The referee should wipe the boxer's gloves, get the boxer's attention. Look into their eyes. Are they looking right back at you? -- Assoc. of Boxing Commissions & Combative Sports Referee Manual[1]
Stun is a state that where one must Do Nothing until they pass some form of attribute check. Typically, physical stuns require a Health (HT) check (roll at or under your HT), while mental stuns require a Intelligence (IQ) check, once per turn (that is, once per second).
Types of Stun[]
"Or, as I call them, "Oof, Huh, and Eek" -- Cherrio
- A physical stun can result from major wounds (including crippling injuries) or Afflictions that fail a HT check. It forces Do Nothing maneuvers and ends when a HT check is passed.
- Failing a HT check by 5 or more (or any critical failure) causes Unconsciousness![2]
- A mental Stun is a variation which happens when surprised, and requires IQ checks to break out of instead, but is otherwise similar.
- A fright stun is similar to a mental stun, but requires a Will roll to break out of it.[3] See Fright Checks for more details.
What To Do When Stunned[]
- Remember to roll your check to escape (HT, IQ, Will, see above)
- You can still make active defenses (such as dodges, parries and blocks), but at -4[4]
- You can still maintain a grapple (in a Quick Contest of ST) while stunned, although you're at -4. Likewise, if you're attempting to Break Free of a grapple, your opponent would be at -4 if they're stunned[5] (for instance, an ally bonks your opponent on the head with a lamp).
- There doesn't appear to be any language preventing someone from completing their turn if they were injured mid-turn, such as Hurting Yourself or punching a Spines opponent and having an Extra Attack
- There doesn't appear to be any language preventing someone with Compartmentalized Mind from having a Concentrate atop their mandatory Do Nothing
what is allowed[]
MA88 notes under Nose Slap:
- If hit, the target is stunned and must roll vs. HT.
- Failure means he drops anything he’s holding in either hand and clutches his nose.
Powers 112 under Requires (Attribute) Roll and PU8 under Active Defense limitation
- You roll at -4 if stunned, and can’t roll at all in situations where you wouldn’t get an active defense
Powers 115:
- If he’s mentally or physically stunned – or stops concentrating – his ability deactivates automatically.
PU8 under Active Defense, Independent:
- This also eliminates the -4 for being stunned
what is disallowed[]
MA62 notes under Lizard Climb notes:
- any combat result that causes a fall .. knocks you off the wall.
- You can try to stop yourself if you’re not stunned
PU8 limitations pg 13 notes for Granted by (Other):
- Your ability also goes away if the granter is ever stunned
Animal IQ[]
B393 notes that animals or other groups with IQ 5 or less are exempt from the automative -2 to initiative that applies to totally leaderless sides.
The mental stun resulting from Total Surprise takes a long time for low-IQ creatures to break out of if they lack the +6 bonus from Combat Reflexes, leading some to posit ideas like floating this toll to Will or Perception to make it easier for these creatures to break free from.
Advantages[]
- Combat Reflexes help prevent mental stun from ambushes
- High Pain Threshold prevents physical stun from damage
Disadvantages[]
- Good Morning..? -- Mental stuns caused by waking up
- Light Sleepers wake up easily, but are likely to be mentally stunned at first
- Sleepwalkers might be mentally stunned if woken up (by a character or an obstacle)
- Combat Paralysis can cause mental stunning during combat (although oddly enough, it uses HT to recover). See page for details.
- Confused is not stunning--you just have trouble making a decision. You still defend normally and can even counterattack if need be.
- Low Pain Threshold is pretty punishing