Grab and Senses

[Deadman]

Hi Steve,

 

I have been looking through the 6e books for rules which define how a character could grab another character in such a way as to cover their eyes (or possibly mouth) to prevent them from seeing (or speaking).  I found the section on targeting a particular area of the head on page 67 of 6E2 but it really doesn't go into detail.  Here are a couple of examples that I would like to know the official ruling on.

 

Example 1:  Nightstrike is coming up behind an NPC while sneaking into a villain's lair.  He wants to get information from the NPC so he doesn't want to hurt her.  He wants to grab her around the mouth so that she can't scream.  Does he need to make an attack roll using the Hit Location modifiers?  While I assume that this would be from surprise and therefore the penalty would be halved would it be vs. the head in general (at -4 after halving) or a more specific Hit Location like the mouth (maybe -6 after being halved)?

 

Example 2:  Flex, a stretchy hero, has built a martial arts style around his ability.  One of the maneuvers he has is a Martial Grab vs. all five limbs.  Would this inherently cover the eyes and mouth or would something else need to be bought in conjunction with the maneuver?

 

Thanks,

 

Deadman

[Steve Long]

This is definitely one of those “I wonder why this has never come up before?” questions. So I’m glad you asked it.

 

A standard Grab doesn’t prevent the target from using any of his senses or his voice. However, the rules for the Choke Optional Combat Maneuver, which is in essence a form of Grab as the text on 6E2 84 explains, specify that it prevents the target from speaking or shouting. So that’s how to stop someone from screaming. If the attacker doesn’t want to hurt the target, he can settle for establishing a grip and not roll any NND damage. As an optional rule, the GM can permit someone to establish a Choke that doesn’t “block” the mouth, but instead blocks any one ordinary Sense (Sight, Smell, or Hearing) from functioning. Again, the character can decide whether or not he wants to do NND damage in addition to establishing a firm grip.

 

In either case, Hit Location penalties don’t apply, just the standard -2 OCV, -2 DCV for performing a Choke.