Special Melee Weapon Rules

Special Melee Weapon Rules

Some melee weapons are more complicated than others! Below are some special cases.

Cloaks

You can snap a cloak in your opponent's face or use it to block his vision; treat either as a Feint. You can also use a cloak to grapple. Roll against Cloak skill to hit; reach is C, 1. Otherwise, treat this just like an unarmed grapple (see Grappling).

Fencing Weapons

The "ready" position of a fighter using Main-Gauche, Rapier, Saber, or Smallsword skill keeps his weapon pointed toward his foe at all times. As well, the "fencing weapons" used with these skills are light and maneuverable. These factors make it easy for a fencer to recover from a parry or fall back in the face of an attack.

With a fencing weapon, you get +3 to Parry instead of the usual +1 when you retreat (see Retreat). You also suffer only half the usual penalty for multiple parries (see Parrying). However, your Parry has a penalty equal to your encumbrance level, and you cannot parry flails at all.

Flails

A weapon with a length of chain between the handle and the head is a "flail." Because of the chain, a flail can wrap around a foe's weapon or shield when he tries to defend against it. Any attempt to parry a flail is at -4; fencing weapons, with their light blades, cannot parry flails at all! Even a shield is less useful against a flail: all blocks are at -2.

Garrotes

A "garrote" is a cord or wire used for strangling. You can only use it on an unaware or helpless victim, and you must attack from behind (this often requires Stealth rolls!).

Once you are in position, roll against Garrote skill to hit. You must target the neck, at the usual -5 to hit. In most cases, your target is unaware, so you can safely make an All-Out Attack (Determined) for +4 to hit.

The victim may attempt to parry with his hand or a ready close-combat weapon, but he does so at -3. Unless he has Combat Reflexes, he is most likely mentally stunned, for an additional -4 to his defense roll. On a success, he manages to put his hand or weapon between his throat and the garrote. The hand takes no damage unless you are using a wire garrote.

On the turn of the attack and every subsequent turn, you may choke the victim (see Actions After a Grapple), and get +3 to ST in the ensuing Quick Contest. Treat the damage as crushing (×1.5 to the neck) for a rope garrote, cutting (×2 to the neck) for a wire one. In addition, your victim starts to suffocate (see Suffocation). To break free, the victim must win a Quick Contest of ST-5, Judo-3, or Wrestling-3 against your Garrote skill.

An improvised garrote (almost any piece of rope) gives -2 to skill. A wire garrote must be equipped with handles, or you will take thrust/cutting damage to each hand!

Picks

Melee weapons that inflict swing/impaling damage – picks, warhammers, etc. – do a lot of damage, but may get stuck in your foe! At the start of the turn following any attack that penetrates the foe's DR and inflicts damage, you must either relinquish your weapon and leave it stuck in your foe (a free action), or attempt a ST roll to free it (a Ready maneuver).

On a successful ST roll, your weapon comes free. If it is one that must be readied after an attack (any weapon with “‡” next to its ST statistic), you can ready it next turn. On a failure, it is stuck. You can't use it or ready it – and if you wish to move, you’ll have to let go. On later turns, you have two choices: let go of your weapon or try another ST roll. Should you ever get a critical failure on the ST roll, the weapon is permanently stuck (but you can retrieve it from a fallen foe after the battle).

When the weapon comes free, it does half as much damage as it did going in. For example, if the original wound was 4 points, it does another 2 points. Failed ST rolls cause no extra damage.

If your foe tries to move away while your weapon is stuck in him, roll a Quick Contest of ST. If he wins, he pulls the weapon from your grasp! If you win, your foe can't move. On a tie, the weapon comes free and does damage as above.

Shields

A shield is an excellent defense against low-tech weapons, but you can also use it offensively:

Shield Bash: A shield "bash" is an ordinary melee weapon attack. A shield can only hit foes in your front or shield-side hexes. See the Melee Weapon Table for statistics.

Shield Rush: A shield "rush" is an attempt to knock your foe down by running into him shield-first. See Slam for details. You cannot do this with a buckler.

Whips

Whips are effective disarming weapons. When you strike to disarm with a whip, you get +2 in the ensuing Quick Contest; see Knocking a Weapon Away.

You may try to entangle your opponent instead of his weapon. This attack is at an extra -4 to hit, and inflicts no damage, but follows the Lariat rules if successful. Whips are poor defensive weapons, and get -2 to Parry. Whips are also unbalanced, and cannot attack and parry on the same turn – and long whips actually become unready after an attack or a parry. It takes one turn to ready a two-yard whip, two turns to ready a whip three yards or longer.

Additional rules apply, depending on the type of whip:

Whip: You can "crack" an ordinary bullwhip – this is the sound of the tip breaking the sound barrier! This requires an attack at -4 to skill, but inflicts +2 damage. Any whip blow is painful: anyone who suffers a whip wound to his arm or hand must roll against Will, modified by the shock penalty for the injury. On a failure, he drops anything in that hand.

Kusari: This is a weighted chain. You can adjust reach from 1 to 4 yards with a Ready maneuver. Treat it as a whip when disarming, entangling opponents, or readying. Treat it as a flail vs. enemy defenses: -2 to block and -4 to parry. If someone parries your kusari with a weapon, make a skill roll immediately. On a success, your kusari entangles his weapon. A failure has no special effect; a critical failure means you drop the kusari! Your opponent may disentangle his weapon on his turn. This requires a free hand and a DX roll. If he does not, you may make a disarm attempt on your next turn without rolling to hit first: state that you are attempting to disarm and immediately roll the Quick Contest. This still counts as an attack. You cannot use a kusari if there is no headroom, or in an area full of obstacles (nearby people count as obstacles). On a critical miss, a roll of 3, 4, 17, or 18 indicates that you have hit yourself in the face!

Monowire Whip: An ultra-tech whip made of superfine wire. A control allows you to vary length from 1 to 7 yards, changing both reach and ready time. Adjusting the length requires a Ready maneuver. When used to snare an opponent or a weapon, the whip cuts into its target, inflicting thrust+1d(10) cutting damage every turn it is pulled taut until the victim escapes. A "drop weapon" critical miss indicates that you have hit yourself or a friend.

Dirty Tricks

Creative players will constantly invent new combat tricks – for instance, throwing sand in the enemy's face to blind him. This presents a problem for the GM. On the one hand, creativity should be encouraged; it makes the game more interesting. On the other hand, tricks only work when they're new and original. If sand in the face worked every time, barbarian warriors would leave their swords at home and carry bags of sand instead!

The best solution is to let "tricks" work once – maybe twice – and then assume that word has gotten around. If you, as the GM, think that the players' clever idea is a good one, you should give it a fair chance to work. But remember that elaborate tricks can fail elaborately...and word gets around. The first Trojan horse was a great success. It hasn't worked since then.

IQ and Dirty Tricks

Often, the GM will find it appropriate to require an IQ roll when a fighter attempts a clever trick. Depending on the circumstance, the GM may:

• Make the trickster roll vs. his IQ to pull off the trick properly.
• Make the victim roll vs. his IQ to see through the trick.

• Require a Quick Contest of IQ to see who outsmarts whom. There's no hard-and-fast rule! Just remember: nobody who takes an IQ 8 fighter should be allowed to play him as a genius!

Liquids in the Face

This is one of the most common "dirty tricks." Treat liquid tossed in the face as a thrown weapon with Acc 1 and Max 3. Remember the -5 to target the face!

On a critical hit, the liquid gets in the victim's eyes, blinding him for 1d seconds (the GM rolls secretly). On any other hit, the target may defend normally – but note that it is impossible to parry a liquid. If he fails to defend, he must make a Will roll to avoid flinching. On a failure, he flinches: -2 to further defenses that turn, and -2 to any DX or Sense roll on his next turn. On a success, the attack has no effect...unless the victim has Bad Temper!

This assumes a relatively harmless substance, like beer. Acid, poison, etc. have their usual effects.