Fast-Draw

This skill requires specialization

"You must wait until your foe is upon you. Then, before the enemy can see through your ruse, you must quickly draw your blade..." -- Hero's Spirit, regarding the Mortal Draw technique

Fast-Draw (B194, no default, DX/Easy) is a skill lets characters quickly draw:

1. a weapon from a holster, sheath, or hiding place.
2. ammo (magazine, bullet, bolt, arrow, etc.) from a pouch/quiver/etc

Quick-Draw is a similar term people might know from other systems and use by mistake for this skill.

It always requires specialization and different forms do not default to each other.

Success changes a Ready maneuver to a free action (which must be done at the start of one's turn, normally) allowing something to be done with the weapon.

As a Technique

Unlike ideas like Quick Aim where it would just default to a combat skill as a penalty there does not appear to be rules to allow people to do this at default, it always requires 1 point to attempt.

Parrying with a fast-drawn weapon

Free actions being done on one's own turn creates a problem when attacked because it is the opponent's turn.

Power Dodge is probably the closest thing emulating the ability to make a roll to activate a "free action" ability in response to another person's action, and possibly complete the effect of your responsive free action prior the effect of their initiating free action taking effect.

A failed power dodge would mean your ability didn't begin soon enough, but you would still roll (at DX penalty from Shock (rule)) to see if they still manage to draw the weapon as a free action AFTER getting hit.

Two defenses would be necessary (All-Out Defense: Double) to do a Power Dodge then a Parry in response to a single attack

• since these probably use the same limb, applying a -2 DX penalty (Two things at once) to both rolls could also be reasonable, normally you can't use AOD:double to parry twice with the same weapon, in this case it's not two parries but is two actions with the same limb
  • if you fast-draw some other way, such as using Telekinesis, then that penalty could probably be avoided: you're acting twice upon the same weapon but using different "limbs" to do it

Examples

Arrows

See Fast-Draw (Arrow) for a form of Fast-Draw (Ammo) that is not TL-based.

Bows

Bows are absent (just like Axe/Mace and Polearm and Spear) on the list of usual things allowed:

• Force Sword
• Knife
• Long Arm (rifle, shotgun, submachine gun, etc.)
• Pistol
• Sword (any one-handed blade larger than a knife)
• Two-Handed Sword

The "may add Fast-Draw skills for other weapons (or even tools) that one could reasonably draw quickly" clause does allow GM flexibility for expanding it to other types. Perhaps not as an Easy skill though, but instead Average or Hard or Very Hard.

Shields

There is a thread exploring a buckler and it's potential use at http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=167122 where Fredo points out:

This is from the book 'Daily Life in Chaucer's England'

'Small round shields called bucklers had a single handle in the center behind a protruding iron boss or spike. One surviving example has a hook in front allowing it to be hung from a belt with the grip outwards, ready for a 'quick-draw'.

Comparisons

This is similar to the technique Acrobatic Stand which ha a similar effect of changing a Change Posture to a free action. Or to the Reverse Grip technique which allows changing to a reverse grip as a free action when rolled rightly.

The perks Quick Swap and Grip Mastery also involve the ability to avoid the need for a Ready, in these cases without needing a roll.

Martial Arts

MA 45 + 56

TG32

Gun-Fu 26 allows you to do it to enemy weapons

Expanded Rules

from GURPS Martial Arts

• Quick-Sheathe (p51)
• Multiple Fast-Draw (p. 103)
• Fast-Draw from Odd Positions (103-104)

Replaced Classic Skills

• Speed-Load: Fast-Draw (Ammo).

Quotes

Kromm

June 2013 http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=110734

Fast-Draw failures end your current action and make your next maneuver a Ready. If you Fast-Draw at the start of your turn, then failure means you must use that turn for Ready. If you Fast-Draw later in your turn, after selecting a maneuver, failure ends your turn then and there, and forces you to take a Ready next turn.

October 2013 http://forums.sjgames.com/showpost.php?p=1656220&postcount=17

Officially, Fast-Draw (Axe/Mace) isn't legit, but of course the GM might permit it anyway.

2009 http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?p=820779

I've seen demos where men pulled four light throwing axes from an ordinary belt and chucked them in about four seconds. You'd need eight seconds if you had to Ready and then Attack, so I'd say that's Fast-Draw. I wouldn't allow it for anything but hatchets and smallish hurlbats – certainly not for full-sized throwing axes, maces, etc. – but I'd be fine with it for hatchets.

PK

2010 http://forums.sjgames.com/showpost.php?p=922950&postcount=23

Okay, a Medium Shield takes 2 seconds to Ready from your back (p. B383). You cannot shoot a Bow with it strapped to your wrist, so you have to keep it there. So first, you need to convince your GM to let you buy the perk Skill Adaptation (Fast-Draw can be used with Shield), then buy Fast-Draw (Shield) skill. That will take it down to a single Ready maneuver. So it works like this, assuming that you took Bruno's advice as well:

This would let you pull off a switch in one turn, during which you'd do nothing but switch setups. That's more than fair, though it requires two perks and high levels of Fast-Draw skill. Here's the single-turn action breakdown:

• A. Roll Fast-Draw (Bow) to quick-sheathe your bow using Bruno's rig.
• B. Roll Fast-Draw (Shield)-2 to get your shield into your hands.
• C. Take a Ready maneuver to get your shield strapped to your wrist.
• D. Roll Fast-Draw (Sword)-4 to pull your sword out.

The cumulative -2 penalties are for multiple fast-draws on a single turn (since both of the first two use both hands, all hands are affected). You could move D up before B if you wanted; all this does is switch the penalties for shield and sword. (EDIT: Actually, I don't think you can -- readying a shield is a two-handed action, so you'll need to leave the steps in this order to have your hands free at the right times.)

There. It's totally unrealistic, but just justifiable enough in the DF world. :)

Examples

• Weapons
  • Fast-Draw (Pistol) for classic Western duels, or for most firefights!
  • Fast-Draw (Sword) for Samurai showdowns and swashbuckling battles
    • For proper Iaijutsu, remember to also have Quick-Sheathe (Sword)
  • Fast-Draw (Knife) can be particularly useful in close combat, and (Force Sword) for specifically force swords.
    • There's even Fast-Draw (Balisong) specifically for spinning butterfly knives from their sheath-handles.
• Ammunition
  • Fast-Draw (Arrow) for most archers, such as Scouts, (Stone) for slings, and (Magazine) for firearms. There's also (Shuriken) for throwing stars and such!

See Also

• Draw Parry
• Dual Ready
• Fast-Draw Opponent’s Weapon
• Fast-Ready
• Quick-Draw from Magic 63
• Ready
• Deceptive Attack -- useful for striking after a rapid draw

References

• GURPS Update 20

• Basic Set p. 194