Melee Combat

In an era of lethal and incapacitating ranged weaponry, someone equipped for close combat is often at a disadvantage. However, even hardened fighters are wary of getting within reach of certain synthmorphs or heavily augmented biomorphs.

Except as noted, all melee implements are wielded with Melee skill. Melee ware and weapons may be coated with drugs or toxins (Coated Weapons) such as poison or nanotoxins secreted from a poison gland or implanted nanotoxins.

Melee Ware

Implanted weaponry can be combined with eelware to deliver electric shocks.

Claws: The morph has retractable claws like those of a cat. These claws do not interfere with manual dexterity and are razor sharp. They are legal in most habitats and considered tools as much as weapons. A set of claws in each hand counts as a single weapon.

Eelware: A combination of electric eel genetics and bioconductors in the hands/feet/limbs (bioware) or electrified panel placement (hardware) allow you to stun with a shocking touch. Eelware can be used to recharge standard batteries or power specially modified devices by touch (treat as a standard battery).

Piston Spike: This pneumatic-driven spike is triggered with an impact (usually a punch) and designed to pierce modern armor and synthetic frames. Most are designed for repeated use, though an alternative single-use model delivers a minigrenade (this grenade attack bypasses armor).

Spur: A smart-material blade is bonded to the bones on the back of the morph’s hand, foot, or other strategic place. This blade extends up to 6 inches through concealed ports.

Melee Weapons

Melee weapons range from the archaic to high tech:

Club: Clubs encompasses a wide range of one-handed blunt objects, from saps to sticks to pipes.

Densiplast Gloves: These gloves extra-harden when activated, for extra punch. A set of gloves on each hand counts as a single weapon.

Diamond Axe: Common in many habitats for fire and emergency purposes, axes require two hands to wield. Their blades are diamond-coated for superior cutting ability.

Extendable Baton: This hardened composite baton retracts into its handle for easy carrying, storage, or concealment. Extending it simply requires a flick or an electronic signal.

Flex Cutter: The blade of this machete-like weapon is made of a memory polymer. When deactivated, the blade is limp and flexible and can be rolled up or otherwise easily concealed. When activated, the blade stiffens and sharpens into a vicious slashing weapon.

Knife: A standard, commonly carried cutting implement.

Monofilament Sword: Though archaic, swords are sometimes worn as a fashion statement or display of badassitude. Self-sharpening near-monomolecular edges can slice through metal or limbs.

Monowire Garrote: This assassin’s weapon features a dangerous near-monomolecular wire wrapped around a contained spool with two handles. One handle grips the spool, while the other extends the wire so that it can be wrapped around targets (typically necks or limbs) and slice through them when pulled. Monofilament tensile strength is weak, however; it breaks on a superior failure. This weapon is wielded with Exotic Skill: Monowire Garrote.

Piston Spear: A spear version of the piston spike ware.

Shock Baton: Used by police, these batons deliver an electric shock when activated.

Shock Glove: When activated, this glove delivers an incapacitating shock along with every punch, grab, or touch.

Vibroblade: These buzzing electronic blades vibrate at a high frequency for extra cutting ability. This has little extra effect when stabbing or slashing, but can pierce armor when carefully sawing through something.

Wasp Knife: Wasp knives are equipped with a single-use compressed-air canister in their handle. When stabbing a target in vacuum or a pressurized environment (like underwater), you can trigger the gas to release so that it bursts out of the victim’s body cavity, inflicting +2d10 DV. Wasp knives may also be loaded with chemicals, drugs, or nanobots. The target must be damaged for the canister’s contents to affect them.

Melee Rules

These rules apply specifically to close combat.

Aggressive Attacks

Aggressive attacks go all-out, regardless of consequences. You choose either +10 to hit or +1d10 DV when aggressive, but you also suffer −10 to Fray Tests until your next action.

Charging

A character who takes a full move and melee attacks in the same action turn is charging. The attacker takes a −10 modifier for charging instead of the standard −20 for full movement and inflicts +1d6 DV.

Grappling

You must declare your intent to grapple an opponent before making the die roll. You can grapple with a weapon in hand, but you do not receive the Reach modifier. If your opponent is a bigger/smaller size category and/or has 2 more/less limbs than you, apply a +/−20 modifier as appropriate. You may not grapple targets two size categories or more larger than you. Grappling attacks do not cause damage unless you roll a critical success (though even in this case you can choose not to).

If you succeed in your attack with a superior success, you subdue your opponent (they acquire the grappled condition). A grappled opponent is temporarily restrained and their Movement Rate is 0. They can communicate, use mental/psi skills, and take mesh actions, but they cannot take any physical actions other than trying to break free. (At the GM’s discretion, they can make small, restrained physical actions, such as reaching for something in their pocket or nearby, but this may require a SOM Check or other test).

To break free, a grappled character must take a complex action and succeed in a Melee Test or SOM Check opposed by the grappler’s Melee or SOM Check. If the character frees themselves and scores a superior success, they can choose to grapple the other character.

When grappling, both characters are at −30 to oppose any attacks made against them by others outside of the grapple.

On each subsequent action turn, a grappling character must spend a complex action to maintain the grapple. As part of that action, they may also choose to do one of the following:

• Choke: Biomorph victims must make a SOM Check or fall unconscious as their blood or air flow is restricted.
• Damage: The grappled victim suffers unarmed damage, no defense.
• Knockdown: Grappled victims must make a Melee Test or SOM Check at −30 or be knocked prone. They remain grappled and cannot stand up/re-orient until they are released or break free.
• Move: The grappler can move themselves and the subdued opponent at half their Movement Rate.

Multiple Targets

When engaging in a melee attack, you may choose to attack two or more opponents with the same complex action. Each opponent must be within one meter of another attacked opponent. These attacks must be declared before the dice are rolled for the first attack. Each attack suffers a cumulative −20 modifier for each extra target. So if you attack three characters with the same action, you take −40 on each attack. Roll each attack and damage separately.

Reach

Some weapons extend your reach, giving you a significant advantage over an opponent in melee. This applies to any weapon over half a meter long: axes, clubs, swords, shock batons, etc. Whenever you have a reach advantage over an opponent, you receive a +10 modifier for both attacking and defending. Some extra-long limbs or weapons provide a +20 bonus, as noted. For each size category (Sizes) by which you exceed your opponent, apply a +10 Reach modifier, up to a maximum +30.

Touch-only Attacks

Some attacks simply require you to touch your target, rather than injure them, and are correspondingly easier. This might apply when trying to slap them with a dermal drug patch, poking them with a stun baton, or making skin-to-skin contact for the use of a psi sleight. In situations like this, apply a +20 modifier to your melee attack. Melee shock attacks made with a touch-only bonus inflict no DV. (If you want to also inflict DV with the attack, you must attack without the +20 modifier.)

Melee Modifiers

These modifiers apply to close-combat attacks.

Situation	Modifiers
Aggressive	+10 or +1d10 DV, −10 Fray
Charging	−10, +1d6 DV
Extra Weapon (Attack)	+1d6 DV
Extra Weapon (Defense)	+10
Grappling
» Smaller-Size Opponent	+20 per size step
» Larger-Size Opponent	−20 per size step
» 2+ Limbs Advantage	+20
» 2+ Limbs Disadvantage	−20
Multiple Targets	−20 per extra target
Reach	+10 or more
Touch-Only	+20, no damage