Weapons for pulling you down / off balance.

[Rick <rick_ww@lightspeed.ca>]

Hi all, 
  A number of weapons were intended to hook shields, pull enemy off of horses, pull enemy off balance or pull shields out of position.  

  Examples of such weapons are:  The Egyptian Khopesh, Halberd, Pike Ax, Shuang gou (hook sword), Kusari, jabajabba, battle axes, Jutte (or Jitte), Hakapik, Guisarme, and no doubt many of have missed.

Some people have said that the TFT naginata could be used this way, but looking at it on wikipedia, it is simply a spear with a slightly curved blade. I’m willing to say that the TFT Naginata has this ability, simply to make the weapon more interesting.  (You have to have a special talent for it after all.)


I will refer to this class of weapons as ‘hooking weapons’.

Hooking weapons that are pole weapons will simply allow them to have a greater reach, but will other wise behave the same way.

There are several ways to handle these weapons:
1. — Ignore them.  They don’t exist in TFT.

2. — Give them some sort of built in advantage that does not require special actions.  e.g. If a hooking weapon rolls a 7 exactly, the opponent is hooked and something happens.

3. — Give them an even more abstract advantage.  e.g. Enemies fighting such weapons must make a 3vsDX or fall if they move away from a hooked weapon wielder.

4. — Special rules to hook opponents.  You say that you are making a hooking attack, if you hit the target gets a saving throw, etc.

I’m thinking of something along the lines of #2 above.  Just give them some sort of ‘back ground’ advantage which is always there and may be triggered rarely.


Anyone have ideas, or wish to discuss this?

Warm regards, Rick.