With the GM’s permission, characters may Block Ranged attacks. Examples include a super- hero using his energy bolt to shoot down a villain’s energy bolt, a knight raising his shield to stop an arrow, or mystically-powered Science Fiction warriors deflecting blaster fire with their laser swords.
A character can Block most types of Ranged attacks (unless the GM rules otherwise). Typically characters cannot Block Area-affecting attacks (see above) or Mental attacks, and may have great difficulty Blocking invisible attacks (see above).
Ranged Powers with the No Range Limitation usually count as HTH attacks for Block purposes. Indirect attacks aren’t exempt from being Blocked, but the GM should apply common sense and dramatic sense — if a character’s ready for an attack from the front, the GM might not allow him to Block a Ranged attack that strikes him from behind due to Indirect.
Blocking a Ranged attack is generally the same as Blocking a HTH attack, and the same rules apply, but there are a few differences. First, the penalties for trying to Block a Ranged attack unarmed are more often incurred, and can be more severe (-4 or worse). The GM may even forbid a character to Block a Ranged attack unless he has a weapon or some other object to do it with, or impose some other penalty. For example, trying to Block a laser beam with one’s bare hands tends to be a Very Bad Idea.
Second, the rule about the Blocking character getting to act before the attacker if they have their next Phase in the same Segment does not apply when Blocking Ranged attacks.
Third, characters cannot Block both HTH and Ranged attacks in the same Segment. Once a character Blocks one type of attack, he can’t Block the other type.
Fourth, Combat Skill Levels with HTH attacks do not apply to attempts to Block Ranged attacks, but characters can use CSLs that apply to Ranged attacks to improve their Block OCV versus Ranged attacks.
A Ranged attack doesn’t necessarily have to hit a character for that character to be able to Block it. However, the GM could rule that an attack that misses by a considerable margin (say, 5 or more) doesn’t even come close to the character and therefore is not Blockable. (In this case the GM would have to let the attacker roll first to see if he hit, before letting the character roll to see if he Blocks the attack.) In any event, the standard rules on the timing of Block (it’s an Attack Action, it must be declared before the attacker rolls his Attack Roll, and so forth) apply.
The GM can forbid any attempt to Block a Ranged attack, or can restrict the types of Block- based Maneuvers characters can Block a Ranged attack with, based on common sense, dramatic sense, the special effects involved, and preserving game balance.
Blocking With large oBJects
At the GM’s option, a character who’s strong enough to pick up large objects (such as cars, trees, and the like) can use them to aid an attempt to Block a Ranged attack made against him (or perhaps someone adjacent to him). He receives an OCV bonus for his Block equal to the Target Size OCV bonus to hit the object. Thus, using a typical automobile (+2 OCV for others to hit it due to its size) would add +2 to the character’s OCV for purposes of Blocking Ranged attacks.
BRACE
This Maneuver allows a character to brace himself to steady his aim and improve his accu- racy at range.
To Brace, a character must take a Zero Phase Action (not an Attack Action) to steady himself — in effect, it “tacks on” to another Combat Maneuver, allowing a character to Brace and then make an Attack Action all in the same Phase. This gives him a +2 OCV that only offsets the Range Modifier. Additionally, Bracing reduces the STR Minimum for using a Ranged weapon by 5. However, the character’s DCV is halved because he stands still to Brace. If a character is Stunned while Bracing, he loses the effects of the Maneuver.
A character can combine Brace with Set in the same Phase and get both bonuses. He gains a +1 OCV, plus a +2 OCV only to offset the Range Modifier — but this takes a Full Phase, and he’s at ½ DCV. For more information, see Set.
If a character is Bracing and/or Setting, and he’s Stunned by an attack, he loses the effects of either maneuver (or both, if using both).
DISARM
This Maneuver allows a character to knock a weapon or hand-held object out of another char- acter’s grasp.
USING DISARM
To use Disarm, the character makes an Attack Roll. If the Attack Roll succeeds, the two char- acters engage in a STR Versus STR Contest: each rolls 1d6 per 5 points of STR and counts the Normal Damage BODY. If the attacker’s BODY total is higher or the rolls tie, the Disarm succeeds and the target’s weapon or object goes flying 1d6+1 meters in the direction of the strike
(attacker’s choice, within reason; the GM can modify the distance
based on the circumstances).
If the defender’s BODY total is higher, he retains his grip on his weapon — the Disarm fails.
Recovering a Disarmed weapon typically requires a Half Phase Action to move to the weapon (possibly a Full Phase Action, if the weapon is more than a Half Move away), plus another Half Phase Action to pick it up. If the character has an appropriate form of the Fast
Draw Skill and succeeds with a roll, picking up the
weapon is a Zero Phase Action.
MoDiFying the DisarM roll
In some situations the GM may wish to modify the Disarm roll. First, there may be a negative modifier (-1 to -3) if the character attempting the Disarm is unarmed or using a short weapon to try to Disarm an armed character or one with a much longer weapon — it’s hard for a bare-handed fighter to Disarm someone with a sword! Second, if the target of the Disarm is Surprised, he may only use his Casual STR to resist the Disarm. Third, it’s a little more difficult to Disarm a two- handed weapon than a weapon held in one hand. A character trying this suffers a -2 OCV penalty on his Disarm. Alternately or in addition, the target gets +5 STR in the STR Versus STR Contest to keep hold of his weapon. Fourth, characters with Martial Maneuvers that involve Disarming opponents (such as Martial Disarm) can use the maneuver’s STR bonus to resist being Disarmed. This option prevents fencers and similar charac- ters from constantly Disarming each other.
DisarMing incoMing attacks
A character can Hold his Action to Disarm an incoming attack. This happens especially often when a character makes a Half Move and then Holds his Action, waiting for his attacker to reach him. However, a Disarm versus an incoming attack doesn’t automatically mean the attacker is Disarmed before he performs his attack. The char- acters must make DEX Rolls to see who goes first. If the Disarm rolls tie, or the character performing the Disarm succeeds with his DEX Roll by more, he goes first. If he successfully Disarms his opponent, the opponent doesn’t get his to make his attack and can do nothing else this Phase. If the Disarm misses or fails, the opponent gets his attack this Phase. If the target of the Disarm makes his DEX Roll by more, he goes first and attacks before the Disarm attempt. If the Disarming char- acter is not Stunned or Knocked Out by the attack, he can then perform the Disarm.
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RANGED DISARMS
Characters can perform Disarms (but not Martial Disarms or the like) with Ranged weapons — for example, by shooting a gun out of an enemy’s hand. Determining the outcome of the attack is a two-step process, described below.
First, the character has to make an Attack Roll to hit the weapon. He doesn’t suffer the standard -2 OCV penalty for making a HTH Disarm; instead, the OCV penalty depends on the size of the weapon (or other object) he’s trying to shoot out of the target’s hand (see accompanying table).
Second, if the character hits the object, convert the Damage Classes of the attack into STR at the rate of 1 DC = 5 STR. The GM may rule that some Damage Classes (such as those provided by exotic types of bullets) don’t count for purposes of calculating the “STR” of a shot. Once you know the attack’s “STR,” roll a STR Versus STR Contest in the standard method for the Disarm maneuver. For example, a 1d6+1 RKA bullet has 4 DC, which equals 20 STR for Disarm purposes, so a character shooting one would roll 4d6 to determine the “BODY damage” done by his STR for Disarming.
Standard rules for where the Disarmed weapon goes and how it’s retrieved apply to Ranged Disarms. The GM decides whether the Disarmed weapon suffers damage.
You can also use these rules to determine whether the force of an attack is enough to knock over an object. But the GM should apply some standards of “realism” to this sort of action — it isn’t usually possible to tip over cars and other large objects with most attacks, even if an attack has the “STR” to do it.
As an alternative to using the Disarm rules, characters can simply try to wound their enemies in ways that make them drop held objects. A character who takes an Impairing or Disabling wound to the Hand or Arm may drop whatever he’s holding. The target makes an EGO Roll at -1 to the roll for each 2 BODY taken; if he succeeds, he maintains his grip, if he fails, he drops the held object. Another alternative would be to use other appropriate powers, such as Teleportation Usable As Attack or Telekinesis, to remove the weapon from the target’s grasp (in this case, the GM may want to impose the standard OCV penalty for targeting an object the size of the weapon, or perhaps the -6 for targeting the Hand).
DODGE
This Maneuver allows a character to avoid an attack. A character performing a Dodge can’t attack, but is much harder to hit — he adds +3 DCV against all attacks. Characters can Abort to Dodge. Using Dodge counts as an Attack Action.
Dodge has no effect against Area Of Effect attacks and other attacks that affect an Area — those attacks apply against the DCV 3 of the target point, so the target’s DCV is irrelevant. This applies even to HTH Combat attacks bought with those Advantages.
Some attacks, such as Multiple Attack, involve a sequence of attacks directed at the target in which if one of the attacks misses, all subsequent attacks automatically miss. For these purposes, successfully Dodging one of the attacks in the sequence counts as a “miss” and ends the sequence of attacks.