Damaging opponents weapons

[Antalon]

Hello,

Can anyone help me with the following:

Can you deliberately target an opponents weapons in order to break them without needed a combat manoeuvre? The damage weapon manoeuvre seems more an opportunistic move that you take while also hitting the foe directly. What is I target their weapons, and not the foe?

Antalon.

 

[Dan True]

Hello,

Can anyone help me with the following:

Can you deliberately target an opponents weapons in order to break them without needed a combat manoeuvre? The damage weapon manoeuvre seems more an opportunistic move that you take while also hitting the foe directly. What is I target their weapons, and not the foe?

Antalon.

I don't think you would ever do that in a real fight. IF you wanted to just smash his weapon, but not him you would fight using the rules for dealing half damage.. cant remember what they're called.

You would never just smash against his sword, as in a real fight that would be a sure way to leave you open for a counter attack. A real fighter would always still defend himself (and your attack roll against the enemy is as much a test for how well you manage to defend while attacking) and seek openings in the enemies defense to act from.

The whole "I decide to do this and then see if I can succeed"-way of handling combat is not very much like a real combat - and the MRQ2 combat system is modelled after real weapon fighting. There, any action you take is almost always as a reaction to an opening in your opponents defence - though sometimes one that you have lured him into.

So, the answer is: if you're really trying not to damage your opponent and only damage his weapon, you fight as normal, but choosing non-damaging combat manoeuvres (such as trip, disarm, Sunder etc...) in and using the "I try not to damage him" rules from the core rulebook, forgot what they're called.

- Dan

 

[Mixster]

Well, If I was wearing a Greatsword, and somebody attempted to parry it with his quarterstaff. I don't think I would care where he held his quarterstaff, but just cut right through it.

If both of us were using swords, then attempting to destroy his weapon would be pretty silly, they would both break eventually, but unless I was an avid wrestler (which I am not), how would that help me?

Also, I don't think you can RAW. Since the rules don't say you can IIRC.

And the half damage thing is called pulled blows, but I'm away from books right now so I can't look it up, it's in the beginning of the combat chapter

 

[Antalon]

Thanks, that makes sense, I can hopefully get my players to see the sense of this.

Antalon.

 

[Deleriad]

It's quite subtle but think of how combat works mechanically this way.

You want to break your opponent's weapon. You don't just swing at his weapon regardless of what's going on, you wait to get a chance to do it. As soon as the chance comes, you go for it. You get the chance by trying to manoeuvre into position or waiting for him to make a mistake.

That's what Combat Manoeuvres represent.

Now of course, you might want a chance to break his weapon when suddenly you see a chance to hit him in the head in which case you go for that instead.

That's why you generally don't pre-programme CMs. Instead of (say) taking a -40% modifier and aiming for the weapon in a sort of robot fashion (I hit the weapon or miss) you wait for an opening then try and make the best of use of it.

On the pulled blows thing, you simply state that you are pulling your blows, in which case any attack does half-damage. That reflects the fact that trying not to hurt someone doesn't always work that well...

The best way to disarm someone without hurting them is not to attack. Instead you keep parrying* until you get a CM at which point you can try a Disarm or damage weapon. Of course, that means they get to swing at you as often as they like...

*Another potential use for the "Ready a Parry" Combat Action which people often wonder about.

 

[butscharoni]

One thing I wondered about, though: What about attacking a shield?
Since a shield is also a weapon, it should follow the same rules, but on the other Hand, shields are often much bigger and it may make sense to bash through a shield, if you have the right weapon at hand.
Then again, I can#t quite remember the weapon breakage rules at the moment and maybe shields get bashed through automatically when used for parry and I just can't remember right now...