Unarmed and Improvised Weapon attacks

[dimonic]

Apparently I didn't make myself clear enough first time around. I assumed that since it was in the rules, and the rules are supposed to be reflected in the FG ruleset. that I was just not understanding how to do it, not that it wasn't there.

Yes, for clarity, this is what I want. A way to push a button for Unarmed Attack, just like I push a button for any other weapon attack. Also for Improvised Weapon, a way to automatically apply the special modifiers that go with it.

One could add an item of equipment called "Unarmed attack", or "Fist", and set it up. Then any character could drag this item to their "inventory" and use it in an action as a push button.

[Topdecker]

One could add an item of equipment called "Unarmed attack", or "Fist", and set it up. Then any character could drag this item to their "inventory" and use it in an action as a push button.

This is what I have done in the past, but guess what, it gets really tiresome to do this year after year for character after character. All characters can conduct unarmed attacks - always. It seems like an inherent universal feature that could be coded once so thousands of customers don't have to do this dozens and dozens of times. It should just be part of the character sheet.

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[rodney418]

One could add an item of equipment called "Unarmed attack", or "Fist", and set it up. Then any character could drag this item to their "inventory" and use it in an action as a push button.

Yes, one could, and this one has, in multiple campaigns. But it should be there by default.

[dimonic]

I haven't seen it on any paper character sheet - and that to me would be a sure indicator that most games use it. That said, I think you could also get involved in the character sheet design part of FGU as well.

[kronovan]

TBH I wouldn't want unarmed strike on the Character Sheet by default. Savage Worlds is a multi-genre, toolkit RPG and there are some genres and settings where Players making an unarmed strike with their PC is an uncommon action at best. For some settings it would just end up as a weapons entry on the Combat tab that hardly ever got used, or worse; used in error. I'd rather it be added via an extension or other means, for specific setting DLCs where it's more applicable.

[Topdecker]

What's one more action on the action tab? It isn't like paper where you run out of room.

[kronovan]

Actions tab - what actions tab, there's no such thing? It's not the extra space it would occupy on the Combat tab, but if was there by default it'd be a weapon I'd delete off players character sheets to avoid them attacking with it in error. For almost all of my homebrews, players would only rarely ever use such an attack as at last resort. I can see where it might be more common in High Fantasy like D&D settings, but I don't run such settings with SWADE. So no, I wouldn't want an Unarmed strike on my character sheets as a default weapon entry. I'd much prefer the SWADE core ruleset to continue as it was with SWD and have such default weapons added by a setting DLC where and when it's appropriate.

[mac40k]

Don’t forget that if you are making an unarmed attack, you should also be using the Unarmed Defender modifier as well since the default rules assumes you are normally attacking with a weapon and Parry is calculated accordingly. The unarmed attack/unarmed defender situation is the exception, not the default.

[kronovan]

Don’t forget that if you are making an unarmed attack, you should also be using the Unarmed Defender modifier as well since the default rules assumes you are normally attacking with a weapon and Parry is calculated accordingly...

That's a good point and another reason I'm not keen on having Unarmed Strike on character sheets by default. IMO if it's there by default it'll probably be used more casually and more often than it makes sense to, with important play mechanics like Unarmed Defender more likely to be missed. With it being so uncommon in some genres, IMO it's better to handle it as a special case with manual rolls, so that such details are less likely to be overlooked.

A GM can export an XML character sheet template that contais Unarmed Strike as a default weapon iin seconds, which players or the GM can thereafter import with a few button clicks at the start of characcter creation. So TBH I don't really see the need to make it a default weapon entry on character sheets.

[Edit] As well, couldn't the new SWADE Archetype feature be a better tool for this? Perhaps for any Melee archetypse, Unarmed Strike could be a default entry for weapons. I haven't created any archetypse with default weapons, so I'm not a 100% about whether it supports it.

[Jiminimonka]

That's a good point and another reason I'm not keen on having Unarmed Strike on character sheets by default. IMO if it's there by default it'll probably be used more casually and more often than it makes sense to, with important play mechanics like Unarmed Defender more likely to be missed. With it being so uncommon in some genres, IMO it's better to handle it as a special case with manual rolls, so that such details are less likely to be overlooked.

A GM can export an XML character sheet template that contais Unarmed Strike as a default weapon iin seconds, which players or the GM can thereafter import with a few button clicks at the start of characcter creation. So TBH I don't really see the need to make it a default weapon entry on character sheets.

[Edit] As well, couldn't the new SWADE Archetype feature be a better tool for this? Perhaps for any Melee archetypse, Unarmed Strike could be a default entry for weapons. I haven't created any archetypse with default weapons, so I'm not a 100% about whether it supports it.

I just have a Unarmed Strike on one character and drag it onto new PCs when they are created.

But ooooh - what is SWADE Archetype feature of which you speak?