Need some help with hand-to-hand combat/Martial Arts

EskrimadorNC · 07-19-2015, 04:30 PM

Hello GURPites!

I'm fairly new to GURPS and need some assistance from the experts on these boards.

I'm working on a running a campaign for 2 players that will involve a lot of hand-to-hand fighting and close combat. One of my players is basing his character off of Rama from The Raid (Sample of his skills). Needless to say, this is going to be a bit of cinematic game.

In preparation for the game, he and I have run several test combat scenarios both to familiarize us with the rules (We are using both Martial Arts and Technical Grappling and make sure we have a good understanding of the character's capabilities.

In going through these fights, I ran into a number of situations that I couldn't find answers too in any of the books. Here they are:

Rapid Strike:
-What is the sequence? Attack roll 1, Def roll 1, dmg roll, etc, then Atk roll 2, Def roll 2, dmg roll, etc, or do you roll both attacks first, then both defenses, etc.
-If the former, what happens if the first attack results in the opponent being prone or somehow out of reach for the 2nd attack?
-Is the way you handle two attacks for a Rapid Strike (per above) the same for handling AoA: Double and/or Extra Attack?
-In Martial Arts, the text mentions that when performing a Combination attack, if you use two different hands (i.e. Left Jab + Right Cross) then the Rapid Strike penalty is only -4 instead of -6. Does this only apply when using a purchased/improved Combination technique, or does it apply to any Rapid Strike if you are using different hands for each strike? What about doing a Rapid Strike with 1 punch and 1 kick, or two kicks with different legs?

Grab and Smash
-If you are attempting a Grab and Smash (Kiss the Wall), can you roll against Judo, or are you just limited to DX/Wrestling/Sumo Wrestling?
-The Grab and Smash section in Martial Arts mentions grappling the head of a foe and pulling it down for a knee attack. Is the penalty for targeting the Face still a -5? Do you have to do something mechanically to pull the head down for a knee other than Grapple + Knee attack?
-If I Grapple a Foe's torso with 1 hand and Karate punch him in the face, I can add the CP from the one-handed grab to my punch damage. Does that dynamic change at all if I grappled my Foe's Head instead of his torso? If not what is the motivation for grabbing the head if your goal is Grab & Smash?

Posture

-What posture do you use for someone who is bent over at the waist, but still standing (like this)? Is that in any of the books, or do you have to make something up? If so, what sort of changes to hit location penalties would you make, if any?

Judo Parry
-The rules say that Judo (and Karate) can make a bare-handed parry against a weapon at no penalty. Does this require he Judo guy to step into Close Combat, or can Parry an attack from a Reach 1 sword and remain in an adjacent hex? If so, how do you describe that? Most of the empty hand vs. weapon defenses I've learned in Eskrima deal with intercepting/deflecting the weapon arm, not the weapon itself (unless it's a thrust), which is likely to get you cut if someone is swinging a machete at your head.

Dodging and Parrying
I get that Dodge "skill" is innate and not trained while your Parry "skill" is based off of your melee combat skill level. But the rules state that a Parry does involve some sort of contact.

I've trained with guys who have a lot of boxing experience, and you can certainly tell that their training shows up in their skill at avoiding getting hit with bobs, weaves, and slips. I've talked to my players about house ruling that skilled unarmed fighters can make a non-contact parry to represent these sorts of defensive movements, but am I opening the door to more problems that I haven't foreseen?

For those who want a visual of what I am talking about, check out this video. The relevant part starts around 1:40.

Also, can you change facing after your successfully perform a retreating dodge?

Stunning & Knockdown
So by GURPS rules, Major Wounds, Crippling Limbs, and any damage to the Face, Eye, Skull, and Groin all force a HT roll to avoid Stunning. If the HT roll is failed, the target is Stunned AND automatically falls prone.

Are there any mechanics in GURPS for a Stun in unarmed or armed combat that does not result in falling prone? I've been kicked in the stomach hard enough to knock the wind out of me and "Stun" me for a few seconds in training, but it was easy to keep my feet. In addition, this is a common trope in cinema for the hero to be able to throw a stunning strike that momentarily dazes his opponent, but doesn't drop him prone.

I get that having an opponent who is stunned AND prone is tactically more valuable that one who is just stunned, but I'd like to know if there is a mechanic out there that would produce this affect and I've just missed it. Frankly, I've considered not having prone be part of the stun unless the strike that caused it hit the eye, the face, or the skull. Again, not sure how this would affect other things that I hadn't considering, so I'm asking the experts.

Riposte
-Can you use a Riposte on a Judo Parry and then on your turn perform a defensive Judo throw and the opponent suffers the Riposte penalty on his Active Defense?

That's all I have for now, though I'm sure I'll have a few more questions as we run more fight scenarios leading up to the actual game.

Thanks for any help you all can provide.

07-19-2015, 04:30 PM	#1
EskrimadorNC Join Date: Jul 2015	Need some help with hand-to-hand combat/Martial Arts Hello GURPites! I'm fairly new to GURPS and need some assistance from the experts on these boards. I'm working on a running a campaign for 2 players that will involve a lot of hand-to-hand fighting and close combat. One of my players is basing his character off of Rama from The Raid (Sample of his skills). Needless to say, this is going to be a bit of cinematic game. In preparation for the game, he and I have run several test combat scenarios both to familiarize us with the rules (We are using both Martial Arts and Technical Grappling and make sure we have a good understanding of the character's capabilities. In going through these fights, I ran into a number of situations that I couldn't find answers too in any of the books. Here they are: Rapid Strike: -What is the sequence? Attack roll 1, Def roll 1, dmg roll, etc, then Atk roll 2, Def roll 2, dmg roll, etc, or do you roll both attacks first, then both defenses, etc. -If the former, what happens if the first attack results in the opponent being prone or somehow out of reach for the 2nd attack? -Is the way you handle two attacks for a Rapid Strike (per above) the same for handling AoA: Double and/or Extra Attack? -In Martial Arts, the text mentions that when performing a Combination attack, if you use two different hands (i.e. Left Jab + Right Cross) then the Rapid Strike penalty is only -4 instead of -6. Does this only apply when using a purchased/improved Combination technique, or does it apply to any Rapid Strike if you are using different hands for each strike? What about doing a Rapid Strike with 1 punch and 1 kick, or two kicks with different legs? Grab and Smash -If you are attempting a Grab and Smash (Kiss the Wall), can you roll against Judo, or are you just limited to DX/Wrestling/Sumo Wrestling? -The Grab and Smash section in Martial Arts mentions grappling the head of a foe and pulling it down for a knee attack. Is the penalty for targeting the Face still a -5? Do you have to do something mechanically to pull the head down for a knee other than Grapple + Knee attack? -If I Grapple a Foe's torso with 1 hand and Karate punch him in the face, I can add the CP from the one-handed grab to my punch damage. Does that dynamic change at all if I grappled my Foe's Head instead of his torso? If not what is the motivation for grabbing the head if your goal is Grab & Smash? Posture -What posture do you use for someone who is bent over at the waist, but still standing (like this)? Is that in any of the books, or do you have to make something up? If so, what sort of changes to hit location penalties would you make, if any? Judo Parry -The rules say that Judo (and Karate) can make a bare-handed parry against a weapon at no penalty. Does this require he Judo guy to step into Close Combat, or can Parry an attack from a Reach 1 sword and remain in an adjacent hex? If so, how do you describe that? Most of the empty hand vs. weapon defenses I've learned in Eskrima deal with intercepting/deflecting the weapon arm, not the weapon itself (unless it's a thrust), which is likely to get you cut if someone is swinging a machete at your head. Dodging and Parrying I get that Dodge "skill" is innate and not trained while your Parry "skill" is based off of your melee combat skill level. But the rules state that a Parry does involve some sort of contact. I've trained with guys who have a lot of boxing experience, and you can certainly tell that their training shows up in their skill at avoiding getting hit with bobs, weaves, and slips. I've talked to my players about house ruling that skilled unarmed fighters can make a non-contact parry to represent these sorts of defensive movements, but am I opening the door to more problems that I haven't foreseen? For those who want a visual of what I am talking about, check out this video. The relevant part starts around 1:40. Also, can you change facing after your successfully perform a retreating dodge? Stunning & Knockdown So by GURPS rules, Major Wounds, Crippling Limbs, and any damage to the Face, Eye, Skull, and Groin all force a HT roll to avoid Stunning. If the HT roll is failed, the target is Stunned AND automatically falls prone. Are there any mechanics in GURPS for a Stun in unarmed or armed combat that does not result in falling prone? I've been kicked in the stomach hard enough to knock the wind out of me and "Stun" me for a few seconds in training, but it was easy to keep my feet. In addition, this is a common trope in cinema for the hero to be able to throw a stunning strike that momentarily dazes his opponent, but doesn't drop him prone. I get that having an opponent who is stunned AND prone is tactically more valuable that one who is just stunned, but I'd like to know if there is a mechanic out there that would produce this affect and I've just missed it. Frankly, I've considered not having prone be part of the stun unless the strike that caused it hit the eye, the face, or the skull. Again, not sure how this would affect other things that I hadn't considering, so I'm asking the experts. Riposte -Can you use a Riposte on a Judo Parry and then on your turn perform a defensive Judo throw and the opponent suffers the Riposte penalty on his Active Defense? That's all I have for now, though I'm sure I'll have a few more questions as we run more fight scenarios leading up to the actual game. Thanks for any help you all can provide.