Preparing, and a Decisive Strike

[JackTrysGames]

In a few rare situations, predators such as wolves will get the drop on you and you'll have to draw something from its sheath. But what if there was something you could do when it was charging across the map in your direction?

Imagine the ability to Prepare for a Struggle, drawing your weapon and/or entering a fighting stance. Wielding your Hunting Knife in a reverse grip, or getting ready to swing with that hammer you found at the processing center. Or maybe you've been unlucky this run and you just enter a boxing stance. Whatever works. You're not going down without a fight.

If that wolf runs up while you're Prepared, you hit it with one powerful Decisive Strike before choosing your Struggle weapon- whether that's caving its skull in with the hammer, stabbing it in the chest with your knife, shooting it with the Revolver, or even just slugging its jaw with your fist. Maybe with a character scream sound for dramatic effect.

This would give considerable Struggle progress and have a chance to scare, wound, or instantly kill the wolf depending on the weapon- with the Prybar having the highest chance to scare, the Hunting Knife having the highest chance to wound, and the Revolver having the highest chance for an instant kill if it's loaded.

If, somehow, the Decisive Strike doesn't finish the fight before it begins, you now have a flat bonus to Struggle progress, as you didn't give it the chance to get on top of you.

And if it does instakill, what if there was a special animation for it?
The wolf yelps and then falls limp directly on top of you. You push it off of yourself, and then stagger to your feet, gasping and panting.

This'd probably have to be a Feat-exclusive move or something due to how powerful it is (maybe for winning Wolf struggles?), but I can easily see this in game.

[JackTrysGames]

I'm thinking the odds of each one would be something like this...

>Hunting Knife 
Stab it in the chest with a reverse grip. It's not really a scare weapon, but it is very maneuverable, making Wounds easy.
Low Scare Chance
Highest Wound Chance
Low Kill Chance

>Prybar 
Bonk it over the head. Like the Heavy Hammer, but nowhere near as likely to kill and more likely to scare because it's lighter. Still has a bladed edge, so it can wound.
Highest Scare Chance
Low Wound Chance
No Kill Chance

>Hatchet 
It's a hatchet. Chop the wolf with it. Boasts the original wound/kill chances it had for Struggles with a notably lacking scare chance.
Low Scare Chance
High Wound Chance
Medium Kill Chance

>Revolver (Loaded) 
Shoot it in the chest. I dunno what else you expected. It's a loaded gun. It's gonna puncture if not instantly kill.
High Scare Chance
Guaranteed Wound
Highest Kill Chance

Revolver (Unloaded) 
Whack it upside the head. Without bullets, it's barely effective- unless you're a firearms expert, in which case it's basically a worse prybar.
Low to High Scare Chance (Scales With Revolver Firearm)
No Wound Chance
No Kill Chance

Heavy Hammer 
Straight down swing with the hammer onto the wolf's head. It's all or nothing- a mild concussion and it flees or you cave its skull in and it dies on the spot.
High Scare Chance
No Wound Chance
High Kill Chance

Fists
A tackle bump- you hit the wolf with your shoulder, ramming into it with your full body weight. Respectable scare chance, but no wound or kill chance.
Medium Scare Chance
No Wound Chance
No Kill Chance (You wish)

Fists (Martial Artist)
Don a four-ring set of brass knuckles on your right hand and give it what-for with a right hook to the jaw like a true boxer. If you manage to instakill a wolf with this, you have my utmost respect.
High Scare Chance
Low Wound Chance
Low Kill Chance

Edited June 16, 2023 by JackTrysGames
Martial Artist fists now specifies that you only have *one* brass knuckle set on your right hand.

[JackTrysGames]

Also, related feat idea:
Martial Artist

REQUIREMENTS:
Land 10 Decisive Strikes with just your bare hands.

REWARDS:
You've learned how to properly defend yourself. Your fists are now more effective in Struggles, and all other items are marginally more effective.

Edited June 16, 2023 by JackTrysGames
Felt like the requirements were just a bit too low, so I upped them from 2 to 10.

[Stranzua]

Interesting idea. Makes me think about how they can make wolves harder if this was added. If you get into a stance and get into a struggle with a Timberwolf, maybe other Timberwolves can intervene. When your surrounded by black wolves, instead of just having 1 aggro you at a time, maybe the one who charges you is more random. Maybe they stalk you together instead of just running away 1 by 1. This way getting a stance isn't always easy, and it makes weapon choice really make a difference. Maybe they can even add a way to fight back multiple black wolves with a torch rather than just automatically keeping them all at bay.