This is unrelated to my previous two attempts at a combat skill overhaul, and is a tangent from the "
Are knightly characters ineffective?" thread.
This is meant both to compress the existing melee combat skill list and generate a means by which a character can have several without overpaying (as a character can readily get by with just one weapon skill). While there are some nods to realism in the list, the divisions are arguably more narrative - using a sword with one hand may actually have more in common with using an axe in one hand than with using a sword in two hands, but separating swords (1h and 2h) from axes (1h and 2h) makes more narrative sense, at least to me.
Similarly, the difficulties associated with each skill are more gamist than realistic. Sword is DX/H not so much because swordsmanship is difficult as it is because I want the optional specializations of 1h Sword and 2h Sword to be DX/A (to roughly match up to RAW).
Buying Multiple Skills: Purchasing multiple melee combat skills follows what I call the Dabbler Method (based on the Dabble Perk). For this, choose the skill level you intend to place most of your skills at and find the price for a Hard skill. Two skills is equivalent to +1 to skill level (or difficulty), four is +2, eight is +3, and so forth, doubling the number of skills for each +1. Each -1 to skill difficulty (relative to Hard) and/or skill level is x0.5 to the number of skills it counts as, while each +1 is x2.
Example: A player wants a character who is primarily a swordsman but it also skilled with spears and polearms. He wants Sword at DX+5, Spear at DX+4, and Polearm at DX+3. He sets nominal skill to DX+4, for [20]. Sword counts as 2, Spear as 1, and Polearm as 0.5, for a total of 3.5. That's more than x2 but less than x4; use x4 pricing, for +2 to effective skill level, and a cost of [28]. Optionally, the GM could give him a discount for that "wasted" 0.5 skill, dropping cost to [27] (going from 2 to 4 cost [4], or [1] per +0.5), or the player could toss another skill in - Brawling at DX+4 would certainly be worthwhile.
Trained?: If a character's default from another skill is at or above the level investing [1] in a relevant Optional Specialization would give him, treat the character as though he/she were properly trained in the skill (so the character isn't forced to All-Out/Telegraph, can use Deceptive Attack, etc).
Example: The above character has Sword at DX+5, Brawling and Spear at DX+4, and Polearm at DX+3. If he picks up a buckler, he's at DX+1 for it. Investing [1] in Buckler [DX/E] would get him it at DX, so he's treated as Trained. If he hadn't opted to invest in Brawling, however, he would have defaulted from Sword at DX+5 to DX-1 which is too low to count as Trained.
Missing Skills?: Many of the skills from GURPS appear to be missing from the following list. Notably, all unarmed combat skills are rolled together into Brawling, there are no Fencing skills (their weapons are rolled into Sword), and Lance is completely missing (as I mentioned in the other thread, Lance should be a Technique for Riding, not its own skill). The biggest impact here is that the special benefits of some skills are absent - Boxing and Karate lack their damage bonus, Wrestling lacks its ST bonus, and Parry F isn't available anymore. Damage and ST bonuses are relatively easy to replace, with appropriately-limited Striking/Lifting ST. For Parry F, I suggest replacing the blanket reduced penalty for multiple parries with the optional rule in
Martial Arts to have this be a function of MinST. For the rest (improved Retreats, but penalized by Encumbrance), that's more like a combat style than a distinct skill. I suggest it should be a Feature for any given skill(s) to be Fencing - and if a Fencing skill and a non-Fencing skill default one from the other, it's a -1. If the character can change between Fencing and non-Fencing for the
same skill (as a free action at the start of each round), that's a Perk for each skill, or an Advantage worth [5] for all skills. Untrained skills cannot be Fencing.
Example: Let's say our swordsman from above wants his Sword skill to always be Fencing, his Spear skill to be able to switch between Fencing and not, and his Brawling and Polearm to always be non-Fencing. That's a Perk for Spear. His Axe default of DX+2 (from Sword) is Trained, so he can set if it's Fencing or not - if he opts to have it be, it's at DX+2, but if he wants it to be non-Fencing, it goes to DX+1. Similarly, his Shield is DX+1 if non-Fencing (defaulting from Brawling, which is non-Fencing), or DX if Fencing.
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Below is the revised melee skill list. Note all of the below cover both striking and grappling with the relevant weapons, just as in RAW (the difference is, I extend this to unarmed combat). Equal-difficulty skills typically default to each other at -5 (1 step difference is -6, 2 step is -7, etc), with some exceptions noted. Optional specializations default to each other at -2 and give -1 to skills defaulting from it (unless the specializations match up, such as for 1H Sword and 1H Axe/Mace). Finally, treat the below skills as one difficulty lower for purposes of defaulting from DX.
Brawling (DX/A): This covers unarmed combat as well as the use of Reach C weapons like knives and garrotes. Optional Specializations are Punching (includes fist loads), Grappling (includes garrotes), and Knife. Having Brawling/Punching at DX+1 or better grants +1 to the damage of weapons from the Brawling Table. Defaults to Shield at -3.
Shield (DX/A): This covers the use of all shields, as well as cloaks used as such. Optional Specializations are Buckler, Cloak, Guige, and Strapped. Optionally, using another weapon while holding a shield uses the lower of the relevant skill and Shield+(3-DB); this replaces the penalty for using a Large Shield (or the -DB for using any shield from LTC2) but
cannot be negated by Shield Wall Training or similar. Defaults to Brawling at -3.
Sword (DX/H): This covers the use of balanced weapons held near one end. Optional Specializations are 1H Sword and 2H Sword. Defaults to Axe and Spear at -3.
Axe (DX/H): This covers the use of unbalanced weapons held near one end. Flails also use this skill, at -2 (negatable with a Perk, Flailing). Optional Specializations are 1H Axe/Mace and 2H Axe/Mace. Defaults to Polearm and Sword at -3.
Spear (DX/H): This covers the use of balanced weapons held near the center. Optional Specializations are 1H Spear and 2H Spear. Defaults to Polearm and Sword at -3.
Polearm (DX/H): This covers the use of unbalanced weapons held near the center. Optional Specializations are 1H Polearm and 2H Polearm - most users opt to specialize in the latter. Defaults to Axe and Spear at -3.
Flexible (DX/VH): This covers the use of flexible weapons. Optional Specializations are Kusari and Whip. It generally lacks defaults beyond the normal (-6 from DX/H, -7 from DX/A, -8 from DX/E skills), but Kusari can use a relevant Thrown Weapon at -1 to attack (typically, Dart for the default weight at the end or Axe for an attached kama).
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Ranged skills: A similar treatment could be applied to ranged skills - specifically to
thrown weapons (Bow and Crossbow are probably largely fine as-is, Guns got a good overhaul in Alternate Guns Specialties, and Beams could easily get a similar treatment). Most of the skills below default to each other at -3 (with the same adjustments for difficulty as above), with a few exceptions. Note the below lack Optional Specialization.
Ball (DX/E): This covers throwing round stones, balls, most grenades, etc - anything where orientation doesn't make a difference, even throwing sticks and bolas (although the GM may opt to have MoS 0-1 with the latter give a bad result, entangling a target the character intended to strike or striking a target the character intended to entangle). As the most intuitive use, it defaults to DX-2.
Net (DX/E): This covers large, entangling, short-range projectiles like nets or thrown cloaks. Note with these you can often aim at an area, for a sizable bonus.
Disk (DX/E): This covers throwing weapons that need to keep some planar orientation, but are functionally the same all around, such as star shuriken, disk grenades, flat stones, etc. Defaults to Knife at -1.
Dart (DX/E): This covers throwing small weapons that need to maintain a single orientation during flight, such as darts, some throwing knives, and bo shuriken. Defaults to Spear at -1.
Spear (DX/E): As Dart, but for larger projectiles, like javelins and spears. Defaults to Dart at -1.
Knife (DX/A): This covers throwing small weapons with a distinct striking surface and cannot maintain the correct orientation during flight, requiring a spin, such as throwing knives that aren't used with Dart. Defaults to Disk and Sword at -1 and Axe at -2.
Sword (DX/A): As Knife, but for larger projectiles, like swords. Defaults to Knife at -1.
Axe (DX/A): This covers larger, top-heavy projectiles that have a distinct striking surface and cannot maintain the correct orientation during flight, requiring a spin, such as throwing axes. Defaults to Knife at -2.
Atlatl (DX/H): This is a device used for leverage when hurling projectiles, typically those using Ball, Disk, Dart, or Spear (it cannot work for Knife or Axe). Defaults to Sling at -2.
Sling (DX/H): This is a flexible device used for leverage when hurling projectiles, typically those covered by Ball. Defaults to Atlatl at -2.