Jefepato

Re: Noob question - Defensive Strike and Martial Strike? Uh-oh. I was kind of hoping for something that didn't have a 19-page thread discussing it on the first page -- that's usually a sign of trouble.

Re: Noob question - Defensive Strike and Martial Strike? Wow. Thanks to everyone for providing so much insight into the topic. I really didn't expect so much input on my silly newbie question. So, in light of that, how would one deal with heinously awesome martial artists like the Legion of Super-Heroes' Karate Kid -- who, even after his post-crisis depowering, is shown capable of knocking man-sized holes in walls and judo-tossing enormous opponents? Would kung fu on that scale be best represented by increased STR with the limitation: Only With Martial Manuevers?

Re: Noob question - Defensive Strike and Martial Strike? Well, naturally. I was just surprised at how great the benefit seemed vs. points paid, so I wondered if I was understanding Martial Maneuvers wrong. It's going to take a while to get the hang of this game, I guess.

I'm just working on learning the HERO system now -- much as I like M&M, I was interested in a system that described characters in more detail, and I don't really like how GURPS handles supers. Anyway, I'm trying to wrap my brain around Martial Maneuvers. Most of them seem to have upsides and downsides, like Offensive Strike which reduces your chance to hit in favor of more damage. That makes sense so far. But then there are some that seem strictly better, especially Defensive Strike and Martial Strike -- at first I thought I was reading a misprint in Sidekick, but it's the same in the core 5th Edition Revised book. Both of them seem not only strictly better than a normal Strike, but drastically so. If I'm reading it right, a "Defensive" Strike is better offensively than a normal Strike! Are martial arts supposed to be this good? Or is the standard Strike meant to be a lame move that essentially penalizes untrained fighters? As a bonus newbie question, are Extra Damage Classes applied only when using Martial Maneuvers, or do they apply to Combat Maneuvers in general?