GURPS Melee Combat Skills Comparison

# GURPS Melee Combat Skills Comparison

Striking Skills        | Brawling | Boxing  | Karate
-----------------------|----------|---------|-------
Difficulty             | Easy     | Average | Hard
Damage +1/die at       | DX+2     | DX+1    | DX+0
Damage +2/die at       | N/A      | DX+2    | DX+1
Parry vs swung weapons | -3       | -3      | 0
Parry vs kicks         | +0       | -2      | +0
Parry with retreat     | +1       | +3      | +3
Encumbrance Penalty    | No       | No      | Yes
Attacks available:     |
Punch                  | Yes      | Yes     | Yes
Kick                   | Yes      | No      | Yes
Natural Weapons        | Yes      | No      | No

Notes:
* Damage bonus requires same point investment for all skills: 4 points for +1/die and 8 points for +2/die.
* Brawling also covers the use of blackjack and sap, slams, and smashing foes into walls (MA55).
* Parry penalty against kicks for Boxing can be mitigated with Low-Line Defense technique (MA77).
* Encumbrance penalty for Karate can be mitigated with Armor Familiarity perk (MA49).
* Karate can be used with Natural Weapons in some cases, see Karate skill (MA57) and Biting Mastery perk (MA49).


Grappling Skills        | Wrestling | Sumo Wrestling | Judo
------------------------|-----------|----------------|-----
Difficulty              | Average   | Average        | Hard
Number of parries       | 1         | 1              | 2
Parry vs kicks          | +0        | -2             | +0
Parry vs swung weapons  | -3        | -3             | +0
Parry with retreat      | +1        | +1             | +3
Encumbrance Penalty     | No        | No             | Yes
Bonus to ST             | Yes       | Yes            | No
Slam/Shove damage bonus | No        | Yes            | No

Notes:
* Judo allows you to throw opponent on the turn after successful parry, which is faster to perform than throwing from locks (MA118) and allows you to choose where your opponent falls.
* ST bonus is +1 at DX+1, and +2 at DX+2 or higher. Damage bonus is +1 and +2 per die.
* ST bonus for Sumo Wrestling only applies when you make or resist a grapple or takedown, and when you attempt to break free.
* ST bonus for Wrestling also applies to chokes, neck snap and pin.
* Sumo Wrestling and Wrestling also provide damage bonus to certain techniques.
* Sumo Wrestling skill can be used instead of DX for Shove or Slam.
* Parry penalty vs kicks for Sumo Wrestling can be mitigated with Low-Line Defense technique (MA77).
* Encumbrance penalty for Judo can be mitigated with Armor Familiarity perk (MA49).