level in a melee combat skill (1 point if Easy, 2 points if Average, or 4 points if Hard) can choose a Committed Attack, Defensive Attack, or Feint maneuver, or exercise combat options such as Deceptive Attack, Defensive Grip, and Rapid Strike.

Exception: Anyone can attempt a Telegraphic Attack. Unskilled fighters are more likely to choose this option!

Combat Art or Sport Fighters

Those who know only Combat Art or Sport skills might count as "untrained." Actual combat skills default to their Art/Sport analogs at -3, so a fighter who has only an Art/Sport skill needs DX+3 level (8 points if Easy, 12 points if Average, or 16 points if Hard) to choose the maneuvers and options above.

Grab and Smash!

Grapples can set up vicious strikes. These tactics are realistic but complex. It's the GM's call whether to allow them.

All-Out Grapple and Strike

Martial artists and brawlers often grab opponents and pull them into thrusting attacks. Such strikes are powerful and hard to avoid. Examples include yanking a head into a Knee Strike (famous in Bando and Muay Thai), throwing an Uppercut in a clinch (illegal but common in Boxing), and pulling someone onto a knife. The perks Clinch and Neck Control are handy here!

This is an All-Out Attack (Double). Use the first attack to grapple your rival. If it works, he'll suffer the standard defense penalties against the ensuing strike; see Defense While Grappling.

Your second attack can be a strike with anything except the arm(s) used to grapple. This is a close-combat ttack. If you use a weapon longer than reach C, see Long Weapons in Close Combat.

If the grapple works and you hit the grappled location with a thrusting attack, your strike gets the damage bonus for All-Out Attack (Strong). This also applies to blows to the groin, spine, or vitals if grappling the torso; the eye, jaw, or nose if grappling the head; or an artery or joint if grappling a location containing such a target. You may retain your grapple after striking or relinquish it immediately.

Use these rules only on the turn when you initiate your grapple. You must All-Out Attack to grapple and receive bonus damage. To brutalize an adversary you grappled on an earlier turn, use All-Out Attack (Strong).

Kiss the Wall (Carpet, Car Door, ...)

If you've used two hands to grapple a foe and you're standing or kneeling, you can ram him into a wall or other massive object within a yard – or the ground, if he's lying down. This isn't a Judo Throw, but an attempt to hold onto your victim and propel him using your own momentum.

This is an attack rolled against DX, Brawling, Sumo Wrestling, or Wrestling. You can target any hit location but the feet, at full penalties. If your victim is lying down, you can only target his face or skull. Your opponent may either dodge or parry with a free hand, subject to Defense While Grappling.

A successful attack inflicts thrust crushing damage, +1 for a hard surface, plus your skill bonus. Treat the ST bonus for Sumo Wrestling or Wrestling as a damage bonus. A critical miss means you slip, take this damage to your face, and lose your grapple!

Twofers

You can knock two foes together! Use the rules above, with these changes:

All-Out Grapple and Strike: As your initial grapple, make a Dual-Weapon Attack (-4) against adjacent foes in close combat. Both defend normally. If you grapple only one, your grapple counts but you can't strike. If you grapple both, make a DX, Brawling, Sumo Wrestling, or Wrestling roll to ram them together. They may defend as usual. If both fail, you inflict thrust-1 crushing damage to the grappled location on each. The only damage bonus is +1 if you grapple two skulls and knock them together.

Kiss the Wall: You may ram your grappled adversary into any hit location on an enemy within a yard. Use the worst hit location penalty; e.g., bashing a face (-5) into a leg (-2) gives -5. Your second opponent defends normally, although the incoming body counts as a weapon with weight equal to the first victim's ST (see Parrying Heavy Weapons). If either foe defends, nobody is hurt. If both fail, each takes thrust crushing damage, plus skill bonuses. The +1 for a hard surface applies only when ramming skulls together.

A "combat option" is a tactic that a fighter can use in conjunction with more than one maneuver (e.g., Deceptive Attack) or active defense (e.g., Retreat). It doesn't necessarily have any connection to specific techniques; then again, it might form the basis of a technique or be available only when performing certain techniques. The GM chooses the options allowed in his campaign. They can spice up combat by giving warriors more choices...but the modifiers and conditions they add can also slow down combat, which is a steep price to pay in a cinematic game.

Melee Attack Options

A "combat option” is a tactic that a fighter can use in conjunction with more than one maneuver (e.g., Deceptive Attack) or active defense (e.g., Retreat). It doesn't necessarily have any connection to specific techniques; then again, it might form the basis of a technique or be available only when performing certain techniques. The GM chooses the options allowed in his campaign. They can spice up combat by giving warriors more choices...but the modifiers and conditions they add can also slow down combat, which is a steep price to pay in a cinematic game.

Combinations

Martial artists can learn a class of multiple-attack techniques called "Combinations". These constitute a special case of Rapid Strike, which makes them compatible with All-Out Attack, Attack, Committed Attack, and Defensive Attack, but not with Move and Attack. The chosen maneuver modifies all applicable elements of the Combination: All-Out Attack (Strong) gives +2 damage with all strikes, Committed Attack (Determined) gives +2 to hit with all attacks, and so on.

Regardless of skill or speed, a fighter can use only one Combination per maneuver. If he does, he can't execute a Rapid Strike or Dual-Weapon Attack as part of the same maneuver. For more on the interaction between rules that let a warrior use a single maneuver to attack more than once, see [[Multiple Attacks].

A feint at the end of the maneuver immediately previous to the one that delivers the Combination lowers the target's defenses against the whole thing. The same is true for the feint portion of All-Out Attack (Feint) when the ensuing attack is a Combination. If using Riposte, a Combination counts as a single attack. The target's defense reduction applies against all parts of it, but note that only one active defense suffers the full penalty and it generally takes more than one defense to stop a Combination.

Any or all parts of a Combination can be Deceptive Attacks or Telegraphic Attacks. These options modify the attack and defense rolls to resolve the affected portion(s) of the technique only. A fighter can mix and match; for instance, he could start a three-attack Combination with a Deceptive Attack, follow with an unmodified attack, and then finish with a Telegraphic Attack.

The viability of each attack after the first in a Combination depends on how well the preceding attacks do. If the attacker misses with one of these – or if his foe makes a successful active defense against it – his target gets +3 on rolls to avoid the remainder of the Combination. This bonus applies equally to active defenses and to rolls against ST, DX, or skill for attacks that use Quick Contests.

If a later attack requires a successful earlier attack to proceed, the "setup" must work for the fighter to attempt the "follow-up"! If it doesn't – for whatever reason – the rest of the Combination is forfeit. Common situations include:

• Attacks with limited reach. If a Combination involves an attack with fixed reach, that attack can only work if the preceding ones leave the target in range. In particular, if a close-combat strike like a punch or a Knee Strike follows an attack that hurls the victim one or more yards away – most often a shove, throw, or strike that inflicts knockback – the Combination ends if the attacker can't step to deliver the short-ranged attack.
• Holds, locks, throws, and disarms using grappling skills. Combinations that include such attacks require a successful grab or grapple, and cannot proceed without it.
• Strikes that require a prone target. A Combination that directs a Knee Drop, Stamp Kick, or similar attack against the target's upper body can only proceed if an earlier attack puts the victim on the ground. It might specifically set up such a move using a throw, takedown, or Sweep...but many realistic Combinations end with a strike like this on the off chance that an earlier blow knocks down the target by pushing him off-balance (see Knockback) or injuring him (see Knockdown and Stunning).

A Combination doesn't preclude movement by the attacker. He may make full use of any movement his maneuver permits. He can intersperse this between the elements of his Combination however he sees fit, although some maneuvers limit his options (e.g., All-Out Attack allows only forward movement). He needn't specify this when he learns his technique, as realistic Combinations take into account that some movement is inevitable in combat. This freedom doesn't extend to the order of attacks, which is always fixed.

The target may retreat after any element of the Combination, gaining a bonus to his active defenses against that attack and all that follow. This is gradual movement – not a sudden lurch, like knockback – and doesn't take him out of reach of the remaining attacks. Treat the distance between attacker and defender as constant unless the attacker steps or the defender suffers knockback, a throw, etc. If using tactical combat, move a retreating defender back a hex only after resolving the effects of the entire Combination.

Defensive Grip

A fighter with at least two hands and a one- or two-handed melee weapon can use a "strong" two-handed grip that sacrifices side-to-side movement for frontal defense. To assume or relinquish a Defensive Grip requires a Ready maneuver (see Ready).

A warrior using a Defensive Grip has his weapon firmly in front of him in two hands. He holds a two-handed weapon, like a staff, across his body. For any weapon, this grip gives +1 to parry attacks from the front but an extra -1 to parry attacks from the side (for a net -3; see Defending Against Attacks from the Side).

If using a one-handed weapon, Defensive Grip involves placing a second hand on the weapon. This hand must be empty. The extra hand makes it awkward to use normal one-handed strikes but adds power: -2 to attack rolls, +1 to damage. Treat the weapon as two-handed for all purposes. When using this grip with a fencing weapon (a weapon with "F" in its Parry statistic), it becomes possible to parry flails at the usual penalties.

If using a two-handed weapon, Defensive Grip involves moving one hand forward to "choke" the weapon or grip it by the ricasso. This effectively reinforces the weapon, giving -1 to odds of breakage. It also greatly narrows the possible arc of a swing, giving -2 to hit with a Wild Swing (for a net -7; see Wild Swings) and less power with swinging attacks: -2 damage or -1 damage per die, whichever is worse.

Treat a weapon that can be used one- or two-handed – such as a bastard sword or a spear – as two-handed for this purpose.

A warrior with a sword of any kind can instead opt to place a hand just behind the tip, as part of his Ready to a Defensive Grip or using a later Ready. The rules above apply for everything except reach and damage: regardless of the sword, reach drops to C ("close combat only") and damage becomes thrust impaling – or thrust crushing, if blunt. Swung attacks are impossible. This allows superior point control, removing -2 from the penalty to target chinks in armor, cumulative with any similar benefit the weapon grants.

A fighter using a Defensive Grip can select any maneuver – even All-Out Attack (but not the Long option) or Committed Attack. Deceptive Attack, Rapid Strike, Telegraphic Attack, and Tip Slash likewise remain viable.

Pummeling

TODO

Reversed Grip

TODO

Shin Kicks

TODO

Shoves with Weapons

TODO

Slams with Long Weapons

TODO

Striking at Shields

TODO

Grabbing Shields

TODO

Telegraphic Attack

You can carefully line up an attack in combat much as you would during a stress-free practice session, gaining the +4 for routine skill use discussed at Base Skill vs. Effective Skill. Such an attack is often termed "telegraphic" because it transmits your intentions to your foe. This makes it easy to avoid: all active defenses against a Telegraphic Attack are at +2!

A Telegraphic Attack is the opposite of a Deceptive Attack and you cannot combine the two. Likewise, you cannot use a Telegraphic Attack as a Riposte and it gains no benefit from an earlier feint. The +4 to hit doesn’t "stack" with the bonus for Evaluate, either. You can combine it with all other combat options.

There's also a restriction on the results of a Telegraphic Attack: the +4 to hit doesn't affect your chance of a critical hit. Use your skill before the bonus to determine this. For instance, if you had skill 11 and the +4 made it 15, you would roll a critical hit on 3-4, not on 3-5; if you had skill 15 and the +4 gave you 19, you would score a critical hit on a roll of 3-5, not 3-6.

Use this option when you must attack at a penalty but All-Out Attack (Determined) or Committed Attack (Determined) would be too risky. Fighters most often use Telegraphic Attack to offset the -3 for Combat Art or Sport skills in combat (athletes often have good accuracy but little subtlety), shock penalties, and penalties for attacks that are at the edge of their skill level (e.g., for specific hit locations)...and to strike from behind!

Tip Slash

If your weapon can thrust for impaling damage, you can instead swing it so that the tip pierces and rips across your target laterally. This is called a Tip Slash. Treat it as a cutting attack for all purposes: wounding modifiers, Injury Tolerance, etc. It can be useful when impaling damage doesn’t affect your target much!

A Tip Slash is an attack at full skill, distinct from other attacks listed on the weapon table. For the purpose of Targeted Attacks and Combinations, it's a different basic attack from "Thrust" or "Swing." Cutting damage equals the weapon's impaling damage, at -2. Weapon quality affects this normally. Where the rules distinguish between thrusts and swings (e.g., parrying unarmed), a Tip Slash is a swing, despite using thrust damage.

A Tip Slash uses the weapon's current maximum reach. If holding the weapon in a grip that permits two or more different attacks, use the longest reach. Parry and ST are unaffected.

Examples: A Tip Slash using a dagger (thrust-1 impaling) inflicts thrust-3 cutting at reach C. A Tip Slash with a fine-quality rapier (thrust+2 impaling) does thrust cutting at reach 2. A Tip Slash with a long spear held in two hands (thrust+3 impaling) delivers thrust+1 cutting at reach 2 or 3, depending on how you hold it.

Close-Combat Options

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Ranged Attack Options

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Active Defense Options

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Riposte

A gambit popular with martial artists is a parry that carries the attacker's weapon out of line or otherwise compromises his defenses, "setting up" a counterattack – or riposte – that exploits the opening. Executed correctly, the riposte is difficult to avoid. However, it often requires the defender to begin his attacking motion early and give up some of his own ability to defend. Thus, it can backfire spectacularly!

To set up a Riposte, declare that you wish to do so before you parry. Choose a penalty to your Parry score – the larger the penalty, the greater your focus on the counterattack. This cannot reduce your Parry, before all other modifiers except Enhanced Parry, below 8.

Then add the remaining modifiers and try to parry the attack. You can retreat – but if your foe steps back after attacking, you might end up too far away for a Riposte.

Success means you parry and set up a Riposte. If your first attack next turn uses your parrying weapon against the foe you parried, one of his active defenses against it suffers the penalty you accepted on your parry. If you parried his hand or weapon, reduce his Parry with that hand (with either hand, if his attack used two hands). If you parried his shield, lower his Block. If you parried an unarmed attack other than a hand strike (bite, kick, slam, etc.), reduce his Dodge. Apply half this penalty (drop fractions) to any other defense he attempts against your attack – including rolls to resist grappling moves that use Quick Contests instead of active defenses (e.g., takedowns).

Failure means you’re hit, as for any failed parry. Your attempt gives you no special benefits – although you can still attack your foe on your next turn, if his attack leaves you in any shape to do so.

Example: Harry the Good and Black Odo are dueling with broadswords and medium shields. Harry has Broadsword-16 and Enhanced Parry 1, for a Parry of 12. Odo attacks Harry with his sword and Harry decides to attempt a Riposte. Odo being his mortal enemy, Harry goes for broke and takes the maximum penalty: -4, which drops his Parry to 8. With +1 for Combat Reflexes and +2 for his shield’s DB, his final Parry is 11. He succeeds, warding off Odo’s attack. This allows him to Riposte with his sword (not a shield bash, kick, etc.) on his turn. He does so and succeeds! If Odo tries to parry with his sword, he has the same penalty Harry did, or -4. If he attempts a dodge or block, he has half this penalty, or -2.

A Riposte is most effective when you’re more skilled than your foe, when you have many defensive bonuses (Combat Reflexes, shield, weapon with a Parry bonus, etc.), or when your target is already compromised – e.g., kneeling or on bad footing.

The active defense penalties from Riposte and from feinting are cumulative. If on your turn you successfully feint a foe, and on his turn he attacks and you parry at a penalty, then you can Riposte on your next turn, forcing him to defend with penalties for both the feint and the Riposte. This takes two turns and offers many opportunities for failure...but when it works, it’s devastating!

You cannot combine Deceptive Attack and Riposte, though. A Riposte is a Deceptive Attack – just one where you’re taking a defensive risk instead of an offensive one.