Melee Schticks (Action)

Heroic Action Role-Play

All-Out Attack

Basic Action

Make a Melee attack with a +3 bonus. Until your next shot comes up or the end of the round, you cannot take a Trigger Action.

Cleave

Trigger Action (Combo)

When inflict a Hit wit with a Melee attack you can immediately use this to attack another adjacent opponent with the same attack you just used. This does not work with any area attack or that otherwise affects more than one target, nor with weapons that do Piercing damage.

Combat Binding

Basic Action

You are skilled in using ropes or cuffs to restrain an opponent in melee. Make a Melee check against the target's Dodge. On a success the target is partially bound and suffers one of the penalties noted below. On an Outcome matching the target's Reflexes he is more severely bound and suffers three of the conditions, or you can apply one restriction of your choice. If you are aiming for a specific condition and instead achieve another, you can choose to forgo that effect to get a +3 b0nus on your next attempt. Restraints are applied in this order: bound arms, immobilized, bound legs, blindfolding, hogtie. Physical restraint in Action does not completely prevent a hero from action, they impose handicaps to be overcome.

1. Gagging prevents mundane speech. Stymies all Charm and Impress checks.
2. Handcuffing is when your hands are tied in front of you, but not so tightly as to make them completely unusable; you can still use one hand effectively, such as using weapons or tools of Small size or smaller.
3. Hobbling indicates restrained legs, but not fixed to each other. It means you cannot move as part of a normal Basic Action, and can only move your normal move when you do a Full Move action or otherwise do an action that grants extra movement..
4. Immobilized, stuck to something, alternatively on a short leash which prevents movement beyond one or two meters. If you are stuck to a creature whose Body is greater than yours, you are forced along as it moves, otherwise you are both immobilized unless you two cooperate.
5. Bound Legs you fall prone and cannot stand unsupported, which prevents and hinders many actions as determined by the situation and stunt description. Your Move is reduced to 1. Swimming and flying creatures are entangled, with similar effects.
6. Bound Arms prevent most physical manipulation and the use of weapons and implements. You can still use tackles and head butts for (Body +0) damage or a Tiny Ranged Weapon, but limited to Close range.
7. Blinded restricts your awareness, giving you only a rough estimate of objects and creatures in a diameter equal to your Mind; you are insensitive to things beyond this range. Everyone has enough concealment to Sneak on you, and against creatures beyond your perception range, you have to use Reflexes rather than Recon for defense against Recon stunts.
8. (or more) Hogtie A hogtied character cannot act physically and can only move one meter as a standard action; no movement is otherwise allowed. This also prevents all Defense actions.

These restraints can be escaped with a Contortions stunt pitting Reflexes against your Melee or destroyed by another person; ropes have a Body of around 12 while metal cuffs have 15 or more. Weapons larger and more unwieldy than a dagger take an attack penalty equal to their damage add when attacking bonds.

You can take a -2 penalty to your stunt in order to choose how to bind your opponent.

Disarm

Basic Action

You can entangle other weapons, especially long and powerfully unbalanced weapons. Add the damage add of your opponent's weapon (minimum +3) to an opposed Melee roll. If you succeed, the opponent loses the grip on his weapon. He can immediately spend three shots retrieving it. If he chooses not to, he loses the weapon and you can either kick it away or pick it up. If your Outcome matches his Body, he loses both the weapon and the shots.

Duel

Limit Break

You confront an opposing character in a way where others cannot easily intervene. This is usually because of the physical setting, somehow you and your opponent end up isolated from others and lasts until the end of the next round. Against opponents with a code of honor this can be a purely social barrier. If there is no such barrier you can use, the schtick will not work.

Others can try to break the isolation with stunts against your Melee, but need to achieve an Outcome equal to your Reflexes to do so. Those not involved in the duel cannot distract you with these stunts and are restricted to Gain Advantage attempts.

Clever Exertion

Basic Action

Make a Bait or Feint stunt with a +3 bonus.

Typical stunts include trips, feints, called shots, disarm, and particularly outrageous and dashing maneuvers such as carving your initials or adjusting your opponent's coiffure in combat. It enables you to do all the fun but somewhat silly things done in pulpy Three Musketeers and pirate movies.

Great Blow

Basic Action

You make a grandiose all-out attack. This adds +3 to damage. After an all-out attack, you may not take any trigger actions until your next shot comes up.

Intercept

Trigger Action

You can intercept opponents attacking you in Melee, striking would-be attackers that you manage to keep at bay. Whenever an opponent misses you with a Basic Action attack in Melee, you can use this to make a Melee attack on them.

Iron Fist

Inherent

You have hardened yourself so that you can do Body +3 Blunt damage with unarmed attacks.

Junk Fu

Basic Action

You are very good with improvised weapons, such as beer bottles or chairs. Use this maneuver to pick up and wield some object lying about. For the rest of the round, you get a +3 bonus to Melee when using this object as a weapon. By the end of the round, if you drop the object, or if you roll snakeyes on your action die, the improvised weapon is destroyed. Objects with script immunity are not destroyed, merely dropped, but this schtick is still canceled for the sequence.

Improvised weapons generally do Body +2 damage, but particularly inventive items can function like some regular Melee weapon, generally with a -2 damage penalty unless that type of weapon has the Improvised quality. You can use such improvised weapons with any Melee power or schtick that does not specifically have to be made unarmed.

Parry

Trigger Action (Defense)

You can parry melee attacks, giving a +5 Dodge bonus for the shot, but only against melee attacks.

Power Fist

Basic Action

Make an unarmed attack that does Body +5 Blunt damage.

Pugilist Stance

Stance

Your unarmed attacks do Body +4 damage.

Signature Weapon

Inherent

When you acquire this schtick, specify a single Melee Weapon as your signature weapon. This is a unique weapon, like the rapier awarded you by your liege for services rendered, the sword you forged as a culmination of your training, or the ax your grandmother gave you as a coming-of-age present. Mementos of dying comrades or loved ones are also common. It is very much a part of you. Under most circumstances, nobody will question your right to carry it, so its there in many situations where a weapon could not normally be carried. It has a kind of script immunity in that it is never permanently lost or destroyed, tough you might have to work hard to protect it.

Seven-Sword Strike

Basic Action

Make a Melee attack with a melee weapon against all adjacent enemies. You cannot move as a part of this basic action.

Soft Strike

Basic Action

You make an attack when you use an enemy's strength against him. Make a melee attack against your target's Dodge inflicting Concussion damage equal to your Reflexes. Concussion damage is soaked using Reflexes. If you manage to do any damage, throw your target a meter per point of damage inflicted and he loses a shot.

Takedown Counter

Trigger Action (Combo)

You use the power of an enemy's attack against him. Make a melee attack against a target that just missed you in melee, inflicting Concussion damage equal to your Reflexes. Concussion damage is soaked using Reflexes. If you manage to do any damage, your target loses a shot.

Throw Weapon

Inherent

You can throw a weapon as a ranged attack using the Melee skill with Close range.

Two-Fisted Action

Trigger Action

When you have more than one hand free for combat you are capable of making a flurry of attacks in rapid succession. Whenever you throw a basic punch and have two or more hands free, you can use this schtick immediately afterwords to throw another punch at the same target for Body Blunt damage. You can do no more punches this way than you have free hands (Beware the six-armed god of pugilism).