Pool-cue Spear Technique (Shoot the point!)

Hello, I've another quick Technique idea.  This has to do with "pool cue" style attacks I've seen in staff, bayonet, and spear sparring.  It's a very natural thing for people to do, and I've seen the behavior in people who've never wielded these weapons before.

In GURPS terms, they're attacking at greater reach than they're readied at, without traversing any ground.

Staves can do this easily - they do not have a * by their reach, so you can opt to change reach on the fly before your attack, though presumably you count as being at that reach until you claim otherwise (on successive turns).  Spears, however, can't do this - they all require a ready to change reach.

I propose something like this technique:

Shoot the Point (Average)

Default (Spear-1)

This attack lets you rapidly extend your reach with a spear that is capable of reaching further than it is currently readied and and requires a ready maneuver to change reach.  For example, a Spear that has Reach 1,2* and is currently held ready at Reach 1 can, as part of a thrusting attack, be "shot out" to Reach 2 without a Ready.  A particularly long weapon with 1-3* held at Reach 1 could not lance out to Reach 3, however! 

This attack can be combined with any attack type, but if you combine it with All Out Attack (Long), the weapon will become Unready.  This is because in those instances, a practitioner is required to release with one hand (to gain their maximum reach).  Technique cannot exceed prerequisite skill.

One the attack is launched, the weapon now counts as being at that reach for all further purposes, until otherwise stated.

Design Notes

This was built from the advice given in GURPS Martial Arts p.90-91.  It is a basic attack using a skill's core use (+0).  It gets a Special Benefit (-1) in that it sidesteps needing to Ready to change Reach.  Reach change is capped at one increment.

I consider the provision for Long to be too specific to qualify for a bonus under Special Drawbacks.

It's not just another way to say you attack with a Step, because you don't traverse any ground.  It's not Long, because it doesn't automatically deprive you of a defense, nor extends weapon reach beyond its maximum.  It's not a Deceptive Attack because it doesn't modify the target's defense.

I had considered extending this to Polearms (basically any two handed thrusting weapon that needed a Ready to chance thrusting reach).  I decided against that because it felt sensible to require an extra "Do Nothing" to help Ready the weapon, but that would have only come to Polearm+0, and that didn't feel right (as is, Spear-1 feels iffy, but that's how the rules are).

I'd also considered making this a rapid out-and-back, for Spear-2, but that felt a bit much for a single turn, especially if you consider dealing with an impact.  I do wonder if you could use this same technique to rapidly retract and strike, but the goal of this is to pool-cue someone in the face with a pointy object.

There was also the idea to bake in a form of Deceptive Attack, giving your opponent -1 to Active Defenses as part of the Technique, possibly with the provision that it only works once.  I decided against it, because it seems reasonable to assume most people confronted with a spear would be aware that they are long.  But there it is, if you want to implement it (it becomes Spear-5 in that event).

Closing

Something that's just been bobbing around a while.  Like all my house rule and suchlike ideas, probably something that could use further refinement and play-testing.  I figure I'd chuck it up here for those who like to mull over house rules to see if it provokes discussion or even inspires implementation.

Thanks for reading!

Cheers!