It's happened a couple times so far, and I bet it'll happen again, so I think this is worth looking at.
I think the Unarmed Combat rules, as stands, suck. They're annoying and don't jibe with the way combat works in the rest of the game- why do unarmed strikes deal damage based on your to-hit number instead of rolling a damage die, unlike every other weapon, and why the hell can you knock someone out with a fist in one blow (however slim the chances might be), but not a mace?
Wrestling is much the same- you have to check a table, then determine if you've got them in a hold, and then you check the special wrestling-only armour modifier chart. All in all, it's too much math, for something I feel that can be handled more simply, and will save me the trouble of having to resend Dune the DMG.
Instead of using all that garbage, I think we should just make it like attacking with any other weapon. SO.
1) All characters are proficient in using their *hands* and *feet*, and you can take expertise or specialize in them like any other weapon. If you haven't done so, however, attacking an opponent armed with a medium or larger weapon incurs a +3 penalty to both your THAC0 and your AC. (This simulates that while you might be able to hit someone with a dagger and keep an 'even' fight in a fantasy world, it ain't gonna work that well if they have a 3-foot-long sword or whatever.)
2) Hands and feet detailed below. Strength bonuses apply. I guess this is nonlethal damage or whatever. If you really want to crack peoples necks, maybe you could take a proficiency that specifically enables you to do so?
Hand: 1d2 damage, Speed factor 0.
Mailed FIST: 1d3 damage, Speed factor 0.
Foot: 1d3 damage, speed factor 2.
BOOT: 1d2+1 damage, speed factor 2.
3) Grappling: I actually think this should be handled on a case-by-case basis, depending on the kind of grapple, and that we can make this up as we go along.
I think that's what we were doing, anyway, but hey.
Thoughts, anyone? I'm just wanting to streamline things a bit more. >_>
Makes sense and agreed there.
Dracos