A hooked ankle, a swept shin, a leg behind the knee. Like the press it does no harm of itself; what it does is put an opponent on the ground, and a prone fighter is a fighter at everyone’s mercy — slow to rise, penalised while down, and unable to run.
Winning the Melee test earns an opposed Strength Trial (d6 + STR), at +4 per Impact Tactical Advantage — the most generous bonus of the three manoeuvres, so a tripper who is thoroughly winning the exchange rarely fails. If the tripper wins the Trial as well, the margin decides what happens:
| Margin | Effect on the opponent |
|---|---|
| 1–4 | Knocked prone. |
| 5–9 | Thrown five feet and knocked prone. |
| 10+ | Thrown five feet and knocked prone, and the tripper may succeed automatically on a Grab. |
Otherwise there is no effect.
Only one Strength Trial is made per opposed Melee test, and only a combatant who initiates one and wins it may inflict the special effect. A counterstriking manoeuvre therefore cancels the attacker’s — whoever won the Melee test gets the Trial.