Examples of 4e Combat

[Garion]

I have not finished reading all of these, but unluess I'm mistaken, in melee combat example 2 Zach gets hit in the arm for cutting damage after DR; I don't think you use the cutting damage multiplier on extremeties like arms and legs.

[Maz]

Originally Posted by Garion

I have not finished reading all of these, but unluess I'm mistaken, in melee combat example 2 Zach gets hit in the arm for cutting damage after DR; I don't think you use the cutting damage multiplier on extremeties like arms and legs.

You do (see page 399), it's about the only multiplier against limb that is effective. That's why people in the last 4000 years or more in general have gone around cutting each other arms and legs off. (Yes the RL follows the GURPS rules, didn't you know?) ;)

[DouglasCole]

Comment on Ranged 2:

You might want to consider changing this from a head-shot insta-kill to a chest shot.

Give him a bolt-action .338 a choice of ammo, and make him either a worse shot or farther away.

First shot to Vitals with AP ammo, done as he gets from front door to his car. 9d+1(2) will do 31 pts of damage to effective DR18. That's 13 penetrating, either x3 for vitals or x1/2 for pi- (from the AP). The x3 is probably a killing shot; the x1/2 is 6pts of damage, enough for a major wound.

alternately, you can make the first shot regular, hit the armor, and be stopped. The DR23 trauma plates are penetrated, but the DR12 vest is not. If the roll was kinda-good (say, 34pts instead of an average 31), one could rule that since 10pts of damage was stopped by the flexible tactical vest, one point of blunt trauma damage was suffered. (p. B379)

Then the guy has to reload, and he selects an AP bullet, and whammies the guy to the torso through a car window or something.

[AstralRunner]

If such an example were to be created, it should be separate from the existing one. I like it as is, because it is short and to the point, that point being that rifle combat in GURPS can kill you very quickly.

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Close Combat 2 / Turn 2:

Shouldn't Red be doing more than 1d+2 damage (listed as his normal kick above) if he dropped 1 FP on a Mighty Blow?

[mook]

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

Close Combat 2 / Turn 2:

Shouldn't Red be doing more than 1d+2 damage (listed as his normal kick above) if he dropped 1 FP on a Mighty Blow?

Oops, absolutely right - thank you! Fixed.

[DouglasCole]

Mook,

One more comment on the tactics in Close Combat 2, Judo vs Karate.

Once Arthur has Zach thrown, he jumps in and goes for a neck grapple, then applies a Neck Snap.

Looking at Arthur's stats (as a player should do), with ST12, DX16, and Judo-20, he's not going to choose grappling maneuvers that work off of his ST. In most cases, whatever technique is being applied is resisted by the better of ST or HT, and maybe even ST, HT, DX, or the best skill!

So, Arthur will normally choose techniques that do their effects based preferentially on Judo, DX, and ST in that order.

In this particular case, even if he wants to really do Zach in, the technique he's looking for should be based on Judo. Choke Hold in Martial Arts allows it to be applied from the front; as a GM it's your call if you allow a stunned guy who's prone to resist Arthur's jumping on him and applying a Choke Hold! Another technique that you could use is Arm Lock, which Arthur can use by grappling Zach's arm and then applying the lock at a significant advantage. This one's in Basic. Arthur goes prone and Grapples Zach's limb in turn 6. Arthur can expect to win the QC for Arm Lock by an average of 6. This will inflict 6 points of crushing damage to Zach's arm. He can do it again the next turn, crippling the arm. Assuming Zach doesn't pass out or something, Arthur should acquire the OTHER arm, or somehow roll to acquire the neck, and go for a Judo-based choke, or spend two turns to cripple the other arm. the choke is the most realistically lethal technique available in detail in Basic, I think.

Using Martial Arts, there's an explicit Eye Gouging technique that is based off of Judo; there's no reason you can't target the eyes ANYWAY and try and inflict some damage, even with Basic Set.

[DouglasCole]

One more from Close Combat 2:

Zach chooses his Hit Location: Face/Kick when he's on the ground with his neck grappled, and scores a hit on Arthur.

Having just tried a bunch of situations with my wife (who happens to also be the same rank as me in martial arts), I don't see how a person who's prone and grappled (in GURPS terms, it means someone's achieved pretty solid control of the neck/head area) by the head can pull off a kick to the face.

I can see a Knee Strike working to the head, but not really a boot. From mount position, done properly, I could hardly get my foot to my wife's face, and I'm BENDY. From side mount, same thing. From upper side (again, her advantage), someone even more flexible than I am might be able to get it, but again more likely a knee strike then an actual kick.

Seems like some sort of defense bonus should be allowed for having this kind of control over someone. Still, not RAW, but it seems a lot easier to parry somoene's attacks when, in GURPS terms, you've successfully achieved a large measure of control over their body parts.

[mook]

I'm not very happy with Close Combat Two, will probably rewrite big chunks of it tomorrow. The kick to the face does seem a bit generous for someone prone and stunned lol, not sure what I was smoking there - though it doesn't actually seem illegal by RAW, I'll probably just change it to a punch to sidestep the issue altogether.

I could tell the Neck Snap wasn't exactly optimal for Arthur's low-strength Judo, but went with it anyway - but an Arm Lock sounds a lot better (pretty vicious actually!), I'll go with that. (Choke Hold would be even better maybe, but it's a bit fuzzy how Arthur would get behind Zach etc., I'm trying to keep things as absolutely black and white as possible).

One question on Judo throws though - I assumed, and wrote the example as, once you grapple and throw someone, you lose the grapple, but I can't find an explicit mention either way. I know I've seen Judo throws where the target remains held even on the ground, so I'm not sure how to "rule" in the examples.

[griffin]

Originally Posted by mook

Howdy Folks -

Dismayed by the lack of full GURPS 4th edition combat examples, I've started a little project of my own to fill the niche, for the benefit of myself and others. The more feedback and corrections I can get the better, so feel free to look 'em over and point out the mistakes I've made (of which I'm sure there are plenty) - it would be much appreciated.

Suggestions as well as corrections welcome - the page is at:

http://www.themook.net/rpg/examples


Thanks!

This is a great idea. I'd be most interested in cinematic combat examples. Whenever GURPS Action! gets written, I'd like to see it contain a few good cinematic combat examples - one fantasy, one modern/supernatural, and at least one SF.