Brawl (Brawn)

BRAWL (BRAWN)

During some physical confrontations, a character seeks to incapacitate his foe without seriously injuring him. At other times, a melee erupts with little preparation, and a character may not have any weapon at hand. Some individuals are thoroughly trained in unarmed combat, or have natural weapons that they prefer to use during physical altercations. In any of these situations, Brawl is the skill used to determine success or failure in the combat.

Most characters who grew up in a hostile environment have some knack for Brawl. All wildlife, particularly creatures with natural weapons, use Brawl when forced into a confrontation. Anyone who participates in military or law enforcement training learns some basic martial arts, which fall under the Brawl skill. Even more advanced or esoteric martial arts fall under the auspices of this skill as well. However, improvised weapons—such as a bottle or a table leg—are used with the Melee skill.

In some conflicts, characters may be bound by legal or social restrictions to fight only without weapons. Drawing a weapon here could quickly escalate matters to a lethal fight and might have other repercussions, forcing the characters to depend upon their Brawl skill.

Brawl is used in unarmed combats. The difficulty of Brawl checks is Average, the difficulty of all melee attacks. If the opponent is incapable of resisting, the check might be easier at the GM’s discretion.