has anyone spliced the Black crusade concept of Parry being a skill into Dark Heresy? If so how did it work out?

I'm thinking of introducing it as a skill to be learned and, as an additonal house rule, to allow it to be used to parry ranged attacks in melee, if semi-auto or full auto is used by the attacker the Parry skill would work just as Dodge does, i.e. each DoS equals a bullet 'parried'. I picture it as the gun being knocked aside and the bullets going wide.

How does this sound and disreagrding the 'parry ranged attacks in melee' bit would it be unbalanced when many weapons have the Balanced trait giving a +20 bonus to Parry. Perhaps reduce that bonus to a +5..

any thoughts folk?

funkwit81 said:

I mean +10 of course.

An easy way to do it is as an either/or choice; anywhere in the Rank Advances where a PC is allowed to purchase Dodge, simply give them the option to take Parry instead. Parry would begin as an Basic Skill for all PCs (succeeding at half their WS or less) then, in the case of Moritat Assassins and other PCs specializing in Melee, it could be purchased instead of Dodge, with each increase in Dodge simply being applied to Parry. Of course, you could allow PCs to purchase both, simply making them pay the required XP for Dodge AND for Parry, though that just means they're spending XP on combat oriented Skills, that they're more militantly inclined, and have little use as an investigator. Search what? Scrutinize who?

I'd not be inclined to allow Parrying ranged attacks, apart from the Deflect Shot Talent (which is limited as it is). Weapon Qualities would need no changing, so a Balanced weapon would still provide a +10 to Parry, Defensive +15. Making Parry an option in this way brings weapons with the Fast Quality to the fore. Another thing to mitigate high Parry Skill is Size modifiers (in Deathwatch?); a Human (Average Size) attempting to Parry a Space Marine (Hulking Size) Chainsword would be at -20 Parry, a monstrous Cyclops-like creature (Enormous Size) with a massive tree-club would be at -30 Parry, and so on. This size penalty modifier makes Deathwatch Marines cringe…Player: "I Parry the Tervigon's Scything Talon!" GM: "Okay…you're at -30, though, due to the immensity of it's bulk and brute force." Player: "Holy God-Emperor, I'm going to die!"

Well, you can Introduce this Skill for the classes and levels you want though I think it wont be that important.

Those Classes that stay in Melee should have atleast a very high Agility to get a high bonus for Movement and to pass their agility tests when they climb etc. so for an Assassin the Diodge would be the more viable option.

For Guardsman, especialy Officers that are tought in fencing it would make more sense though it can be realy strong, for tech-priests is is also realy usefull because of the crappy dodge to improve their Parry in Melee and to give an option to get rid of those nasty pistols.

If your players like this, then give it to them. I would balance this the same way as Dodge is. Everytime they can buy dodge or its improvement they can buy parry for the same cost. For some it does no make sense, best one would be an assassin, he realy needs only one "save" skill and because dodge works against everything, not just melee, this is by fare the more viable option.

And to parry Pistols in Melee is quite okay, we consider them as close combat attack when they are used in melee and alow to parry them. It works quite well.

But dont forgett: Every houserule is not only a buff for your player characters, but for the NPCs too!

I would suggest, just give them Parry 1:1 to Dodge.

So when they have Dodge, give them Parry, if they have the +10 or +20. you know what I mean, just like you do it for your PCs. This way some NPCs get stronger and others dont change. Just as your PCs improve.

I already allow only pistol attacks when in close combat and they can be parried. As you describe knocking the pistol away so the bullets go wide just seems to make sense to me.