The guide to throat slitting (or sentry removal, for the gentlemen)

[Set]

Coming soon: how to sneak on people.

My greetings to the forums (skip if you don't care about me :( ) and the context

Wassup, everyone.

I'm completely new to the forums, but I've been lurking around unseen for quite some time. Fnord.

I like long walks on the beach, (though I live around 1000km from any ocean), dogs and cats, but mostly dogs, music (even though I suck at all attempts to produce them, I keep trying), and barbecue.

I've never really played a GURPS game due to the lack of either players or GMs willing to tackle the sheer amount of rules that are presented. Oh, well.

Currently, I'm trying to put together rules and stuff to GM a Dungeon Fantasy adventure. Because the only thing that is better than a sword, is a glowing sword.

The combination below is the product of the last few hours scrapping my head, bashing it against the wall and crying, during which I've read books and this thread (http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=81339).

Anyways, onwards to the glorious world of slit throats and guggling guards...


THE SHORT VERSION

What are you doing?
Slitting a throat.
First, you need to be behind your target, at a distance of no more than half your move, before closing in for the kill.
Then, you start your turn using an All-Out Attack doing the following:

You choke the victim to silence him with a +3 to hit, based on your grappling skill.
You stab him in the neck with a knife. +3 hit. This does a damage of (thrust dmg of weapon)+5 impaling. Injury is x2.
Then you drag your knife across his neck. +3 hit. Dmg: (thrust dmg of weapon)+3 cutting. Injury is x2.5
You end your turn with the fellow grappled by the neck with one hand.
If you don't hit the choke, you get -1 to dagger attacks, and he isn't silenced.
If your target has neck DR, subtract it from the base damage.


What do you need?

A very fine (+2 dmg), balanced (+1 skill) knife. This is x24 normal cost.
Which means $480 for a dagger, or $960 for a large knife. (Add +1 base dmg if using large knife)

24 character points. 2 combat perks to spare. If:
You're grappling with Judo.
You have Ambidexterity.

Add:
+1 if you're grappling with Wrestling.
+5 if you need Ambidexterity.
or
+1 to get a combat perk for offhand unarmed attacks only.
-5 if you want to stab twice instead of slicing. Change the damage of the second hit to the first. You will be less stylish.
-1 if you have only one combat perk to spare. -1 to hit with dagger.
or
-2 if you have none. -1 to hit with grapple. -2 to hit with dagger.


Read on if you want to understand where this came from.



THE COMBINATION

As far as I know, this is a realistic move (not using any cinematic rules) and looks damn cool.

This is both a Trademark Move (PU2: Perks, p.8) and a Combination (Martial Arts, p.80). (I'll list all the references at the end of the post)

Trademark Move: All-Out Grapple and Strike: Telegraphic Attack Choke Hold followed by Telegraphic Attack Combination (Knife Thrust/Neck Artery + Knife Tip Slash/Neck Artery)
Hit Modifiers: +3 to Choke Hold/ +3 to knife strikes
Damage: Thrust: weapon thrust + 5 (Injury = x2)
Tip Slash: weapon thrust + 3 (Injury = x2.5)

If you have ST 11 and are slitting an unprotected throat with a Dagger (because I think it's cooler than a large knife, but feel free to use that), this would give you a damage of (brackets are: (Minimum Damage/Average Damage/ Maximum Damage):
(1d+3)x2 (8/11/18) on the first hit
(1d+1)x2.5 (5/11.25/15) on the second hit

If you end with an effective skill of 15 or more (before telegraphic Attack), you have 4.63% chance to land a critical on each hit, and a chance of 9,04% of at least one. As a side benefit, it reduces the chance of a critical miss from 1,85% to 0,46% on each hit.
For 16 that's 9,26% each hit, and 17,66% for at least one.
You could change the combination to be without Telegraphic Attack and instead take turns to Evaluate your target. You'd have -1 to Hit and take 3 more turns of preparation compared to Telegraphic, but Evaluate factors in critical chance.

Wait, Set, where are all those bonuses coming from?
I'll explain, dear apprentice throat-slitter. Just don't use this on me.

For the Choke Hold to hit, you get:
-2 or -3 Defaulting from Judo or Wrestling, but you can buy all this off. (Costs 3 or 4 points, respectively)
-4 for using the off-hand, you can buy this off with Ambidexterity or Offhand Weapon Training perk or technique (Ambidexterity costs 5 points, the Technique would also cost 5 why would you buy that?, the perk costs 1 point only, but you'd need +20 points in Combat Skills.)
-2 for using one hand only, you cannot buy this off.
+4 for Telegraphic Attack (your target would get +2 to Defend, but you're clearly behind him. If not, go back to your Stealth classes and then come back)
+1 for Trademark Move. (Costs 1 point, you'll need +20 points in Combat Skills)

So you end up with +3 for the Choke Hold to hit.


For the knife strikes, you get the following hit modifiers:
-6 for Rapid Strike. You buy this off with Combination.
-8 for targeting the Neck Artery. You can buy this to -4 with Targeted Attack.
+4 for Telegraphic Attack.
+1 for Trademark Move. (You'll use the same 1 point from Choke Hold)
+1 for Neck Control. (1 Point and +20 points in Combat Skills)
+1 for a Balanced Knife (+4 CF (Cost Factor) to the weapon cost)

So you end up with +3 for both knife hits.


For the damage, you get:
+1 for a Reversed Grip.
+2 for a Strong Attack (thanks to All-Out Grapple and Strike)
+2 for a Very Fine knife. (adds +19 CF)
-2 for the Tip Slash.

So, you end with +5 to shove the knife deep in your friend's throat, and +3 to slit it open.


THE RESULTS

Well, assuming you land both hits (you have 98,15% chance to land each strike if you have 13 in both skills (which the scale sets as "ordinary people's skills they use for a living.") Why aren't you slitting throats for a living?), you'll deal at least 13 points of damage, an average of 22.5 points of damage, or up to 33 points of damage!. This with a ST score of 11, which is just a little above average. Why are you sentry-removing if you don't even lift, bro?

That means that an Average person of up to 11 ST will be instantly at 0 HP at worst, at -1xHP at average, and -2xHP if you're really lucky. He'll probably have to make one immediate HT roll, maybe a second at -1. He will have to make a HT roll on his turn, possibly at -1. He'll also be grappled by the head, guggling while you hold his mouth and probably pretty shocked and stunned. If he isn't stunned, it's time to put your Running and Climbing skills to practice.

You could stab him a few times in the kidneys, but it is way more stylish to just hold his head/mouth while waiting for him to bleed to unconsciousness. Possibly holding him against the wall, looking into his eyes and smiling like the murderous maniac you are.



WHAT DO YOU NEED? (because I like to put things out of order. Do, or do not.)

Read short version.


CONCLUSION

With a little (actually, quite some) training and an expensive knife, your characters can get pretty damn good at disposing of unwanted observing third parties who happen to be at the wrong place, at the wrong time.

I've spent way more time at this than I should. It's like 6 am and I've got to work this afternoon. I hate you, Kromm, in a good way.

Cheers everyone.


REFERENCES

Sites:
AnyDice. http://anydice.com/program/1
Wolfram|Alpha. https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?...4.63%25+chance, https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?...9.26%25+chance

Books:
Basic Set. Damage Table, p.16. Technique Cost Table, p.230. Off-Hand Weapon Training, p. 232. Melee Weapon Table, p. 272. Evaluate, p.364.
Low-Tech. Weapons of Quality, p.59.
Martial Arts. Neck Control, Off-hand Weapon Training, p.50. Choke Hold, p.69. Combinations, p.80. Reversed Grip, p.111. Telegraphic Attack, Tip Slash, p. 113. Grab and Smash!, p.118. New Hit Locations, p. 137.
Power-Ups 2 - Perks. Trademark Move, p. 8.