[MA] Best dirty-fighting style for a callous weakling?

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Molokh

Now, sucker punches are what I'm most interested in, which is why I mentioned the Nutcracker Technique and dirty fighting in general. But I have a hard time coming up with versatile, numerous dirty tricks. I assume there's somebody more knowledgeable than me on the issue. :)

Who's the GM? Would s/he be amenable to adjucating effects not explicitly found in the rulebooks?

Many hits that end fights in the real world do not do anywhere near crippling damage in GURPS terms. The thing that ends the fight is pain, suprise, fear or momentary stunning.

In GURPS terms, this would be handled by Fright Checks and/or the GM adjucating (possibly by means of Will checks) that someone isn't prepared to fight on after taking one hard hit.

For example, a hard punch in the stomach might not do any HP damage in GURPS terms (there's no lasting harm and in a few minutes, the person is fine), but it might cause someone to be incapacitated for a few seconds due to pain and loss of breath. In my games, I'd call for a Will check (with modifiers for the Shock penalty of the hit, High/Low Pain Threshold and a variety of other Adventages or Disadvantages that might be applicable) and a failure might cause Mental Stun.

Allowing for mental incapacitation removes the unrealistic effect of all fistfights ending with someone severely injured (that's not to say it's not always possible, just that it doesn't happen every single time).

Regardless of whether your GM would be willing to consider such rules, the major thing to keep in mind is striking before the other person knows there is combat going on.

A couple of examples:

While you're still talking to someone you think you need to harm, tell the GM that your character will use Acting to move into position to attack while Evaluating. Then, before combat time starts, do an All-Out Attack (Double) to grapple and knee strike to the groin. The grapple is at Skill+0 and the Knee Strike, since you've grappled him from the front, is at no penalty as well. Add to that the -2 penalty to defend for him for the Knee Strike (as well as the -4 penalty for surprise) and the +2 damage bonus you get for having grappled him in the same turn, and you're looking at a pretty sweet bonus. Even a ST 8 weakling gets 1d damage from a blow like this, as long as you've got Brawling at DX+2. And even if he doesn't keel over right away, you've still got him grappled and he's probably still mentally stunned. Repeat as necessary.

Remember the pen and pencil. They're improvised Knives and with a single Perk, anything vaguely stabby that you pick up can be used as a Knife at no skill penalty. In general, improvised knives don't parry well, so don't be afraid to use Reverse Grip for that vital +1 damage. And if you can, grab your opponent before you stab him, since that gives a +2 damage. There's a reason for why you're taught to grab the sentry before driving your knife home into his throat, it's because it allows you to thrust deeper and with more control.

Arm Lock is ST-independent. Never forget that. It's going to be your best method of crippling a foe. And while it looks tempting to raise Judo and go on the defensive, consider instead that you can perform Arm Lock with any weapon, such as an improvised Knife or Shortsword. Or a dedicated weapon version of such. Yep, that's right, that retractable ASP you keep in your pocket can be used to bust joints as well as heads.

Stealth. Evaluate. Telegraphic All-Out Attack from his rear when he hasn't spotted you. Use something heavy and unbalanced, such as a 9 lbs. fire extinguisher (Two-Handed Axe/Mace, probably around sw+3, or 1d+1 for you) and aim for his Skull. Sure, you'll be at a -2 to skill for the MinST and -5 for Skull from behind, but the +4 for Telegraphic will go some way toward fixing that and if you need, you can AoA (Determined). If you think you can hit without it, AoA (Double) allows you to really brain him good.

The Intimidate skill is a good investment. Sure, you'll look like a fool when trying it before a fight, but that's not what you'll use it for. What you'll do is buy the Flourish (Brawling) Perk and Intimidate the living daylights out of people after you've brutally kneed their friends in the gonads. Be sure of describing what it is you do. I suggest a vigorous pelvic thrust and perhaps a threat of same-sex sexual violence towards them, but what do I know?

The Holdout skill is your friend. Remember, after you palm the roll of quarters or slip that screwdriver into your sleeve, you need some way to hide it before you introduce it to the body of your foolish enemies (and coincidentally introduce them to a world of hurt). You might want to couple it with Scrounging and Filching, for maximum palming effect.

And finally, always remember that the best time to hit an enemy is when he's down. That's why god, Kromm and Martial Arts gave us the Stamp Kick. Learn it. Master it. Use it with All-Out Attack (Strong) if there's no other enemy within reach. Good targets are the joints of his legs (so he won't stand up again), the joints of his arms or his hand (so he won't be able to hurt you if he does get up again) or his neck, head or skull (so he'll never get up again).