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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Water Bob" data-source="post: 6116026" data-attributes="member: 92305">MY UNARMED ATTACK RULE TWEAKSNote that these rules are refined from what I posted up-thread. 10 POINTS TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT UNARMED ATTACKS 1. An Unarmed Attack is: d20 + Base Attack Bonus + STR modifier. Defenders can either Dodge or Parry incoming blows.2. If you are unarmed, and you strike at an armed foe, then you provoke an Attack of Opportunity. You do not provoke an AoO when you strike at an unarmed foe.3. Unarmed attacks do non-lethal damage. You can do lethal damage with an unarmed strike, but to do so, you must take a -4 attack penalty.4. You can take two Unarmed Attacks, one with each arm, if you use a Full Round Action. This is considered a two-weapon attack. For the Barbarians, there is no penalty on either attack (unless fighting an armed foe).5. Unarmed strikes do damge equal to: 1d3 + STR mod. Unarmed strikes with your off-hand do damage equal to: 1d3 + half STR mod.6. You cannot penetrate armor with your bare hands, therefore damage from Unarmed strikes is always reduced by a foe's full armor DR rating.7. Unarmed characters cannot take Attacks of Opportunity.8. Unarmed attacks can be Finesse Attacks.9. Unarmed attacks made while grappling are made with a -4 attack penalty.10. There are Feats to enhance just about every aspect of this game. Unarmed attacks are no different.MORE UNARMED ATTACK OPTIONS The standard rule in the book is aimed at making punches. The Barbaric Warrior and Barbaric Treasures supplements provide alternative unarmed strikes. I have tweaked some of these just a tad.Punch or Elbow - These are the unarmed strikes shown in the core rulebook. They do the usual unarmed strike damage. Elbow attacks made during a grapple have a -2 attack penalty instead of the usual -4 grapple attack penalty. Punch attacks made while grappling do use the standard -4 grapple attack penalty.Kick or Knee - These unarmed strikes do 1d4 + STR mod damage, but they also cause the attacker to suffer a -1 penalty to his Defence until his next action the following round. The Kick cannot be used on a foe while grappleing with him. The Knee attack can be used on a grappled foe, and the standard grapple attack penalty is reduced to -2.Backhand - After a successful punch or elbow attack, the character can make a second attack using the same hand but with a +1 attack bonus. Though, the character receives a -1 defense penalty until his next round action. The backhand allows for additional attacks, but a character cannot damage his foe with more attacks than the character is normally allowed. Backhand as a Standard Action: Make the main hand attack, then attempt the backhand with the main hand. Character is -1 Defense for one round.Backhand as a Full Action: If main hand hits, then backhand attempt is made. Character is -1 Defense for one round.Backhand as a Full Action: If the main and hits, then the off-hand attack is made. If the off-hand hits, then the backhand can be attempted. Character is -1 Defense for one round. Head Butt - This unarmed strike does 1d2 + STR mod damage and scores a critical hit on 19-20, with a x3 damage multiplier on the critical. If used while grappling, the Head Butt does not suffer the normal grapple -4 attack penalty. Critical Hits with the Head Butt, in addition to normal critical damage, cause the target to make a WILLPOWER save vs. a DC 10 + half the attackers base attack bonus + STR modifier. Failure means the target is dazed one round. A dazed character cannot act normally. He can take no actions but can still Dodge and Parry normally.Head Butts with a helmet are made as a gauntlet unarmed attack: 1d6 + STR mod damage, critical on 20 with x2 damage, AP 1. The WILL save still applies on a critical. Foes wearing helmets benefit from full armor DR.HAND WEAPONS TURN YOUR UNARMED ATTACK INTO AN ARMED ATTACK If you wear gauntlets, you are considered armed, though you make your attack as if you were making a Punch. The same holds true for brass knuckles or exotic weapons like the bagh nakh or the katar. You can increase damage done by like strikes through upgrading armor. For example, if you add spikes to your elbow guards, you will do more damage than the standard elbow attack--and you will be considered "armed", doing lethal damage.NONLETHAL DAMAGE This is covered in the Combat chapter, but the basics are this: Nonlethal Damage is tracked separately from Lethal Damage. As your Hit Points go down from Lethal Damage, your starting point at zero nonlethal damage goes up as you take Nonlethal Damage. When your Nonlethal Damage equals your current Hit Points, you are staggered. Staggered means that you can only take one Standard Action or one Move Action in a round (not both, as you can normally). If your Nonlethal Damage exceeds your current hit points, then you are beaten unconscious. Nonlethal Damage heals much quicker than Lethal Damage.DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE NONLETHAL DAMAGE! A character that has 8 hit points and 11 points of Nonlethal Damage is just as unconscious and at the mercy of his foes as a character that is dying at -3 Hit Points.FUMBLES I am using a House Rule to where, if you roll a natural 1 on your attack throw, you are subject to various special attacks by your foe. A chart is rolled upon. Sometimes, the result will give your foe a free unarmed attack against you during the combat. Your foe gets this unarmed attack without you getting the normal Attack of Opportunity against him. Basically, your "fumble" is that, during the combat, you opened yourself up to a punch in the face, an elbow to the chest, or maybe a knee to the groin.SOMETIMES, NONLETHAL DAMAGE IS THE WAY TO GO! Let's say you got lucky during your foe's attack because he rolled a natural 1 that resulted in you getting a free unarmed attack on him that resulted in some serious Nonlethal Damage to the point where your foe has 12 HP left but has taken 11 points of Nonlethal Damage. In this situation, 2 more points of Nonlethal Damage will down your foe where as you have to apply 13 points of Lethal Damage to down him. In this case, it may be easier to win the fight with a quick punch, risking the usual Attack of Opportunity he will get, rather than going another two rounds of melee combat to kill him.</blockquote>

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