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Old 06-20-2017, 09:16 AM   #1
Dexion
 
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Default Swiss Army Knife

Hi folks.

A quick question, where I can find the stat and rules for the Swiss Army Knife?
I don't find it in the Basic. And Swiss knives exist in many formats, can some serve as weapons and with what profile?

Thanks.
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Old 06-20-2017, 09:52 AM   #2
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Default Re: Swiss Army Knife

High-Tech page 26. Multi-function knife. It can function as improvised equipment for most tasks and basic equipment for very simple jobs. McGuyver obviously had equipment bond for his.

There's also an entry for the Leatherman multi-tool there.
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Old 06-21-2017, 09:11 PM   #3
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Default Re: Swiss Army Knife

McGyver does things with his I would never want to trust to any of mine ignoring the question of whether it is theoretically possible or whether I am a good enough engineer to do it. Those things can cost dozens of dollars and while an international crime-fighter might make enough money I sure don't. MacGyver's knife isn't just a classic, it is probably at least a Huntsman(like both of my Swiss')and probably a Champ. Aside from the fact that you just can't go through them like tissue paper, they would be likely to break in the things he does and I wouldn't want to trust my life to them using them for that. They are good knives, don't get me wrong, but they are simply to small to do things like leveraging whole pipes and what not and they would break if anyone seriously tried.
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Old 06-21-2017, 09:36 PM   #4
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Default Re: Swiss Army Knife

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dexion View Post
Hi folks.

A quick question, where I can find the stat and rules for the Swiss Army Knife?
I don't find it in the Basic. And Swiss knives exist in many formats, can some serve as weapons and with what profile?

Thanks.
Any knife can serve as a weapon because anything can serve as a weapon. Nonetheless it is hard for me to imagine a swiss being a very good one and at least one fighting instructor on the internet that I read agreed. If I was to do so the best way to do it would be to use the large blade for a stealth assassination slicing the neck from behind. The large blade is about three inches in a Huntsman and well suited for the job if you can get close enough without being spotted. Of course I am not a hit man nor a commando and if I was I would want to use some other technique that was less chancy. If I was to use it in a fight I would want to either use the large blade as a dagger(which has disadvantages as it is single edged limiting it's thrust), or one technique suggested which is actually pretty interesting and hold it horizontal to the opponent extend the reamer to use as a push dagger. Of course their would be little time to pry it open unlike with a sheath knife(which can just be pulled out) and the using the reamer as an adjunct to your fist is not much more useful then just using your fist and will get more felony counts then the mild advantage justifies. The reamer used that way WILL tear up someones face pretty bad if that is what is desired and if aimed at the eye can destroy it permanently. However it is doubtful that this will be useful enough in short-term self defense as your goal is presumably to subjugate your opponent not to spite him. Neither cutting up his face nor gouging his eye can be counted on to do that but only to make the rest of his life more unpleasant. It might break his will, in fact has a strong probability of doing so; or it might just make him more determined to get even. But techniques which aim at the ability to fight are to be considered especially as it is an honorable thing as well as a prudent thing to subdue an enemy with little damage.

A Swiss Army Knife is a tool. A very good tool and by the way a very aesthetically pleasing one. But take care not to overdue it's qualities.
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Old 06-21-2017, 11:32 PM   #5
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Default Re: Swiss Army Knife

Used to great effect by Alabama against Virgil in "True Romance" :)

(well, that, a toilet lid, an aerosol can and lighter, and a shotgun)
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Old 06-22-2017, 05:59 AM   #6
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Default Re: Swiss Army Knife

Quote:
Originally Posted by jason taylor View Post
... The large blade is about three inches in a Huntsman and well suited for the job if you can get close enough without being spotted. ...
In the Third Edition rules (at least, in GURPS Traveller), a three-inch blade was treated as a Small Knife. Did that carry over to Fourth Edition?
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Old 06-22-2017, 08:44 AM   #7
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Default Re: Swiss Army Knife

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Originally Posted by robkelk View Post
In the Third Edition rules (at least, in GURPS Traveller), a three-inch blade was treated as a Small Knife. Did that carry over to Fourth Edition?
If it does a Huntsman does indeed count as a Small Knife.

Another reason I would not want to use it in a fight is that the mechanism is so elaborate that you just can't afford blood getting into it. My brother by contrast has a hollow-hilt, fixed-blade, survival knife with a compass-pommel(I wouldn't mind having one myself though the next knife I intend to order is a carabiner knife with a pretty heavy carabiner-hilt and some fairly conventional tools including an LED; I intend to hook my keys and several knives and fobs on it and perhaps a wallet making a very elaborate multi-multitool) . My brother's knife is an impressive thing and definitely could be used for fighting, or for game butchering which has some of the same demands in the material worked with though obviously there are no tactical considerations. In any event there is no chance of clogging it with blood though one is advised to wash it before sheathing obviously.

I mostly use my knife for opening packages and aside from the fact that getting to use it is fun, it is really useful for that. It can also help in flattening boxes as you can cut the tape with a good slice of the blade or a few clips of the scissors, and make enough of a dent with the saw to give leverage if you want to tear it into chunks. For more exciting things like actual fieldwork lots of realistic uses can be found. Snares can be made with it as can booby traps for people(there used to be an old technique of tieing a line to two grenades so that an enemy who trips it will make it go off; it is probably still used wherever they use grenades with compatible triggers). Tinder can be shaven from wood. I don't know if it is tough enough to make scrimshaw but it can make wood art and that is likely to be an adventurers hobby. I believe some models come with wire cutters which a soldier is likely to find useful and a mundane can opener gets into rations while the screw driver can help maintaining a rifle, though my screwdriver seems to be mainly a bump on the can opener. Some models of Swiss Army Knives or similar non-victorinox copycats are made to specialize in computer repair and others in bicycle repair; several here will want one for that. One cool innovation has been to put a flash drive in; I have one in one of my knives but it is not a swiss.
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Old 06-22-2017, 10:02 AM   #8
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Default Re: Swiss Army Knife

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hellboy View Post
Was the toilet lid an improvised shield?
Uh-uh, melee weapon. It basically went, "swiss army corkscrew to the top of the foot, ceramic bust to the back of the head, shampoo jammed in the eyes, toilet lid also to the back of the head, set on fire with hairspray and lighter, swiss army corkscrew again to the shoulder blades, and finally a point-blank shotgun blast."

Virgil had a very bad day. NPCs should know better than to lay hands on PCs. :)
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Old 06-22-2017, 11:03 AM   #9
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Default Re: Swiss Army Knife

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Nonetheless it is hard for me to imagine a swiss being a very good one and at least one fighting instructor on the internet that I read agreed.
I think the best model for this purpose is the Alpineer - Cheap (for a large multiknife) because it has a very short list of features, includes a blade lock so you're "unlikely" to cut your fingers off (I won't say impossible) and a blade slightly over 4".

However, this is still a Small Knife, the grip is not designed for fighting, and I would live in TERROR of the blade folding up on my fingers. Frankly I'd rather pick up a stick and hit someone with it.
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Old 06-22-2017, 11:59 AM   #10
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Default Re: Swiss Army Knife

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Originally Posted by Bruno View Post
However, this is still a Small Knife, the grip is not designed for fighting, and I would live in TERROR of the blade folding up on my fingers. Frankly I'd rather pick up a stick and hit someone with it.
The best use of a Swiss Army knife is to sharpen said stick probably.
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