GURPS Martial Arts - Home

Push Kick
Hard
Defaults: Brawling-3 or Karate-3.
Prerequisite: Karate or Brawling; cannot exceed prerequisite
skill.
This is a kick that shoves your adversary away instead of
injuring him. You hit him with the flat of your foot and push.
Many kickboxing styles use this technique to shove an opponent
into the ropes or far enough away to allow a fullextension
finishing move.
A Push Kick is a shove (p. B372) in all respects except that
it’s done as a kick. Roll against Push Kick to hit. Your opponent
may defend normally. If you succeed, roll your usual
kicking damage and double it. This damage causes no injury –
use it only to work out knockback (p. B378).
The above rules assume a Push Kick to the torso. A Push
Kick to the leg gives the victim -2 to any DX roll to avoid
falling down as a result of knockback. Targeting the skull, face,
or neck makes the penalty -3. No other hit locations are valid.
Quick Mount
Average
Defaults: Acrobatics-3, Jumping-3, or Riding-3.
Prerequisite: Acrobatics, Jumping, or Riding†; cannot
exceed prerequisite skill.
This technique represents training at quickly mounting a
horse or similar beast. Roll against it instead of Acrobatics,
Jumping, or Riding for this purpose. See Mounting Up
(p. B396).
† The GM may allow Quick Mount for motorcycles and
even cars (a speedy slide through an open window into the
driver or passenger’s seat). This technique requires Acrobatics,
Jumping, or the appropriate Driving skill.
Retain Weapon
Hard
Default: prerequisite skill.†
Prerequisite: Any weapon skill; cannot exceed prerequisite
skill+5.†
If you know this technique above default, you may use it
instead of the underlying skill whenever somebody actively
tries to disarm you (see Knocking a Weapon Away, p. B401).
For instance, if you have Staff-13 and Retain Weapon (Staff)-
16, you resist disarms as if you had Staff-16.
Should an adversary try to disarm you using brute
strength, you may make a ST-based Retain Weapon roll
instead of a ST roll. Find your level by subtracting DX and
adding ST. For example, if you have ST 14, DX 12, and Retain
Weapon-15, your ST-based level is 15 - 12 + 14 = 17.
† When learning this technique for missile weapons such
as guns and bows, it defaults to DX and cannot exceed DX+5.
Return Strike
Hard
Defaults: Flail-5 or Kusari-5.
Prerequisite: Flail or Kusari; cannot exceed prerequisite
skill.
This technique capitalizes on a kusari or flail’s flexibility
to strike the enemy from behind while facing him. To
attempt it, you must have sufficient reach to attack a yard
beyond your opponent – that is, reach equal to his range
from you plus a yard.
Roll against Return Strike to hit. If the target has never
seen this move (GM decides), treat it as an attack from
behind. This usually allows no active defense! Otherwise, it’s
considered an attack from the side, which gives -2 to most
defenses. See pp. B390-391 for detailed rules. Damage is
unchanged, but only the DR on your victim’s back applies.
You can combine Return Strike with Close Combat
(p. 69) to do a “wrap shot” while in close quarters; see Using
Techniques Together (p. 64). Treat this as striking into close
combat (p. B392). If you miss your target or he dodges, you
may hit yourself!
Reverse Grip
78 TECHNIQUES
Average
Defaults: prerequisite skill-6 for most one-handed
weapons, skill-4 for two-handed ones, or full skill for Tonfa
(only).
Prerequisite: Any Melee Weapon skill; cannot exceed prerequisite
skill.
This technique – useful only with weapons that can make
thrusting attacks – lets you avoid the need for a Ready
maneuver to switch between a regular overhand grip and an
underhand grip more suitable for close-quarters stabbing. A
successful Reverse Grip roll lets you change grips instantly.
Failure means you drop the weapon and your turn ends . . .
and critical failure also inflicts Tip Slash (p. 113) damage on
your torso!
Once reversed, most weapons work differently – see
Reversed Grip (pp. 111-112) for details. The main uses for
this technique are to prepare a long weapon for close combat
and to sheathe your weapon more quickly (see Quick
Sheathing, p. 102).
You can also use this technique to spin a tonfa (p. 225).
It defaults to full Tonfa skill, as the weapon’s side handle
makes this move exceptionally easy.
Sacrifice Throw
Hard
Default: Judo.
Prerequisite: Judo; cannot exceed prerequisite skill level.
This technique involves grappling your opponent, falling
with him, and using your entire weight to throw him. It’s
risky, but difficult to resist. You may only attempt it if a regular
Judo Throw (p. 75) would be possible; that is, on your
turn immediately following a successful Judo parry or grapple.
Sacrifice Throw is a special option for All-Out Attack
(p. B365). Use these rules instead of the standard ones for
All-Out Attack.
Before you attempt the throw, you must declare whether
you intend to land face-up, face-down, or kneeling, as well
as where you plan to end up. One of your landing hexes –
the only one, in the case of kneeling – must be your hex,
your foe’s hex, or a hex adjacent to one of these. You must