Dodging very large weapons
 

How does one simulate a large weapon that is very difficult to dodge:

for example, consider superman swinging a telephone pole at chest height. Its possible to dodge, but unless you are at the far end of the pole, its going to be very difficult. Super agile characters can dodge this of course, but its going to be difficult, impressive, and likely require an acrobatic dodge.

This is a fine house rule if you have superman swinging a telephone pole. What if its part of an innate attack? How do you price it? "requires acrobatic dodge to dodge +50%"?

Or is it best to just add a bonus to skill with the limitation (may only be used in deceptive attack)?

Re: Dodging very large weapons
 

Away from books, but take a look at wide-area attack in the Basic Set.

Re: Dodging very large weapons
 

A swing of a telephone pole might have a far range, but you can just duck to dodge it. A dodge and drop would be the best to fit that situation. There really doesn't need to be a penalty to dodging it.

Re: Dodging very large weapons
 

"Large Area Injury", which is in or around page 400. I don't have the book handy either, but for some reason I know that off the top of my head.

I'm such a nerd.

Re: Dodging very large weapons
 

I'd note that that contains no rules at all about active defense.

Re: Dodging very large weapons
 

True!

It sort of inspires the thought that calling a Large Area Injury melee attack an effective Area Attack might get the idea the OP wants (a sweep with a telephone pole does seem to be more of a "cone" than a thump, that's sure)

That opens up the option to target the hex (for +4 to hit) instead of the victim, and the victim will not be able to make a regular dodge defense at all, only a Dodge and Drop/Retreat to try and leave the area entirely.

Re: Dodging very large weapons
 

Thats... an interesting idea, basing it on a cone rather than an area attack (though both are relevant).

I suppose as far as effects go I want an area attack that can be blocked or parried and that can parry (It also has destructive parry on it). The area attack Idea is pretty good though.

Re: Dodging very large weapons
 

Or just use the modifier for Deceptive Dodge from B369: -2X to attack/-X to dodge. So it's big and unwieldy, but is harder to get out of the way.

Re: Dodging very large weapons
 

The very idea behind fly swatters.

Re: Dodging very large weapons
 

And why not just using the table of difficulty modifiers?

After all, these modifiers are generic and made for every kind of rolls. So, they should apply to dodge as well.

They may have to be divided by two, though, because numbers are often divided by two when dealing with defenses: all-out attack, +4 and all-out defense, +2, for instance.

Thus, dodging a telephone could be considered as a difficult action and have a -2 modifier (instead of -4). Or, if the GM really insist on the fact that it is outstandingly difficult, -4 (instead of -8).

Re: Dodging very large weapons
 

ahh, but how do you price that? this is intended for characters to be able to access.

Re: Dodging very large weapons
 

Whatever mechanism is used, it's an inherent property of certain weapons, and therefore works at no specific cost to the user. They just need to have an appropriate weapon and the ST and skill to use it.

Gets a bit trickier if you're wanting this for an Innate Attack.

Re: Dodging very large weapons
 

Sadly, I do. We're working with 10 foot blades of invisible force. No, this is not for a supers game, its actually fantasy.

Re: Dodging very large weapons
 

It should be balanced to trade -4 to hit for -2 to the enemy's defenses in all circumstances. Buy 4 levels of Reliable to compensate. You can do a "telegraphic attack" to undo your built-in deceptive attack, as normal. The fact that you can't do a real telegraphic attack, combined with the fact that you maintain your deceptive attack even if your effective skill is below 10, amounts to a special effect.

Re: Dodging very large weapons
 

Sounds pretty good, but can you put reliable on an innate attack? it seems ... extremely cheap.

Re: Dodging very large weapons
 

According to the text of reliable, it works "exactly like Talent" only stipulating that it "can't affect anything a Talent wouldn't affect" and that it "isn't appropriate for ranged attacks", recommending Accurate instead (Accurate is the same price, but an Acc bonus instead of a skill bonus). Talent states that it "acts as a bonus to all success rolls against attributes, secondary characteristics, or skills to use the power’s abilities. This includes rolls to activate, attack with, control, or defend with those abilities." So it seems highly kosher to me.

Re: Dodging very large weapons
 

I believve Reliable is forbidden for attacks.

-2 to active defense for a melee attack is clearly worth no more than 16 points. (The maximum cost of +4 applicable skill.)

Re: Dodging very large weapons
 

I thought that too, but there's nothing I can find in the text to support that conclusion. If there's a more canonical way to improve your skill with an innate melee attack, I'd love to see it.

Re: Dodging very large weapons
 

It's been pointed out to me a few times there is nothing forbidding it. And that Reliable is fair at +10% for ranged attacks (double that of Reliable), or to just use Cosmic: Rules Break +50% to allow Reliable.

Re: Dodging very large weapons
 

If you are doing this as an innate attack, buy Area of Effect +50%, Persistent +40%, Wall +30%, and Melee Attack Reach 1 -25%. Reach on the Melee Attack represents you swinging your arms, the giant invisible force sword blade then lands wherever you place the wall.

For +95% on your Innate Attack, you can now charge up a giant blade that hangs around for 10 seconds, attacking anything in a 1 yard wide by 6 yard long column, starting anywhere within 1 yard of you and proceeding along any direction from that point. You make an attack roll to hit, and might scatter a little bit if you somehow miss the hex you where aiming at, but you dont have to roll to hit anyone in the area. Instead, they are automatically hit unless they can dodge and drop out of the area of effect.

Id apply the scatter to the end point of the wall, meaning your point didnt quite go where you wanted. Its fantasy, no reason you HAVE to put "cannot parry" on there... It looks ridiculous, but I sense that is what you are going for.

Id call it a feature to be able to move just the one wall. On the one hand, moving the wall is nice, but on the other, you can only ever have one wall. The basic Wall enhancement lets you make 1 wall per attack, and they all hang around for 10 seconds after creation. Moving one wall (that lasts 10 seconds) around seems balanced to that.

Re: Dodging very large weapons
 

I don't price that, as said by Ulzgoroth.

A tree is more hard to dodge than a club because it is much bigger. It just seems obvious...

So, if a character is strong enough to take a tree and use it as a club, his victim would have a penalty to dodge it, but the character has nothing to pay. He already paid that with his huge strength and his skill.

Note that flails, for instance, are harder to parry or even block than swords. And the character don't pay anything for that. He just have to buy a flail rather than a sword and to know how to use it... Flails are even cheaper than swords.

Re: Dodging very large weapons
 

T-Bone's Diner has very good rules on this sort of thing. Since GURPS 4E adopted his Size (AKA Scale) idea, it's very easy to import them.

One mechanism is to give a bonus to hit equal to the difference between the weapon's Size and the target's Size. For example, a SM -8 flyswatter making an attack against a SM -12 fly gets a +4 bonus to hit.

Re: Dodging very large weapons
 

If you read on, this is for an Innate Attack. Where it does need to be priced.