Stunts / Combat

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Knocking People Unconscious

 

Murder charges suck. In order to avoid them, you might prefer to render an opponent unconscious as opposed to dead. While that’s not nearly as easy (or as possible) in real life, movies and books constantly feature characters who deck folks in one shot, or who get knocked out with a single blow and then wake up sometime later to find themselves in precarious situations. 

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Rules-wise, a character can be dropped into Sleepytime Central with the following optional rules:

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• Bashing damage attacks that drive the target to the Incapacitated level can render that character uncon-scious if the attacker would prefer to knock her target out rather than bust him into bloody pieces. This unconsciousness lasts until the victim recovers to at least the Crippled level of damage, although he’ll be Stunned until he can reach the Wounded level of recovery. (Anyone who’s actually been unconscious knows why.)

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• A successful Knockout Blow – detailed below, under Stunts – can deck an opponent for one turn per success. Even when he wakes up, he’ll remain stunned as described above for one additional turn per success unless he’s somehow able to heal more quickly than usual.

 

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Stunts

 

• Alone in a Crowd:

The battle rages. Suddenly, the crowd parts as two significant characters work out their frustrations on one another. Maybe the action stops; perhaps the fight continues. Either way, the major combatants have enough space to stage a dramatic showdown without interference from anybody else. 

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System: One success gets a few people to pull back and give the hero some space. Three successes clear a path for the showdown. Five successes reflect a showdown of such ferocity that everyone nearby stops to watch until the last blow lands. 

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Roll: Manipulation + Intimidation 

Difficulty: 8

Damage: N/A 

Actions: 1

 

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• The Hero Landing:

leaping from an impressive height, the character plummets through empty space, lands on one knee and a fist, and rises a moment later to kick ass – no broken bones involved! 

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System: In real life, this sort of stunt will maim your ass. So long as the character has at least three dots in Athletics or Acrobatics, however, and looks badass enough to survive such a stunt, that character can land gracefully and without injury from heights of roughly 30’ (8 meters) or less. Cyborgs, beast-folks or brawny powerhouses may be able to leap down 50’ or more, although that sort of distance is pushing the limits of even Hollywood reality. If you roll five successes or more, the leaping character automatically has initiative on the next turn because everyone is just that impressed with him. A failed or botched roll, though, is just plain messy. 

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Roll: Charisma + Athletics /or Acrobatics 

Difficulty: 8

Damage: N/A 

Actions: 1

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• The Jackie Chan:

Uh-oh... raging cyborg coming in from the left, martial-artist psychopath converging from the right, bunch of mooks charging at you head-on – time to grab the nearest object or surface and use physics to clean everybody’s clocks! Bonus points if you can do this perfectly with a panicked look on your face. 

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System: You need suitable surroundings (a construction site, kitchen, office, etc.) and at least three dots in Acrobatics, Athletics, or Brawling, in order to pull off this stunt. A successful execution inflicts one level (not a die – a level) of bashing damage per success upon each character within a 10’ (3 meter) circle, keeps them all from hitting you this turn, and stuns all of them until the beginning of the next turn. Your opponents can try to soak the damage, but your agile charisma still stuns them with surprise. Obviously, this stunt works only in hand-to-hand combat. A hero can perform this stunt once per fight for every dot she has in Charisma; after that, the trick gets old. Roll: Dexterity + Expression 

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Difficulty: 8

Damage: as above 

Actions: 1

 

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• The Knockout Blow:

When you wanna drop the hench-man without making a sound, just pop him good and proper right in the jaw or upside his head, and he’ll be down for the count until you’re clear. Warning: This trick can be used on you as well! As noted earlier, real-life “knockout blows” cause concussions and often inflict lasting brain damage; also, they don’t tend to work nearly as quickly or as easily – you’re more likely to give a pissed-up enemy a headache than to render him quietly unconscious. 

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System: A successful roll of Dexterity + Brawl, inflicts normal bashing damage. Five successes or more, however, also drops the target into unconsciousness for one turn per success. This stunt doesn’t usually work on badass Night-Folk, although your Storyteller might let you punch out the werewolf for comedy’s sake. Just don’t be around when he finally wakes up... 

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Roll: as above 

Difficulty: 8

Damage: as above 

Actions: 1

 

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• Parkour Master:

Bouncing off of walls, vaulting over obstacles, flinging yourself across suicidal distances to roll gracefully to your feet on the other side... hey, that’s just what parkour masters do, right...

 

System: Assuming that your character has at least three dots of Athletics and /or Acrobatics, with a Parkour specialty, a successful roll (or a series of extended rolls, for multi-turn travel) allows your character to navigate apparently impossible multilevel terrain at their usual running speed, thanks to the miracle of free-running discipline and impressive theatrical prowess. 

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Roll: Dexterity + Athletics or Acrobatics 

Difficulty: 7

Damage: N/A 

Actions: 1 or more

 

• Pulling the Wool:

Grabbing hold of the target’s clothing, you try to pull it up, down or off. Depending on what you’re trying to do, this could unbalance your opponent, blind him for a turn, or embarrass the living shit out of him while you get a shot in... or run for your life.

 

System: This stunt demands two actions: the first to grab the clothing, and the second to yank it hard enough to have the desired effect. That grab roll involves Dexterity + Subterfuge, and the second roll involves Strength + Alertness. (And how often do those combinations come up, right?) The difficulty for both rolls is 7 if the target can see you coming, 5 if you’re catching him unawares. Three successes or more will dislodge the average item of clothing in the desired way – flipping the cap down, ripping the shirt off, pulling the pants down around your target’s ankles, and so forth. Special clothing (armor, unitards, reinforced garments, etc.) remains more or less im-mune to this trick, though you might flip a helmet off-kilter or perform some other suitable wardrobe malfunction. If successful, you startle your opponent for one turn, and render him unable to act that turn. His next action will depend on what you did, though he might need to make a Willpower roll (difficulty 8) to avoid a reflexive cover-up, a Dexterity roll to avoid tripping, or some other suitable roll that helps him extract himself from this unexpected predicament. By the way, do not try this stunt on werewolves or vampires, unless you wish to become the target of an immediate frenzy check. 

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Roll: as above 

Difficulty: 7/5

Damage: N/A 

Actions: 2

 

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Advanced Weapon Techniques

 

Certain techniques, though, work only with the weapons for which they’ve been designed. A character can employ the following maneuvers, then, If she has Melee at 3 dots or higher.

 

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• Bash:

Striking with a non-edged portion of the weapon, the attacker tries to injure, not kill or maim, her opponent. A successful attack inflicts one die less than that weapon’s normal damage in bashing, not lethal or aggravated, damage. A failed blow misses the target, and a botched one might snap the weapon if it’s thin enough to be broken – a blade, for instance, as opposed to a sturdy club. Obviously, this attack works only with hand-to-hand weapons that inflict lethal or aggravated damage; in certain cases, like chainsaws, it may be impossible even then. 

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Roll: Dexterity + Brawl 

Difficulty: Weapon +1

Damage: Weapon -1/B Actions: 1

 

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- Bind

Sweeping her antagonist’s weapon up with her own, a defending fighter uses gravity and leverage to prevent her enemy from using his weapon this turn. Essentially, this technique involves a block that denies the opponent the use of his weapon until he can break the bind. Unlike a typical block or parry, however, this maneuver succeeds automatically if the defender makes her roll. As the opponent attacks, the defender captures his weapon with her own. A successful roll represents a successful capture attempt, which deflects that attack and immobilizes both weap-ons (meaning that neither party can use them) until either the defender ends the bind or the opponent successfully breaks free as described under the Grapple maneuver Both parties can use other attacks – kicks, head-butts, punches, etc. – during a successful bind. Due to the close range, occupied attention, and lack of leverage and space, however, attacks other than head-butts add +2 to their usual difficulty. Other opponents, however, subtract -2 from the difficulty of trying to hit either fighter while their weapons are bound. Bind attempts typically begin with the defender maneuver-ing her opponent into position – often with a held action, a Feint (see below), a taunting remark, or some similar enticement to strike. That enticement isn’t necessary, but it’s a common tactic that – if successful – reduces the difficulty of the Bind maneuver itself to difficulty 6, not 8. This enticement requires an additional action before the Bind attempt itself. Obviously, this is a hand-to-hand fighting technique that typically demands weapons that are strong and rigid enough to bind and be bound (blades, staves, clubs, etc.). That said, an especially flexible weapon (like a chain, whip, or rope) could be used to capture an opponent’s weapon too... and with such weapons, this is a popular technique. 

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Roll: Dexterity + (Ability) 

Difficulty: 6/8

Damage: N/A 

Actions: 1+

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• Curtain of Blood:

With a superficial slash above his opponent’s eyes, the attack spills a bit of the red stuff into her vision. The resulting distraction sets him up for a better shot... or possibly for a quick retreat. It takes at least two successes on the attack roll in order to cause that blood to flow. The “curtain” effect kicks in one turn after the slice is made. The cut itself is too shallow to cause damage; until the target can clear her eyes and staunch that flow of blood, however, she’s using half of her usual dice pools. (Stopping the flow requires one full action unless the opponent can close up wounds through force of will or innate healing abilities.) Naturally, this attack means nothing against opponents who do not bleed, or whose faces are protected from cuts and incidental blindness. 

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Roll: Dexterity + (Ability) 

Difficulty: 8

Damage: N/A 

Actions: 1

 

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• Feint:

Faking a strike at a different location, the attacker sets her opponent up, redirects her weapon to hit a different place instead, and delivers a nasty surprise. Employed as both a test of the opponent’s defenses and a sincere attempt to harm the opponent, this technique draws the opponent’s attention away from the true target for that attack. Performing it involves two actions: the fake-out, and the strike. For the fake-out, the attacker adds her Manipulation to the appropriate weapon Ability, and rolls against difficulty 6. The target gets a chance to notice the feint (Perception + whichever trait, such as Melee or Brawl is higher, difficulty 8); if he blows that chance, the attacker sets him up and – with her next action – strikes. If successful, this attack inflicts extra damage because it hits the opponent in an unexpected, vulnerable spot. As is possible with other multiple-action maneuvers, an attacker who can use two or more actions within the same turn can deploy the fake-and-strike in that same turn. This is a hand-to-hand combat technique that does not work at range. Roll: Manipulation + (Ability) 

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Difficulty: 6

Damage: Weapon +2 

Actions: 2

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• Fleche /Charge:

Darting in to close the distance, the attacker throws speed and momentum behind her assault.

 

Roll: Dexterity + (Ability) 

Difficulty: 7

Damage: Weapon +1 

Actions: 1

 

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• Great Blow:

Exposing himself to attack, the assailant throws everything he has behind a massive blow that will hope-fully put a permanent end to the fight. This blow demands two actions – one to draw back, the other to strike – although it can, as usual, be performed within the same turn as a multiple action. 

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Roll: Dexterity + (Ability) 

Difficulty: Weapon +2

Damage: Weapon +3 

Actions: 2

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• Jab:

A short, quick stab at the opponent tests his defenses and skill. The attacker also adds +1 to the difficulty of her opponent’s next attack against her, due to the fast, defensive nature of this move. 

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Roll: Dexterity + (Ability) 

Difficulty: Weapon +1

Damage: Weapon -2 

Actions: 1

 

• Lash:

A fast flick of the weapon – typically a thin and flexible blade, a whip, or some similar implement – strikes out at a small targeted object. Success knocks that object down (a lamp, cup, book, etc.), puts it out (a candle, light bulb, spotlight, etc.), cracks it out of someone’s hands (if the attacker rolls more successes with the attack than the holder has dots in his Strength Trait), or shatters it (if the weapon could normally break that object – a glass, a house plant, and so forth). This technique might flip levers, click buttons on machines, and otherwise manipulate items that are small and fragile enough to be affected by a quick strike from the weapon involved. Although this maneuver represents hand-to-hand attacks, a skilled marksman could use the same technique to hit objects at a distance – blasting out lights, knocking over lanterns, shooting objects out of people’s hands, and so forth. In this case, the usual modifiers for distance and cover apply to the usual specifics for this maneuver.

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.Roll: Dexterity + (Ability) 

Difficulty: 8

Damage: Weapon 

Actions: 1

 

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• Lightning Parry:

With a massive blow or a flurry of blazing-fast strikes, the character deflects incoming shots from a host of attackers. Despite implacable odds, she remains – for the moment – untouched. En garde, gentlemen! The difficulty for this maneuver is 6 + 1 for every attacker beyond the first (+2 for three attackers, +3 for four attackers, and so on). With five successes or more, she breaks the op-ponents’ weapons, too, forcing them to roll their Willpower (difficulty 7) or back away in fear. Unless she has extra actions within a single turn, the defender cannot do anything this turn except deflect the in-coming assaults. As a rule, this trick should work only against blade-fodder mooks, not against serious antagonists Realistically, this maneuver should apply only to hand-to-hand attacks; martial arts movies, though, use this technique against missile weapons all the time. 

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Roll: Dexterity + (Ability) 

Difficulty: 6+

Damage: N/A 

Actions: 1

 

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• Spinning Bloodbath:

In a whirl of unmatchable speed, the attacker turns a crowd of incoming enemies into geysers of explosive carnage. Limbs fly. Gore erupts. Hip-hop soundtrack or ironic 1970s pop song not included. The feat demands at least three dots in both Dexterity and the appropriate weapon Ability on the part of the attacker. For each success, that attacker renders one mook-level assailant either dead or dying of grotesque mortal wounds. This maneuver works only against faceless agents of antagonism – serious foes must be fought with the usual combat methods. Although it’s usually associated with martial-arts films, this maneuver can be used with bows and firearms as well, to reflect Legolas- or Rambo-style prowess. 

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Roll: Dexterity + (Ability) 

Difficulty: 6

Damage: Special 

Actions: 1

 

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• Riposte:

Following through on a previous parry, the attacker takes advantage of his surprised opponent and delivers a rapid counterstrike. This maneuver must follow a successful block or parry, and can be performed only with hand-to-hand weaponry. A fighter with multiple actions in a single turn (thanks to Time 3, a multiple-actions dice pool, or some other advantage that allows her to act more than once within that turn) can perform this maneuver in the same turn as the parry itself. 

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Roll: Dexterity + (Ability) 

Difficulty: Weapon -2

Damage: Weapon 

Actions: 1

 

• Shiv:

Wrapping herself around her opponent, the at-tacker shoves a short stabbing weapon into a sensitive location – an armpit, the belly, a helmet’s eye-slit, and so forth. As an extra benefit, the attacker restricts her opponent’s ability to move, making him vulnerable to other attacks from interested parties. The attacker herself becomes more vulnerable too, but desperate circumstances demand desperate measures. A two-action maneuver, the shiv “technique” requires a successful Grapple maneuver first. Assuming she’s successful, the attacker uses her next action to shove a short stabbing weapon (dagger, stiletto, hatpin, spike, etc.) into the vulnerable spot. This demands a second roll (Dexterity + Melee) but lets her ignore all protections from armor while inflicting a bit of extra damage too. This attack’s base difficulty is 7; however, a target with very few vulnerable spots (that is, covered except for eyes and /or with only small chinks in their armor) raises that difficulty to 9. So long as the attacker keeps her weapon in the target, she can twist it around and inflict an extra level of aggravated damage per turn. This damage cannot be soaked unless the target is essentially immune to harm caused by weapons digging around in his innards. Werewolves, vampires, dragons, and similar critters can attempt to soak such damage because they’re just that tough to kill; cyborgs and so forth, though, can have their workings seriously messed up by this sort of thing. (Spirits and ghosts, lacking physical substance, can’t be harmed by a shiv attack unless the fighter employs a weapon that can hurt them, they’ve already materialized, or both. Zombies, skeletons, and other critters that lack functioning organs are unfazed by such mayhem.) As with the Bind, Grapple, and Stabbing Frenzy maneuvers, the attacker remains vulnerable to other assailants. Characters who take shots at her subtract -2 from their usual difficulties; if they miss, however, they hit her target instead. 

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Roll: Dexterity + Melee 

Difficulty: 7/9

Damage: Weapon +1 + Special 

Actions: 2

 

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• Slash:

Going for the kill, the attacker brings his weapon around for a slicing blow. This attack applies only to hand-to-hand combatants.

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Roll: Dexterity + (Ability) 

Difficulty: Weapon +1

Damage: Weapon +2 

Actions: 1

 

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• Stabbing Frenzy:

Armed with a short-bladed knife, the attacker ducks inside the opponent’s reach and unleashes a storm of rapid jabs and stabs. It’s a risky attack, because the attacker cannot dodge or counter any assaults at such close range; the sudden massive trauma involved, however, usually occupies the opponent’s attention that turn. That said, the attacker is vulnerable to other opponents, who subtract -2 from their difficulty when trying to hit him. Thus, this is a sort of sacrifice technique, best used in a one-on-one fight. On a similar note, this attack is useless against armor that’s thicker than 2 points of protection. These zero-range stabs have no momentum behind them, and so cannot penetrate thicker types of armor. Because it depends upon using a short, fast weapon to stab the target at exceedingly close range, this maneuver can be performed only with short knives (switchblades, pocket knives, stilettos, etc.), razor blades, needles, broken bottles, small hand axes, or spiked fist-load weapons. There’s no room in this frenzy for slashing or elaborate technique – it’s just a brutal, desperate barrage. Hence, this maneuver employs either Brawl or Melee, not any form of refined martial art.

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Roll: Dexterity + Brawl or Melee 

Difficulty: 4

Damage: Weapon +3 

Actions: 1

 

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• Thrust:

Spotting an opening, the attacker lunges in and spears her enemy through a significantly vital spot. If she scores three successes or more, that enemy will continue bleeding out, suffer from perforated organs, or otherwise take an additional level of lethal damage per turn until someone with medical expertise treats his wound. Armor, obviously, will not help him soak that internal damage.

 

Roll: Dexterity + (Ability) 

Difficulty: Weapon +1

Damage: Weapon +2 

Actions: 1