Arm Lock

An arm lock is an attempt to restrain or cripple an opponent by twisting his arm. It uses Judo or Wrestling skill. To perform an arm lock, you must have two hands free and make a successful barehanded parry with Judo or Wrestling against your opponent’s melee attack.

On your first turn following the parry, you may attempt to capture your attacker’s arm if he is still within one yard. This is an attack: step into close combat and roll against Judo or Wrestling to hit. Your foe may use any active defense – he can parry your hand with a weapon! If his defense fails, you trap his arm in a lock.

Your foe may attempt to break free (see Actions After Being Grappled, p. 371) on his next turn, but you are at +4 in the Quick Contest. If he loses, he has a cumulative -1 on future attempts to break free.

On your next turn – and on each turn thereafter, until your foe breaks free – you may try to damage the trapped arm. Roll a Quick Contest: the highest of your Judo, Wrestling, or ST vs. the higher of your victim’s ST or HT.

If you win, you inflict crushing damage equal to your margin of victory. The target’s natural DR (unless it has the Tough Skin limitation) and the DR of his rigid armor protect normally. Flexible armor has no effect!

If you cripple your victim’s arm, he drops anything in that hand. You can inflict no further damage on a crippled limb, but you can continue to roll the Contest each turn. If you win, your target suffers shock and stunning just as if you had inflicted damage.

The rolls to inflict damage are completely passive and do not count as attacks! You can simultaneously make close combat attacks on your opponent, who defends at -4 in addition to any other penalties due to the damage caused by the lock itself.

You can also use this ability offensively. Instead of waiting to parry an attack, grapple your foe normally with Judo or Wrestling skill. If he fails to break free on his next turn, you may attempt an arm lock on your next turn, just as if you had parried his attack.