Retraction

Retraction is a concept mentioned in this 2012 thread http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=86807
Something that occurred to me recently, FREX with a typical spear: Do the melee rules assume a thrust and retraction, or just the thrust? I'm presuming it does include the retraction, but then what happens if you don't retract? "Grappled?" What about "pushing/pulling through?" (Or have I missed that somewhere?) 
Douglas Cole ominously replied:
:It's not explicit. Yet. :-)
This eventually led to GURPS Martial Arts: Technical Grappling where he explicitly gives the option to leave the spear in instead of pulling it out.
Of course, it's also implied you can freely withdraw (retract the spear for a new attack).
That's not necessarily too realistic, it would be cooler if retractions had to be Break Free to reduce Control Points your impaling weapon applied to your foe.
If that's a combat slowdown: just use Rapid-Strike or Extra Attack for such multi-tasking!
Or design some kind of "Parry" variation (like "Armed Escaping Parry") where you just expend an active defence instead of an attack, but for reducing the CP your weapon puts on a foe, rather than the CP your foe puts on a weapon.
==See also==
*Quick Retraction / Fast Retraction = Rapid Retraction
Category:Rules