Author Topic: Do people allow Athletics as a melee/close-combat defense?  (Read 4062 times)

Offline admiralducksauce

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Do people allow Athletics as a melee/close-combat defense?
« on: October 17, 2011, 08:54:56 PM »
Like the subject says, do you allow Athletics as a close-combat defense skill, or do you require a Weapons or Fists roll*?

*Assuming there's no stunt involved that explicitly says "use Athletics to dodge swords".

Offline Vairelome

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Re: Do people allow Athletics as a melee/close-combat defense?
« Reply #1 on: October 17, 2011, 09:00:37 PM »
Yes?  Why wouldn't you?  Athletics is explicitly valid for both melee-range and extended-range defense against physical attacks by the RAW; a stunt like the one you suggest would be thoroughly redundant.

Offline UmbraLux

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Re: Do people allow Athletics as a melee/close-combat defense?
« Reply #2 on: October 17, 2011, 09:00:59 PM »
Athletics is the default for dodging.  See the Dodging trapping on YS121.
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Offline admiralducksauce

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Re: Do people allow Athletics as a melee/close-combat defense?
« Reply #3 on: October 17, 2011, 09:09:51 PM »
Huh.  How about that.  For some reason my brain had locked onto Athletics only working on ranged defense and Weapons/Fists being used for melee defense.

Thanks guys.

Offline Dravokian

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Re: Do people allow Athletics as a melee/close-combat defense?
« Reply #4 on: October 18, 2011, 02:07:56 PM »
I allow parries to be made with weapons or fists but they have to take a stunt to do it. Effectively allowing them to trade the dodge trapping over to a different skill.

Offline DFJunkie

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Re: Do people allow Athletics as a melee/close-combat defense?
« Reply #5 on: October 18, 2011, 03:06:51 PM »
I allow parries to be made with weapons or fists but they have to take a stunt to do it. Effectively allowing them to trade the dodge trapping over to a different skill.
Wait, I thought that you could explicitly use fists to defend against fists, and weapons to defend against fists or weapons.  Did I mistakenly import something from SoTC without meaning to?
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Offline Dravokian

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Re: Do people allow Athletics as a melee/close-combat defense?
« Reply #6 on: October 18, 2011, 04:37:59 PM »
i wrote in parries but i meant to type dodges... with the stunt you can dodge spells, bullets, and blades with your hands or weps... kinda like deflecting bullets and the like. I believe parries can be made as you stated without the stunt but the stunt allows all default dodging to be made with a different skill.

Offline Tedronai

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Re: Do people allow Athletics as a melee/close-combat defense?
« Reply #7 on: October 18, 2011, 05:55:21 PM »
there is a 'canon' stunt to do that for fists, the only 'houserule' is to allow weapons an equivalent stunt
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Offline DFJunkie

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Re: Do people allow Athletics as a melee/close-combat defense?
« Reply #8 on: October 18, 2011, 06:00:33 PM »
Ah, okay. 

I always thought that was kind of a no-brainer stunt.  If we assume that sprinting allows you to avoid bullets and blasts of flame it's a pretty small leap to allow it for people who know fencing, kung fu, or the like.

Personally I wouldn't even explain it as a parry, just that your training in [whatever] included enough foot work and positioning that you can use [whatever] as a universal dodge.
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Offline sinker

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Re: Do people allow Athletics as a melee/close-combat defense?
« Reply #9 on: October 18, 2011, 06:05:32 PM »
That's pretty much what the stunt says. Hell, it's called footwork.

Offline DFJunkie

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Re: Do people allow Athletics as a melee/close-combat defense?
« Reply #10 on: October 18, 2011, 06:09:05 PM »
That's pretty much what the stunt says. Hell, it's called footwork.

Heh, good point.  I knew I should shut up while I don't have the books.
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Offline computerking

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Re: Do people allow Athletics as a melee/close-combat defense?
« Reply #11 on: October 19, 2011, 05:22:32 PM »
Heh, good point.  I knew I should shut up while I don't have the books.
That one's not from the books, it's a custom stunt here on the boards.
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Offline Tedronai

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Re: Do people allow Athletics as a melee/close-combat defense?
« Reply #12 on: October 19, 2011, 05:27:52 PM »
Footwork is on YS152.
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Offline polkaneverdies

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Re: Do people allow Athletics as a melee/close-combat defense?
« Reply #13 on: October 19, 2011, 05:50:50 PM »
The fists version is in YS. The weapons version is on the custom list and I accidentally gave it the same name as the fists version. So you are both correct.

Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: Do people allow Athletics as a melee/close-combat defense?
« Reply #14 on: October 19, 2011, 06:01:25 PM »
I thought that the identical name was intentional. I like it the way it is.