Viable fighter using only claws and teeth?

[Gef]

Originally Posted by lexington

Don't overload on Striking ST, you'll want the extra HP and general utility that comes with proper ST.

Absolutely, and I didn't mean to imply otherwise, but after you get a nice level of ST, you still need Striking ST to get thrust damage from claws/teeth to parity with swing damage that swords do. In this, you're helped by the fact that the bonus from Karate (and Strikers and Long Talons) scales with damage dice.

GEF

[Gef]

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

The biggest limitation for a bestial fighter is going to be defenses: brawling can't parry weapons

There are ways to address this: 1) Be a dodgin' fool; 2) armor your strikers like crazy; 3) wheedle your GM for the cinematic perk Rules Exemption. After he says no, take the enhancement Cosmic on your Claws to bypass this one of their usual drawbacks. But if he says yes, push your luck and ask him for Extra Option: Bulletproof Nudity!

GEF

[Gef]

Originally Posted by Langy

Get Karate and the Skill Adaptation (Brawling to Karate) perk, so you can get your +2 damage/die with your claws and teeth.

Not necessary for Claws and Strikers. Use Biting Mastery for teeth, unless you buy your teeth as a Striker.

GEF

[Langy]

Originally Posted by Gef

Not necessary for Claws and Strikers. Use Biting Mastery for teeth, unless you buy your teeth as a Striker.

GEF

Yes, it is. You can not use claws with Karate by default. It's right there in the skill description. Brawling only provides a +1 damage bonus per die - Karate gets you another +1/die.

[Gef]

Originally Posted by Langy

Yes, it is. You can not use claws with Karate by default. It's right there in the skill description. Brawling only provides a +1 damage bonus per die - Karate gets you another +1/die.

See GURPS Martial Arts, p. 57, last paragraph. -GEF

[Fwibos]

I built a character like this once:

Heres' some ideas:

I like the mobility aspect. A high Basic Speed, Move, and Enhanced Dodge will help quit a bit. Combat reflexes is essential (All fighters should take it).

Trained by a Master is also good for the bonuses it gives you:

To help with Parrying, Take DR: Tough Skin 1, Iron Arms, and DR 2 (Tough Skin -40, Arms only -20%) That will prevent you from hurting your hands striking hard armor. If allowed more DR, go for it. DR 5-10 will do wonders for you

Ablative DR can represent "general toughness" Striking ST and Ablative Dr will probably do OK in a setting without armor divisors

As for claws:
I thought long and hard on this when I made a character. yes, a fine knife is just as good as your claws. However, Powers and a amicable GM provide a solution:

Innate Attack +2 cutting (St Based +100%, Melee, C, 1 -20%, Magical -10% Alternate 1/5)
(2 points)
And another impaling with the same modifiers (9)

For 11 points you have claws.
Now, this may not seem like a good build, but:
1) You can increase the damage cheaper than using Striking ST
2) you can add modifiers. My favorite is Amror Divisor. Slice through Armor as if it weren't there.

That was the munchkin in me, sorry.

One last thing. If you have enough points, Altered Time Rate 1 will make you a monster in combat. All out attack the first action and all-out-defense the second.

[Gef]

Originally Posted by Fwibos

My favorite is Amror Divisor. Slice through Armor as if it weren't there.

Assuming you come up with an in-game justification for why claws and teeth penetrate metal plates better than a warhammer, you've still gotta pay for the modifier based on your dice of damage, which is affordable with 300 but not trivial.

[Langy]

Originally Posted by Gef

Assuming you come up with an in-game justification for why claws and teeth penetrate metal plates better than a warhammer, you've still gotta pay for the modifier based on your dice of damage, which is affordable with 300 but not trivial.

Considering he has about three dice of damage, it is pretty close to trivial. That's only 15 points for a (3) armor divisor.

[Bokker]

I'm not particularly concerned with doing tremendous damage with any one attack, but two of my major concerns were getting through potentially significant armor and being able to parry/block/generally defend against decent weapons without getting bits and pieces lopped off for my trouble. Or having said bits and pieces lopped off if someone decides to defend against my own attacks.

Reasons I don't want to tread into screaming, spin-kicking monk territory are because 1) it's not really fitting for the concept (which is basically a foaming-at-the-mouth killing machine who doesn't think the job is done until various chunks of his enemies are decorating the landscape, most of said chunks having been spit out of his mouth) and 2) we already have a monk-like martial artist character, and I don't want to step on his sandalled toes too badly by breaking out with "it's your schtick, but with nibbly teeth!"

Another thing I should probably note is that the GM, while experienced as a GM in general, is also fairly new to GURPS. I don't want to spring too much complexity on him with the character, and he doesn't have the experience with GURPS to really examine and say 'no' to aggressive "Hey, would you let me take *this* for my d00d? It's really nifty, I swear." I don't want to prey on his inexperience.

All that said, I am very much liking many of the suggestions that have come up in this thread. Thank you.

[Gef]

Originally Posted by Langy

Considering he has about three dice of damage, it is pretty close to trivial. That's only 15 points for a (3) armor divisor.

Net damage 3d at base 8 per die times 100% yields 24 for Divisor 3 on impaling, plus 21/5 for the cutting option, for 30 points total, a tenth of the nominated starting total, unless I misunderstand the rules for modifying ST-based damage, which I well may since I rarely take this approach.

Buying a die of impaling damage and an alternate for cutting with the ST-based enhancement costs about 16 points; buying enough Striking ST for a die of thrust damage with a natural weapon costs 16, so in that respect, they're cost-comparable. However, the ST-based enhancement entitles you to Swing damage, which is definitely better than claws and strikers for strong characters. However, these attacks do not benefit from Karate's bonus of +2 damage per die. In conjunction with a bonus from a striker, or blunt claws or long talons, the bonus of +3 per die nearly doubles damage, placing it on par with swing, although a Weapon Master who gets a damage bonus with a swung weapon still hurts worse.

GEF