Precognitive Parry

IQ/Hard
Defaults: None.
Prerequisites: Trained by a Master or Weapon Master; Danger Sense or Precognition; and one melee combat skill at 18+.

This skill allows you to parry attacks that normally come in too fast to parry – bullets, beams, etc. – without having Enhanced Time Sense. You must be aware of your attacker for Precognitive Parry to work; it's worthless against true surprise attacks. Whenever an attack that satisfies these criteria would hit you, make a Precognitive Parry roll.

Modifiers: Add the higher of your ESP Talent or Forceful Chi.

On a failure, you can't parry. You may still dodge, if the attack is one that permits a Dodge roll. On a critical failure, though, you believe that the attack will miss and don't even bother to dodge!

On a success, you're alerted to the attack far enough in advance that you can move a weapon or limb to intercept it. You may attempt to parry just as if you were defending against a melee attack. Combat Reflexes and Enhanced Parry give their usual bonuses.

Failure on the parry means you're hit. Success means you interpose your weapon or limb in time. The attack inflicts its damage on whatever you're using to parry. If using a weapon, it's destroyed if reduced to -5×HP after DR (see Damage to Objects) – but only damage in excess of this affects you, and your DR protects normally. If using a limb, you're simply hit in the limb instead of in the attack's original hit location. Success by five or more on the parry, or critical success, deflects the attack without harm to your weapon or limb.

A force sword or force whip doesn't have DR or HP – it's made of energy. A successful parry with such a weapon deflects an energy attack harmlessly and burns up a projectile. Against a really big projectile, the GM may want to roll damage for the force weapon and compare it to the projectile's DR and HP.

Knowing when and where a melee attack, thrown weapon, or slower missile will hit is also useful. You may opt to try a Precognitive Parry roll before an active defense against such an attack. Success gives +1 to your defense. Failure means you misjudge, giving -2. As usual, critical failure means you believe the attack will miss and don't even bother to defend.