Dodging While Grappling
 

So to give context to my last couple questions: my last DFRPG session ended with my character Grappled by the throat at reach 1 by a throttler.

If he drops his maul and punches the throttler in the face (though he lacks the reach for it) I get how the Throttler dodges. But if the 22 Striking ST barbarian punches the throttler in the hand, I don't see how the thing dodges or parries without releasing me. Am I missing something?

Re: Dodging While Grappling
 

Being grappled doesn't mean you're grappling back in turn. If something grabs you and you don't return the favor on your turn, only you suffer bad effects! Something that's using an arm to grapple obviously cannot parry with that arm, and cannot retreat without letting you go, but it can parry with another arm or just twist aside (dodge). To quote the relevant text from p. 41 of Exploits:

Grappling someone doesn't mean that person is grappling you! If your foe wants to do that, he must grapple on his turn.

Grappling someone doesn't give you defense penalties, either. However, you can't parry with a limb without releasing its hold on your victim – and to retreat (p. 50), you must let go with all of your limbs!

In the situation you described, the fact that your barbarian is strong and good at punching doesn't magically undo the fact that your barbarian is at a gross disadvantage for being the one grappled. (And note that Striking ST doesn't matter at all when grappling . . . you want Lifting ST for that. Barbarians have that option for a reason.)

Re: Dodging While Grappling
 

Right, sorry maybe I was unclear. If it's strangling me with both hands on my neck, and I punch its hand, how does it twist out of the way of that? It seems like an edge case that requires a GM call, I'm just trying to make sure this situation isn't addressed.

Also, yeah, I was aware striking strength doesn't help with Grappling. My hope is to cripple hands which I think 22 Striking ST makes viable.

Re: Dodging While Grappling
 

It sees you wind up and shakes or twists you so your punch misses. There are any number of MMA videos online that show how having someone in a choke gives you a lot of control, up to and including "bulldogging" them so that they can't get a useful strike in. The usual way to deal with that is to break free.

And as an aside, I really wouldn't recommend punching a hand that's on your neck if you have an evil GM. You'll probably end up punching yourself in the throat.

Re: Dodging While Grappling
 

Okay. That makes sense. It's just not what I think of as a dodge. Thanks for the clarification.

Re: Dodging While Grappling
 

At this level of abstraction, a "counter" in a grappling situation is a dodge. If you aren't using a specific limb, weapon, or shield to stop the enemy attack – which would be a block or a parry – you're perforce dodging.

What dodging looks like is . . . anything that isn't a limb, weapon, or shield defense, including leaning back from, sidestepping, ducking, twisting away from, pulling a body part away from, or even leaping over or doing the splits under an attack. Any other use of full-body athletics to make an attack miss is included, too; grappling control falls into this category. The "look" of the dodge is somewhat influenced by what rules are in play: If you retreat, you're voiding; if you stay put and aren't grappling, you're ducking, leaning, or sidestepping; if you use Acrobatic Dodge, you're leaping, doing the splits, or something equally insane; and if you're grappling, you're twisting yourself or your opponent.

Re: Dodging While Grappling
 

I've always said that a "Dodge" is "some form of movement that results in an attack missing it's mark". With close combat, and grappling, this probably includes a lot of jostling each other around.

Re: Dodging While Grappling
 

And I can tell you from experience. That jostling aspect is a big part of grappling. Both of you trying to gain an advantage while preventing the other from doing so. Of the three defense options, Dodge is definitely the best one to describe it.

Re: Dodging While Grappling
 

Dungeon Fantasy (and GURPS) doesn't have a seperate active defense for counters of this kind, so if you must use Dodge, Parry or Block it clearly isn't the latter two, so it must be Dodge.

Note that Technical Grappling takes a much less abstract approach to holds and is fairly easy to use with Dungeon Fantasy, but otherwise off-topic here.