Weapon Manuevers for GURPS return to Lon's GURPS page

NOTE: Keep in mind that I use the Quick Combat system (B108 sidebar).

Attack Maneuvers

Dual-Weapon Feint (Hard) Defaults to Weapon Skill
Prerequisite: Any weapon skill; must specialize
Cannot exceed Weapon Skill+4
This is just like a normal Feint, but add 1/8 the your secondary weapon skill. As with any other Dual-Weapon skill, specialization is for a weapon pair.

Degage (Hard) Defaults to Saber-2 or Smallsword-2
Prerequisite: Saber or Smallsword
Cannot exceed Saber or Smallsword skill
Thrusting attacks only. This maneuver is where you dip under your opponents blade as you thrust. The attack is parried at -2, but you are also at a -1 defense until your next turn due to being over-extended.
Mounted Combat (Average) Defaults to Weapon skill-2
Prerequisite: Riding 12+; must specialize
Cannot exceed Weapon skill

This manuever is the skill of swinging a sword (or axe, etc.) from horseback at high relative speeds (see the bottom of p.136). This represents practice at such combat, reducing the penalty or eliminating it. Specialization is required for weapon skill (as per usual), and Riding skill. Thus, Mounted Combat (Broadsword from Horseback) is a different manuever from Mounted Combat (Broadsword from Gryphonback).

Snap-Shot (Average) Defaults to Weapon skill-4
Prerequisite: any Ranged Weapon skill; must specialize
Cannot exceed Weapon skill

Rather than permiting a minimum skill to ignore the Snap-Shot penalty, I always impose the Snap-Shot penalty. But you can buy it off with this maneuver. The snap-shot penalty varies by weapon (instead of a flat -4 for all weapons). To calculate it subtract 10 from the GURPS SS skill. Thus the SS penalty for a longbow is -5 while a Thrown Knife is only -1.

Defensive Maneuvers

Dual-Weapon Parry (Hard) Defaults to Parry-2
Prerequisite: Any weapon skill; must specialize
Cannot exceed Parry+2
This manuever is used instead of a normal parry. You add 1/4 of the the parry of the off-hand weapon to the parry of the primary weapon. When calculating the weight of the parrying weapon (for breaking) add 1/2 the weight of the second weapon to the weight of the primary weapon. If a break is rolled, roll 1d6: 1-4 the primary weapon broke, 5-6 the secondary weapon broke. This maneuver counts as one parry for each weapon against the number of parries per turn (you're using both weapons).
Defensive Arch (Average) Defaults to Block-2
Prerequisite: Shield and a one-handed sword or axe/mace skill
Cannot exceed Block+2
This maneuver gives the sword and shield fighter a defensive bonus similar to the Dual-Weapon Parry. The fighter is holding the sword high so that he may do a Concentrated Defense (CII62) covering the head which frees the shield to concentrate on the rest of the body. In game mechanics, add 1/4 your parry skill to your block. Because of the sword position, you are at a -2 on thrusting attacks; there is no penalty for a swing. This maneuver counts as one block and one parry against the number of blocks/parries per turn.
Disarming Parry (Hard) Defaults to Parry-4
Prerequisite: Any weapon skill; must specialize
Cannot exceed Parry-1

This manuever is only possible with three categories of weapons: swords (including 1-handed and 2-handed swords), fencing weapons, and quarterstaves. It also works only against such weapons. Disarming Parries performed out of group (a broadsword against a quarterstaff, for instance), are at a further -1 to Disarming Parry.
success by: result
0-2 knocks his weapon wide; he is at -3 to parry until his next turn.
3,4 unreadies his weapon.
5 or more disarm (he drops his weapon)

Note that the default for this manuever is rather poor; in reality, it is usually performed as part of an all-out-defense (+2 to one defense) - you hang back with intent to disarm when your foe next "hands you his weapon", as it were.

Skills

Style Analysis
pCI135 		Defaults to Body Language-6
or Tactics (Hand-to-Hand)-6
The variation to the rule as written is that I assume that no style is a style. Thus if you perform a style analysis on someone that has not trained in any specific style, you recognize that. Since most styles confer a -1 penalty on the defender against that style, a successful Style Analysis of a "No-Style" fighter provides the defender with a +1 bonus to his active defense. Another modification: A successful Style Analysis also gives a +1 to your Body Language rolls.

Switching styles in mid-combat: If you know more than one style (very expensive), you may switch styles in mid-combat thereby confounding your opponent. Assuming your opponent has made a successful style analysis on your previous fighting style, he must now make a new Style Analysis roll at -3 (at -2 for less than 4 secs of observation and an additional -1 for complacency) to recognize the switch. If he fails, then his next Body Language roll is an automatic critical failure, -3 to his active defense. If he succeeds, then his Body Language rolls are normal. Either way, he knows you have switched styles and will have to perform a new Style Analysis on this style to regain any bonuses.

References

Lon Ficke, 21 May 2000