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These rules are a supplement to the Shadowrun, Second Edition game. They are intended to give a more realistic, more in-depth way of resolving unarmed combat in the game, especially with regards to the differences in martial arts styles.
The original version of these rules were created and playtested by Craig Sanchez, Walt Schellin, Dave Hoops, Jonathan Jacobson, Josh Karabin and myself, Linda Naughton, who was the one who actually wrote down the rules and the descriptions of everything.
Over the past year or so, I have e-mailed these rules to various people, and have posted it to the web (http://homepage.interaccess.com/~sasser/marts1.html) Dozens of fellow Shadowrun players have sent me their suggestions, complaints, compliments, and general comments about the rules. Thanks to their input, and to a year of playtesting these rules, we have been able to fix some problems in the original system, clarify a few points, and expand upon it. The end result is the set of rules you're now reading. Our thanks go to everyone who gave us their comments about the rules.
Shadowrun, Second Edition is copyrighted by FASA Corporation. Used without permission.
Example: Sasser has Unarmed Combat (6). She wants to spend her Good Karma to buy a concentration in Hard Kung Fu (7). This allows her the techniques Block, Kick, Strike, Jump Kick, and Knee Strike. Since Sasser has some more Karma to burn, she then b uys Strike (8) as a specialization of Hard Kung Fu.
It is possible to have multiple concentrations (in different styles) and multiple specializations (in different techniques) by spending Karma points to buy them (as explained in the main Shadowrun rules), but remember that a beginning character may only start with one concentration and/or specialization in each general skill.
The techniques themselves are listed and described in Section III. The styles, and the techniques allowed by each of them, are in Section IV. Note that just because a particular technique is not listed under a style, that doesn't mean that the style doesn't teach the technique at all. The listed techniques are simply the ones that are emphasized by each style.
Example: Fenris has Unarmed Combat (5). He has two concentrations in that general skill: Hapkido (6) and Tae Kwon Do (7). Hapkido allows him the techniques Strike, Kick, Takedown, Escape Hold, Total Disable and Lock. Tae Kwon Do allows him the tec hniques Strike, Block, Kick, Jump Kick, and Spinning Jump Kick.
In addition to allowing certain techniques, nearly every style also gives special bonuses. These bonuses apply only to characters who have a concentration in that style. For example, a character with a concentration in Aikido can face multiple opponent without penalties, and characters with Hard Kung Fu receive a bonus to damage. See Section II for more details about how the special bonuses are used.
The chosen technique determines the base target number (TN), reach, damage, and any special effects that may result if the technique is successful. All the techniques are listed and explained in Section IV.
Once the technique is chosen, each character rolls the appropriate skill. If the technique happens to be one of that character's specializations, he may roll the rating in the specialization. If the technique is allowed by a style that a character has a concentration in, he may roll the rating of the appropriate concentration. If not, he must roll the general skill Unarmed Combat. (as an optional rule, the GM may allow the character to roll his highest unarmed combat concentration, but with a +2 to the TN, as if the character were defaulting to something one dot away on the skill web.)
If a technique falls under more than one of the character's concentrations, he must choose which style he's using.
Example: Fenris and Sasser are sparring. It's Sasser's turn, so she is the attacker, and Fenris is the defender. However, Fenris has a higher initiative total so he is able to wait for Sasser to declare a technique and then he can choose his reply. Fo r a technique, Sasser chooses a Strike, and Fenris then chooses a Kick. Sasser uses her Hard Kung Fu specialization in Strike (8), so she would roll 8 dice. Fenris must decide whether to use his concentration in Hapkido (6) or in Tae Kwon Do (7) (since both allow the Kick technique). He chooses Tae Kwon Do, and thus rolls seven dice.
Exclusive Techniques
There are a few techniques which can only be attempted by a character with a concentration in an appropriate style. These include the Hapkido "Total Disable", the Aikido "Reverse Hold", the Thai Boxing "Jumping Knee Strike", and others. Such techniques are marked with an asterix (*) in the desctiptions and in the chart showing the various techniques. If the character doesn't have the appropriate style, he cannot attempt the exclusive technique. Period.
Every style has a special bonus, as explained in Section I. Such bonuses apply only when using a technique from the appropriate style. In other words, although a character with a concentration in Hard Kung Fu receives a +1 to the power of all attacks, the bonus only applies when using one of his Hard Kung Fu techniques (Kick, Strike, Jump Kick, Knee Strike) and would not apply if he attempted a Sweep or a Lock or some other technique.
If a technique falls under more than one of the character's concentrations, he must choose which style he's using. The chosen style determines which special bonus will apply.
Example: In the previous example, Fenris was attempting a Kick. He had to choose whether to use his concentration in Hapkido or Tae Kwon Do. Tae Kwon Do's special bonus is a +1 to the speed of kicking techniques. Since Fenris chose to use Tae Kwon Do in the previous example, he will receive a +1 to the speed of his kick. On the other hand, Sasser was using a Hard Kung Fu strike. Her special bonus is a +1 to the power of her attack.
Certain styles are defensive in nature. These are noted by the words "Defense Only" in the descriptions of the styles. A defensive style may only be used to counterattack, unless the GM determines a special situation.
(TN) = Base TN: This is the base target number of the technique. It is modified by reach, multiple opponents, superior position, etc. as explained in the main Shadowrun rules.
(D) = Damage: The damage done by the technique. Unless noted otherwise in the description of the technique, the damage is staged normally with net successes.
(R) = Reach: The reach bonus allowed by the technique.
(S) = Speed: The speed bonus of the technique (see Section V for the optional speed rules)
Notes/Description: Any special rules relating to the technique, and a description of what the technique actually does. In all cases, the "attacker" refers to the character attempting the technique, regardless of whether he's attacking or counter-attacking. The "defender", "opponent", "target" or "victim" refers to the character who is being targeted by the technique. Many techniques give detailed rules on their effects. If your group doesn't want to get bogged down in details, don't worry about them, just use the number of net successes and the basic description of the technique to judge what happened.
Example: We're still dealing with the sparring match between Sasser and Fenris. Sasser had chosen a Strike technique, and will be able to roll 8 dice. Fenris chose a kick and will roll 7 dice. Looking at the Strike statistics, it has a base TN of 4, +0 reach, +1 speed and (Str)M (stun) damage. Sasser's special bonus for Hard Kung Fu changes the damage to (Str+1) M (stun). Fenris tries a kick. The base TN is a 5, a kick has +1 reach, +0 speed and (Str +1)M (stun). His special bonus for Tae Kwon Do is a +1 to speed.
Comparing reach, Fenris has a net +1 advantage. This reduces his TN to a 4, and raises Sasser's to a 5. Comparing speed (if you decide to use the optional rules in Section V of this system), they both have a +1, so nobody has an advantage. We'll assume there are no other TN modifiers for darkness, wounds, position, etc. So Sasser rolls 8 dice (plus up to 8 more dice from her Combat Pool) against a TN of 5, and Fenris rolls 7 dice (plus up to 7 from Combat Pool) against a TN of 4. Fenris ends up with 2 net successes. His damage is (Str+1) M stun, and strength is a 10, so Sasser must stage 11M (stun) with 2 net successes for Fenris. She manages to get two 11s on her Body test (lucky girl, that Sasser) and cancels Fenris' two net successes. This leaves her with a Moderate stun wound. Ouch.
Block
TN: 4 D: (Str-1)L (stun) R: +0 S: +1
This move can only be used when counterattacking. It is one way of replacing the "full defense" option presented on page XXX of the main rules (for another way, see the "Evade" technique). The damage comes from the force of the block itself. Even a gentle block, if properly applied, can break a bone. No reach penalties apply to the block technique. When using the block technique against a an attack from a sharp melee weapon (such as a sword or knife), add a +2 to the TN.
Disable
TN: 6 D: (Skill)S (stun) R: +0 S: +1
A nerve-attacking technique which causes the target to lose feeling in one of the limbs (chosen by the attacker). The damage done is not "real" damage, it is simply used to determine the target modifier whenever the victim attempts to use that limb. So it should be kept track of seperately from other damage suffered by the character. It will never contribute to knocking a character unconscious, or carrying over into the physical damage track. A Deadly wound from a disable strike indicates complete paralysis in the limb until one box of the damage heals. (Damage from a disable strike heals in the same amount of time as normal stun damage).
Disarm
TN: 5 D: (Str) L (stun) R: +0 S: +0
The character attempts to get a weapon out of the hands of his opponent. If the attacker gets any net successes, then the opponent drops the weapon. If he gets at least 4 net successes, then the character attempting the disarm actually ends up holding the weapon himself. The net successes are also used to stage damage normally.
Distract*
exclusive Coppo move
TN: 4 D: (Str) M (stun) R: +0 S: +0
This Coppo distract technique is actually a combination of two techniques, a distraction maneuver followed by a strike (both are performed in the same action). First, the effects of the distraction are determined. The attacker and the defender both roll Coppo against a base TN 4. (If the defender doesn't have a concentration in Coppo, he can default to Unarmed Combat or another style with a +1 TN or to Willpower with a +2 TN)
Every 2 net successes the attacker gets on the distraction maneuver adds a +1 to the defenders TN for the subsequent strike. Once that modifier is determined, the attacker rolls for his Strike, as normal, and the defender chooses a technique and rolls no rmally (but with the extra TN modifier from the distraction.) Since the attacker is using Coppo, he may use Coppo's special bonus to do physical damage with the strike at a +2 to his own TN.
Escape Hold
TN: 6 D: none R: +0 S: +0
When a character is being held in a grapple or a lock, he must use this technique to break free. When the person trying to escape gets at least one net success using this technique, he has broken free from the hold.
Evade
TN: 4 D: none R: +0 S: +1
Another alternative to the Full Defense option presented in the main rules (also see the "Block" technique) This technique is used to get out of the way of an attack, without blocking or counterattacking directly. No reach penalties apply to a character attempting to evade. Note that the evade technique does no damage to the target even if the person using it gets more successes than his opponent. However, if he does get more successes that his opponent, it means that the attack was a clean miss (usef ul for those nasty insects who can paralyze you with a simple touch).
Grapple
TN: 4 D: none R: +0 S: +0
A simple hold, like a bear hug. If the attacker gets any net successes at all, he has put the victim into a hold. As long as the victim is in a hold, the victim gets the "inferior position" modifier, and the attacker gets the "superior position" modifi er as explained on page XXX of the main rules. Also, the victim of a hold cannot use any jumping maneuvers. The hold is in effect until either the attacker decides to let go, or until the victim successfully uses the "Escape Hold" technique.
While the attacker is keeping his opponent grappled, his arms are occupied, so he can't use any kind of hand attack without letting go of the hold. However, he can use a special Squeeze attack, which has TN 4 (modified for position, as explained above) and does (Str) L (stun) damage. And he can also use any other attack that the GM thinks is appropriate (Throw is a good one).
Jump Kick
TN: 7 D: (Str+2) M (stun) R: +2 S: -1
The attacker leaps up and lashes out at the opponent with a kick. A difficult move to accomplish, but it does a lot of damage. A GM can use the optional "Jumping" rules presented in the Fields of Fire sourcebook to determine the maximum "range" of a ju mp kick, if desired.
Jumping Knee Strike*
exclusive Thai Boxing technique
TN: 5 D: (Str+2) M (stun) R: +1 S: -1
A more powerful version of the Knee Strike. The attacker propels himself towards his opponent, jumping slightly off the ground. He then plows his knee into the victim, with the added force of the jump.
Kick
TN: 5 D: (Str+1) M (stun) R: +1 S: +0
A standard foot attack. Includes all forms of non-jumping kicks. Spin kick, fan kick, roundhouse kick, front kick, etc. Has an advantage in power over a punch, but at the expense of speed.
Kippup
TN: 6
This is a special move available to anyone with a concentration in a martial art. It's a neat little roll/flip that gets the attacker back on his feet quickly. It works much like a Quickdraw (as explained on p.XXX of the main rules.) The character rolls his unarmed combat concentration against a TN 6, modified as the GM sees fit. If the test is successful, the character gets back on his feet and is still able to perform an attack/counterattack on that phase.
If the test fails, the character is still able to get up, but loses his attack/counterattack (in other words, if he was going to counterattack, his opponent gets to land an unresisted attack, and the character is forced to just tough it out and try to soak the damage. If he was going to attack, then there is no real bad effect. He just loses the opportunity to attack.) If the character botches the test (using either the Rule of One from the main rules, p. XXX, or the better one presented in Fi elds of Fire on p. XXX ) then not only does he lose his attack/counterattack, as above, but he's still on the ground. All characters fighting while on the ground automatically get the "inferior position" modifier and give their attackers the "superior position" modifier.
Knee Strike
TN: 5 D: (Str+2) M (stun) R: +0 S: +0
A vicious attack with the knee to the midsection of the opponent.
Lock
TN: 6 D: (Skill) L (stun) R: +0 S: +0
A painful move that puts one of the victim's limbs into a joint lock (wrist lock, arm lock, and knee lock are the most common, but if you're really creative you can come up with others.) If the attacker gets any net successes at all, he has put the victi m into a hold. As long as the victim is in a hold, the victim gets the "inferior position" modifier, and the attacker gets the "superior position" modifier as explained on page XXX of the main rules. While in a lock, the character cannot use the limb that is being held (he can still use other body parts to attack with as usual, however). The hold is in effect until either the attacker decides to let go, or until the victim successfully uses the "Escape Hold" technique.
Once an opponent has been put into a lock, the attacker can use the Lock technique again on that person, but now he has the victim at his mercy, and the attack does (Skill+3) M (stun). Best advice... say "uncle" (or use "Escape Hold" and hope you do well).
Reverse Hold*
exclusive Aikido/Wrestling technique
TN: 7 D: (Skill) L (stun) R: +0 S: +0
This is a special move used to turn the tables on one's attacker. It is a combination of the Escape Hold and Lock techniques. When a character with Wrestling or Aikido is held in a lock (not a Grapple), he can use this technique in place of "Escape Hold". If the character gets at least one net success, he escape from his opponent's hold, and proceeds to put his opponent into a Lock! See the "Lock" technique for details about that attack.
Spinning Jump Kick*
exclusive Tae Kwon Do technique
TN: 8 D: (Str+3) M (stun) R: +1 S: -2
A powerful jumping kick, in which the character spins around in mid-air, gaining extra torque. It is very hard to pull off, but is the most damaging kick (and one of the most damaging moves in general.)
Strike
TN: 4 D: (Str) M (stun) R: +0 S: +1
Just about any kind of strike using the hands. Includes punches, open-hand attacks, knifehand strikes (the infamous "karate chop" move), etc.
Sweep
TN: 5 D: (Str) L (stun) R: +1 S: +0
An attack similar to a kick but with the intention of knocking the victim flat on his butt. If the attacker gets any net successes at all, the target is knocked down. Note that standing up requires a simple action, and thus cannot be combined with an unarmed combat attack (which requires a complex action). All characters fighting while on the ground automatically get the "inferior position" modifier and give their attackers the "superior position" modifier.
Takedown
TN: 8 D: (Skill+1) L (stun) R: +0 S: +0
This is actually a combination of two moves, a sweep and a lock. If the attacker gets any net successes at all, the victim is knocked down and held in a lock (see the "Lock" technique for details)
Throw
TN: 5 D: (Str) L (stun) R: +0 S: -1
The character grabs hold of the opponent and throws or flips him, usually using his own body for leverage, instead of relying on raw strength. If the attacker gets any net successes, he may throw the character a distance up to the attacker's Strength divided by 4 (round up). The direction of the throw is determined by the attacker.
The attacker must then divide his successes between distance and damage. Every two successes allocated to distance will increase the distance thrown by 1 meter (up to a maximum of the attacker's Strength divided by 2, round up) Every two successes alloc ated to damage will increase the damage normally. Note that if you manage to throw somebody off a building or into a brick wall or something like that, the GM should apply additional damage as he deems appropriate.
Note: As an optional rule, the GM may wish to impose TN penalties for drastic differences in size. One rough estimate of this is to apply a TN modifier equal to the difference in Body scores (not counting Dermal armor and such), but that sometimes yields odd results.
Total Disable*
TN: 8 D: (Skill) D (stun) R: +0 S: +1
This nerve attack is designed to incapacitate an opponent without
seriously hurting him. The damage, since it's base Deadly stun damage,
will often result in the victim being knocked unconscious. Damage from a
Total Disable strike will never carry over into the physical damage track.
| Technique | TN | Damage | R | S | Special |
| Block | 4 | (Str-1)L | +0 | +1 | +2TN vs Blades |
| Disable | 6 | (Skill) S | +0 | +1 | damage to limb |
| Disarm | 5 | (Str) L | +0 | +0 | 4 succ = take weapon |
| Distract* | 4 | (Str) M | +0 | +0 | distract, then strike |
| Escape Hold | 6 | none | +0 | +0 | out of hold |
| Evade | 4 | none | +0 | +1 | clean miss |
| Grapple | 4 | none | +0 | +0 | hold. can do squeeze |
| Jump Kick | 7 | (Str+2) M | +2 | -1 | |
| Jumping Knee* | 5 | (Str+2) M | +1 | -1 | |
| Kick | 5 | (Str+1) M | +1 | +0 | |
| Kippup | 6 | stand up | |||
| Knee Strike | 5 | (Str+2) M | +0 | +0 | |
| Lock | 6 | (Skill)L | +0 | +0 | hold. next=(Skill+3) M |
| Reverse Hold* | 8 | (Skill) L | +0 | +0 | escape & hold |
| Spin Jump Kick* | 8 | (Str+3) M | +1 | -2 | |
| Strike | 4 | (Str) M | +0 | +1 | |
| Sweep | 5 | (Str) L | +1 | +0 | knocked down |
| Takedown | 8 | (Skill+1) L | +0 | +0 | knocked down & hold |
| Throw | 5 | (Str) L | +0 | -1 | Str/4 meters base |
| Total Disable* | 8 | (Skill) D | +0 | +1 |
* denotes exclusive technique
The "Special" column is meant as a quick reminder for what happens. Consult the descriptions of the techniques for details.
There are fourteen different styles described in these rules. Each of them has its own strengths and weaknesses. There is no single style that overpowers all the rest. Some are particularly useful in certain situations, others are more all-purpose styles. In short, don't choose a style for your character based simply on the techniques it allows and the special bonuses. Martial arts is more than just learning a few cool moves, and a character's chosen style should reflect that.
The descriptions of the arts here are rather sketchy, but they should at least give a brief overview of the art and what it practices.
Also, throughout the world there are countless variations on each style, and tons of styles that aren't even mentioned in these rules. A GM should feel free to allow players to make small adjustments to the styles, maybe swapping a technique here and there or adjusting the bonuses, or even creating a different style entirely.
Defense Only
Techniques: Disarm, Escape Hold, Lock, Reverse Hold*, Takedown, Throw
Special Bonus: A character with Aikido can face a number of opponents up to his rating in Aikido without receiving the penalty for "Opponent Has Friends in Melee". The opponents still get their bonus for having friends in the melee, but the aikido expert doesn't get the penalty.
A Japanese martial art that is defensive and (in some versions of the style) almost pacifistic in nature. The name can be translated into "way of union with ki, the life force of the universe". It involves the manipulation of joints in various locks and escapes.
Boxing
Techniques: Block, Grapple, Strike
Special Bonus: Characters may use their Boxing skill in place of their Body to soak the damage from unarmed combat attacks.
Not exactly a martial art, but it's included here for the purpose of general unarmed combat. Boxing is a sport involving mostly hand attacks (usually wearing padded gloves) and the ability to stand toe to toe and be pummled by your opponent.
Coppo
Techniques: Distract*, Strike
Special Bonus: When using a Coppo Strike or Distract attack, the character may choose to do physical damage instead of stun damage with a +2 TN modifier instead of the usual +4 (as described in Fields of Fire). When doing physical damage, the character may use his skill level instead of his strength for the power of the attack.
Coppo is a rather vicious martial art that specializes in studying the weak points in the human anatomy and exploiting those with bone-crunching strikes. A hit from a Coppo expert is likely to snap the bone cleanly without much force being applied.
Hapkido
Techniques: Escape Hold, Kick, Lock, Strike, Takedown, Total Disable*
Special Bonus: Once a character with Hapkido has another in a Lock or Takedown hold, he receives an additional -2 to the TN for the Total Disable ttechnique.
An agressive martial art that combines the joint manipulations of Aikdio with the more straight-forward kicks and punches of styles like Karate and Kung Fu. Many versions of the Hapkido style emphasize pre-emptive strikes and ending a fight quickly. Hapkido also specializes in nerve pressure points to incapacitate their opponents.
Hard Kung Fu
Techniques: Block, Jump Kick, Kick, Knee Strike, Strike
Special Bonus: Characters receive a +1 bonus to the power of all attacks.
Kung Fu is sometimes viewed as the Chinese version of Karate. Many styles are patterned after the movements of animals. Hard Kung Fu is a style that emphasizes power and strength. Some examples of Hard Kung Fu animals are Tiger, Eagle, and Leopard, among others.
Judo
Defense Only
Techniques: Escape Hold, Grapple, Sweep, Takedown, Throw
Special Bonus: Characters can use half their skill rating as armor against the Throw technique, and when taking damage from falls.
Judo originates from ancient styles, but has developed into a modern sport and martial art. Its name can be translated as "soft, flexible way". It focuses on ways to fall safely, and also on grapples and throws.
Jujitsu
Techniques: Block, Disarm, Lock, Strike, Takedown
Special Bonus: Characters receive a special -1 TN to the base TN of the Takedown technique.
Often viewed as the sister art of Judo, dealing with self defense more than sport, Jujitsu developed from a variety of Asian styles. Jujitsu involves using an attacker's strength and weight against him, emphasizing combinations of attacks in response to given assaults.
Karate
Techniques: Block, Jump Kick, Kick, Strike, Sweep, Throw
Special Bonus: Characters receive a +1 to the speed and to the power of their Strike attacks.
A common Japanese art, which puts an emphasis on hand attacks.
Ninjitsu
Techniques: Block, Disable, Jump Kick, Kick, Strike
Special Bonus: A character with Ninjitsu can use his Ninjitsu concentration just like Centering when rolling for stealth checks. In other words, he can roll Ninjitsu to reduce the TN of stealth checks (if the TN has been increased due to wounds or adverse conditions), or to get extra successes on a stealth check. The Centering rules are on page XXX of the Grimoire.
The art of the ninja. Also called the art of invisibility, it originated with the assassins in medieval Japan and has an emphasis on stealth and secrecy. It is probably one of the most exclusive styles in the world, so GMs should feel free to restrict characters from choosing this style without a very good reason in their background.
Soft Kung Fu
Techniques: Disable, Escape Hold, Kick, Strike, Takedown
Special Bonus: Characters receive a +1 bonus to the speed of the Strike and Disable techniques.
Kung Fu is sometimes viewed as the Chinese version of Karate. Many styles are patterned after the movements of animals. Soft Kung Fu emphasizes speed, accuracty and agility. Some animals that are used as models for Soft Kung Fu include Monkey, Snake, and Crane, among others.
Tae Kwon Do
Techniques: Block, Jump Kick, Kick, Spinning Jump Kick*, Strike
Special Bonus: Characters receive a +1 bonus to the speed of all kicking attacks: Kick, Jump Kick, and Spinning Jump Kick
Originally developed by the Korean military to provide a quick and effective means of self-defense training for their troops, Tae Kwon Do literally translates as 'the way of the hand and foot'.
Tai Chi
Techniques: Block, Kick, Lock, Strike, Sweep
Special Bonus: Characters may add 1/4th of their skill (round up) to their Body when rolling to soak impact attacks (such as falling and unarmed combat) and also when rolling to resist disease or toxins.
Tai Chi is most commonly looked at as an exercise program, and is not often considered practical for self defense. However, when practiced properly, it can be very effective. It is practiced throughout China by young and old alike, and much time is spent on breathing control.
Thai Boxing
Techniques: Jumping Knee Strike*, Kick, Knee Strike, Strike
Special Bonus: Characters receive a +1 bonus to the speed and power of all kick attacks.
The national sport of Thailand. Also called Muay Thai, and sometimes referred to generically as kickboxing. The emphasis in this style is on speed and power, and it is especially focused on kicking attacks, such as the knee strike.
Wrestling
Techniques: Escape Hold, Grapple, Reverse Hold*, Takedown, Throw
Special Bonus: Wrestlers receive a -1 to the TN of the Grapple and Escape Hold techniques.
The traditional sport, not really a martial art, per se, but included here anyway along with Boxing. The combatants attempt to pin each other to the ground, using a combination of holds and takedowns.
This section deals with optional rules about the speed of various techniques. Certain attacks are naturally faster than others, and so they are easier to get in before the opponent can land his own attack. To simulate this, each technique is given a speed modifier (also, certain styles receive bonuses to the speeds of their techniques). The speed rules add another level of complexity to unarmed combat, so most GMs will probably choose not to use them, but they are included here for completeness.
Speed works similar to Reach. A higher speed modifier means a faster move. Compare the speeds of each combatant's chosen technique (plus any modifiers from a style's special bonus). Subtract the difference from the TN of the character with the higher speed.
Example: Oak attacks Fenris. Oak has Coppo (7) and is attempting a Strike. Fenris has Tae Kwon Do (7) and is attempting a Spinning Jump Kick. Oak's Base TN is a 4, and Fenris' is an 8. The Strike has +0 reach, but Oak is a troll and so he always gets a +1 bonus to reach, giving him a total reach of +1. The Spinning Jump Kick also has a +1 Reach. Since both combatants have +1 reach, the modifiers cancel. Now comes the speed modifiers. Oak's strike has a +1 speed. Fenris' kick has a -1 speed (-2 for the technique, but he gets a +1 for Tae Kwon Do's special bonus). Subtracting the speeds gives a difference of 2. (+1 - (-1) = +2) Since Oak's technique was faster, he gets to subtract 2 from his TN. Unlike with Reach, Fenris' target number is unaffected. So the end result is that Oak rolls his skill against a TN of 2, and Fenris rolls his dice against a TN of 8. Bad news for Fenris.
There is a second, simpler, way to use speed, which doesn't have as much effect on the game. In the main rules, it states that the "attacker" always wins ties. Instead of saying that, it is possible to use speed to determine which character wins a tie . The character with the faster technique will win a tie. If the speed of both the attacker and counterattacker are the same, then you can revert back to the original rule that the attacker wins ties.
Feel free to use whichever version of the speed rule you like better, or ignore the speed rules completely.
Killing Hands
It is very easy to convert the physical adept power "Killing Hands" for use with these rules. First of all, the damage becomes physical instead of stun, as written in the main rules. (By the way, we have a house rule that states that phys-ads may attempt to do stun damage with their Killing Hands strike by taking a +4 TN modifier). Secondly, the damage code of the attack is changed according to the level of the phys-ad power, as shown on the chart below:
Light == -1 to Damage Code
Moderate == no modification
Serious == +1 to Damage Code
Deadly == +2 to Damage Code
If by some chance the damage code is increased above "Deadly", then simply call it Deadly and add +2 to the power of the attack for every time the damage code was raised above Deadly.
If the character has Light Killing Hands, and the damage code of the technique he was attempting was Light, then the character simply must use two of his net successes to stage it up to Light. From there, stage the damage normally.
Techniques
The original Shadowrun unarmed combat system was intentionally abstract. It was meant to represent a generic exchange of attacks and parries, rather than taking things blow-by-blow. However, with this system you choose your technique. This is not meant to imply that if you choose a Strike your character punches once and that's it. On the contrary, it means that your character tried some combination of attacks, of which the Strike was the main focus. Perhaps it was a fake kick followed by a punch, or a block then punch, or whatever.
Be creative in your descriptions of the attacks, but don't get too carried away. An unarmed combat exchange takes up one complex action. In firearms combat, a character can't do too much in a complex action (trigger a full-auto burst, shoot twice, things like that) so not too much can happen in a single unarmed combat exchange either.
Guns in Melee
Often, a character with a gun will find himself involved in hand-to-gun combat, most likely against somebody trying to disarm him or wrestle the gun away from him or whatever. Under the original rules, things work out a bit strangely. When it's the gunman's turn, he can take two simple actions, and shoot the "wrestler" twice while his the wrestler just sits there and watches, unable to counterattack at all. However, when it's the wrestler's turn, the gunman is allowed to counterattack using unarmed combat. He can't shoot his gun, but he can punch the wrestler. If you don't find this strange, then you can ignore the following optional rule. If you're like us, and think it's a bit weird, then read on.
Whenever a gunman is within reach of someone who wishes to engage him in unarmed combat, every action is treated as though it were an unarmed combat engagement (in other words, one attack and one counterattack.) When it's the gunman's turn, he can shoot and the wrestler can wrestle. When it's the wrestler's turn, he can wrestle and the gunman can shoot. Well, they can each try, at least.
Both the gunman and the wrestler roll unarmed combat. The wrestler may choose a technique normally. The guman uses the following technique (he may roll his highest unarmed combat concentration, whatever it may be) :
Gun In Melee
TN: 5* D: as gun** R: see table S: +2* = can be modified by laser sights and smartgun links as usual. ** = the gunman can attempt to fire a burst if his weapon allows.
Reach is determined by the size of the gunman's weapon. The bigger the gun, the harder it is to bring it to bear on the wrestler when he's up close and personal.
| Weapon | Reach |
| Pistol | +1 |
| SMG | +0 |
| Rifle | -1 |
| Sniper Rifle, LMG | -2 |
| Assault Cannon huge characters only | -3 |
If the wrestler ends up with more successes, then he has managed to knock the gun aside, or otherwise avoid being shot. He can use his net successes for his technique as if it had been used in a normal unarmed combat attack.
If the gunman gets net successes, the wrestler was unsuccessful in getting the gun out of the way. He is hit by the attack. Use the net successes to stage the gun's damage as if Firearms had been rolled.
The gunman can either use two simple actions (taking two shots, either single shots or three-round bursts) or one complex action (shooting a full auto burst). If he chooses to take two simple actions, the first one is resolved as described (unarmed combat vs. unarmed combat). However, if the gunman succeeds on the first action, he may take his second simple action without being opposed by the wrestler (who had his chance to get the gun away and failed). On this second shot, the gunman should roll Firearms instead of unarmed combat.
Armed Combat
It is a very short step from Unarmed to Armed combat. If shouldn't take much doing to tweak a technique for use with a weapon instead of unarmed. For example, strike is a simple stab or slash with a weapon, disarm could be used with a weapon, etc. The speeds and TNs can be used as written for the martial arts rules, but the Reach should be determined by the weapon.
Also, a note on weapons and martial arts.. many styles teach weapon use along with the standard unarmed techniques. However, in our rules we have not dealt with that. Our assumption is that if the character has studied a martial arts style that teaches weapons, he should have both the Armed and Unarmed Combat skills seperately. If the character has only Unarmed Combat, he can still default to using weapons (it's only one dot on the skill web between Armed and Unarmed combat.. so it's quite easy for someone who's good at one of the styles to pick up a weapon and use their martial arts background to put it to good use, even without the Armed Combat skill).
Staging Damage
We came up with an alternative way to stage damage in melee combat, to make it a bit more deadly. In the main rules, the attacker stages damage up first, and then the defender rolls body and stages it down again. This is in contrast to firearms and all other combat, in which the defender makes his soak roll, reduces the attacker's successes, and then damage is staged. Normally, it doesn't make a difference, but here's one case where it did, and this was how we first discovered the glitch in the rule.
Example: Sasser rolls a sword attack and gets 10 net successes. The base damage of her attack is 13M. This is not enough to invoke the optional "overdamage" rule against her opponent (see p. XXX of Fields of Fire)
Using the rules as written: Sasser stages the damage up to Deadly (this uses 4 successes). Because of the overdamage rule, she cannot stage it any further, and now the defender must soak 13D. He rolls body and combat pool and gets four 13s (ain't karma pool a wonderful thing). This brings the damage down to a Moderate wound.
Using the firearms rule: The defender rolls his soak, and gets four 13s just as in the previous example. This cancels four of Sasser's successes, leaving her with net 6. Then she stages the damage up to Deadly. The opponent takes a Deadly wound.
See the difference? One way gets the guy a Moderate wound, the other way means that he takes a Deadly wound. So to make melee combat a bit more equal to Firearms combat, we use the second way for staging damage.
If you have any comments or questions about the rules presented here,
please email me. (Oh, by the way.. sorry for the XXX or nonexistant page
references.. I'll put them in as soon as I get a chance).
Linda Naughton === sasser@kiku.org
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