Tired of meeting the same old orcish
mobs? Want to spring a new combat situation
or two on your players? This article
expands upon several ideas involving
combat as presented in the AD&D® game
rules, along with some new ideas on the
subject.

Ambush!
An ambush is a surprise attack made
from concealed positions. It should take at
least a melee round to prepare an ambush
in the best of terrain (dense forest or
jungle) and hours in the worst of terrain
(plains or desert). Ambushers gain a +2
bonus on surprise rolls over their targets,
unless their targets have stated that they
were looking for ambushes, in which case
the chance of surprise is normal.

A character who has a reduced chance
of being surprised (such as a ranger or
monk) has twice his normal chance of
being surprised by a successful ambush
(that is, an ambush when the victim was
not looking for ambushers). If he is not
surprised, he will have noted the telltale
signs of the ambush just before it was
sprung, but was not able to warn any
others he was traveling with. If a character
with a reduced chance of surprise is
looking for ambushes, he has a 10% base
(30% base for a ranger) with +3% per
level chance of spotting the ambush
before he walks into it. If the ambush is
spotted before it is sprung, those warned
about the ambush are not surprised by it.

Some ambushes involve blocking off
routes of escape. The most common ways
of doing this are with concealed pits
around 4? deep (sometimes with sharpened
stakes in them), trees felled so that
they block the road, and ropes or nets
strung across the route. The only disadvantage
to an ambush is that once it is set,
it cannot be moved. If your target takes
another route, try again another time.

Most ambushes are conducted with
missile fire; as a result, cover and concealment
adjustments to armor class come
into play (see the Dungeon Masters Guide,
page 64). Ambushes are the favored attack
form of bandits, brigands, humanoid raiders,
and many adventurers.

Spooking
In strange terrain with unfamiliar and
weird noises around them, people tend to
become spooked, nervous, and jumpy. To
resist being spooked, a character must
save vs. spells, adding +1 to the save for
every three levels the character has. If the
save is failed, the character is ?1 to hit
and ? 1 to save against fear. Wisdom
bonuses to the save apply. A henchman or
hireling must make a morale check (at
?10% if his employer or the leader of the
party is spooked). If the morale check is
failed, the character suffers the same
effects as the PCs, except that he also has
?5% to his morale. Spooking lasts until
the unfamiliar terrain is left, a bless, aid,
prayer, or remove fear spell is cast on the
affected individual, or whatever is causing
the spooking is defeated.

Strange terrain differs from race to race
and culture to culture. Dark tunnels with
dripping water and strange moans may be
spooky to a human or elf, but not to a
dwarf. An elven forest that echoes with
elven songs is spooky to a goblin or orc. A
mist-shrouded, blackstone castle that
echoes with organ music is spooky to just
about everyone. Beings immune to fear,
like trolls and cavaliers, cannot be
spooked. Obviously, undead are immune
as well.

Mob frenzy
Frenzy is a state of mind wherein violence
is more important than personal
survival. The effects of frenzy are such
that the affected individual has +1 to
damage and +1 to saves against mindaffecting
spells. Individuals need make no
morale checks until they have sustained at
least 50% casualties (and those at no penalties).
However, frenzied individuals have a
?1 penalty to their armor class and to
saving throws against illusions. Frenzy is
dispelled when the affected individuals fail
a morale check or a save against fear
(successful or not) is made.

Only humans and humanoids with intelligences
of 14 or less can be excited into a
state of frenzy. It requires someone with a
high charisma (16 +) to excite a group into
frenzy, and takes five minutes per point of
average intelligence in the group to excite
the group into a frenzy. This time is
reduced if the group that is being whipped
into a frenzy is intoxicated; reduce the
time by 10% if slightly intoxicated, by 25%
if moderately intoxicated, and by 50% if
greatly intoxicated. Frenzy and intoxication
effects (see the DMG, pages 82-83, for
intoxication effects) are combined and
cumulative.

Player characters who willingly listen to
someone who is trying to whip them into a
frenzy may try to resist. To avoid being
whipped into a frenzy, a saving throw vs.
spells must be made. Characters with an
intelligence or wisdom of 15 + automatically
resist if they choose to do so.

Great barbarian and humanoid leaders
whip their troops into a frenzy before an
important battle, and agitators whip irate
mobs into a frenzy to cause riots. Frenzied
mobs do not take orders well, and are
usually just pointed in the right direction
to attack whatever crosses their path.

Berserkers and battle lust
Berserkers can generate the ultimate
form of frenzy, sometimes called battle
lust. In this state of mind, nothing matters
more than the destruction of the enemy.
Even suicidal attacks are made while a
character is berserk. The effects of this
state are as follows: The berserker has
either twice his normal number of attacks,
or his normal number of attacks at +2 to
hit; he is immune to mind-affecting spells,
including fear; and he never checks
morale. A berserker also remains conscious
and able to fight at zero hit points.
Berserker bonuses and intoxication effects
are cumulative, because berserkers often
drink before going into combat.

In addition to the (human) berserkers
listed in the Monster Manual, many humanoid
tribes have berserkers. A nonhuman
berserker gains +1 hp per hit die it has in
addition to the bonuses listed above. Thus,
an orcish berserker would have 1 + 1 HD, a
hobgoblin berserker would have 1+2 HD,
and a frost-giant berserker would have 10
HD +1d4 hp + 10 hp for being a berserker.
Berserkers will not use missile
weapons, although they may use thrown
and hurled weapons.

All humanoid tribes may have berserkers,
although no more than 5% of the
tribe?s warriors may be berserkers. Minotaurs,
lizard men, troglodytes, derro, and
tabaxi (who call their berserkers ?bloodstalkers
?) are other races that occasionally
have berserkers. Of all the races of
giantkind, only fire and frost giants have
berserkers, and then only rarely. Some
clans of northern dwarves also have berserkers,
and there are rumors of small
groups of berserk drow warriors.
When calculating the experience-point
value of a berserker, the ability to go berserk
is considered a special ability. Berserkers
may receive other special ability
bonuses from the ability to go berserk
(such as four or more attacks per round).

Fanatics
Fanatics hold a set of beliefs with such
conviction that they are willing to die to
uphold them or to convince others of the
validity of their beliefs. Most also believe
that if they die in the service of their
cause, their souls go directly to Paradise.
Fanatics have +1 to hit and damage, and
+1 to save against magic cast by those
who oppose their religion. They never
have to check morale. Fanatics who fail a
save against fear lose all fanaticism
bonuses until the fear wears off.

True fanatics are rare; in addition to
their great fighting ability, they are noted
for their great intolerance of outsiders and
hatred of unbelievers. Dervishes and elite
temple guards are the main extent of
human fanatics, although others are occasionally
encountered. A humanoid tribe
might be taken over by a shaman who
might be able to make the tribe into a
group of fanatics, but this is extremely
rare. Some drow raiding parties have
members who are fanatical.

PCs who are true fanatics
should not be allowed in campaigns,
because of their great intolerance. Under
certain conditions (such as fighting the
high priest of an enemy religion), PC paladins
and clerics might be able to gain
fanaticism bonuses, but such bonuses
won't last.

A fanatical individual is not subject to
frenzy (as described above) unless the
condition is caused by a high priest (or
other great leader) of their religion. If
affected by frenzy, the bonuses and penalties
of each state are cumulative.

Unusual terrain
Shipboard. Fighting on a ship is difficult
because the deck is constantly moving. If a
character on shipboard does not have ?sea
legs? (experience on shipboard), he has ?1
to hit and ?1 to his dexterity ? a condition
which lasts for 1d4 days until he
becomes accustomed to the movement of
the ship.

Desert and deep snow. Both of these
terrain types hamper the movement of
those unaccustomed to them. A person
unfamiliar with such conditions can move
at two-thirds his normal rate and has ?1
to his dexterity until he has learned the
terrain, which takes 1-4 days.

Battle standards
Battle standards are used as symbols for
a group of warriors. They also serve as
rallying points in the chaos of battle.
There is a certain mystique about battle
standards that causes warriors to fight for
them, knowing no greater dishonor than
to lose their standard. A group of warriors
will have only one standard, which is
carried by a standard-bearer. A brave and
experienced warrior, the standard-bearer
is often dressed in unique raiment. Being a
standard-bearer is a great honor. When
the troops that follow the standard are
within 60? of it and can see it, they have
+1 to hit and +5% morale. If the standard
is captured by the enemy, the warriors
who follow the standard will
counterattack to get it back. They will
fight for one round for each full 25%
morale they had at the start of the battle
(including the bonus for the standard).
During these counterattacks, the warriors
retain their +1 to hit and make no morale
checks. If the standard is lost following
these counterattacks, the warriors who
follow it are penalized ?20% to their
morale.

Battle standards vary tremendously in
appearance from group to group. For a
human nation, a standard may be a goldtrimmed
flag or the eagle of a Roman
legion; for orcs, a collection of painted
skulls on a long spear; or for lizard men, a
dragon's claw on the end of a pole.

Tribal champions
A tribal champion is the best fighter in
his tribe. He does all of the fighting for the
chief of the tribe in return for gifts and
the honor of the position. Tribal champions
have the same armor class, hit dice (or
hit points), and attacks as a chief of that
race (i.e., an orcish tribal champion is
AC 4, has 13-16 hp, and attacks as a 3-HD
monster). A tribal champion has +1 to hit
with all weapons commonly used by the
tribe in hand-to-hand combat. All champions
have great strength and gain +1 to all
damage rolls (in addition to any other
strength bonuses the race may have).

Tribal champions are more common in
tribes of lawful alignment, but any tribe
may have one (or morel tribal champions.
Civilized societies also have their champions,
though these are often high-level
fighters or cavaliers.