Forum > Rolemaster
Hand-on-mouth attack: what skill would you use?
Jengada:
The grab-from-behind, hand over mouth attack is pretty standard/common in movies, books, etc. Add a rag with chloroform and it's more effective. What skill would you use for this, in RM? I can see a case for subdual or grappling. Others?
EltonJ:
It's based off of what your GM would rule.
Grappling might work because your grabbing your target from behind. But subdual can also work because your looking to cause your target to lose consciousness. Ambush might also work, too.
Jengada:
I'm the GM, so I thought I'd ask before it hits during play. I think the prerequisites are similar to subdual or ambush, the target can't know you're there (or suspect there's an attack coming) and it's harder if the target is in melee.
One attraction of using subdual is that it's a yes-no answer. You succeeded, or you didn't. The downside is the idea that you'd need to train in "subdual: empty-handed" and it may prove to be a very rare skill to use.
With grapple, what result do you consider successful enough to say "you have your hand over their mouth"? Any crit? Any crit that gives a penalty? Any crit that stuns? Grapple seems a plausible skill but it brings more questions. It does, however, mean the character has a skill with benefits beyond just the hand-on-mouth option.
--- Quote from: EltonJ on August 13, 2022, 05:13:48 PM ---It's based off of what your GM would rule.
Grappling might work because your grabbing your target from behind. But subdual can also work because your looking to cause your target to lose consciousness. Ambush might also work, too.
--- End quote ---
Cory Magel:
I'd likely be inclined to simply use the moving maneuver table and apply a surprise bonus if appropriate (assuming the character doesn't already have a Grappling, Brawling, or Marital Arts skill leveled up).
rdanhenry:
You're either using some form of unarmed combat to subdue them (use appropriate unarmed combat skill), killing them with a knife (use appropriate armed combat skill), or else applying chloroform, which would use whatever poison use skill is in the version of RM you are using. As for the hand over the mouth, that's just to keep them from crying out (unless chloroforming them, where it also does chemical delivery), which is covered by Silent Attack skill (folded into Ambush in RMU). You will, of course, need to sneak up undetected first.
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