Fighting Maneuvers

(Back to Combat)

(see also Fighting Maneuvers Require a Definite Goal)

If a player describes a goal other than simply inflicting physical harm, such as disarming their opponent or knocking them over, then it can be resolved with a maneuver. This may include pushing someone out of the way, throwing the opponent to the floor, restraining someone in a headlock, disarming an opponent, and so on.

 Step 1: Compare Builds 

Clearly skill is an important factor in performing a successful fighting maneuver, but size and strength also have an effect. A small, skillful fighter might unbalance or disarm a larger opponent, but there are limits. No human is ever going to be able to wrestle a huge monsters such as a Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath to the ground, whatever their skill is. Conveniently, Size and Strength are already factored into each character's Build, and thus by comparing these we may gauge the relative might of the opponents.

To determine the relative capability of the two opponents and whether the character performing the maneuver takes Penalty dice, simply compare the Build of the two combatants. If the character performing the maneuver has a smaller Build than their opponent then they take a Penalty die for each point of difference (to a maximum of 2 penalty die). If an opponent exceeds the attacker's build by three or more, any fighting maneuvers are ineffective; the attacker may be able to lay hands on their opponent, but lacks the strength and size required to take advantage of their grip.


 * If the character performing the maneuver has a Build that is three or more points lower than their opponent's, the maneuver is impossible.
 * If the character performing the maneuver has a Build that is two points lower than their opponent's, the maneuver rolls is made with two Penalty dice.
 * If the character performing the maneuver has a Build that is one point lower than their opponent's, the maneuver is made with one Penalty die.
 * If the character performing the maneuver has the same (or higher) Build as their opponent, no additional modifiers are applied.

 Step 2: Make the Attack Roll 

A maneuver is treated the same way as a regular Fighting attack. Most maneuvers will use the Brawling skill, though some may be performed using another specialization: for example, the Fighting (Sword) skill might be used to disarm a person. The Keeper must rule according to the situation. The opponent should choose to either dodge or fight back as they would when normally attacked.

Maneuver attack roll:


 * If the target is dodging: the attacker's Fighting skill is opposed by the target's Dodge skill. If the character performing the maneuver achieves a higher level of success than the character dodging, the maneuver is successful (if tied, the target is able to dodge the maneuver).
 * If the target is fighting back: the attacker's Fighting skill is opposed by the target's Fighting skill. If the character fighting back achieves a higher level of success, the maneuver fails and the opponent inflicts damage on the character performing the maneuver (if tied, the maneuver is successful).
 * The target of an attack may use a maneuver of their own: Resolve as for fighting back, but instead of inflicting damage, apply the effect of their maneuver.

A successful maneuver allows the character to achieve one goal, such as:


 * Disarming an opponent, or wresting an item such as a book out of the opponent's hand.
 * Place the enemy at an on-going disadvantage, either inflicting one Penalty die on the opponent's future actions or granting one Bonus die to allies' actions taken against the target (choose whichever seems most appropriate to the situation). This disadvantage may be as a result of a physical restraint or of having been knocked to the floor.
 * To escape when physically restrained by another character. The restrained character may use a maneuver of their own on their turn to break out of a hold, such as a bear hug or neck lock; otherwise they are automatically held until their attacker releases them, is incapacitated or suffers a Major Wound (See Wounds and Healing).
 * Pushing an opponent over a cliff, out of a large window or simply knocking the opponent to the floor.

The Keeper may inflict damage on those engaged in a maneuver if it is appropriate to the events in the story - clearly someone falling from a second story window is going to take damage unless they land in a safety net or similar.