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

[Kuba]

Originally Posted by EskrimadorNC

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.

Awesome.

Originally Posted by EskrimadorNC

-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.

Attack roll 1, defence roll 1, attack roll 2, etc.

Imagine a one-two punch, where the first staggers the boxer, leaving them open to the second punch. It'd hardly be fair to ignore the effect of the first punch on the second defence.

Originally Posted by EskrimadorNC

-If the former, what happens if the first attack results in the opponent being prone or somehow out of reach for the 2nd attack?

Depending on how it happens. Mechanically (by the rules), all attacks will go through. If my first punch knocks my opponent down, it won't happen instantaneously. Plus, given that I'm a trained martial artist, my follow-up attack will be able to compensate for the fact that my opponent might retreat, or fall, or any number of things.

Originally Posted by EskrimadorNC

-Is the way you handle two attacks for a Rapid Strike (per above) the same for handling AoA: Double and/or Extra Attack?

Yes.

Originally Posted by EskrimadorNC

-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?

They are describing a Dual-Weapon Attack, which yes, is -4 instead of -6. And so long as you use two different limbs to attack, it qualifies.

Originally Posted by EskrimadorNC

-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?

It wouldn't fit in the traditional use of Judo (gracefully using your opponent's force against them), but I'd allow it with a Technique Adaptation perk.

Originally Posted by EskrimadorNC

-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?

The penalty is still -5 (after all, your opponent won't just let you drag their face down), but you can spend CP to reduce that to up to -2. And mechanically, no, it's just a Grapple + Knee Strike to Face.

Originally Posted by EskrimadorNC

-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?

According to Martial Arts, you must grapple the area you intend to strike for a Grab and Smash.

Originally Posted by EskrimadorNC

-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?

Standing, or crouching. The attacker is standing to the victim's side hex, so he's at -2 to defend, and must Wild Swing to attack. And that's an arm lock with a solid amount of control (near max CP), so the victim is not going to be fighting back any time soon.

Originally Posted by EskrimadorNC

-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.

Describe it as the defender ducking under the majority of the swing, and then using their straightened arm to guide the blade over their head. If the defender is wearing any sort of armour, you can say the blade harmless skids over the protective gear. If not, a bit of blood drips down the arm, as the blade connects with bits of skin along the arm, but the defender comes out (relatively) unharmed.

Originally Posted by EskrimadorNC

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?

You're allowing for unarmed parries when grappling with both hands, which probably won't be game-breaking. It'll probably fit well with the fast-paced martial arts action, and makes grappling viable against multiple opponents.

Originally Posted by EskrimadorNC

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

So this definitely dodging. He's retreating for +3, he's all-out defending for +2, his opponent is telegraphing, both by telling him how he'll attack (punching, no grappling or kicking), and by telling him where he'll attack (face), which adds another +2, for a total of +7. For an average person, that's a dodge of 15. Combined with the fact that he's facing people who aren't skilled boxers, they're probably rolling against a 9 to hit his face. Hence why he ends up relatively untouched.

Originally Posted by EskrimadorNC

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

By RAW, you may change facing by one hex-side.

Originally Posted by EskrimadorNC

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.

Look at Ear Clap, in Martial Arts on p. 70.

Originally Posted by EskrimadorNC

-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?

Yes, and you should.