(01-08-2015, 03:21 PM)C'kayah Polaali Wrote:(01-08-2015, 03:04 PM)Gegenji Wrote: It just seems like he has all his bases covered (which is a big red flag to me)... until I actively remember that he's rather small, so things like reach and such come into play.
Reach has a lot less impact than you'd think, mainly because there's an equivalent "inside" distance for weapons. One of my favorite opponents when I fenced was a young woman who stood about 4' 2". Our bouts would usually consist of starting out beyond my reach, having a bit of a back and forth where I'd test her defense and she'd prove that it was solid, and then a very quick set of attacks and replies which either ended up with me getting the touch or her backing me into a wall with a non-stop advance inside my weapon's range. I use a size 4 or 5 foil (the longest), and she uses a 1 (the shortest), and she really capitalized on her size and short weapon reach by consistently working to get inside the reach of her opponents.
Yeah, his size and surprising speed considering he's in plate is something he was told to focus on in his training with Ser Warren. And that's why he runs around in bunny armor to honor his combat spirit animal of sorts.
I'm just afraid of presenting Chachan as a "no flaws" combatant. Due to his race, training, and experience... he's legitimately quick, sturdy, and strong. And that bothers me, so I start actively thinking of where his combat flaws lie.
Reach was the first to come to mind, which isn't much as you've pointed out, but it does mean he has to exert a lot more energy in crossing distances and getting into that weapon "dead zone." Of course, if I put more thought into it, there's plenty of other things about him that could hinder his combat.
First and foremost is his actual combat inexperience. Most of his fighting experience comes from training sword-and-board vs. sword-and-board against Ser Warren (and possible some training against spears with Ms. Sei, if that's a thing that's happened yet), and two trips to the Grindstone. Using unique weapons or unique fighting styles would definitely leave him trying to figure out what to do, and he's not the most mentally adroit guy.
Which leads into another obvious drawback for Chachan - he's quite straightforward. Even in the last Grindstone, he opened EVERY fight with a forward thrust to test his opponent's reflexes. He doesn't use feints and tricks unless he notices the opponents doing something similar... or he gets frustrated and backed into a corner.
It may ultimately be an unnecessary concern, but I do worry a lot about how others see my characters, as this little mini text dump shows...
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