The term mêlée
includes striking with bodily weapons such as teeth, fangs, tusks, tushes,
claws, nails, talons, paws, etc.
It also includes striking
with various objects and weapons.
The COMBAT
TABLES are used for determination of hits, and the amount of damage
scored is given in either the
MM
or the PH (for weapons). It also
includes NON-LETHAL
AND WEAPONLESS COMBAT PROCEDURES (q.v.) .
While combat includes melee,
melee does not include such facets of
combat as missile fire,
spell casting, etc. In general, the procedure
followed in melee is explained
under ENCOUNTERS, COMBAT, AND INITIATIVE
or
NON-LETHAL
AND WEAPONLESS COMBAT PROCEDURES.
Special considerations are given here.
Number
Of Opponents Per Figure:
Physical size and space
will dictate limitation upon the number of opponents
able to engage a single
figure in melee.
If Official
AD&D
minis are used to represent the <a link to a full & compleat list
of AD&D minis should be given, here>
creatures involved in a
mêlée, then these miniatures will dictate the
number of opponents which
can be involved. Beware of using other
fantasy miniature figures,
as most of them are not designed to the specific
scale and do not conform
to the standards of the MM (or
even necessarily conform
to 25mm scale!). In other cases USE the following
rule of thumb:
1. If the single figure is
size S, 4 size M or 2 size L figures are all that can
attack it under optimum
conditions during any single round.
6 size S figures can attack
it, however, space permitting.
2. If the single figure is
size M,
it can be attacked by a
max. of 8 size S opponents, 6
size M, or 4 size L.
3. If the single figure is size L, a max.
of 12 size S, 8 size M, or 6 size L
figures can engage it at one time.
Modifiers are impossible
to detail fully, as they include the physical circumstances
prevailing at the time.
It is obvious that a figure in a narrow
passage or in a corner can
be attacked only from a limited front. Similarly,
the shape of the single
figure and the attackers will be a factor, as a giant
snake has more body space subiect to attack than does a giant, unless
the
attackers are able to fly
or otherwise attack the entire vertical surface of
the giant. Any long-bodied
creature has more area open to attack, and
wide-bodied creatures, or
those which employ some natural body
weaponry which requires
contact with the opponent, will be more
restricted with respect
to the number of attackers possible, viz. how many
constrictor snakes can effectively
attack an opponent? Two basic grid
systems are shown below,
one with hexagons, one with squares. These
grids demonstrate how multiple
opponents engage a single figure. (See
also Flank
And Rear Attacks, hereafter.)
To determine the #number#
of opponents which can attack the single
defender, use squares or
hexes of one inch per face for 25mm scale, or
you may simply view the
illustrations used above and mentally visualize
the situation. For example,
in the case of a human being attacked by
giant
rats,
2 of the attackers would
certainly be able to fit into each hexagon (if
normal rats were attacking,
4 per hex) so 6 would attack frontally, 4 from
flank positions, and 2 from
the rear. If these same giant rats were attacking
a centaur.
for instance, the number of flank attacks would certainly be increased
to allow 2 more hexes (4
more attackers gaining flank attack advantage).
All flank attacks negate
any defender AC addition for shield.
Attacks against a rear flank,
where the opponent is virtually unable to view the attackers, negate DEX
AC bonus.
Opponents attacking from
the rear gain a +2 to hit,
negate any consideration
for shield,
and also negate any consideration
for DEX.
Stunned, Prone or Motionless Opponents:
Treat all such opponents
as if being attacked from the rear,
but in this case the ”to
hit” bonus is +4 rather than +2.
Magically Sleeping || Held Opponents:
If a general melee
is in progress,
and the attacker IS subiect
to enemy actions, then these opponents are
automatically struck by
any attack to which they would normally be
subject, and the max.
damage possible according to the weapon type
is inflicted each time such
an opponent is so attacked. The # of
attacks or attack routines
possible against such an opponent is #twice# the
number normally allowed
in a round. Otherwise, such opponents may be
automatically slain, or
bound as appropriate to materials at hand and size,
at a rate of one per round.
Note that this does not include normally sleeping
opponents (see ASSASSINS’
TABLE FOR ASSASSINATIONS).
Q: The DMG
gives a procedure on
page 70 for attacking magically
sleeping opponents, but
what about
normally sleeping opponents?
A: The to-hit bonus
vs. normally sleeping
opponents is +4.
(150.39)
Whoa, and I have to think
hard about those questions.
Generally, I just DMed on
the fly, so to speak, and didn't use the rules books except for random
encounters, monster stats, and treasure.
when hand-to-hand fighting
occurred I usually did that seat-of-the-pants rules--asking what the character
was doing and deciding on the chance for success based on the circumstances.
I did not use psionics,
generally ignored weapons vs. armor type and weapon SPEED.
When an opponent was helpless
I always allowed an immediate kill if of lower level; otherwise a successful
hit killed, a "miss" doing double damage anyway.
That's about all I can think
of 
Cheers,
Gary
Important
Note Regarding “To Hit” Adjustments:
Certain spells such as curse,
prayer,
and protection from evil adjust the
chance “to hit” of either
the attack or the defender or both.
Such changes MUST be made
to the AC of the figure concerned,
not to the dice score rolled
in ottocking.
An inspection of the combat
tables will show that the dice roll progression will make some opponents
hit proof if the dice rolls are adjusted downwards rather than the armor
class being moved upwards.
(At some point, the upwards
AC adjustment could also make such opponents virtually invulnerable, but
this is less
likely and not necessarily
undesirable.)
Example: A reverse bless,
a curse, is CAST upon opponents.
Therefore, the effective
armor class of the side which cast the spell will be raised by one category,
so that a figure normally
of armor class 4 will be treated as 3, 3 as 2, etc.
By so doing it is still
possible for opponents to roll natural 20s and thus score hits.
As with missile
fire, it is generally not possible to select a specific opponent in
a mass mêlée.
* If this is the case,
simply USE some random # generation to find out which attacks are upon
which opponents, remembering that only a certain number of attacks can
usually be made upon one opponent.
* If characters or similar
intelligent creatures are able to single out an opponent or opponents,
then the concerned figures will remain locked in melee until one side is
dead or opts to attempt to break off the combat.
* If there are unengaged
opponents,
they will MOVE to melee the unengaged enemy.
* If the now-unengaged figures
desire to assist others of their party,
they will have to proceed to the AREA in which their fellows are engaged,
using the movement rates already expressed.
Meleeing An Opponent Spell Caster:
If an opponent spell caster
attempting a spell is in melee, and is attacked
by weapon or punched,
grappled, or overborne, there is a likelihood of
the opponent not being able
to CAST the spell. In the case of hits with
weopons or successful striking
with a punch, the spell caster will absolutely
be prevented from completion
of the spell (and furthermore the entire
spell is LOST). In the case
of grappling or overbearing, the spell caster will
absolutely be prevented
from spell completion if the attack form is
successful, and the spell
is wasted in this case also. Both cases assume the
attack occurring prior to
completion of the spell, of course.
[Also see SPELL CASTING DURING MELEE]
Characters normally using
a single weapon may choose to USE one in each hand (possibly discarding
the option of using a shield).
The second weapon must be
either a dagger || hand
axe.
Employment of a second weapon
is always at a penalty.
The use of a second weapon
causes the character to attack with his or her primary weapon at -2 and
the secondary weapon at -4.
If the user’s DEX
is below 6, the Reaction/Attacking
Adjustment penalties shown in the PH
are added to EACH weapon attack.
If the user’s DEX
is above 15, there is a downward adjustment in the weapon penalties as
shown,
although this never gives
a positive (bonus) rating to such attacks,
so that at 16 DEX
the secondary/primary penalty is -3/-1, at 17-2/0, andat 18-1/0. <inverse
these for clarity>
The secondary weapon does not act as a shield or parrying device in any event.
Q: I seem to recall
some rule about a
penalty when a character
makes
more than one attack in
a round. Is
there such a rule?
A: We can refer to
page 70 of the DMG for
this answer. The reference
states that a
character may use a second
weapon instead
of a shield, provided that
the second
weapon is a dagger or hand
axe. Otherwise,
there is no penalty for
multiple
attacks.
(150.36)
Q: What are the rules
for Oriental
characters fighting with
a weapon
in each hand? What is the
limit of
the kensai two-weapon ability?
Obviously,
a kensai can't use two
katanas or can he?
A: The rules are the
same as those for non-
Oriental characters; see
the 1st Edition
DMG (page 70) or
the 2nd Edition Player’s
Handbook (page 96). Any
Oriental weapon
that is the equivalent of
a dagger or hand
axe can be used as a second
weapon (see
Oriental Adventures,
table 48, page 41). A
kensai's second weapon must
be a dagger
or hand axe (or an equivalent).
(151.58)
Q: Can a character
with high dexterity
spend extra slots on fighting
with two weapons and avoid
the
two-weapon penalty?
A: No. Only kensai
of 7th level and above
have the ability to fight
with two weapons
at no penalty.
(151.58)
<Lareth (S18, D17) wields
a horseman's mace and staff in T1, area 35>
<A jackalwere wields
a mace and a staff in T3, area 310>
Quote:
BTW you may have missed
my question on fighters of high level getting 2 attacks in 1E. Sorry if
this is in the wrong forum...its 1 or 2 pages back.
Basically the question was,
if a fighter of high enough level attacks 2 times in a single round, and
that fighter is using a weapon in each hand, could that fighter attack
4 times (or does this only apply to 1 hand).
Thanks in advance!
PS Have a great new year Gary, and I'm looking out for your CZ C&C stuff as well as the LA reprints.
Indeed I did miss it. Sorry:(
I would say that the two-attack
ability applied only to the main-hand weapon,
so a fighter
able to attack once with each hand would gain a second attack with his
primary-hand weapon only,
thus three attacke that
round.
Cheers,
Gary
I was looking through ToEE
and see that Lareth is allowed to dual weild Staff and Mace.
I also remember in D3
their being a drow priestest doing much the same.
How did they go about getting
this special ability?
Using a wish perhaps to
allow them to dual weild?
And what kind of pentalties
would they have.
Thanks
As I have not officially had anything to do with AD&D since 1985, this question is better put to WotC, the owners of the OP.
Otherwise, whatever conclusions you arrive at in this matter are as valid as mine--more so, clearly, as I assume you are DMing an AD&D campaign.
Factors
I would consider are ambidexterity, a Str of at least 15, and Dex of 17
or higher.
The
character would have to have training as a fighter, of course.
Penalties for use of two
weapons are already noted in the rules, no?
Cheers,
Gary
Actually, there is very
little revealed about Lareth.
Assuredly
I would allow two weapons such as longswords to be used by a strong and
dexterous character, just as in the Asian martial
arts films
Ever see Seven
Blows of the Dragon? Lots of
fun.
Martial
arts training equals a fighter's in this regard.
Cheerio,
Gary
Bombay wrote:
Very interesting, I was
reading one of the dragon magazines where it mentioned allowing a short
sword in the off hand.
Thanks for the insights,
and I will have to check out that movie.
In it there is a hefty monk
that weilds two great maces, another chap with paired axes,
Two longswords are commonly employed in both Western and Eastern martial arts.
Cheers,
Gary
At such time as any creature
decides,
it can break off the engagement
and flee the melee.
To do so, however, allows
the opponent a free attack or attack routine.
This attack is calculated
as if it were a rear attack upon a stunned opponent.
When this attack is completed,
the retiring/fleeing party
may move away at full movement rate,
and unless the opponent
pursues and is able to MOVE at a higher rate of SPEED,
the melee is ended and the
situation becomes one of encounter avoidance.
Fighting Retreat:
A character may retreat backward
out of combat, maintaining
his or her defence, although
the attacker may follower
if not otherwise engaged. It is
possible to parry while
doing so, but not to attack. This
manoeuvre may be used to
"switch places" with another
party member who in in combat,
the first party member
joining battle with the
enemy to prevent the enemy's
pursuit while the second
character makes a fighting
retreat. - OSRIC, page 121
<is this covered in the
DMG?>
Q: Is it possible
for a character to
leave a melee without exposing
his
back?
A: The DM might allow
a character to back
out of a melee at half speed
so that the
opponent's free attack would
be frontal.
Some campaigns allow a friendly
character
to cover for a retreating
character so
that the extra attack is
resolved normally
against the the character
who is covering.
(150.10)
Monks’
Open Hand Melee:
Despite their training and
capabilities,’ monks are not supermen or superwomen.
The PH
states that they are able to stun or kill
opponents with open hand
attacks, and this is so; but such opponents are
limited in general to man-size
or smaller. This is indicated below:
A MONK AT 1ST LEVEL IS CAPABLE
OF STUNNING OR KILLING ONLY AN OPPONENT
OF MAN-SIZE (M) OR SMALLER.
FOR PURPOSES OF THIS DETERMINATION,
MAN-SIZE SHALL BE:
Maximum Height: 6’6’’
Maximum Weight: 300#
For each level above the
1st, the monk will gain additional stunning/killing
ability at the rate of 2
inches of height and 50 pounds of opponent
weight per level of experience
gained. Thus:
| Monk's Level | Opponent
Maximum Height |
Opponent
Maximum Weight |
| 2nd | 6‘ 8” | 350# |
| 3rd | 6’ 10” | 400# |
| 4th | 7’ | 450# |
| 5th | 7’ 2” | 500# |
| 6th | 7’ 4” | 550# |
| 7th | 7’ 6” | 600# |
| 8th | 7’ 8” | 650# |
| 9th | 7’ l0” | 700# |
| loth | 8’ | 750# |
| 11th | 8‘ 2” | 800# |
| 12th | 8’ 4“ | 850# |
| 13th | 8’ 6” | 900# |
| 14th | 8’ 8" | 950# |
| 15th | 8 ’ 10“ | 1,000# |
| 16th | 9’ | 1,050# |
| 17th | 9’ 2” | 1,100# |
At the upper levels (13th
and above) you may wish to allow a variation upwards of some considerable
height and weight --
perhaps an additional 1”
to 2“ and 50# per level so as to allow some chance versus the larger and
heavier creatures such as hill giants.
Important: Monks'
stunning/killing ability can only apply to living things.
Undead
cannot be affected
(and on open hand hit on
an undead creature could be very undesirable from the monk's standpoint
in any event --
especially if the creature
causes damage by touch, for the monk touching the undead creature then
is the same as the reverse). Golems and dopplegangers
cannot be affected.
Damage from open hand attacks
still accrues if the monster can be so hit otherwise.
Actions During Combat And Similar Time-Important Situations:
The activity of PCs and player
character-directed creatures must be stated precisely and without delay
at'the start of each melee round or before the appropriate divisions of
other situations where exact activity must be known.
If you are a stickler, you
may require all participants to write their actions on paper.
Conversation regarding such
activities is the same as if player characters were talking aloud, of course.
DELAY in deciding what is
to be done should be noted,
as such hesitation will
basically mean that the individual is not doing anything whatsoever during
the period,
but he or she is simply
standing by and dithering, trying to arrive at a decision as to what should
be done.
Considering the melee round
as 1 full minute, actually time a participant,
and you will see what is
meant ...
In a similar vein, some
players will state that they are going to do several actions,
which, if allowed, would
be likely to occupy their time for many rounds.
For example: "I'll hurl
oil at the monster,
ignite it, drink my potion
of invisibility,
sneak up behind it,
and then stab it in the
back!"
How ambitious indeed.
Where is the oil?
In a pouch, of course, so
that will take at least 1, possibly 2 segments to locate and hurl.
If the potion is in the
charocter's back pack, 3 or 4 segments will be taken up just finding it,
and another 1 segment will
be required to consume its contents.
(See DRINKING
POTIONS.)
Now comes the tricky part,
sneaking up.
Assuming that the potion
has taken effect,
and that our dauntless character
has managed to transfer his or her weapon back to his or her hand
(for certainly all the other
activity required the character to at least put the weapon in the off hand),
he or she is now ready to
creep around the fringe of the combat and steal up behind the foe to smite
it in the back.
If the space is not too
crowded
(remember, his or her friends
can't see the invisible character either)
and the monster not too
far away, the time should only amount to about a round or so.
Therefore, the character's
actions will fill something over two complete rounds.
As DM, simply note these
actions, and begin them accordingly.
Then, when the player starts
to give instructions about additional activity,
simply remind him or her
that he or she is already engaged in the former course,
and that you will tell him
or her when that is finished and new instructions are in order.
If the player then changes
plans, take the character from its current state and location accordingly.
Q: How long does it
take to draw a
weapon?
A: Any weapon can
be drawn in one segment
(this effectively adds one
segment to
the weapon?s speed factor).
Common
sense, however, dictates
that a character
who draws a weapon during
a melee will
lose initiative to a character
who has already
drawn his weapon, unless
the character
with the drawn weapon must
use
the segment that is required
for the draw
in order to close to melee
range. Note that
sheathing a weapon takes
a bit longer;
changing weapons carefully
takes a full
round (see Oriental Adventures,
page
54).
(150.38)
Q. Is it possible
for a M-U or
cleric to cast 2 spells,
use 2
wands or a combination of
the 2 in
1 melee round <if> the
casting time/
activation time of both
totalled less
than 10 segments?
A. No. A M-U or cleric
may only
cast 1 spell -- or activate
1 wand
-- per round, with a single
exception:
M-Us may cast 2 cantrips
(see pp 6-9 of this
issue of IMAGINE
magazine)
in a single round, because
of their short casting times.
(Imagine #8)
Quote:
Or was it your intention
that a magic user (or any individual) within a tight group can only be
singled out with hand held weapons? Oh, and does the official rule on this
differ from your house rule?
Thanks again Master G!
If there is a rule in the
book, than it is official...and alterable by the DM.
Again, all of that is up
to the DM as far as I am concerned.
I do allow PCs to single
out their opponents, move to fight them--if they can get there.
Other opponents might block
their path.
Again, AD&D is not a combat simulator, so such things are really matters for the DM to manage as he finds best for his campaign and group.
Cheers,
Gary
Hi Styre,
I meant just what I said
in regards to PCs.
Two attacks due to increase
in level was meant to apply to the main weapon hand for such characters.
What is said in the DMG
doesn't contradict that, as when an additional attack is added the PC would
then have four attacks using two hands.
That is, the capacity of
attacking twice in one round, once with each hand, is already a bonus.
Cheers,
Gary
JASON
THE RULESREADER
wrote:
Hello again Gary,
I noticed that in CHAINMAL/OD&D DAYS you had a rule for "pushbacks" in certain hits. Did you allow for this in AD&D?...
Howdy!
The short answer is no,
as the D&D game is not a military miniatures simulation nor does one
figure in it represent 20 men
Cheers,
Gary
