Concept stolen wholesale from Feng Shui.

Distraction and misdirection isn't nearly as useful in combat as a big sword, but when used in concert, these two effects are quite handy.  The following is meant as guidelines for the use of interaction to give opponents penalties in combat.


Distractions can have one of two effects.  Some distractions will cause hesitation, penalizing intitiative--on the current turn if the target hasn't acted yet, or in the next turn if they have.  Not that this depends on whether or not they've acted, not whether or not their initiative has come up...if the target is holding an action, he can be distracted so his initiative is lower that the current initiative.  If the target is holding actions for defense, and his initiative drops below that of his attacker, he loses one defense to the distraction.

Other distractions will cause the opponent to be off-guard, or to take actions responding, causing dicepool penalties for his remaining actions this turn (if he has any left) or next turn (if he has already finished this turn).

Combat distractions are nearly always stunts...if it's not interesting enough to distract the table, it's not going to be interesting enough to distract your opponent.  Play it up with menacing growls, witty banter, and clever use of scenery.


General Idea:  Determine whether you're trying to slow the opponent or cause dice-pool penalties, whether you're trying to affect one opponent or many, and how you're going to do it.  Rolls are generally based on Charisma, Wits, or Manipulation (though our troubador might not object to Appearance stunts, I think most of those require rather low modesty).  Even if what you're doing is a physical action, the objective is to trick, overawe, or bamboozle someone, so Dex will rarely be the base (this is also because dex is the base for nearly every other combat action).  Common skills are socialize, presence, larceny (for dirty underhanded tricks, what else?), and sometimes brawl or performance.

If you're affective one person, make an opposed roll, your distraction against a reflexive wits+resistance roll.  Wits+socialize can usually be substituted for social distractions such as insults or verbal intimidation.  Some interactions may be dodgeable (like soot in the eyes).

If targeting an individual, his penalty is equal to your margin of success.

If targeting a group (usually a performance stunt, or very very clever use of scenery) you roll once but the targets roll defense separately.  Penalty is half you margin, rounded up.

(oh so unpolished.  I'd love to work Temperance into it somehow, or make the delay nastier if you beat his Wits or drop his initiative below zero or something.  Should look at the surprise rules for inspiration)

--zebediah.

I'd avoid a counter-roll and just make it "difficulty equal to his Wits".  Targeting a group of N, the difficulty is Wits+N, compared individually? "margin of success" is a GURPS term; one initiative point per success... hm.  Not sure if that's too big or too small or what.  I think the defender can spend a WP to add a virtue to his Wits, quite reasonably.  --bts

Remind me again when you're going to have to roll resistance+(anything other than stamina)?  The system's pretty good about not having you roll contests of skill when you're not actively doing something, and resistance/endurance almost never actively do something, by definition.  (I can think of armor rolls and rolls to resist disease off the top of my head, but not anything else) --a flippant zebediah

Oh, this is important and should not be forgotten:  You only take the largest penalty for distraction, +1 for every additional successful distration.  Otherwise, two people can rag someone into total inaction, and still beat the one into a pulp. --zebediah.