Hand to Hand Vs. Armed

P

Persell

Ten Thousand Club
Just a quick question on thoughts others might have.  Me and my players where discussing the use of brawl/MA charms that cause your hands, feet, unarmed attacks to do lethal instead of bashing damage.   We were discussing wether, when active, if these charms would allow you to parry bladed weapon and such instead of using a dodge. I had a player stunt a sword block with his forarm (al ah the Nick Fury interrogation scene in marvel 1602, sorry if you haven't read it).  It sounded cool and added a nice flare to the scene so i allowed it. He took 1 health level of damage (from the contact, NPC made no damage roll) but was able to block and counter.  Just wondering if this is blatanly overpowering the charm or nothing to big.


We figured if essence was being used to fuel the attack (change from bashing to lethal) then the enshroudment could also allow for a parry. again, just looking for some feedback.


My thanks,


** edited to bring words together cause i type to fast sometimes **
 
I think those charms do allow you to parry lethal attacks on the whole already, don't they?
 
Yup.  Anything that DOES lethal damage can BLOCK lethal damage, as far as weapons, fists, and feet are concerned.


1602 was a hell of a series.  Ranks only slightly lower than The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen on my personal scale.
 
Agreed with above posts.  If a Charm allows you to deal lethal damage while unarmed, then you can parry it to.  Allow, a good stunt should be able to achieve this anyway (parry lethal damage that is)


~FC.
 
Fist of Iron Technique allows you to parry Lethal with your bare hands.  Essence Fangs and Scales Technique allow you to both soak Lethal as Bashing and do Lethal damange in HTH.  


Neither are the ultimate in their cascade of Charms, so I don't think it's overpowering at all.


I would have allowed the fella to Stunt his parry without taking any damage in the least--depending on how he worded the Stunt.  Plenty of great examples in wuxia of unarmed folks rolling against blades, staves, clubs, and chains, and doing just fine.  


In Japanese swordplay, an entire school dedicated to parrying a blade with open hands, catching the blade between the palms, turnding and disarming--and a few records of it actually working.  The key to blocking an armed attack barehanded is not to block the weapon itself, but the arm using the weapon.  


I swing a club at your wee haid, you can put up an arm to block the club, and take a nasty bruising for your effort--my blow is successful, just not a the point of contact I was looking for.  You could instead block the blow by stepping towards me, and instead of blocking the club, you instead prevent my hand, wrist and arm from decending.  You instead act on the arm, not the weapon.  Same with deflecting a blade--you block the hand or arm, not the piece of metal.  


A good Stunt would allow the charcter to either A) Rob the weapon of impetus by striking along its non-lethal length, such as the flat of the blade or along its haft, or B) Block the attacker's arm so they can't swing it properly, thus the attack never really gets going--same principle as a stop kick that halts a kick from rising,  or a smash that prevents a punch from ever uncoiling.


In an action game like Exalted it's not that scary a concept to allow such things from a Hero.  Let them get some good Stunts in--that's why they're there in the rules.
 
Agree with you there Jakk, one of the best stunts I've seen was when a character blocked a swinging sword by leaping into the attacker and blocking the weapon-arm with a flying knee and in mid-spin whipping his other leg out to deliver a jumping back kick.  He even added that the blocking knee broke the arm at the elbow joint, with a brief but accute description of the split second of pain before being knocked unconscious.


~FC.
 
Even though I suspect this thread is dead…


Scenery in stunts with 'unarmed' combatants works too. Throwing dust, or leaves into the eyes of weapon master character might do it. Flicking their faces with the branch of a tree. Using a spare broom handle, billards cue (sp?), wash basin, tin plate, metal beer mug etc. are all part of the stunting methodology. If you're not familiar with this style of stunting see nearly anything with Jackie Chan in it and there's probably a scene where he blocks armed and unarmed attacks with stuff.
 
Alysaur said:
Even though I suspect this thread is dead…
Click to expand...
Don't fret, that'll never happen.  As long as you have something to say, a thread will never die  :)


~FC.
Click to expand...
Can anyone think of a suitable finish to 'A thread never dies; it just ____'? Along the lines of 'A chemist never dies; he just reaches equilibrium?'
 
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