Martial arts in Sci-Fi and Fantasy #7: Goro / Machamp / 4-armed humanoids

[CB Jones]

Also would the longer torso give more lung capacity to fuel the extra muscles or stamina is gonna become a factor

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Thinking about it, my assumption is the real advantage when it comes to grappling would be control. You would have two arms to try and get a kimura or at least make the other person weary that way you can use your other arms and body to focus on positioning. And if you need a break, you could use all four arms to pin the person as you maintain/rest in a position and they have to exert themselves trying to escape.

You bring up a good point - positioning. I think we have to consider two facets of this. First, the change (for both combatants) on what is a "good" position. With more arms, this guy has more ability to defend/dominate from most positions, which leaves commensurately fewer options for a 2-handed opponent (unless he's a centaur, in which case...).

Then we have to think about how the arms change mobility for this guy. He can use arms as pivot points where it might be a bad idea for me. He should be able to maneuver faster on the ground with all those arms to work with.

Mind you, he'd also have to protect more arms. So a bit of a trade-off, but mostly in his favor.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Also would the longer torso give more lung capacity to fuel the extra muscles or stamina is gonna become a factor

Yeah, for simplicity I've been assuming burn rates and such are equal, but they needn't be. He could have the same cardiovascular capacity, which would mean he'd have to be significantly more efficient to last the same fight length.

 

[skribs]

Yeah, for simplicity I've been assuming burn rates and such are equal, but they needn't be. He could have the same cardiovascular capacity, which would mean he'd have to be significantly more efficient to last the same fight length.

I did specify in the OP that they would have similar stamina to a human, so that was slightly considered.

I hadn't considered extra lung capacity. But as @CB Jones suggested, the increased lung capacity would offset the increased muscle mass, and stamina would be similar. If not, then stamina could be a way to win (wear them out). I imagine it would be hard to wear them out, because they have more hands to grab you, and once they grab you it's more likely they win.

Another thing I hadn't considered is speed. I said as fast as a human, but I was thinking in terms of their movements (i.e. how fast can they move their hands, not how fast can they run). A shorter stride means they might be slower, and being more top-heavy might make them not as quick. So it's possible that using speed and range to your advantage could help. But again, in order to affect them, you have to be in range.