why is Automatic Parry a special ability of the Witch Hunter

[Axelmania]

World Book VII Yin Sloth Jungles Page 37 lists this as their third "special ability"

But on page 38 they start out with Hand to Hand Mercenary... wouldn't that give them auto-parry?

I remember... ah I think it was men at arms got an auto-parry, so I guess it is based in the OCCs and not the skills.

So basically if you had a man-at-arms OCC's hand to hand skill (like for example how a Black Priest can get HTH Thief or a Priest of Light can get HTH Mercenary or a Squire could get HTH Knight, and I think Nobles could get Soldier) it wouldn't actually give those non-MAA classes auto-parry.

So the Witch Hunter needed that to function like a Man at Arms (well, except for armor encumberence) because it's not a man-at-arms OCC?

[drewkitty ~..~]

The simple explanation would be that the text is saying that the Witch-hunter is a man-at-arms.

[XarXar]

I would love to know the answer as well. It is not simply trying to say the OCC is man-at-arms. All PCs trained in a hand to hand have automatic parry. What makes the undead hunter and Witch hunters version different enough that it is listed as a special ability for their OCC. The verbiage is different here then in the combat rules... it states the occ can parry ANY attack made against him/her. Does that mean these OCCs can parry melee as well as ranged attacks? That would be note worthy.

[Library Ogre]

I would love to know the answer as well. It is not simply trying to say the OCC is man-at-arms. All PCs trained in a hand to hand have automatic parry. What makes the undead hunter and Witch hunters version different enough that it is listed as a special ability for their OCC. The verbiage is different here then in the combat rules... it states the occ can parry ANY attack made against him/her. Does that mean these OCCs can parry melee as well as ranged attacks? That would be note worthy.

Not in 1st edition.

In 1st edition, Automatic Parry was the sole province of Men At Arms.

[XarXar]

Yeah, I keep forgetting that book 7 is first edition. I would pay an arm and a leg for a second edition version of that book.

[Reagren Wright]

I would love to know the answer as well. It is not simply trying to say the OCC is man-at-arms. All PCs trained in a hand to hand have automatic parry. What makes the undead hunter and Witch hunters version different enough that it is listed as a special ability for their OCC. The verbiage is different here then in the combat rules... it states the occ can parry ANY attack made against him/her. Does that mean these OCCs can parry melee as well as ranged attacks? That would be note worthy.

Not in 1st edition.

In 1st edition, Automatic Parry was the sole province of Men At Arms.

Which is why it was listed as a special ability for them. In 1st edition, Automatic Parry
was the thing that kept you alive. That why animals like tigers, lions, and wolves were
just as dangerous as any given monster. For the Witch Hunter to have automatic
parry was pretty cool.

[Library Ogre]

TBH, I have long wished to redo the combat system, getting rid of the distinction between dodge, parry, and roll, and combine them into a single mechanic... Defense.

A defense roll is d20+bonuses. If you choose to make it Automatic (meaning it does not require an attack), you get a -5. If you choose to make it Partial (meaning the attack will do half damage if you succeed, full damage if you do not), you get +5.

Fighting something that can kill you with one blow? You're going to want to take full defenses.
Fighting a lesser foe? You might make Automatic defenses, trusting in your superior skill to reduce the total that make it through.

When combined with a damage reduction system in armor, the partial defenses become even more attractive... if you make a partial defense, cutting the damage in half, then your armor might be able to eat the rest of it.

[Axelmania]

Do you guys think that since juggling gave an auto-parry with juggleable weapons that if a man at arms like a thief got the skill they'd get 2 parries per attack if they had that? I think that would've been pretty cool.

[drewkitty ~..~]

Do you guys think that since juggling gave an auto-parry with juggleable weapons that if a man at arms like a thief got the skill they'd get 2 parries per attack if they had that? I think that would've been pretty cool.

The PF2 jugging skill does not give auto-parry, but it does give a +1 to init. Not even the Juggler class gets that ability in the current canon.

It is only in PF1 that the skill gives the auto-parry ability. But only when three specific types of weapons, and small (juggle-able) objects.

[Reagren Wright]

Yeah, I keep forgetting that book 7 is first edition. I would pay an arm and a leg for a second edition version of that book.

Have to wait for all the 1st edition issues to sell out. I think Shawn Merrow and someone else
submitted a 2nd edition for Yin Sloth.

[RockJock]

I would love to see the remainder of the 1st Ed books converted/updated, or even just get a Rifter update treatment to 2nd Ed.

[Axelmania]

I meant the Yin Sloth version. I would opt to learn Elective:Sniping instead of Espionage:Sniper too.