I’m reading the Operations Division Supplement. It adds three additional Tasks for martial artists: Redirect, Non-Lethal Attack and Immobilize. But it is not clear to me exactly how these are supposed to work.
Redirect
How do I react to an incoming attack? There are no reactions in STA. And there is no roll attached? It seems more like a melee combat option (like Strike, Grapple, Disengage and Shove)
Non-Lethal Attack
You can already do non-lethal attacks with blades. It just increases Difficulty of the attack by 1. Is this just meant as sort of an errata that the weapon looses Vicious as well?
Immobilize
You can already grapple an opponent which seems way better since attacks against you are not reduced to Difficulty 0. So why use this? Also, does the Difficulty 0 apply to ranged attacks as well?
As I understand it, you can use redirect when you succeed at an opposed melee attack made against you. Instead of dealing damage as usual, you force them to lose their actions on their next turn and you reduce the difficulty of your next attack against them. I believe the “reactive” bit is talking about an Opposed Task while defending.
The non-lethal one I’m very happy about! I always thought it was silly that you could make a non-lethal attack with a bladed weapon and still benefit from Vicious. I’ve always replaced vicious with knockdown in those circumstance, but I like the idea that complications keep it lethal (that isn’t expressly stated, but since Vicious being in effect would be a good thing otherwise, that’s how I take it). Previously, there would be no difficulty increase (since blades and heavy blades do not have the deadly quality), and that just doesn’t seem right that it would be so easy to attack with the blunt part of a weapon (on some weapons, this would only be the handle) AND you still get the Vicious bonus. So making a risk of accidentally causing a severe wound and reducing the damage more to the equivalent of a rifle butt is very welcome to me.
Grapple is a bit easier to break free typically since it is a flat difficulty 2 instead of an Opposed Task. Also, a grappled character can still attack the grappler (albeit, with greater difficulty), whereas the Immobilized target can only try to break free (opposed). Honestly, the grapple option logically ought to have a penalty against other attackers as well. You can’t just use one hand to grab someone and hit another person with your full force. I wouldn’t imagine either would penalize you against ranged combat though.
So Redirect is basically a melee combat option, but can only be used when you are attacked. That makes sense.
You are right, I forgot that blades don’t have the Deadly quality. So I assume that Non-lethal attacks is an addendum to the old non-lethal attack rules. That means that all melee weapons with Vicious are inherently deadly. Does this apply to ranged weapons as well?
And Immobilize is more effective than Grapple since the enemy cannot attack and escaping is more difficult (because it is opposed) but it makes the immobilizer more vulnerable. What is the base Difficulty of Immobilize? Is it 1 since so Difficulty is mentioned?
I’m not sure that it’d apply to all Vicious weapons. I think a non-lethal attack with Vicious could be a weapon set to heavy stun. I imagine that blades should just have the Deadly quality and that additional Non-Lethal Attack option, but that’s just what makes sense to me.
I assume you’re right about the difficulty of immobilize. It could definitely be more clear though.