[Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Lame and No Legs - Page 2

Plane · 04-03-2019, 08:32 AM

One issue that I realized recently during a combat playtest as ETR's brawler hammers away with my boxer with leg kicks is comparing Lame to the "Partial Injury" rules under "Realistic Injury" on page 136 of GURPS Martial Arts...

Dodge is at -1 and Move is 80% normal if standing. (Injury over HP/5, up to HP/3)
Dodge is at -2 and Move is 50% normal if standing. (Injury over HP/3, up to HP/2)

I was under the impression that the Dodge penalties and Move reduction would stack, so if BOTH legs had suffered HP/3 you would be at -2 and 64% Move and if BOTH legs had suffered HP/2 you would be at -4 and 25% Move.

I think the intention here might be that this is supposed to represent approaching the -4 to active defenses which someone suffers in a crawling or lying posture?

B141's "Crippled Legs" only mentions reducing Basic Move rather than Basic Speed, so it doesn't seem like there's an problem with dodging from the 1st level of Lame.

Even "Missing Leg" says "you can stand up and walk slowly" with crutches or a peg leg... and it seems there is no penalty to dodge at all here, since again it's only Basic Move and not Basic Speed which is reduced.

I think perhaps it would be reasonable to apply a -2 to dodge for Crippled Leg ("one bad leg") since it's 50% Move is comparable to the highest tier of partial injuries, and -3 to dodge for Missing Leg ("you have one leg") since that's supposed to be worse (and it scales with the -4 to DX vs the -6 to DX)

Since the penalty is only "while standing" I believe it might be fair to allow those penalties to be ignored by anyone using either the "Dodge and Drop" option (B377) or the "Dive" option (MA123: Retreat Options) since both involve doing the abdication of Standing posture.

There is no added penalty to dodging apparent when in a lying or crawling posture aside from the standard -4 to all active defenses. It seems strange because I think having a working leg would possibly help in generating momentum to move yourself out of the way.

To reflect that, would it seem reasonable to at least apply DX penalties (narrowly "kicking" for Partial Injuries, or "any skill that requires the use of your legs" for Lame) to Acrobatics rolls, so to at least make a successful Acrobatic Dodge much less likely?

Since it takes -4 to DX to create a -1 to dodge, it seems like applying a -1 to dodge on top of the usual -4 for being in a lying posture might be realistic as well, so that those who don't try acrobatic dodges are still at a disadvantage. Someone with a pair of healthy legs trying to roll/scramble out of the way while lying/crawling just seems like they would have an advantage over someone with a crippled/missing leg, even if merely 1 point's worth.

04-03-2019, 08:32 AM	#11
Plane Join Date: Aug 2018	Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Lame and No Legs One issue that I realized recently during a combat playtest as ETR's brawler hammers away with my boxer with leg kicks is comparing Lame to the "Partial Injury" rules under "Realistic Injury" on page 136 of GURPS Martial Arts... Dodge is at -1 and Move is 80% normal if standing. (Injury over HP/5, up to HP/3) Dodge is at -2 and Move is 50% normal if standing. (Injury over HP/3, up to HP/2) I was under the impression that the Dodge penalties and Move reduction would stack, so if BOTH legs had suffered HP/3 you would be at -2 and 64% Move and if BOTH legs had suffered HP/2 you would be at -4 and 25% Move. I think the intention here might be that this is supposed to represent approaching the -4 to active defenses which someone suffers in a crawling or lying posture? B141's "Crippled Legs" only mentions reducing Basic Move rather than Basic Speed, so it doesn't seem like there's an problem with dodging from the 1st level of Lame. Even "Missing Leg" says "you can stand up and walk slowly" with crutches or a peg leg... and it seems there is no penalty to dodge at all here, since again it's only Basic Move and not Basic Speed which is reduced. I think perhaps it would be reasonable to apply a -2 to dodge for Crippled Leg ("one bad leg") since it's 50% Move is comparable to the highest tier of partial injuries, and -3 to dodge for Missing Leg ("you have one leg") since that's supposed to be worse (and it scales with the -4 to DX vs the -6 to DX) Since the penalty is only "while standing" I believe it might be fair to allow those penalties to be ignored by anyone using either the "Dodge and Drop" option (B377) or the "Dive" option (MA123: Retreat Options) since both involve doing the abdication of Standing posture. There is no added penalty to dodging apparent when in a lying or crawling posture aside from the standard -4 to all active defenses. It seems strange because I think having a working leg would possibly help in generating momentum to move yourself out of the way. To reflect that, would it seem reasonable to at least apply DX penalties (narrowly "kicking" for Partial Injuries, or "any skill that requires the use of your legs" for Lame) to Acrobatics rolls, so to at least make a successful Acrobatic Dodge much less likely? Since it takes -4 to DX to create a -1 to dodge, it seems like applying a -1 to dodge on top of the usual -4 for being in a lying posture might be realistic as well, so that those who don't try acrobatic dodges are still at a disadvantage. Someone with a pair of healthy legs trying to roll/scramble out of the way while lying/crawling just seems like they would have an advantage over someone with a crippled/missing leg, even if merely 1 point's worth.