[MA] Technique Mastery for DWA?

[the_matrix_walker]

Am I crazy, or does it look like Technique Mastery is legal for DWA?

Has anyone seen this come up? Would you allow it? Seems a little nuts, but we are talking cinematic gaming...

[vierasmarius]

Originally Posted by the_matrix_walker

Am I crazy, or does it look like Technique Mastery is legal for DWA?

Has anyone seen this come up? Would you allow it? Seems a little nuts, but we are talking cinematic gaming...

It's as legal as any other Technique Mastery. IMO, it's not too problematic, since the [5] cp you're dropping on it aren't going toward raising your base skill (and thus overall to-hit, Parry, Feint resistance, other techniques, etc). It can start to get pretty munchkiny when you combine multiple TMs - for example DWA + Counterattack + Feint.

I've considered a houserule where you only use the highest TM rather than the combination of them. So if you've got Feint at +7 (that's +3 over the normal maximum), DWA at +2 and Counterattack at +4, you'd roll at a max of +2 when combining them. By RAW you'd roll Feint +13 followed by a Counterattack at +6; with the houserule you'd roll Feint +6 and Counterattack +2, which is still higher than the normal maximums, but not so blatantly broken.

[Balor Patch]

So the character would attack at base skill +x when using two weapons? Where increasing x costs [1]? Technique Mastery is always worth heightened scrutiny and attacking is the core function of the skill. For me, no way, not a chance.

[vierasmarius]

Remember that as a cinematic technique, a character requires Trained by a Master or Weapon Master in order to improve DWA above default. When he's performing a DWA, he's not making a Rapid Strike, which with TbaM is only -3 per extra attack. I really don't see it as a particularly problematic choice, compared to the other things he could be spending those [5] cp on, especially if you're limiting the number of Perks a character can take. I'd worry more about someone pumping up Feint (though again, points spent there are points not spent on base skill and Parry).

[Gef]

i don't have a problem with DWA being a level higher than base skill. However, I do require DWA specify the combination, frex knife/knife is a separate technique from knife/rapier.

[Peter V. Dell'Orto]

Originally Posted by the_matrix_walker

Am I crazy, or does it look like Technique Mastery is legal for DWA?

Legal? Yes. A good idea? Depends on the game.

For a kung-fu movie game where everyone has that one killer move, sure, why not? It would be amusing to have a guy so good that, like the Sundance Kid with shooting on the move, he's better with two weapons than with either one on its own.

Balanced? Really, it depends on the game. It isn't one I'd give a blanket yes to in all circumstances. GM judgement is required.

[cbower]

I'd say no to this as fast as I did to they guy who wanted to learn DWA for Flail.

[Peter V. Dell'Orto]

Originally Posted by cbower

I'd say no to this as fast as I did to they guy who wanted to learn DWA for Flail.

I'd have to ask why. Double 'chucks is realistic, although not easy (although Danny Inosanto makes it look so). Double morningstars probably less so, but with Parry U it's basically unsafe to do without an exceptional Dodge.

[cbower]

Originally Posted by Peter V. Dell'Orto

I'd have to ask why. Double 'chucks is realistic, although not easy (although Danny Inosanto makes it look so). Double morningstars probably less so, but with Parry U it's basically unsafe to do without an exceptional Dodge.

Mostly because I think full-fledged morningstars are too unwieldy to use in each hand. I didn't think about the nunchucks thing, though, so I might offer him the opportunity since his last PC just died, and his replacement is an annoyance.

[lexington]

Originally Posted by cbower

Mostly because I think full-fledged morningstars are too unwieldy to use in each hand. I didn't think about the nunchucks thing, though, so I might offer him the opportunity since his last PC just died, and his replacement is an annoyance.

Say say that a "full-fledged morningstar" is a straight up Flail from Low-Tech or Basic Set. Without ST20 one in each hand is simply not going to happen and it won't be very smart without ST26.