Whether for sport or defense, Adventurers may end up in a barehanded altercation against opponents within arms reach or within a step or two.
Combatants may possess trained skills in hand-to-hand combat forms such as boxing, wrestling, or other martial arts.
Not all combatants train to fight in a ring, but may learn from surviving combat through brawls on the street, in bars, or back alleys.
If an Adventurer must fight, with no easy option for escape and without weapons to hand, their brawling, boxing, wrestling, lifting, or martial arts skills may mean the difference between life and death.
An Adventurer's Speed grants 1, 2, or 3 Actions Per Turn for movement, attacks, and other actions.
The first step to gain the upper hand starts with how the combatants turn to find or face opponents, and move to engage, block, dodge, or disengage.
☐ TURNING
☐ MOVEMENT (SPEED)
◢ Movement
Toe-to-toe, skill-against-skill, combatants may draw upon one or more of the following hand-to-hand combat techniques.
☐ BOXING (AGILITY)
Strategically and tactically strike an opponent into submission or a complete knockout while avoiding strikes in return.
☐ BRAWLING (ENDURANCE)
Unleash damage any way possible to bludgeon opponents into retreat or unconsciousness.
☐ LIFTING (STRENGTH)
Grab and lift an opponent before tossing them, preferably into something painful or embarrassing.
☐ WRESTLING (STRENGTH)
Grapple, control, and subdue an opponent through superior strength and the skill to use it most effectively.
◢ Moves
A group of Adventurers may train together in tactics to coordinate actions if or when caught in a physical fight.
☐ CHARGING
The group may rush and overwhelm a specific opponent or target, maximizing the impact of movement and strikes.
☐ ENVELOPMENT
The group may split and overwhelm parts of an opposing force.
☐ FEINTS
The group may coordinate misleading their opponents into committing to the wrong course of action, making themselves more vulnerable or exploitable in an upcoming attack.
☐ FLANKING
The group may position themselves allowing members of the group to attack opponents from blindsides or unexpected quarters.
☐ KITING
The group practices luring opponents into positions where their full forces cannot act but the group's full forces can.
An Adventurer may strike by hand or foot into the spaces around them within arms reach.
Armor, Shields, or Screens may protect Adventurers from hand-to-hand combat damage, but may not guarantee protection against tactical mis-steps.
☐ STRENGTH RESERVES
Prolonged Lifting and Wrestling drains Strength Reserves, and failed Lifts or Wrestling moves may injure the muscles imparing further use of these skills.
☐ ENDURANCE RESERVES
Hand-to-hand combat, especially straight Brawling may quickly wear away Endurance Reserves until the fight stalemates in a draw with both sides exhausted past the ability to continue.
☐ AGILITY RESERVES
The longer a Boxing match continues, the harder the boxer may find it to continue accurate strikes and elegant or effective blocks or dodges.
☐ SPEED RESERVES
Prolonged movement, or many bursts of speed tax the Speed Reserves until exhaustion sets in.
☐ CONDITIONS
Hand-to-hand combat can result in combatants becoming Pinned, Wounded, Winded, or Knocked Out depending on the combinations of moves attempted by each side.
First aid and rest can start the recovery process from most hand-to-hand combat.
If an altercation grows too large, the Adventurers may become one small part of a much larger event.
Will the Adventurers withdraw, attempt to de-escalate through negotiation or diplomacy, or choose to aid one side or another in a scouting, subterfuge, support, or combat capacity?