The lance charge	-	-	-	-
Jousting (OD&D)	-	-	-	Dragon 118

When words such as “cavalier” or “chiv-
alry” are mentioned, most gamers conjure
up a mental image of armored knights
jousting in a grand medieval tournament.
Although the cavalier class is now an
official part of the AD&D® game, jousting
is an area of combat not clearly defined by
the official rules. In this article, jousting
combat and tournament jousting are
described.

This article is not historical essay. In
some cases, strict historical accuracy is
sacrificed for the sake of game balance
and playability. Those wishing to know
more about medieval tournaments and
knighthood can look for some of the books
mentioned at the end of this article. Foot-
notes are provided to cite the sources of
some of the ideas presented, both to sat-
isfy the curiosity of the readers and the
nit-picking of the editors. [Thanks. — The
editors]

These jousting suggestions describe two
events not specifically covered by the
existing combat rules of the Dungeon
Masters Guide: the possibility of a knight
being unhorsed by the lance charge and
the probability of the lance being broken
or “shivered” when it strikes an armored
knight. Both events are handled by saving
throws of differing complexity. The com-
plexity of either saving throw is up to the
DM’s desire for “game realism.” Various
modifiers are suggested that may be ap-
plied to the saving throws; which modi-
fiers are actually used is up to each DM.
The example provided below uses a num-
ber of modifiers to illustrate the joust at a
moderate degree of complexity. The exam-
ple takes the reader step by step through
jousting combat, to make the details clear
to the reader.

The lance charge

The charging rules that apply to the
joust are discussed on page 66 of the
DMG. These lance-charge rules are sum-
marized and expanded upon below.
No dexterity bonus to armor class is
allowed for a charging knight. If a knight
has no dexterity bonus, then the knight
charges at one armor class worse (e.g.,
AC 0 becomes AC 1).
A charging knight is +2 to hit for the
attack at the end of the charge. The longer
lance always strikes first. If lance lengths
are equal, then the attacks occur simulta-
neously. All damage rolls and saving
throws vs. unhorsing and vs. shivering
also take place simultaneously.
A lance does double damage at the end
of a charge attack. A pike, spear, and
certain pole arms score double damage
when set to receive a charging knight (see
the footnotes on page 27 of Unearthed
Arcana to see which weapons cause dou-
ble damage for a charge).
A charging horse moves at a rate 50%
greater than its base movement rate.
Unless the horse can accelerate up to
charging speed, no charge bonuses for the
“to hit” roll or lance damage are gained.
Terrain may prevent a horse from moving
at charging speed. Only firm, level ground
is suitable for the joust. Rocky ground,
overgrown plants or brush, marshy or
muddy turf, or shifting sand may prevent
a horse from charging. If the terrain is
hazardous or unsafe, the horse must make
a saving throw vs. petrification to avoid
falling if the horse tries to charge. If the
horse falls, both horse and rider take 1d6
hp of damage in the mishap.
Only one charge every 10 rounds is
possible in combat. The horse must be
allowed to rest or be limited to non-
running movement during the intervening
nine rounds. Otherwise, the horse is un-
able to charge again in the 10th round.
In the controlled environment of the
tourney joust, it is suggested that a DM
allow the horse to charge once every three
rounds, provided the horse is allowed to
rest completely between each charge and
can rest for at least three turns between
each jousting match. The suggested addi-
tion applies to the civilized tournament
conditions only and not to actual combat
or fierce jousting matches not rigidly
controlled by tourney judges. Any civilized
tournament joust that degenerates into
true combat must abide by the “one
charge per turn” restriction of the official
rules.

Cavalier’s bonuses

The cavalier gains some impressive
bonuses in the joust. A cavalier gains a “to
hit” bonus with the lance, starting at +1
at 1st level and increasing by +1 every six
levels. A cavalier also attacks at one level
higher when mounted. A cavalier gains a
damage bonus of +1 with the lance for
every level of experience. Strength and
magic bonuses may also accrue.
A typical knight, such as a 6th-level
cavalier with 17 strength, would be +4 “to
hit” with the lance charge. The cavalier
would gain a +2 charge bonus, +1 bonus
due to lance skill at 6th level, and +1 for
the 17 strength. A 13th-level cavalier with
18/00 strength would gain +3 bonuses for
both lance skill and strength, and would
be +8 “to hit,” even without the benefit of
magic.
A cavalier can do tremendous damage
with the lance. The lance charge inflicts
double lance damage, and the cavalier
damage and strength bonus also apply.
Totalling up these bonuses, a 6th-level
cavalier with 17 strength would do:
(2 × (2d4 + 1)) + 6 + 1 = 13 to 25 hp of
damage.
Obviously, the lance charge is a deadly
attack form, even at low to middle levels.
A high-level cavalier with a girdle of giant
strength and a rod of lordly might is a
“Monty Haul” player’s dream in this
respect.
Because of the many attack bonuses that
may be applied, a DM may choose to ig-
nore the weapon-versus-armor class bonus
of the heavy horse lance. The +4 bonus of
a heavy horse lance vs. plate armor (see
Unearthed Arcana, page 27), combined
with the aforementioned bonuses, might
make the cavalier’s lance charge too pow-
erful for many campaigns. A DM inter-
ested in maintaining game balance might
wish to moderate the great power of the
lance charge.

The lance

Lances used in the joust come in a vari-
ety of styles. To reduce the chance of a
serious injury in a medieval tournament,
the lance’s spear point was replaced by a
blunt head called a coronel or cronel.
Hollow or very fragile lances were used in
the courteous 15th and 16th century tour-
nament pageants, usually in the opening
charge of a general melee¹ (see below).
Naturally, a fragile lance would always
have a blunt head.

Blunted and fragile lances do reduced
damage in the jousts, as the table below
illustrates. Blunted and fragile lances
never gain any weapon-versus-armor class
bonus, since they lack a spear point. If a
weapon-versus-AC modifier is routinely
used by the DM, then a blunted lance is
treated at -4 “to hit” vs. hard armor (AC 5
or better), in addition to the listed modifier
of the “Armor Class Adjustments” table
(Unearthed Arcana, page 27). In this way,
the +4 bonus of a heavy horse lance vs.
plate armor is cancelled out. If the
weapon-versus-AC modifier is not used in
lance combat, then the blunted lance
penalty is ignored and the lance attack is
conducted normally.

Table 1 illustrates the suggested base
damage values for blunted and fragile
lances for each size of lance.

Table 1: Types of Lances

Lance Type	Length	Sharp	Blunt	Fragile
Light horse	10'	1-6	1-2	1
Medium horse	12'	2-7	1-3	1-2
Heavy horse	14'	3-9	1-4	1-2

Any time a lance scores a hit vs. a hard
target, the lance must make a saving
throw to avoid shivering. This “save vs.
shivering” is required whenever the lance
scores a hit against a sturdy shield or
metal armor of AC 5 or better (chain mail
or stronger). This save vs. shivering is
handled as a “save vs. crushing blow” with
the lance treated as thin wood (DMG, page 80).

Normally, a lance would need to make a
saving throw roll of 13 or better to avoid
shivering. If the knight struck by the lance
remains firm in the saddle rather than
being unhorsed by the lance charge (see
below), then the lance saves vs. shivering
at -2.

A fragile lance automatically shivers
when a hit is scored. When a fragile lance
hits, it inflicts only the doubled base dam-
age; no other damage bonuses are applied.
Damage bonuses due to strength or a
cavalier’s lance skill are not applied, since
the fragile lance is unable to inflict great
damage. The lance’s fragility renders it
unable to transfer the kinetic energy of
the collision to the knight who is struck
(much like hitting a cowboy actor over the
head with a prop bottle made from sugar).
Thus, a fragile lance would inflict 2-4 hp
of damage at most to a foe, regardless of
the attacker’s strength or lance skill.

A magic lance, even a simple lance +1,
should be nearly impossible to shiver in
the common joust. A save vs. shivering roll
should be needed only for an impact
greater than a normal jousting collision,
perhaps when great magic that increases
strength or total collision damage is in-
volved. No magic-user would bother creat-
ing a lance +2 if that lance merely had a
+ 2 bonus to save vs. shivering in a common joust.

Magic armor may impose a penalty to
the lance’s save vs. shivering if the lance
strikes magic armor or a magic shield.
This penalty would be equal to the nega-
tion of the armor’s total magical plusses.
For instance, a lance that strikes a foe
wearing +2 armor and a +2 shield would
suffer a penalty to the save vs. shivering of
-4, since the magic of both the shield and
the armor contribute to the protection of
the knight from the lance.

Plate armor (field plate or full plate) can absorb some of the <>
damage done by the lance charge (see Unearthed Arcana, pages 75-76, 104).
For purposes of determining plate armor
damage absorption, consider a lance’s base
damage range to be a one-hit-die attack,
and the double damage of a lance charge
to be a two-hit-dice attack. The blow from
a fragile lance, however, is always consid-
ered to be a one-hit-die attack.

Saving throw vs. unhorsing

Any time a knight is struck by the lance
in a mounted charge, there is the possibil-
ity that the knight will be unhorsed by the
charge. Thus, any time a hit is scored in
the joust, the knight struck must make a
saving throw to avoid being unhorsed.
Although this save could be as simple as
any other saving throw in the game, it is
more interesting to base this save vs. un-
horsing on the character abilities, skills,
and experience of the jousters. The follow-
ing system uses various modifiers that
affect the chance a knight has to avoid
being overthrown by the lance charge.
This system differs from the unhorsing
rules on pages 99-100 of Oriental Adven-
tures. As the lance charge is such a power-
ful attack, any successful hit has the
potential to unhorse a foe, not just a “criti-
cal hit” as in Oriental Adventures. Since
hits are so common in the joust, the saving
throw for knights should not be exces-
sively difficult. Just how easy or difficult
the save vs. unhorsing should be is a mat-
ter for each DM to decide.
As of yet, there is no provision for cava-
liers and paladins to fill proficiency slots
With horsemanship proficiency, as samurai
are able to do. The western knight’s save
vs. unhorsing is considered a form of
horsemanship ability intrinsic to the cava-
lier class. Cavaliers, paladins, and certain
fighters are trained from birth to learn to
avoid being overthrown in the joust. Thus,
the save vs. unhorsing progression natu-
rally improves steadily as the knight
increases in level.
This system is restricted to jousting
combat only and does not apply to any
weapon other than the horse lance. For
any other weapon used against a mounted
In this system, a knight who is struck by
foe, the system in Oriental Adventures
the lance charge (referred to as the
“defender”) must make a saving throw to
should be used

avoid being unhorsed. The saving throw
progression used by the DM should be a
fairly difficult one for fighter classes, such
as the “save vs. rod” or “save vs. spell”
categories. A few important modifiers can
be applied to this saving throw.
An alternate choice is to use a form of
“horsemanship proficiency” roll as used in
Oriental Adventures. For western knights,
this save vs. unhorsing progression starts
at 19 at 1st level and improves by one for
every two levels gained by the knight. For
instance, the saving throw roll is 19 at 1st
to 2nd level, 18 at 3rd to 4th level, 17 at
5th to 6th level, and so on. This difficult
save vs. unhorsing progression may be
used in the joust, along with a fair number
of bonuses or penalties to the save. The
same progression may be used, at the
DM’s option, whenever a horsemanship
proficiency roll is needed by a knight. This
roll can be used by cavaliers or paladins to
determine the chance of success in a feat
of horsemanship, just as samurai are able
to do, as described in Oriental Adventures
on page 54.
Certain bonuses may be applied to the
save vs. unhorsing roll in the joust. These
bonuses to the defender’s saving throw
are based on the knight’s character abili-
ties, horsemanship skill, and magic protec-
tion. The “attacker” who strikes the
defender in the joust imposes penalties to
the defender’s saving throw, due to the
attacker’s strength and possible use of a
magic lance. The attacker’s penalties are
applied to the defender’s normal save vs.
unhorsing roll to find the final saving
throw the defender must make to remain
in the saddle.
This system assumes that jousting com-
bat is limited to cavaliers, paladins, and
occasionally to other fighters. Only cava-
liers, paladins, and those fighters with
experience in mounted combat are al-
lowed a save vs. unhorsing roll in the
joust. Any character with little or no expe-
rience or ability in mounted combat will
avoid being unhorsed by rolling a natural
20 only, with no bonuses applied to the
roll, Those characters who must roll a
natural 20 to save include magic-users,
thieves, clerics, zero-level characters, and
any others that the DM feels would have
little chance of weathering a powerful
lance charge.
Some suggested bonuses and penalties to
the save are described below. To be con-
sistent, bonuses are always expressed as a
positive number and penalties as a nega-
tive value. How many or how few modi-
fiers a DM wishes to use is a matter of
personal taste based on the DM’s desire
for “realism.” A DM who wishes a quick
and easy system should limit the saving
throw to a few important modifiers that
are applied to a fairly difficult saving
throw. The DM who wants to reflect the
skill and abilities of both knights may
decide to use the full range of the follow-
ing modifiers, and perhaps some modifiers
of the DM’s own invention.
The DM should experiment freely with
the system. The DM can tinker with vari-
ous modifiers and saving throw progres-
sions until a system that seems most fair
and balanced is found. If hits occur fre-
quently in the joust, then an easier save vs.
unhorsing progression could be used. Less
frequent lance hits may warrant a more
difficult save. If bonuses are heavily fa-
vored over penalties, then a more difficult
save may be needed, such as the save vs.
spell or the horsemanship proficiency
progression. Fewer bonuses may call for
an easier save, such as the save vs. rods or
an even easier save.

Defender’s bonuses
Defender’s strength — High strength
helps a knight avoid being overthrown by
the attacker’s lance charge. The defender’s
hit probability bonus due to high strength
is used as the bonus to the defender’s save
vs. unhorsing. Thus, cavaliers of strength
17/xx to 19/00 would gain a bonus of + 1
to + 3 to the cavalier’s save vs. unhorsing.
Defender’s dexterity — High dexterity
helps a knight remain in the saddle. The
knight’s reaction/attacking adjustment
bonus is used as the defender’s saving
throw bonus. Cavaliers of dexterity 16/xx
to 18/xx gain a bonus of +1 to +3 to the
save vs. unhorsing.
Horsemanship skill — Superior horse-
manship grants a defender a better chance
to avoid falling off the mount. Cavaliers of
1st to 6th level gain a bonus of +1. Cava-
liers of 7th level and higher save at +2.
Other characters that are deemed by the
DM to be superior horsemen may be
granted a + 1 bonus to save in the joust.
Any character given this bonus by the DM
must have some experience jousting. This
bonus does not apply to barbarians, samu-
rai, or other oriental horsemen with
horsemanship proficiency, as jousting is
such an alien method of combat to them.
Magical protection — Magic armor worn
by a knight can provide a bonus to the
save equal to the total magical plusses of
the knight’s armor and shield. The saving
throw bonus is applied to the defender’s
chance to save, just as bonuses are applied
to other saving throws that may benefit
from magic armor (see page 81 of the
DMG).
Fragile lances — If a knight is struck by
a fragile or hollow lance rather than a
sturdy lance, then the save is made at +4.
Females — Although female fighters are
considered to be at a disadvantage in most
melee situations, jousting is one form of
combat where a case can be made for a
slight female advantage. Female knights
gain a +1 to save vs. unhorsing due to
their low center of gravity. A woman’s
center of gravity is located in her hips,
while a man’s is higher up in his abdomen.
As women have a smaller percentage of
total body weight located above the waist
compared to men, female knights are less
likely to be knocked off-balance by a lance
blow to the upper body.²

Attackers penalties
Attacker’s strength — An attacker with
great strength who strikes a lance blow
causes the defender to save vs. being
unhorsed at a penalty. This penalty is
equal to the negative of the attacker’s hit
probability adjustment due to high
strength. Characters of strength 17/xx to
18/00 impose a penalty of -1 to -3 to the
defender’s save vs. unhorsing.
Magic lances — Magic lances impose a
penalty to the defender’s chance to save.
This penalty is equal to the negative of the
lance’s magical plus; for example, a lance
+2 imposes a -2 penalty to the
defender’s save.
Once the DM decides on the applicable
modifiers and the proper saving throw
progression, the save vs. unhorsing data
can become part of a cavalier’s permanent
character record. After a cavalier charac-
ter has recorded his or her save vs. un-
horsing roll and the attack penalty that he
or she imposes upon the opponent’s save,
the joust can be conducted quickly.
Two abbreviations are used to list the
total modifiers involved. The defender’s
total bonus to the save vs. unhorsing is
called the “DBU.” The DBU can be consid-
ered analogous to the armor-class adjust-
ment of a character. The attackers total
penalty to the opponent’s save vs. unhors-
ing is called the “APU.” The APU is similar
to the “hit probability” of a character.
If greater simplicity is desired, the DM
could ignore the APU business and simply
use a more difficult saving throw progres-
sion, along with whatever bonuses that
may be applied. If this system seems con-
fusing right now, don’t worry; an example
is provided below.

The fall
Any jouster who is overthrown by the
lance charge takes an additional 1d4 hp
damage from the fall, due to both the
height of the fall and the awkward and
uncontrolled manner of the fall. Any
knight reduced to zero or fewer hit points
by the lance blow is automatically un-
horsed, of course, with no save vs.
unhorsing roll allowed. If a knight is auto-
matically unhorsed, then the additional
1d4 of damage may be ignored by the DM,
as the small damage taken in the fall
would be minor compared to the critical
injury suffered by the knight. If the knight
is wearing plate armor, the armor may
absorb part of the falling damage taken by
an unhorsed knight.

Combat example
Let’s take a look at an example of a joust
that might be part of an actual adventure,
using all of the ideas previously discussed.
The elven warrior-maid Allycia is travel-
ing with her retainers and fellow party
members across the countryside on a
quest. She encounters a mounted warrior
guarding a bridge. He proclaims that he is
Scud the Invincible and challenges Allycia
to joust for right of passage over the
bridge. No quarter is to be given, and the
winner takes the goods of the loser. Allycia
accepts the challenge.
The two characters are described below.

Allycia
6th-level cavalier
Female high elf
Alignment: Neutral Good
Str: 17/87
Int: 13
Dex: 18/34
Wis: 12
Con: 16/43
Cha: 14
AC:-6(-2)
HP: 61
Possessions: full plate armor, shield +2,
heavy horse lance, longsword +1
Hit probability: +1 (strength) + 1 (lance
skill) +2 (charge bonus) = +4
Damage Adjustment: + 1 (strength) + 6
(lance skill) = +7
THAC0: 14 - ( +4) = 10
Save vs. unhorsing adjustments:
DBU: +1 (strength)  +3 (dexterity) +1
(horsemanship) +1 (female) +2 (magic
shield) = +8
Save vs. unhorsing: 17 - ( +8) = 9
APU: -1 (strength)

Scud the Invincible
8th-level fighter
Human male
Alignment: Neutral
Str: 18/59
Int: 8
Dex: 13
Wis: 10
Con: 17
Cha: 7
AC: 0 (1)
HP: 66
Possessions: plate mail +1, shield +1,
heavy horse lance, battle axe +2
Hit probability: +2 (strength) +2
(charge bonus) = +4
Damage Adjustment: + 3 (strength)
THAC0: 13 - (+4) = 9
Save vs. unhorsing adjustments:
DBU: + 2 (strength) +0 (dexterity) +0
(horsemanship) + 2 (magic armor and
shield) = +4
Save vs. unhorsing: 16 - (+4) = 12
APU: - 2 (strength)

Allycia is a cavalier, so she gains advan-
tages that Scud does not. She attacks at
one level higher when on horseback. She
gains a cavalier’s lance skill to her hit
probability, as well as her normal +2
charge bonus. Her modified chance to hit
AC 0 is 10 or better. Her lance skill also
benefits her damage potential.

When Allycia charges, she gains no
dexterity bonus to her armor class. She is
thus AC -2 when she jousts.

Allycia gains defensive bonuses to her
saving throw vs. unhorsing (her DBU) for
her strength, dexterity, horsemanship skill
at 6th level, female sex, and her shield +2.
Using the horsemanship proficiency pro-
gression, she needs to roll a 17 to avoid
being unhorsed. With her impressive DBU
of +8, she normally needs to roll a 9 or
better to save vs. unhorsing. Her strength
of 17/87 means that she imposes an APU
penalty of -1 to Scuds save vs. unhorsing
roll.

Scud gains no lance skill or horseman-
ship bonuses, since he is just a normal
fighter. His lack of dexterity bonus makes
him one armor class worse when he
charges.

Although Scud gains strength and
charge bonuses for his chance to hit Ally-
cia, he lacks any special skill with the
lance. Thus, he needs to roll a 9 or better
to hit AC 0, using the 5% progression
suggested by the special note on the bot-
tom of page 74 of the DMG.
Scud gains defensive bonuses to his save
vs. unhorsing (his DBU) for just his
strength, magic armor, and magic shield.
As he is 8th level, he needs to roll a 12 or
better to avoid being unhorsed. His 18/59
strength gives him an APU of -2, which
he applies to Allycia’s save.
Allycia has a THAC0 of 10, so she hits
Scuds AC 1 on a 9. Scud hits Allycia’s
AC -2 on an 11 or better.
Allycia normally needs to roll a 9 or
better to save vs. unhorsing. Since Scud
imposes an APU penalty to Allycia’s save,
she now saves on a 9 - ( -2) = 11 or
better. Scud normally saves vs. unhorsing
on a roll of 12. Allycia imposes her APU of
-1 to Scuds save, so Scud now saves vs.
unhorsing on a roll of 12 - ( -1) = 13 or
better.

Both combatants are using heavy horse
lances that inflict a base 2d4 + 1 damage.
The attacks occur simultaneously, since
their lances are of equal length. If both
knights hit, then all damage and saving
throws occur simultaneously as well.
Allycia rolls a 12 for her attack die result
and hits Scud. At the same time, Scud hits
Allycia with a roll of 16.

Since the lance charge inflicts double
damage, Allycia’s damage roll of 5 results
in (2 × 5) + 7 = 17 hp damage to Scud.
Scud now has 66 - 17 = 49 hit points.
Scud rolls an 8 for his lance damage and
does (2 × 8) + 3 = 19 damage. Allycia’s
full plate armor absorbs 4 points of this
damage, since the double damage of the
lance charge is considered to be a 2 hit
dice attack. Allycia only suffers 15 hp
damage; she now has 61 - 15 = 46 hit
points.

Allycia must roll her saving throw to
avoid being unhorsed. She rolls a 14 and
makes her save. Scud rolls a 12 and is
overthrown by Allycia’s charge. He rolls
1d4 of falling damage and takes an addi-
tional 2 hp damage when he crashes to the
ground. Scud now has 44 hit points.
Both knights must see if their lances
have shivered. Allycia must roll a 13 or
better for her lance to avoid shivering. She
rolls a 7, so her lance has shattered. Scud
must roll a 15 or better, since Allycia re-
mained firm in the saddle. Scud’s lance
holds with a roll of 18. But Scud’s lance is
not nearly so useful when he is flat on his
back.

Allycia rides up to Scud carefully so
Scud cannot set his lance — now a pike —
against her charge. She asks Scud to yield,
but Scud grabs his battle axe and attacks.
Allycia remains on horseback so she can
still attack at one level higher. Scud fights
fiercely, but he is no match for Allycia’s
superior armor and dexterity. Scud sur-
renders before he is slain. Allycia claims
Scuds armor, weapons, and horse, as is
her right of conquest.

The tournament
The tournament is undoubtedly one of
the great highlights of a knight’s life.
Amidst great feasting and festivities, a
cavalier has the chance to prove his or her
knightly skill, to gain renown among both
peers and populace, and to make a decent
wage. The tournament provides excite-
ment, entertainment, and ransom money
or prizes for a successful knight.

In the tournament joust, very strict rules
and customs are maintained to insure fair
play and to reduce the chance of serious
injury. The hosts and judges use every
means possible to prevent cheating, regu
late safety, and uphold the chivalric code
of courtesy. Heralds keep track of those
knights who enter and insure that only
recognized and respected knights com-
pete. Clerics and magic-users use detection
and divination spells to prevent cheating
or other foul deeds.

Very rigid rules of conduct are enforced
in tournament jousting. Foul blows or
cheating are penalized. Magical devices
(including weapons, armor, and shields),
unusual mounts, or other means used to
gain an unfair advantage are prohibited.
Only a war horse may be ridden in the
joust, and barding may be required to
protect the mount. Blunt lances may be
mandatory in a civilized tourney to reduce
injury.

A tournament joust is restricted to the
lance charge only. Foot combat after a
knight is unhorsed is forbidden, as it is
considered discourteous and unsports-
manlike (as well as time consuming). A
wooden barrier, called a “toyle” or “tilt,” 4’
to 5’ high, is placed along the length of the
jousting field to separate the knights from
each other. The tilting rail also helps to
prevent the horses from colliding together
or being accidentally speared.
3

Entrance requirements
In many tournaments, only members of
recognized orders of knighthood or mem-
bers of the nobility are allowed to enter.
Proof of knighthood or noble lineage is
demanded by the officiating heralds. Little
known cavaliers are allowed to enter only
under unusual circumstances (such as the
cavalier helping to save the kingdom).
If a liberal tournament allows all comers
to enter, an entrance fee is likely to be
required. The fee helps pay for the costs
of holding the tourney, as well as for any
prizes. The fee cannot be returned to the
knight, especially not if the knight is dis-
qualified for violating the rules. The fee is
based on the status (i.e., level) of the
knight.

4
 The fee should be at least 100 gp
multiplied by the level of the knight.
To insure that knights of vastly different
skill level do not face each other in the
joust, every cavalier who competes in the
joust is assigned to one of the four classes
of Table 2.

Table 2: Cavalier Classes in Tournaments

Class	Experience Level
Esquire	1-4
Knight Bachelor	5-8
Cavalier	9-12
Cavalier Commander	13 and up

The first day or two of the tournament
is devoted to practice, or perhaps to pre-
liminary heats to assess the skill of un-
known knights.
5
 Well-known knights are
immediately assigned to the proper class
without need for practice, as the judges
already know the skill level of renowned
knights. No knight of renown would dare
compete in the heats against unknown
knights, for fear of disgracing himself by
jousting a suspected or possible inferior. A
knight may choose to practice jousting
against a known equal or friend.
The remaining days of the tourney are
devoted to the jousts and other matches
and events. The nights are spent in feast-
ing, dancing, and recovery from injuries.
The first jousting matches of the day are
fought by some of the finer knights
present, to get the tourney off to a good
start. Lesser knights then get their chance
to joust. These knights try to prove their
skill to their lords, sponsors, and superi-
ors. The very finest knights joust last, to
give the day’s events a fitting climax.
The knights may be allowed to run a set
number of matches in any given day, or
joust a set number of matches throughout
the duration of the tourney. For example,
each knight may be allowed to joust three
opponents a day for five days. The possi-
ble number of matches that a knight can
fight is determined by the severity of the
injuries sustained and the availability of
healing. Again, blunt or fragile lances may
be used, and the vanquishing rules (Un-
earthed Arcana, page 109) may be em-
ployed to reduce injuries.
The knight in each class who has accu-
mulated the most victories over the days’
matches is declared the champion of the
class. Ties require a tiebreaker match,
which is very exciting in itself. Penalties in
the form of losses may be imposed for
committing foul acts or unchivalrous
deeds. Excessive violation of the rules may
warrant immediate disqualification from
the tourney. Great shame and dishonor
follow any knight who has disgraced him-
self in the tournament.
Some typical rules violations that may
warrant a penalty or disqualification are:
6
1. Striking a foe from behind.
2. Spearing a horse.
3. Continuing the fight after a foe has
been unhorsed or after the judges have
declared the fight to be ended.
4. Striking a part of the body that the
judges of a civilized tourney have forbid-
den (such as the helm).
5. Striking the toyle three times.

The challenge
Each knight should be allowed to choose
whom he or she wishes to joust. A chal-
lenge can be issued by touching the lance
to the shield of the contender a knight
wants to joust. If the tournament allows a
knight to choose between sharp or blunt
lances to be used in the match, the knight
can indicate his or her choice by touching
one of two shields displayed by the chal-
lenged knight. Touching one shield indi-
cates that sharp lances are to be used,
usually in a joust between foes. Touching
the other shield means that blunted
“weapons of courtesy” are to be used.
7
Alternately, a single shield can be
touched in the challenge. Touching the
shield with the point of the lance indicates
a joust with sharp lances, while touching
with the butt of the lance is a challenge to
joust with blunt lances.
8

The match
When two knights joust, each knight is
allowed three lances. The first knight to
unhorse the opponent or to shiver all
three of his or her lances against the foe is
the winner of the match. If both knights
are unhorsed simultaneously, then both
knights suffer a loss in the tourney. If both
shiver all three lances, then the knights
must continue with a fourth or fifth lance,
until a victor is found.
Instead of having each lance that hits
make a save vs. shivering, it is easier to
declare that any lance that scores a hit is
shivered automatically in the tourney.
Thus, any successful hit is counted as a
broken lance.

The melee
On the day after the jousting matches,
the melee is held. The melee is a large-
scale contest involving all the knights
present, but strictly supervised by the
judges. The melee may be restricted to
foot combat only, to further mark its dif-
ference from the mounted jousts. Unless
the melee begins with a mounted lance
charge, the lance is forbidden in the
melee.

In the melee, two teams of equal
strength battle each other in order to
capture the best and most famous knights
of the opposing side. The better knights of
each side seek each other out, to the exclu-
sion of all others, leaving the lesser
knights to contend among themselves.
Vanquishing combat is the only form of
combat allowed in a civilized melee. The
judges monitor the melee for magic or
cheating as scrupulously as they monitor
the jousts.

Any knight vanquished in the melee is
considered captured. The captured knight
is then released to retire from the field for
the day. If ransom is to be arranged with a
captured knight, then the knight is ex-
pected to return to meet with his captor
after the match. The knights who have
captured the best and most renowned
knights of the opposing side are declared
the champions of the melee. Lesser
knights are expected to aid and support
the greater knights of their side. Lesser
knights help to capture opposing knights
and to protect their own best knights from
capture. Although the better knights. have
the greatest chance for glory and recogni-
tion, lesser knights who prove themselves
in the melee may receive special acknowl-
edgement and minor prizes from the
judges.

At the outer edge of the field is an enclo-
sure (sometimes called the “list”) to which
knights may retreat to rest, and where no
fighting is allowed. Knights who are in-
jured, tired, or have damaged armor may
retire to the list to recover without fear of
being attacked.

9
 Attacking a knight who
has retired to the list is forbidden.
A knight on the melee field who is in
trouble or seriously injured may be pro-
tected by the intervention of the Chevalier
d’ Honneur. This especially honored cava-
lier is privileged to wield the lance bearing
the couvre-chef (kerchief) de mercy. When
the chevalier of honor touches any knight
on the field with his lance of mercy, that
knight is protected from all further at-
tacks.

10
 Any combatant foolish enough to
attack a knight who has been so touched is
immediately disqualified from further
competition.

In the foot combat of the melee, combat-
ants other than cavaliers can enter with a
fair chance of success. Fighters and rang-
ers of noble rank can enter the melee.
Clerics might be allowed to enter, provided
that their temple is recognized and ap
proved by the tourney judges. A temple
closely tied to lawful good or chivalric
ideals has the best chance of being allowed
into the melee. The tourney judges must
take care that clerics from different tem-
ples are not divided into teams based on
opposing religious views or alignment.
Otherwise, the melee may break out into a
religious war.

-
Prizes and ransom
Prizes awarded to the victorious vary
with the quality of the tournament. Poorer
tournaments may not be able to offer
lavish prizes, and may instead allow a
winning knight to claim the goods of the
loser. A knight who has beaten a foe in the
joust or captured an opponent in the me-
lee may claim the arms, armor, and mount
of the loser. The loser can ransom back his
goods for a fee equal to the value of the
goods claimed by the winner.
Better tourneys bestow valuable prizes
to the champion of each class and the
most valiant knights of the melee. Such
prizes may include finely crafted weapons
or armor, superlative horses, gold, or
perhaps a very unusual gift.

11
 The prizes
awarded are commensurate with the level
of the winner, of course. Newcomers who
have proven themselves especially worthy
and valiant may receive certain praise
from the judges and a gift of acknowledge-
ment (for being rookie of the year).
The champion of the tourney is also
allowed to choose a “queen of love and
beauty.” The champion knight of the high-
est jousting class or the champion of each
class may choose the queen or queens of
beauty of the tourney. A female champion
may elect a male paramour for this honor,
of course, electing a king of the tourney.
The queen or king so chosen receives
much honor and praise from the judges
and spectators, as well as some gifts of
acknowledgement —typically a crown and
a few minor prizes.

Conclusion
With these suggestions and a bit of re-
search by the DM, a grand jousting tour-
nament can be run. The important thing
for the DM to remember is that each DM
should experiment freely with the ideas
presented. A period of trial-and-error play-
testing and tinkering may be needed to
find a system that is most comfortable and
balanced for each campaign.
The DM and players should seek out
various books on medieval history and
tales of knighthood to help flesh-out and
add color to the tourney. The tourney
contains a great many events popular in
medieval times, including archery and
wrestling contests, and often a medieval
merchants’ fair. A well-run tournament
should include competitions and intrigues
that provide adventure for all party mem-
bers, not just cavaliers and paladins. The
most highly recommended reference
works include any by R.E. Oakeshott, Sir
Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe, and Nicholas
Slope’s The Book of Medieval Wargames,
which contains tournament games.

Notes
1. Painter, French Chivalry, pp. 50-51.
2. Oakeshott, A Knight and His Horse, p.
68. Many noble ladies of the time were
competent jousters, particularly Joan of
Arc.
3. Oakeshott, A Knight and His Horse, p.
68, and Stone, Glossary of Arms and Ar-
mor, pp. 615, 626.
4. Keen, Chivalry, p. 86. An entrance fee
was often required in English tourna-
ments, after Richard I licensed tourneys
and imposed fees that were based on the
rank of the nobleman or knight. Barons
and greater noblemen payed the most,
while landless knights paid a small fee.
5. Oakeshott, A Knight and His Horse, p.
61. A French chanson written by Jaques
de Bretac described heats for assessing the
skill of jousters, taking place on the second
day of a tournament held at Chauvency in
1285.
6. Stone, Glossary of Arms and Armor, p.
626. A prize could be lost for committing
some of the offenses mentioned in this
article.
7. Painter, French Chivalry, p. 52.
8. Scott, Ivanhoe, p. 100.
9. Oakeshott, A Knight and His Horse,
p. 60.
10. Ibid, p. 71.
11. Ibid, pp. 62, 68. At the tournament of
Runnymede in A.D. 1215, following the
signing of the Magna Carta, a local baron-
ess donated a bear as a prize.

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