Close Combat

MELEE COMBAT

Close combat, using weapons, which denotes anything from blunt sticks to chain-swords. Damage is done when the attacker strikes the defender with the FULLY LRP SAFE phys-rep (and pulled blows, please). On contact, the attacker calls damage according to the following table. LIMIT denotes the maximum damage possible with that weapon, regardless of strength. Killer Instinct points can still increase this, as these denote lucky or vitally accurate strikes, rather than sheer brute force.

A Hyper-hammer uses disposable ram-jets and a ‘cracker’ small explosive charge to enhance the damage done in combat by this monstrous weapon. Hammers only have 2 ‘shots’ before they have to be reloaded. An un-enhanced hyper-hammer does damage as per a war-hammer.

Melee skills function the same way ranged weapon skills do, that is to say, they are split by weapon type (knives/daggers, one handed edged, 2 handed edged, single handed blunt, 2 handed blunt and hafted weapons.) Each one can be at either trained or skilled (or, indeed, no skill). This has the following effects

No Skill – the user does 1 less point of damage with the weapon, since they are un-used to it. However, this cannot take the damage below 1.

Trained. The user does full damage with the weapon. In addition, during any combat scene, you have 2 parries to use.

Skilled. In addition to doing full damage with the weapon, the user gets 4 parries per combat scene.

In order to parry a blow (even one that ‘landed’), declare ‘parry’ and move your weapon as if you had deflected the blow. This costs one ‘parry’ point and negates any damage from the parried blow (unless otherwise stated by  the ref).

People who are SKILLED in the use of Melee weapons are pretty unusual. Most military units don’t train troops to this level with Hand to hand weapons. You’d better have a pretty good justification for having SKILLED in a melee weapon. If you want it in more than one category, you’d better have a REALLY good reason.

BRAWLING COMBAT

Close combat without weapons. Opponents use hyper-exaggerated moves to simulate a fight. Blows should stop at least 6 inches from the target, and absolutely no physical contact is allowed (with the exception of the grapple rules, see below). Any blow should be proceeded by a call of “Brawling, (target location), damage”

Untrained combatants can fight, but can only do single subdue to any opponent. They get no blocks, and are likely to get beaten senseless in a bar fight.

Trained Combatants do their full damage (detailed below) with each blow, and get 5 blocks to use in any pugilist situation.

Skilled Combatants are fairly unusual, and very dangerous. They get their full damage on each blow. They also get 8 blocks to use per combat scene.

Brawling Blocks can be used to block any incoming brawling attack, by simply declaring ‘block’, and performing a suitable move. These blocks can also be used to block incoming melee attacks, but it costs 2 blocks to block a single melee attack.

 All brawling damage is equivalent to the attackers strength plus 1 in subdue damage. Most races have an inherent strength of 0, so they do a single subdue with each blow.

If a race has strength above 0, then they have a choice. They can either do their strength plus 1 in subdue, or their strength in lethal damage.

 Killer instinct points can be spent on increasing brawling damage, as they can with any other type of damage. Each killer instinct point allows the damage done to be increased by 1 subdue, or converts the subdue damage into lethal damage. (Xander Murphy takes a swing at someone in a bar-fight. Hoping to end the fight quickly, Xander spends 2 points of killer instinct, and puts his brawling damage up from single subdue to triple subdue for his next blow. Enraged by the sudden pain, his G’hul opponent also chooses to spend 2 killer instinct points, but converts the brawling damage to lethal, and increases it, for a total of 2 lethal damage. Xander starts looking for a way out….”

Brawling Weapons. Some species have claws, which allow them to convert the subdue damage of brawling to lethal damage without spending KI points. Normal claws do STR + 1 lethal damage.

 Grappling is straight strength versus strength contest, with each combatant shouting out their strength level. The stronger will pin the weaker (a loose ‘hold’ is all that is required to phys rep this). You cannot spend KI points to increase your strength.