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Old 09-01-2014, 03:58 PM   #8
Christopher R. Rice
 
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Portsmouth, VA, USA
Default Re: Judo and falling damage.

Not trying to derail this thread or anything, but as someone who's tossed a lot of people around (I'm a ex-bouncer and worked as a personal security consultant/personal assets protection for a long time) the amount they give you is generous. You're doing as much damage to your target as a well-placed punch, possibly stunning them, and tossing someone up to three feet away. That's...a lot. I'm not saying you should change it because it is a GOOD gameable distinction, but if you want a more realistic version of it, I'd have it do thrust-4 crushing damage or thrust-2 at -1 per die, whichever is worse (just like Aggressive Parry). Throwing someone around is for two general reasons: because your target has you at a disadvantage (you're hurt, they're armed, they've got a size advantage, you're protecting someone, etc.) or you want to hurt them. The first is covered by regular Judo Throw. You roll versus your skill and toss them away and hope them being prone means you can get an advantage or run like hell. Lack of mobility can end a fight (something often overlooked in RPGs). The second is covered by the rules in Martial Arts, but when you're intentionally hurting someone by throwing them, you're not trying to use your own strength or even gravity against them (it helps; I mean I'm a strong fella and I rarely did as much damage as punching someone when I tossed them aiming to hurt them). Instead, you're trying to damage soft targets (the stomach, the head, or the face - especially the checks which hurt like a sonuvabitch, lots of nerve endings there) or hard targets (the spine/back, limbs, whatever) by hitting what my old boss called a "point of impact." The point of impact could be the ground/floor/whatever your standing on, but most often it was things that were part of the environment (table edges, stools, wall corners, and similar) or part of the target (e.g., you're throwing them in such a way as to catch a limb under them so their weight is placed on said limb). You can cause a ton of damage by getting a target to fall a certain way. The trick is to make them go down without catching themselves. You ever trip and grab whatevers around you to steady yourself or put your hands out palm first? It spreads the impact. By controlling the point of impact you can control how they go down. I've broken a man's ulna and radius at the same time by throwing him the right way at a picnic table (came right out of his elbow). Most of the time though people are going to be able to catch themselves and minimize the damage. As a bouncer tossing someone out of your joint without hurting them is something you learn. Hell, not hurting people permanently was one of the things I had to learn (and most of the other guys I worked with as well) and it wasn't easy. Learning how to apply what amount of force and where has to be one of the most difficult and time-consuming things I ever learned in my life (so far). Of course, I've never studied any martial arts or been formally taught. I've got what you call a natural aptitude for violence, and these are merely my musings on the subject. Someone like Peter or Doug might have more insight into it than I.
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