Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 11-13-2009, 04:44 AM   #1
johoohno
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Default [Fantasy] Assassin Backstab?!

If I were to create something advantageous for assassins when backstabbing someone, what would it look like, should I use skills or advantages? What I'm looking for is something that gives extra damage (and/or extra skill) when sneaking up from behind on people and attacking them.
johoohno is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-13-2009, 04:48 AM   #2
blacksmith
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Default Re: [Fantasy] Assassin Backstab?!

Quote:
Originally Posted by johoohno View Post
If I were to create something advantageous for assassins when backstabbing someone, what would it look like, should I use skills or advantages? What I'm looking for is something that gives extra damage (and/or extra skill) when sneaking up from behind on people and attacking them.
Well in that situation you can go with a telegraphed attack as they can not defend themselves.
blacksmith is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-13-2009, 04:50 AM   #3
Mailanka
 
Mailanka's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Eindhoven, the Netherlands
Default Re: [Fantasy] Assassin Backstab?!

GURPS has no real need for an obvious "backstab" advantage. When attacking from stealth, your opponent does not get a defense, so you have all the time in the world for an Evaluate, an All-Out Attack and/or a Telegraphic Attack (GURPS Martial Arts), which will help overcome the penalties for a knife-stab to the vitals, which is what a D&D-style "Backstab" really represents: A knife to the kidneys or lungs, rather than a random slash at the shoulder, chest or ribcage.

Even so, Dungeon Fantasy uses "Striking Strength (Only when making surprise attacks -60%)," and I imagine you could use a similar variation on some Innate Attacks (with or without the muscle-powered enhancement)
__________________
My Blog: Mailanka's Musing. Currently Playing: Psi-Wars, a step-by-step exploration of building your own Space Opera setting, inspired by Star Wars.
Mailanka is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-13-2009, 04:51 AM   #4
vicky_molokh
GURPS FAQ Keeper
 
vicky_molokh's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kyïv, Ukraine
Default Re: [Fantasy] Assassin Backstab?!

Use Telegraphic Attack. Use perks like Long-Distance Telegram, Rolling Stone, Master's Watchful Eye etc. to improve your Evaluates and TAs. Definitely take Targeted Attack: Vitals or somesuch.

Maybe also take Focused Fury (if you want to spend FP on damage) and/or Rules Exemption to allow TAs to benefit from wider criticals.
__________________
Vicky 'Molokh', GURPS FAQ and uFAQ Keeper
vicky_molokh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-13-2009, 04:58 AM   #5
johoohno
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Default Re: [Fantasy] Assassin Backstab?!

You guys are awesome, I don't even get the chance to finish another post before I find a lot of answers. I'll flip through my MA then (the only book I haven't looked through yet) and take a look at telegraphic attack. Though I feel Mailanka's idea useful too, then I won't need a specific skill for the attack, only good skill in stealth.
johoohno is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-13-2009, 05:54 AM   #6
thulben
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: SF Bay Area, CA
Default Re: [Fantasy] Assassin Backstab?!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Molokh View Post
Use perks like Long-Distance Telegram, Rolling Stone, Master's Watchful Eye etc. to improve your Evaluates and TAs.
Perhaps I'm being dense, but where do those perks exist? I looked in both MA and PU2 and didn't see any reference...
thulben is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-13-2009, 06:01 AM   #7
Dinadon
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Default Re: [Fantasy] Assassin Backstab?!

Quote:
Originally Posted by thulben View Post
Perhaps I'm being dense, but where do those perks exist? I looked in both MA and PU2 and didn't see any reference...
Mostly on the forums somewhere. I think one of them was in a pyramid article recently, the one with battlesuit fighting styles.
Dinadon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-13-2009, 06:02 AM   #8
vicky_molokh
GURPS FAQ Keeper
 
vicky_molokh's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kyïv, Ukraine
Default Re: [Fantasy] Assassin Backstab?!

Quote:
Originally Posted by thulben View Post
Perhaps I'm being dense, but where do those perks exist? I looked in both MA and PU2 and didn't see any reference...
Here.
__________________
Vicky 'Molokh', GURPS FAQ and uFAQ Keeper
vicky_molokh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-13-2009, 06:09 AM   #9
Kuroshima
MIB
Pyramid Contributor
Mad Spaniard Rules Lawyer
 
Kuroshima's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: The ASS of the world, mainly Valencia, Spain (Europe)
Default Re: [Fantasy] Assassin Backstab?!

Another gem for this, is the Dirty Fighting perk from Action 3, that gives +1 to any feint or attack delivered as a "sucker punch" before combat begins. While it's intended to model action movie surprise punches, I think that it woul fit fantasy assassins perfectly.
__________________
Antoni Ten
MIB3119
My GURPs character sheet
My stuff on e23
Kuroshima is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-13-2009, 07:55 AM   #10
mlangsdorf
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Austin, TX
Default Re: [Fantasy] Assassin Backstab?!

Dungeon Fantasy also offers an -80% modifier to Striking Strength for "surprise attacks from behind when the target doesn't even know you're there." A couple of levels of that, a few points in the Targeted Attack (Swing/Neck), and a Telegraphed Attack from behind and you'll be backstabbing your foes into decapitation.
mlangsdorf is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
combat rules, martial arts, sentry removal

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:02 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.