HTH question - Daggers
 

Using your Dagger Mastery talent with the Staff of Mastery enchantment (as usual), what are the options in HTH?

Does your +3 DX for the Occult Blast stack with a HTH boost? (I'd say that the Occult Blast never gets a facing adjustment so it doesn't get +4 for HTH, but I've never seen an exact ruling on this.)

Can you make a shrewd blow with the physical attack in HTH for -4 +4 = even DX? (in the same turn as burning a point of mana for the Occult Blast of course)

Can you make an aimed shot attack in HTH and if so which adjustments apply, the dagger toss or the general aimed shot attacks?

And for maximum range (and destructive power), does the note at ITL 163 mean that a Dagger-staff can be enchanted as a missile rod? (So 20 Mana, 20 dice of Wizard’s Wrath rod, and a 20 point powerstone in the hilt say?) If so can you fire these missile spell charges in HTH?

Re: HTH question - Daggers
 

I wouldn't have dagger mastery apply in HTH. I also wouldn't have occult blast get any bonus to hit nor allow one to fire a rod, dagger or otherwise, in HTH.

Making everything dagger shaped so you can hold it in HTH is cheap. Screw anyone who's eager to abuse basic rules like that.

I would also not allow aimed shots.

HTH is simple and brutal. It ain't full of finesse.

Re: HTH question - Daggers
 

This is the sound of all the grappling martial artists crying out in agony and being suddenly silenced. I feel that something terrible has happened.

😉

Re: HTH question - Daggers
 

No, no, fair point, I was omitting the UC guys in that comment. But really, in RAW, their advantages are limited in HTH are limited to increased punch damage, if I'm not mistaken. The other advantages are for bare-handed regular combat.

I wasn't speaking about real-world HTH, just TFT HTH.

And in TFT HTH, the way I read the rules, UC II fighters are as good as someone with a dagger in hand and the Knives skill. (The UC guy does ST damage + 2 for UC II + 1 because everyone gets +1 barehanded in HTH.) Above that their damage is better than a dagger. I don't see any other advantages.

Re: HTH question - Daggers
 

I might also say no occult blasts in HTH. If they're a spell, then there should be a penalty for casting in HTH (but ITL RAW suggests that no spell casting is possible -- see the list of options). If they're an attack, then they're disallowed because the only kinds of attacks allowed involve fists and knives (used as such). Free action or not, they have to be understood as one of the options.

(The staff is described as an occult weapon, so looks like an attack and not a spell to me, but I'm not firm on that.)

Re: HTH question - Daggers
 

No to all of the above.

Leave HTH alone.