NEW MANUEVERS FOR FENCING: Copyright (c) 1996 by Harold Carmer CIRCLE PARRY: (ave) Defaults to fencing An exagerated parry that hopefully catches your oppoenent's blade. Since this form of parry takes your point off your opponent's target area, any subsequent attack is at -6 until you bring the blade back on target. This requires one action to bring the point back on target (a form of READY option). The bonus of this form of parry is that you get a +2 to parry. In addition, if used in a combination sequence (Parry/circle parry), if the first parry fails to connect, the second parry can be rolled against the same attack at -4 (or minus 2 over all due to the +2 to parry). BEAT ATTACK: (hard) Defaults to fencing -4 This is an attack designed to knock the opponent's blade out of line, and opening him up for an attack. A contest of skills roll is required much the same as FEINT. The amount by which the contest of skills is won by is the penalty to the victim's skill level (note: this actually lowers the victim's skill, not just his defenses). The victim of a successful BEAT must bring his blade back on line or retain his penalty to skill. A special note should be made here regarding a successful BODY LANGUAGE roll. If a person is about to become the victim of a BEAT attack, and he successfully uses his body language roll by 3 or more points, he becomes aware of the exact maneuver the attacker is attacking with. Should the defender, while aware of the attacker's BEAT attack, decide to employ a beat as his defense (Known in fencing as a COUNTER BEAT), then the contest of skills becomes one of BEAT SKILL versus BEAT skill. In this case, the loser of this contest (regardless of whether the attacker or defender) suffers the penalties involved with a BEAT. Bear in mind, when an attacker uses the BEAT, only the defender suffers the result of a BEAT should he lose. Should the attacker lose in the contest during a normal BEAT attack, nothing happens and the defender is now able to do as he would normally have been able to do in GURPS. With a BEAT - COUNTER BEAT situation, one or the other will suffer the penalty of the BEAT (unless both fail in their BEAT attacks). GRAZE ATTACK: While not an actual maneauver as such in GURPS terms, it is actually a combination attack. It employs a beat along with an attack. Because it is so difficult to employ successfully, there is an additional -2 to the attack roll for the attack portion of the BEAT/ATTACK combination. However, if the attack should hit, the defender is at an additional -1 to parry. BEAT ATTACK: This combination attack is similar to the GRAZE ATTACK, except it is much easier to complete successfully, and is easier to defend against. Treat as a a normal BEAT with a normal ATTACK. SPECIAL FENCING RULES: Please be aware that the following rules are based upon actual experience along with personal beliefs of physics versus GURPS mechanics. Because of the physics involved, there can only be two action combinations when used with weapons rated at greater than close combat range. The combination attacks still costs 4 points, but fencing combinations may not exceed 2 action combinations. OFFENSIVE COMBINATIONS: These combinations start off with an offensive action. Offensive actions include attacks of any kind, as well as beats and feints. When attempting to use an offensive combination, the following rules are in effect: 1) There can only be one offensive combination used within a single turn (second). This means that if you want to use your offensive combination, a contest of skills must be rolled against your opponent's skill to determine if you can get your combination off. The skill you roll against for your combination is the first skill of your combination. If you fail in the use of offensive combination, then your oponent may, if he has not used a defensive combination to stop your offensive combination, attempt to get his offensive combination off. If person A succeeds in using his offensive combination, then person B may not use an offensive combination that same round... 2) ATTACK/ATTACK offensive combinations are further penalized by -4 to one of the attacks. It is assumed that one of the attacks will not be the "real" attack, so there is no real effort to hit with the attack that is not expected to hit. This minus four penalty can be the first attack, or it can be the second attack. When listing the combination - you should capitalize the attack that is at no penalty and use lower case for the attack that is at minus four. Example: +0/-4 is listed as ATTACK/attack while -4/+0 is listed as attack/ATTACK. 3) In any combination attack, only one hit is a valid hit. If your first attack is successful, then the combination is halted. The reason for this is due to the fact that you blade is now tangled within your opponent's body, and you are still trying to maintain some form of defense. 4) The victim of a combination attack (assuming that the attacker successfully launches it) can only respond by defending against all attacks. This means that the attacker has the "TEMPO" and the victim is responding to the attacker. DEFENSIVE COMBINATIONS: These combinations follow different rules than do offensive combinations. By definition, Defensive combinations are reactive combinations. They require that the person respond to other people's attacks. There is no requirement that opposing skill rolls are made to determine if the combination is "launched". There are no limitaions to how many Defensive combinations there may used within a turn subject to the following limits: 1) 5 actions determine one second. By definition, an action is considered to be one word of the combination (ie parry/riposte is considered two actions, Feint/attack is also considered two actions. 2) Some of the combinations require that the first action be successfully completed before the second can be done (ie parry/riposte). In the case of the parry/riposte, the gamemaster may decree if you missed your parry by only one point, that your parry was inadequate, but that you may still attempt your riposte. This represents an almost simultaneous attack, but your riposte is at a penalty equal to 1/2 the damage you take from the failed parry. The bright side of this failed parry is that if your riposte still hits - your opponent may not parry - his blade is still inside your body!). Possible Defensive combinations are: PARRY/DODGE - this combination is used against two attackers who are attacking you at the same time. PARRY/CIRCLE PARRY - This form of combination allows you to attempt to parry rolls against the incoming attack. PARRY/GAUCHE ATTACK - This combination is used to parry, and then attack with the main gauche. It combines a forward motion with the parry, and allows you to attack in close combat with the main gauche. The main gauche is at -4 to attack as per the main gauche rules... PARRY/RIPOSTE - the standard defense combination (for FRENCH STYLE) used in normal fencing. A parry/riposte combination can be used in response to a parry/riposte combination. This means that if Pierre attacks Peter, Peter may use his parry/riposte on Pierre. If Pierre also has parry/riposte, and successfully uses his parry/riposte, Peter must now also Parry (or parry/riposte). It is not unusual for a parry/riposte - parry/riposte to occur in real life fencing, so if you see 4 separate parry/ripostes occur before a hit occurs - be happy, for it really happens! Remember, a parry riposte only counts as a defensive action during a round, so it is possible for Pierre to attack, Peter to parry/riposte, Pierre to parry, and for Peter to attack. In fencing, this particular action is called a held parry because Pierre did not attempt to riposte, and Peter has now either done a replacement, or a remise (fancy slang for continued to attack...). DODGE/ATTACK - this form of maneuvering is not unlike the epee attack form of moving back while extending your arm (and hence, your blade). Retreating Parry/Lunge - this combination is a really tricky one that few bother to master. The defender is at -2 to his parry because he is attempting a 1/2 step back immediately followed by a lunge. Since the defender is attempting to attack immediately following a retreat, he is at an additional -3 to hit with his lunge. OPTIONAL RULES: TRICKERY - in fencing, as a person gets to know his body better, and learns the ability to use body language read his opponent, he rapidly learns that his own body will betray him (assuming that his opponent also has body language). As an optional rule, the attacker may opt to lower his skill, and cause his opponent to lose an equal value from his body read skill. If Pierre decides to attempt to trick his opponent into believeing his target is the hand (by looking at it and attacking) but really intends to attack the chest, he may lower his skill by -3 (or -1, -2, etc) and thus cause his opponent to be at a like penalty to his body language roll. This is called masking your intent...