Making Binding work like a Bolas

[oneofmanynameless]

I've been kinda feeling like there should be a modifier for Binding that makes it work like a Bolas, particularly including (but not limited too if I'm forgetting some of the special bolas rules):
- It does not root the target in place unless it successfully entangles the legs
- The target can take it off with a few (3) seconds of action as long as they've got both hands free.
- It can be used to disarm people by targeting their hands

Any ideas how you'd price that modifier? the first two parts are definitely limiters but the third point is a pretty nice option.

Edit: My first instinct is to call each of the first two points a -10% limitation and to call the disarm a +20% enhancer so the whole thing becomes a feature.

[Plane]

One thing I find strange about the B410 rules is how there's this skill v strength context if your arm gets hit to avoid dropping what you're holding.

I can sort of understand that if you're hitting the weapon itself (leverages it out of the hand possibly) though less so about hitting the hand, much less hitting the arm of that hand...

You should in theory be able to have a bola pin your arm to your torso w/o that upsetting your grip on a weapon at all.

Maybe the idea is that if it's JUST the arm that the arm goes flailing w/ the momentum of the throw, jerking it around and that momentum is translated into anpredictable wrenching of inertia onto your hand too?

It also seems strange that hitting one leg or one foot entangles BOTH of them. Shouldn't you in theory have separate options to bola a single leg vs a pair of legs? I'm not sure what would be easier, it might depend on whether you're standing w/ legs together or running/kicking with the ankles splayed far apart.

Have there been any stabs at advanced bola mechanics/options like this?

- -

This reminds me of MA136 "Extreme Dismemberment" which had a similar issue of being able to target a 2nd limb if you did enough damage to sever the first limb: different situations didn't seem to really influence how easy that is, given how certain things (running, kicking) would move one's feet further apart from each other.

MA136 acknowledges how this is the case for hands/wrists since it requires "grappling or using two hands to wield a weapon" to assume that the extremities are close enough together.

That said, even there you could plausibly have some modifiers to reflect how far apart one's grip is. There are "hand over hand" type grips vs the wide "two feet apart" grips you might have on a long staff.

Originally Posted by oneofmanynameless

- It does not root the target in place unless it successfully entangles the legs

This vaguely remidns me of Selective Effect in Power. Although P105 doesn't mention it, you can see on Paralyzing Touch (P142) that it modifies Affliction: Paralysis (normally induces full-body paralysis) that it gives the option to "touch specific hit locations in order to paralyze them"

PT is Melee Attack so that might be why it requires actually touching the hit location (as opposed to just touching the left arm and saying "paralyze the right foot)

"Mental Paralysis" by contrast (P143) has Selective Effect give "the capacity to limit paralysis to particular body parts" and it is a Malediction so it seems pretty clear you would not have to touch the body part.

This actually seems like a drawback that Paralyzing Touch ought not to have. Why shouldn't you be able to touch the easiest target (usually the torso) and specify "just paralyze the foot" instead of the entire body?

Seems like you should get some kind of benefit to offset this.

We eventually see the P105 description updated to acknowledge the uses in P142/P143 in PU4p16 with the 2nd half which was added here:

"Abilities that only affect a single subject may take this enhancement if it would make sense to restrict the effect to a single part of the subject."

It says here "Normally, such attacks cannot target hit locations, but combining Malediction and Selective Effect makes it possible" so perhaps the implication here, like w/ Melee Attack, is to use Selective Effect this way you would need to take the Hit Location penalty?

This vaguely reminds me of P156's "Deliberate Crippling" (albeit of powers, not body parts). These are meant for crippling advantages defined of powers, though I wonder if you defined DX this way you might emulate grappling/binding penalties through adapting it.

Originally Posted by oneofmanynameless

- The target can take it off with a few (3) seconds of action as long as they've got both hands free.

How isn't this covered on B40?

To break free, the victim must win a Quick Contest of ST or Escape skill
against the ST of your Binding. Each attempt takes one second.

The only limited thing about that is the QC is all-or-nothing, just like "Break Free" in Basic Set. If you want more of "I gradually make progress" then I believe Technical Grappling adapts Binding using the Control Points system.

The only difference here is to remove a Bola you make a series of Ready maneuvers whereas "Break Free" in Technical Grappling is an Attack maneuver.

I like that better since the "may take no other actions" seems a tad extreme for bola escapes.

Originally Posted by oneofmanynameless

It can be used to disarm people by targeting their hands

B40's Engulfing sort of approaches that via "cannot move his limbs" but I see your point, there isn't any kind of built-in disarm like w/ bolas (even though that makes more sense with "bola on your sword" than "bola on your bicep")

Of course the issue here is you're paying for a potential less useful ability ("selective effect: if I want to tie JUST the arms I can... but I don't HAVE to") when really there should be some kind of limitation like "I can ONLY bind the arms ONLY if I target those arms, and I can't bind the ENTIRE body at once"

Maybe one way to do that would be to have a "Limited: one limb at a time -40%" type limitation on whole-body afflictions or whole-body bindings?

An idea I had might to do a Link+10% with an Innate Attack of sorts, where you used damage-based compromising of another's movements.

GURPS Sorcery: Protection and Warning Spells pg 5 approaches something I think relates to your intentions here, when it adapts the "Bladeturning" spell.

It creates a unified rule called "damage-to-disarm" which incorporates Gun-Fu pg 11's idea of a ST roll penalized based on the Basic Damage of an attack hitting your weapon.

That was simply "all or nothing" though, PAWS5 unifies this with logical concepts from the original B401 disarming rules like:

a) success by low MOS creates "unready" instead of "disarm"
b) people w/ 2handed weapons are +2 to the ST roll (would've made sense for Gun-Fu to do that to make 2H guns like rifles harder to disarm than 1H guns like pistols, but it didn't)

There are thresholds of Grip Control Points related to when a weapon is disarmed (-1) vs unreadied (half ST) that I'd love to see adapted here too (ie just have it reduce CP instead of doing a ST resistance roll) but I don't think Cole would like it.

[Refplace]

You can do this with Innate Attack using Side Effect (p. B109) and No Wounding. I have adapted the concept to Binding but decline to go into details for now.

[Plane]

the only strange part about that is DR protects against Side Effect wheras you'd picture DR not mattering for binding/bola

and you can't take enhancements like 'ignores DR' if you have Side Effect due to the Penetration Modifier embargo

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by oneofmanynameless

- It does not root the target in place unless it successfully entangles the legs

That's a -10% limitation I'd think.

Originally Posted by oneofmanynameless

- The target can take it off with a few (3) seconds of action as long as they've got both hands free.

That seems like -10% as well - comparable to Terminal Condition from GURPS Powers, p. 112

Originally Posted by oneofmanynameless

- It can be used to disarm people by targeting their hands

That's just Selective Effect (+20%) I'd think. Maybe +5% if it can only target the hands.

I'll also note that Muscle-Powered Range is in Pyramid #3/46: Weird Science if you're looking to be able to actually throw the thing and rely on ST instead of a fixed range.