[Martial Arts] Getting the Wind Knocked Out of You

[Gigermann]

Maybe I've just missed it somewhere, but I haven't seen any reference to this happening, in game terms. I probably wouldn't care, except I've had it happen to me a number of times that I can recall (as have most of us, I expect), and as GM, it came up in-game the other day, as I had planned to knock a guy down, and if I had been able to figure out what to do with it, have the "wind knocked out of him." I could just make something up, sure, but I don't know how often this happens in RL, and what would be an "accurate" representation of it.

[Ragitsu]

Funnily enough, Bio-Tech has something about this.

[Crakkerjakk]

Originally Posted by Ragitsu

Funnily enough, Bio-Tech has something about this.

Where exactly? I can't find it.

To the OP, I'd treat this as being Stunned. Unfortunately, this seems to be paired with Knockdown. I'm not sure if there's a way to Stun someone via damage without also causing them to fall over.

[pawsplay]

Deliver a major wound to the torso? Or something?

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by pawsplay

Deliver a major wound to the torso? Or something?

Most instances of people who get the wind knocked out of them feature significantly less tissue damage than a major wound to the torso.

The rules for this now is the knockdown check forced by a crushing attack to the Vitals, even if it does not cause a Major Wound. From MA. Since that's an unpelanised HT roll, I personally consider it far too difficult to momentarily stun a man in GURPS without coming close to dropping him for good, but that's an issue for complex house rules incorporating psychological factors for reaction to pain and surprise (which I tend to use).

[kenclary]

A Pressure Points hit to the torso is a pretty good way to handle it, if you ignore the "cinematic" and "doesn't happen by accident" parts.

[trooper6]

Originally Posted by Icelander

Most instances of people who get the wind knocked out of them feature significantly less tissue damage than a major wound to the torso.

The rules for this now is the knockdown check forced by a crushing attack to the Vitals, even if it does not cause a Major Wound. From MA. Since that's an unpelanised HT roll, I personally consider it far too difficult to momentarily stun a man in GURPS without coming close to dropping him for good, but that's an issue for complex house rules incorporating psychological factors for reaction to pain and surprise (which I tend to use).

An average HT10 person has a 50/50 change of getting the wind knocked out of them if punched in the vitals. Not to bad at all.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by trooper6

An average HT10 person has a 50/50 change of getting the wind knocked out of them if punched in the vitals. Not to bad at all.

The trouble starts when it's an athlete with Fit and HT 12. That's not defined as being the least bit remarkable in the books, just somewhat typical for a good athlete, but it reduces the chances of being discomfitted by a blow to the solar plexus down to a measly 17%. And I don't like the assumption that the athlete will nearly always recover from his winded state in a single second, since he's not going to fail twice in a row except in less than 2% of occasions.

Being in good shape helps with a lot of things, but a good hard blow to the solar plexus should make more of an impression, even on those with good cardiovascular systems and overall health.

[trooper6]

Originally Posted by Icelander

The trouble starts when it's an athlete with Fit and HT 12. That's not defined as being the least bit remarkable in the books, just somewhat typical for a good athlete, but it reduces the chances of being discomfitted by a blow to the solar plexus down to a measly 17%. And I don't like the assumption that the athlete will nearly always recover from his winded state in a single second, since he's not going to fail twice in a row except in less than 2% of occasions.

Being in good shape helps with a lot of things, but a good hard blow to the solar plexus should make more of an impression, even on those with good cardiovascular systems and overall health.

If the RAW are problematic for you and you want people stunned more often and for longer then when not just throw in a -5HT penalty for any blow to the vitals or head?

[Phoenix_Dragon]

You have to keep in mind two things. First off, a stunning effect in GURPS is a blow hard enough to floor you (Though personally, I like to houserule that slightly). And second, people treat the same blow differently depending on the situation. In a practice session, when you're at home doing work, or the like, you might come to a complete stop from a rather minor hit, back off to catch your breath, or fall over. In a combat-style situation, with the adrenaline going, you might not even slow down. Might not even notice, in fact.

I'm a pretty lean guy, but I've taken numerous blows to the groin, face, and vitals, and being notably impared by it is quite uncommon, unless I had no reason to keep going on with what I was doing. I've never had one that put me to the ground (Well, unless you count getting hit by a car, but I can cheat and blame physics for that one!). And I'm pretty sure I'm not a model of high health or fitness. Heck, I tried to subdue a guy once by holding him by the hip and wailing on his crotch as hard as I could, and it didn't seem to do much of anything (Trust me, it was justified).

Plus, the vitals in particular are fairly well-protected by muscle, especially on fit people (Or even people well-trained in taking such blows).