Being unarmed

[CharlesX]

I'm wondering whether FF authors could have given more attention to unarmed combat. Obviously there is the situation common in FF where a Skill penalty is often specified instead of an attack strength, which with a weapon is less debatable than something such as a piece of armour, boots or magic gear. The Skill penalty can be as much as -4, which might be realistic but might also be unfair. I can't think of even one example in FF (perhaps they are just very rare) where an adventurer can fight with a lower attack strength\Skill penalty because they are trained in unarmed fighting or have special magic to fight unarmed, this is something Brawling might have helped with if Secrets Of Salamonis or books like it were to deprive the hero of their weapon. At least in RPGs it might be fun to play a ninja-esque character who can fight almost as well unarmed as with a weapon. I have only read beyond ancient Dungeoneer Blacksand Allansia Advanced FFs so I don't know whether there are rules for unarmed combat in later versions, nor whether they can be house rules (e.g. a Ninja-style PC could start the game with +1 Skill but a Stamina penalty, along with separate special skills, attributes, and weaknesses - maybe Ninjas aren't terribly charismatic or have poor seafaring skills).

[Law]

This is why I loved the multiple choice hand-to-hand one v ones in 'Seas of Blood' and 'Skylord', against the cyclops and Fog Farkin. It's unusual.

You'd have to be such a ridiculous badass to fight armed foes unarmed though. It's the sort of super-hero hubris only common to Beowulf fighting Grendel.

'Appointment With F.E.A.R' you're always thumping the baddies and one of the abilities in 'Howl of The Werewolf' gives you natural weapons (claws?) to fight unarmed without a malus but yeah that's it!

[a moderator]

Rebel Planet has the peculiar quirk that losing your weapon not only carries no penalty, but actually improves your chances in combat, as winning an Attack Round while fighting bare-handed gives you a 1 in 6 chance of automatic victory.

[fertobardi]

I think of unarmed combat always as a skill related mostly to warrior classes: knights, samurais and barbarians.

And i think its fair in having with that skill the -4 skill penalty reduced to -2 instead. That way a 11 skill will fight with skill of 9.

The only difference is with my particular take on hachiman samurai, that have ju-jutsu as unarmed combat skill as a special skill:


.Samurai unarmed combat: ju-jutsu: roll 1d6 if you have won the attack round:

1 to 2: knocks opponent down: 1 ST damage: opponent lose a turn to get up

3 to 4: breaks opponent's arm: reduces 1 skill point

5: breaks weapon arm: - 4 skill

6: opponent choke: strangled to unconscious and go 0 stamina





Rebel Planet inspired ofc.

[CharlesX]

Many thanks for these replies. Freeway Fighter gives some attention to unarmed combat with the knuckledusters (yes, and House Of Hell).

You'd have to be such a ridiculous badass to fight armed foes unarmed though. It's the sort of super-hero hubris only common to Beowulf fighting Grendel.

Many FF foes are things like Orcs and Ogres who are just at or often just below the fighting Skill of humans and very much 2-bit mooks (Michael Moorcock would probably say Tolkien made them thin and undeveloped). By the time heroes are facing Sauron or Lord Valdemore or Darth Vader they will have picked up an equally badass weapon.

   I would say there could be an Island Of The Lizard King style chance every round or every other round you could knock your opponent's weapon away or knock it away and pick it up yourself.