After checking the final version of the Core Rulebook, I realized I had forgotten to ask something.
As the rules state, the Parry and Risposte manoeuvres must be done on your action and after a manoeuvre that has inflicted you wounds. Why?
You can spend raises to avoid damage outside your action. Why can't you do the same with these manoeuvres? I get the feeling I'm missing the point somewhere.
I thought about something like: A hero has 3 raises, a villain has 5. Allowing Parry and Risposte outside your turn means the villain cannot perform some kind of "combo" before you can act (and the other way around if you are the one with more raises). For me it is clear that it should allow the hero to do that outside their turn. Another example: Imagine that for some reason you are left with 2 raises, the villain has 5 and the rest of the group between 5 and 3. The way I see it, if the villain does something like "He side steps and then slashes forward, trying to cut you down", and then the player has to wait for everyone to spend raises until he can act again and parry, part of the drama and momentum of the scene is lost to me. Still... I get the feeling I'm missing something.
To build on Sal's answer, Duelists can't repeat maneuvers every action in an Action Sequence. So if you Parry a Slash on Action 1, you can't Parry again with Action 2. Plus, this keeps Parry as an option between other maneuvers. I expect you can still spend raises to negate wounds on a 1:1 basis, but they won't be formal Parries.
Actually, what felt weird is being able to negate wounds when it's not your turn only if you spend 1:1 like you said BluSponge. Parry and Risposte are more or less the same. Even if the rules allowed you to perform Parry and Risposte outside of your turn, the rule about not using the same manoeuvre twice still applies: You slash, Villain slashes you and right away you perform a Parry, you can slash again. What I noticed with this is that combat changes a bit but I'm still unsure as how.
Another doubt is, if you Parry or Risposte, you spend 1 raise to negate wounds up to your weaponry rank. Does that mean you cannot use normal raises to negate more damage? e.g: Villain slashes you for 5 wounds, you Parry and negate 4 wounds (weaponry 4). Can you then use 1 more raise? not as a Parry or Risposte but as normal.
I would say if a Duelist wanted to use the standard "Soak Wounds at 1:1" They would do that immediately upon receiving the Wounds (like anyone else), then on their turn, they can use an improved version such as Parry or Riposte to further reduce the wounds taken. They just can't do Parry or Riposte twice in a row.
John