Rules: Grappling

Note 1: Grappling means different things to different people in RPG. In this game, a grapple is more than just grabbing a foe with one hand, it indicates two people in a violent hug!

Note 2: These rules assume a standard humanoid attacker, a tentacled horror might grapple differently!

Note 3: If you have a good melee skill, but no unarmed skill, grappling is a good option if you are in combat without a weapon.

How to Grapple

You can only grapple a character within 1 square, who is no more than 1 size bigger than you. You cannot grapple a character if either of you is already in a grapple. Attempting to grapple is a standard action.

Attempting to grapple provokes an opportunity attack from the target, which is resolved first. The grapple continues whether the opportunity attack is successful or not (unless the attacker is dead/etc.).

To make a grapple attack, a player must roll his unarmed melee or atheletics skill (attacker chooses) vs the target's athletics or acrobatics skill (target chooses). If the attacker has special abilities that apply to melee attacks, these cannot be used unless it explicitly says so in the description. If successful, the attacker is holding the target - the attacker moving into the same square as the target.

When in a Grapple

Once in a grapple, the attacker and target are equivalent; the target is grappling with the attacker just as the attacker is grappling the foe. The same rules apply to both.

A character in a grapple has a reflex of zero whilst the grapple continues. Shield bonus is halved, round up.

Characters in a grapple cannot flank.

To make a grapple contest, use your athletics or acrobatics skill against the other character's athletics skill (the other character may optionally choose to just let you). This is a standard action. You can use a grapple contest to:

• Try to escape a grapple. On success, your character can move to any adjacent square of your choice.
• Try to move. On success, both characters move one square of your choice (or up to half your movement if the other character is 2 or more sizes smaller).
• Try to shove/throw. On success of 5 or more, the other character is thrown up to three squares, on a success of 2 or more the other character is shoved one square (for characters 2 or more sizes smaller, double the distance), in the direction you choose. In either case, the other character will be prone.
• Try to squeeze/bear-hug (using athletics skill only). On a success, other character takes 2d4 damage.
• Try to attack or cast a spell. On a success, you can make an attack or spell roll; this counts as part of your standard action. Unless this is an unarmed or dagger/knife attack against the person you are grappling, you will be at -3 to your attack roll (but if you target your grappled opponent, she has no reflex, so it may be worth a try).

Note that a grapple continues indefinitely until one character manages to break free (or one is dead/etc).

Attacking foes in a grapple

Any third party who attacks either the attacker or the target, if she rolls 1 to 3 (i.e. the unmodified dice roll), she has accidentally hit the other one. A player can declare that she is being careful, and take a -2 penalty to the attack roll, and then will only accidentally hit her friend on a roll of 1.

Arangu has grappled Tivid, and has him held. Otto the optimistic decides he will try to attack Arangu with his sword. He rolls a 2. Oh dear, he has hit Tivid by mistake, and must roll damage.

Carack the cautious decides she too will try to attack Arangu, but declares before rolling that she will be careful. She rolls an 8, adds her skill of 3, but has to deduct 2 from the total, to give 9. She misses - but did not hit her friend.