The AD&D game is an adventure game designed to give players a feeling of excitement and danger. Characters brave the unknown perils of moldering dungeons and thorn-covered wilderness, facing off against hideous monsters and evil villains. Thus, it is important for all players to know the basic rules for handling combat.
To create the proper sense of danger and excitement, the rules for combat must be thorough, but they must also be playable and exciting enough to create a vivid picture in the minds of the players. Combat in the AD&D game has to allow many different actions and outcomes as many as the imagination can produce. Knowing that anything could happen next (because the rules allow it) creates excitement for everyone.
More Than Just Hack-and-Slash
As important as fighting is to the AD&D game, it isn’t the be-all and end-all of play. It’s just one way for characters to deal with situations. If characters could do nothing but fight, the game would quickly get boring every encounter would be the same. Because there is more to the game than fighting, we’ll cover much more than simple hack-and-slash combat in this chapter.
In addition to explaining the basic mechanics of hitting and missing, there are rules here for turning undead, special ways to attack and defend, poison, heroic feats, and more.
Definitions
Many game terms are used throughout the combat rules. To understand the rules, players must understand these terms, so brief explanations appear below. Further details are provided throughout this chapter.
Armor Class (AC) is the protective rating of a type of armor. In some circumstances, AC is modified by the amount of protection gained or lost because of the character’s situation. For instance, crouching behind a boulder improves a character’s Armor Class, while being attacked from behind worsens his AC.
Armor provides protection by reducing the chance that a character is attacked successfully (and suffers damage). Armor does not absorb damage, it prevents it. A fighter in full plate mail may be a slow-moving target, but penetrating his armor to cause any damage is no small task.
Armor Class is measured on a scale from 10, the worst (no armor), to -10, the best (very powerful magical armors). The lower the number, the more effective the armor. Shields can also improve the AC of a character (see page 75).
Abilities and situations can also affect a character’s Armor Class. High Dexterity gives a bonus to Armor Class, for example. But even a character with a Dexterity bonus can have this bonus negated if he is attacked from the rear.
Damage is what happens to a character when an opponent attacks him successfully. Damage can also occur as a result of poison, fire, falling, acid, and anything even remotely dangerous in the real world. Damage from most attacks is measured in hit points. Each time a character is hit, he suffers points of damage. It could be as little as 1 point to as many as 80 or more. These points are subtracted from the character’s current hit point total. When this reaches 0, the character is dead.
Initiative determines the order in which things happen in a combat round. Like so many things in the world, initiative is determined by a combination of ability, situation, and chance.
At the start of each round of a battle, an initiative roll is made by both sides. This roll can be modified by the abilities of the combatants and by the situation. The person or side with the lower modified die roll acts first.
Melee is any situation in which characters are battling each other hand-to-hand, whether with fists, teeth, claws, swords, axes, pikes, or something else. Strength and Dexterity are valuable assets in melee.
Missile combat is defined as any time a weapon is shot, thrown, hurled, kicked, or otherwise propelled. Missile and melee combat have the same basic rules, but there are special situations and modifiers that apply only to missile combat.
Saving throws are measures of a character’s resistance to special types of attacks – poisons, magic, and attacks that affect the whole body or mind of the character. The ability to make successful saving throws improves as the character increases in level; Dexterity and general mental fortitude aid in honing combat senses. Experience makes saving throws easier.
Surprise can happen any time characters meet another group unexpectedly (monsters, evil knights, peasants, etc.). Surprise is simply what happens when one side – a person or party – is taken unawares, unable to react until they gather their wits. Their opponents, if unsurprised, are allowed a bonus round of action while the surprised characters recover. It’s entirely possible for both sides in a given situation to be surprised!
Attacking with surprise gives bonuses to the attack roll (see Table 51). A surprised character also has a decreased chance of rolling a successful saving throw, if one is needed.
Surprise is determined by a die roll and is normally checked at the beginning of an encounter. Surprise is very unpredictable, so there are very few modifiers to the roll.
THAC0 is an acronym for “To Hit Armor Class 0.” This is the number a character, NPC, or monster needs to attack an Armor Class 0 target successfully. THAC0 depends on a character’s group and level (see Table 53 on page 91). The THAC0 number can be used to calculate the number needed to hit any Armor Class. THAC0 is refigured each time a character increases in level. Using THAC0 speeds the play of combat greatly.
The Attack Roll
At the heart of the combat system is the attack roll. This is the die roll that determines whether an attack succeeds or fails. The number a player needs in order to make a successful attack roll is also called the “to-hit” number.
Attack rolls are used for attacks with swords, bows, rocks, and other weapons, as well as blows from fists, tackling, and other hand-to-hand attacks. Attack rolls are also used to resolve a variety of potentially injury-causing actions that require accuracy (e.g., throwing a rock at a small target or tossing a sword to a party member in the middle of a fight).
Figuring the To-Hit Number
The first step in making an attack roll is to find the number needed to hit the target. Subtract the Armor Class of the target from the attacker’s THAC0. (Remember that if the Armor Class is a negative number, you add it to the attacker’s THAC0.) The character has to roll the resulting number, or higher, on 1d20 to hit the target.
Here’s a simple example: Rath has reached 7th level as a fighter. His THAC0 is 14 (found on Table 53), meaning he needs to roll a 14 or better to hit a character or creature of Armor Class 0. In combat, Rath, attacking an orc wearing chainmail armor (AC 6), needs to roll an 8 (14 – 6 = 8) to hit the orc. An 8 or higher on 1d20 will hit the orc. If Rath hits, he rolls the appropriate dice (see Table 44) to determine how much damage he inflicts.
The example above is quite simple – in a typical AD&D® game combat situation, THAC0 is modified by weapon bonuses, Strength bonuses, and the like (the next section “Modifiers to the Attack Roll” lists the specifics of these modifiers). Figure Strength and weapon modifiers, subtract the total from the base THAC0, and record this modified THAC0 with each weapon on the character sheet. Subtract the target’s Armor Class from this modified THAC0 when determining the to-hit number.
Here’s the same example, with some common modifiers thrown in: Rath is still a 7th-level fighter. He has a Strength of 18/80 (which gives him a +2 bonus to his attack roll). He fights with a long sword +1. His THAC0 is 14, modified to 12 by his Strength and to 11 by his weapon. If attacking the orc from the earlier example, Rath would have to roll a 5 or higher on 1d20 in order to hit (11 – 6 = 5). Again, Table 44 would tell him how much damage he inflicts with his weapon (this information should also be written on his character sheet).
The DM may also throw in situational modifiers, (e.g., a bonus if the target is struck from behind, or a penalty if the target is crouching behind a boulder). If the final, modified die roll on 1d20 is equal to or greater than the number needed to hit the target, the attack succeeds. If the roll is lower than that needed, the attack fails.
Modifiers to the Attack Roll
In combat, many factors can modify the number a character needs for a successful hit. These variables are reflected in modifiers to the to-hit number or to the attack roll.
Strength Modifiers: A character’s Strength can modify the die roll, altering both the chance to hit and the damage caused. This modifier is always applied to melees and attacks with hurled missile weapons (a spear or an axe).
A positive Strength modifier can be applied to bows if the character has a special bow made for him, designed to take advantage of his high Strength. Characters with Strength penalties always suffer them when using a bow weapon. They simply are not able to draw back the bowstring far enough. Characters never have Strength modifiers when using crossbows – the power of the shot is imparted by a machine, not the player character.
Magical items: The magical properties of a weapon can also modify combat. Items that impart a bonus to the attack roll or Armor Class are identified by a plus sign. For example, a sword +1 improves a character’s chance to hit by one. A suit of chain mail +1 improves the Armor Class of the character by one (which means you subtract one from the character’s AC, changing an AC of 5 to an AC of 4, for example). Cursed items have a negative modifier (a penalty), resulting in a subtraction from the attack roll or an addition to Armor Class.
There is no limit to the number of modifiers that can be applied to a single die roll. Nor is there a limit to the positive or negative number (the total of all modifiers) that can be applied to a die roll.
Table 51 lists some standard combat modifiers. Positive numbers are bonuses for the attacker; negative numbers are penalties.
| Table 51: COMBAT MODIFIERS |
| Situation |
Attack Roll Modifier |
| Attacker on higher ground |
+1 |
| Defender invisible |
-4 |
| Defender off-balance |
+2 |
| Defender sleeping or held |
Automatic* |
| Defender stunned or prone |
+4 |
| Defender surprised |
+1 |
| Missile fire, long range |
-5 |
| Missile fire, medium range |
-2 |
| Rear attack |
+2 |
*If the defender is attacked during the course of a normal melee, the attack automatically hits and causes normal damage. If no other fighting is going on (i.e., all others have been slain or driven off), the defender can be slain automatically.
Weapon Type vs. Armor Modifiers (Optional Rule)
Not all weapons perform the same. If they did, there would be no need for the wide variety of weapons that exists. Only one form of each weapon-type, the most useful one, would be used throughout the world. This is obviously not the case.
Aside from the differences in size, weight, length, and shape, certain types of weapons are more useful against some types of armor than others. Indeed, the different armors and weapons of the world are the result of an ancient arms race. Every new weapon led to the development of a new type of armor designed to counter it. This led to new weapons, which led to new armor, and so on.
The Various Types of Weapons
In the AD&D® game, weapons fall into several categories, based on how they are used. The basic categories are slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning.
Slashing weapons include swords, axes, and knives. Damage is caused by the combination of weight, muscle, and a good sharp edge.
Piercing weapons (some swords, spears, pikes, arrows, javelins, etc.) rely on the penetrating power of a single sharp point and much less on the weight of the weapon.
Bludgeoning weapons (maces, hammers, and flails) depend almost entirely on the impact caused by weight and muscle. A few weapons, particularly some of the more exotic polearms, fall into more than one of these categories. A halberd can be used as a poll-axe (a slashing weapon) or as a short pike (a piercing weapon). The versitality of these weapons provides the user with a combat advantage, in that the mode most favorable to the attacker can be used, depending upon the situation.
Natural weapons can also be classified according to their attack type. Claws are slashing weapons; bite pierces; a tail-attack bludgeons. The DM must decide which is most appropriate to the creature and method of attack.
Armor types, in turn, have different qualities. Field plate is more effective, overall, than other armors by virtue of the amount and thickness of the metal, but it still has specific weaknesses against certain classes of weapons.
Table 52 lists the weapon vs. armor modifiers applied to the attacker’s THAC0, if this optional system is used. To use this table, the actual armor type of the target must be known in addition to the target’s Armor Class. The bonuses of magical armor do not change the type of armor, only the final Armor Class.
This system is used only when attacking creatures in armor. The modifiers are not used when attacking creatures with a natural Armor Class.
| Table 52: WEAPON TYPE VS. ARMOR MODIFIERS |
| Armor Type |
Slash |
Pierce |
Bludgeon |
| Banded mail |
+2 |
0 |
+1 |
| Brigandine |
+1 |
+1 |
0 |
| Chain mail * |
+2 |
0 |
-2 |
| Field Plate |
+3 |
+1 |
0 |
| Full Plate |
+4 |
+3 |
0 |
| Leather armor * * |
0 |
-2 |
0 |
| Plate mail |
+3 |
0 |
0 |
| Ring mail |
+1 |
+1 |
0 |
| Scale mail |
0 |
+1 |
0 |
| Splint mail |
0 |
+1 |
+2 |
| Studded leather |
+2 |
+1 |
0 |
* Includes bronze chain mail
* * Includes padded armor and hides
Impossible To-Hit Numbers
Sometimes the attacker’s to-hit number seems impossible to roll. An attack may be o difficult it requires a roll greater than 20 (on 20-sided die!), or so ridiculously easy it can be made on a roll less than 1. In both cases, an attack roll is still required!
The reason is simple: With positive die roll modifiers (for magic, Strength, situation, or whatever), a number greater than 20 can be rolled. Likewise, die roll penalties can push the attack roll below 0. No matter what number a character needs to hit, a roll of 20 is always considered a hit and a roll of 1 is always a miss, unless the DM rules otherwise. Under most circumstances, a natural 20 hits and a natural 1 misses, regardless of any modifiers applied to the die roll.
Thus, even if a character’s chance to hit a monster is 23 and the character has a -3 penalty applied to the die roll, he might be able to score a hit – but only if the die roll is a 20 before any modifiers are applied. Likewise, a character able to hit a monster on a 3 or better, waving a sword +4, could still miss if a 1 is rolled on the die.
There are no sure things, good or bad, in the unpredictable chaos of combat situations.
Calculating THAC0
To make an attack roll, the character’s THAC0 must be known. This depends on the group and level, if the attacker is a player character or NPC, or the Hit Dice if the attacker is a monster or an animal. All 1st-level characters have THAC0s of 20, regardless of class.
For a character of level 1 through level 20, consult Table 53. This table lists the THAC0 number of each group through 20th level, so players don’t have to perform any calculations.
For a character higher than 20th level, find the Improvement Rate for the character’s group in Table 54. There you’ll find the number of levels a character must advance to reduce his THAC0 by 1 (or more) points. Calculate the character’s THAC0 according to his level.
The DMG contains the information on monster THAC0s.
| Table 53: CALCULATED THAC0S |
| |
Level |
| Group |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
| Priest |
20 |
20 |
20 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
16 |
16 |
16 |
14 |
14 |
14 |
12 |
12 |
12 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
8 |
8 |
| Rogue |
20 |
20 |
19 |
19 |
18 |
18 |
17 |
17 |
16 |
16 |
15 |
15 |
14 |
14 |
13 |
13 |
12 |
12 |
11 |
11 |
| Warrior |
20 |
19 |
18 |
17 |
16 |
15 |
14 |
13 |
12 |
11 |
10 |
9 |
8 |
7 |
6 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Wizard |
20 |
20 |
20 |
19 |
19 |
19 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
17 |
17 |
17 |
16 |
16 |
16 |
15 |
15 |
15 |
14 |
14 |
| Table 54: THAC0 ADVANCEMENT |
| |
Improvement Rate |
| Group |
Points/Level |
| Priest |
2/3 |
| Rogue |
1/2 |
| Warrior |
1/1 |
| Wizard |
1/3 |
Combat and Encounters
Encounters are the heart of the AD&D game. Since encounters with monsters and NPCs often lead to combat, an understanding of what happens during battles is vital for everyone. There are several factors the DM will consider in any combat, most of which arise from the circumstances of the encounter. Is anyone surprised? How far apart are the opponents? How many of them are there? Answers to these questions are found in the Encounter section of the DMG. These are questions common to all encounters, whether combat occurs or not.
The Combat Round
If an encounter escalates into a combat situation, the time scale of the game automatically goes to rounds (also called melee rounds or combat rounds). Rounds are used to measure the actions of characters in combat (or other intensive actions in which time is important). A round is approximately one minute long. Ten combat rounds equal a turn (or, put another way, a tum equals 10 minutes of game time). This is particularly important to remember for spells that last for turns, rather than rounds.
But these are just approximations – precise time measurements are impossible to make in combat. An action that might be ridiculously easy under normal circumstances could become an undertaking of truly heroic scale when attempted in the middle of a furious, chaotic battle.
Imagine the simple act of imbibing a healing potion. First, a character decides to drink the potion before retiring for the night. All he has to do is get it out of his backpack, uncork it, and drink the contents. No problem.
Now imagine the same thing in the middle of a fight. The potion is safely stowed in the character’s backpack. First, he takes stock of the situation to see if anyone else can get the potion out for him, but, not surprisingly, everyone is rather busy. So, sword in one hand, he shrugs one strap of the pack off his shoulder. Then, just as two orcs leap toward him, the other strap threatens to slip down, entangling his sword arm. Already the loose strap keeps him from fully using his shield.
Holding the shield as best as possible in front of him, he scrambles backward to avoid the monsters’ first wild swings. He gets pushed back a few more feet when a companion shoulders past to block their advance. His companion bought him a little time, so he kneels, lays down his sword, and slips the backpack all the way off. Hearing a wild cry, he instinctively swings his shield up just in time to ward off a glancing blow.
Rummaging through the pack, he finally finds the potion, pulls it out, and, huddling behind his shield, works the cork free. Just then there is a flash of flame all around him – a fireball! He grits his teeth against the heat, shock, and pain and tries to remember not to crush or spill the potion vial. Biting back the pain of the flames, he is relieved to see the potion is still intact.
Quickly, he gulps it down, reclaims his sword, kicks his backpack out of the way, and runs back up to the front line. In game terms, the character withdrew, was missed by one attacker, made a successful saving throw vs. spell (from the fireball), drank a potion, and was ready for combat the next round.
What You Can Do In One Round
Whatever the precise length of a combat round, a character can accomplish only one basic action in that round, be it making an attack, casting a spell, drinking a potion, or tending to a fallen comrade. The basic action, however, may involve several lesser actions.
When making an attack, a character is likely to close with his opponent, circle for an opening, feint here, jab there, block a thrust, leap back, and perhaps finally make a telling blow. A spell caster may fumble for his components, dodge an attacker, mentally review the steps of the spell, intone the spell, and then move to safety when it is all done. It has already been shown what drinking a potion might entail. All of these things might happen in a bit less than a minute or a bit more, but the standard is one minute and one action to the round.
Some examples of the actions a character can accomplish include the following:
- Make an attack (make attack rolls up to the maximum number allowed the character class at a given level)
- Cast one spell (if the casting time is one round or less)
- Drink a potion
- Light a torch
- Use a magical item
- Move to the limit of his movement rate
- Attempt to open a stuck or secret door
- Bind a character’s wounds
- Search a body
- Hammer in a spike
- Recover a dropped weapon
There are also actions that take a negligible amount of time, things the character does without affecting his ability to perform a more important task. Examples of these include the following:
- Shout warnings, brief instructions, or demands for surrender, but not conversations where a reply is expected.
- Change weapons by dropping one and drawing another.
- Drop excess equipment, such as backpacks, lanterns, or torches.
The Combat Sequence
In real life, combat is one of the closest things to pure anarchy. Each side is attempting to harm the other, essentially causing disorder and chaos. Thus combats are filled with unknowns – unplanned events, failed attacks, lack of communication, and general confusion and uncertainty. However, to play a battle in the game, it is necessary to impose some order on the actions that occur. Within a combat round, there is a set series of steps that must be followed. These steps are:
- The DM decides what actions the monsters or NPCs will take, including casting spells (if any).
- The players indicate what their characters will do, including casting spells (if any).
- Initiative is determined.
- Attacks are made in order of initiative.
These steps are followed until the combat ends – either one side is defeated, surrenders, or runs away.
NPC/Monster Determination: In the first step, the DM secretly decides in general terms what each opponent will do – attack, flee, or cast a spell. He does not announce his decisions to the players. If a spell is to be cast, the DM picks the spell before the players announce their characters actions.
Player Determination: Next, the players give a general indication of what their characters are planning to do. This does not have to be perfectly precise and can be changed somewhat, if the DM decides circumstances warrant.
If the characters are battling goblins, a player can say, “My fighter will attack” without having to announce which goblin he will strike. If the characters are battling a mixed group of goblins and ogres, the player has to state whether his character is attacking goblins or ogres.
Spells to be cast must also be announced at this time and cannot be changed once the initiative die is rolled.
Before moving on, the DM will make sure he has a clear idea of not only what the player characters are doing, but also what actions any hirelings and henchmen are taking. Once he has a clear view of everything that’s likely to happen, the DM can overrule any announced action that violates the rules (or in the case of an NPC, is out of character).
He is not required to overrule an impossible action, but he can let a character attempt it anyway, knowing full well the character cannot succeed. It is not the DM’s position to advise players on the best strategies, most intelligent actions, or optimum maneuvers for their characters.
Initiative: In the third step, dice are rolled to determine initiative, according to the rules for initiative (this page).
Resolution: In the last step, PCs, NPCs, and monsters make their attacks, spells occur, and any other actions are resolved according to the order of initiative.
The above sequence is not immutable. Indeed, some monsters violate the standard sequence, and some situations demand the application of common sense. In these cases the DM’s word is final.
Here’s an example of the combat sequence in action: Rath is leading a party through the corridors of a dungeon. Right behind him are Rupert and Delsenora. Rounding a bend, they see a group of orcs and trolls about 20 feet away. No one is surprised by the encounter.
The DM has notes telling him the orcs are hesitant. He secretly decides that they will fall back and let the trolls fight. The trolls, able to regenerate, are naturally overconfident and step forward to the front rank (cursing the orcs at the same time) and prepare to attack. Turning to the players, the DM asks, “What are you going to do?”
Harry (playing Rath, a dwarf who hates orcs): “Orcs?-CHARGE!”
Anne (playing Delsenora the Mage): “Uh – what!? Wait – don’t do that… I was going to… now I can’t use a fireball.”
DM: ”Rath is charging forward. Quick – what are you doing?”
Jon (playing Rupert, the half-elf, to Anne): “Cast a spell! (To DM) Can I fire my bow over him?”
DM: “Sure, he’s short.”
Jon: “OK, I’ll shoot at orcs.”
DM: “Anne, tell rne what Delsenora’s doing or she’ll lose the round trying to make up her mind!”
Anne: “I Got it! – Acid arrow spell at the lead troll.”
DM: “Fine. Harry, Rath is in front. Roll for initiative.”
Initiative
The initiative roll determines who acts first in any given combat round. Initiative is not set, but changes from round to round (combat being an uncertain thing, at best). A character never knows for certain if he will get to act before another.
Initiative is normally determined with a single roll for each side in a conflict. This tells whether all the members of the group get to act before or after those of the other side(s).
There are also two optional methods that can be used to determine initiative. Each of these optional methods breaks the group action down into more individual initiatives. However, the general method of determining initiative remains the same in all cases.
Standard Initiative Procedure
To determine the initiative order for a round of combat, roll 1d10 for each side in the battle. Normally, this means the DM rolls for the monsters (or NPCs), while one of the players rolls for the PC party. Low roll wins initiative. If more than two sides are involved in combat, the remaining sides act in ascending order of initiative.
If both (or all) sides roll the same number for initiative, everything happens simultaneously – all attack rolls, damage, spells, and other actions are completed before any results are applied. It is possible for a mage to be slain by goblins who collapse from his sleep spell at the end of the round.
Initiative Modifiers
Situational factors can affect who has initiative. To reflect this, modifiers are added to or subtracted from the initiative die roll.
| Table 55: STANDARD MODIFIERS TO INITIATIVE |
| Specific Situation |
Modifier |
| Hasted |
-2 |
| Slowed |
+2 |
| On higher ground |
-1 |
| Set to receive a charge |
-2 |
| Wading or slippery footing |
+2 |
| Wading in deep water |
+4 |
| Foreign environment * |
+6 |
| Hindered (tangled, climbing, held) |
+3 |
| Waiting (see p. 112) |
+1 |
* This applies to situations in which the party is in a completely different environment (swimming underwater without the aid of a ring of free movement, for example).
Everyone in the party who will be involved in the round’s action must qualify for the modifier. For example, all members of a party must be on higher ground than the opposition in order to get the higher ground modifier. The DM will probably ask each player where his character is standing in order to clarify this.
The side with the lowest modified roll on 1d10 has the initiative and acts first.
Continuing the example above, the DM decides that one initiative roll is sufficient for each group and no modifiers are needed for either group. (Although Rath is charging. the orcs and trolls are too busy rearranging their lines to be set to receive his charge and so the -2 to receive charge is not used.)
Harry, rolling for the player characters, gets a 7 on a 10-sided die. The DM rolls a 10. The player characters, having the lowest number, act first. Delsenora’s acid arrow strikes one of the trolls just as Rath takes a swing at the last of the fleeing orcs. A bowshot from Rupert drops another one of the creatures as it takes its position in the second rank. Now the monsters strike back.
The orcs manage to finish forming their line. Enraged by the acid, the lead troll tears into Rath, hurting him badly. The others swarm around him, attempting to tear him limb from limb.
Group Initiative (Optional Rule)
Some people believe that using a single initiative roll for everyone on the same side is too unrealistic. It is, admittedly, a simplification, a way to keep down the number of die rolls required in a single round, allowing for much faster combat. However, the actions of different characters, the types of weapons they use, and the situation can all be factors in determining initiative.
Using this optional method, one initiative die roll is still made for each side in the fight. However, more modifiers are applied to this roll, according to the actions of individual characters. These modifiers are listed on Table 56.
| Table 56: OPTIONAL MODIFIERS TO INITIATIVE |
| Specific Situation |
Modifier |
| Attacking with weapon |
Weapon speed |
| Breath weapon |
+1 |
| Casting a spell |
Casting time |
| Creature size (Monsters attacking with natural weapons only) * |
|
| – Tiny |
0 |
| – Small |
+3 |
| – Medium |
+3 |
| – Large |
+6 |
| – Huge |
+9 |
| – Gargantuan |
+12 |
| Innate spell ability |
+3 |
| Magical Items * * |
|
| – Miscellaneous Magic |
+3 |
| – Potion |
+4 |
| – Ring |
+3 |
| – Rods |
+1 |
| – Scroll |
Casting time of spell |
| – Stave |
+2 |
| – Wand |
+3 |
* This applies only to creatures fighting with natural weapon – claws, bites, etc. Creatures using weaponry use the speed factor of the weapon, regardless of the creature’s size.
* * Use the initiative modifier listed unless the item description says otherwise.
Some of the modifiers depend on ability, spell, and weapon. Characters casting spells (but not monsters using innate abilities) must add the spellcasting time to the die roll. Character attacking with weapons add the weapons’ speed factors to the die roll (see pages 68 and 69). All other modifiers are applied according to each individual’s situation.
Example: In the second round of the combat, the DM decides to use the modified group initiative. Rath is surrounded by trolls and not in the best of health. The rest of the party has yet to close with the monsters.
The DM decides that one troll will continue attacking Rath, with the help of the orcs, while the other trolls move to block reinforcements. In particular, the troll burned by the acid arrow is looking for revenge. The DM then turns to the players for their actions.
Players (all at once): “I’m going to…” “Is he going?…” “I’m casting a…”
DM (shouting): “One at time! Rath?”
Harry: “I’ll blow my horn of blasting.”
DM: “It’ll take time to dig it out.”
Harry: ”I don’t care, I’m doing it.”
]on: “Draw my sword and attack one of the trolls!”
DM: “Anne?”
Anne (not paying attention to the other two): “Cast a fireball.”
Harry and Jon: “NO! DON’T!”
DM: “Well, is that what you’re doing? Quickly!”
Anne: “No, I’ll cast a haste spell! Centered on me, so Rupert and Rath are just at the edge.”
DM: “Okay. Harry, roll initiative and everyone modify for your actions.”
Harry rolls 1d10 and gets a 6. The DM rolls for the monsters and gets a 5. Each person’s initiative is modified as follows:
Rath is using a miscellaneous magical item (modifier +3). His modified initiative is 9 (6 + 3 = 9).
Rupert is using a bastard sword +1 with two hands (weapon speed 7 instead of 8 because of the +1). His modified initiative is 13 (6 + 7 = 13).
Delsenora is Casting a spell (haste spell, casting time 3). Her modified initiative is the same as Rath 5, 9.
The trolls are attacking with their claws and bites (large creatures attacking with natural weapons +6). Their modified initiative is 11 (5 + 6 = 11).
The orcs are using long swords (weapon speed 5). Their modified initiative is 10 (5 + 5 = 10).
After all modified initiatives are figured, the combat round goes as follows:
Delsenora (initiative 9) completes her spell at the same time that Rath (9) brings the house down on the orcs with his horn of blasting.
The orcs (initiative 10) would have gone next, but all of them have been crushed under falling rock.
The three trolls (initiative 11) are unfazed and attack, one at Rath and the other two springing forward, hitting Delsenora and missing Rupert.
Finally, Rupert (initiative 13) strikes back. He moved too slowly to block one troll’s path to Delsenora, but manages to cut off the second. Things look very grim for the player characters.
Individual Initiative (Optional Rule)
This method of determining initiative is the same as that just given earlier, except that each PC, NPC, and monster involved in the fight rolls and then modifies his own initiative roll. This gives combat a more realistic feel, but at the expense of quick play.
To players, it may not seem like too much for each to roll a separate initiative die, but consider the difficulties: Imagine a combat between six player characters (each controlled by a player) and five hirelings and henchmen against 16 hobgoblins and five ogres (all of which must be rolled by the DM).
Furthermore, each die roll must be modified according to each individual’s actions. The resulting rolls make every combat round a major calculation.
This method is not recommended for large-scale combats. It is best used with small battles in which characters on the same side have vastly different speeds.
Example: In the third round of combat, the DM decides to use individual initiatives. Each character is involved in his own fight and there aren’t too many to deal with. Cut off from retreat by fallen rock, the trolls attack. The DM asks the players their intentions.
Harry: “Hit him with my hammer +4!”
Rupert: “Chop him up.”
Anne (now in serious trouble): “Cast a burning hands spell.”
Each character or monster now rolls 1d10. The rolls and modified results are:
Rath rolls a 2 and is attacking with his hammer (weapon speed 0 instead of 4 due to +4) and is hasted (-2), so his modified initiative is 0.
Rath’s troll rolls a 1 and is attacking with natural weapons (+6 modifier) for a total of 7 (1 + 6 = 7).
Rupert rolls a 2 and has a weapon speed of 7 and is hasted (-2) for a modified initiative of 7 (2 + 7 – 2 = 7).
Rupert’s troll rolls a 5 and modifies this by +6 for an 11 (5 + 6 = 11).
Delsenora is very unlucky and rolls a 9. Since she is casting a spell, she gains no benefit from the haste spell this round. She has a casting time of 1 for a total of 10 (9 + 1 = 10).
The troll fighting Delsenora is very quick and rolls a 1, modified to 7 (1 + 6 = 7.)
The order of attacks is: Rath (initiative 0) strikes with his hammer. Rupert and the two trolls (attacking Rath and Delsenora, all initiative 7) attack immediately after. Rupert hits. The troll attacking Rath misses, but Delsenora is hit. Delsenora’s spell (initiative 10) would normally happen next, but instead it fizzles, her concentration ruined by the blow from the troll. Next, Rupert’s troll attacks and misses. Because of the haste spell, Rath and Rupert now attack again (in order of initiative), Rath first, then Rupert.
Multiple Attacks and Initiative
Often combat involves creatures or characters able to attack more than once in a single round. This may be due to multiple attack forms (claws and bite), skill with a weapon, or character level. No matter what the reason, all multiple attacks are handled by one of two methods.
When multiple attacks are the result of different attack forms – claws and a bite or bite and tail or a ranger with his two-weapon combat ability for example – the attacks all occur at the same time. The creature resolves all of its attacks in initiative order.
When the attacks are true multiples – using the same weapon more than once – as in the case of a highly skilled fighter, the attacks are staggered. Everyone involved in the combat completes one action before the second (or subsequent) attack roll is made.
Take, for example, a fighter who can attack twice per round, and say he’s battling creatures that can only make one attack. The fighter wins initiative. He makes his first attack according to the rolled initiative order. Then each creature gets its attack. Finally, the fighter gets his second attack.
If fighters on both sides in a battle were able to attack twice in the round, their first attacks would occur according to the initiative roll. Their second attacks would come after all other attacks, and would then alternate according to the initiative roll.
Spellcasting and Initiative
Casting times for spells can modify initiative rolls, creating a realistic delay for the spellcaster. When a spell’s ”Casting Time” parameter is given as a number without any units (e.g., rounds or turns), then that number is added to the caster’s initiative roll to determine his modified initiative. When a spell requires a round or more to cast, a norrnal initiative roll is not made – a spell requiring one round to cast takes effect at the end of the current round, after all other actions are completed.
Spells that require more than one round to cast involve some bookkeeping. The DM or one of the players must keep track of the rounds spent in casting. If the spellcasting character is disturbed during this time, the spell is lost. If all goes well, the spell takes effect at the very end of the last round of the required casting time. Thus, a spell requiring 10 minutes to cast would require 10 combat rounds, and wouldn’t take effect until the very end of the 10th round.
Weapon Speed and Initiative (Optional Rule)
Each time a character swings a weapon, he places himself out of position to make his next attack. Swinging a hammer is not as simple as tapping in a nail. A war hammer is heavy. Swing it in one direction and it pulls in that direction. It has to be brought under control and repositioned before it can be swung again. The user must regain his balance and plant his feet firmly. Only after doing all this is he ready for his next attack.
Compare how quickly someone can throw a punch to the amount of time required to swing a chair to get a good idea of what weapon speed factors are about.
Weapon speed factors slow the speed of a character’s attack. The higher the weapon speed factor, the heavier, clumsier, or more limited the weapon is. For the most part, weapon speed factors apply to all creatures using manufactured weapons. The speed factor of a weapon is added to the initiative roll of the character to get his modified initiative roll.
Thus, if the DM decides to use weapon speed factors for player characters, they should also be used for giants, orcs, centaurs, and the like. Otherwise the DM isn’t being fair to the players. However, creatures with natural weapons are not affected by weapon speed. Their attacks are natural extensions of their bodies, giving them much faster recovery and reaction times.
Magical Weapon Speeds
Magical weapons are easier to wield in combat than ordinary ones. Maybe the weapon is lighter or better balanced than normal; maybe it just pulls the character into the proper position of its own volition. Whatever the cause, each bonus point conferred by a magical weapon reduces the speed factor of that weapon by 1. (A sword +3 reduces the weapon speed factor by 3, for example.) When a weapon has two bonuses, the lesser one is used. No weapon can have a speed factor of less than 0.
Attacking with Two Weapons
A tricky fighting style available only to warriors and rogues is that of fighting with two weapons simultaneously. The character chooses not to use a shield in favor of another weapon, granting him a greater number of attacks, with a penalty to his attack rolls (rangers are exempt from the attack roll penalty).
When using a second weapon in his off-hand, a character is limited in his weapon choice. His principal weapon can be whatever he chooses, provided it can be wielded with one hand. The second weapon must be smaller in size and weight than the character’s main weapon (though a dagger can always be used as a second weapon, even if the primary weapon is also a dagger). A fighter can use a long sword and a short sword, or a long sword and a dagger, but he cannot use two long swords. Nor can the character use a shield, unless it is kept strapped onto his back.
When attacking, all characters but rangers suffer penalties to their attack rolls. Attacks made with the main weapon suffer a -2 penalty, and attacks made with the second weapon suffer a -4 penalty. The character’s Reaction Adjustment (based on his Dexterity, see Table 2) modifies this penalty. A low Dexterity score will worsen the character’s chance to hit with each attack. A high Dexterity can negate this particular penalty, although it cannot result in a positive modifier on the attack rolls for either weapon (i.e., the Reaction Adjustment can, at best, raise the attack roll penalties to 0).
The use of two weapons enables the character to make one additional attack each combat round, with the second weapon. The character gains only one additional attack each round, regardless of the number of attacks he may normally be allowed. Thus a warrior able to attack 3/2 (once in the first round and twice in the second) can attack 5/2 (twice in the first round and three times in the second).
Attacking Without Killing
There are times when a character wants to defeat another being without killing it. A companion may have been charmed into attacking his friends (and his friends don’t want to kill him to save themselves!); an enemy may have information the PCs can get only by subduing him; characters may simply see the monetary value of bringing back a real, live monster. Whatever the case, sooner or later characters are going to try.
There are three types of nonlethal attacks – punching, wrestling, and overbearing. Punching is basic bare-fisted fighting. Wrestling is the classic combination of grappling, holds, and throws. Overbearing is simply trying to pull down an opponent by sheer mass or weight of numbers, pinning him to the ground.
Punching and Wrestling
These are the most basic of combat skills, unknowingly practiced by almost all children as they rough and tumble with each other. Thus all characters, regardless of class, are assumed to be somewhat proficient in both these forms of fighting.
Punching occurs when a character attacks with his fists. No weapons are used, although the character can wear an iron gauntlet or similar item. Wrestling requires both hands free, unencumbered by shields and the like.
When punching or wrestling, a normal attack roll is made. The normal Armor Class of the target is used. If a character is attempting to wrestle in armor, the modifiers on Table 57 are used (these are penalties to the attacker’s attack roll). Normal modifiers to the attack roll are also applied.
Penalties for being held or attacking a held opponent do not apply to wrestlers.
Wrestling involves a lot of holding and twisting as it is, and the damage resolution system for punching and wrestling takes this into account.
| Table 57: ARMOR MODIFIERS FOR WRESTLING |
| Armor |
Modifier |
| Studded leather |
-1 |
| Chain, ring, and scale mail |
-2 |
| Banded, splint, and plate mail |
-5 |
| Field plate armor |
-8 |
| Full plate armor |
-10 |
If the attack roll is successful, consult Table 58 to find the result of the attack: Cross-index the character’s modified attack roll with the proper attack form. If, for example, a character successfully punched with an 18, the result would be a rabbit punch (if he rolled an 18 on a successful wrestling attempt, the result would be a kick). Punching and wrestling attacks can succeed on attack rolls of 1 or less (exceptions to the general rule).
| Table 58: PUNCHING AND WRESTLING RESULTS |
| Attack Roll |
Punch |
Damage |
% KO |
Wrestle |
| 20 + |
Haymaker |
2 |
10 |
Bear hug * |
| 19 |
Wild swing |
0 |
1 |
Arm twist |
| 18 |
Rabbit punch |
1 |
3 |
Kick |
| 17 |
Kidney punch |
1 |
5 |
Trip |
| 16 |
Glancing blow |
1 |
2 |
Elbow smash |
| 15 |
Jab |
2 |
6 |
Arm lock * |
| 14 |
Uppercut |
1 |
8 |
Leg twist |
| 13 |
Hook |
2 |
9 |
Leg lock |
| 12 |
Kidney punch |
1 |
5 |
Throw |
| 11 |
Hook |
2 |
10 |
Gouge |
| 10 |
Glancing blow |
1 |
3 |
Elbow smash |
| 9 |
Combination |
1 |
10 |
Leg lock |
| 8 |
Uppercut |
1 |
9 |
Headlock * |
| 7 |
Combination |
2 |
10 |
Throw |
| 6 |
Jab |
2 |
8 |
Gouge |
| 5 |
Glancing blow |
1 |
3 |
Kick |
| 4 |
Rabbit punch |
2 |
5 |
Arm lock * |
| 3 |
Hook |
2 |
12 |
Gouge |
| 2 |
Uppercut |
2 |
15 |
Headlock * |
| 1 |
Wild swing |
0 |
2 |
Leg twist |
| Less than 1 |
Haymaker |
2 |
25 |
Bear hug * |
* Hold can be maintained from round to round, until broken.
Punch: This is the type of blow landed. In game terms, the type of blow has little effect, but using the names adds spice to the battle and makes the DM’s job of describing the action easier.
Damage: Bare-handed attacks cause only 1 or 2 points of damage. Metal gauntlets, brass knuckles, and the like cause 1d3 points of damage. A character’s Strength bonus, if any, does apply to punching attacks.
Punching damage is handled a little differently than normal damage. Only 25% of the damage caused by a bare-handed attack is normal damage. The remaining 75% is temporary. For the sake of convenience, record punching damage separately from other damage and calculate the percentage split at the end of all combat.
If a character reaches 0 hit points due to punching attacks (or any combination of punching and normal attacks), he immediately falls unconscious.
A character can voluntarily pull his punch, not caasing any hit point damage, provided he says so before the damage is applied to his enemy. There is still a chance of a knockout.
% K.O.: Although a punch does very litte damage, there is a chance of knocking an opponent out. This chance is listed on the table as “% K.O.” If this number or less is rolled on percentile dice, the victim is stunned for 1d10 rounds.
Wrestle: This lists the action or type of grip the character managed to get. Wrestling moves marked with an asterisk (*) are holds maintained from round to round, unless they are broken. A hold is broken by a throw, a gouge, the assistance of another person, or the successful use of a weapon. (Penalties to the attack roll apply to weapon attacks by a character who is in a hold.)
All wrestling moves inflict 1 point of damage plus Strength bonus (if the attacker desires), while continued holds cause cumulatively 1 more point of damage for each round they are held. A head lock held for six rounds would inflict 21 points of damage total (1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6). Remember, this is the equivalent of pressing hard on a full-nelson headlock for roughly six minutes!
Overbearing
Sometimes the most effective attack is simply to pull an opponent down by sheer numbers. No attempt is made to gain a particular hold or even to harm the victim. The only concern is to pin and restrain him.
To overbear an opponent, a normal attack roll is made. For every level of size difference (1 if a Large attacker takes on a Medium defender (for example), the attack roll is modified by 4 (+4 if the attacker is larger; -4 if the defender is larger).
The defender also gains a benefit if it has more than two legs: a -2 penalty to the attacker’s roll for every leg beyond two. There is no penalty to the defender if it has no legs. A lone orc attempting to pull down a horse and rider would have at least a -8 penalty applied to the attack roll (-4 for size and -4 for the horse’s four legs).
If the attack succeeds, the opponent is pulled down. A character can be pinned if further successful overbearing attacks are rolled each round. For pinning purposes, do not use the prone modifier to combat (from Table 51).
If multiple attackers are all attempting to pull down a single target, make only one attack roll with a +1 bonus for each attacker beyond the first. Always use the to-hit number of the weakest attacker to figure the chance of success, since cooperation always depends on the weakest link. Modifiers for size should be figured for the largest attacker of the group.
A giant and three pixies attempting to pull down a man would use the pixies’ attack roll, modified by +3 for three extra attackers and +8 for the size difference of the giant (Huge) and the man (Medium).
Weapons In Non-Lethal Combat
As you might expect, weapons have their place in non-lethal combat, whether a character is defending or pressing the attack.
Weapons in Defense: A character attempting to punch, wrestle, or overbear an armed opponent can do so only by placing himself at great risk. Making matters worse, an armed defender is automatically allowed to strike with his weapon before the unarmed attack is made, regardless of the initiative die roll. Furthermore, since his opponent must get very close, the defender gains a +4 bonus to his attack and damage rolls. If the attacker survives, he can then attempt his attack.
Those involved in a wrestling bout are limited to weapons of small size after the first round of combat – it’s very difficult to use a sword against someone who is twisting your sword arm or clinging to your back, trying to break your neck. For this reason, nearly all characters will want to carry a dagger or a knife.
Non-Lethal Weapon Attacks: It is possible to make an armed attack without causing serious damage (striking with the flat of the blade, for example). This is not as easy as it sounds, however.
First, the character must be using a weapon that enables him to control the damage he inflicts. This is impossible with an arrow or sling. It isn’t even feasible with a war hammer or mace. It can be done with swords and axes, as long as the blade can be turned so it doesn’t cut.
Second, the character has a -4 penalty to his attack roll, since handling a weapon in this way is clumsier than usual. The damage from such an attack is 50% normal; one-half of this damage is temporary.
Non-Lethal Combat and Creatures
When dealing with non-humanoid opponents, a number of factors must be considered.
First, unintelligent creatures, as a rule, never try to grapple, punch, or pull down an opponent. They cheerfully settle for tearing him apart, limb by limb. This, to thier small and animalistic minds, is a better solution.
Second, the natural weapons of a creature are always usable. Unlike men with swords, a lion or a carnivorous ape doesn’t lose the use of his teeth and fangs just because a character is very close to it.
Finally, and of greatest importance, creatures tend to be better natural fighters than humans. All attacks for a tiger are the same as punching or wrestling. It’s just that the tiger has claws! Furthermore, a tiger can use all of its legs effectively – front and back.
Movement in Combat
Since a round is roughly a minute long, it should be easy for a character to move just about anywhere he wants during the course of the round. After all, Olympic-class sprinters can cover vast amounts of ground in a minute.
However, a character in an AD&D game is not an Olympic sprinter running in a straight line. He is trying to maneuver through a battle without getting killed. He is keeping his eyes open for trouble, avoiding surprise, watching his back, watching the backs of his partners, and looking for a good opening, while simultaneously planning his next move, sometimes through a haze of pain. He may be carrying a load of equipment that slows him down significantly. Because of all these things, the distance a character can move is significantly less than players generally think.
In a combat round, a being can move up to 10 times its movement rating (see Chapter 14) in feet. Thus, if a character has a movement rating of 9, he can move up to 90 feet in a round. However, the types of moves a character can make during combat are somewhat limited.
Movement In Melee
The basic move is to get closer for combat i.e., move close enough to an enemy to attack. This is neither a blind rush nor a casual stroll. Instead, the character approaches quickly but with caution. When closing for combat, a character can move up to half his allowed distance and still make a melee attack.
Movement and Missile Combat
Rather than slug it out toe to toe with an opponent, a character can move up to one-half his normal movement rate and engage in missile fire at half his normal rate of fire. Thus a man capable of moving 120 feet and armed with a long bow (two shots per round, under normal circumstances) could move 60 feet and still fire one shot. The same man, armed with a heavy crossbow (one shot every other round) would be able to shoot only once every four rounds while on the move.
Charging an Opponent
A character can also charge a foe. A charge increases the character’s movement rate by 50% and enables the character to make an attack at the end of his movement. A charging character also gains a +2 bonus to his attack roll, mainly from momentum. Certain weapon(such as a lance) inflict double the rolled damage in a charge.
However, charging gives the opponents several advantages. First, they gain a -2 bonus to their initiative rolls. Second, charging characters gain no Dexterity bonuses to Armor Class and they suffer an AC penalty of 1. Finally, if the defender is using a spear or polearm weapon and sets it against the charge (bracing the butt against a stone or his his foot), he inflicts double damage on a successful hit.
Retreat
To get out of a combat, characters can make a careful withdrawal or they can simply flee.
Withdrawing: When making a withdrawal, a character carefully backs away from his opponent (who can choose to follow). The character moves up to ⅓ his normal movement rate.
If two characters are fighting a single opponent and one of them decides to withdraw, the remaining character can block the advance of the opponent. This is a useful method for getting a seriously injured man out of a combat.
Fleeing: To flee from combat, a character simply turns and runs up to his full movement rate. However, the fleeing character drops his defenses and turns his back to his opponent.
The enemy is allowed a free attack (or multiple attacks if the creature has several attacks per round) at the rear of the fleeing character. This attack is made the instant the character flees: It doesn’t count against the number of attacks that opponent is allowed during the round, and initiative is irrelevant.
The fleeing character can be pursued, unless a companion blocks the advance of the enemy.
Touch Spells and Combat
Many spells used by priests and wizards take effect only when the target is touched by the caster. Under normal circumstances, this is no problem – the spellcaster reaches out and touches the recipient. However, if the target is unwilling, or the spell is used in the midst of a general melee, the situation is much different.
Unwilling Targets: The spellcaster must make a successful attack roll for the spell to have any effect. The wizard or priest calculates his to-hit number normally, according to the intended victim’s Armor Class and other protections. The DM can modify the roll if the victim is unprepared for or unaware of the attack. If the roll succeeds, the spellcaster touches the target and the normal spell effect occurs.
Willing Targets: When attempting to cast a spell on a willing target, the casting is automatic as long as both characters are not engaged in combat. For example, if a fighter withdraws from melee, a cleric could heal him the next round.
If the recipient of the spell attempts to do anything besides waiting for the spell to take effect, and attack roll against AC 10 must be made. However, no AC modifiers for Dexterity are applied, since the target is not trying to avoid the spell!
Whenever a touch spell is successful, the spellcaster suffers from any special defenses of his target, if they are continually in operation. A successful touch to a vampire would not result in energy drain, since the power only works when the vampire wills it, but touching a fire elemental would result in serious burns.
When a touch spell is cast, it normally remains effective only for that round. However, certain spells do specify special conditions or durations. Be sure to check each spell description carefully.
Missile Weapons in Combat
In general, missile combat is handled identically to standard melee. Intentions are announced, initiative is rolled, and attack rolls are made. However, there are some special rules and situations that apply only to missile combat.
Missile weapons are divided into two general categories. The first includes all standard, direct-fire, single-target missiles – slings, arrows, quarrels, spears, throwing axes, and the like.
The second category includes all grenade-like missiles that have an area effect, no matter how small. Thus an attack with these weapons does not have to hit its target directly to have a chance of affecting it. Included in this group are small flasks of oil, acid, poison, holy water, potions, and boulders. Hurled boulders are included because they bounce and bound along after they hit, leaving a swath of destruction.
Range
The first step in making a missile attack is to find the range from the attacker to the target. This is measured in yards from one point to the other. This distance is compared to the range categories for the weapon used (see Table 45 in Chapter 6).
If the distance is greater than the long range given, the target is out of range; if the distance is between the long- and medium-range numbers, the target is at long range; when between the medium- and short-range numbers, medium range is used; when equal to or less than the short-range distance, the target is at short range.
Short-range attacks suffer no range modifier. Medium-range attacks suffer a -2 penalty to the attack roll. Long-range attacks suffer a -5 penalty. Some weapons have no short range since they must arc a certain distance before reaching their target. These attacks are always made with an attack roll penalty.
Rate of Fire
Bows, crossbows, and many other missile weapons have different rates of fire (ROF) – the number of missiles they can shoot in a single round.
Small, light weapons can be thrown very quickly, so up to three darts can be thrown in a single round. Arrows can be nocked and let loose almost as quickly, so up to two shots can be fired in a single round.
Some weapons (such as heavy crossbows) take a long time to load and can be fired only every other round.
Whatever the ROF, multiple missile shots are handled the same way as other multiple attacks for the purposes of determining initiative. The ROF of each missile weapon is listed in Table 45 in Chapter 6.
Ability Modifiers In Missile Combat
Attack roll and damage modifiers for Strength are always used when an attack is made with a hurled weapon. Here the power of the character’s arm is a significant factor in the effectiveness of the attack.
When using a bow, the attack roll and damage Strength modifiers apply only if the character has a properly prepared bow (see Chapter 6: Money and Equipment). Characters never receive Strength bonuses when using crossbows or similar mechanical devices.
Dexterity modifiers to the attack roll are applied when making a missile attack with a hand-held weapon. Thus, a character adds his Dexterity modifier when using a bow, crossbow, or axe but not when firing a trebuchet or other siege engine.
Firing Into a Melee
Missile weapons are intended mainly as long-range weapons. Ideally, they are used before the opponents reach your line. However, ideal situations are all too rare, and characters often discover that the only effective way to attack is to shoot arrows (or whatever) at an enemy already in melee combat with their companions. While possible, and certainly allowed, this is a risky proposition.
When missiles are fired into a melee, the DM counts the number of figures in the immediate area of the intended target. Each Medium figure counts as 1. Small (S) figures count as ½, Large as 2, Huge as 4, and Gargantuan as 6. The total value is compared to the value of each character or creature in the target melee. Using this ratio, the DM rolls a die to determine who (or what) will be the target of the shot.
For example, Tanls Bloodheart (man-size, or 1 point) and Rath (also man-size, or 1 point) are fighting a giant (size G, 6 points) while Thule fires a long bow at the giant. The total value of all possible targets is 8 (6 + 1 + 1). There’s a 1 in 8 chance that Rath is the target; a 1 in 8 chance that Tanis is hit; and a 6 in 8 chance the shot hits the giant. The DM could roll an 8-sided die to determine who gets hit or he could reduce the ratios to a percentage (75% chance the giant is hit, etc.) and roll percentile dice.
Taking Cover Against Missile Fire
One of the best ways to avoid being hit and injured is to hide behind something – a wall, a tree, a building corner, a heap of boulders or whatever happens to be available. Professional adventurers, wishing to make this sound heroic, call this taking cover.
Taking cover doesn’t work particularly well in a melee, since the cover hampers defender and attacker equally. However, it is quite an effective tactic against missile fire.
There are two types of protection a character can have. The first is concealment, also called soft cover. A character hiding behind a clump of bushes is concealed. He can be seen, but only with difficulty, and it’s no easy task to determine exactly where he is. The bushes cannot stop an arrow, but they do make it less likely that the character is hit. Other types of concealment include curtains, tapestries, smoke, fog, and brambles.
The other type of protection is cover, sometimes called, more precisely, hard cover. It is, as its name implies, something a character can hide behind that will block a missile. Hard cover includes stone walls the corner of a building, tables, doors, earth embankments, tree trunks, and magical walls of force.
Cover helps a potential target by giving the attacker a negative modifier to his attack roll. The exact modifier for concealment or cover depends on the degree to which it is being used as shelter. A character who stands behind a two-foot wall is a pretty obvious target, especially when compared to the character who lies down behind that wall and carefully peers over it. Table 59 lists the different modifiers for varying degrees of cover and concealment.
| Table 59: COVER AND CONCEALMENT MODIFIERS |
| Target is: |
Cover |
Concealment |
| 25% hidden |
-2 |
-1 |
| 50% hidden |
-4 |
-2 |
| 75% hidden |
-7 |
-3 |
| 90% hidden |
-10 |
-4 |
Cover also has an affect on saving throws, granting the character the modifier listed on Table 59 as a bonus to his saving throws against spells that cause physical damage (e.g., fireball, lightning bolt, etc.).
Furthermore, a character who has 90% cover (or more) suffers one-half normal damage on a failed save and no damag at all if a saving throw is successful. This assumes, of course, that the fireball, lightning bolt, or whatever, hit the cover – a man crouching behind a stone wall would be protected if a fireball exploded in front of the wall, but would not be protected by cover if the blast occurred behind him, on his side of the wall.
Grenade-Like Missiles
Unlike standard missiles, which target a specific creature, a grenade-like missile is aimed at a point, whether this point is a creature or a spot on the ground. When the attack is announced, the player indicates where he wants the missile to land. This then becomes the target point and is used to determine the direction and distance of any scatter.
Most grenade-like missiles are items of opportunity or necessity – rocks, flasks of oil, vials of holy water, or beakers of acid. As such, these items are not listed on the equipment tables for range, ROF, and damage. The range each can be thrown varies with the Strength of the character and the weight of the object.
A missile of five pounds or less can be thrown about 30 feet. Short range is 10 feet, medium range is 20 feet, and everything beyond is maximum range. Heavier items have reduced ranges. Just how far an object can be thrown is decided by the DM.
Exceptionally heavy items can be thrown only if the character rolls a successful bend bars/lift gates check. In no case can a character throw an item heavier than his Strength would allow him to lift. Thus, the DM can rule that a character would have little trouble chucking a half-empty backpack across a ten-foot chasm, but the character would need to make a check in order to heave an orc ten feet through the air into the faces of his orcish friends.
Once a container hits, it normally breaks immediately. However, this is not always true. Some missiles, like soft leather flasks or hard pottery, are particularly resistant. If there’s some doubt about whether or not a thrown object will break, the DM can require an item saving throw (this information is in the DMG) to see if it shatters or rips, spewing its contents everywhere.
The DMG contains information on how to resolve the inevitable situations in which grenade-like missiles miss their targets.
Types of Grenade-Like Missiles
Acid damage is particularly grim. Aside from the possibility of scarring (which is left to the DM), acid damage cannot be healed by regeneration. It must be healed normally. Thus it is very useful against regenerating creatures such as trolls. Acid is very rare.
Holy Water affects most forms of undead and creatures from the lower planes. It has no effect against a creature in gaseous form or undead without material form.
Unholy water (essentially holy water used by evil priests) affects paladins, creatures whose purpose is to defend good (lammasu, shedu, etc.), and creatures and beings from the upper planes.
Holy (or unholy) water affects creatures as does acid, causing damage that cannot be regenerated but must be healed normally.
Oil causes damage only when it is lit. This normally requires a two-step process – first soaking the target in flammable oil and then setting it afire. Thus using flaming oil often requires two successful attacks.
A direct hit from flaming oil burns for two rounds, causing 2d6 points of damage in the first round and 1d6 points in the second round.
Poison is generally not very effective as a missile weapon. Most poisons take effect only if the missile scores a direct hit, and even then only if it drops into the gaping maw of some huge creature. Contact poisons have normal poison effects on a direct hit. The DM has information about specific poison effects in the DMG.
Special Defenses
So far, the bulk of this chapter has dealt with ways to attack. Now, it’s time to turn to defense. There are several ways to avoid taking damage. Two of the most common are the saving throw and magic resistance. Somewhat less common, because its use is limited to clerics and paladins, is the ability to turn undead.
Parrying (Optional Rule)
During a one-minute combat round, each character is assumed to block many attempted attacks and see many of his own attacks blocked. In normal combat, characters parry all the time – there’s no need to single out each parry.
When a character deliberately chooses not to parry (a mage casting a spell, for instance), his chance of being hit increases. Thus, choosing to parry, in and of itself, is not a separate option under the AD&D® game rules.
At the same time, the assumption is that characters in combat are constantly exposing themselves to some risk – trying to get a clear view of a target or looking for the opening to make an attack. There are times, however, when this is not the case. Sometimes, the only thing a character wants to do is avoid being hit.
In order to make himself harder to hit, a character can parry – forfeit all actions for the round – he can’t attack, move, or cast spells. This frees the character to concentrate solely on defense. At this point, all characters but warriors gain an AC bonus equal to half their level. A 6th-level wizard would have a +3 bonus to his AC (lowering his AC by 3). A warrior gets a bonus equal to half his level plus one. A 6th-level fighter would gain a +4 AC bonus.
Note that the benefit is not a perfect all-around defense, and it’s not effective against rear or missile attacks. It applies only to those characters attacking the defender with frontal melee attacks. This optional defense has no effect against magical attacks, so it wouldn’t do anything to protect a character from the force of a lightning bolt or fireball, for example.
The Saving Throw
The saving throw is a die roll that gives a chance, however slim, that the character or creature finds some way to save himself from certain destruction (or at least lessen the damage of a successful attack).
More often than not, the saving throw represents an instinctive act on the part of the character – diving to the ground just as a fireball scorches the group, blanking the mind just as a mental battle begins; blocking the worst of an acid spray with a shield. The exact action is not important – DMs and players can think of lively and colorful explanations of why a saving throw succeeded or failed. Explanations tailored to the events of the moment enhance the excitement of the game.
Rolling Saving Throws
To make a saving throw , a player rolls a 20-sided die (1d20). The result must be equal to or greater than the character’s saving throw number. The number a character needs to roll varies depending upon the character’s group, his level, and what the character is trying to save himself from. A character’s saving throw numbers can be found in Table 60.
Saving throws are made in a variety of situations: For attacks involving paralyzation, poison, or death magic; petrification or polymorph; rod, staff, or wand; breath weapon; and spells. The type of saving throw a character must roll is determined by the specific spell, monster, magical item, or situation involved.
Monsters also use Table 60. The DM has specific information about monster saving throws.
| Table 60: CHARACTER SAVING THROWS |
| |
|
Attack to be Saved Against |
| Character Class |
Experience Level |
Paralyzation, Poison, or Death Magic |
Rod, Staff, or Wand |
Petrification or Polymorph* |
Breath Weapon** |
Spell*** |
| Priests |
1-3 |
10 |
14 |
13 |
16 |
15 |
| |
4-6 |
9 |
13 |
12 |
15 |
14 |
| |
7-9 |
7 |
11 |
10 |
13 |
12 |
| |
10-12 |
6 |
10 |
9 |
12 |
11 |
| |
13-15 |
5 |
9 |
8 |
11 |
10 |
| |
16-18 |
4 |
8 |
7 |
10 |
9 |
| |
19+ |
2 |
6 |
5 |
8 |
7 |
| Rogues |
1-4 |
13 |
14 |
12 |
16 |
15 |
| |
5-8 |
12 |
12 |
11 |
15 |
13 |
| |
9-12 |
11 |
10 |
10 |
14 |
11 |
| |
13-16 |
10 |
8 |
9 |
13 |
9 |
| |
17-20 |
9 |
6 |
8 |
12 |
7 |
| |
21+ |
8 |
4 |
7 |
11 |
5 |
| Warriors |
0 |
16 |
18 |
17 |
20 |
19 |
| |
1-2 |
14 |
16 |
15 |
17 |
17 |
| |
3-4 |
13 |
15 |
14 |
16 |
16 |
| |
5-6 |
11 |
13 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
| |
7-8 |
10 |
12 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
| |
9-10 |
8 |
10 |
9 |
9 |
11 |
| |
11-12 |
7 |
9 |
8 |
8 |
10 |
| |
13-14 |
5 |
7 |
6 |
5 |
8 |
| |
15-16 |
4 |
6 |
5 |
4 |
7 |
| |
17+ |
3 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
6 |
| Wizards |
1-5 |
14 |
11 |
13 |
15 |
12 |
| |
6-10 |
13 |
9 |
11 |
13 |
10 |
| |
11-15 |
11 |
7 |
9 |
11 |
8 |
| |
16-20 |
10 |
5 |
7 |
9 |
6 |
| |
21+ |
8 |
3 |
5 |
7 |
4 |
* Excluding polymorph wand attacks.
** Excluding those that cause petrification or polymorph.
*** Excluding those for which another saving throw type is specified, such as death, petrification, polymorph, etc.
Saving Throw Priority
Sometimes the type of saving throw required by a situation or item isn’t clear, or more than one category of saving throw may seem appropriate. For this reason, the saving throw categories in
Table 60 are listed in order of importance, beginning with paralyzation, poison, and death magic, and ending with spells.
Imagine that Rath is struck by the ray from a wand of polymorphing. Both a saving throw vs. wands and a saving throw vs. polymorph would be appropriate. But Rath must roll a saving throw vs. wands because that category has a higher priority than polymorph.
The categories of saving throws are as follows:
Save vs. Paralyzation, Poison, and Death Magic: This is used whenever a character is affected by a paralyzing attack (regardless of source), poison (of any strength), or certain spells and magical items that otherwise kill the character outright (as listed in their descriptions). This saving throw can also be used in situations in which exceptional force of will or physical fortitude are needed.
Save vs. Rod, Staff, or Wand: As its name implies, this is used whenever a character is affected by the powers of a rod, staff, or wand, provided another save of higher priority isn’t called for. This saving throw is sometimes specified for situations in which a character faces a magical attack from an unusual source.
Save vs. Petrification or Polymorph: This is used any time a character is turned to stone (petrified) or polymorphed by a monster, spell, or magical item (other than a wand). It can also be used when the character must withstand some massive physical alteration of his entire body.
Save vs. Breath Weapon: A character uses this save when facing monsters with breath weapons, particularly the powerful blast of a dragon. This save can also be used in situations where a combination of physical stamina and Dexterity are critical factors in survival.
Save vs. Spell: This is used whenever a character attempts to resist the effects of a magical attack, either by a spellcaster or from a magical item, provided no other type of saving throw is specified. This save can also be used to resist an attack that defies any other classification.
Voluntarily falling Saving Throws
No save is made if the target voluntarily chooses not to resist the effect of a spell or special attack. This is the case even if the character was duped as to the exact nature of the spell. When a character announces that he is not resisting the spell’s power, that spell (or whatever) has its full effect.
The intention not to resist must be clearly stated or set up through trickery, however. If a character is attacked by surprise or caught unawares, he is normally allowed a saving throw. The DM can modify this saving throw, making the chance of success worse, if the situation warrants it. Only in extreme cases of trickery and deception should an unwitting character be denied a saving throw.
Ability Checks as Saving Throws
When a character attempts to avoid danger through the use of one of his abilities, an ability check can be used in lieu of a saving throw.
For example, Ragnar the thief has broken into someone’s home when he hears a grating noise from the ceiling above him. He looks up to find a five-ton block of the ceiling headed straight for him! He is going to need speedy reactions to get out of the way, so a Dexterity ability check should be rolled to see if he avoids the trap.
Modifying Saving Throws
Saving throws can be modified by magical items, specific rules, and special situations. These modifiers can increase or decrease the chance of a successful saving throw.
Modifiers that increase the chance are given as a number preceded by a plus sign. Modifiers that make success more difficult are given as a number preceded by a minus sign (-1, – 2 , etc.).
Saving throw modifiers affect a character’s die roll, not the saving throw number needed. Thus, if Delsenora needed an 11 for a successful saving throw vs. petrification and had a +1 bonus to her save, she would still need to roll an 11 or higher after all adjustments were made (but the +1 bonus would be added to her die roll, so that effectively she needs to roll only a 10 on the die to reach her saving throw number of 11).
High ability scores in Dexterity and Wisdom sometimes give saving throw bonuses. A high Wisdom protects against illusions, charms, and other mental attacks. Dexterity, if high enough, can give a character a slightly higher chance of avoiding the effects of fireballs, lightning bolts, crushing boulders, and other attacks where nimbleness may be a help. (See Tables 2 and 5.)
Magical items like cloaks and rings of protection give bonuses to a character’s saving throw (these are listed in the item descriptions in the DMG).
Magical armor allows a saving throw bonus only when the save is made necessary by something physical, whether normal or magical; magical armor never gives a saving throw bonus against gas (which it cannot block), poison (which operates internally), and spells that are mental in nature or that cause no physical damage.
For example, magical armor would not help a character’s saving throw against the sting of a giant scorpion, the choking effects of a stinking cloud spell, or the transformation effect of a polymorph other spell. Magical armor does extend its protective power to saving throws against acid sprays or splashes, disintegration, magical and normal fires, spells that cause damage, and falls (if any saving throw is allowed in this case). Other situations must be handled on a case-by-case basis by the DM.
Specific spells and magical items have effects, both good and ill, on a character’s saving throws. Often, spells force the victim to save with a penalty, which makes even the most innocuous spell quite dangerous. (Specific information can be found in the spell descriptions, for spells, or in the DMG‘s Magical Items section, for magical items.)
Minor poisons of verminous creatures such as giant centipedes, while dangerous, are weak and unlikely to bring about death in a healthy man. To recreate this effect in the game, a saving throw bonus is allowed for anyone affected by these poisons. The DM has this information.
Unpredictable situations are sure to crop up. When this happens, the DM must determine whether saving throw modifiers are appropriate. As a guideline, modifiers for situations should range from -4 to +4. An evil cleric attacked in his shrine could very well have a +3 bonus to all his saving throws and a -3 penalty applied to those of his enemies. The powerful evil of the place could warrant the modifier.
Magic Resistance
Some creatures or items strongly resist the effects of magic (or impart such resistance to others). This makes them more difficult to affect with magical energy than ordinary creatures or items.
A rare few creatures are extremely anti-magical – magic rolls off them like water off a duck’s back. More common are creatures especially from the outer planes of existence, that live in enchanted or sorcerous lands and are filled with powerful magical energies. These creatures eat and breathe the vapors of wizardry, and they have a high tolerance against arcane power.
Magic resistance is an innate ability – that is, the possessor does not have to do anything special to use it. The creature need not even be aware of the threat for his magic resistance to operate . Such resistance is part of the creature or item and cannot be separated from it. (Creatures, however, can voluntarily lower their magic resistance at will.)
Magic resistance is also an individual ability. A creature with magic resistance cannot impart this power to others by holding their hands or standing in their midst. Only the rarest of creatures and magical items have the ability to bestow magic resistance upon another.
Magic resistance is given as a percentile number. For a magical effect to have any chance of success, the magic resistance must be overcome. The target (the one with the magic resistance) rolls percentile dice. If the roll is higher than the creature’s magic resistance, the spell has a normal effect. If the roll is equal to or less than the creature’s magic resistance, the spell has absolutely no effect on the creature.
Effects of Magic Resistance
Magic resistance enables a creature to ignore the effects of spells and spell-like powers. It does not protect the creature from magical weapon attacks or from natural forces that may be a direct or accidental result of a spell. Nor does it prevent the protected creature from using his own abilities or from casting spells and using magical items. It can be effective against both individually targeted spells and, within limits, area-effect spells.
If a magic resistance roll fails, and the spell has normal effect, the target can make all saving throws normally allowed against the spell.
When Magic Resistance Applies
Magic resistance applies only if the successful casting of a spell would directly affect the resistant creature or item. Thus, magic resistance is effective against magic missile (targeted at a creature or item) or fireball (damaging the area the creature or item is in) spells.
Magic resistance is not effective against an earthquake caused by a spell. While the creature may suffer injury or death falling into a chasm the spell opens under its feet, the magical energy of the spell was directed at the ground, not the creature. Magic resistant creatures are not immune to events that occur as the consequence of spells, only to the direct energy created or released by a spell.
Player characters do not normally have magic resistance (though they stlll get saving throws vs. magical spells and such); this ability is reserved mainly for special monsters.
Successful Magic Resistance Rolls
A successful magic resistance check can have four different results, depl’tlding on the nature of the spell being resisted:
Individually Targeted Spells: By definition, these spells affect just one creature, and only the targeted creature rolls for magic resistance (if it has any). If a spell of this type is directed at several targets, each rolls independently of the others. (An example of this would be a hold person spell aimed at four creatures, with each creature gettlng a magic resistance roll, if they have magic resistance.)
If the magic resistance roll is successful, the spell has no effect on that creature. If the spell is targeted only at the creature, the spell fails completely and disappears. If severa! targets are involved, the spell may still affect others who fail their magic resistance roll.
Area-Effect Spells: These spells are not targeted on a single creature, but on a point. The spell’s effect encompasses everything within a set distance of that point. A successful magic resistance check enables the creature to ignore the effect of the spell. However, the spell is not negated and still applies to all others in the area of effect.
In-Place Spells: These spells operate continuously in a particular place or on a particular creature, character, or item. Protection from evil is one example of this kind of spell.
Magic resistance comes into play only if a creature or item finds himself (or itself) in the place where the spell is in operation. Even then, magic resistance may not come into play – nothing happens if the spell isn’t of a type that affects the character. Thus, a part water spell would not collapse simply because a magic resistant creature walked through the area. A protection from evil spell, which could affect the creature, would be susceptible to magic resistance.
If the DM determines that a magic resistance roll is appropriate, and the roll succeeds, the in-place spell collapses (usually with a dramatic thunderclap and puff of smoke).
Permanent Spells: Magic resistance is insufficient to destroy a permanent spell. Instead, the spell is negated (within the same guidelines given for in-place spells) for as long as the magic resistant creature is in the area of effect.
Thus, a magic-resistant creature might be able to step through a permanent wall of force as if it weren’t there. However, the wall would spring back into existence as soon as the creature passed through (i.e., no one else can pass through).
Turning Undead
One important, and potentially life-saving, combat ability available to priests and paladins is the ability to turn undead. This is a special power granted by the character’s deity. Druids cannot turn undead; priests of specific mythoi may be able to at the DM’s option.
Through the priest or paladin, the deity manifests a portion of its power, terrifying evil, undead creatures or blasting them right out of existence. However, since the power must be channeled through a mortal vessel, success is not always assured.
When encountering undead, a priest or paladin can attempt to turn the creatures (remember that the paladin turns undead as if he was two levels lower – a 5th-level paladin uses the level 3 column in Table 61). Only one attempt can be made per character per encounter, but several different characters can make attempts at the same time (with the results determined individually).
Attempting to turn counts as an action, requiring one round and occurring during the character’s turn in the initiative order (thus the undead may get to act before the character can turn them). The mere presence of the character is not enough – a touch of drama from the character is important. Speech and gestures are important, so the character must have his hands free and be in a position to speak. However, turning is not like spellcasting and is not interrupted if the character is attacked during the attempt.
| Table 61: TURNING UNDEAD |
| |
Level of Priest† |
| Type or Hit Dice of Undead |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10-11 |
12-13 |
14+ |
| Skeleton or 1 HD |
10 |
7 |
4 |
T |
T |
D |
D |
D* |
D* |
D* |
D* |
D* |
| Zombie |
13 |
10 |
7 |
4 |
T |
T |
D |
D |
D* |
D* |
D* |
D* |
| Ghoul or 2 HD |
16 |
13 |
10 |
7 |
4 |
T |
T |
D |
D |
D* |
D* |
D* |
| Shadow or 3-4 HD |
19 |
16 |
13 |
10 |
7 |
4 |
T |
T |
D |
D |
D* |
D* |
| Wight or 5 HD |
20 |
19 |
16 |
13 |
10 |
7 |
4 |
T |
T |
D |
D |
D* |
| Ghast |
– |
20 |
19 |
16 |
13 |
10 |
7 |
4 |
T |
T |
D |
D |
| Wraith or 6 HD |
– |
– |
20 |
19 |
16 |
13 |
10 |
7 |
4 |
T |
T |
D |
| Mummy or 7 HD |
– |
– |
– |
20 |
19 |
16 |
13 |
10 |
7 |
4 |
T |
T |
| Spectre or 8 HD |
– |
– |
– |
– |
20 |
19 |
16 |
13 |
10 |
7 |
4 |
T |
| Vampire or 9 HD |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
20 |
19 |
16 |
13 |
10 |
7 |
4 |
| Ghost or 10 HD |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
20 |
19 |
16 |
13 |
10 |
7 |
| Lich or 11+ HD |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
20 |
19 |
16 |
13 |
10 |
| Special ** |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
20 |
19 |
16 |
13 |
* An additional 2d4 creatures of this type are turned.
** Special creatures include unique undead, free-willed undead of the Negative Material plane, certain Greater and Lesser Powers, and those undead that dwell in the outer planes.
† Paladins turn undead as priests who are two levels lower.
To resolve a turning attempt, look on Table 61. Cross-index the Hit Dice or type of the undead with the level of the character (two levels lower for a paladin). If there is a number listed, roll 1d20. If the number rolled is equal to or greater than that listed, the attempt is successful. If the letter “T” (for “turned”) appears, the attempt is automatically successful without a die roll. If the letter “D” (for ”dispel”) is given, the turning utterly destroys the undead. A dash (–) means that a priest or paladin of that level cannot turn that type of undead. A successful turn or dispel affects 2d6 undead. If the undead are a mixed group, the lowest Hit Dice creatures are turned first.
Only one die is rolled regardless of the number of undead the character is attempting to turn in a given round. The result is read individually for each type of undead.
For example, Gorus, a 7th-level priest, and his party are attacked by two skeletons led by a wight and a spectre. The turning attempt is made, resulting in a roll of 12.
Gorus’s player reads the table for all three types of undead using the same roll – 12 – for all three. The skeletons are destroyed (as Gorus knew they would be). The wight is turned (a 4 or better was needed) and flees. The spectre, however, continues forward undaunted (since a 16 was needed to turn the spectre).
Turned undead bound by the orders of another (e.g., skeletons) simply retreat and allow the character and those with him to pass or complete their actions.
Free-willed undead attempt to flee the area of the turning character, until out of his sight. If unable to escape, they circle at a distance, no closer than ten feet to the character, provided he continues to maintain his turning (no further die rolls are needed).
If the character forces the free-willed undead to come closer than ten feet (by pressing them into a corner, for example) the turning is broken and the undead attack normally.
Evil Priests and Undead
Evil priests are normally considered to be in league with undead creatures, or at least to share their aims and goals. Thus, they have no ability to tum undead. However, they can attempt to command these beings.
This is resolved in the same way as a turning attempt. Up to 12 undead can be commanded. A “T” result means the undead automatically obey the evil priest, while a “D” means the undead become completely subservient to the evil priest. They follow his commands (to the best of their ability and understanding) until turned, commanded, or destroyed by another.
Evil priests also have the ability to affect paladins, turning them as if they were undead. However, since the living spirit of a paladin is far more difficult to quell and subvert, paladins are vastly more difficult to tum.
An evil priest attempting to tum a paladin does so as if the priest were three levels lower than he actually is. Thus, a 7th-level evil priest would tum paladins on the 4th-level column. He would have only a slim chance of turning a 7th-level paladin (7 HD) and would not be able to tum one of 8th level at all (using the level of the paladin as the HD to be turned). All “D” results against paladins are treated as “T” results.
Injury and Death
Sometimes, no degree of luck, skill, ability, or resistance to various attacks can prevent harm from coming to a character. The adventuring life carries with it unavoidable risks. Sooner or later a character is going to be hurt.
To allow characters to be heroic (and for ease of play), damage is handled abstractly in the AD&D game. All characters and monsters have a number of hit points. The more hit points a creature has , the harder it is to defeat.
Damage is subtracted from a character’s (or creature’s) hit points. Should one of the player characters hit an ogre in the side of the head for 8 points of damage, those 8 points are subtracted from the ogre’s total hit points. The damage isn’t applied to the head, or divided among different areas of the body.
Hit point loss is cumulative until a character dies or has a chance to heal his wounds.
Cwell the Fine, with 16 hit points, is injured by an orc that causes 3 points of damage. Fifteen minutes later, Cwell runs into a bugbear that inflicts 7 points of damage. Cwell has suffered 10 points of damage. The 10 points of damage remains until Cwell heals either naturally or through magical means.
Wounds
When a character hits a monster, or vice versa, damage is suffered by the victim. The amount of damage depends on the weapon or method of attack. In Table 44 of Chapter 6, all weapons are rated for the amount of damage they inflict to Small, Medium, and Large targets. This is given as a die range (1d8, 2d6, etc.).
Each time a hit is scored, the appropriate dice are rolled and the damage is subtracted from the current hit points of the target. An orc that attacks with a sword, for example, causes damage according to the information given for the type of sword it uses. A troll that bites once and rends with one of its clawed hands causes 2d6 points of damage with its bite and 1d4 +4 points with its claw. (The DM gets this information from the Monstrous Compendium.)
Sometimes damage is listed as a die range along with a bonus of +1 or more. The troll’s claw attack, above, is a good example. This bonus may be due to high Strength, magical weapons, or the sheer ferocity of the creature’s attack. The bonus is added to whatever number comes up on the die roll, assuring that some minimum amount of damage is caused. Likewise. penalties can also be applied, but no successful attack can result in less than 1 point of damage.
Sometimes an attack has both a die roll and a damage multiplier. The number rolled on the dice is multiplied by the multiplier to determine how much damage is inflicted. This occurs mainly in backstabbing attempts. In cases where damage is multiplied, only the base damage caused by the weapon is multiplied. Bonuses due to Strength or magic are not multiplied; they are added after the rolled damage is multiplied.
Special Damage
Getting hit by weapons or monsters isn’t the only way a character can get hurt. Indeed, the world is full of dangers for poor, hapless player characters, dangers the DM can occasionally spring on them with glee. Some of the nastier forms of damage are described below.
Falling
Player characters have a marvelous (and, to the DM, vastly amusing) tendency to fall off things, generally from great heights and almost always onto hard surfaces. While the falling is harmless, the abrupt stop at the end tends to cause damage.
When a character falls, he suffers 1d6 point ot damage for every 10 teet fallen, to a maximum ot 20d6 (which for game purposes can be considered terminal velocity).
This method is simple and it provides all the realism necessary in the game. It is not a scientific calculation of the rate of acceleration, exact terminal velocity, mass, impact energy, etc., of the falling body.
The fact of the matter is that physical laws may describe the exact motion of a body as it fall through space, but relatively little is known about the effects of impact. The distance fallen is not the only determining factor in how badly a person is hurt. Other factors may include elasticity of the falling body and the ground, angle of impact, shock wave through the falling body, dumb luck, and more.
People have actually fallen from great heights and survived, albeit very rarely. The current record-holder, Vesna Vulovic, survived a fall from a height of 33,330 feet in 1972, although she was severely injured. Flight-Sergeant Nicholas S. Alkemade actually fell 18,000 feet – almost 3.5 miles – without a parachute and landed uninjured!
The point of all this is roll the dice, as described above, and don’t worry too much about science.
Paralysis
A character or creature affected by paralysis becomes totally immobile for the duration of the spell’s effect. The victim can breathe, think, see, and hear, but he is unable to speak or move in any manner. Coherent thought needed to trigger magical items or innate powers is still possible.
Paralysis affects only the general motor functions of the body and is not the ultimate destroyer of powerful creatures. It can be particularly potent on flying creatures, however.
An Example of Paralysis: The adventurers encounter a beholder, a fearsome creature with magical powers that emanate from its many eyes.
After several rounds of combat, the party’s priest casts a hold monster spell, paralyzing the creature. The paralyzed beholder can still use the spell-like powers of its eyes and can still move about (since it levitates at will). But, on the other hand, it is not able to move its eyestalks to aim. Since all of its eyes were most likely facing forward at the moment of paralysis, the adventurers cleverly spread out in a ring around the creature. To attack one or two of them with its powers, the beholder must turn its back on the rest.
Energy Drain
This is a feature of powerful undead (and other particularly nasty monsters). The energy drain is a particularly horrible power, since it causes the loss of one or more experience levels!
When a character is hit by an energy-draining creature, he suffers normal damage from the attack. In addition, the character loses one or more levels (and thus Hit Dice and hit points). For each level lost, roll the Hit Dice appropriate to the character’s class and subtract that number of hit points from the character’s total (subtract the Constitution bonus also, if applicable). If the level(s) lost was one in which the character received a set number of hit points rather than a die roll, subtract the appropriate number of hit points. The adjusted hit point total is now the character’s maximum (i.e., hit points lost by energy drain are not taken as damage but are lost permanently).
The character’s experience points drop to halfway between the minimum needed for his new (post-drain) level and the minimum needed for the next level above his new level.
Multi-class and dual-class characters lose their highest level first. If both levels are equal, the one requiring the greater number of experience points is lost first.
All powers and abilities gained by the player character by virtue of his former level are immediately lost, including spells. The character must instantly forget any spells that are in excess of those allowed for his new level. In addition, a wizard loses all understanding of spells in his spell books that are of higher level than he can now cast. Upon regaining his previous level, the spellcaster must make new rolls to see if he can relearn a spell, regardless of whether he knew it before.
If a character is drained to 0th level but still retains hit points (i.e., he is still alive), that character’s adventuring career is over. He cannot regain levels and has lost all benefits of a character class. The adventurer has become an ordinary person. A restoration or wish spell can be used to allow the character to resume his adventuring career. If a 0th-level character suffers another energy drain, he is slain instantly, regardless of the number of hit points he has remaining.
If the character is drained to less than 0 levels (thereby slain by the undead), he returns as an undead of the same type as his slayer in 2d4 days. The newly risen undead has the same character class abilities it had in normal life, but with only half the experience it had at the beginning of its encounter with the undead who slew it.
The new undead is automatically an NPC! His goals and ambitions are utterly opposed to those he held before. He possesses great hatred and contempt for his former colleagues, weaklings who failed him in his time of need. Indeed, one of his main ambitions may be to destroy his former companions or cause them as much grief as possible.
Furthermore, the newly undead NPC is under the total control of the undead who slew it. If this master is slain, its undead minions gain one level for each level they drain from victims until they reach the maximum Hit Dice for their kind. Upon reaching full Hit Dice, these undead are able to acquire their own minions (by slaying characters).
Appropriate actions on the part of the other player characters can prevent a drained comrade from becoming undead. The steps necessary vary with each type of undead and are explained in the monster descriptions in the Monstrous Compendium.
Poison
This is an all-too frequent hazard faced by player characters. Bites, stings, deadly potions, drugged wines, and bad food all await characters at the hands of malevolent wizards, evil assassins, hideous monsters, and incompetent innkeepers. Spiders, snakes, centipedes, scorpions, wyverns, and certain giant frogs all have poisons deadly to characters. Wise PCs quickly learn to respect and fear such creatures.
The strength of different poisons varies wildly and is frequently overestimated. The bite of the greatly feared black widow spider kills a victim in the United States only once every other year. Only about 2% of all rattlesnake bites prove fatal.
At the other extreme, there are natural poisons of intense lethality. Fortunately, such poisons tend to be exotic and rare – the golden arrow-poison frog, the western taipan snake, and the stonefish all produce highly deadly poisons.
Furthermore, the effect of a poison depends on how it is delivered. Most frequently, it must be injected into the bloodstream by bite or sting. Other poisons are only effective if swallowed; assassins favor these for doctoring food. By far the most deadly variety, however, is contact poison, which need only touch the skin to be effective.
Paralytic poisons leave the character unable to move for 2d6 hours. His body is limp, making it difficult for others to move him. The character suffers no other ill effects from the poison, but his condition can lead to quite a few problems for his companions. Debilitating poisons weaken the character for 1d3 days. All of the character’s ability scores are reduced by half during this
time. All appropriate adjustments to attack rolls, damage, Armor Class, etc., from the lowered ability core are applied during the course of the illness. Furthermore, the character moves at one-half his normal movement rate. Finally, the character cannot heal by normal or magical means until the poison is neutralized or the duration of the debilitation is elapsed.
Treating Poison Victims
Fortunately, there are many ways a character can be treated for poison. Several spells exist that either slow the onset time, enabling the character the chance to get further treatment, or negate the poison entirely. However, cure spells (including heal) do not negate the progress of a poison, and neutralize poison doesn’t recover hit points already lost to the effects of poison. In addition, characters with herbalism proficiency can take steps to reduce the danger poison presents to player characters.
Healing
Once a character is wounded, his player will naturally want to get him healed. Characters can heal either by natural or magical means. Natural healing is slow, but it’s available to all characters, regardless of class. Magical healing may or may not be available, depending on the presence (or absence) of spellcasters or magical devices.
The only limit to the amount of damage a character can recover through healing is the total hit points the character has. A character cannot exceed this limit until he gains a new level, whereupon another Hit Die (or a set number of points) is added to his total. Healing can never restore more hit points to a character than his maximum hit point total.
Natural Healing
Characters heal naturally at a rate of 1 hit point per day of rest. Rest is defined as low activity – nothing more strenuous than riding a horse or traveling from one place to another. Fighting, running in fear, lifting a heavy boulder, or any other physical activity, prevents resting, since it strains old wounds and may even reopen them.
If a character has complete bed rest (doing nothing for an entire day), he can regain 3 hit points for the day. For each complete week of bed rest, the character can add any Constitution hit point bonus he might have to the base of 21 points (3 points per day) he regained during that week.
In both cases above, the character is assumed to be getting adequate food, water, and sleep. If these are lacking, the character does not regain any hit points that day.
Magical Healing
Healing spells, potions, and magical devices can speed the process of healing considerably. The specifics of such magical healing methods are described in the spell description in the book and in the DMG (for magical Items). By using these methods, wounds close instantly and vigor is restored. The effects are immediate.
Magical healing is particularly useful in the midst of combat or in preparation for a grievous encounter. Remember, however, that the characters’ opponents are just as likely to have access to magical healing as the player characters – an evil high priest is likely to carry healing spells to bestow on his own followers and guards. Healing is not, of itself, a good or evil act.
Remember that under no circumstances can a character be healed to a point greater than his original hit point total. For example, say a character has 30 hit points but suffers 2 points of damage in a fight. A while later, he takes an additional point of damage, bringing his current hit point total to 27. A spell caster couldn’t restore more than 3 points to him, regardless of the healing method used. Any excess points are lost.
Herbalism & Healing Proficiencies
Characters can also gain minor healing benefits from those proficient in the arts of herbalism and healing. These talents are explained in Chapter 5.
Character Death
When a character reaches 0 hit points, that character is slain. The character is immediately dead and unable to do anything unless some specialized magical effect takes precedence.
Death From Poison
Poison complicates this situation, somewhat. A character who dies as a result of poisoning may still have active venom in his system.
Poisons remain effective for 2d6 hours after the death of the victim. If the character is raised during this time, some method must be found to neutralize the poison before the character is restored to life. If this is not done, then after the character rolls the resurrection survival check as given in “Raising the Dead” on page 106 (and assuming the roll is successful), he must immediately roll a successful saving throw vs. poison or suffer all the effects of the poison in his body, as per the normal rules. This may only injure some characters, but it may kill other characters seconds after being raised!
Death From Massive Damage
In addition to dying when hit points reach 0, a character also runs the risk of dying abruptly when he suffers massive amounts of damage. A character who suffers 50 or more points of damage from a single attack must roll a successful saving throw vs. death, or he dies.
This applies only if the damage was done by a single attack. Multiple attacks totaling 50 points in a single round don’t require a saving throw.
For example, a character would be required to make a check if a dragon breathed on him for 72 points of damage. He wouldn’t have to do so if eight orcs hit him for a total of 53 points of damage in that round.
If the saving throw is successful, the character remains alive (unless of course the 50-hit-point loss reduced his hit points to 0 or below!). If the saving throw fails, the character immediately dies from the intense shock his body has taken. His hit points are reduced to 0.
The character may still be raised in the normal ways, however.
Inescapable Death
There are occasions when death is unavoidable, no matter how many hit points a character has. A character could be locked in a room with no exits, with a 50-ton ceiling descending to crush him. He could be trapped in an escape-proof box filled completely with acid. These examples are extreme (and extremely grisly), but they could happen in a fantasy world.
Raising the Dead
Curative and healing spells have no effect on a dead character – he can only be returned to life with a raise dead or resurrection spell (or a device that accomplishes one of these effects). Each time a character is returned to life, the player must make a resurrection survival roll based on his current Constitution (see Table 3). If the die roll is successful (i. e., the player rolls equal to or less than his resurrection survival percentage), the character is restored to life in whatever condition is specified by the spell or device.
A character restored to life in this way has his Constitution permanently lowered by 1 point. This can affect hit points previously earned. Should the character’s Constitution bonus go down, the character’s hit point total is reduced by the appropriate number of hit points (the amount of hit point bonus lost is multiplied by the number of levels for which the character gained extra hit points from that bonus). When the characters Constitution drops to 0, that character can no longer be raised. He is permanently removed from play.
