Prerequisites: Dexterity •••, Brawl ••, Defensive Combat: Brawl
Your character is better at stopping people from hurting them than they are at hurting other people. Maybe they practice a martial art that redirects an opponent’s blows, or are just very good at not being where their opponent wants them to be.
Like a Book (•): Your character can read his opponents, knowing where they’re likely to strike. When facing an un- armed opponent and not Dodging, increase your character’s Defense by half of his Brawl (round down).
Studied Style (••): Your character focuses on reading one opponent, avoiding his attacks and frustrating him. Attacks from that opponent do not reduce your character’s Defense. If your character’s Defense reduces his opponent’s attack pool to zero, his further attacks against you lose the 10-again quality.
Redirect (•••): When your character is being attacked by multiple opponents, he can direct their blows against one another. When he Dodges, if his Defense roll reduces an attack’s successes to zero, his attacker rolls the same attack against another attacker of your choice.
Drawback: Your character may only redirect one attack in a turn. He cannot redirect an attack against the same attacker. Joint Strike (••••): Your character waits until the last possible second, then lashes out at his opponent’s elbow or wrist as he attacks, hoping to cripple his limbs. Roll Strength + Brawl instead of Defense. If you score more successes than your attacker, you deal one point of bashing damage per extra success, and inflict either the Arm Wrack or Leg Wrack Tilt (your choice).
Drawback: Spend a point of Willpower to use this maneuver.
Like the Breeze (•••••): Your characters steps to one
side as his opponent attacks, and gives her enough of a push to send her flying past him. When dodging, if your Defense roll reduces an opponent’s attack successes to zero, you can inflict the Knocked Down Tilt.
Drawback: Declare that you’re using this maneuver at the start of the turn before taking any other attacks.