[EskrimadorNC]

Special Note: Like many other martial arts movies, the Bad Guys most obviously get stunned, but usually stay standing. This is common in cinema as finishing a standing foe is viewed more heroic than finishing a prone foe. I will call out specific cases where it is clear that the bad guy is stunned per GURPS rules, but does not fall prone.

Spoiler-Free Setup:
Rama, a SWAT-type police officer in Jakarta finds himself trapped in large apartment building filled with drug dealers and gang-bangers, all who want him dead. He is trying to escape, but most of the residents have other plans. Also, he is out of ammo at this point, hence all the melee combat and no shooting.


Timestamp: 0:18
1st Badguy w/machete AoA
Rama Parries with Tonfa
Then hits Face w/tonfa and Knee (joint) w/knife (swing)

[TA Tonfa/Face is -5 and TA Knife/Knee are both at -5. Rama performs these individual attacks several more times, so there is a good case for bought-up TA Tonfa/Face and TA Knife/Knee, but this exact sequence isn't used again, so a Combination is unlikely. Even with TA bought up, the Rapid Strike penalties would be high (-8 for both). More likely, Rama has the Off-Hand Weapon Training (Knife) perk, and possibly improved DWA (Knife) and DWA (Tonfa). Based on the rest of the fight, I think that Extra Attack 1 is even more likely. With improved TA and Extra Attack, Skill-16 here makes this combo very likely to succeed.]

Timestamp: 0:22
2nd Badguy (white shirt) w/ pipe AoA
Rama Parries with knife <karate?>
Rama hits WS in the torso (vitals?) with the tonfa and performs an Armed Grapple on WS’s leg
WS is Stunned from the Tonfa hit (more likely a vitals hit) and performs DO NOTHING
Next Turn, Rama Stabs WS’s leg with knife and then cuts down the leg

[There are two specific things to note here.
#1: Rama makes several parries with the arm holding the knife, and it makes more sense to call these Karate or Judo parries rather than Knife parries.
#2: Several times throughout the fight, Rama makes torso hits with the Tonfa that seem to stun his opponents. It is more likely these are vitals hits as it’s tough to make a case that all of the stunning hits generate enough damage to be considered Major Wounds. You can target the Vitals with crushing attacks, per MA:

Originally Posted by GURPS Martial Arts

Vitals: Crushing attacks can target the “vitals” – e.g., the solar plexus from in front or the kidneys from behind – at -3. Wounding modifier is only x1, but shock requires a HT roll for knockdown, at -5 if a major wound.

Rama’s Tonfa strikes do Sw or Thr cr, so some of these hits might be MWs, but many will not be. Improved ST and/or Striking ST would go a long way towards enabling Rama to regularly cause MWs with the Tonfa hit and unarmed hits.
The Armed Grapple is at -2, and another -1 for targeting the leg. He makes one other grapple with the Tonfa, so this might make the case for Armed Grapple being improved. However, a Tonfa skill of 16 or better removes the need for an improved technique.
The Knife attacks are basically a thrust following by a cut, and would be at a -2. Easy enough and any CP from the leg grapple could be spent to reduce the -2, or add some damage.]


Timestamp: 0:25
3rd BG (gray shirt) attacks w/pipe AoA
Rama Parries with Knife<Karate>
Performs disarm with knife
Tonfa hit to the stomach (vitals?) and Tonfa hit to the knee (joint)

[Camera angle makes it difficult to see everything that is going on, but a few things are clear. Rama parries the attack from the outside and locks the arm with his knife. This might be a grabbing Parry and then a Disarm, or a normal Parry, then an Armed Grapple, followed by a Disarm. In fact, the “disarm” might just be a cutting attack on the hand/arm with the knife, spending CP from the grapple for damage or to remove the penalty for the hit location. Also, the entire set takes about 2 seconds, so there is enough time for the Knife grapple/disarm to happen on a separate turn from the Tonfa hits. Speaking of Tonfa hits, we see vitals and knee strikes again, further strengthening the case for a bought up TA.]


Timestamp: 0:29
4th BG (white bandana) attacks w/hatchet AoA
Rama performs a Stop Hit w/Tonfa
Rama then uses the Tonfa for a grapple (Hook) and pulls the BG in for a Knife attack to the throat
BG is stunned then Rama performs a push-kick

[In this scene, it’s pretty evident that Rama is performing the grapple at Reach 1, so it has to be an application of the HOOK technique as Armed Grapple requires both parties be in close combat. However, this creates a problem. The Hook Technique defaults to -5, and hooking the neck/head is another -5, for a total penalty of -10. Since the BG used AoA, Rama can do this telegraphically, but, that still leaves him with a -6 to hit…pretty steep and only a 50% chance of success if he is at Skill 16. AoA (D) is an option here, as it would lower the penalty to a more manageable -2. That is an easier pill to swallow as we do not see Rama perform any more HOOK attacks with the Tonfa for the rest of the fight. Since the maneuver is AoA (D), the Knife thrust to the Neck gets a +4 as well, and brings the penalty down to -1, which is very manageable. Any CP gained by the HOOK attack is likely translated into damage via the GRAB & SMASH rules. One other comment here…if you watch closely (at 0:30), the camera shows the tonfa handle hooking the badguy’s shoulder, not his neck. Hitting the Torso with a hook is much easier (-5 vs -10), but then you’d have to get the GM to cut you some slack on using CP from that grapple on the Knife to the throat attack.]