Your Trademark Moves

[Gudiomen]

The perk "Trademark Move" from PU2 is cool, but it only has one example. The example given is quite complicated, and I've recently tried to devise one for a character of mine. The lack of examples makes you wonder how tricky you have to get though.

I thought some of you may already have built a few trademark moves, or might feel up to the challenge to either create one from scratch or try to emulate something from fiction.

I'll start off with mine:

TM: "Serpent's Kiss" (committed Determined Attack, Rapid Attack using FP, two spear thrust Deceptive Attacks with -1 to defense targeting the vitals chinks)
The mechanics: +2 from committed, -3 for rapid attack, -2 for deceptive attack, -10 for vitals chinks hit location. Total: -13 (-8 with TA increasing the odds to hit vitals chinks) +1 for TM (-12/-7).

[ham2anv]

I was working on a character a while back, a dagger fighter, and I built a Combination technique for him that combined a Spinning Elbow Strike to the torso with a Reverse Strike knife thrust to the vitals. Don't think I had Perks yet, but that would work. Actually, anything written up as a Combination should automatically count for Trademark Move.

[PK]

Doesn't have to be a combo, though. Here's one for a realistic Savate fighter:

DX 13 [60]
Karate-15 [12]
Kicking (Karate)-15 [3]
Lethal Kick (Karate)-13 [0]

Trademark Move (Lethal Kick to Vitals, as a Deceptive Attack -1; skill 12 including +1 bonus) [1]

[Kromm]

The only real requirement is "annoyingly complex enough that the GM and other players won't want to wait around while you look up all the rules and total all the modifiers." The object is to reward knowing your PC's combat options with the ability to buy a unique perk that affects a combat situation. Balance-wise, it's fair enough . . . it's no different than spending a point to get +1 with a technique. The issue is more about what's dramatic -- and spending 10 minutes working out your odds isn't dramatic.

[Bruno]

Mrugnak, my minotaur, has a Flail skill of 22 (with his signature magical large morningstar Huvuded-krossat-i) and an axe/mace skill of 18 (with his signature magical large Axe-with-a-backspike Trovaardig yxa).
He uses them two-weapon style, with Trovaardig yxa in his left hand (Offhand Weapon Training perk) and Huvuded-krossat-i in his right hand.

I haven't picked any trademark moves yet, I'm letting the first adventure "shake down" any patterns of behavior, but here's one that I'm contemplating after the adventure ends and I buy up my Dual Weapon Attack for Flail and Axe/Mace:

Dual Weapon Attack; Flail swing to the face with Huvuded-krossat-i in his right hand, with Deceptive Attack -2/-1, Pick-spike swing with Trovaardig yxa in his left hand, to the vitals of the same target.

Total to-hit roll for Huvuded-krossat-i: 22 -5 (face) -2 (deceptive attack) -0 (DWA bought up) = 15 Attacks that miss by 1 hit the torso instead.
vs a defense penalty of: -1 (DA) -1 (DWA vs one target) -0/2/4 (flail) = -2 vs Dodge, -4 vs Blocks, -6 vs Parry. Parries by fencing weapons are impossible; 3lb or less weapons may break, p376.
Final damage of 4d+3 (2) crushing. No wounding modifier. Knockdown rolls are at -5 due to hit location. Knockback is 1 yard/(ST-2) for crushing damage.

Total to-hit roll for Trovaardig yxa: 18 -3 (vitals) -0 (DWA bought up) = 15 Attacks that miss by 1 hit the torso instead.
vs a defense penalty of: -1 (DWA vs one target) = -1. 2.25 lbs or less weapons may break, p376.
Final damage of 4d+2 impaling, all wounding is tripled due to vitals. No knockback.

[MrKay]

Originally Posted by Bruno

Mrugnak, my minotaur, has a Flail skill of 22 (with his signature magical large morningstar Huvuded-krossat-i) and an axe/mace skill of 18 (with his signature magical large Axe-with-a-backspike Trovaardig yxa).
He uses them two-weapon style, with Trovaardig yxa in his left hand (Offhand Weapon Training perk) and Huvuded-krossat-i in his right hand.

I haven't picked any trademark moves yet, I'm letting the first adventure "shake down" any patterns of behavior, but here's one that I'm contemplating after the adventure ends and I buy up my Dual Weapon Attack for Flail and Axe/Mace:

Dual Weapon Attack; Flail swing to the face with Huvuded-krossat-i in his right hand, with Deceptive Attack -2/-1, Pick-spike swing with Trovaardig yxa in his left hand, to the vitals of the same target.

Total to-hit roll for Huvuded-krossat-i: 22 -5 (face) -2 (deceptive attack) -0 (DWA bought up) = 15 Attacks that miss by 1 hit the torso instead.
vs a defense penalty of: -1 (DA) -1 (DWA vs one target) -0/2/4 (flail) = -2 vs Dodge, -4 vs Blocks, -6 vs Parry.
Final damage of 4d+3 (2) crushing. No wounding modifier. Knockdown rolls are at -5 due to hit location. Knockback is 1 yard/(ST-2) for crushing damage.

Total to-hit roll for Trovaardig yxa: 18 -3 (vitals) -0 (DWA bought up) = 15 Attacks that miss by 1 hit the torso instead.
vs a defense penalty of: -1 (DWA vs one target) = -1
Final damage of 4d+2 impaling, all wounding is tripled due to vitals. No knockback.

Certainly, a large, magical axe with backspike would be a very believable axe, but for that extra Swedish twang, you could go for an a with an umlaut (also known as ä) instead of the double a - Trovärdig Yxa.

As for the flail, I am assuming you're going for the sentence 'Head Crushed In', which would be 'Huvudet Inkrossad' or something to that effect. Alternately, 'Huvudet Krossad' could be used, meaning roughly '[The] Head [is] Crushed'.

In advance, I apologize if your Swedish skills far exceed mine (as a Norwegian, mind) and I am just being out of line with my nitpickiness. :P

[Bruno]

Another, for use against irritatingly mobile/dodgy foes:

"Leg-docker"[1]
Mrugnak starts by bringing Huvuded-krossat-i around to smash his opponent in the face, but by sheer brute force redirects it at the last second into an unexpected descending smash into the leg.

All-Out-Attack: Feint-and-attack: No defenses are possible after attempting a "Leg-docker". Mrugnak may move up to 4 yards straight forward in combination with this attack. This attack may be made while Berserk.

Basic Feint vs Flail skill of 22
Flail swing with Huvuded-krossat-i to the leg, Deceptive Attack -6/-3.

Total tohit: 22 -2 (leg) -6 (DA) = 14.
vs a defense penalty of: -3 -0/2/4 (Flail) -(margin of success in Feint) = -3 Vs Dodge, -5 vs Block, -7 vs Parry (-Feint). Parries by fencing weapons are impossible; 3lb or less weapons may break, p376.
Final damage of 4d+3 (2) crushing. No wounding modifier. Knockback is 1 yard/(ST-2) for crushing damage. Any major wound cripples the leg.


[1] To (probably mis-)quote Footrot Flats: "Some bloody bastard has gone and docked your legs!" -- The Dog, talking to Prince Charles the Corgi

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by MrKay

Certainly, a large, magical axe with backspike would be a very believable axe, but for that extra Swedish twang, you could go for an a with an umlaut (also known as ä) instead of the double a - Trovärdig Yxa.

Google Translate thinks it means "Trusty axe" as in, an axe he relies on a lot. Can you suggest another name that matches that meaning closer?

Originally Posted by MrKay

As for the flail, I am assuming you're going for the sentence 'Head Crushed In', which would be 'Huvudet Inkrossad' or something to that effect. Alternately, 'Huvudet Krossad' could be used, meaning roughly '[The] Head [is] Crushed'.

The original idea I wanted was "Head-Smashed-In", a reference to the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump in Alberta, Canada. That, and the fact that Mrugnak thinks that smashing goblin heads makes "dis rilly funny noiz." [1]

"Huvudet-Inkrossad" would work (I'm afraid I'm attached to my hyphens :D)

Originally Posted by MrKay

In advance, I apologize if your Swedish skills far exceed mine (as a Norwegian, mind) and I am just being out of line with my nitpickiness. :P

I'm relying entirely on Google Translate, so if it had told me the correct translation was "Bork bork bork" I wouldn't know any better.

[1] Which is not my attempt at a sweedish accent, for reference. Mrugnak's accent may or may not be a heavy parody of the Ottawa Valley regional accent with a small amount of Tank Girl mixed in for colour.

[MrKay]

Originally Posted by Bruno

Google Translate thinks it means "Trusty axe" as in, an axe he relies on a lot. Can you suggest another name that matches that meaning closer?



The original idea I wanted was "Head-Smashed-In", a reference to the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump in Alberta, Canada. That, and the fact that Mrugnak thinks that smashing goblin heads makes "dis rilly funny noiz." [1]

"Huvudet-Inkrossad" would work (I'm afraid I'm attached to my hyphens :D)



I'm relying entirely on Google Translate, so if it had told me the correct translation was "Bork bork bork" I wouldn't know any better.

[1] Which is not my attempt at a sweedish accent, for reference. Mrugnak's accent may or may not be a heavy parody of the Ottawa Valley regional accent with a small amount of Tank Girl mixed in for colour.

Ah, I figured that was the idea you were getting at, although 'Believable Axe' does strike me as something a very literal barbarian would name his weapon of choice.

I am wracking my brain here but I can't come up with a translation for 'trusty' in either Swedish or Norwegian that means, well, trusty. I suppose you'd have to substitute 'trofast', meaning 'faithful, dependable' or 'pålitlig' (the 'å' here commonly rendered as 'aa' internationally - lucky us for having a 29-character alphabet), again meaning 'dependable' but in this case in a more 'not likely to malfunction and/or break' sort of context.

The two mentioned above are in themselves eminent names to give one's favourite weapon even without additions, but if you want the context 'The Trusty Axe', one way to go would be 'Trofasta/Pålitliga Yxan'.

And if you want to incorporate a bit more of the ol' Swedish into your character, bear in mind that the sound 'w' as spoken in English is almost nonexistant in Swedish (or Norwegian) and that the 'e' is pronounced like in the word 'pet' - which is why many Scandinavians pronounce 'Swedish' more like 'Sveedish' when speaking English.

Again, my own command of the Swedish language isn't perfect, as in I don't know every strange word and expression they use, but the similarities to Norwegian are so many that I know I'm not altogether barking up the wrong tree here :P

Edit: Note that this is one of the ways where Norwegian and Swedish differ. Whereas 'Pålitliga yxan' would be a perfectly valid thing to say in Swedish, in Norwegian ('Pålitelige øksa') it sounds like something you might say TO the axe, in appreciation of its reliability. And talking to your axe, well... That's just creepy, no matter where you are! :P

[Xplo]

Think "familiar axe" might work too, treating the axe like an old companion; here, the trustiness is implied, in that user has presumably used it in battle enough to prove both its utility and its reliability. Particularly appropriate since it's Signature Gear.

You'll have to consult someone else for the Swedish translation, of course...