Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post - [MA] What's the virtue of using spears with Staff skill?

davidtmoore · 05-19-2010, 07:24 AM

Hola all,

Something's been bothering me slightly. Follow me:

Fencing weapons enjoy a bonus to Parry while retreating.
Using a fencing skill for a similar non-fencing weapon normally does not give you this bonus, since the bonus is assumed to reflect the weapon's design, not the skill used.
However, if you have the perk Weapon Adaptation (*Non-Fencing Weapon* to *Fencing Skill*), you gain the bonus.
Escrima, Krabi Krabong and Dragon-Man Kung Fu all use Fencing skills for non-Fencing weapons, and all include Weapon Adaptation. Well and good.

With me so far?

Staffs enjoy a bonus to Parry.
If you parry with a spear or polearm using the Staff skill, you get no bonus to Parry; again, the bonus is for the design, not the skill.
If you have Weapon Adaptation (*Pole-Style Weapon* to Staff), you would gain the Parry bonus.
Chinese Horse-Cutter Fighting, Chinese Spear-Fighting, Glaive Fighting, MCMAP, Naginatajutsu and Sojutsu (phew) all teach Polearm/Spear and Staff skills to use the polearm or spear (bayoneted rifle in one instance), but none of them have Weapon Adaptation.

When I first realised this, I thought maybe the Staff Parry bonus applies to spears and polearms when used with Staff skill and WA wasn't necessary, but I looked it up on the weapon chart and the stats are unambiguous; you definitely do not get the Staff Parry bonus when parrying with a spear or polearm using Staff skill.

So as near as I can tell, the only virtue to having both the Spear/Polearm (delete as necessary) and Staff skills to use spears and polearms is the ability to do crushing damage - and less of it - as well as cutting/impaling damage. You can attack with both skills, parry at the same level with both skills, use Defensive Grip with both skills, and whatever else.

Now, obviously the versatility is nice, but why doesn't a single style built around these two skills offer Weapon Adaptation, when one more CP would give you a massive +2 to Parry with your weapon? Did the authors of Martial Arts think, like I initially did, that the bonus is automatic and the WA perk wasn't needed? Certainly all these styles are dripping with Form Mastery and Grip Mastery, as you'd expect, but why not WA?

05-19-2010, 07:24 AM	#1
davidtmoore Join Date: Dec 2009	[MA] What's the virtue of using spears with Staff skill? Hola all, Something's been bothering me slightly. Follow me: Fencing weapons enjoy a bonus to Parry while retreating. Using a fencing skill for a similar non-fencing weapon normally does not give you this bonus, since the bonus is assumed to reflect the weapon's design, not the skill used. However, if you have the perk Weapon Adaptation (Non-Fencing Weapon to Fencing Skill), you gain the bonus. Escrima, Krabi Krabong and Dragon-Man Kung Fu all use Fencing skills for non-Fencing weapons, and all include Weapon Adaptation. Well and good. With me so far? Staffs enjoy a bonus to Parry. If you parry with a spear or polearm using the Staff skill, you get no bonus to Parry; again, the bonus is for the design, not the skill. If you have Weapon Adaptation (Pole-Style Weapon to Staff), you would gain the Parry bonus. Chinese Horse-Cutter Fighting, Chinese Spear-Fighting, Glaive Fighting, MCMAP, Naginatajutsu and Sojutsu (phew) all teach Polearm/Spear and Staff skills to use the polearm or spear (bayoneted rifle in one instance), but none of them have Weapon Adaptation. When I first realised this, I thought maybe the Staff Parry bonus applies to spears and polearms when used with Staff skill and WA wasn't necessary, but I looked it up on the weapon chart and the stats are unambiguous; you definitely do not get the Staff Parry bonus when parrying with a spear or polearm using Staff skill. So as near as I can tell, the only virtue to having both the Spear/Polearm (delete as necessary) and Staff skills to use spears and polearms is the ability to do crushing damage - and less of it - as well as cutting/impaling damage. You can attack with both skills, parry at the same level with both skills, use Defensive Grip with both skills, and whatever else. Now, obviously the versatility is nice, but why doesn't a single style built around these two skills offer Weapon Adaptation, when one more CP would give you a massive +2 to Parry with your weapon? Did the authors of *Martial Arts* think, like I initially did, that the bonus is automatic and the WA perk wasn't needed? Certainly all these styles are dripping with Form Mastery and Grip Mastery, as you'd expect, but why not WA?