Hook

Hard

Default: prerequisite skill-5.
Prerequisite: Any appropriate Melee Weapon skill; cannot
exceed prerequisite skill.
This is the technique of using a weapon with a projection
– usually a hook – to snag a foe’s head, limb, weapon, or
shield in order to pull him off-balance. You can learn it for
any Melee Weapon skill, but you’ll need a suitable weapon to
use it.
Hook is a common technique for Axe/Mace, Polearm,
and Two-Handed Axe/Mace, but while picks and most axes
can hook, maces and knobbed clubs can’t – and only a few
polearms sport hooks. It’s possible to add hooks to weapons
that normally lack them, such as spears and staffs. Some
swordfighting schools even taught (gauntleted!) fighters to
grab their weapon by the blade and hook with the pommel
and crosspiece. Swords wielded this way use the Axe/Mace
or Two-Handed Axe/Mace skill, and are unbalanced. See
Chapter 6 for more on suitable weapons and the associated
skills.
Roll against Hook to hit, modified for the target as noted
below. Your adversary may defend normally. Hook doesn’t
usually inflict damage, but some weapons have an edged
hook (see below). While using a weapon to hook a foe, you
can’t use it to attack or parry. You can always release or drop
it as a free action on your turn, however.
If hooking the head or a limb, apply standard hit location
penalties. If you succeed, then on subsequent turns you may
attempt to pull your victim off-balance or even to the
ground. Roll a Quick Contest of ST. If you win, you drag
your opponent into a kneeling posture; if he’s kneeling or
crouching, he falls down. He can’t stand until he breaks free
or you release him. If you lose or tie, nothing happens. If
you critically fail, you drop your weapon! Your foe may try
to break free normally on his turn.
Hooking a weapon is an attempt to disarm; see p. B401.
Apply the usual penalty to hit the weapon but ignore the -2
for a non-fencing weapon. You get +2 in the ensuing Quick
Contest, in addition to the usual modifiers. If you lose the
Contest, your opponent retains his weapon and escapes
from your hook.
If hooking a shield, roll to hit at -4 plus its DB. If you suc-
ceed, you may attempt to pull it out of line. Treat this as an
attempt to disarm, but your opponent gets +4 in the Quick
Contest if his shield is strapped to his arm. You get +2 if
hooking with a two-handed weapon. If you win, the shield
becomes unready – it’s still on your foe’s arm but he can’t
block with it or benefit from its DB until he breaks free and
takes a Ready maneuver to reorient it.
Certain weapons designed for hooking are sharpened on
the inside of the hook. These include the Chinese hook
sword and the European bill. Such weapons inflict the dam-
age listed for their hook in addition to the above effects. If
using the optional Pain and Breaking Free rule (p. 119), such
weapons are very effective against lightly armored foes!