Some thoughts on lulls in combat

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Plane

maybe we could apply social skills contests somehow where they play a bigger role in fights (especially 1 on 1 fights) in building up penalties based on respective confidence?

Lulls are a good time for trash-talking or elaborate gentlemanly courtesies or what not. Use Rapier wit, Savoir-faire, etc.

Goes more if they speak the same language.

There was an unusual incident in the Civil War where some Rebel and Yankee skirmishers were trash talking in between shots, and one on each side got so angry that they called a truce just so that they could have a fist fight.

[Jinumon]

I feel like it would be fair to apply the defensive bonuses from Defensive Attack (Martial Arts, p. 100) to Feint, perhaps at a -2 or -4, although tacking it on at no penalty might be appropriate as no amount of feinting will ever actually deal damage and thus can't completely replace the various Attack options. You can rationalize lulls in fights as a combination of Evaluate maneuvers punctuated by Feints that provide a defensive bonus and are thus safer than your standard attacks. Even if Feints are successful on a basic level, fighters may choose to keep their distance and continue to Feint until they win by an overwhelming margin, effectively ensuring a hit on the following turn. The actual exchange of blows only occurs once someone has won the Quick Contest decisively or someone has exposed themselves accidentally (Critical Failure on an attempted Feint). Just my initial thoughts.

Jinumon