Aggressive Parry

Hard

Default: prerequisite skill Parry-1.
Prerequisite: Boxing, Brawling, or Karate; cannot
exceed prerequisite Parry.
Only a few “hard” styles teach this tactic. Instead of
merely deflecting a blow, you attempt to injure your attack-
er with an especially forceful parry. This is incompatible
with Cross Parry (p. 121).
Roll against Aggressive Parry to defend, at the usual -2
for Boxing vs. a kick, or -3 for Boxing or Brawling vs. a
swung weapon. You cannot retreat. Failure means you’re
hit; your attacker may choose to hit his original target,
your parrying arm, or your parrying hand. Success means
you parry and may roll against the underlying skill to
strike the attacking body part or weapon, modified as
follows.
Modifiers: Against unarmed, -2 to hit an arm or leg, -4
to hit a hand or foot; -2 for Boxing vs. a leg or foot; -1 if
your foe knows Rapid Retraction (p. 51). Against armed, a
basic -3; another -3 to -5 for weapon size (see p. B400); a
further -3 for Boxing or Brawling vs. a swung weapon.
Success on this skill roll inflicts thrust-4 crushing dam-
age or thrust-2 at -1 per die, whichever is worse, on the tar-
geted weapon or body part. Skill bonuses apply normally.
Failure means you didn’t parry forcefully enough to inflict
damage.
Weapon parries against unarmed attacks are essential-
ly aggressive “for free”; see Parrying Unarmed Attacks
(p. B376).