Shortsword to Smallsword Weapon Adaptation Perk & Parry

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An NPC has the “Shortsword to Smallsword” weapon adaptation perk, it means they can employ a shortsword with the smallsword skill.

We were playing yesterday night (I am the GM), and at some point, a friend insisted that it’s impossible to parry a flail with a shortsword under the weapon adaptation perk “shortsword to smallsword”.

I told him fencing weapons cannot parry flails, but that a shortsword certainly could.

The weapon adaptation perk transposes a skill to another weapon, it has nothing with its physical limitations. So, by the book, a fencing weapon cannot parry a flail because of its physical limitations (B405), but a shortsword could do the job (with the normal -4), right? On the other hand, the perk would grant skill related penalties, such as the encumbrance penalities.

I also told him that a fencing weapon would be useless against a flail if for some reason he decided to use “Smallsword to Shortsword”.

[khorboth]

While I do see the section mentioned, I disagree with the analysis there. If it were a matter of blade heft, then knives would be unable to parry flails too. I think it's more the manner of parry that fencing skills use. When fencing, one uses a combination of minimalist blade movement and leaning to parry. This gives the bonus to additional parries as the blade is not brought far out of line. This technique, however, is totally ineffective against a flail. Hence, the rule.

I think that if one is using the shortsword skill, one can parry. If they're using a fencing skill, they can't. Yes, the section references blade weight, but... I think it's wrong to do so.

[Anders]

I think it's canon that if a weapon can be used with an F skill and a non-F skill, it can parry flails. So the shortsword would be able to parry flails.

I wish I could have a quote to back this up, but... I think it's in Martial Arts if that helps.

[Celjabba]

Originally Posted by Anders

I think it's canon that if a weapon can be used with an F skill and a non-F skill, it can parry flails. So the shortsword would be able to parry flails.

I wish I could have a quote to back this up, but... I think it's in Martial Arts if that helps.

Yes, in MA p 122 :

Fencing weapons’ inability to parry flails isn’t a weakness of the fighting stances used but a peculiarity of specific weapons.
...
Any weapon that also works with a non-fencing skill – meaning any skill other than Main-Gauche, Rapier, Saber, or Smallsword – has a mass distribution that lets it parry flails at the standard -4. Examples include the short staff, which can use the Smallsword skill or the Shortsword skill (treat it as a baton), and any rapier heavy enough to use with the Broadsword skill.

You can also use Cross Parry or a Defensive Grip to parry a flail with Fencing Weapons.

The optionnal Box "A matter of Inches" replace the "no fencing weapon" rules with a penalty to parry flail based on absolute weapon weight.

[khorboth]

Originally Posted by Celjabba

Yes, in MA p 122:

...

Thanks. That's much better than my supposition.

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Originally Posted by Celjabba

Yes, in MA p 122

Thank you!