Parrying with your hand

[Sir Mathodius Black]

Hey all,

Im just a little unclear about the rule under the puch attack that says only thrusting attacks may be defended, otherwise take damage to deflecting limb.  Does this mean that because of the DTN of 6 with your arm, it is easier to deflect a thrust from a rapier or estoc with your arm than it is with a longsword?  And, if this is the case, what is the point of ever defending a thrusting attack with a weapon like a longsword or bastard sword when you can just use your arm?  Im thinking that im missing some piece of the puzzle here, but is someone could explain the whole story of how this works that would be great.

Thanks,
SMB

[Salamander]

Hey all,

Im just a little unclear about the rule under the puch attack that says only thrusting attacks may be defended, otherwise take damage to deflecting limb.  Does this mean that because of the DTN of 6 with your arm, it is easier to deflect a thrust from a rapier or estoc with your arm than it is with a longsword?  And, if this is the case, what is the point of ever defending a thrusting attack with a weapon like a longsword or bastard sword when you can just use your arm?  Im thinking that im missing some piece of the puzzle here, but is someone could explain the whole story of how this works that would be great.

Thanks,
SMB

This is an interesting question. Bravo SMB!

It is true that a thrusting attack can be readily deflected with an open hand. I have done it before. The use of an open hand can lead to several counters utilizing grapples and holds and throws... But I digress.

The reason why it is easier to use your hand (most times) is because it is your hand, its been there every day of your life and you know how it works beyond instinctively. When using a long sword or bastard sword, it is less intuitive, but with enough training one can get the muscle memory tuned up quite well. Now while it may be easier to use your off hand to parry a thrust, it is not easier to transition from two handed to one handed, parry the thrust and back to two handed again. There is just too much going on for you to really pull it off unless you have a serious CP advantage.

[Jake Norwood]

I think that it is easier to defend a thrust with your hand, yes, actually. But the DTN of a longsword is also 6, so I'm not sure that in TROS it is much easier. The real problem with deflecting a thrust with your hand is that you have to release the sword with one hand to do so, which is usually a bad thing with a weapon the size of a longsword.

Jake

[Tash]

I'm assuming that the "only parrying a thrust" rule doesn't apply to other unarmed attacks, right?

[Jake Norwood]

The only non-thrust-based unarmed attack I can think of is a roundhouse-style kick, and that definitely does damage to the parrying arm.

Jake

[toli]

I usually let characters in plate armor block with their arms as if they had a buckler.  Same DTN and same AV.  It's handy when your using a warhammer on horse back and have no shield.  THis is probably a reasonable scenario since heavy cavalry stopped using shields to a large extent once full plate became common.  Many of the armors from the 1450's on have more developed armor for the left arm to make up for the lack of a shield.

How would you rule an attempted but lost a parry.  Let say an attack swings at your head.  You attempt to parry with an armored arm but lose 5 successes to 3.  Do you apply the damage to the arm or the head...or both...or just roll the d6 for hit location and not worry about it....(I'm for the latter...)?

[Tash]

The only non-thrust-based unarmed attack I can think of is a roundhouse-style kick, and that definitely does damage to the parrying arm.

Jake

I beg to differ:

Ridgehand
Knife hand
Hook punch (though you can argue that is thrusting from the side)
Crescent kick (either direction)
Hook kick

All are folowing some kind of arcing motion and are defended against in a different manner than a thrust.  In my expirience the best defence against a "thrusting" kick or punch is some kind of evasion combined with a redirection (pull the target out of line fo the blow, use your hands/arms/legs to push the blow further from you).  Against anything that is arcing or swinging at you have to work things a bit differently, either stepping into the blow to stop it closer to the point rotation (less force that way),  or stepping out completely.  Where neither is possible you just have to tighten up, protect anything vital, and then hope you aren't floored.

But I've parried or blocked probably a thousand roundhouse kicks (its the basic kick in the kickboxing system I did) with my arms and legs and usually never had more to show for it than maybe a bruise.  The only time I really got hurt was when working with a padded bamboo trainer where the padding slipped off, that broke skin and left a REALLY nasty bruise, as well as leaving my arm sore for about a month.

[Jake Norwood]

I would say, then, that a trained person suffers no damage when parrying unarmed attacks.

Jake