Combat Momentum [Martial Arts]

[AlexanderHowl]

In my opinion, there is nothing within GURPS that terribly works for representing combat momentum, so I offer the following two cinematic advantages. They each have a prerequisite of Gunslinger, Heroic Archer, Trained By A Master, or Weapon Master, and characters may purchase both of the following cinematic advantages if they wish.

Combat Momentum (Defense) [30]

You have been trained to use defensive combat momentum. Whenever you successfully defend against an attack by an opponent (or your opponent misses you with an attack when you are aware of their attacks), you gain one level of defensive combat momentum against that opponent. When you have defensive combat momentum against an opponent, they receive a -2 penalty to hit you for every level of defensive combat momentum that you have against them. Your defensive combat momentum decreases by one level per turn that you are not defending against that opponent in combat.

Combat Momentum (Offensive) [30]

You have been trained to use offensive combat momentum. Whenever an opponent is unsuccessful in defending against one of your successful attacks (or is unable to defend against one of your successful attacks), you receive one level of offensive combat momentum against that opponent. When you have offensive combat momentum against an opponent, you receive a +2 bonus to hit that opponent for every level of offensive combat momentum that you have against them. Your offensive combat momentum decreases by one level per turn that you are not attacking that opponent in combat.

What do you think? Do you think that the cost is too low? Too high? Would you allow it in your cinematic games?

[coronatiger]

+/-2 seems too powerful to me. I would set it at +/-1, set a max limit for the bonus/penalty, perhaps 3, and reset it (or at least reduce it) if an attack roll succeeds/fails, not only if there is no attack for a round. I might consider a lower cost for the advantages, though. Maybe [20], but that's just a hunch; I'd want to analyze it more thoroughly before finalizing the cost.

[Varyon]

The defensive version should probably be a +1 to your defenses - it doesn't make sense for it to continue penalizing an attacker if you use All Out Defense, turn your back on them, or something else happens that would negate your ability to defend. During the "half effect" round, this is still +1 to defense, but the foe can negate that by taking a -1 to their attack. Alternatively, leave things as-is (that is, -2 to foe's attacks), but give the foe the option to negate the penalty by giving you an appropriate bonus to defend (+1 to defense, round up, per +2 to attack). This would stack with Telegraphic Attack. That puts its base cost at around [30], the fact it doesn't work against the first attack of each foe, and the fact it fades fairly quickly if the foe doesn't constantly attack, should markedly reduce that. I could see a fair cost between [10] and [20].

The offensive version is basically the +1 to defense of the above, reversed into an attack bonus of +2. That seems perfectly fair to me, but note you don't need Enhanced Dodge in the mix, cutting the base cost in half to [15]. As above, I could see a fair cost between [5] and [10].

Considering the defensive version is reliant on enemy action, while the offensive version is reliant on your own, it seems appropriate to give the defensive version more of a discount. For symmetry, I could get behind pricing them at [10] each.

[Donny Brook]

What is 'combat momentum'?

[AlexanderHowl]

It is something found in fighting video games and some martial arts oriented RPGs (as well as martial arts oriented anime), where successful attacks/defenses increase the effectiveness of future attacks/defenses. An equally valid interpretation would instead increase/decrease damage by +1/-1 per successful attack/defense.

[Eukie]

I suspect GURPS already sort of models this with Shock, Beats and the various after-a-successful-parry effects. If you successfully parry or attack you can set up a Beat that'll increase the chances of your own attack going through, which may force your target on the defensive. If you successfully land an attack, Shock penalties will make your target's attacks weaker, which can free you up for Evaluate, All-Out, or Determined attacks that'll allow you to hit harder or more often.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

Combat Momentum (Defense) [30]

You have been trained to use defensive combat momentum. Whenever you successfully defend against an attack by an opponent (or your opponent misses you with an attack when you are aware of their attacks), you gain one level of defensive combat momentum against that opponent. When you have defensive combat momentum against an opponent, they receive a -2 penalty to hit you for every level of defensive combat momentum that you have against them. Your defensive combat momentum decreases by one level per turn that you are not defending against that opponent in combat.

What do you think? Do you think that the cost is too low? Too high? Would you allow it in your cinematic games?

I don't have a good instinct so I'm going to see how close I can get using MA's technique design rules.

MA90-91 offensive techniques, you get +1 for the Special Drawback of "Having to parry an attack by the future target" and it costs -2 for "+1 to any one active defense", but I think that +1 just lasts during the turn you attacked on. Might be useful if you used that attack to make a defensive feint.

MA91-92's Defensive Techniques rules doesn't list "having to parry" under drawbacks which is why I wasn't using it. It's -1 to an active defense to get +1 to "one other active defence after".

"After" MIGHT be intended to mean during that turn or the next turn, but it doesn't actually SAY that... There is a conspicuous absent of the 2 restrictions listed prior to this under "Own Attack Roll" after all:

on the next turn only,
against the attacker he warded off using this technique

Since "Own Defenses" on MA92 specifies neither of this, they might not be limited to just the next turn, or limited to defending against the same attacker. Perhaps they apply to more than one turn, and any attacker?

You'd think there's be some expiration date though... where defending this way one day doesn't help you if your next defence happens a couple weeks later.

Maybe instead of assuming 1 turns, B101's "Duration is 10 seconds" default might work? That could let you build up some defensive bonuses by using special techniques over 10 seconds, but they'll begin to fade if unused?

Of course "one other active defence" would mean that once you use the stored bonus, it's gone and you'd need to replenish it by using a bonus-building defensive technique again.

When I look at it... buying off this penalty as a technique actually seems cheaper than buying Enhanced Parry (Unarmed) at 5/level, since you're basically getting a +1 for each point in the technique. It would be an even better deal for dodges.

Hm... here's one possible way to look at this. The technique basically gives you "one use" Enhanced Defense... so what if similar to "Modifying ST-Based Damage" we do something similar to buying "Persistent" on an Innate Attack where instead of lasting 1 defense, it lasts for 10 seconds worth of defence?

I think I lost track of what you want though, which is a penalty to hit you (those darn undefendible crits) which is probably more like Obscure than Enhanced Defence.

What if there was some way to get DR with Absorption that is used to buy Obscure? Except somehow we'd need the DR to absorb hits when you defend and don't get hit, rather than when you don't defend and do get hit... I'm stuck there.

Originally Posted by Eukie

I suspect GURPS already sort of models this with Shock, Beats and the various after-a-successful-parry effects. If you successfully parry or attack you can set up a Beat that'll increase the chances of your own attack going through, which may force your target on the defensive.

Not too good if your opponent is well armored and unafraid of your attacks. Defensive Feints are the more direct way to do it.

Extra Attack (combat skill only -%) could be used to Feint using Martial Arts, I would assume. If you could ONLY feint (and not punch/kick/stab/etc) then maybe a steeper discount.

If the extra attack could ONLY be used against someone who just attacked you, and ONLY if you successfully defended against them, maybe that's even more limitation discounts?

The main problem with feint approaches though is it doesn't fulfill AH's desire to have progressively better defences the more times you defended, instead you'd just get the same possible chance at penalties that Feint gets each turn.

[Black Leviathan]

Yeah, rather than creating a new ability I'd emphasize MA techniques that already build on successful attacks and defenses.

[AlexanderHowl]

The effects of combat momentum builds on itself though. Since the effects only fade during the turns when you do not attack/defend against the same opponent (successful or not), you could potentially build up a +10/-10 bonus/penalty against the same opponent over the course of around 10+ combat turns (assuming an opponent of equal capabilities). Of course, an opponent with the same advantages can do the same, so it would balance out between two equal opponents.

[Varyon]

I missed the fact it's open-ended. GURPS doesn't deal well with effects like that, but if we restrict it to +10 (5 levels) and assume the various difficulties in using it work out to an average of a -80% Limitation on each level (which is probably more of a discount than it deserves), [30] each may be fair. I'd say the trait is much more appropriate as a setting switch than as an actual Advantage, however.