Critique/Help with my char

[aesir23]

One last suggestion:

Consider using just 1 Katana.

Instead of

Broadsword 16 [12]

Off-Handed Weapon Training (or Ambidexterity) [5]
Dual Weapon Attack [5]

You can have:

Two-Handed Sword 16 [12]
Broadsword 13 [1*]
Counterattack (Two-Handed Sword) 16 [6]
Perk: Weapon Bond (Mother's Sword)
Perk: Grip Mastery (Katana)
1 point left to put towards enough signature gear for a Very Fine Katana

*Bought up from default

The advantages are:
Your Signature Gear advantages costs less, allowing you to afford a better sword, which does more damage.

You do more damage using Katana with 2 hands, which helps against opponents with DR.

You're usually attacking at skill 17 because of Weapon Bond.

You can counterattack at full skill. (Opponents now defend at -2 against you if you successfully defended against them last turn. This stacks with Deceptive Attacks.) This has the added benefit of making a high speed less desirable, because now you want your opponents to attack first. :)

Grip Mastery can be used to switch between 1 and 2 hands, but also to switch into a defensive grip, for an even higher parry when needed.

If you need two attacks in a round you can still Rapid Strike at skill 14 (because of Weapon Master), which is exactly as good as you were doing with Dual Weapon Attack.

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by aesir23

If you need two attacks in a round you can still Rapid Strike at skill 14 (because of Weapon Master), which is exactly as good as you were doing with Dual Weapon Attack.

Actully it hurt you on the Parry.

it would give you Parry, (Skill 16 + CR +WM) 12/10/8/6 instead of (Skill 14 + CR +WM) 11/11/9/9 for fighting with two weapons.

[aesir23]

Originally Posted by roguebfl

Actully it hurt you on the Parry.

it would give you Parry, (Skill 16 + CR +WM) 12/10/8/6 instead of (Skill 14 + CR +WM) 11/11/9/9 for fighting with two weapons.

That's true, but you're forgeting that he has Enhanced Parry 2, making it 14/12/ 10/8, which is pretty darn respectable.

I think it's worth it for all of the other advantages.

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by aesir23

That's true, but you're forgeting that he has Enhanced Parry 2, making it 14/12/ 10/8, which is pretty darn respectable.

I think it's worth it for all of the other advantages.

While I was a proponent of Adding Two-weapon fighting, which is possible with out sacrificing the primary concept of two weapon fighting, adding in the Enhance parry mean you parading it against 13/13/11/11 AND only [2] away of game play from maxing out the technique as going up to 14/14/12/12.

And lets not forget DWA also give a -1 to the target's parry which the Rapid Strike does not.

[Lord Carnifex]

What kind of Pacifism are you going for here? And how strictly do you think the GM will enforce it? Cannot Kill is an odd thing for a primarily katana fighter to have. Self-Defense might work a little better, but in my games would rule out preemptive attacks and might even rule out helping out your friends unless there's a clear danger to you.

Instead, I might think about some other -10 point diads:

Disciplines of Faith: Monasticism (Basic, p.132). Reinforces the character as something of a monk, living in the dojo, focused on improving his fighting ability and keeping out of trouble.

Code of Honor (p. 127). Something modeled on the Pirate's, Gentleman's or Soldier's could fit in well.

Struggling (p.25). This goes along with buying the katana as Signature Gear. Fits with a character who lives in a dojo and owns little else other than his sword(s).

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by ZeonTheUnborn

Fast Draw(Katana) [14] DX+1 - 2

It's a detail, but Combat Reflexes gives you +1 to Fast-Draw, so DX+1 in it only costs you 1cp. Another point for a non-combat skill.

[Witchking]

Originally Posted by johndallman

It's a detail, but Combat Reflexes gives you +1 to Fast-Draw, so DX+1 in it only costs you 1cp. Another point for a non-combat skill.

If you do not have Fast Draw...TAKE IT. Little is worse than for the combat to start and having to give up a round to lug out a weapon.

The comment somewhere up thread about the Pacifism disad are right on target...for a swordsman I would avoid!! A code of honor does well...COH Soldier is good, GURPS Japan 3E had the Samurai COH, COH Gentleman usually is not too limiting (or has limits a lot of "heroish fighters" tend to stick with anyway!)

Non Combat Skills of wide use...

Stealth...being sneaky quiet is great...but the failure penalty is harsh...default is no fun

Acrobatics...many many uses but the option to Acrobatic dodge for an additional +2 to Dodge is well worth it when some shmuck points a crossbow (overstrength) at you!!

Area Knowledge...a million and one uses...Whats a good place for dinner?...where can I find the best weaponsmiths?...what sections of town are good to avoid after dark?...who is the Jabba the Hut guy and why do I not want to cross him? Really if a group is going to spend any amount of time in location X...AK Location X is right up the top of my shopping list.

Armory...the care and maintainence of YOUR weapons and armor...

Carousing...low end social skill...makes you a good drinking buddy and welcome in most pubs around town.

Heraldry can be useful (knowing who is attacking you can often be good)...Law while a Hard skill can often keep the party out of some of the worst trouble...

Good Luck I think by 2 copper pieces of thoughts have run out!!

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by Lord Carnifex

What kind of Pacifism are you going for here? And how strictly do you think the GM will enforce it? Cannot Kill is an odd thing for a primarily katana fighter to have. Self-Defense might work a little better, but in my games would rule out preemptive attacks and might even rule out helping out your friends unless there's a clear danger to you.

Instead, I might think about some other -10 point diads:

-10 is probably Cannon Harm Innocence. Reluctant Killer is only -5 and Cannon kill is -15.

And with a Katana Cannot Harm Innocence isn't a really an issue for a Katana fighter as you not mean to be attaking them at all... though Judo would useful for the rare time you need to stop an innocent.

[aesir23]

Originally Posted by roguebfl

While I was a proponent of Adding Two-weapon fighting, which is possible with out sacrificing the primary concept of two weapon fighting, adding in the Enhance parry mean you parading it against 13/13/11/11 AND only [2] away of game play from maxing out the technique as going up to 14/14/12/12.

And lets not forget DWA also give a -1 to the target's parry which the Rapid Strike does not.

Yeah, there are definitely reasons to do it both ways.

I think that once he starts calculating the costs of Signature gear for two Katanas, he'll find that fighting with one is much more cost effective.

[Trachmyr]

I strongly reccomend you look at the perks from martial arts & Power-ups 2 (A great buy from e23 that's useful for every character you'll make). In addition to the Off-Hand Weapon Training, Signature gear & Grip Mastery already suggested, Weapon Bond makes perfect sense for your character.

Another option, if your going only with one-handed weapon use (whether or not your using two weapons) is the Weapon Adaptation perk, that could allow you to use Katana with Rapier skill... giving improved retreats and parries (also check out Martial Arts for exceptions to the "Fencing Weapons can't parry Flails" as it would apply.).

The only drawback is restrictions on how much encumbrance you can carry, specificly fencing parries take a penalty equal to encumbrance level. Ofcourse ther is the Armor Familiarity perk to counter this.

As for Techniques, Feint is amazingly useful, and is good for resisting as well as making feints. If there's one technique to get, Feint is it.

Finally, let me echo the NEED for HT 11+Fit or HT12+... Not to mention it's an extremely good deal for your character, since you're already buying extra fatigue and basic speed... Full HT is only another 2 points.

Here's how I would build your character, Mind you I'm using Martial Arts to do so...

Rhonin

Attributes [105]
ST: 13 HP:13
DX: 13 Will: 10
IQ: 10 Per: 10
HT: 12 FP: 12
Basic Speed: 6.00 Move 6

Advantages [65]
Combat Reflexes -15
Enhanced Parry 2 - 10
Fit - 5
Weapon Master (Katana) - 20
Luck (Defensive) - 12
Signature Gear (Mother's Katanas) - 3


Perks [5]
Weapon Bond (Mother's Katanas) - 2
Off-Hand Weapon Training (Katana) - 1
Weapon Adaptation (Katana to Rapier) - 1
Armor Familiarity (Rapier) - 1 (If your not planning on carrying more than 34 pounds, you can put this point elsewhere, like the Dabbler perk and pick up a few background skills like Area Knowledge, Saviore-Faire, Current Affairs, etc.)

Disadvantages [-50]
Vow (only use his mother's katana's) - 10
Sense of Duty (Companions) - 5
Overconfidence (Self Control 12) - 5
Pacifism (Can't Harm Innocents) - 10
Enemy (His Rival "Donovan") -15
Light Sleeper - 5 or to go with the honor theme, Truthfulness (SC 12)

Quirks [-5]
Likes eating home cooked meals - 1
Humble - 1
Dislikes Disorganization - 1
Mildly Stubborn - 1
Likes beating his rival in combat - 1 (I wouldn't allow this as a quirk... now if it was doesn't like beating his rival, that's a different matter. May I suggest a quirk level Code of Honor like "Keeps his Word", or "Won't Fight Unfairly")

Skills [36]
Rapier [17] DX+4 - 16 (+1 when using Bonded Katanas)
Broadsword [13] DX+0 - 0 (+1 when using Bonded Katanas)
Fast Draw(Katana) [14] DX+1 - 1 (Includes +1 from Combat Reflexes, add an extra +1 when using Bonded katanas)
Parry Missile Weapon [13] DX-1 - 4 (+1 when using Bonded Katanas)
Judo [13] DX+0 -4
Riding (Equines) [13] DX+0 - 2
Stealth[13] DX+0 -2
Climbing [12] DX-1 -1
First Aid [11] IQ+1 - 2
Merchant [10] IQ+0 - 2
Cooking (Favorite Foods) [10] IQ+1 - 1
Armoury (Sword maintenance) [11] IQ+0 - 1

Techniques [4]
Dual Weapon Attack [13] 0 (+1 when using Bonded Katanas)
Retain Weapon [17] 0 (+1 when using Bonded Katanas)
Disarming (Rapier) [17] 0 (+1 when using Bonded Katanas)
Feint (Rapier) [20] 4 (+1 when using Bonded Katanas)
Counterattack [12] 0 (+1 when using Bonded Katanas)

Just keep your gear to 68 pounds or less (34 pounds if you swap out Armor Familiarity), and you'll enjoy a Parry of 15 with Fencing bonuses... and Luck to save you from critical hits (or fails on parry). This will give you excellent Riposte ability. With retreat & Frenzied defense & all-out Defense, your parry will be a staggering 22... Allowing you to easily accept a -6 riposte penalty. This will stack with Feints as well. Also look at the focused defense rule from Gladiators, this will boost Basic Parry with the lead weapon to 16.

For improving your character, Buy the perk Technique Mastery (Feint) and max out feint to a 23 (which will be 24 with your katanas) for a total of 4 points.