Melee Ability

Melee governs the skill and experience to use close-combat weapons in a fight, whether it’s a broken beer bottle, a knife or an ancient bronze sword. In a world of firearms, Melee is an Ability that can be difficult to come by. Some people learn the techniques as part of a martial art, while others pick up a little bit here and there in street fights and bar brawls. When it comes right down to it, handling a baseball bat isn’t all that different from swinging a broadsword or an axe.

Characters use Melee when they want to hit someone with a hand-to-hand weapon, such as an iron bar, a two-by-four or a blade.

Trait Effects: A character with Melee 1 knows how to fight with a weapon in his hands. He’s skilled enough to be more dangerous to his opponents than to himself. A character with Melee 3 is deadly with a knife or an axe handle; he can hold his own against multiple opponents if need be. A character with Melee 5 would have been considered a master swordsman or knife fighter in another age. The most mundane items – pool cues, table legs, tow chains, etc. – become deadly weapons in his capable hands.