Melee (Action)

Melee is the skill to kick butt - with or without weapons.

Unskilled Use

Melee skill defaults to Reflexes. You can use it unskilled to attack, but cannot use weapon maneuvers.

Use in Action

This is a primary combat skill, it is used with Weapons, Schtiks, and Powers to make attack rolls. As such, the rules are fairly detailed and precise.

Knowledge

You know the history of your school or gang, and of its great masters of the past and present. You have a less extensive but still-acceptable knowledge of the histories of rival schools and gangs. You know the philosophy or code of your group, both as it pertains to fighting and to life in general. If it has an oral or written code of conduct, you have memorized all of it. You know by reputation the great fighting masters of your time. You know others in you neighborhood who can fight, either as colleagues or rivals. You can identify a good fighter, even if you cannot name his style. And you instinctively understand the many unwritten codes of fighting, when it is all right to use weapons, when single combat is appropriate and so on.

Contacts

You know other practitioners and teachers of your style. You know members of rival groups, who may be your enemies. You know people involved in martial competitions, from judges to fans to patrons. You know street people involved in fights: ring managers, bar owners, gang members and little-old-ladies-with-sharp-eyes-in-need-of-protection.

Stunts

Basic Melee Attack

Basic Action

You make an attack roll against your target's Dodge and inflicting damage equal to your Body plus relevant modifiers for the weapon used. A basic unarmed attack like a fist does Body +1 damage, while a dedicated natural attack like claws or jaws does Body +2. Powers and schticks can greatly enhance these values.

Intercept

Trigger Action

When an enemy not adjacent to you moves into contact with you and then tries to move away again as a part of the same action, you can make a melee attack against that enemy. If you succeed there is no damage, but that enemy is forced to halt. The most common situation for this is when you are guarding a door or passageway.

If a foe makes you lose shots as a part of the action where they moved past you, you cannot use this stunt.

Trip

Limit Break

You make a body tackle as a melee attack against your target's Dodge and inflicting Concussion damage equal to your Reflexes. Concussion damage is soaked using Reflexes.