New Combination: Assassin's Backstab

[vierasmarius]

Originally Posted by B9anders

The reasons to pair it with the grapple have already been outlined. It's free and it leaves you in a much more advantageous position after the backstab.

Damage bonuses apply to all rapid strikes. I forget where this is clarified, but I am quite sure it has been.

I think he's saying that on subsequent turns you don't get the benefit of Grab-n-Stab, though you can still AOA (Strong) as normal. I'll second his suggestion of splitting off the Grapple component, and just have it be an All-Out Rapid Strike that can only be performed from a grapple from behind. How you initiate the grab is immaterial - it could be a swift AOA (Double), or a leaping tackle that pins the target to the ground before finishing him off.

[B9anders]

Originally Posted by vierasmarius

I think he's saying that on subsequent turns you don't get the benefit of Grab-n-Stab, though you can still AOA (Strong) as normal. I'll second his suggestion of splitting off the Grapple component, and just have it be an All-Out Rapid Strike that can only be performed from a grapple from behind. How you initiate the grab is immaterial - it could be a swift AOA (Double), or a leaping tackle that pins the target to the ground before finishing him off.

I think this is already described in the technique. If you conceptualise the technique as being founded on All-Out-Attack (Strong) this should be clear. The opening sequence simply gives you a free grapple at +4, thanks to the grab'n'smash rules.

If the opponent is already grappled from behind, you don't need your free grapple anyway, and attack as per described.

The only thing it doesn't state clearly is that you can use the stabbing part as part of a different grapple as well. But I think it should be implicit from the description of follow-up backstabs in subsequent rounds after a grapple.

Edit: There are reasons to include the grapple in the technique though. Firstly, because you'll want to do this anyway. Secondly, because being part of the technique means you can make it deceptive and it also qualifies as a dirty trick (and signature move, if you take that perk). The whole point of combinations is to take longwinded rules for a complex manoeuvre and boil it down to something more simple. That's what I've done here.

It does mean you can't do any of this if you haven't grappled first. That's intentional and another part of the gimp to handwave that we are using telegraphic attacks for a stealthy and precise manoeuvre that we want to allow deceptive attack for.

Edit: This doesn't apply to the silent backstab though which does not utilise AoA (strong) in anyway, due to having to grapple a different body part. That one might need revision.

[B9anders]

Re the Silent version: Thinking on it, and how techniques generally interact with different choice of combat manoeuvres (ususally very freely):

Given that it is already a more demanding technique than the lethal one, I don't think it's unbalanced to add the following to it:

If the victim does not escape your grapple, you can follow up with additional Backstabs on subsequent turns for as long as the victim remains grappled. Attacks on these subsequent enjoy the same +4 damage bonus (or +2/die, if better) as the Lethal Assassin's Backstab!

If it feels unbalanced, remove the bonus to hit from Judo altogether and disallow the skill to give a bonus to Judo when bought up. I wouldn't at first glance though.

[B9anders]

I completely forgot: If you're a weapon master or trained by a master, you can of course wipe off -3 of the skill penalties to the actual stabbing. Or perhaps better yet: Make a third stab!