Garrote and Bola

[woerth]

I have been looking through several books to try and figure this out. How do you run a garrote? Now I know that it must follow a grab. So they make a grab attack, then do they have to make another attack for the garrote? Is that attack at a -8 for attacking the head? Once they hit do they continue to do damage each action? I am just curious about the exact procedure that a garrote should use.

Also, I was looking for weapon stats for a bola. I figure it would be an entangle or something like that, but it can do damage. Just curious on that situation as well. I have a player that is a bounty hunter in a fantasy game and these are a few of the weapons he wants to use.

Thanks for the help,

Brian

[Steve Long]

Since this is a "how to" and not a rules question, I've moved it to Discussion so that anyone who wants can answer, not just me.

[schir1964]

I have been looking through several books to try and figure this out. How do you run a garrote? Now I know that it must follow a grab. So they make a grab attack, then do they have to make another attack for the garrote? Is that attack at a -8 for attacking the head? Once they hit do they continue to do damage each action? I am just curious about the exact procedure that a garrote should use.

Using a Garrote I think would be similar to doing a Choke Hold Maneuver. It requires a successful grab, but the attack is No Normal Defense. It would also require the weapon Garrote that might give additonal dice of damage to the attack itself. Refer to the standard Choke Hold Manuever for more details.

- Christopher Mullins

[JmOz]

I would build the Bola as an Entangle, does not prevent normal damage, and a small EB

[Old Man]

I agree, I would build the Garrote as Choke Hold, OAF

Same with Bolas, maybe 3d6 Def 3 Entangle plus 2d6 EB

[Vanguard]

So, wait a minute. Does the regular Choke Hold manuever require targetting the head and taking the subsequent -8?

[schir1964]

So, wait a minute. Does the regular Choke Hold manuever require targetting the head and taking the subsequent -8?

No. That penalty would only apply if the GM wanted to impose the optional Hit Location chart and have the damage also modified by it.

- Christopher Mullins

[woerth]

Well as far as the Garotte was concerned I was looking for more of a clarification of the rules. Since the Garotte is talked about in the Ultimate Martial Artist. From the rules discussed in there this is how I think it works.

You must first make a grab attack. Now for this do you have to do the called shot to the head or can you just name two limbs that you grab? Then you have to spend another action doing a called shot to the head with the garrote. They are at half dcv, but you are at -3 ocv and another -8 for doing a called shot to the head, is this correct? Once you make the attack with the garrote are they still considered grabbed? The garrote is a two handed weapon, so this also doesn't make much sense to me. Also, once successful with the attack can you just do damage on each of your turns? Since Steve discusses the Garotte in the Ultimate Martial Artist on page 177 and give stats for it, I was hoping he had a good idea of how he wanted it to work.

As far as the Bola is concerned, I am just curious if anyone has any stats that they are using for it. I am using it in a fantasy campaign.

Thanks for the help,

Brian

[Old Man]

Included the Grab doesn't make a lot of sense. Garrotes don't require a grab in real life, just slipping the thing over the head. The reason people are saying use Choke Hold is because it is easy to use the rules for Choke Hold and it works. Just say that anybody with a Garrote and 1pt WF: Garrote, can use Choke Hold. Pretty Simple.

Bolas: Entangle 3d6 Def 3, 1 Recoverable Charge (-1 1/4), OAF (-1), Range Limited by STR (-1/4) plus EB 2d6, 1 Recoverable Charge (-1 1/4), OAF (-1), Range Limited By STR (-1/4), 40 pts Active, 11 pts Real

At least I think that's right.

If you're running a Fantasy Hero campaign, you can just make up stats for the weapons, you don't have to have character point/power breakdowns.

[schir1964]

I don't have the UMA, so I can't help you with any clarification. Sorry.

- Christopher Mullins

[Diashan]

This is how I would handle it.

Out Of Combat By Surprise
The defender is at half DCV (page 252) the hit location modifier is half (page 277) and the defender suffers double stun (page 252).

In Combat By Surprise
The defender is at half DCV (page 252) the hit location modifier is normal (page 252) stun is normal (page 252)

In Combat No Surprise
This would just be normal combat


The modifier for the grabbed character to hit the grabbing character would be completley situational depending on what the do. I would probably wave it for a non wepon or small wepon (like a knife). I wouldn't let the target use any powers that require the Incantations Limitation. I would consider the garrotte to be the "squeeze" part of the grab and squeeze manuver and allow the damage to continue until the grab was broken. I think I covered everything. Post a follow up if I can help anymore though I won't answer till tommorrow(dinner time then off to bed).



Diashan

[pinecone]

Calling a garrot a Choke hold :OAF is a easy, clean way to do it...choke hold automaticly targets the neck but gains no bonus for it...you could also buy a garrot as a damaging focus and then the user has to target...I'd probibly go with number two....Military garrots are made of wire and do killing damage as well as choking the target...for me the commando used the choke hold move with a HKA focus......a garrot is really only useful by suprise and a few PSL's on top of that make it fairly easy to use it....