Close Combat
In close combat, attacking uses Dexterity and the appropriate skill (Kung Fu bare handed or Getting Medieval with a weapon) or the Combat Score. In a pinch, Sports might be substituted for swinging attacks with a stick (baseball bat, hockey stick). When two or more attackers gang up against a single target, they get a +1 bonus to all actions for each attacker, to a maximum of +4 for four or more attackers.
Weapons may only be parried by weapons. A hand-to-hand attack may be parried by a weapon and that’s going to cause normal damage for that weapon to the bonehead who rushed in unarmed. A Parry uses Dexterity and Kung Fu, or Dexterity and Getting Medieval roll, or the Combat Score. Thrown weapons can be parried at a -2 penalty. Arrows and crossbow bolts are parried at a -6 penalty. No character can parry bullets unless she arrived in Sunnydale on a transparent plane from some Amazon island.
Anyone may attempt to dodge an attack. Dodging hand-to-hand attacks can be done once per Turn without penalty; dodging missile attacks (bullets, ninja stars, harpoons) suffers a -2 penalty on top of any other modifiers. Use a roll and add Dexterity and the highest appropriate skill (Acrobatics, Getting Medieval or Kung Fu), or just use the Combat Score.
Note that for those most feeble of Guest Stars and Adversaries (Combat Score 8 or lower), any chance at a successful attack requires Full Offense. This means the character foregoes any defense against attacks that turn, in exchange for a +2 on all attacks the character makes. The flip side is Full Defense, which allows the character to defend against two attacks at no penalty (and against others if extra actions are available), and gives her a +3 bonus to all defense actions (Dodges and Parries, for the most part). No attacks are allowed on any Turn the character is in Full Defense mode.
Sometimes a character just wants to grab someone and shake ‘em until their teeth rattle in their head. She has to grapple them first, though. Grabbing people is fairly easy; use a Dexterity and Kung Fu + 2 roll, or the Combat Score + 2. The victim resists with a Dodge action. When Grappled, the target is at -2 to actions that involve the grappled limb, or -1 to all actions if grappled around the body. If two attackers grapple both arms, the victim is at -4 to most rolls, and cannot Dodge. The victim can try to break free with a Strength (doubled) roll, or the Muscle Score versus another Grapple action.
Example: Shannon, a Hero Type Slayer with Dexterity 7 and Kung Fu 4, finds herself up against three vamps in the graveyard. She’s in a hurry to help a friend so she decides to attack each vamp in one Turn. That’s fine, her high Dexterity allows her two additional actions, which she decides to take as attacks. Still, the second and third suffer penalties. She rolls a nine and adds her Dexterity and Kung Fu; the result is 20. That’s over the first vamp’s Combat Score of 18, so he gets hit. Shannon’s second attack uses the same result (20) but subtracts two and becomes an 18. That ties the second vamp’s Combat Score (18 as well), so the blow doesn’t land (ties go to the defender). Finally, Shannon does not get her third attack as the second vamp defended successfully against her.
Now Shannon has a problem. She has one defense action available at no penalty. Unfortunately, she has two uninjured vamps in her face. One tries to Grapple. She Dodges with a roll of nine plus her Dexterity and Acrobatics (5), or 21, beating the vamp’s Combat Score (18) + 2. The other strikes unhindered; his Combat Score (18) is greater than the minimum success total (9), so he automatically connects. Let’s hope that Shannon’s been eating her Wheaties.
