[Last Gasp] Does All-Out Defense recover AP?

[Captain Joy]

Originally Posted by Pyramid #3/44 Alternate GURPS II, p. 10.

All-Out Defense

p. B366

You gain 2 AP that can only be spent on defensive actions. Parries, blocks, dodges, and retreats (including slips and sideslips) all count, as would resisting Quick Contests in grappling. Nothing that counts as an attack may utilize these extra points – Aggressive Parry is forbidden, for example. If unused, these AP disappear at the start of your next turn.

Originally Posted by Pyramid #3/44 Alternate GURPS II, p. 13.

…it should be quite possible to drive an opponent so hard he is forced to All-Out Defend just to recover enough AP to flee!

This confuses me. How would taking All-Out Defenses ever allow you to "recover" AP? You temporarily gain 2 AP, which you lose if not spent on defensive actions. Is that the "recovery" being referred to?

The only thing I can think of is a case where someone doesn't have the AP for a Move maneuver, so they take All-Out Defense: Increased Dodge which allows you to move up to half your Move. Is that what is being referred to in the 2nd quote above? Or are there other things I am missing?

[DouglasCole]

Originally Posted by Captain Joy

This confuses me. How would taking All-Out Defenses every allow you to "recover" AP? You temporarily gain 2 AP, which you lose if not spent on defensive actions. I that the "recovery" being referred to?

The only thing I can think of is a case where someone doesn't have the AP for a Move maneuver, so they take All-Out Defense: Increased Dodge which allows you to move up to half your Move. Is that what is being referred to in the 2nd quote above? Or are there other things I am missing?

Let me check; that might be a simple inconsistency . . . yep. That's errata in phrasing.

AoD is a Zero-Cost event, but doesn't recover AP as written.

I'd treat AoD that doesn't spend any AP on defenses as a Wait - make a HT roll with no bonus to recover AP. Basically, any time you "accidentally" do nothing without actually Doing Nothing, it would be fair to treat this as a flat HT roll to recover AP.

Good catch.