Quote:
Originally Posted by edk926
Which leads to a question, as a left-handed person myself, would I be at any advantage or disadvantage vs the right handed? We would be mirror images of each other instead of a typical right vs right fight.
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It depends on how you're trained.
Realistically, if you're a lefty fighting right-handers in a world where right-handedness is normal, you have a minor advantage. This is because you're used to fighting right-handers but right-handers have a minor Unfamiliarity penalty (-1 or -2) unless they've specifically been trained to fight left-handers or the combat skill you're using makes left/right distinctions relatively unimportant (e.g., wrestling or sumo wrestling).
Likewise, unless YOU have been trained to fight left-handers, you also have an unfamiliarity penalty should you encounter a sinister-handed opponent (and vice-versa).
In many cases, there are minor hassles to being a left-handed combatant, like guns with ejection ports mounted on the right side which spit hot brass onto your arm if you're a left-handed shooter and melee weapons optimized for right-handed users. In particular, some shields have strap arrangements which force leftys to use the shield upside down or at a similar odd angle and basket-hilted swords often have hilts which make it impossible for a lefty to hold them properly. Modern compound bows might have grips, arrow rests, and sights designed for right-handers.
If you're a lefty in a "refused" stance, with a weapon in your left (leading) hand the side of your torso which contains your spleen and pancreas is facing forward, meaning a slightly greater chance of hits to those organs than to the liver which is on the right side. Likewise, the left ventricle of your heart (which pumps blood through the body) is on the leading side. Since getting shot or poked in any of those organs is bad news, it's a wash in terms of combat survival, but wound mechanics will be slightly different and damage to the left ventricle is more likely to be lethal.*
If you're in an "open" stance (e.g., like a wrestler), left/right hand distinctions don't matter as much, unless you have a habit of attacking to just one side of your foe's body, in which case you have a Quirk.
*Leftys are also at slightly greater risk for electrocution since they're likely to touch a live wire with their left hand, grounding themselves via their left arm and the left side of their body, so current is more likely to go through the left ventricle.