Melee Weapon (skills)

Melee Weapon (DX/Varies) is not one skill, but an entire collection of skills which fall into broad categories on the basis of overall balance and function.
Defaults: DX-4 if Easy, DX-5 if Average, or DX-6 if Hard. 
Parry defense is (skill/2) + 3, rounded down.
==Fencing Weapons==
Fencing weapons are agile blades that benefit from fancy footwork. They have half the usual penalty for multiple parries (-2 instead of -4)Basic Set, p.576 and gain improved parries when retreating (+3 instead of +1)Basic Set, p.377. As such, these are excellent weapons for agile melee-fighters, like swashbucklers! They have a downside, however, and will get a penalty equal to one's encumbrance level (-3 for Heavy, for instance).
DX/AverageDefault: to one another at -3 and other sword skills
* Main-Gauche: Jitte/Sai-4 or Knife-4. -- The Main-Gauche is essentially a knife used for parrying in the off hand.
* Rapier: Broadsword-4. See Style Perk
* Saber: Broadsword-4 (for cavalry sabers) or Shortsword-4.
* Smallsword: Shortsword-4
For more details, see Fencing Weapons!
==Flails==
DX/HardDefault: to one another at -3 with other
* Flail: Axe/Mace-4
* Two Handed Flail: Kusari-4 or Two-Handed Axe/Mace-4.
==Axe/Mace==
DX/AverageDefault: to one another at -3 with different defaults to other weapons
* Axe/Mace: Flail-4
* Two-Handed Axe/Mace: Polearm-4 or Two-Handed Flail-4.
==Pole Weapons==
Weapons mounted on poles. They tend to have good reach, and have the very useful benefit of performing a stop thrust, very useful against larger, clumsier enemies.
DX/Average
* Polearm: Spear-4, Staff-4, or Two-Handed Axe/Mace-4.
* Spear: Polearm-4 or Staff-2. Kromm discusses benefits in Wait Maneuver clarification
* Staff: Polearm-4 or Spear-2.
**how to hold the quarterstaff
==Swords==
DX/Average (except where noted)
* Broadsword: Force Sword-4, Rapier-4, Saber-4, Shortsword-2, or Two-Handed Sword-4Sean Punch has commented on Broadsword in the following posts to the SJG GURPS Forums:
** On an option for a "basic" version of the skill 
** On using it with a cane 
**Includes Katana
* Force Sword: any sword skill at -32004 discussion Probably most well known in fiction via Star Wars lightsabres, but it also appears in a variety of other genres, such as Kingdom Hearts II; analysis of improper jedi techniques, focus on Rey
* Jitte/Sai: Force Sword-4, Main-Gauche-4, or Shortsword-3 -- These are "catching" weapons built to bind enemy blades!
* Knife (DX/Easy): Force Sword-3, Main-Gauche-3, or Shortsword-3.
* Shortsword: Broadsword-2, Force Sword-4, Jitte/Sai-3, Knife-4, Saber-4, Smallsword-4, or Tonfa-3.
* Two-Handed Sword: Broadsword-4 or Force Sword-4.
===Force Swords===
Some unique notes:
*B272 with a note on B274 describes them as doing burning damage rather than the usual impaling or cutting
**Ultratech 166 clarifies this is Tight-Beam, making them able to target eyes unlike normal burning damage
*they also presumably can't do hitting with the flat for blunt damage, though the non-energy hilt may be usable for Pummeling at close range
*Fast-Draw seems to cover both removing the hilt from one's torso AND igniting it, and doesn't seem to reward already having it in hand prior to igniting it
*B274 mentions "Extra energy cells cost $100, weigh 0.5 lb., and last 300 seconds."
**UT166 uses the shorthand "C/300 seconds." to represent that
***this also adds the Force Blade and Force Glaive and Variable Force Sword
****Blades specialize in close combat, where the Force Blade traditionally could not parry.
*****Long Weapons in Close Combat allows this, with -4 per yard of longest reach, which is -2 for a reach 1 weapon:
==Whips==
Default: to one another at -3
* Force Whip (DX/Average)
* Kusari (DX/Hard): Two-Handed Flail-4.
* Monowire Whip (DX/Hard)
* Whip (DX/Average): Any ordinary whip
==Other Weapons==
Hand weapons that defy easy classification.
* Tonfa (DX/Average): Shortsword-3
==Quotes==
===Kromm===
2009 http://forums.sjgames.com/showpost.php?p=755088&postcount=8
:I believe that the confusion here stems from the fact that "melee weapon" as a term of art is frequently taken to encompass natural weaponry.
:This is why punches, kicks, teeth, and strikers appear on the Melee Weapon Table (p. B271), and why Melee Attacks (p. B369) states, "You can make a melee attack using any ready melee weapon (including a natural weapon such as a kick, bite, or punch) . . .".
:That is the sense intended here, anyway.
:We're using "weapon" in the way that unarmed strikers often speak of knees, elbows, fists, and feet as "weapons."
==GURPS Video==
*GURPS Weapons (Playlist)
==References==
Category:Rules
Category:Skills
Category:Melee Weapons