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Old 01-05-2012, 06:12 AM   #1
nerdvana
 
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Default Skill Question: Parry Missile Weapons

Looking over this skill I see that you have to wield a weapon (or unarmed) and you use the PMW skill for the roll instead of the weapon skill.

In no way in the RAW does the weapon skill effect this roll. I'm thinking that this roll should be a PMW skill roll at the lower level of the weapon skill or the PMW. Opinions?

Note: I have read the Parry Missile Weapon thread where Kromm said this:

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Originally Posted by Kromm View Post
... In fiction, it's pretty clearly a trick with little connection to the object you happen to be holding.
I'm just not sure how factual that is...
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Old 01-05-2012, 09:04 AM   #2
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Default Re: Skill Question: Parry Missile Weapons

Quote:
Originally Posted by nerdvana View Post
Looking over this skill I see that you have to wield a weapon (or unarmed) and you use the PMW skill for the roll instead of the weapon skill.

In no way in the RAW does the weapon skill effect this roll. I'm thinking that this roll should be a PMW skill roll at the lower level of the weapon skill or the PMW. Opinions?

Note: I have read the Parry Missile Weapon thread where Kromm said this:



I'm just not sure how factual that is...
I would be inclined to think that the parrying skill for parrying a missile weapon would be akin to your parrying skill for knocking aside melee weapons. You're ability to wield that weapon proficiently enough to intercept a missile hurtling at you seem to be directly related. A person well versed in using a club would end up using it like a bat to hit aside an object, whilst someone using a sword might deflect it using the flat of the blade. If those two people switch weapons, should each be as proficient as they were before in avoid said missile?
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Old 01-05-2012, 09:24 AM   #3
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Default Re: Skill Question: Parry Missile Weapons

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Originally Posted by JMD View Post
I would be inclined to think that the parrying skill for parrying a missile weapon would be akin to your parrying skill for knocking aside melee weapons. You're ability to wield that weapon proficiently enough to intercept a missile hurtling at you seem to be directly related. A person well versed in using a club would end up using it like a bat to hit aside an object, whilst someone using a sword might deflect it using the flat of the blade. If those two people switch weapons, should each be as proficient as they were before in avoid said missile?
That almost sounds like you would agree with Crackkerjackk's suggestion from his skills file on his website which is to make PMW a "Hard Technique of any weapon skill, defaults to skill-4."

I'm trying to determine my own house ruling on this and I think that knowing how will help with any weapon but be limited by weapon skill (as I suggested up thread). Does this mesh with your idea though JMD?
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Old 01-05-2012, 09:29 AM   #4
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Default Re: Skill Question: Parry Missile Weapons

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Originally Posted by nerdvana View Post
That almost sounds like you would agree with Crackkerjackk's suggestion from his skills file on his website which is to make PMW a "Hard Technique of any weapon skill, defaults to skill-4."

I'm trying to determine my own house ruling on this and I think that knowing how will help with any weapon but be limited by weapon skill (as I suggested up thread). Does this mesh with your idea though JMD?
I would agree with making it a hard technique based on the weapon skill with default at weapon skill -4. That way people who use multiple weapons would need to buy it for each individual weapon skill, which also seems more fair.
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Old 01-05-2012, 10:08 AM   #5
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Default Re: Skill Question: Parry Missile Weapons

I think I'm going to go with Crackkerjakk's idea with this addition: it requires DX 12 or Combat Reflexes.

Am I right in believing that unless a technique requires the skill as a Prerequisite you can use it defaulted off the default level of the skill? (i.e. if I want PMW to not be usable by someone using Broadsword defaulted from DX or another skill do I have to list the skill as a Prerequisite or is that assumed?)
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Old 01-05-2012, 10:17 AM   #6
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Default Re: Skill Question: Parry Missile Weapons

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Originally Posted by nerdvana View Post
I think I'm going to go with Crackkerjakk's idea with this addition: it requires DX 12 or Combat Reflexes.
I think that the thing you're looking for here, if you believe it's a cinematic ability, is Weapon Master or (more likely) Trained By a Master.

Combat Reflexes gives +1 to Parry; DX 12 vs DX 10 also gives +1 to Parry. The way that GURPS often handles things that are doable but very difficult is to just slap very large penalties on them. That way, you HAVE to have every advantage. Time to Evaluate (a nice use of the Bullet Travel rules if you can make the Per roll to see the missile coming), Combat Reflexes, maxing out the skill/technique, etc.

Halving penalties for funky stuff like this for TBaM is also common. The halving for Rapid Strike is already done, and halving it for PMW wouldn't be out of line.
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Old 01-05-2012, 10:27 AM   #7
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Default Re: Skill Question: Parry Missile Weapons

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I think that the thing you're looking for here...
Actually I'm not. I'm looking for "the average person doesn't have the reflexes to do this but a person with enough Dex (12) or with Combat Reflexes (if DX <12) does".
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Old 01-05-2012, 10:42 AM   #8
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Default Re: Skill Question: Parry Missile Weapons

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Originally Posted by nerdvana View Post
Actually I'm not. I'm looking for "the average person doesn't have the reflexes to do this but a person with enough Dex (12) or with Combat Reflexes (if DX <12) does".
I dislike arbitrary breakpoints in stats (which everyone has) rather than advantages, and even there the advantages usually (not always, true) give a bonus (or reduce a penalty). In Martial Arts, many techniques (such as multiple parries, at -4 per extra parry) or many-move Combinations (at -6 per move) are learnable by regular joes of any DX or skill, but the huge penalties make them self-limiting. I think you will find fewer irritating edge cases with a more flexible approach.

But hey, your game, your rules, I'm done.
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Old 01-05-2012, 10:48 AM   #9
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Default Re: Skill Question: Parry Missile Weapons

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Originally Posted by DouglasCole View Post
I dislike arbitrary breakpoints in stats (which everyone has) rather than advantages, and even there the advantages usually (not always, true) give a bonus (or reduce a penalty). In Martial Arts, many techniques (such as multiple parries, at -4 per extra parry) or many-move Combinations (at -6 per move) are learnable by regular joes of any DX or skill, but the huge penalties make them self-limiting. I think you will find fewer irritating edge cases with a more flexible approach.

But hey, your game, your rules, I'm done.
Oh no, I love your input. Maybe penalty is the way to go like you suggested, I was just explaining what I'd been aiming for in my thought process... since I'm aiming for "the normal person cannot do this" a hefty penalty may be what to do.

When I get to the point of thinking out this technique approach more fully I'll revisit this thread and I'd like to get more input from you Douglas.
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Old 01-05-2012, 10:49 AM   #10
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Default Re: Skill Question: Parry Missile Weapons

Parry Missile Weapons is by definition the skill of deflecting missiles with anything that comes to hand. It's a skill-based alternative to something like Enhanced Dodge, and has nothing to do with being good with weapons. I'd be fine with a technique-based approach to it on a weapon-by-weapon basis, for masters of specific weapons. As for prerequisites, I think that the best choices here would be "Combat Reflexes or Danger Sense."
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