So, I actually used Iskakku for the first time at the last game, and I realized that White Wolf did a less than stellar job at converting Iskakku maneuvers to MET. Here are the maneuvers copied from page 83 of the Revised CoG Tribe Book.
Iskakku Maneuvers:
One Trait - Attack and Block: Substitute Iskakku for Melee when using a staff in combat
Two Traits - Mahasu Qatu (Hand Smite): With a successful Physical Challenge (retest Iskakku), you may dislocate your attacker’s wrist (equivalent of one level of bashing damage). Until the damage is healed, that hand may not be used in combat.
Two Traits – Tammabukku Istu Kur (Dragon Emerges from Mountain): With a successful Physical Challenge (retest Iskakku), once per combat, you may thrust your staff at your opponent’s face. The attack inflicts two levels of bashing damage.
Two Traits – Tabalu Kur (Take Away the Land): By sweeping your staff, you can knock your opponent to the ground. Engage your opponent in a Static Physical Challenge against seven Traits (in the event of ties, compare you Iskakku score to his Athletics). With success, your opponent must fall to the ground. Getting back on his feat follows normal combat rules.
Four Traits – Sepu Istu An (Foot from Heaven): This maneuver requires two actions to perform. You use your staff to vault yourself through the air, delivering a powerful kick to your target. You must first have running room, then make a Physical Challenge (retest Athletics) to make the vault. On landing, a second Physical Challenge (retest Brawl) is necessary to inflict the damage (which may be bashing or lethal depending on your form and Storyteller discretion).
Five Traits – Adannu Lukur Daku (Appointed Time of the Enemy’s Demise): This maneuver requires two actions. With your enemy’s first attack, make a challenge to parry the blow. With success, you may make a Physical Challenge (retest Iskakku) to attack. Success on your attack challenge allows you to strike the opponent on the back of the head with your staff, knocking them unconscious for the next three rounds.
Now, let me get up on my soap box for a bit. Ahem. While a nifty combat style, the way I see it, there really are only three Iskakku maneuvers worth taking: Hand Smite, Take Away the Land and the legendary Appointed Time of the Enemy’s Demise. The other maneuvers seem to not make much sense to me and are most likely just very bad conversions.
Here is the first problem I see. The technique 'Dragon Emerges from Mountain' is useless and here is why: the description says it allows the Garou to deal two levels of bashing damage. A staff's base damage is two bashing and this technique is only usable once per combat. What's up with that?
Problem numero dos: Foot from Heaven. While it looks damn cool, the description of the maneuver basically tells you nothing. You go through all of these chops just to kick someone? And it can be bashing or lethal depending on what the ST says? Correct me if I'm wrong, but kicking someone does one level of lethal damage anyway, given that you are at least Cliath, right? So...you do all this just to kick someone in a dramatic fashion? And you've bought Iskakku x4 just to pull that off? The description doesn't even mention how much damage the attack does. It just says 'powerful kick', so I'm guessing that's more than a regular kick? Also, why would there be the option to have it deal lethal if the whole premise of Iskakku is to be a form of nonlethal combat?
I humbly ask the STs to look over these poorly converted maneuvers when they get a chance and possibly develop some house rules concerning the issues I brought up, in order to make these maneuvers make sense and not be useless. Thank you.
And remember kids, "Be excellent to each other."
*fades off into the distance strumming an air guitar in an unnecessary circular motion*
House Rules & Rules Discussions
Topic: Most Nontriumphant Issues with Iskakku (Read 7910 times)