Unknown Armies:Hand-to-hand damage

For hand-to-hand attacks—that is, physical attacks such as punches, kicks, takedowns, baseball bat to the skull, etc.—the damage you do is equal to the sum of the two dice you rolled. A successful roll of 47 does 4 + 7 = 11 points of damage.

If you're using a weapon of some sort in your hand-to-hand attack, you do more damage. To decide a weapon's damage shift, ask three simple questions:

• Is the weapon big? ("Big" means you need both hands to wield it effectively.)
• Is it heavy? ("Heavy" means it has enough heft to crack bones.)
• Is it penetrating? ("Penetrating" means it cuts or stabs through the skin.)

For each "yes" you get, the weapon does 3 additional points of damage. A rock is heavy, but not big or penetrating, so it adds 3 points of damage. A steel chair is big and heavy, so it adds 6 points of damage. A machete or sword is heavy and penetrating, so it adds 6 points. A chainsaw is big, heavy, and penetrating, so it adds 9 points.

Crits cause your target to die or drop unconscious immediately. Your choice. If he hasn't acted this round, he doesn't get to. TThis only happens if the GM says it makes sense. If you were throwing a pillow at the target, he's not going to die or fall unconscious no matter what you roll.

Fumbles cause you to take the damage you rolled—that is the weapon bonus plus 20 points (0+0 = 10 + 10 = 20). You screwed up so badly that either you hurt yourself all on your own or your target deftly countered your attack and hurt you in the process.

Matched successes do firearms damage plus weapon bonus, but only if you're using a weapon with a bonus of +6 or higher. If you're using a weapon with a +3 weapon bonus, or no weapon at all, the match has no special effect. (Note: If your hand-to-hand attack skill is also your obsession skill, matched successes inflict Cherries in addition to the possible firearms damage unless the Cherry states otherwise.)

Matched failures cause you to take your weapon's bonus in damage, if you are using a weapon. A +6 weapon would cause you 6 points of damage. If you aren't using a weapon, the match has no special effect.

Disarming attacks

To take away a target’s weapon, you have to make a successful attack with a minimum roll of 30. This does no damage, but the weapon is either in your hand or on the floor, your choice.

Note: If the weapon is a penetrating weapon, you automatically take 3 wound points unless you get a matched success or a crit in the attempt. Taking edged weapons away from people, using anything other than psychology, is a great way to lose some fingers.

Multiple attacks

To make more than one hand-to-hand attack in a round, divvy up your skill rating—which includes any shifts applied—among the number of attacks you want to make. You cannot take more than three attacks per round.

You choose how to divide your skill rating. If you have Brawling 55% and you want to strike at two targets this round, or make two attacks at the same target, then you could take a 30% attack and a 25% attack, or a 40% attack and a 15% attack, or a 54% attack and a 1%. To make three attacks, you might take them at 20%, 20%, and 15%.

You cannot use a focus shift if you are attacking multiple targets, but you may use one with multiple attacks against a single target. If you do this, you add the focus shift before you divide your skill up. You don’t add the bonus to every subdivided shot. That is, you can take a +30% focus shift to your 15% Brawling skill and have a 45% attack to divvy up, but you can’t divide your 15% into three attacks and then add +30% to each one.

Throwing people

To throw a person you’re fighting, make a successful attack with a minimum roll of 30. If you succeed, you do your normal damage and also inflict the Knock Down cherry.

Throwing objects

To attack a target by throwing an object or weapon at him, use your General Athletics skill instead of your hand-to-hand attack skill. The only exception is when your handto- hand attack skill is also your obsession skill, in which case you can use it for the throw. This only applies to direct attacks at a target, not throwing a grenade or tossing a Frisbee around.

For a thrown object to do any damage, it must be big, heavy, or penetrating as described earlier. You do not add the weapon’s bonus to the damage inflicted, but the special effects of matched successes still work as normal.

Knife attacks

Any hand-to-hand attack with a penetrating weapon does a minimum of 1 wound point damage even if you miss. This does not apply to thrown weapons, only weapons used directly in close-quarters combat.

Why is this? Knives cut. Imagine you are wearing a white suit with white gloves, and you are facing an angry child waving a black magic marker. Imagine trying to take the marker away from the child, or grabbing the child, or doing anything to the child except running away from it. You’re going to be covered in black marks in a matter of seconds. That’s why. Knives cut.

Cherry attacks

If your hand-to-hand combat skill—whether it’s street brawling or judo—is your obsession skill, you get Cherries. Cherries are extra-special results that occur on a successful matched roll. (Unless the cherry specifies otherwise, the normal matchedsuccess effect still applies.) Having a hand-to-hand combat skill of any sort that is not your obsession skill does not grant you these cherries.

Each time you get a cherry during combat, pick one from the following list. You may also design new cherries, as long as your GM approves them.

Sample Cherries

Big Hurt. If you aren’t using a +6 or greater weapon—or even no weapon at all—you still get the matched-success effect of doing firearms damage.

Blind. You cause no wound-point damage, but your target cannot see for the next four rounds (a -30% shift).

Dazed. In addition to taking the normal damage, your target has a -10% shift to all skills for the next four rounds. Gimme. In addition to taking the normal damage, your target loses whatever weapon he is holding. You choose whether the weapon drops to the floor or ends up in your hands. Either way, this occurs immediately, and you don’t take the usual automatic damage from disarming attempts.

Knock Down. In addition to taking damage, your target is immediately knocked off his feet. He automatically goes to the end of the Initiative queue. Furthermore, until he takes an action to stand up he can only attack characters who are standing within a few feet of him.

Kung Fu Grip. Instead of doing damage, you put your target in a restraining grip. Your target cannot attack or dodge on his next action because you’ve got him held. This continues until your target gets free. Getting Free: You can choose to release the grip at the beginning of the round before anyone acts, and then you can both act normally. Your target can get free by rolling against his hand-to-hand combat skill (Struggle, Tae Kwon Do, whatever), but he must make a minimum roll of your hand-to-hand skill score to succeed. Attacking: Held targets can be attacked by anyone nearby with a +10% shift for the attacker. While holding him, you get to inflict 5 points of damage each round automatically by wrenching his shoulder socket, kneeing him, etc. If you have any sort of hand-to-hand weapon ready, you get to inflict 8 points of damage each round instead. Disarming: You can make another hand-to-hand skill roll and, if successful, use the effect of the Gimme cherry. This is instead of doing any damage this round. Limitations: You cannot make any attack besides the automatic one on the person held, and you can’t dodge, either.

Monkey Dodge. Not only do you damage this target, but you may redirect the next attack declared against you (before it is rolled) to any other combatant who could reasonably be targeted instead (GM’s call). You can’t use this to make someone attack himself. You can choose to redirect the attack so it hits the floor, wall, furniture, large plate-glass window, etc. instead of another combatant.

More Hurt. Roll and add another single die of damage to the current attack.

New Damage. Roll two dice and use that for damage instead of your original roll. If you’re using a +6 weapon or greater, you still get to do firearms-style damage no matter what your new damage roll is.

Second Helping. In addition to inflicting the normal damage, you can use your attack skill again immediately in the same round at no penalty.

Turning Tide. In addition to taking the normal damage, your target can’t get any benefits from rolling matches for the rest of the combat.

Explaining Crit Kills

If you roll that fatal 01 and instantly drop some poor bastard in his tracks, it's not terribly dramatic to say "he dies." Here are a number of plausible one-hit kills for smaller weapons.

With a Blunt Object

• A sharp blow to the temple puts a deadly shock through the brain, resulting in instant death.
• A transverse blow across the bridge of the nose sends bone fragments into a sinus cavity causing the victim to drown in his own blood unless someone performs an emergency tracheotomy within about five minutes. For the purposes of the 01, assume the blow also knocks him out or immobilizes him with pain while he dies.
• An upward blow at the base of the skull (either attacking from behind or by reaching around) breaks the neck or causes instant unconsciousness.
• A blow to the front of the throat crushes the trachea. Intense pain and panic is breathing heavy. Asphyxiation happens soon after.
• A hard thrust right to the bottom of the sternum breaks off a bone called the xiphoid process and drives it into the heart.
• A hard blow directly between the shoulder blades instantly stops the heart.

With a Sharp Object

• Even a small knife driven up into the head through the top of the eye socket kills quickly. (Elizabethan playwright Kit Marlowe died this way.)
• An upward blow under the sternum pierces the heart.
• A shallow slash across the throat causes blood to drain down the windpipe and drown the target.
• A deep slash to the neck causes a rapid bleed-out from either the vein or the artery.
• A long slash along the inside of the bicep from elbow to armpit opens an artery.
• A slash on the inside of the leg from knee to groin opens an artery.