Brace for Impact

Cost: 6
Ability Type: Defensive Enhancement
Related Skill: Melee Combat
Prerequisites: Melee Combat 5 and Armoured Combat Training

Rather than simply relying on your armour to deflect the blows that you can't prevent, you've learnt to shift your posture at the last possible second – deflecting part of the blow's strength and giving your armour the best chance possible to absorb the impact.

When you try to Parry or Guard against an incoming attack, but fail to intercept it, you can fall back on Brace for Impact – provided your defence failed by 3 or less. Brace for Impact reduces the Armour-Piercing Type of the attack by one category (making Piercing into Semi-Piercing, Normal into Blunt, etc. - although Very Blunt damage is unaffected) and halves the attack's Knockback strength. Brace for Impact only affects Physical Damage.