Martial Arts Combat

Martial arts have a huge repertoire of techniques and methods for attack and defence. A martial arts manoeuvre is a specific type of attack or defence. Manoeuvres are treated like skills; each one defaults to one or more prerequisite skills, or to DEX.

Most styles have a specific set of defensive and offensive Manoeuvres, sometimes to the exclusion of all others. A character trained in any style will be most proficient in its Manoeuvres. Some styles require students to learn certain Manoeuvres at higher levels, other than that, each student may emphasize whatever Manoeuvres he and his master feel are most important. If a Manoeuvre is not part of his style, the character cannot use bonuses with it. This reflects martial arts reality: many martial artists tend to specialize in particular moves.

 

Available Manoeuvres

Aggressive Parry
Arm or Wrist Lock
Armed Grapple
Backflip
Binding
Bodyflip/Throw
Breakfall
Cartwheel
Choke Hold
Counterattack
Crush/Squeeze
Disarm
Ear Clap
Elbow Drop
Elbow Strike
Entangle
Evade
Finger Lock
Grab
Hand Catch
Hand Strike
Head Butt
Head Lock
Kick Attack
Kick, Acrobatic
Kick, Axe
Kick, Back
Kick, Drop
Kick, Flying Jump
Kick, Hook
Kick, Jump
Kick, Push
Kick, Shin
Kick, Snap
Kick, Spin
Kick, Stamp
Kick, Sweep
Knee Drop
Knee Strike
Knock-out/Stun
Leg Grapple
Leg Lock
Maintain Balance
Neck Snap
Parry, Hand
Parry, Leg
Punch, Roundhouse
Punch, Spin
Restrain Punch
Roll with Impact
Sacrifice Strike
Sacrifice Throw
Scissors Hold
Sticking Hands
Tackle
Trip
Two-Handed Punch
Whirlwind All Out Attack
Wrench
 

Manoeuvres Explained

Aggressive Parry - This manoeuvre is taught by only a few styles, as it is not sportsmanlike by any means. Instead of trying to deflect a punch or a kick, the martial artist attacks the incoming hand or foot. He rolls a Parry at -2; a successful roll indicates that he has hit the attacker's limb. Roll damage normally. On a missed roll, the parry fails and the attack hits normally.

Arm or Wrist Lock - A character can twist an opponent's limbs, paralyzing or crippling him. First, you must either successfully parry an attack in hand-to-hand combat (this can be a weapon attack, if the foe is no more than 1 metre away) or make a Grapple. If you succeed, you grab one of the victim's arms. On the same turn, roll a Quick Contest: your Arm Lock skill vs. his DEX. If you win, you have trapped his arm in a lock. The attacker may indicate the particular nature of the lock (i.e., behind the foe's back, his arm extended from his side, etc.). Your foe may try to break free; use Arm Lock+4 or STR against his STR in another Quick Contest. If you win, you have immobilized the arm; the victim can try to break free in subsequent rounds, but at a cumulative -1 penalty. On the next turn, you may choose to inflict pain or damage on the trapped limb. A third Quick Contest (Arm Lock or STR) is required. The victim is at +3 if he has the High Pain Threshold advantage and your intention was only to cause pain. If you win, you inflict one point of pain (causing DEX penalties without actual damage) for every point by which you make the roll. If you do crippling damage, you break the arm or hand you were holding; no further damage can be inflicted, but all further attempts to cause pain are at +3. The victim must also make a Will roll or drop any weapon he was holding in that hand. Of course, if the hand or arm is crippled, any weapon held by it is automatically dropped. Furthermore, other attacks may be inflicted on the victim. Close Combat attacks can be used against someone held by the lock; the victim defends at -4, in addition to any other penalties caused by the damage or pain caused by the lock itself.

Armed Grapple - Many armed styles teach how to step close to a foe, manoeuvre a weapon past him, and then pull it in tightly to restrain him. This results in an actual grapple of his body in close combat. To lock blades use Bind Weapon (see below). To initiate an armed grapple, roll against weapon skill at -2 – this is an awkward and unconventional attack for most weapons. Your opponent may use any normal defence. If he fails to defend, you’ve successfully grappled him with your weapon. While using your weapon to grapple, you can neither attack nor defend with it. On your turn, you can follow up with a takedown, pin, choke, or Arm Lock (options depend on the body part grappled). Releasing the grapple is a free action.

Backflip - The back flip involves throwing oneself backwards, with the arms and shoulders, and flipping the legs completely up and over, and coming back down onto the ground in a standing position. The result is that one quickly moves backwards by a full body. Doing a back flip counts as one action. This may be used to Evade an attack or bring a rear enemy into striking range.

Binding - The attacker binds the subject, limb by limb, while parrying the victim's attacks. The attacker must have a rope ready in his hands (in modern times, handcuffs can be substituted). The Binding manoeuvre can only be attempted in Close Combat. After a successful Parry or Grapple, the attacker must win a Quick Contest (Binding
vs. DEX) to bind the targeted limb. The process is repeated for each arm and leg. If the target's legs are both bound, he must roll vs. DEX -6 every turn or fall down.

Bodyflip/Throw - Using leverage, the character throws the opponent off the ground. Standard damage is D6, with the victim ending up knocked down, losing the initiative and losing the next melee action. A character's damage bonuses are also added in. Victims can attempt to defend normally with Parry, Evade, etc. After a body flip/throw, a victim who succeeds with a Roll with Impact or Breakfall takes no damage and is not knocked down, but still loses one melee action. With a Breakfall the damage is reduced in half, even if the roll fails. As an attack, it is possible to throw the victim of a body flip/throw into something or someone. To determine success, roll another Thac0. The second victim, the one who’s getting hit with the thrown body, can attempt to defend with Parry, Evade, etc. If the two bodies collide, then they both take the same amount of damage, lose initiative, are knocked down and lose one melee attack.

Breakfall - This is a basic Judo manoeuvre, involving slapping the mat or ground to absorb the shock of landing. When the user is thrown for damage, a successful Breakfall will avoid damage. In any fall, a roll against Breakfall will reduce the effective distance of the fall by one yard.

Cartwheel - Holding the body rigidly extended, the character rolls like a wheel by using the arms and legs as spokes. This manoeuvre can be used to move quickly into combat range. A Cartwheel can also be used as a part of a combined strike against an opponent to the rear of the character when used with either an Axe Kick, Wheel Kick or Knife Hand.

Choke Hold - This special Grapple consists of locking one forearm around the target's neck, applying pressure to the windpipe and effectively shutting off the victim's oxygen supply. A Choke Hold is very difficult to break: the more the target struggles, the tighter the choke becomes. This manoeuvre can also result in permanent damage to the target's throat. It was used by police to control dangerous criminals until its potential lethality prompted the authorities to ban it. To effect a Choke Hold, the attacker must have Grappled the victim with both hands from behind. After a successful grapple, a Choke Hold roll is necessary to place the victim in the hold. Once the hold is in place, the victim starts to suffocate. Breaking Free is very difficult; the victim is at -5 to all rolls to do so (attacks like Elbow Strikes can be used without any additional penalties, however). The thing to remember is that a victim in a choke hold can’t speak or shout. This is why it’s a preferred technique for taking out guards.

Counterattack - Counterattack represents attacking as soon as possible after defending in order to take advantage of the momentary “hole” an attacker must leave in his defences. You can only attempt it on your turn immediately following a successful active defence – and only vs. the foe against whom you defended. If you blocked or parried, the Counterattack doesn’t have to use the hand(s) you used to defend, although it can if you wish. Roll against Counterattack to hit. Your foe is at -2 to Parry, or to his resistance roll if you tried a grappling move that uses a Quick Contest (e.g., takedown), or at -1 to Block or Evade. If you hit, your attack inflicts its usual damage.

Crush/Squeeze - Roll to hit. If the squeeze attack is successful, and not Parried or Evaded, then the attacker has a "bear hug” on the victim. Both hands must be used and the attacker can do no defensive moves. In other words, the attacker just stands there and ignores all other attacks. The victim of a crush/squeeze is also helpless to attack or defend until released. Once a crush/squeeze succeeds, the attacker can continue applying it as long as he likes, doing D4 damage per melee round attack with normal damage bonuses added. Damage cannot be reduced by Roll with Impact or Breakfall. Getting out of a crush/squeeze requires brute strength. Everyone involved, the victim, any helpful friends, and the attacker, all roll a twenty-sided die and add that roll to their STR attribute. High roll wins. If the attacker wins, then the crush/squeeze continues. If the victim or a helpful friend wins, then the victim is released. The other way out is to use a Joint Lock to force the attacker to let go. Or to knock-out/stun or kill the person doing the crush/squeeze.

Disarm - This manoeuvre allows an unarmed man to take an attacker's weapon or knock it away. The defender must have successfully parried the weapon attack, or must grab the foe's weapon arm. On the next turn, a Quick Contest between Disarming and DEX is necessary to remove the weapon. A failure means the attacker keeps the weapon; a critical failure means a hit on the hand. For another way to disarm an opponent, see Arm and Wrist Lock.

Ear Clap - An attacker can pop an enemy's eardrums, stunning and deafening him. Two skill rolls must be made at the same time; each counts as an attack. After hitting, roll a Quick Contest: Ear Clap vs. CON. If the target loses, he is physically stunned; he is also at DEX -2 and deaf for 2D6 seconds. On a critical success on the Ear Clap, the victim
is deafened for the rest of the combat, and must roll to recover as if from a crippling injury. A One-handed ear clap would require only one attack. If the victim loses the Quick Contest, he is deafened in one ear for 2D6 seconds (treat as hard of hearing) at -1 DEX. He is still stunned if he loses the Quick Contest.

Elbow Drop - This is a devastating elbow strike delivered using the whole body. It’s normally done by dropping from a standing posture, driving an elbow into the victim and landing on top of him. You can use it against a kneeling, sitting, or lying foe, making it an ideal follow-up to a takedown. Roll against Elbow Drop to hit. The victim may Evade or block, or parry at -2. If he parries, your body counts as a weapon with weight equal to your STR. Elbow Drop inflicts thrust+2. If an Elbow Drop causes knockback, the target goes nowhere – but if he’s sitting or kneeling, he must
make the usual DEX roll or be knocked down. If you miss, you hit the ground and suffer the damage you would have inflicted. The same thing happens if your opponent blocks with a shield. Succeed or fail, you end up lying face-up on the ground. After a Committed Attack, you’re at -2 to defend and unable to retreat.

Elbow Strike - This manoeuvre is particularly useful if somebody is attacking or grappling you from behind. To attack enemies behind you in Close Combat, roll against Elbow Strike, with no modifiers for not facing the enemy (attacks to a specific part of the body, such as the vitals or head, are at an extra -1, for a total of -3. Frontal attacks are resolved as for a normal punch. The attack does the same damage as a Karate punch.

Entangle - A defender can attempt to trap the weapon or arm of an attacker. This is done instead of parrying or evading, and counts as one melee action. An entangle is successful if the defender rolls above the attacker's strike roll. It takes one attack and a roll to entangle to keep an opponent's arm or weapon entangled every full melee round. In order to get free, the entangled opponent must roll an evasion against the entangle roll.

Evade - This technique is all about avoiding being hit and avoiding opponents who wish to obstruct your movement. Evade lets you flip over, tumble under, twist around your foe, or ward off your enemy’s hands as you run past. All normal penalties apply. To make himself harder to hit a character can use up use up two actions and dodge an attack.

Finger Lock - This Arm Lock variant allows the martial artist to grab fingers and twist them painfully, often snapping them. Use the rules for Arm Locks but all rolls are at -3 (except damage rolls). If enough damage to cripple the hand is done, the finger or fingers grabbed have been broken and any extra damage is lost. This manoeuvre allows for a quick disabling attack; on the other hand, if the victim makes a Will roll to ignore the pain (no roll is necessary if he has High Pain Threshold); he can throw punches at -3 skill with the crippled hand.

Grab - Anybody, during their melee action, can attempt to grab just about anything in reach. Attempting a Grab
always takes a melee action. The target of a Grab can be a weapon. somebody's hand, or any item laying around. The defender, whoever is holding it, can attempt to hold onto it with a Parry, Evade, or with an escape move. Grabbing flying objects, especially incoming missiles like daggers and arrows, is more difficult. First, the attack must be Parried. If the Parry is successful. then the character can attempt to grab the projectile. Grabbing hand-tossed objects requires a Thac0 Roll of 10 or better. Grabbing objects fired by a device like a bow, crossbow or sling will require a Thac0 Roll of 14 or better. Projectiles fired from any kind of gun can NOT be grabbed. Characters can also;

1) Grab someone and then, at any time while the Grab is still in effect, block an incoming attack with his body. To do this, you perform the Grab normally. If the Grabbed character does not immediately escape, you can perform a Block with his body.

2) When you Grab someone, you can also attempt to Control him (i.e., turn him so that he cannot attack you as
successfully). To do this, make a STR vs. STR roll with the victim. If you roll more than he does on the STR vs. STR roll, you can turn him so that he is unable to strike you this round. Each round you want to maintain control, you must roll again. This manoeuvre is very good for subduing someone you wish to speak to but not hurt; it does him no harm and gives you a phase or two in which to speak.

3) Redirect follows a Grab directed at someone’s weapon. If you grab a weapon, you may then make a STR vs. STR
roll to attack its wielder with that weapon. If the STR vs. STR roll is successful you can attack him or a character next to you with the weapon.

4) Once you have Grabbed someone, you may attempt to Shove him backwards. Make a STR vs. STR roll. If you succeed, you may shove the target back a maximum of 1 metre. Shoving does no damage to a target unless he is shoved into a surface such as a wall.

Hand Catch - This technique involves catching an incoming attack in your hand. It’s a one-handed parry. Success on this skill roll means you grapple the extremity or grab the weapon.

Hand Strike - All styles have hand strikes, from the basic closed fist to exotica like stiff-finger thrusts, knife blows and the ubiquitous "karate chop." Any unarmed bout - even in a style that emphasizes kicks - will have more hand strikes than any other type of blow, just because these attacks are quick and relatively safe for the attacker. All these hand strikes do D6 damage (as opposed to the normal D4) and are rolled under the character's Thac0 for a hit, plus any bonuses.

Head Butt - This common brawling technique has been adopted by some pragmatic martial arts styles. It can only be used in close combat. The head butt is an attack against the opponent's head, using one's own head as a weapon. Roll against normal Thac0, add +1 if you have Grappled the enemy with both hands. The victim cannot Parry; Evades are at -1 due to the close quarters.

Head Lock - This attack consists of putting the target's head in a lock, similar in some ways to a Choke Hold, but holding it in such a way that the target can be thrown while using the neck as the axis of the throw - which will almost certainly break the target's neck. After Grappling the foe, the attacker must roll against his Thac0 to grab the neck. On a success, the target's head has been put in a lock. The following round, the attacker can try to either Choke the victim (treat this as a normal Strangling roll), or he can throw him; the throw is resolved as a Quick Contest between the attacker's STR and the defender's STR + bonuses.

Kick Attack - This is a conventional martial arts style kick. It starts with bringing the knee, leg folded, up to chest level, then the foot is completely extended.

Kick, Acrobatic - This manoeuvre consists of an acrobatic tumble or somersault preceding a kick attack. The idea behind the unexpected movement is to confuse the opponent. The person must make an Acrobatics roll to perform the tumble; this counts as an attack.

Kick, Axe - This attack consists of lifting the leg over the target and then bringing it down in a chopping motion. The attack does more damage than a normal kick, but is difficult to execute. An Axe Kick can only be used on targets that are less than one yard in height (a kneeling man, for instance), unless it is executed like a Jump Kick, in which case the roll is at an additional -1 but the attack does +1 damage. Damage is thrust +2 (+3 if jumping), plus bonuses.

Kick, Back - This manoeuvre lets a person attack back hexes without changing facing. The user must be aware of the attacker behind him. The kicker's active defences against all attacks are at -2 for that round.

Kick, Drop - This kick uses both feet in an attack designed to knock a foe down. The kicker must move at least one yard before attempting it. A roll against Drop Kick is required. The target can Evade or Block, but cannot Parry. The kick does thrust+2 damage, and has a reach of 2 hexes. Additionally, this kick is treated as a Slam at +2 STR for the attacker. The attacker automatically falls down after the kick, whether he connected or not.

Kick, Flying Jump - A Jumping or DEX -4 roll is first required. On a miss, roll against Acrobatics -4 or DEX -8 to avoid
falling. The advantage of this difficult kick is that you can hit anything you can reach with a standing or running broad jump; a character can run his full Move, jump and launch a flying Jump Kick. The kick does +2 damage; double the damage for knockback purposes. This attack is parried at -3.

Kick, Hook - The attacker pivots on one foot, spinning his body and delivering a powerful kick. It does +1 damage, plus  bonuses; it is also at -1 to Parry. If the attack misses or is successfully parried, the attacker must make another
Hook Kick roll or lose his balance (-2 to all defence rolls).

Kick, Jump - A classic manoeuvre in fiction, although most martial arts teachers discourage its use in real life situations. This kick increases the attack's reach to double normal; damage is +2 (plus bonuses), and the attack is at -2 to parry. If you miss, roll vs. DEX -4 or Acrobatics -2 to avoid falling.

Kick, Push - This is a kick that shoves your adversary away instead of injuring him. You hit him with the flat of your foot and push. Many kickboxing styles use this technique to shove an opponent into the ropes or far enough away to allow a full extension finishing move. A Push Kick is a shove in all respects except that it’s done as a kick. Roll against Thac0 to hit. Your opponent may defend normally. If you succeed, roll your usual kicking damage and double it. This damage causes no injury – use it only to work out knockback. The above rules assume a Push Kick to the torso. A Push Kick to the leg gives the victim -2 to any DEX roll to avoid falling down as a result of knockback. Targeting the skull, face, or neck makes the penalty -3. No other hit locations are valid.

Kick, Shin - This attack uses the shin, instead of the foot, as an striking weapon. Practitioners smash their shins on hard objects until they do not feel pain.

Kick, Snap - A very short, very fast kick. Usually delivered low, striking the opponent somewhere below the waist. It works well in confined spaces and in grappling range, but does relatively little damage. Unless of course you hit the groin.

Kick, Spin - This is similar to the Hook Kick but it has a different goal. It consists of a quick pivot of the body resulting in a back kick or a side kick against an enemy in front of the attacker. The intended result of the sudden shift in the attacker's centre of gravity is to surprise the enemy, but an experienced martial artist is not likely to be fooled by it. The Spin Kick allows a simultaneous Feint and attack. The attacker must roll twice. First, roll a Quick Contest of Spin Kick vs. the opponent's DEX for the Feint, then roll a second time to deliver the attack. If the Feint fails; the kick was badly delivered and the attacker "telegraphed" the kick, making it easier to defend.

Kick, Stamp - This attack consists of a swift, downward stamp with the heel, using the attacker's entire body weight to give additional force to the kick. The attack does more damage than a normal kick, but can only be used to attack the foot of a standing opponent or to attack an opponent who is lying on the ground. It is commonly used as a finishing move on a downed foe or to aid in escaping a hold. Damage is +2, plus bonuses. On a miss, you stomp the ground and must make a DEX roll to avoid ending up off balance and unable to retreat until your next turn.

Kick, Sweep - This is an attempt to kick the adversary's legs out from under him. If the attack is not successfully parried or Evaded, roll a contest between Sweeping Kick skill and the victim's DEX. Modifiers: +1 to the stronger of the two. If the victim loses, he is knocked down, unless he can make an Acrobatics -5 roll to somersault in the air and land safely.

Knee Drop - This brutal attack involves dropping your entire weight onto your foe knee-first. It’s normally executed from a standing posture by driving your knee into your adversary and landing on top of him. You can only use it against an opponent who’s lying down, but it’s an ideal follow-up to a takedown. Roll against Thac0 to hit. Your victim may evade or block, or parry at -2. If he parries, your body counts as a weapon with weight equal to your STR. On a miss, you hit the ground and one leg takes the damage you would have inflicted. If your opponent blocks with
a shield, it has the same effect. Succeed or fail, you end up kneeling. You’re at -2 to defend and unable to retreat.

Knee Strike - If the target has been grappled successfully, he defends at -2. If the target has been grappled from the front, the natural target of a Knee Strike is the groin.

Knock-out/Stun - Anyone hit by a knockout or stun attack will be temporarily incapacitated. The victim will not necessarily be unconscious, just dazed for D4 Melee Rounds. The player must announce that his character is attempting a knock-out before rolling the Strike. An unsuccessful Knock-Out/Stun does no damage. The dazed person can not attack or take any action and is -4 to all rolls.

Leg Grapple - This is a common manoeuvre employed against kicking attacks; practitioners of almost all martial arts will be familiar with it. This option is available to a person who is kicked in an upper body part. If an unarmed Parry against the kick is made by 2 or more, the defender may choose to grab the attacker's leg. Roll as for a Grapple; in this case, it is a contest between the defender's skill and the attacker's DEX or Kicking skill. If the defender wins the contest, the kicking leg has been captured. The victim's attacks and defences are at -4 as long as the foot is grappled.

Leg Lock - A leg lock is an attempt to restrain or cripple an opponent by twisting his leg. To use Leg Lock, you must have two hands free and already have a successful Leg Grapple on your opponent. On your first turn following the Leg Grapple, you may attempt to place your foe’s leg in a lock. This is an attack. Roll against Leg Lock to hit. Your victim may use any defence – he can parry your hand with a weapon. If his defence fails, you trap his leg in a lock. Your foe may attempt to break free on his next turn. If he loses, he has a cumulative -1 on future attempts to break free. On your next turn – and each turn thereafter, until your opponent breaks free – you may try to damage the trapped leg. Roll a Quick Contest: the higher of your STR (including any bonuses) vs. your victim’s STR +4. If you win, you inflict crushing damage equal to your margin of victory. If you cripple your victim’s leg, he’ll be unable to stand on it. You can inflict no further damage on a crippled limb, but you can continue to roll the Contest each turn. If you win, your target suffers shock and stunning just as if you had inflicted damage. Rolls to inflict damage are completely passive and don’t count as attacks. You can simultaneously make close-combat attacks on your opponent, who defends at -4 in addition to any penalties due to the damage caused by the lock itself. You can also apply this technique offensively. You must first grapple your victim’s leg with two hands. If he fails to break free on his next turn, you may
try Leg Lock on your next turn.

Maintain Balance - When some kind of knockdown attack has succeeded, while the character is starting to fall over
this is his last chance attempt to recover. A successful roll (over the opponent’s Strike roll) means that the character will immediately regain his balance and remain standing, and be able to continue fighting. If Maintain Balance is used, then Roll with Impact or Breakfall can't be.

Neck Snap - This brute-force attack consists of grabbing and suddenly twisting the victim's head, hoping to snap the neck. A very strong person can kill instantly with this manoeuvre. First, the character must Grapple the victim by the head with both hands. On the following round, the attacker rolls a Quick Contest, his Neck Snap manoeuvre
versus the victim's STR. If the attacker wins the contest, he does swing/crushing damage, which is multiplied by
1.5 against the neck. On a tie, or if the victim wins, no damage is inflicted. Neck damage, even if not lethal, can be crippling; if the victim survives, he must roll against crippling; a lasting injury will keep the character in a neck brace for the allotted period, and all crushing damage done to his neck during that time will be doubled (representing the chance that the injury will aggravate itself).

Parry, Hand - All styles have hand parries. Many combinations begin with a hand parry to deflect a blow, followed by a counterattack. In its most basic form parrying is simply blocking the attacker's blow with a limb or weapon. To Parry successfully the character must roll above his attacker's Thac0 roll (plus bonuses). Each and every Parry must be rolled separately. If the character is attacked four times in a single melee round attack, then the Parry must be rolled four times.

Parry, Leg - A low-line attack – typically a kick – can also be parried by interposing a foot or leg aggressively enough to injure the attacker. It’s only useful against attacks on your lower body (feet, legs, or groin). You may attempt it instead of a non-damaging leg or foot parry once per turn. Failure means you’re hit; your attacker may choose to hit his original target, your parrying leg, or your parrying foot. Success means you parry and may roll to strike the attacking body part or weapon.

Punch, Roundhouse - This heavy punch is a wide swing with the whole body behind it. This attack is both slow and easy to defend against, however; by using it, the attacker automatically surrenders initiative  and the target gets a +1 on AC against the roundhouse. Experienced persons usually reserve the attack for use against a stunned foe; it makes a good coup de grace.

Punch, Spin - This is the hand-attack equivalent to the Spin Kick. It uses the same game mechanics, but damage is equal to normal punching damage.

Restrain Punch - The ability to control the force of a hand to hand attack. Usually used to reduce the blow to less than killing force. After the damage is rolled, the character can choose to reduce it to half damage, quarter damage, a single point or no damage at all. A character must declare a pulled punch before the Strike is rolled. This can also be used with weapons. If successful, it means that the victim was hit with a blunt part of the weapon or with a glancing blow. Again, damage can be reduced to half, a quarter, or less.

Roll with Impact - With this manoeuvre, the defender presents little resistance to the force of a punch or other kinetic attacks (like a fall), taking less damage. On a successful roll, he takes half damage (rounded up) from the attack, and is knocked 1 metre for every 2 points of the damage he took, before it was halved. The defender must roll against DEX, minus 1 for every metre he was knocked back, or lose his footing and fall down.  On a failure, he takes normal damage but is still knocked back as above.

Sacrifice Strike - This is an attack launched at the same time an enemy attacks. The character using this forgoes any attempt to parry or evade. On the other hand, the original attacker cannot defend either.

Sacrifice Throw - This technique involves grappling your opponent, falling with him, and using your entire weight to throw him. It’s risky, but difficult to resist. Before you attempt the throw, you must declare whether you intend to land face-up, face-down, or kneeling, as well as where you plan to end up. You must also state whether you want your victim to end up face-up or face-down, and where, subject to identical restrictions. You can end up in the same place; that is, you can land atop him or pull him down on top of you. After stating your goal, roll against Sacrifice Throw to
hit. Succeed or fail, you immediately end up in your declared posture and location, defenceless. Your opponent has -1 to evade or block. If he fails to defend, you throw him exactly as you planned. If you were grappling him, you may let go as a free action, but you don’t have to – it’s common to hang on and follow a Sacrifice Throw with a pin or choke.

Scissors Hold - This technique allows you to grapple an adversary’s legs using your own. You must have both legs free. You must also be lying face-up, sitting, or standing – but if you’re standing, then successful or not, you automatically end your turn on the ground. Scissors Hold isn’t possible from other postures (kneeling, crouching, etc).
Roll against Scissors Hold to hit. Your opponent defends normally. If you succeed, you’ve grappled his legs with yours. He may try to break free on his turn. If he fails, or chooses not to try, you’ve locked your legs around his. He may attempt to break free on subsequent turns, but at a cumulative -1 per turn.

Sticking Hands - In this manoeuvre, a person touches the opponent and leaves his hand in contact with him, "stuck" to his skin. By doing this, he can "feel" his opponent's intentions, and counter them more easily. Every round, he must win a Quick Contest (Sticking vs. DEX) to remain in contact. As long as he is "stuck" to the opponent, he can attack and parry at +2. The attacker cannot Evade without losing contact, however.

Tackle - This is a knockdown attack. A successful attack does D4 damage and the opponent is knocked down. The victim can do only one defensive move, Evade. A successful Evasion means no damage and no knockdown, but failure means damage, knockdown and loss of one attack that melee. A successful Maintain Balance means the victim is not knocked down and does not lose an attack, but does take full damage. A successful Roll with Impact or Breakfall means the victim takes half damage, but is still knocked down.

Trip - This attack allows a martial artist to trip or throw a charging foe. The foe must have either moved two or more hexes into the martial artist's hex or any of his front hexes, or stepped into one of those hexes after running at full Move the previous turn. Before any action on the target's part is resolved, roll a Quick Contest between the attacker's DEX and the defender's DEX. If the attacker wins, the defender is thrown which ends the defender's turn. If the defender wins, he overruns the attacker and knocks him over.

Two-Handed Punch - This technique involves either knitting the fingers of two hands together to strike or striking with two fists held together. A common move in movies and on television, it’s not terribly safe or effective in reality. Roll against Two-Handed Punch to hit. Your opponent defends normally, but if he successfully parries and inflicts damage, both of your arms take full damage. If you succeed he takes damage from both hands.

Whirlwind All Out Attack - This highly cinematic manoeuvre is a fabled samurai attack which allows a beleaguered person to attack each and every foe besetting him with lightning speed. If this manoeuvre is used, it counts as all of the attacker's actions for that turn, regardless of how many actions that character might normally have. The attacker spins in place, attacking each and every foe in any adjacent to him. He must choose his first foe and then engage the
remaining foes in either clockwise or counterclockwise order (attacker's option). Each attack is resolved before proceeding to the next attack, rolling against the Whirlwind Attack manoeuvre rather than weapon skill. A Whirlwind Attack must be a swung attack and cannot be combined with any other manoeuvre. Hit location is determined randomly for each foe, and the foes may defend normally. At the end of the attack, the attacker may choose to be facing in any direction. If there are any foes left standing, it may be wise not to put one's back to them. As a result of the Whirlwind Attack, the attacker is now defenceless as well.

Wrench - This technique involves grabbing and suddenly twisting an enemy’s limb to dislocate or break it. It defaults to STR and must be learned separately for each limb: Wrench Arm, Wrench Leg, and so forth. To use this technique, you must first grapple your opponent by the desired limb using two hands. He may attempt to break free on his turn. If he fails, then on your next turn, roll a Quick Contest: Wrench (Limb) vs. the victim’s STR. He gets +4 if you’re wrenching his leg. This counts as an attack. If you win, you inflict swing crushing damage on the limb. The target’s rigid DR protects normally.