FASA Games, Inc.

My idea for this is to make more dynamic battles, and cut down on the number of times your favorite villain gets dusted before they get to act. It's mostly a GM facing rule, but it would affect everyone.

*Edited for clarity*

Respond in Kind

This ability is open to all creatures, constructs, horrors, and spirits with multiple Standard Actions. Namegivers cannot generally take advantage of this Special Ability. It allows the creature to respond to an attack with a similar attack. This Special Maneuver costs 2 strain and uses one of the creature's Standard Actions. If the creature is the subject of an ability that targets one of its Defenses, it can respond with a similar ability. For example, if it is attacked by a close combat attack, it can use one of its standard actions to respond with a claw attack. If it is the target of Taunt, it can respond with Battle Shout or a similar ability that it might possess. Whatever the creature responds with must target the same kind of Defense. The creature's response must target character that triggered Respond in Kind and is resolved after the original attack. It can only use Respond in Kind on a given character once per round. The Creatures must always save at least one Standard Action to use on it's turn.

This sounds like a less legendary version of the actions available to the Legendary mask (PGG), which certainly isn't a bad thing.

That said, this would be a Power, and not a Special Maneuver, as Maneuvers require that you spend successes on a thing that you rolled, which the reacting creature wouldn't have had a chance to do yet.

That's fair. One way to keep it a Special Maneuver would be to let the GMC burn all successes on an active defense to use a Standard Action to target the same Defense. So it gets hit (as the attack succeeds) but immediately gets to return the favor.