The "Fastball Special"

[Bruno]

A number of super groups including a Big Guy and a Small Guy (both ground-bound melee characters) have some variation on the "fastball special" move when faced with a flying character with ranged attacks that normally neither hero can reach: the Big Guy throws the Small Guy at the flyer, and the small guy either tackles/grapples and pulls the flying character to the ground where they can both beat on him, or collides with the flyer and murders him to death with a melee attack that normally couldn't reach him.

Our Dungeon Fantasy group includes a minotaur and a dwarf (Both melee characters), and we faced a bunch of gargoyles with thrown weapons and dropped rocks last night. Naturally, our thoughts turned to the Fastball Special.

Our GM tentatively OK'd us working on a Fastball-Special-Type-Move, so here I am, musing about it in public looking for feedback and ideas.

First, this seems to demand the Teamwork perk (Martial Arts p 52) as its foundation. If this isn't an example of X-treme Teamwork (tm) I don't know what is.

Assumption: A Fastball Special can only be executed after "Forming Up" as per Teamwork - this covers the obvious requirement of everyone getting into place, which is nice. It also puts the two characters on the same initiative, which is also nice - avoids problems of the thrown PC acting out of turn and etc.

1) The Big Guy needs to pick up the Small Guy (duh) and then throw him. The only obvious skill involved I can see here is Throwing, which may require an All Out Attack Dual to pick up and chuck in the same turn.

Slightly more sanely, it could be a one round Ready action to pick up (while the Small Guy Readies or Changes Posture or something to co-operate), plus a second action being an All Out Attack: Determined. The base Throwing technique is thus:

"Fastball Hurl": Attack (+0), Comitted Attack: Determined (+2) or All Out Attack: Determined (+4) with the Throwing skill. All Thrown weapons need you to Ready something before hurling it, so I don't think one turn of setup is in itself a limitation - but not being able to Step while set up for the attack seems to be a Special Drawback (+1).
There is the Special Drawback that you and your hurlee must have compatible Teamwork Perks and be in formation (+1)
There is a Special Benefit of being able to use the +2 or +4 from a Determined attack on your requisite Will-based Throwing Roll for Extra Throwing Effort (-1) which costs the usual FP, and a second Special Benefit that an Extra Effort roll is merged into the normal (DX based) Throwing roll to hock your ally (-1). This is always for a fixed +20% to effective ST for throwing (-4). Because the extra effort roll is rolled into the attack roll, failure and critical failure have the same penalties as failing and critically failing extra effort (FP lost, on a critical fail take 1 damage, on an 18 get Bad Back) (0, natural effect of combining the two). Total technique penalty is -4, and the final roll enjoys the usual bonus from Committed Attack: Determined or All Out Attack: Determined.

The usual Throwing distance rules should be used here, making sure not to forget the effective +4 ST. Throwing damage should possibly be ignored as the victim^H^H^H^H^H^HFastball is colliding with the target, possibly edged-weapon-first, and can use the normal Slam system to handle that as needed.

2) The Small Guy appears to be performing a variation on either a Flying Tackle (Basic set page B374) or a Flying Lunge (Martial Arts page 83).

For a "Hurling Tackle" try this: It's a Move and Attack based on a Flying Tackle (+4) with the Special Benefit of being able to add Standing Jump distance to hurling distance (-1), the Special Drawback of needing you and your hurler to have compatible Teamwork perks and be in Formation (+1), -2 to Block (-4) for being literally a very large projectile, and +2 slam damage (or +1 per die if better) (-4) for a total -4. Usual +1 to Reach and automatic falldown for a Flying Tackle apply, which can be An Issue depending on how high you got thrown into the air, as well as the usual Move and Attack penalties..

For a "Hurling Lunge": it's a Flying Lunge (-4) with the Special Benefit of being able to make a Standing Jump instead of a running one (-1), the Special Benefit of adding Hurling distance to your Standing Jump distance (-1), the Special Drawback of must be In Formatino with your Hurler (+1), and the Special Benefit of not being restricted to Thrusting weapon (-1). The usual risk of falling on your face applies (with the added hazard of height and possibly better Movement), as well as the usual Move and Attack side effects. Total -6.

[Bruno]

So the final technique writeups might look like this:

Fastball Specials
Hurl Team-Mate
Default: Throwing-4
Prerequisite Skill: Throwing
Prerequisite Perk: Teamwork
You boost a team-mate into the air at an out-of-reach enemy, with dangerous results! This technique can only be used with the Attack, Comitted Attack: Determined, or All Out Attack: Determined maneuvers.
You and your team-mate must already be in Formation, as per the Teamwork Perk, to use this technique. You must also have both hands free, and must first spend a turn Readying to give your team-mate a "boosting step" (or outright picking up your team-mate as an actual thrown weapon, if you're strong enough). You cannot move once readied, and must take the Ready maneuver each turn until you Hurl your Team-Mate, or you loose your Ready to Hurl status and must reReady again.
You and your team-mate must agree which foe is being targeted for both your action and their action. Treat a disagreement as an automatic failure on both techniques - but roll anyways to check if there is a critical failure instead!
Once you are Readied, your team-mate declares which technique they will use with you, and you spend an FP and roll vs your Hurl Team-Mate technique, with a +2 if you Comitted Attacked, and +4 if you Determined Attacked. If you succeed, you Throw them towards an out of reach enemy with an effective +20% to ST, setting them up for a Hurling Tackle (realistic) or Hurling Lunge (cinematic) technique of their own. They add their own Standing Jump distance to your throwing distance, as per the Hurling Tackle and Hurling Lunge techniques.
If you fail, they get no boost and only go their Standing Jump distance. This may cause them to be entirely out of reach of the foe, which causes them to automatically miss and suffer the usual drawbacks of missing on the appropriate technique.
If you critically fail, they fall short as per a regular failure, and you take a point of damage as you pull a muscle. If you roll a natural 18, you must also make an immediate HT roll or really YANK something, and suffer the Bad Back disadvantage (handle recovery as per Duration of Crippling Injuries, p 422).

Hurling Tackle
Default: Prerequisite Skill-4
Prerequisite Skill: Brawling or Jumping; cannot exceed prerequisite skill.
Prerequisite Perk: Teamwork
Your team-mate boosts you into the air at an out-of-reach enemy, flinging you for extra distance and a powerful Slam attack!
This technique can only be used with Move and Attack, All out Attack: Strong or All out Attack: Determined; replace the normal rules with the rules below. If you use this technique, it's all you can do for that turn, no matter how fast or skilled you are.
You and your team-mate must already be in Formation, as per the Teamwork Perk, to use this technique. You must also have at least two legs and one arm free, and your team-mate must be Readied to hurl you, as per the Hurl Team-Mate technique (above).
You and your team-mate must agree which foe is being targeted for both your action and their action. Treat a disagreement as an automatic failure on both techniques - but roll anyways to check if there is a critical failure instead!
Once your team-mate uses the Hurl Team-Mate technique to launch you, you roll vs DX or Jumping to make a Standing Jump and add your jump distance to your team-mates Hurl distance to find your total movement for the turn. Gain an extra yard of Reach for this attack (as per Flying Tackle), then at the end of your jump, roll against your skill with this technique to hit.
Your foe has -2 to Block this dramatic slam attack! If you hit, resolve as a regular Slam, but you gain +2 to Slam damage (or +1 per die, whichever is higher).
Whether you succeed or fail, you fall down in the same hex as your foe (and take falling damage at an effective Move equal to the full distance of your hurl and jump if your foe was not standing on the ground!) Afterward, you cannot retreat. Moreover, you cannot dodge if you kicked or parry if you used a weapon. All of your remaining active defenses are at -2 (plus penalties for being prone). These effects last until your next turn.
If you use this technique with an All Out Attack Strong or All Out Attack Determined, you sacrifice all your defenses, but may add the usual damage or skill bonus to your use of this technique!

Hurling Lunge (cinematic technique)
Default: Prerequisite Skill-6
Prerequisite Skill: Any weapon skill; cannot exceed prerequisite skill-2.
Prerequisite Perk: Teamwork
Your team-mate boosts you into the air at an out-of-reach enemy, flinging you for extra distance and a powerful weapon attack!
This technique can only be used with Move and Attack; replace the normal rules with the rules below. If you use this technique, it's all you can do for that turn, no matter how fast or skilled you are.
You and your team-mate must already be in Formation, as per the Teamwork Perk, to use this technique. Your team-mate must be Readied to hurl you, as per the Hurl Team-Mate technique (above).
You and your team-mate must agree which foe is being targeted for both your action and their action. Treat a disagreement as an automatic failure on both techniques - but roll anyways to check if there is a critical failure instead!
Once your team-mate uses the Hurl Team-Mate technique to launch you, you roll vs Jumping to make a Standing Jump and add your jump distance to your team-mates Hurl distance to find your total movement for the turn. At the end of your jump, roll against your skill with this technique to hit.
Your victim parries at -2. If you hit, you inflict your usual damage at +2 – or at +1 per die, if better.
Afterward, you drop to the ground and cannot retreat. Moreover, you cannot parry with your weapon. All of your remaining active defenses are at -2. These effects last until your next turn.
This technique is dangerous! If you fail the roll for your jump or your attack – or if your target successfully defends – you fall prone unless you can make a DX-8 or Acrobatics-4 roll.
Succeed or fail, if your foe is above ground level, you fall and suffer damage for a collision with an immovable object (the ground) at an effective Move equal to the full distance of your hurl and jump!

[Dunadin777]

Very nice write-up, Bruno. I think you've done a great job of quantifying the concept, and I'd feel comfortable using this to represent this common entry in the X-men playbook.

[Witchking]

Supers or No I would just like to say...

"Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow."

Thank you. That is all.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Bruno

The Small Guy appears to be performing a variation on either a Flying Tackle (Basic set page B374) or a Flying Lunge (Martial Arts page 83).

For actual supers, the Human Missile technique on p. 38 of GURPS Supers will sometimes apply.

Human Missile is based on Acrobatics or Jumping; you might consider allowing the Small Guy's attack to be based on Acrobatics.

Bill Stoddard

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Witchking

Supers or No I would just like to say...

"Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow."

Thank you. That is all.

You really want a regenerator as your projectile. Also, a Stop Hit against the projectile would be TERRIBLE. And funny.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by whswhs

For actual supers, the Human Missile technique on p. 38 of GURPS Supers will sometimes apply.

Human Missile is based on Acrobatics or Jumping; you might consider allowing the Small Guy's attack to be based on Acrobatics.

Ooo. Good point! It certainly seems like a good combo. Would you make make being hurled an alternative to the usual requirements for flight, super jumping, etc.? Seems like it could substitute, at least if the hurler was strong enough.

[Bruno]

I've made an edit, I realized I wrote +4 to ST, when it's actually supposed to be +20%

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Bruno

Ooo. Good point! It certainly seems like a good combo. Would you make make being hurled an alternative to the usual requirements for flight, super jumping, etc.? Seems like it could substitute, at least if the hurler was strong enough.

Oh, absolutely. In the supers campaign that playtested GURPS Supers, the telekinetic took to hurling the invulnerable woman with his enormous telekinetic force powers. Really, super jumping and super throwing have exactly the same scaling and conceptual base; jumping is just using your leg muscles to throw yourself, after all.

Bill Stoddard

[Bruno]

I'm thinking, for less Super games, two strong guys could probably co-operate on the hurling, adding BL together to determine effective ST before calculating the +20% bonus for Extra Effort. I'm not sure how you'd determine who's technique to roll against though - just the lower of the two?