Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 09-01-2017, 04:28 PM   #1
Kfireblade
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Default striking/lifting ST and weapons

Do either striking or lifting ST count towards the ST requirement for weapons?
Kfireblade is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2017, 04:37 PM   #2
mlangsdorf
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Austin, TX
Default Re: striking/lifting ST and weapons

Striking ST counts for melee weapons: http://forums.sjgames.com/showpost.p...81&postcount=6
__________________
Read my GURPS blog: http://noschoolgrognard.blogspot.com
mlangsdorf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2017, 04:38 PM   #3
Kfireblade
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Default Re: striking/lifting ST and weapons

What about ranged weapons?
Kfireblade is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2017, 04:41 PM   #4
Anthony
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
Default Re: striking/lifting ST and weapons

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kfireblade View Post
What about ranged weapons?
That quote addresses ranged weapons ('big mortar') as well.
__________________
My GURPS site and Blog.
Anthony is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 09-02-2017, 01:10 AM   #5
vicky_molokh
GURPS FAQ Keeper
 
vicky_molokh's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kyïv, Ukraine
Default Re: striking/lifting ST and weapons

GURPS uFAQ has you covered:
Quote:
Originally Posted by PK View Post
Okay, I've had a chance to go over this with Kromm in detail. Here's the ruling. I'll even cast Summon Molokh for it:

When weapons have a minimum ST requirement, can I add Arm ST, Lifting ST, and/or Striking ST to my ST for this purpose?

Arm ST always helps if it applies to all arms necessary to use the weapon. It's rather useful! If you have a two-handed weapon, however, and only one arm has the Arm ST, it doesn't help at all; always use the "weakest link."

Lifting ST helps with non-muscle-powered weapons, like firearms. The ST requirement for these weapons is primarily due to their mass, and Lifting ST helps with that. Their standard operation requires you to hold them steady, not to swing or a stab with them dynamically. (With some weapons, like heavy-recoil slugthrowers, Striking ST could be argued to help, but this kickback is still less of an issue than the weapon's mass -- thus, always use Lifting ST.)

Striking ST helps with muscle-powered weapons, from swords to thrown daggers to bows. The ST requirement for these weapons is primarily due to the need to use them dynamically -- you have to be able to swing, thrust, or pull with great force, which is what Striking ST is all about. (To some degree, Lifting ST could be argued to help, as it allows you to more easily support the weapon, but that's less of an issue than the need to attack with the weapon -- thus, always use Striking ST.)

So note that you can combine ST, Arm ST, and one of Lifting ST or Striking ST for the purpose of meeting a weapon's minimum ST requirement -- but you'll never combine Lifting ST and Striking ST.
__________________
Vicky 'Molokh', GURPS FAQ and uFAQ Keeper
vicky_molokh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-02-2017, 05:12 PM   #6
kirbwarrior
 
kirbwarrior's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Dreamland
Default Re: striking/lifting ST and weapons

Side question; Since Striking ST is used for melee weapons, can I use weapons I can't lift? A player of mine saw this in some anime, where the protagonist had a weapon (sword?) that was too heavy to carry but she flung around in combat easily. I was thinking the best way to simulate this is to have extreme levels of Striking ST with human levels of ST, to the point that the weapon can't be picked up unless you are attacking with it.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by cosmicfish View Post
While I do not think that GURPS is perfect I do think that it is more balanced than what I am likely to create by GM fiat.
kirbwarrior is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-02-2017, 05:53 PM   #7
whswhs
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
Default Re: striking/lifting ST and weapons

Quote:
Originally Posted by kirbwarrior View Post
Side question; Since Striking ST is used for melee weapons, can I use weapons I can't lift? A player of mine saw this in some anime, where the protagonist had a weapon (sword?) that was too heavy to carry but she flung around in combat easily. I was thinking the best way to simulate this is to have extreme levels of Striking ST with human levels of ST, to the point that the weapon can't be picked up unless you are attacking with it.
I'd say partially no. If you can't lift it off the ground (or a table or whereever), you can't wield it. But note that a normal person has BL 20, and can lift up to 2xBL with one hand. That means a person with normal ST can use a forty-pound weapon one-handed! Of course it takes 2 seconds to raise the weapon, but still, that lets you do some pretty extreme stuff, if you have the Striking ST to wield it as a weapon.

That's purely in terms of game mechanics, though. I tend to conceptualize Lifting ST as being about slow contraction against a load, and Striking ST as being above fast contraction with minimal load. If you take two seconds to raise that forty-pound mace, we're not talking about fast contraction! What I think Striking ST really does is let you swing that weapon really fast, so it hits with a high kinetic energy.

Perhaps a compromise might be to say you can do that stunt if you have a Perk: Massive Weapons (if that name hasn't already been used).
__________________
Bill Stoddard

I don't think we're in Oz any more.
whswhs is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 09-02-2017, 06:09 PM   #8
a humble lich
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Default Re: striking/lifting ST and weapons

I would say it depends on the type of game. If I was running a fairly realistic game, then the answer would be no. If it was a supers or anime inspired game, then the answer would be of definitely.
a humble lich is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-02-2017, 07:01 PM   #9
Flyndaran
Untagged
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
Default Re: striking/lifting ST and weapons

Quote:
Originally Posted by a humble lich View Post
I would say it depends on the type of game. If I was running a fairly realistic game, then the answer would be no. If it was a supers or anime inspired game, then the answer would be of definitely.
A fairly realistic game wouldn't allow a character to have so much Striking Strength above Lifting.
__________________
Beware, poor communication skills. No offense intended. If offended, it just means that I failed my writing skill check.
Flyndaran is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-02-2017, 09:48 PM   #10
Flyndaran
Untagged
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
Default Re: striking/lifting ST and weapons

Bows in Basic follow similar rules to melee weapons, so you use Striking Strength. But the famous Deadly Spring article suggests a more realistic Lifting Strength.
__________________
Beware, poor communication skills. No offense intended. If offended, it just means that I failed my writing skill check.
Flyndaran is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
lifting st, strength, striking st, weapon st

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:28 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.