Martial Arts: Change Posture

Expanded Combat Maneuvers: Change Posture

You don't need a Change Posture maneuver to assume a lower posture in order to grab, grapple, pin, shove, slam, or strike at reach C. If making one of these attacks as part of an All-Out Attack, Attack, Committed Attack, or Move and Attack maneuver, you may take one of the following posture changes as part of the movement portion of your maneuver:

• Dive forward to go from standing to kneeling, crawling, or lying prone. This counts as your entire step if making an Attack or Committed Attack. It costs you one movement point if making an All-Out Attack or Move and Attack, and must come at the end of your movement. For instance, if you had Move 6, you could run 3 yards to All-Out Attack, or run only 2 yards and dive prone. On a battle map, if you end up crawling or prone, your upper body ends up in the front hex of your choice.
• Dive forward to go from kneeling to crawling or lying prone. This takes your entire movement allowance in all cases. Your upper body ends up in the front hex of your choice.
• Fall backward to go from standing to sitting or lying face-up. This takes your entire movement allowance if you make an All-Out Attack, Attack, or Committed Attack. It costs you one movement point if making a Move and Attack, and must come at the end of your movement. If you change to lying face-up, your lower body ends up in the front hex of your choice.
• Fall backward to go from kneeling or sitting to lying face-up. This uses up all of your movement in all cases. Your upper body ends up in the side or back hex of your choice. To drop to the ground defensively on an opponent's turn, use the rules under Retreat Options or Sprawling instead.

Acrobatic Stand

If lying face-down or face-up, you can attempt a flip, kip-up, or roll that takes you directly to a standing posture without assuming a crawling, kneeling, or sitting posture first. This requires a Change Posture maneuver; you can't do it as the "step" portion of another maneuver.

Make an Acrobatics-6 roll with an additional penalty equal to encumbrance level. Success means you end your turn standing; on a critical success, you can use this as the step portion of an Attack, Committed Attack, Defensive Attack, Feint, or Ready. Failure means you end your turn sitting (not kneeling or crawling); critical failure means you remain face-down or face-up.

If you're sitting or crawling, you can try to spring into a standing posture as a step – exactly as if you were going from kneeling to standing. Roll at Acrobatics-6 minus encumbrance level. Success lets you stand and execute any maneuver that allows a step. Failure means you stand, but it counts as a Change Posture maneuver and your turn ends. On a critical failure, you fall down!

In either case, you can opt to "stand" in a crouching posture – handy when regaining your feet under fire.

These rules assume you stand defensively. You may opt to go "all-out." This gives +4 to Acrobatics but deprives you of active defenses! If lying, any success – even critical success – means a rapid posture change only. If sitting or crawling, your sole option after a success is an All-Out Attack.

Postures, Hit Locations, and Techniques

Realistically, a fighter's posture influences the attacks he can attempt, rendering some impossible while making others easier or harder. The modifiers for postures and hit locations in the Basic Set are generic. They're usually fine but they don't cover every possible situation. For instance, the -4 for lying down and -5 to hit the face suggest that a prone man can hit a standing foe in the face at -9. He probably can – with a sword. He shouldn't be allowed to try this with a knife or a fist unless he has Stretching, though!

The GM is free to assign a modifier to any attack he feels should be easier or harder from a given posture, and to forbid those that seem silly. Below are detailed rules for those who enjoy extreme realism. They assume two fighters with Size Modifiers that differ by no more than ±1. For more extreme SM differences, use Combat at Different Levels.

All of these modifiers are cumulative with each other and with the standard modifiers for posture, hit location, and technique. For instance, if a sitting fighter leans back on his hands and kicks up at the face of a standing foe, he takes the usual -2 for sitting, -2 for kicking, and -5 for targeting the face...and an extra -1 to target the face and -1 to kick, because he's sitting.

Standing

+0 to attack/+0 to defend

Hit Location Effects: Remove -1 from the hit location penalty to attack the neck, face, eye, or skull of a kneeling or sitting man, or to kick the leg or foot of a standing man.

Prohibited Attacks: None.

Modified Attacks: Punches and attacks with close-combat weapons (reach C) against enemies who are lying down require the attacker to stoop into a near-crouch, which gives -2 to hit. Elbow Strike and Knee Strike can't reach those who are lying down at all – use Elbow Drop and Knee Drop. Head Butt can't reach opponents who are lying down either, and has -2 to hit even against kneeling, sitting, or crawling foes. Using Scissors Hold or the grappling techniques in Using Your Legs forces the attacker to fall down.

Kneeling

-2 to attack/-2 to defend

Hit Location Effects: Remove -1 from the hit location penalty to attack the feet, legs, or groin of a standing man, but add -1 to hit his neck, face, eye, or skull.

Prohibited Attacks: All kicks, Backbreaker, Knee Drop, Knee Strike, Piledriver, Scissors Hold, and any Sweep using a leg.

Modified Attacks: Elbow Drop is at -1 damage and can only target someone who is crawling or lying down. Head Butt is at -2 to hit an opponent who is crawling or lying down – and against a standing opponent, it can only target the legs or groin. Techniques from Using Your Legs can only target the legs of a standing man.

Sitting

-2 to attack/-2 to defend

Note: If seated on something (e.g., a chair), the rules under Fighting While Seated apply instead.

Hit Location Effects: Remove -1 from the hit location penalty to attack the feet, legs, or groin of a standing man, but add -1 to hit his neck, face, eye, or skull.

Prohibited Attacks: Aerial kicks (Drop Kick, Flying Jump Kick, Jump Kick, Pole-Vault Kick, etc.), Back Kick, Backbreaker, Knee Drop, [[Piledriver, and any kind of slam.

Modified Attacks: The rules under Kneeling apply here, too. In addition, Elbow Strike cannot hit the neck, face, eye, or skull of a standing man. Knee Strike, any Sweep using a leg, and all permitted kicks are awkward, and have an extra -1 to attack and damage rolls. Downward kicks (Axe Kick, Stamp Kick, etc.) can only hit opponents who are crawling or lying down, or the feet of a standing foe, and do -1 damage.

Crawling

-4 to attack/-3 to defend

Hit Location Effects: Remove -2 from the hit location penalty to attack the feet or legs of a standing man, but add -2 to hit his neck, face, eye, or skull.

Prohibited Attacks: Backbreaker, Elbow Drop, Knee Drop, Piledriver, Scissors Hold, Two-Handed Punch, any Sweep using a leg, all kicks except Back Kick, and weapon strikes at reach 1+.

Modified Attacks: Elbow Strike is awkward, has an extra -1 to hit, and cannot reach the neck, face, eye, or skull of a standing man. Against a standing foe, Head Butt can only attack the groin, legs, or feet. Knee Strike can only target an opponent who is lying down, the legs or feet of a sitting man, or the feet of a standing man. Techniques from Using Your Legs can only target the legs of a standing man.

Lying Face-Up

-4 to attack/-3 to defend

Hit Location Effects: Remove -2 from the hit location penalty to attack the feet or legs of a standing man, but add -2 to hit his neck, face, eye, or skull.

Prohibited Attacks: Aerial kicks (as explained for Sitting), Back Kick, Backbreaker, Elbow Drop, Knee Drop, and Piledriver.

Modified Attacks: Elbow Strike and Head Butt cannot reach any part of a standing man but his feet or legs, and cannot attack the neck, face, eye, or skull of anyone who isn't crawling or lying down. Stability removes -2 from the penalty for permitted kicks and Sweeps with legs, but lack of leverage gives -1 damage. Knee Strike, punches, and close-combat weapon attacks (reach C) cannot reach above the groin of a standing man.

Lying Face-Down (Prone)

-4 to attack/-3 to defend

Hit Location Effects: Remove -2 from the hit location penalty to attack the feet or legs of a standing man, but add -2 to hit his neck, face, eye, or skull.

Prohibited Attacks: Backbreaker, Elbow Drop, Knee Drop, Piledriver, and all kicks except Back Kick.

Modified Attacks: Elbow Strike, Head Butt, and Knee Strike cannot reach any part of a standing man but his feet, and cannot attack the neck, face, eye, or skull of anyone who isn't crawling or lying down. Punches and close-combat weapons cannot target anything above the groin on a standing man. Techniques from Using Your Legs can only target the legs of a standing man.