Attacks Per Melee Round Table
(For Fighters, Cavaliers, and Sub-classes Thereof)

 

-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	Unearthed Arcana

 

Level	Attacks per Melee Round*
Fighter 1-6	1/1 round
Barbarian 1-5	1/1 round
Ranger 1-7	1/1 round
Cavalier 1-5	1/1 round
Paladin 1-6	1/1 round
--	--
Fighter 7-12	3/2 rounds
Barbarian 6-10	3/2 rounds
Ranger 8-14	3/2 rounds
Cavalier 6-10	3/2 rounds
Paladin 7-12	3/2 rounds
--	--
Fighter 13 & up	2/1 round
Barbarian 11 & up	2/1 round
Ranger 15 & up	2/1 round
Cavalier 11-15	2/1 round
Paladin 12-18	2/1 round
--	--
Cavalier 16 & up	5/2 rounds
Paladin 19 & up	5/2 rounds

* With any striking or thrusting weapon.

Notes: These figures do not apply to melee combat with monsters <semantics>
        of less than one HD (d8) and non-exceptional
        humans and semi-humans, i.e. all creatures with less
        than one eight-sided hit die. All of these creatures enable
        members of the listed classes and sub-classes to
        attack once per round for each of his or her levels.
 

        These figures do not apply to fighters and rangers
        using weapons of specialization.
 

Q: One of my players says that fighters
are allowed one attack for each
level they have attained when fighting
creatures with less than one hit
die. I have looked through the DMG
and can?t find any such rule. Have I
missed something?
A: Yes, you have missed a rule, but not in
the DMG. Your player referred to the note
in the Players Handbook, page 25, just
below the Attacks Per Melee Round table.
(137.68)

Q. Why do fighters get 1 attack per level
against creatures with less than 1
HD?
A. A creature with less than 1 HD
-- the humble rat, for example -- is
hardly likely to put up much of a fight
against a trained and experienced
wielder of a sword.  Remember that a
melee round is 1 minute long, so
multiple attacks against such creatures
are hardly unreasonable.  Furthermore,
consider what happens if a
pack of rats attacks a lone fighter
who only has 1 attack per melee
round.  The rats stand an excellent
chance of tearing him to bits...
    (Imagine #28)

Q: What happens when a fighter who
is normally allowed multiple attacks
in a round fights creatures with less
than 1 HD?

A: When fighting creatures with less than
1 HD, a fighter attacks a number of times
per round equal to his level, his ability to
make multiple attacks in other situations
not withstanding. Note that if there are
more powerful creatures fighting alongside
these weaker creatures, the fighter
may opt to attack the more powerful
creatures at his normal rate, but he may
not make extra attacks against weaker
creatures in the same round.
(137.68)

Q: Can fighters with multiple attacks
attack more than one opponent per
round?
A: Yes; so can monsters and the members
of other character classes that get multiple
attacks. <not for monsters: note that trolls have the special ability to divide their attacks amongst multiple targets>
(150.10)
 

Q: How do you combine a fighter's multiple
attacks per round with a weapon
that gets more than one attack per round?

A: You don't! Only missile weapons have
multiple attacks, and the "Attacks per
Round" table (PH pg. 25) says "With any
thrusting or striking weapon" -- not missile
weapons.

Note that the rule at the bottom of the
same page, referring to "one attack
per level" rule for fighting creatures with
less than 1 HD, replaces the 3/2 or
2/1 attack rule; they do not combine to
give 1 1/2 or 2 attacks per level.

Special cases may arise if the relative
speed factors allow a weapon to be used
more than the given rate (DMG pg. 66);
again, this multiple-strike rule supercedes
the others.
(Polyhedron #8)
(Imagine #4)
 

ADQ: How many attacks per round does
a 9th level fighter or fighter sub-class get
when throwing darts, daggers, or using a
bow?
ADA: Use the rates of fire given for each weapon.
Do not apply the "3 for 2" principle
ov multiple attacks (PH.25), as these
apply only to thrusting or striking weapons.
The "attacks with 2 weapons" rule
(DMG. pg 70) might be applied, but no
mention of ranged weaponry is made in that
section, and it is probably meant to apply to
melee attacks only (cf. "florentine" style
combat in other reference works). If the
DM chooses to apply it to ranged combat,
we suggest (unofficially) that the penalties
for the "2nd weapon" attack, based on
dexterity, be doubled.
(Polyhedron #21)