Prior to combat, each side must check to see if they were surprised. That side is surprised if 1 or 2 is rolled on a 6-sided die.
If one side is surprised and the other isn’t, the active side gains one free round to do as they please, and attacks at +2 to-hit. Any gawpers so struck will drop anything held in-hand on a 2 or less on a 6 sided die. Those surprised may act normally in the second combat round.
Combat proceeds in Dexterity order [Holmes Basic] in a series of discreet phases [Houserule]. All actions in one phase are completed prior to the next phase beginning, ie. all combat eligible to occur in the attack phase is resolved prior to any movement.
It is possible, but usually pointless, to delay actions to another phase (eg. attacking in the movement or magic phases).
Everyone states what they’re doing, including specifying the targets of their attacks, attack options, movement, any spells to be cast, et cetera.
If a formal procedure is desirable, this occurs in reversed Intelligence order, ie. intelligent characters are better able to understand, and thus respond to, stupid character’s actions.
Attacks made while stationary are resolved. This includes most missile fire.
All declared movement occurs. Any attacks eligible to occur in this phase are resolved immediately after that character’s movement, including but not limited to attacks made after charging.
Magic spells cast by Magic-Users and magically inclined monsters now their effects are resolved.
Wands, rods, and other magic devices are ‘weapons’ and not ‘spells’; their effects are resolved in the earlier phases.
Attacks are rolled on a 20 sided die. Hits are made when the sum of the 20 sided die + the attacking character’s combat bonus (as per their class and level) + any applicable weapon bonuses (magical pluses, as per the weapon vs. armour values, etc.) + the target’s Armour Class is equal to 19 or higher.
All hits, except when otherwise noted, cause 1-6 points of damage.
A character attacking multiple times in one round is unable to utilise their full combat bonus when doing so. Fighters must attack as though they are first level and monsters and other character types must attack with a combat bonus of 0.
Weapon modifiers still apply.
Any attacker may take a -5 penalty to their attack roll, or -3 if the target is a human who is not wearing a helmet [Homebrew], (representing a ‘called shot’, extremely hard swing, etc.) in order to do an additional 1-6 damage to their opponent [7VoZ]. This option can be taken up to three times, for a total penalty of -15 and an additional 3-18 damage (for a total of 4-24, including the base damage die). This is in addition to the extra damage caused by a ‘natural 20’.
This option may not be taken when the penalty would increase the number required to hit to 20 or above.
This is a particularly valuable option for Thieves when they are attacking from surprise!
Adds an additional +2 to hit [AD&D 1st Edition]. Shields obviously do not help the victim. This is already factored into the Thief ‘attack from surprise’ bonus!
If a character is prone but awake and lively, the offender gets a +4 to his to-hit roll. Any character that is truly helpless – hands and feet tied, asleep, paralysed, etc. – can simply be killed by any potential assassin [AD&D].
Melee may be initiated in one of two ways – cautiously, or by charging. Both approaches are made in the Movement Phase of the round.
A combatant who approaches cautiously may not attack until the next round, but is subject to no counterattack.
A charging combatant may move up to his full movement [Homebrew] and may attack at +2 to hit. He is also subject to an immediate counterattack, at the base attack value of the defender [AD&D 1st Edition]. Note also that the weapon length rules are in effect, so during this exchange of blows the wielder of the longer weapon makes their attack first.
Polearm or spear wielders may also ‘set’ their weapons to receive a charging character (this must be declared and will occur in the Attack phase of the round). If the charging character is hit by the counterattack, they will suffer an additional 1-6 points of damage (2-12 total).
A ‘natural 20’ on a melee attack roll adds an additional 1-6 damage to the victim, at the risk of the attacker’s weapon breaking [7VoZ]. This stacks with any extra damage the character is entitled to.
The attacker must, after determining how much damage the defender took, immediately make a ‘save vs. breakage’ roll, as per that specific weapon’s inherent quality. Failure means the weapon has broken and must be discarded.
Please note that a ‘natural 20’ is not an automatic hit! It is sometimes impossible to hit an opponent.
Longer weapons always attack first, regardless of the Dexterity of the antagonists. Naturally this only matters when combatants are subject to mutual attacks [Homebrew]!
Shorter, lighter weapons, however, may attack the wielder of the longer weapon twice (assuming they survive the first blow), subject to the normal multiple attacks rules. The wielder may therefore prefer to forgo this option in order to make use of their full combat bonus.
A character may elect to parry/fight defensively – their opponent thusly suffers a -4 penalty to hit. This penalty may not increase the total required to hit beyond 20 (ie. parrying cannot make it impossible to hit a target).
If the attacker would have struck the defender if not for the penalty, and their weapon is heavier, the defender is disarmed.
If the attacker would have missed regardless of the roll and the defender’s weapon is the lighter of the two, the defender may counterattack once immediately, with an additional bonus of +3 to hit, representing the fact the opponent’s weapon is now ‘spent’ immediately following an attack [Homebrew].
A character wielding two weapons may choose which he will attack with each round; effectively allowing him to use the most advantageous combination of modifiers and/or weapon length for his purposes.
He must also declare which weapon is being used to parry, when choosing that option. He may therefore elect to risk dropping his weapon in exchange for the potential of a counterattack.
Most intelligent creatures, and some less intelligent ones, can be subdued if so desired by an attacker – this entails striking with the flat of a blade, pulling blows, pommel strikes, etc. This obviously must be declared prior to the attack.
Subdual damage is tracked separately from killing damage, and this total is compared at the end of any round in which subdual damage was sustained to the subduee’s hit point maximum. The referee or controller of that character (in the case of eg. friendly NPCs) must then determine the percentage of total damage taken, and a roll below that number on percentile dice indicates the creature so victimised will surrender.
Subdued creatures can be pressed into service temporarily (appropriate promises, bribes, etc. will be necessary), sold to the highest bidder in the case of rare beasts, etc.
If a man-type wishes to grapple and pin an opponent, he must first make a successful attack roll in order to approach the creature in question – unless that creature is wholly unarmed or is otherwise unwilling to use lethal force. Note that only six men may grapple one man-sized creature at once.
Once this has been achieved, each character involved in the brawl must roll 6-sided dice equal to their hit dice (not level); the attacker(s) and defender compare totals, and if the attacker(s) win, the defender is pinned and helpless; if the defender wins, the attacker(s) are thrown back 1” and may not attempt to grapple again in the next round.
Each ranged weapon has a listed short, medium and long range, and differs in efficacy at these ranges based on the armour type being attacked. In the relevant weapons table, there are three distinct numbers under the armour type modifiers; the first is the modifier for short range, the second medium, and the third long. For example, here is the entry for thrown daggers:
| Name | None (S / M / L) |
Leather (S / M / L) |
Chain (S / M / L) |
Plate (S / M / L) |
Cost (Silver) | Encumbrance | Short | Medium | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dagger | 0 / -1 / -4 | 0 / -1 / -4 | -2 / -4 / -7 | -3 / -6 / -9 | 4 | o | 10’ | 20’ | 30’ |
A dagger uses the short ranged modifiers at up to 10’ distance from
the target, the medium range modifiers at up to 20’, and the long range
modifiers at up to 30’ distance. Therefore, throwing a dagger at a
Knight in plate armour at 8’ distance incurs a -3 penalty to the attack
roll ; at 15’ distance, -6; and 30’ distance, -9.
[Based on
Greyhawk]
Ranged weapons are not capable of making multiple attacks except as a property of the weapon. Thrown daggers and bows (long and short) are both capable of attacking twice per turn if the attacker remains stationary; the first attack will take place during the first attack phase of the round, the second during the movement phase.
Users of bows and all thrown weapons may move and shoot; they may elect to attack first (ie. during the attack phase), then move, or move and shoot. Other ranged weapons must remain stationary.
Any character attacking into an ongoing melee must randomly determine which combatant will be hit, and then roll to attack that character as normal.
While ranged weapons cannot do extra damage on a natural 20 like melee weapons can, they can still break. On a to-hit roll of precisely 1 (before modifiers are applied), resolve the attack as normal, and then the affected player must make a ‘save vs. break’ as per their specific weapon and it’s quality. Thrown weapons are rendered useless and cannot be retrieved, while bows and crossbows suffer from a broken bowstring. These can be repaired quickly and cheaply by a bowyer, but the weapon is useless until then.
Burning oil is a subset of ranged combat, but is subject to a few special rules as the nature of the weapon is somewhat different – while your typical attack roll abstracts the act of hurting a target, burning oil merely needs to hit in the most precise sense; the harm is caused by the heat and fire.
A burning oil attack requires two attack rolls to be effective – firstly to hit with the thrown flask and then with a thrown lit torch or similar object to ignite the oil.
The thrown flask attack is subject to normal attack rules, but as hitting larger creatures is easier than smaller ones, it is subject to the following modifiers:
| Creature Size | To-Hit Modifier |
|---|---|
| L | +4 |
| M | +2 |
| S | 0 |
The torch attack is always made as if against Armour Class 9, modified by range etc. as normal, as you are targeting the splashed oil rather than the monster. If this hits, the oil has ignited.
Oil damage is applied during the Magic Phase, prior to any spells being cast (effectively at the highest DEX rating of any combatant acting in that round, +1). Burning spellcasters will lose their spells as usual.
In the first round, the oil does 1-6 damage, and continues to burn if 4-6 is rolled on the damage dice (a lower roll is presumed to mean not much oil got onto the target). Each round thereafter, the oil continues to burn, but at a lower intensity – roll 1-6 damage as usual, but a roll of 5-6 indicates the oil has burned itself out, and the afflicted character takes no damage. A roll of 1-4 means damage should be applied and rolled again next round.
An afflicted character may ‘stop, drop and roll’ after the first round in an attempt to extinguish the flames. This is a Movement Phase action and must be declared as normal, and involves dropping prone (melee attackers thus gain the bonus described under Attacking Helpless Targets). In this case, the oil burns out on a damage roll of 3 or higher, and continues to burn on a roll of 1 or 2. [Homebrew]
Relatively intelligence (ie. not entirely mindless like undead, slimes and oozes, etc.) monsters and NPCs must roll morale when facing unusual adversity during combat. This includes (but is not limited to!):
The affected party throws two six-sided dice, and compares their result against the following chart:
| 2-12 | Result |
|---|---|
| 2 (or lower) | Surrender |
| 3-5 | Flee |
| 6-8 | Stand off or hold ground |
| 9-11 | Press for advantage |
| 12 (or higher) | Redouble attack! |
This result determines the affected creature’s actions for the next round. The referee will interpret these results based on the circumstances of the affected creatures, eg. defenders ensconced in an impregnable castle are unlikely to surrender unless the walls are categorically destroyed (although they will be more willing to accept terms), etc.
Morale is adjusted, in the case of retainers and other friendly NPCs, by their loyalty score. Other common modifiers include: