This skill represents a no-holds-barred conglomeration of modern martial arts techniques. There are three different techniques available to the character using the skill: Striking, Throwing and Grappling. Both the attacker’s hands must be free to use the latter two techniques. When fighting an opponent, who is using Unarmed Combat Skill or Brawling Skill, a character doesn’t receive the Situational Modifier penalties for attacking to a side or rear hex, or those of prone or kneeling position.

Striking Techniques

    These attacks are made with the hands or feet. They normally do C type damage but, on a Critical Hit, they will do B type.

    Handblows: One handblow may be made with each hand in an Action. The second blow is averaged with the Deftness Ability Saving Throw or the Ambidexterity Skill, whichever is higher, and causes the character to lose his/her Weapon Defense Ability for that action. When only one hand is used for striking, the character is assumed to be parrying with his other hand or forearm. Handblows are treated as short length weapons. They have a WDM of 1+(AV on the hand/20) or 1+(Aim score in Unarmed Combat/10). A handblow receives +5 to the hit location roll.

    Kicks: Normally one kick per Action is made but the character may elect to make a second attack in the same fashion as done in the Sword Skill. Even with a single kick the Weapon Defense Ability is halved and rounded to the nearest. Kicks are dealt with as Average length weapons and their WDM is calculated as handblows. For purpose of determining the Damage Potential a character using a kick will have his effective Strength increased by 1 Group. If a kick is parried (a miss falling into the targets Weapon Defense Ability), the attacker must make a Speed Ability Saving Throw or fall down. Kicks receive a -5 to the hit location roll.

    Blows against Armor: Rigid armor halves the Damage Potential of handblows and kicks and makes all damage taken subdual only. Other armors act normally. If the Armor Value of the location struck exceeds the Armor Value on the attacking character’s hand or foot, the attacker will take the difference between them in subdual damage. For the purpose of comparing AVs, a character with Unarmed Combat Skill has a minimum AV of 1 + his Aim score. It does not act like armor for incoming attacks.

    Leaping Kicks: This is a specific tactic, and must be declared when the action is initiated. The character may execute any jumping action available to him/her at that time. He/she will resolve a singular kick at the end of the jump action. The character has a Combat Dodge Ability 1 greater than normal, and no Weapon Defense Ability for that action. Against missile fire the Character has twice their normal CDA. The character will resolve the kick and avoid falling, by using a BCS in Unarmed Combat Skill, with a modifier of -1 for every meter or fraction thereof traveled in the jump. If a failure occurs, or the target moves before the jump would be resolved, a Speed CST must be made to avoid falling. If the kick is parried or a Critical Miss has occurred the character will definitely fall. A successful attack gives the character a +2(1 for jumping and 1 for kicking) to his/her Effective Strength Group for determining Damage Potential.

Throwing Techniques

    A character may attempt to throw an opponent in his/her own hex or any of the adjacent hexes. He/she receives a +1 to his BCS when the opponent is in the same hex. Only one throw attack may be made in an action. A successful BCS to grab on to the head, neck, torso, or arms, (Location 1-12 and 21-30) indicates a full throw where the opponent is lifted bodily and thrown to the ground. Normally he/she will land 180 degrees away from the hex he/she just vacated. His/her upper half will be in the hex nearest the thrower. The thrower may change this hex by 60 degrees per point of Aim. The thrower has the option of maintaining his facing or turning to face the hex into which the opponent was thrown. The thrower also has the option of keeping or releasing his/her grip. If he/she keeps it, a Deftness Ability Saving Throw will allow him/her to make an immediate FREE Attack using a Grappling Technique. If he/she releases his/her grip, a Strength Ability Saving Throw will allow him/her to hurl his/her opponent 1 meter through the air before he/she lands. If a thrown character is made to occupy a hex which is already has a character in it, they are treated as if the thrown character was attempting a Deliberate Knockdown of the other character except that the thrower’s Strength is the one used to make the Effect Die roll.

    A successful BCS to the legs (loc13-20) indicates a foot sweep resulting in a fall for the opponent. He/she falls away from the attacker. The thrower may attempt a Grappling Techniques FREE Attack with a Deftness Ability Saving Throw. Treat as a thrown character if the hex into which he falls is occupied.

    The full result of an effective throw does not occur simply with a successful BCS roll. The Effect Number must be determined and compared with the table below. Note that an Effect Number of at least 4 is required for the opponent to be actually thrown. A Critical Hit will add 10 to the Effect Number. Treat the plus from a Critical Hit as the WDM for any Subdual damage incurred by the thrown character. Critical Effects of Sever are treated as Broken Bones.

   Breakfalls: A Thrown character who has Unarmed Combat Skill may attempt to use that skill to lessen the effect of the throw. The character will make a BCS roll, and if successful, he/she will reduce the thrower’s Effect Number by the Effect Number that he/she has just generated. If this reduces the Thrower’s Effect Number below zero then the character that is to be thrown will receive no effects from the attacker’s actions.

 Grappling Techniques

    These techniques represent cunning grips on limbs; chokes designed to render an opponent unconscious or simple pinning holds. They are intended to disable or subdue an opponent. Normally they may only be used against a prone enemy or one in the same hex. Against a prone opponent the character may perform a Change Position Action as part of an Unarmed Combat Grappling Attack Action. The attack is resolved at the end of the Action. If the character has succeeded with a Deftness AST following a successful throw, he/she is assumed to have done this on his/her FREE attack. If the character makes an Unarmed Combat BCS roll when using Grappling Technique, the hold is in effect and will remain so without necessity for further BCS rolls until the character releases the hold or his/her opponent breaks it. Damage is resolved at the end of the action during which he/she maintains the grip. Damage done by Grappling Techniques is only 50% subdual and 50% pseudo-damage, which is only accumulated to determine when a Grapple is complete.The hit location indicates the type of technique being applied. A hit location to a limb (loc 13-30) indicates a limblock. One to the torso (loc 4-12) indicates a pin and one to the head or neck (loc 1-3) indicates a choke.

    Limblocks: The damage done with a Limblock is the sum of the attackers WDM and the character’s total score in the skill divided by 20 and rounded to the nearest tenth + 1. The victim is unable to move except at the Grappler’s whim. If the limblock is on an arm, the grappler may force the victim to move at a maximum rate of a walk. If the limblock is on a leg the victim will be held immobile. Total mastery of the limb is achieved when the total damage done by the limblock exceeds the victims Strength. The victim of a successful armlock must let go of anything held in that hand. If he/she wishes the grappler may attempt to disable the limb at the point of voluntary release of the limblock. A successful roll of a Strength Saving Throw id required. If the result is in his/her Critical Saving Throw range, then the limb is broken. If it is in his/her Ability Saving Throw range, the limb will take Critical Damage. If the result is in neither range, the limb will receive damage that will disable it, but the damage will heal as if it were subdual damage. If a Critical failure occurs then the limb doesn’t receive damage at all. The damage done by such a technique is determined by the Grappler’s Strength Group Effect Die. Such a release requires an Action to perform.

    Pins: An attempt to pin a non-prone opponent is treated as a miss! A successful Pin means that the opponent is held motionless on the ground by the grappler. To be successful the accumulated damage must exceed the victim’s strength. Once successful, the grappler may only continue to hold his/her victim motionless or try and shift his/her grip. Shifting a grip requires a new BCS roll. The grappler will receive an extra point of Aim even if he/she normally has none. If the new BCS roll fails, the pin is lost and the opponent is free. Unless he/she has Unarmed Combat Skill (then he/she will add his/her WDA) the victim will only have his/her Combat Dodge Ability to oppose the BCS of an attempt by the grappler to shift his/her grip.

    Choke Holds: Choke holds are treated as Pins with the following exceptions. The Accumulated damage is measured against the victim’s Health. When his Health is exceeded he will be unconscious as if he/she had succumbed to System Shock. If the ChokeHold is maintained past this point, all damage done will be subdual. For each successive Action of Choking the grappler will now increase his Effective Strength group by 1 for determining damage. He/she will eventually kill the victim by subduing him/her to Death. Rigid armor will prevent a ChokeHold from being successful and semi-rigid armor will subtract its Armor Value from the damage done. Other armor Formats have no effect on a Choke Holds.

 Defending Against Grappling Techniques

    Once the opponent has established a Grappling Hold, a character may only attempt to get free. He/she may not use a Grappled limb. If the hold is a Pin or a ChokeHold, he/she is treated as if he/she is one more step encumbered. If this makes him/her more than Fully Encumbered he/she will suffer an additional 25% form his/her Deftness and Speed and his/her BCS roll will have a modifier of -8. The character has the following options:

*Assuming the correct limbs are free, he/she may make an attack with any available Hand to Hand combat skill at a penalty to the BCS of -50% or -5 whichever is greater. For Effect Die determination his/her Strength Group is reduced by 1 in Addition to any modifications due to weapon length.

*He/she may attempt to make a successful average BCS with Brawling Skill. This will break the hold but will cause no damage to the grappler.

*He/she may attempt to a Unarmed Combat Skill BCS roll. A success will break the hold but cause no damage to the grappler. If the result is a Critical Hit, he/she is allowed an immediate Free Attack with the skill.

    Situational modifiers due to positioning do not apply in these attempts and the grappler has his/her Overall Defense Ability.

Counters in Unarmed Combat

When a character using Unarmed Combat Skill is attacked and the opponent’s attack fails in the range of the character’s Weapon Defense Ability, the character is allowed a Free Attack against the Attacker. He/she may use any technique, but it must be stated before the BCS roll is made. The Free Attack is subject to normal modifiers. If the character using Unarmed Combat Skill is utilizing a Defend Action, any attack which misses will allow the character to make a Free Attack on his/her opponent.