Alright, so trying to do chargen, and a friend has a character concept I’m trying to model. Part of their conceit is they want to be a bare-handed fighter-utterly brutal without the need of a weapon.
Normally it’d be easy to handwave that, but saying they’d be merely ‘risky’ when going against a master swordsman unarmed feels off. Would we want to make a custom ‘special ability’ with that or assume that when their Cutter picks up the deadly special ability that it just counts them as always armed?
Or would a better way is just to say they need to use the Rage Elixers to go against especially dangerous foes?
Well an excellent unarmed combatant might not be disadvantaged against just anybody with a weapon, but against a master swordsman, being risky or even desperate still makes sense, as would facing a master martial artist. Likewise, your brawler is still going to be in at least risky situations against guns. 🙂
You can pretty easily consider a brutally effective unarmed technique as “an unusual weapon” or even the cutter’s “Fine hand weapon.”
At first it may seem that one’s bare hands shouldn’t take up an encumbrance slot, but then again the fighter may have to maintain some freedom of movement in order to effectively use the technique. It makes sense in the fiction that you wouldn’t be as adept and maneuverable as needed to oppose blades with bare hands if you’re also lugging around wrecker tools and other bulky kits or gear. In that sense, I think ‘filling’ one encumbrance makes sense, even if you’re just filling it with something like “keeping your hands free”
Are they good with being a vicious, underhanded murder-thug, blasting into that master swordsman from the side and forcing him to go to ground where the brawler would have the advantage? Are they good with wearing big cestuses on each hand, or roping their hands up with heavy ropes, to pound someone into burger? Or are they a master martial artist, unstoppable even when they’re fighting an armed man on equal territory?
I’d figure out what they want, then go with it. I don’t think it needs any specific, new mechanical information. I’d totally just make ‘Fists of Iron’ their Fine hand weapon, and figure out where their bare hands are best, and where they might be limited. A spear, you’re going to need to grapple around that. A sword, that’s long, but if you come in, grab their hands, and fight them for it, that’s Risky, whereas just trying to punch them while they’ve got the range and the blade might be Desperate.
Being Bloody Bradigan, the mean bastard with the man-breaking hands, is totally in-theme for Blades in the Dark. I’d absolutely not force them to take anything more for that than I’d require for Nick the Knife or Hammer Harriet.
I like your thinking. Any weapon has narrative pros and cons that will determine the variable riskiness of any given roll based on the context. Same goes for fists (or any of the fun brawler alternatives Bryan Chavez mentioned.)
Also, aren’t the items related to how obviously looking for trouble a character is? Not how encumbered with junk they are? If so, having them take being a bad ass with their fists would fit perfectly. It’s also worth noting that their fists would be an item on their list that they can never opt out of carrying with them.
As I understand it, item count determines both 1) how much of an obvious troublemaker you appear to be, and 2) how quick vs heavy-laden you are.
Okay, a lot of these ideas are awesome. Treating it as an item worth ‘keeping your hands’ free is a great way of justifying it. Helps them play the role and I don’t have to twist the mechanics overly much to make it fit. Appreciating all the feedback!
Yep, Deadly plus a “fine item” of bare hands is how I’d do it, too.
See also: Naomi Bishop of Lady Blackbird fame. Her hands are fine wrecker tools as well as weapons.