Martial Art: Batter [GURPS 4e]

Batter is, by the way, different from Batter-Up.  The former is snickering at how easy it is for the present to get the past wrong; the latter practically worships at the altar of Fallout 4. Although Moe Cronin might find Batter entertaining enough, if remarkably free of blood.

Batter [15pt]

This is the modern reconstruction of the ancient martial art first practiced by wandering players during the Early Middle Period of the First American Republic.  These men (fragments from the sagas suggest that women players were exceedingly rare)  were inveterate wanderers who thought nothing of spending up to half the year going from town to town as part of their ritual practices. Sober legend has them as being ascetic, dedicated athletes with a strong ethical and civic code; what popular tales survive from this time period suggest that players had a decidedly earthier style when not on the Field of Play.  

All the legends agree that the player’s weapon was his wooden bat (treat as a Bokken, GURPS Martial Arts. pages 227 & 230). which was used both one- and two-handed.  A bat was an intensely personal weapon; tradition would have it that only wood taken from a tree struck by lightning would serve, but that is probably at least a mild exaggeration.  In the hands of a skilled player, the bat could be used to great effect against both armed and unarmed foes.  The player also learned how to throw and catch specialized balls at high speeds; modern practitioners of Batter have been clocked at throwing these balls at over a hundred milers per hour!

According to legend, a cinematic adept at Batter would be one who had been personally trained by one of the near-mythic League Legends, and thus has learned to focus and speed the power of his bat to the point where he can slow time itself (a favorite image from surviving sagas from the time period).

Skills: Brawling, Broadsword, Parry Missile Weapons, Two-handed Sword, Throwing. Players will also have high physical stats and at least Fit.

Maneuvers: Back Strike (Broadsword), Close Combat (Broadsword), Counterattack (Broadsword), Disarming (Two-Handed Sword), Feint (Broadsword), Low Fighting (Two-Handed Sword), Retain Weapon (Broadsword), Reverse Grip (Two-Handed Sword), Sweep (Two-Handed Sword).  Many practitioners of Batter will learn these maneuvers for both Broadsword and Two-Handed Sword.

Cinematic Maneuvers: Hand Catch (Parry Missile Weapons), Whirlwind Attack (2-Handed Sword).

Cinematic Skills: Precognitive Parry, Pressure Points, Sensitivity.

The material presented here is my original creation, intended for use with the GURPS system from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games.

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