Grab
Sometimes you just gotta put someone on hold. Those trained in the wrestling arts or those skilled at hand-to-hand fighting are very good at these maneuvers. It can be beneficial to incapacitate an enemy or pry something from their fingers.
Starting a Grab
Attempting a Grab takes 4 AP, and an attacker must roll their normal Hand-to-hand Attack Roll. Defenders must roll an Evasion Roll as they normally would. If the attacker is successful, instead of rolling Damage, he instead rolls a Grip check. The defender must roll either a Might check or a Thievery check at his option. If the attacker's Grip is higher than the Defender's Might or Thievery, the defender is considered pinned, and rendered basically immobile. The attacker is free to release the Grab at any time if so desired.
| Tim's character Drinnin tries to get a hold of Michelle's character Skorna |
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| Drinnin puts Skorna in a full nelson. |
Note that while in a Grab, the attacker and the defender add neither Agility nor Dodge to their Dodge Rolls, nor can they parry using their own weapons. If one of the participants in a Grab is targeted with an attack, and the other is holding a weapon, the targeted character can try to use the other's weapon to parry. They must both roll Might checks and if successful, the character receiving the attack can use the other's weapon. In a similar manner, a character in a Grab can try to use the other as cover when attacked. This also requires opposed Might checks.
If the defender was casting a spell that required the use of her arms at the time of the pin, the spell is lost but the Magic Points are kept.
After the pin has been established, the attacker can do any of the following (either on the same turn if there's enough AP left, or on later turns)
- Squeeze – 3 AP. The attacker tightens the Grab and deals crushing damage using a normal hand-to-hand Damage Roll opposed by the target's Guard Roll. No Attack/Dodge is necessary.
- Throw – 4 AP. The attacker and defender roll opposed Might checks. If the defender wins, she stays put. If the attacker wins, the defender is thrown by that many feet and lands prone.
- Move – You can pick up the defender and drag or carry her along with you. The attack and defender roll opposed Might checks. The AP cost is normal for moving.
- Pry – 2 AP. You can try to pry something out of the defender's hands or equipment. Make opposed Grip checks. If the defender wins, she keeps the item. If the attacker wins, the item is taken from the defender.
- Choke – 3 AP. The attacker constricts the defender's airways, making it impossible to breathe. The attacker makes a normal hand-to-hand Damage Roll opposed by the target's Guard Roll. If the attack is successful, no damage is applied, but the defender is considered to be suffocating, and will slide one step down the Knockout Track. Unlike some other forces which push a character down the Knockout Track, if the defender breaks free of the pin before falling unconscious, the penalties accrued from being choked immediately vanish. Also, if the defender falls unconscious from a choke attack, the attacker has two options: let the character fall and remain unconscious, or deliver a coup de grâce at the next opportunity.
Escaping a Grab
For 3 AP on her turn, a defender can try to break out of the pin. Either a Might check or a Thievery check can be used for this purpose, rolled against the attacker's Grip. If the defending character inflicts damage against the attacker while in the Grab, she can add the amount of damage done to her next Might or Thievery check.
If the defender doesn't require the use of gestures to cast spells (say, the character has Focus Casting and the item is in hand), she can cast normally. Personal-area damage spells such as Dangerous Body work nicely in this situation.
