Characters naturally prefer to engage in combat when they are
in a position that affords them the greatest possible opportunity
for attack and the best possible defensive posture. Unfortunately,
the wilderness environment and the creatures that populate
it are not usually so accommodating. More often than they
would like, characters will be required to attack or defend in a position
that is far from the best possible. At other times, they may
enjoy an advantage when the tables are turned and the opponents
are the ones in the weaker position.

Some combat rules that account for unusual situations are covered
in DSG on pages 30-34. For the
benefit of player and DMs who do not have access
to that volume, some of those rules are summarized in this section.
Additionally, this section goes into detail about some other
nonstandard combat situations that are peculiar to the outdoors.

Fighting While Climbing

In most circumstances, a character negotiating a severe slope
or a cliff face is at a disadvantage if he is required to attack or defend
himself. Because his attention and effort must be at least
partially focused at all times on climbing, he does not benefit from
any AC bonus due to DEX that would otherwise apply.
(However, an armor class penalty for low dexterity is not negated.)
Assuming that the climber needs one hand to hold onto a
rope or the surface he is climbing, he cannot use two weapons, or
a weapon and a shield, at the same time. Since he is facing the
surface he is climbing, he is vulnerable to attacks from behind
(with all appropriate penalties) from any opponent except one
that is adjacent to him on the surface. If a character is climbing
with his shield strapped to his back, he receives an armor class
benefit of one step (from 6 to 5, for instance) for a buckler or a
small shield and a benefit of two steps for any larger shield.

A character climbing a cliff face suffers a -2 penalty to all of
his attack rolls (“to hit” and damage) in melee or missile combat,
and a -2 penalty on all saving throws related to an attempt to
dodge or evade. If fighting is taking place on a severe slope,
these penalties are - 1 instead of -2.

If opponents are engaging one another from different elevations
on a cliff face (one combatant is above the other by a distance
of at least half of the higher combatant’s height), the
character in the higher position receives a +2 bonus “to hit” and
the character in the lower position suffers a -2 penalty “to hit.”
These adjustments are cumulative with any other modifiers that
may apply. On a severe slope, the adjustments are + 1 and - 1.

If a character climbing a cliff face suffers damage from an attack
in missile or melee combat (including damage from a spell
effect), he must make a Climbing Check immediately. If the
check succeeds, the character remains in place; if it fails, the
character falls. On a severe slope, this Climbing Check is made
with a + 10% bonus to the character’s Climbing Rating.

If a character takes damage from a single attack equal to or
greater than one-half of the character’s total hit points (rounded
up), a Climbing Check to avoid falling must be made with a
- 10% penalty to the character’s Climbing Rating. This penalty
applies both on a cliff face and on a severe slope.

-
 

Climbing a gentle slope or even a moderate slope does not
usually put a character at a disadvantage if he is forced to engage
in combat in the middle of the climb. Such terrain is usually not so
steep that the climber cannot stand up and have the full use of
both hands plus a reasonable amount of mobility. At the Dungeon
Master’s discretion, the “to hit” adjustments for relative elevation
of the combatants (+ 1 and - 1) may apply on a moderate
slope, especially one that is just short of qualifying for the severe
category. Likewise, the Dungeon Master may rule that a character
who takes a significant amount of damage in a single attack
will be knocked off his feet and will tumble down a moderate or
gentle slope. (If a character is extremely outmanned and prefers
not to stand and fight, voluntarily tumbling down a slope to get
away from his enemies might be a viable strategy.)

Fighting While Precariously Balanced

This category is somewhat different from fighting while climbing,
in that a precariously balanced character is considered to be
perched on a surface where he does not need to use at least one
hand to hold on, and does not necessarily have to face the surface
(if any) that his body is next to. A character is precariously
balanced in conditions such as these: standing on a ledge that
juts out from a cliff face or a severe slope; standing on a narrow
bridge of rock or a fallen tree that is spanning a canyon; standing
up in a boat or on the edge of a barge; standing in knee-deep water
or mud, or upon loose soil or snow in which one’s feet sink beneath
the surface of the terrain; and standing upon a level but
slippery surface.

In situations such as these, a character must be careful not to
get overbalanced, or his lack of secure footing (or lack of a sufficiently
large area to move upon) may cause him distress during
combat. Whenever a character engaged in melee combat misses
an attack, he must make a successful DEX Check to avoid
losing his balance and falling down -- perhaps falling down a
long distance. The Dungeon Master may allow a modifier to the
DEX Check die roll of - 1 to -4, reflecting circumstances
where overbalancing is less likely to result in a fall: -4 for a character
knee-deep in mud, which helps to hold him upright despite
a lack of really secure footing; -2 for a character standing on a
fairly wide ledge that offers him room to take a step on his followthrough
and thus keep himself from toppling; or no modifier for a
character standing on a slippery surface, where his ability to keep
his balance depends entirely on how dextrous he is and not on
some advantage afforded by where he is located.

If a character in a precarious position at a high elevation is hit
by an attack that causes loss of consciousness or inflicts damage
equal to or greater than 10% of the victim’s total HP, he
must make a successful DEX Check to avoid falling from his
position. If the victim is not standing right at the edge of a dropoff,
he receives a -2 modifier to the DEX Check die roll for every
foot of distance between him and the edge. If he is 10 feet or more
from the edge of a dropoff, he is not considered to be in a precarious
position, and does not need to make this Dexterity Check.

-
 

Someone balanced on a ledge barely wide enough for his feet receives
no modifier; someone who is 9 feet away from the edge
of a dropoff has a - 18 modifier and is virtually assured of not falling
- although, as with any ability check, an unmodified roll of 19
or 20 indicates failure. In the case of a character who falls despite
the fact that he was a fair distance from the edge of his perch, assume
that he did not fall to the ground right away, but instead
staggered for a short distance toward the edge before dropping
over.

The above general rule also applies to a character who is precariously
balanced but not at a high elevation: he is in danger of
being knocked off his feet if he takes a large amount of damage,
and he will certainly fall down (as would anyone in a more stable
position) if he is rendered unconscious. Depending on what the
victim is standing on (or in), he may be vulnerable to drowning or
suffocation.

For instance, a character who is knee-deep in water
and gets hit by a sleep spell will keel over. Beginning on the following
round, he must make successful CON Checks as
though he was holding his breath underwater and had run out of
air (see the section on Swimming). If he does not regain consciousness
or is not rescued before failing a CON Check,
he will die. A character who falls unconscious in loose soil (including
sand) or snow must make a DEX Check with a -2 modifier
to the die roll. Failure indicates that he has landed face down,
and must then begin making CON Checks as described
above. If the victim is not revived or at least rolled over on his
back before failing a CON Check, he will die of suffocation.

Whenever a character is knocked off his feet and does not lose
consciousness, he must make a DEX Check. A successful
check indicates that he is able to regain his feet in 5 segments;
a failed check means that he must take a full round to stand and
resume a fighting posture. A character who gets to his feet
quickly may be able to make an attack or cast a spell during the
last half of the round, if other conditions permit such an action.
On a slippery surface, the DEX Check is made with a +4
modifier to the die roll.

Fighting in Water

* If a character engages in combat while standing in water that is
at least up to his knees but not higher than his waist, he does not
enjoy any benefit to AC due to DEX that he would
normally have, and he must take a - 1 penalty on all attack rolls
("to hit" and damage) in addition to any other penalties that may
apply.

* If the water is more than waist-high but not higher than the
character's chest, the penalty is -2.

* If the water is even higher, the penalty is -4.

In no case, however, can the damage from a successful hit be reduced to less than 1 point.

At the same time, any opponent attempting to hit a character
who is immersed or partially immersed in water does so at the
same penalty to its attack rolls (even if the opponent is not immersed),
reflecting the fact that a smaller portion of the character's
body is vulnerable to a weapon blow.

Of course, these penalties do not apply to a creature that is native
to an aquatic environment, assuming that the creature can
strike freely either above the water or below the surface. For a
character with proficiency in swimming, the latter two penalties
are reduced by one-half (to - 1 and -2 respectively) and the first
penalty (for water up to waist-deep) does not apply.

Fighting in Poor Visibility
    Even though a characters may be able to see for quite a long distance
in moonlight || natural darkness (see the section on Vision and Visibility),
their short-range vision is still hampered enough
so that they are not always completely aware of what is going on
in the immed. vicinity.

In moonlight, a character suffers a -1 penalty on all attack rolls && all saves related to dodging or evasion.

In natural darkness with no moonlight, this penalty is -3;

in total darkness (such as that caused by magical means, or the darkness deep inside a cave), the penalty is -4.

In +addition+, any attack bonus related
to a character's ability to see his TARGET is reduced by
one-quarter in moonlight, by one-half in natural darkness, and fully negated in total darkness.
This category includes such abilities as a thief's backstabbing skill,
a ranger's special prowess against giant-class creatures,
or the severing property of a sword of sharpness (if the sword has been commanded not to shed any light). <>

When a character is involved in melee combat in natural darkness || total darkness,
there is a chance that he will hit something
(or someone) other than his intended target. If the
attacker’s modified “to hit” roll is 0 or less in total darkness, he
has accidentally struck another object or creature, if some other
target exists within a radius of twice the attacker’s weapon
length. If more than one such target is in range, the Dungeon
Master should randomly determine which object, creature, or
character has been hit (including other members of the attacker’s
party). An object must save versus crushing blow to avoid being
broken or destroyed; a creature or character will take the appropriate
amount of damage (after the damage penalty for attacking
in poor visibility has been taken into account). In natural darkness,
there is a 50% chance that a wild swing will result in damage
to an unintended target; otherwise, the attack fails to hit
anything within range.

If a character is fighting in natural darkness while climbing, his
Climbing Rating is reduced by 5% for the purpose of any Climbing
Check that may be required as the result of combat. If a character
is fighting in natural darkness while in a precarious position,
any required Dexterity Check is made with a +I modifier to the
die roll. For a character in total darkness, the adjustments are
10% and +2, respectively. If the illumination is at least equivalent
to moonlight, neither of these penalties applies.

A character who is using infravision or ultravision, and is able
to benefit from the use of the ability, is not subject to any of the
penalties described above. Likewise, any character within the
range of natural or magical illumination is not penalized. See the
section on Vision and Visibility for information on the benefits and
limitations of illumination and special vision abilities.
 

Fighting in Inclement Weather

Guidelines on this topic are given in the section on Effects of
the Environment. Note that all adjustments for inclement weather
(high wind and precipitation) are cumulative with any other modifiers
that apply; even the most accomplished fighter will have a
tough time hitting anything in the dark of night during a howling
rainstorm.