GURPSよろず

The advantages discussed below either work differently in a Martial Arts game or require additional interpretation for martial artists. Consult with the GM before taking any trait described as “cinematic.” Such abilities may have additional prerequisites (typically Trained by a Master or Weapon Master) and are likely off-limits in a realistic campaign.

NEW SKILLS
Some additional cinematic skills may be available to those with Trained by a Master or Weapon Master in Martial Arts games.

In a Martial Arts game, the GM might permit the following additional possibilities for the combat maneuvers described on pp. B363-366. These options supplement those in the Basic Set but don’t replace them. Unless noted otherwise, all of the usual benefits and drawbacks of the underlying maneuver still apply – notably those described under “Movement” and “Active Defense.”
As explained in Creating New Techniques (pp. 89-95), some combat techniques are based on specific maneuvers; e.g., Jump Kick (p. 75) is a Committed Attack or All-Out Attack. Such techniques are new options for the maneuvers in question, on an equal footing with but distinct from those in the Basic Set. For instance, Jump Kick allows a unique All-Out Attack option, All-Out Attack (Jump Kick), which you can’t combine with a basic option such as All-Out Attack (Strong) or another technique-specific option like All-Out Attack (Whirlwind).

You can take an Aim maneuver to improve your odds with Rapid Fire with Thrown Weapons (p. 120) or Rapid Strike with Thrown Weapons (pp. 120-121). You must declare which opponent you’re aiming at. Your aiming bonuses (for Accuracy, turns of Aim, etc.) only apply to attacks against that one foe, regardless of how many attacks or shots you have. For a Rapid Strike, apply the Accuracy of each weapon separately to its own attack roll.
A warrior with the Heroic Archer advantage generally gets his weapon’s Accuracy bonus without an Aim maneuver – see p. 45 for details. If he chooses to Aim, he gets a further +1 for the first second of Aim, or +2 for two or more seconds of Aim.

ATTACK
When attacking with a technique, be sure to read its description! Many techniques – especially cinematic ones – don’t allow an ordinary Attack maneuver. They only work with All-Out Attack, Committed Attack, or Move and Attack.
Note also that while Attack allows “any” active defense, some attacks preclude a later parry. In particular:

•If using a weapon that can get stuck (see Picks, p. B405), you cannot parry until you free the weapon.
•If you grab or grapple, the hand(s) you use to grip your foe cannot parry.
•If you strike using a weapon that becomes unready, it cannot parry afterward.
•If you strike using an unbalanced weapon, you cannot parry with it that turn.

CHANGE POSTURE
You don’t need a Change Posture maneuver to assume a lower posture in order to grab, grapple, pin, shove, slam, or strike at reach C. If making one of these attacks as part of an All-Out Attack, Attack, Committed Attack, or Move and Attack maneuver, you may take one of the following posture changes as part of the movement portion of your maneuver:

•Dive forward to go from standing to kneeling, crawling, or lying prone. This counts as your entire step if making an Attack or Committed Attack. It costs you one movement point if making an All-Out Attack or Move and Attack, and must come at the end of your movement. For instance, if you had Move 6, you could run 3 yards to All-Out Attack, or run only 2 yards and dive prone. On a battle map, if you end up crawling or prone, your upper body ends up in the front hex of your choice.
• Dive forward to go from kneeling to crawling or lying prone. This takes your entire movement allowance in all cases. Your upper body ends up in the front hex of your choice.
•Fall backward to go from standing to sitting or lying faceup. This takes your entire movement allowance if you make an All-Out Attack, Attack, or Committed Attack. It costs you one movement point if making a Move and Attack, and must come at the end of your movement. If you change to lying face-up, your lower body ends up in the front hex of your choice.
•Fall backward to go from kneeling or sitting to lying faceup. This uses up all of your movement in all cases. Your upper body ends up in the side or back hex of your choice.

To drop to the ground defensively on an opponent’s turn, use the rules under Retreat Options (pp. 123-124) or Sprawling (p. 119) instead.

Evaluate provides exactly the same benefits for Committed Attack and Defensive Attack that it does for the maneuvers listed on pp. B364-365. In combat-heavy campaigns – like most Martial Arts games – the GM may want to use the following optional rules.

The special rules for melee weapons in this chapter apply only when you have a ready weapon. Once you take a Ready maneuver to draw a weapon – or make a Fast-Draw roll to do the same – it stays ready until:

•You lose it. This happens if you deliberately drop it, throw it, or give it away; a foe uses a grab or grapple to make you drop it (see Unarmed Combat, p. B370); you parry a weapon heavy enough to break or knock aside your own (see Parrying Heavy Weapons, p. B376); an opponent successfully breaks or knocks away your weapon (see Striking at Weapons, p. B400); you suffer knockdown (see Knockdown and Stunning, p. B420); or a critical hit or critical miss disarms you (see Critical Success and Failure, p. B556).
•You lose control of it. This may occur if an enemy tries but fails to disarm you (p. B401), or due to a critical miss (p. B556). It always happens if your weapon has a “‡” in its ST statistic and you use it to attack, unless you’re extremely strong (see ST, p. B270), or if your weapon gets stuck (see Picks, p. B405).
•You put it away. This normally takes two Ready maneuvers for a melee weapon; see p. B383.

Thus, a weapon that’s ready stays ready until one of the above events occurs, while a weapon that’s unready stays unready until you take a Ready maneuver to remedy the situation. Most other events in combat – being slammed, changing posture, suffering shock, etc. – have no effect on weapon readiness.
There are situations in which you might take a Ready maneuver for a ready weapon, though:

•To adjust reach. As noted under Reach (p. B269), if your weapon has more than one reach marked with an asterisk (*) in its Reach statistic, like a halberd, you need a Ready maneuver to select a different reach from the one you’re currently using.
•To change grips. The “regular” grip uses the combat rules as written, and is best for most situations. The Defensive Grip (pp. 109-111) is useful when you have a dangerous enemy in front of you and no foes behind you. The Reversed Grip (pp. 111-112) is handy for close combat. Altering grip takes a Ready maneuver.
•To change hands. You can use some weapons (bastard swords, spears, etc.) in one hand or two. Most armed grappling techniques require two hands on the weapon, even if it’s normally one-handed. To switch between one- and two-handed grips – or to pass a one-handed weapon from one hand to another – requires a Ready maneuver.

You can combine these three options with each other and with drawing, picking up, or regaining control of an unready weapon, except where explicitly forbidden. The entire procedure counts as a single Ready maneuver.
Generally, all of a weapon’s functions are available when it’s ready. There are two special cases where this isn’t true but you don’t need a Ready maneuver to restore full functionality – you just need to wait until your next turn:

1. You can use your weapon with two different skills. Some weapons work with more than one Melee Weapon skill. You can only enjoy the benefits of one skill per turn. You can switch skills from turn to turn, and only need a Ready to go between one- and two-handed skills; e.g., Broadsword and Two-Handed Sword. See Switching Weapon Skills (p. 104).
2. Your weapon is unbalanced. A weapon with a “U” in its Parry statistic cannot parry immediately after an attack. If you attack, you must wait until your next turn before you can parry again. See Unbalanced Parries (p. 125).

The rest of this discussion applies primarily to melee weapons. See Quick-Shooting Bows (pp. 119-120) for a special Ready-and-Attack option for archers.

Outside of pure ground-fighting styles, martial-arts masters laud the virtues of mobility. An extra point of Basic Move or one less level of encumbrance can mean the difference between life and death. This is why fighters in training often run as much for speed as for endurance, and why even warriors who face dangerous weapons might enter battle in light armor or no armor.
To give high-Move martial artists a realistic advantage, the GM should consider using Movement in Tactical Combat (p. B386) for the Move maneuver even when not playing out combat on a battle map. Tell the players how far apart the combatants are and strictly enforce movement point costs for facing, posture, footing, etc. This makes “closing the gap” with a foe wielding a ranged weapon – or fleeing from a losing battle – as dramatic as landing and avoiding blows.
Of course, Move is mainly for going from A to B. It’s nearly always more effective to close the gap by selecting All-Out Defense (Increased Dodge) to travel at half Move and receive a Dodge bonus, or by taking Move and Attack to run at full speed and launch an attack. The GM should make the players aware of these tactical options and keep track of movement point costs for them as well.
Finally, in a cinematic Martial Arts game, heroes are as likely to move by jumping as by running. A Move maneuver lets a fighter jump from a standing start or run any distance up to his current Move and then jump. See Jumping (p. B352) for rules. To save time in play, calculate high- and broad-jump distances – for both standing and running jumps – and record the full values and halved values for combat on the character sheet. Some additional flashy movement options appear below.

Wait requires you to name a particular event and declare your response in advance. The event can be as general or as specific as you wish. You could specify, “I’ll Attack Otto with my rapier if he steps into reach on my right and utters so much as one word.” However, it would be equally legitimate to declare, “I’ll Attack Otto with my rapier if he steps into reach,” or, “I’ll use my rapier to Attack the first enemy who steps into reach.”
Your response must be more specific. You must name the maneuver and weapon you plan to use; e.g., “I’ll Attack with my main-gauche” or “I’ll All-Out Attack (Strong) with my rapier.” You don’t have to name particular combat options or techniques, though; you can decide these when you act. For instance, when you Attack with your rapier, you could choose to disarm, stab to the vitals, make a Rapid Strike, etc.
The new maneuvers Committed Attack (pp. 99-100) and Defensive Attack (p. 100) are both valid responses. If you choose Committed Attack, you must specify in advance whether it will be Determined or Strong.

A “combat option” is a tactic that a fighter can use in conjunction with more than one maneuver (e.g., Deceptive Attack, p. B369) or active defense (e.g., Retreat, p. B377). It doesn’t necessarily have any connection to specific techniques; then again, it might form the basis of a technique or be available only when performing certain techniques. The GM chooses the options allowed in his campaign. They can spice up combat by giving warriors more choices . . . but the modifiers and conditions they add can also slow down combat, which is a steep price to pay in a cinematic game.

These options apply only in melee combat. Most specifically affect unarmed or melee weapon attacks made as part of an All-Out Attack, Attack, Committed Attack, Defensive Attack, or Move and Attack maneuver, or feints made during these maneuvers or a Feint maneuver. A few options – notably Defensive Grip (see below) and Reversed Grip (p. 111-112) – also have effects on other maneuvers or on active defenses.

These expanded rules apply mainly in close combat – that is, for melee combat at ranges under a yard (reach C). For more information, see Close Combat (p. B391).

These rules significantly enhance the “firepower” of muscle-powered ranged weapons. They describe feats that might be possible for extremely skilled realistic warriors, but the GM is free to reserve them for Weapon Masters.

ACTIVE DEFENSE OPTIONS
Except as noted, these expanded rules apply during any maneuver that permits an active defense. Parry options require a ready melee weapon – or, for an unarmed parry, a hand that isn’t holding onto someone or something. Anything involving a retreat is only possible if you’re standing or lying down, and aren’t stunned.