Only the Parts You Need Episode 6 Transcript: Pyramid 3/44 Alternate GURPS II Review

Episode 6 will be out soon in the meantime here's the transcript here.
Pyramid 3/44 Alternate GURPS II
There's also links to various articles mentioned here:

Last Gasp links

https://gamingballistic.com/2016/07/06/fit-and-last-gasp/

https://pseudoboo.blogspot.com/2018/01/last-gasp-cheat-sheet.html

https://gamingballistic.com/2015/08/13/action-points-and-exhausting-defense/

https://gamingballistic.com/2016/07/06/fit-and-last-gasp/

www.warehouse23.com/products/pyramid-number-3-slash-13-thaumatology

https://legendsmith.github.io/technicolor-dream-GURPS/lastgasp

Tactical Mass Combat Links
Pyramid 3/84 Perspectives

Ending Him Rightly: Mordhau and Pommel Throws in GURPS

 
This post was inspired by a friend of mine who practices Fencing asking about what was possible with a Longsword in GURPS.

Pommel Throwing

Many swords throughout history had removable pommels, which could be thrown to disorient an enemy. Treat as thus:
 Removing a pommel takes 2 ready maneuvers and requires 2 hands. A fast draw or sword skill roll may change this to 1 maneuver but it failure by 5 or more drops the pommel on the ground at the swordsman's feet! Removing the pommel also removes its weight from the weapon.
Removing a pommel makes the weapon very unbalanced (-4 to skill), but it may be retrieved and reattached.
Not all pommels may be removed! Some blade construction uses the pommel to hold the grip onto the blade; the construction of the hilt may fall apart without it. At the GM's decision, a removeable pommel costs +$10 or $20. Katanas usually did not have pommels at all.

Throwing (DX-3)

Weapon	Acc	Damage	Range	Weight	RoF	Shots	ST	Bulkl
Shortsword Pommel	0	thr -3/die cr	x0.5/x1	0.5 lb	1	T(1)	5	-1
Broadsword Pommel	0	thr -2/die cr	x0.5/x1	1 lb	1	T(1)	6	-2
Greatsword Pommel	0	thr -1/die cr	x0.8/x1.5	2 lb	1	T(1)	7	-2

 

Mordhau (Murder Stroke)

This is similar to half-swording. The Mordhau grip inflict the weapon's damage as appropriate for a mace of its size, or swing +2, +3, or even +4 crushing. A proper Mordhau is a Committed Attack  or All Out Attack, with the Strong or Determined options, against a grounded or otherwise disoriented throw. Both hands must be on the blade. If a foe catches the hilt, he may jerk the blade to attack the hands at half penalty on his turn, though a normal defense is allowed.

Extra Detail

These rules  are especially useful when the Blunt Trauma and Edged Weapons rules from Low Tech p102 are in effect. A GM who wishes to make them more effective may allow an extra +1 to crushing damage, and make the mordhau gripped swords unbalanced.

Having your Bell Rung

Strikes that don't penertrate armor can still have serious effects with head strikes. Optionally, the GM may decide that crushing face hits that deal Damage equal to DR ring plate helmets like a bell. This requires a HT roll to avoid Stun, and failure by 5 or more inflicts knockdown!

GURPS Alternate Melee Weapon Skills

I wrote this two years ago (2018) and posted it on the GURPS Discord because I was dissatisfied with the way GURPS handles the differences between two handed and one handed weapons. It got good feedback at the time, but it's otherwise been languishing in the archives of that server. I recently thought of it again, and even saw someone asking about it. So without further ado.

Alternate Melee Weapon skills

Polearm, Spear, Staff

No changes are made to these skills.

Swords

Defaults:
Each skill defaults at -2 per step of difference, Plus familiarity penalties.
Familiarity Penalties:
-1 per 20% of weight difference or -1 per 6" of length difference, whichever is worse.
The new skills and the old skills they replace are as follows:
Knife
    Main-Gauche
    Jitte/Sai
    Knife

Shortsword
    Tonfa
    Smallsword
    Saber
    Shortsword
Fencing retreats and such are now 'style' related. Take a perk to represent the appropriate training and stylistic knowledge for fencing retreats. (However, I do agree with ME of Chainlink and Concrete; Fencing Parry is bunk.)

Longsword
    Broadsword
    Rapier

Greatsword
    Two Handed Sword.
Note: Greatsword ONLY refers to the use huge, heavy blades that usually require two hands to use such as Zweihander and Greatsword. The GM may decide if this includes Bastard Swords as they do straddle the line between Two handed swords and Long swords. They can arguably belong in Greatsword as most of their uses have reach 2, this means that Greatsword applies to the one handed use of a Bastard Sword, but not to the two-handed use of a Longsword. That is still Longsword.

New Techniques

Jitte/Sai
Average
Defaults: Shortsword -2 or Knife -3
Allows one to claim the +2 in a quick contest to disarm an opponent.

Tonfa
Average
Default Shortsword -3 or Fast Draw (Sword) -3
This is the fast switching of a Tonfa's grip, as the skill described on B209

Axes and Maces

Two Handed Flail and Two Handed Axe/Mace no longer exist, there is just Flail, and Axe/Mace. A player may chose to either start with training in one or two handed version of the weapon. Optionally, if the GM wishes to have distinction , Two handed Flail and Two Handed Axe/Mace may be average techniques based on Flail and Axe/Mace respectively with a default of -2, but I personally think familiarity should be enough.
Important: Familiarity still applies, but it is -1 per 2 lbs of weight difference. (Adjusted for SM scale)

Extra Detail

Differences in blade geometry and grips are important! As another familiarity penalty that the GM can optionally use is -1 to -2 for radical differences in blade design (on top of weight and length differences), for example, a European knight used to Arming swords would find the totally different blade geometry of a Japanese Katana mystifying, and require a considerable amount of time to overcome this. Alternately, the GM may decide that different edge alignment needs of blades do not invoke hit penalties, but instead mean that the blade will inflict crushing damage instead of cutting until they become familiar with how to align the edge of their new weapon with their target.

The Logic Behind The Changes

It's rather simple. Why does a warrior experience a -3 or worse penalty simply for placing another hand on his weapon? Does his knowledge of the balance of his weapon change? Why is it that half-swording (Low Tech page 111) does not experience such a penalty? It's very inconsistent. These changes mirror those of Alternate Gun Specialities and Techniques from Pyramid 3/65 Alternate GURPS III.

Podcast Episode 4 Transcripts - NPCs, and Animal Combat

I'm just posting links to the scripts now because formatting google docs to blogger is impossibly difficult.
Episode 4: NPCs script by Legendsmith

Episode 4: Animal Combat script by Enraged Eggplant